The attack came without warning. Before Lu Xuanyuan could even react, Yue Liang had already teleported him to safety.
Wu Siyuan quickly subdued the other Golden Core cultivator and sealed his spiritual energy.
The assassin who had struck at Lu Xuanyuan gave up on concealment when he saw his ambush had failed. His true cultivation was revealed: late-stage Divine Soul.
Realizing he wasn't a match for Jian Dan, he immediately turned his attention toward Uncle Lu, hoping to divert Jian Dan's focus. At the same time, he crushed a teleportation talisman in his hand.
Uncle Lu had been alert from the beginning. When he saw the attack coming, he didn't try to block it head-on. Instead, he pulled a shield from his storage ring and hurled it forward to absorb the impact, then retreated back to Lu Xuanyuan's side.
Jian Dan raised a hand. With a flick of her fingers, a spatial prison sealed off the Divine Soul cultivator, forcefully interrupting the teleportation. She drew him back to her with a simple gesture.
The Divine Soul cultivator didn't struggle. He simply looked up at her, his gaze turning increasingly venomous and spiteful.
"You woman," he spat, "you've ruined my plans more than once. I will come for you."
His body began to swell rapidly—he was preparing to self-detonate.
Jian Dan's spiritual sense caught the shift in energy the moment it began. She unleashed a crushing pressure that pinned him to the ground. The force disrupted the internal flow of spiritual energy and halted the detonation in its tracks.
"Yue Liang."
Yue Liang had already tossed Lu Xuanyuan over to Uncle Lu. In the next instant, she flickered above the spatial prison. Golden light flared in her eyes. Her tiny paw sliced through the air, flashing with radiance as it struck the pinned man below.
"Agh—! How...!"
A wisp of black smoke rose along with a strangled scream that was never finished. Then, it vanished.
The other Divine Soul cultivator, who had also been caught in the spatial prison, suddenly returned to his senses. Feeling himself on the verge of detonation, he panicked and immediately halted the reversed spiritual flow.
The commotion had already drawn attention. Moments later, a group of cultivators in violet robes surrounded them. They were disciples of the Purple Sky Sect.
Jian Dan glanced around the group, then spoke calmly.
"Jian Lu of the Heavenly Sword Sect, requesting an audience with Xiao Yong Zhūnzhǔ."
Her voice was clear and precise, carrying all the way to the temporary cave dwelling atop the peak.
Inside, Xiao Yong Zhūnzhǔ raised an eyebrow at the message and smiled faintly before vanishing from the cave. The next moment, he reappeared in front of Jian Dan and her group.
Seeing the situation at the entrance, Xiao Yong waved his hand, dismissing the Purple Sky Sect cultivators who had encircled them. Then he cupped his hands politely.
"Jian Lu Daoyou, I'm honored. You've gone to great lengths to personally escort our young master home."
Jian Dan returned the gesture with a smile.
"You're too courteous, Xiao Yong Zhūnzhǔ. Aside from returning Young Master Lu, I also brought Yue Liang to express our gratitude for the care you once showed her."
Yue Liang, perched on Jian Dan's shoulder the moment her name was mentioned, raised a tiny paw in salute.
"Greetings, Xiao Yong Zhūnzhǔ. You're as elegant as ever."
"Haha! Yue Liang, always so eloquent. Jian Lu Daoyou, please, come inside."
Uncle Lu approached with Lu Xuanyuan and whispered the full account to Xiao Yong Zhūnzhǔ via voice transmission. After a glance at the two captives on the ground, Xiao Yong swept a sleeve. Both were pulled into a spatial storage with a flick of his sleeve-world technique.
Jian Dan offered no objection. She had already withdrawn her spiritual pressure before Xiao Yong made a move. These were Purple Sky Sect's matters now; she had no interest in overstepping.
Jian Dan and Wu Siyuan followed Xiao Yong Zhūnzhǔ to the top of Yunxiao Peak and into his cave dwelling. After everyone was seated, Yue Liang transformed into her human form, bowed solemnly, and brought out her gift from the storage ring around her neck.
"Xiao Yong Zhūnzhǔ, I remember you enjoy fine wine. I prepared this especially for you."
She held out a small white jade flask.
Jian Dan recognized the scent instantly. It was her own gift to Yue Liang: a bottle of Ziyu Heartwine. The little rascal was now using it to earn favor.
Xiao Yong caught the fragrance the moment Yue Liang opened the flask. It was clearly top-grade spiritual wine. He accepted it with a smile.
"Yue Liang, you're too polite. Since you brought it, I will gladly accept. You're always welcome to visit Purple Sky Sect anytime."
Yue Liang beamed and nodded, then returned to her raccoon beast form and curled up in Jian Dan's arms.
Stroking Yue Liang's fur, soft and smooth as satin, Jian Dan smiled.
"There's one more thing I should mention, aside from returning your young master."
"Please speak."
"There's a group of evil cultivators targeting Lu Xuanyuan. I've already intervened twice, killing one of their avatars and a soul fragment. Now, it seems they've turned their attention to me as well."
Lu Xuanyuan jolted and scooted a little closer to Xiao Yong Zhūnzhǔ.
"How did you discover this, Jian Lu Zhūnzhǔ?" Xiao Yong asked without delay.
"It's related to the cultivation method I practice," Jian Dan replied, her tone smooth. "Also, I possess a Buddhist artifact."
She had no intention of revealing Yue Liang's unique abilities, so she attributed it all to her cultivation and artifacts.
"One of the attackers earlier—his soul fragment was among those I destroyed. The timing and location they chose were... calculated."
She knew Xiao Yong would understand what she meant.
He nodded and didn't press further. Instead, he changed the subject with a smile.
"I haven't had the chance to congratulate you on your breakthrough. You're one step closer to ascension."
"Thank you, thank you. Just a bit of insight gained through fortunate encounters."
Jian Dan answered modestly. In front of an old Void Refinement powerhouse like Xiao Yong, it was better to stay reserved.
"You're being modest, Jian Lu Daoyou. The spirit stone I spent to obtain this recording says otherwise. News of you and Jian Li working together to slay a Unity cultivator has spread all over the cultivation world."
As he spoke, Xiao Yong pulled out a high-grade black memory jade and handed it to her.
Jian Dan took the jade with a polite smile and scanned it with her spiritual sense. Her lips twitched. The person who recorded and sold this was surprisingly thorough.
The entire battle between her, Jian Li, and the Unity-stage Jiayu cultivator had been captured. Other than the brief, hazy moment when Cotton Candy obscured the battlefield with clouds, the rest was crisp and multi-angled. It was immersive, almost like being there.
Of course, only someone of Xiao Yong's cultivation level could truly perceive the techniques used. To most others, it was just a flashy spectacle.
"Zhūnzhǔ, can I watch it too?" Yue Liang asked eagerly, eyes wide with anticipation.
Jian Dan sighed and handed the jade over.
"Return it to Xiao Yong Zhūnzhǔ once you're done."
"Yes, Yue Liang understands."
Clutching the jade with both paws, Yue Liang happily scampered to the side.
Xiao Yong chuckled and fondled the white jade wine flask at his waist.
"Jian Lu Daoyou, did you know you now have a nickname among cultivators? 'Magnolia Fairy'. You're quite popular with female cultivators, both rogue and sect-born."
"The nickname suits me," Jian Dan replied, amused. "But why is it only the ladies? Don't I have any male admirers?"
Xiao Yong grinned knowingly, his expression saying, You know the reason.
Jian Dan clicked her tongue and let it slide.
Then, Xiao Yong's smile faded into seriousness. He stood and cupped his hands once more.
"Thank you for saving Young Master Lu twice and for eliminating a hidden danger to Purple Sky Sect. Before you came, our Sect Master and the Lu Family Ancestor gave strict orders to express their gratitude. Consider this a favor our sect owes you."
As he spoke, he pulled out a square token the size of a palm, white with a violet tinge. One side bore a carved Purple Dusk flower, the other the words Zixiao.
"The Sect Master asked me to deliver this to you. With this token, you may request one task from our sect, unconditionally. You may also use it to exchange for rare treasures or spiritual materials from our stores."
Jian Dan accepted the token with quiet satisfaction, her heart already celebrating.