"He's fine, currently regulating his breath. But that light of yours just now—what was that?" Everyone was curious about the source of the light.
"I don't know. Just now, I thought I heard someone softly sighing in my ear, but I didn't catch what they said." She stood up from the ground, still maintaining an extremely composed demeanor. Even if she didn't know, so what? She clearly sensed that the soft power from earlier held no malice at all.
"Oh, it's already this late? Time to get down to business." Ye Lanshan looked at the stunningly beautiful dusk and suddenly remembered she still needed to teach Xia Ri swordsmanship. But before that, she had to recite the Soul-Calming Incantation three more times for Ye Yu. His soul had only recently returned and was still unstable—she didn't want anything else to happen to him.
"Clear heaven and earth, void and silent, all simplicity returns to one, parting and meeting scatter swiftly, fate and love return to the cup; I am like the bodhi, even if transformed into emptiness, spirit converges here, awakening calms the soul, purifying the world's peace, following my command, the soul finds ease, unstable on its own, I follow heaven's decree, soul solidifies in meditation, heart unites as one, rootless and endless; soul rests in return, indifferent and still, mirror-like water, dustless wind; heart gathers and scatters, spirit is clear and virtuous, deep and tranquil, wishing to return three thousand dharma vows, calling upon the Yellow Springs of inevitability, all souls silent, decree Soothe the heart and soul, solidify the spirit, settle." After three recitations, Ye Yu finally felt the sensation of losing control over his body disappear.
"I'll recite it three more times for you tomorrow. In three days, I don't believe he'll still have the power to pull your soul away again." Ye Lanshan's gaze turned cold and sharp, clearly marking the unknown person as an enemy.
"Mm, it's all my fault, miss. If I were stronger, you wouldn't have to work so hard." Ye Yu was deeply remorseful. If only he weren't so weak and unable to protect her properly—not only could he not share her burdens, but he also made her worry and tire herself for him time and again.
"What are you saying? If you hadn't risked your life to block that blow for me, I'd probably be a cripple by now. Besides, since you're my person, it's only natural for me to protect you. You don't need to blame yourself." A warm current flowed through Ye Lanshan's heart. So there really was someone who could remain utterly loyal to her from start to finish. Ye Yu was the only one under her command who hadn't sworn a heaven-earth oath, yet she could trust him completely.
"You're practicing that move wrong." As soon as Ye Lanshan arrived at the back courtyard, she saw Xia Ri struggling to practice with her sword. Though her form was still a mess, it was much better than last night.
"Come on, fill the blade with spiritual power, use your wrist to flick it out—ah, yes, just like that." Ye Lanshan guided her personally, watching as she finally executed a relatively perfect move.
"This horizontal slash isn't done like that. Keep your arm straight, parallel to your shoulder." Ye Lanshan patiently taught Xia Ri move by move until she could link the entire sequence together.
"Mm, not bad. Though this sword technique is the most basic and common, if you master it well, it can be quite formidable. Keep practicing slowly, and I'll check on you tomorrow night." Ye Lanshan glanced at the moon, estimating the time was about right. She planned to head to the palace first to retrieve the eavesdropping talisman.
Hearing Ye Lanshan's words, Xia Ri felt delighted and threw herself into her sword practice with even more vigor.
What is Yun Qingfeng doing here? Just as Ye Lanshan took out the eavesdropping talisman, she saw Yun Qingfeng stride casually into the queen's bedchamber.
As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll never be defeated. She decided to go take a look herself.
"How about it? This deal is quite favorable. As long as you help me get this done, the emperor's throne will naturally be yours." Yun Qingfeng looked confident, as if certain they would agree.
"Your Sacred Ground is so powerful—you could probably snap your fingers and get Ye Lanshan. Why do you need us to act? I think you're overestimating us." Little Li naturally had his own concerns. The Sacred Ground's ship wasn't just a pirate vessel—once you boarded it, there was no getting off.
"If I could bring her back openly, why would I come to you? Don't forget, I could wipe out your Sun family with ease. And you, Li Zhi—guess what would happen if I destroyed your army? Could you still overthrow the Yue Kingdom's dynasty?" Yun Qingfeng smiled as he spoke these cruel words.
"You... fine, I agree. But don't forget your promise." Little Li trembled with rage but had no choice but to accept Yun Qingfeng's terms.
Cooperating with the Sacred Ground? Looks like the Sun family really can't be kept around.
"Who's there?" Yun Qingfeng swiftly sent a burst of mystic energy outward. Startled, Ye Lanshan immediately used the tall branches outside to flee into a gloomy courtyard.
"It's been so long since anyone came here. Human, should I call you brave or foolish? Daring to barge in here—are you tired of living?" A faint, eerie voice echoed from all directions, carrying wisps of chilling air.
No physical form. Neither human nor beast. Could it be a ghost?
"How novel. This is the first ghost I've encountered since coming to this world." Ye Lanshan leaned calmly against the nearby wall, even closing her eyes in slight contentment.
"You're not afraid of me? What an interesting human." A low laugh reached Ye Lanshan's ears, vibrating painfully.
Ye Lanshan called out loudly to the surroundings: "It seems your cultivation is quite deep, senior. You must have been dead for a thousand years. May I ask if your surname is Li?"
"My surname is Mu. Don't mention the Lis to me. I don't want my new little plaything to die so soon." A clear female voice suddenly rang out, tinged with gritted teeth.
"Then this is easy." Ye Lanshan muttered softly, pulling a talisman she had made in her past life from her space and tossing it into the center.
"Ah!" A scream rang out as the figure revealed its true form—a woman in a light purple gauze double-layered skirt. Though her hands were burned, it didn't overly mar her beauty. Her pale skin, from prolonged lack of sunlight, gave her an eerie aura.
"You... who are you?" Her terrified voice came through, as if she hadn't expected anyone could harm her.
"Me? Your nemesis." As a cultivator, dealing with ghosts was second nature. Though this ghost had considerable skill and would be unbeatable with her current cultivation, she still had the talismans from her past life. She couldn't defeat it now, but scaring it and seizing the chance to form a contract was easy enough.
"I was hoping to keep a living thing around to play with, but since it's come to this, I can't let you live." The woman's dress flickered faintly with red light, and the air around them turned icy cold.