After Faking Her Death and Fleeing, the Emotionless Daoist Master Regretted It - Chapter 36.1

Chapter 36.1: Prophecy – Flirting with Shizun

Ling Yunyue had an Ice Spiritual Root. Usually, in front of her disciple, she deliberately restrained her innate ice spiritual energy.

Now that the girl was not by her side, and she had personally witnessed her accepting a gift from another woman, the chill emanating from her body could no longer be suppressed for a time.

The little fox Ruozhu felt the increasingly cold and biting temperature around her. She huddled into a ball like a quail, trying her best to minimize her presence.

Looking at her owner, who was happily chatting with Huo Liuli in the distance, she wailed endlessly in her heart.

If the owner didn’t return soon, she would be frozen into an ice cube by the cold woman next to her, who was continuously radiating cold air…

In the distance, Su Lingqing, who the little fox was lamenting over, was currently in a dilemma, hesitating whether to accept Huo Liuli’s invitation.

An intuition deep in her heart told her that what Huo Liuli said would be greatly beneficial for her future trip to the secret realm and also beneficial for her future cultivation.

But if she agreed, how should she explain it to Shizun?

She didn’t want to make Shizun angry…

Yet, she also didn’t want to give up such an opportunity. She wanted to improve her strength as soon as possible… Shizun was already at the late Mahayana stage and would ascend to the Immortal Realm sooner or later… If at that time, her strength was still weak and she couldn’t keep up with Shizun’s pace, then she would have to remain alone in the Xuan Tian Realm…

She couldn’t accept such a result… She wanted to seize every opportunity she could and do everything possible to advance her strength and realm sooner. Right now, the Cloud Marsh Secret Realm was the biggest opportunity right in front of her…

The intuition in her heart grew stronger and stronger… Agreeing to meet Huo Liuli would allow her to know things others didn’t and find more fortuitous chances…

Su Lingqing slowly made her decision. She transmitted a thought to the red-clothed female cultivator in front of her, accepting the invitation.

Even though she knew Shizun would be angry because of this, she still did it.

If Shizun got angry, she could find ways to make Shizun happy… But if missing this opportunity caused her to be unable to keep up with Shizun’s pace in the future, separating them between the Immortal and Mortal Realms, that would be a true lifelong regret…

Seeing the girl agree, Huo Liuli’s smile broadened.

“If there are no surprises, the two sects’ trial will end before noon. I will inform the sect elders that I will stay in the Azure Profound Continent a bit longer. The jade token I just gave Fellow Daoist has a wisp of my divine sense. After leaving Worry-Free Island, if Fellow Daoist has some free time, please use this jade token to contact me.”

Su Lingqing smiled and agreed: “It’s a deal.”

Seeing that the time for the second match was approaching, she simply returned to the arena.

Although Huo Liuli had explicitly stated she would directly concede, arena trials had their corresponding rules. If one conceded without a trial, both parties must be on the arena.

Huo Liuli naturally understood this point and, therefore, followed the girl onto the arena.

In the distance, Ling Yunyue looked at this scene, her lips tightly pursed. The chill emanating from her body intensified significantly again.

The elders and disciples of the Tianyan Sect who were observing and responsible for maintaining order all noticed that the Venerable Lingxiao was unhappy. They tacitly maintained silence, afraid of saying the wrong thing and angering the Venerable.

Beside her, the little fox Ruozhu still huddled in a ball like a quail, suffering in silence. A closer look would reveal that a layer of frost had formed on her fluffy fox fur…

She was a spiritual beast and could use spiritual energy to resist the cold, but she didn’t dare to. She could roughly guess that the cold woman beside her was angry because of her owner. She was afraid of making any noise, attracting attention, and becoming a scapegoat…

The little fox lamented repeatedly in its heart. The hardship of a fox’s life was no greater than this…

On the arena, the time for the second match had arrived.

Huo Liuli kept her prior promise and conceded.

On the Heavenly Fire Sect’s side, the cultivators burst into heated arguments because of her words.

“Did I hear that right? Senior Sister Huo actually conceded directly??”

“Although Fellow Daoist Su’s treasure and cultivation method both counter Senior Sister Huo, she should at least fight one more match. What kind of behavior is conceding like this?”

“Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist Su’s previous trial seemed to anticipate Senior Sister Huo’s movements in advance. The Fire Butterfly with the awakened Pupil Technique was supposed to be a secret weapon, yet it had no effect on Fellow Daoist Su.”

“I guess someone in the sect probably has a loose mouth and inadvertently leaked the news about the Pupil Technique. You saw it just now, it wasn’t just Fellow Daoist Su; half of the Fellow Daoists on the Tianyan Sect’s side used methods that effectively prevented the Pupil Technique.”

“Did Senior Sister Huo reach some kind of agreement with Fellow Daoist Su after the first match ended?”

“It’s a pity it was a voice transmission exchange; we couldn’t hear it at all.”

“Could Senior Sister Huo’s concession be because of this?”

“It should be… Alas… Senior Sister’s action was too rash. The Sect Master will definitely punish her severely when we return…”

“Given Senior Sister Huo’s talent, even if the Sect Master is angry, he won’t truly punish her too heavily. After all, we all witnessed that Senior Sister was indeed unlucky this time, drawing Fellow Daoist Su, whose cultivation method and Daoist arts completely countered her.”

“If the Pupil Technique matter hadn’t been leaked, maybe the trial results would have been completely different…”

“That’s not necessarily true. The Pupil Technique can control a cultivator’s mind, but only for a very short moment. Senior Sister Huo’s biggest reliance, the World-Purifying Li Fire, was constantly being countered. Even if the Pupil Technique truly worked, it would still be difficult to defeat Fellow Daoist Su.”

“It is what it is. It’s useless to say more. I just hope our sect as a whole doesn’t lose too badly this time, otherwise, the Sect Master will be difficult to face when we go back…”

After Huo Liuli conceded, Su Lingqing stepped down from the arena. Facing the reverent and admiring gazes of the cultivators, she quickly walked towards the familiar figure in the distance.

The chill emanating from Ling Yunyue’s body was subconsciously restrained considerably as her disciple gradually approached.

The little fox Ruozhu saw its owner return and felt like it had seen a savior. The previously listless fox instantly ‘came alive’. It leaped up, immediately wanting to rush forward and pounce onto its owner.

However, in the next instant, a sudden weight fell on its neck. A colder aura descended upon it. The entire fox was lifted mid-air by a jade hand, unable to get any closer to its owner.

Ling Yunyue looked at the little fox, her gaze conveying an unreadable meaning: “Fox fur covered in ice is almost like a hedgehog. Don’t go near Lingqing. As a spiritual pet, you should have the self-awareness of a spiritual pet. Be quiet and wait on the side.”

The cold voice reached its ear. The little fox felt like its world was collapsing and started to feel indignant in its heart.

The reason its fox fur was frozen was all thanks to the cold woman in front of it. The instigator was now lecturing it, and it didn’t even dare to talk back. It truly had a suffering it couldn’t express…

Seeing her disciple gradually approach, Ling Yunyue ‘threw’ the little fox behind her. At that instant, she noticed the jade token held in the girl’s hand, and the chill she had just restrained resurfaced.

She pursed her lips, cast a spell to set up a soundproofing restriction around them, blocking the prying of unrelated people.

When she spoke, her voice carried a hint of coldness: “Lingqing, why didn’t you return immediately after the first match ended, but instead stayed with that Huo Liuli? And why did you accept her gift?”

Su Lingqing had already anticipated this situation when walking toward Shizun. Hearing this, her steps paused slightly, and she quickly explained softly: “Shizun, Fellow Daoist Huo invited your disciple for a chat after the trial ended. This jade token is an item for transmitting messages to contact Fellow Daoist Huo.”

As soon as her words fell, a question full of chilliness reached her ear: “So, Lingqing agreed?”

The girl forced herself to lightly affirm: “Fellow Daoist Huo mentioned she had an important matter to discuss, related to the Cloud Marsh Secret Realm.”

“Lingqing trusts her that much? She was competing with you for the secret realm slot. Now that she’s lost, has Lingqing not considered that she might hold a grudge and try to harm you?”

“Shizun… Fellow Daoist Huo is not that kind of person…”

Ling Yunyue looked at her disciple, who was usually very well-behaved and only had eyes for her, standing in front of her and defending another woman. For the first time, an emotion called heartache arose in her heart.

“Lingqing has only known her for a day. How do you know her character? Lingqing defending her like this, could it be that you are interested in her?”

“Your disciple is not…” A hint of grievance surfaced in the girl’s heart. “Your disciple truly is not. Agreeing to the meeting is only because I want to learn more about the secret realm…”

Shizun could be angry with her, but she couldn’t misunderstand that she liked someone else.

From beginning to end, everything she did was only to catch up with Shizun’s pace sooner.

Su Lingqing didn’t know why Shizun would have such a thought. She couldn’t tolerate the existence of such a misunderstanding.

At this moment, she realized that the jade token in her hand was making Shizun unhappy. She quickly put it away, walked to Shizun’s side, and tugged at the woman’s sleeve with red-rimmed eyes.

“Shizun, please believe your disciple… Your disciple has absolutely no romantic feelings for Fellow Daoist Huo…”

Seeing the girl actively seeking closeness, Ling Yunyue’s tone softened slightly.

“The Cloud Marsh Secret Realm has only recently appeared, and no one has ever entered it. How would Huo Liuli know the situation inside the secret realm? Lingqing is kind-hearted. Don’t be deceived by her… Furthermore, even if she truly knows an unknown secret, why wouldn’t she tell her fellow disciples, but instead tell Lingqing?”

“Fellow Daoist Huo said she has an unfulfilled wish that requires my help to accomplish…”

Because of her disciple, Ling Yunyue harbored a deep prejudice against Huo Liuli.

“Lingqing believes her just because she said so?”

“Because… my intuition tells your disciple that going to the meeting will not be harmful… Your disciple wants to improve her strength as soon as possible…”

“If she has an unfulfilled wish, she can find someone else to complete it. Why must it be Lingqing? Has Lingqing considered that she might have an ulterior motive toward you?”

“This… Fellow Daoist Huo shouldn’t…”

“Why shouldn’t she? The most likely scenario is that she is interested in Lingqing and wants to use this opportunity to get close.”

Hearing this, the girl was momentarily stunned.

Due to her innate Murderous Body, she was cold-shouldered until she met Shizun… Even now, although the situation had slightly improved with her entry into Dao cultivation, she didn’t believe she possessed any particular charm. How could the prized daughter of another major sect view her differently, even developing other feelings?

“Shizun… setting aside whether Fellow Daoist Huo likes women, even if she does, there are many people in this world who are more outstanding than your disciple…”

“Lingqing is wrong. In terms of cultivation talent and comprehension, there is almost no one in the world more outstanding than Lingqing. Even purely in terms of appearance, Lingqing is among the best, not inferior to anyone.”

When Ling Yunyue spoke these words, she sounded less cold and carried an inexplicable, nuanced meaning.

How could the girl who became her disciple and captured her heart not be charming… Lingqing just didn’t realize it herself… Since she entered the sect, Xu Miaoluo of Beast Control Peak, Le Xi of Painting and Calligraphy Peak, and the Mu Xin and Mu Yao sisters of Xuantian Peak… they were all people who were unknowingly attracted by her charm…

Su Lingqing was unaware of Shizun’s thoughts. Hearing Shizun’s words, she only assumed Shizun was comforting her… Even so, she was very happy.

After a brief moment of sweetness, she gradually realized that Shizun saying this meant she still believed Fellow Daoist Huo had an ulterior motive toward her…

She had already agreed to Fellow Daoist Huo’s invitation to meet. What should she do if Shizun forbade it?

She absolutely did not want any misunderstanding or rift to arise between them as Master and disciple because of this…

After a moment of hesitation, the girl gently tugged at the woman’s sleeve, acting spoiled.

“Shizun, when I meet Fellow Daoist Huo, your disciple will remain vigilant. Nothing will happen~”

Meeting the girl’s wet almond eyes and seeing the faint plea hidden within, Ling Yunyue’s heart softened.

She could just secretly follow her then. Either way, she would never let anything happen to her disciple.

“Only this once. Don’t let there be a next time.”

Seeing Shizun agree, Su Lingqing was overjoyed and made repeated assurances.

Ling Yunyue thought of the jade token put away by her disciple and reminded her in a timely manner: “When you meet Huo Liuli, remember to return her item.”

Su Lingqing was initially stunned, then slowly realized what Shizun was referring to and immediately agreed with a smile.

At this moment, on Worry-Free Island, the second round of trials in the various arenas was nearing its end, with mixed results.

Some had won two consecutive matches, securing a slot to the secret realm, but were severely injured and needed a long time to recover; some had one win and one loss and needed to proceed to the third match; and a very small number, clearly outmatched in the trial, refused to concede and tragically lost their lives…

Fatalities occurred in both sects. Before the trial began, both sects had agreed that life and death in the arena trial were subject to the will of Heaven. After the trial, neither side was allowed to seek private revenge.

The joy that surfaced in Su Lingqing’s heart because Shizun was no longer angry faded considerably after she personally witnessed the demise of a fellow disciple.

She then thought that Shizun had once said that the Cloud Marsh Secret Realm was limited to less than two hundred entrants. Although the Heavenly Fire Sect was the top sect in the Scarlet Flame Continent, it couldn’t occupy all the slots. This meant that when the secret realm opened, people from other forces would also be attending.

It was very common in the cultivation world to kill others for treasure. Once inside the secret realm, she needed to be extra vigilant…

Ruozhu sensed the owner’s large emotional fluctuation and crept closer to her owner step by step.

Su Lingqing’s attention gradually shifted to the little fox.