Zhan Tianxiang sprinted toward the Smelting Pavilion. She hadn't even entered the cave door when she heard Jian Xiaolou's laughter and chatter.
Releasing her divine sense for a quick look, she realized he had been worrying for nothing—thinking something might've happened—only to find that Jian Xiaolou was chatting cheerfully with a male cultivator.
With that, Zhan Tianxiang turned on her heel and left, feeling she had made a fuss over nothing.
Frustrated, she returned to the cave dwelling. Just as she was about to activate the door's protective ward, a gust of fierce wind suddenly struck, transforming into a massive fist that slammed viciously toward her chest.
Caught completely off guard, she didn't have time to activate the ward. She quickly used a Shrinking Earth Technique to retreat backward.
She raised her arm, revealing a crossbow, but the disparity in strength was too great. The arrow was suppressed by the violent wind and dropped to the ground after flying less than a foot.
Smack!
The punch landed squarely on her chest. With a splurt of blood, Zhan Tianxiang was flung through the air and crashed heavily onto Jian Xiaolou's bed inside the cave.
The door slammed shut with a whoosh of wind. Red light flared all around—clearly a restrictive formation had been activated.
Two blurry figures slowly took shape in the room, gradually solidifying into two elderly men at the Golden Core stage.
One had white hair and a white beard, pale skin, and a tall, lean figure. The other had black hair and beard, dark skin, and a short, stocky build like a dwarf.
The white-haired elder's face darkened. He hurried forward and shoved a pill into Zhan Tianxiang's mouth, then turned and glared at the black-haired elder.
"What's wrong with you, you grumpy old man? Why hit so hard? Were you trying to kill her?"
The black-haired elder snorted coldly.
"So what if I did? Useless trash! I don't even know why the Young Master picked such a worthless thing!"
Zhan Tianxiang had suffered several torn meridians from that punch. Thankfully, the pill came in time—otherwise she would've already passed out.
Enduring the intense pain, she staggered to her feet and bowed her head in salute.
"Subordinate greets Elder White and Elder Black."
Even hunched over, she still stood a full head taller than Elder Black. The old man snorted hot air from his nostrils and barked:
"Stupid girl, have you forgotten your identity? Forgotten why you came to the Fire Refining Sect? Did you really think you were here to study artifact crafting?"
Zhan Tianxiang lowered her head even further.
"I wouldn't dare."
Elder White gently held her hand and gave it a comforting pat.
"All right now, we're just here to inform you—the Young Master has begun executing the plan. Let's hope everything goes smoothly on your end."
Zhan Tianxiang nodded obediently.
"Understood."
"What do you know?"
Black-Haired Elder was completely hooked on yelling, his shriveled finger jabbing at his forehead like a dead tree branch.
"A matter this important—why the Young Master chose you, I have no idea. But if you mess it up, not even he will be able to protect you!"
"I understand," Zhan Tianxiang replied, her head bowed deeply.
It wasn't that she didn't want to raise her head—it was simply that Black-Haired Elder hadn't held back his pressure. The suppression of a Golden Core cultivator was not something he could withstand.
Only then did he finally look satisfied. Stroking his long beard, he was about to vanish when he suddenly sensed that a gaze was fixed on him.
Startled, he scanned the room—only to find that it came from a black myna bird in a cage on the windowsill.
Xiao Hei was perched on one leg on the wooden bar, drinking water. Its two mung-bean-sized eyes stared directly at him, full of curiosity.
The black-haired elder bellowed, "What are you looking at, you feathered beast?! Stare at me again and I'll gouge your eyes out!"
To his surprise, Xiao Hei actually turned around, presenting its rear end to him.
Black-Haired Elder froze, dumbfounded. "Turn back around!"
The bird ignored him completely, pecked at its wing, fluffed its feathers, tucked in its neck, and went to sleep.
Enraged, Black-Haired Elder reached out to strangle it—but was yanked back, lifted three feet off the ground by the collar by White-Haired Elder.
"You decrepit old fool—why are you fighting with a damn bird?"
But then his expression turned sharp.
"Still... this bird may be a mere mundane creature, without spiritual awareness—but mynas are notoriously good mimics…"
Realizing how important the bird was to Jian Xiaolou, Zhan Tianxiang panicked and said quickly,
"Sir, Xiao Hei is just a dumb bird, a mute even—can't even chirp properly. It's harmless!"
White-Haired Elder let it go. After all, the Young Master had given strict orders that everything concerning the Fire Refining Sect's arrangements must obey this girl without question.
He didn't think much of a common bird—but just in case, he waved a hand. A blast of spiritual pressure surged toward Xiao Hei, shattering its consciousness. He didn't mind making the bird even dumber.
After that, he grabbed Black-Haired Elder and vanished in a stream of blue smoke. They didn't reappear until far outside Fuguang City.
As soon as they landed, Black-Haired Elder exploded,
"You damn bootlicker! You're a dignified Golden Core cultivator and you're scared of a little Foundation Establishment girl?!"
White-Haired Elder's face darkened. "Do you even know who that person is? You dared to strike?"
Black-Haired Elder scoffed.
"Who else could the Young Master be protecting like that if not some secret lover? The girl's useless! Why would he assign such an important task to her?"
"Lover?" White-Haired Elder was dumbfounded, on the verge of laughter.
No wonder this old coot was so hostile. The Young Master had told him not to reveal the identity, especially since Black-Haired Elder was prone to getting things backwards. But if he didn't tell him now, the fool might cause real trouble.
"That person is the Young Master's blood sibling. Who else would he protect?"
Black-Haired Elder froze. "I may be in charge of the Zhan family's underground dealings, but I'm not an idiot. The Young Master only has one younger brother, and he's a crippled spiritual root—born unable to practice the family's sword arts. He's been hidden from the public since birth. Since when did he gain a younger sister?"
White-Haired Elder asked calmly, "Then do you know the Second Young Master's full name?"
"Are you testing me? I haven't met him, but of course I know—Zhan Tianxiang."
White-Haired Elder didn't reply. He just smiled slightly and waited.
Black-Haired Elder, who had prepared himself for a shouting match, now felt unsettled. Something didn't feel right. He muttered under his breath:
"Zhan Tianxiang… Zhan Tianxiang… Zhan Tianxiang… Zhan Tianxiang…"
And then it struck him like thunder on a clear day. He reeled.
"He's… he's Zhan Tianxiang?! Our Zhan family's supposedly useless Second Young Master?!"
White-Haired Elder shook his head.
"He's no cripple. From what I see, he's a sword that the Zhan family has spent years forging in secret."
The revelation was too much. Black-Haired Elder struggled to process it.
"But… I've seen his temperament. He's soft-hearted, easily moved. Nothing about him stands out."
White-Haired Elder smiled.
"He can reshape his appearance like molding clay, walked past the 'True Stone' without being exposed, and even fooled you—don't you think that counts as 'extraordinary'?"
Black-Haired Elder couldn't wrap his head around it. "Does he have a secret treasure or something?"
White-Haired Elder shook his head again.
"That I don't know. But the ability to change his form at will—surely that's not his only secret."
Finally, he sighed.
"Still, I fear the Young Master may have miscalculated."
"How so?"
"The Second Young Master is only nineteen. Just the age when love first blossoms…"
"Click-clack."
The door ward was unlocked with a secret technique, and Jian Xiaolou swaggered back in.
After all, they were both cultivators—even if she tried to sneak in, long legs (Zhan Tianxiang) would have heard her.
Zhan Tianxiang was circulating spiritual energy to dissolve the medicinal pill and nourish his damaged meridians. As soon as he heard the sound of someone entering, he immediately withdrew the energy and collapsed onto the bed, pretending to be asleep. The healing technique he was using involved Foundation Establishment-level spiritual energy—if Jian Xiaolou sensed it, how could he possibly explain?
"Long Legs?"
(The nickname she used for him.)
The room was pitch dark. Jian Xiaolou wove a strand of spiritual energy in front of her eyes to activate night vision. Sensing Zhan Tianxiang's calm and steady breath, she concluded he was deeply asleep.
Such poor vigilance?
She frowned. Perhaps she needed to have a talk with him about that tomorrow.
She teased Xiao Hei (the myna bird) a little, then lay down on her bed, still fully clothed, for a nap. After all, those in the Qi Refining stage were only a bit stronger than mortals—they still needed to eat and sleep.
But just as she closed her eyes and rolled over, she sensed something was off.