Eternal Life Starts from Tai Chi

Chapter 402: Chapter 402: The Saintess’s Choice, One in a Thousand

Qing State.

Cyan Yuan Sect.

’Comparing the various state domains, the Cyan Yuan Sect is the most reliable choice. It’s backed by the Merak Sacred Land, and a large number of its experts have left for the Sacred Land, leaving behind those with relatively lower strength.’

’Its backing from the Merak Sacred Land will also deter my pursuers from going too far.’

’Their diminished strength means they pose less of a threat to me. It’s the perfect place to lie low, recover my cultivation, and get through this most difficult time.’

She had already changed her appearance and used the Soul Capturing Technique to obtain a legitimate identity.

When the Cyan Yuan Sect began recruiting Servant Disciples, she took the initiative to join.

To be honest, if she could have, she would have chosen a remote place to slowly recover her strength. However, her pursuers were far more determined than she had anticipated, and she had nearly been discovered several times.

Left with no choice, she decided to infiltrate a Sect. It was the best way to evade those hunting her.

The Cyan Yuan Sect was a particularly good choice. It had just become one of the Merak Sacred Land’s Affiliated Forces, and the Sect’s internal strength was greatly diminished, making it her prime target.

She practiced a special technique for Concealing Breath. Back when she infiltrated the No-Life Evil Cult, no one had been able to discover her identity as the Taiyin Saintess.

If not for the subsequent accident, coupled with her using the No-Life Evil Cult’s power for matters concerning the Taiyin Heaven, her cover would never have been blown. She could still be using the No-Life Evil Cult’s forces now.

But since she was exposed, she had naturally ruled it out. The No-Life Evil Cult’s forces in Yu State were now likely the most dangerous place for her; those who wanted her dead had almost certainly laid a trap there.

She wanted to flee further away, but she discovered that the forces trying to kill her had cast a wide net everywhere, determined to capture her.

It made the Taiyin Saintess feel as if she had truly obtained the inheritance from the high tower within Taiyin Heaven.

She suspected that someone was fanning the flames from the shadows, falsely claiming she had received the tower’s inheritance. Otherwise, the various powers wouldn’t have gone to such lengths, mobilizing so many forces to hunt her down.

’If I ever find out who’s behind this, I’ll have them sliced into a thousand pieces. Anything less would be an insult to my title as the Taiyin Saintess.’

Within the Taiyin Holy Sect, anyone who managed to hold the position of Taiyin Saintess for long was someone whose hands were stained with countless blood. When they acted, they were utterly ruthless and never showed mercy.

"What’s your name? Where are you from? How many people are in your family?"

Han Bingyu held a registration book, recording the details of the people within Yang Chan’s selection pool.

Although the person before her had a sallow complexion, her figure was quite good—rather "wealthy"—and pleasing to the eye.

She knew that Yang Chan was fond of pomelos, so she tended to pick those who were on the larger side.

These Maids had basically no chance of replacing her, so she could choose them with confidence. At the same time, she picked the best candidates possible to show Yang Chan both her capability and her good taste.

’These people are interchangeable, but there’s only one of me. I’m the one who does things best and satisfies Yang Chan the most.’

"I... My name is Li Shui’Er. I’m from Dawan Village. I have a grandmother at home..."

The Taiyin Saintess said timidly.

Upon joining the Cyan Yuan Sect, there were two options: either become a Servant Disciple or become a Maid for one of the so-called "great figures" of the Sect.

The path of a Servant Disciple was time-limited and involved heavy tasks, but it offered the chance to comprehend Power, be promoted to an Official Disciple, change one’s fate, rise above others, and possess limitless possibilities. The difficulty, however, was imaginable.

They had various tasks every day, leaving limited time for Cultivation. They could only seize moments of free time to practice, all while being careful not to overexert themselves and die from training. Even if they survived, if they failed to comprehend Power by the deadline, they would ultimately be expelled from the mountain.

Becoming a Maid, on the other hand, involved less burdensome tasks than being a Servant Disciple, but it meant living at the whim of a "great figure." There was no possibility of promotion, but there was another chance to change one’s fate: climbing into the great figure’s bed and securing a title. This was an additional possibility available to female Maids.

Furthermore, they received a monthly allowance, which they could spend or send back home.

The Taiyin Saintess was naturally aware of these two options and had already made her choice long ago. After arriving at the Cyan Yuan Sect, she had proactively joined the group of prospective Maids.

By now, she had already altered her facial features to look very ordinary. She had also wrapped up her extremely "wealthy" figure to make it look less "evil."

However, looking at the other Maids, she felt she was still a bit too "wealthy," as the others were malnourished and far too "barren."

Some were so flat-chested you could race a horse on them.

But this was the best she could do. Any more pressure and she might damage them.

"Alright, you follow behind me!"

After Han Bingyu finished recording the information the Taiyin Saintess had provided, she moved to the next person, a girl with a delicate, girl-next-door look.

"What’s your name? Where are you from? How many people are in your family?"

She continued her routine questioning, registering each person’s information.

This was just one part of the process. Later, she would have to cross-reference this information with the Cyan Yuan Sect’s records and then have the Han Family conduct an investigation.

Only after comparing all three sources would she present the complete, collated information to Yang Chan for his review.

She was well aware of how extremely cautious Yang Chan was. Even she had only slowly earned his trust after a long time and various tests.

This was a good thing, of course, as it helped avoid potential hidden dangers. She herself had witnessed the process of spies being purged from the Cyan Yuan Sect. Back then, people were taken away one by one by the Law Enforcement Hall, never to return.

At that time, a sense of universal paranoia had gripped everyone. It wasn’t until the specific details were announced later that most people breathed a sigh of relief. Some even took the initiative to report anyone they found suspicious, asking the Law Enforcement Hall to investigate.

After wave after wave of purges, all the spies were eliminated. Afterward, when the Cyan Yuan Sect recruited disciples, the various identity checks became several times more stringent.

Every promotion in status was accompanied by another investigation. For example, if her cultivation broke through to External Refining Copper Skin and she was promoted to an Elite Disciple, she would have to undergo another background check.

For someone like her with a clean background, she naturally didn’t worry about these investigations. Since there was nothing wrong with her, completing an investigation would only make the Sect trust her more, which would naturally lead to more benefits.

At the same time, the Sect would also give a reward of Cultivation Resources to those who passed the investigation. This, of course, made people with clean backgrounds even more willing to accept the checks. They would even proactively provide information for the investigation, just to get their hands on the Cultivation Resources reward sooner.

The Taiyin Saintess followed behind Han Bingyu, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes as she watched the various records being made. She naturally understood the purpose of this documentation, but she felt no panic. Her identity was real.

She had directly replaced the original owner of this identity; it wasn’t a fabrication. In a little while, any remaining traces would be completely erased by an "accident."

There was no chance of her identity being exposed. Anyone who knew the original person would cease to exist due to the measures she had taken, so exposure was naturally impossible.

She followed Han Bingyu, observing the process. She found the accumulated forms particularly interesting; all the records were meticulously organized. It was an excellent way of handling things, and of course, the person doing the handling was also outstanding.

This also made her a little curious about the identity of the young man Han Bingyu served.

’This person before me has comprehended Power and is even close to breaking through to the External Refining Copper Skin Level. Her skin is already starting to change.’ These features naturally did not escape the Taiyin Saintess’s notice. It meant that this person’s identity was likely not a Maid, but an Official Disciple of the Cyan Yuan Sect, one who was even close to being promoted to an Elite Disciple.

’To be able to win over someone like this, that young man must be even more formidable.’ However, they had been too far apart before. Furthermore, in order to play her current role, she had kept an extremely low profile, appearing very shy and cautious, so she naturally hadn’t had time to observe much.

"Alright, that’s it. The twenty of you."

"Steward Lu, these are the ones. Please take the rest back with you."

Han Bingyu compared the chosen group to the rest. They were the most outstanding among the hundred or so people present. And this hundred had been selected by Steward Lu from several thousand candidates, so they were already considered quite exceptional.

After such a rigorous selection process, they were truly one in a thousand.

By the time they were presented to Yang Chan, they would have been chosen from thousands. This information had come from the Sect Leader’s side, so Steward Lu naturally took it very seriously and was determined to do a good job. Of course, he was also putting in so much effort because of Yang Chan’s status as an Intermediate Pharmacist.

For example, the Elixirs he needed for his own Martial Arts Cultivation required the help of Pharmacists like Yang Chan.

As Han Bingyu spoke, she took out a Medicine Bottle containing an Elixir that aided in Refining Copper Skin. She was very good at handling these social niceties. Every month, Yang Chan would give her a portion of Elixirs specifically for her to manage such affairs.

Investigating various pieces of intelligence couldn’t be done reliably through connections alone; sometimes, it required the incentive of benefits to get the desired information.

This was true whether dealing with people within the Sect or with the Han Family, and Yang Chan had provided her with the means to do so.

"No trouble at all! Junior Sister Han, if you need anything next time, just come find me. I’ll be sure to handle it properly for you."

"And if Pharmacist Yang needs anything, you can just give the order directly!"

Steward Lu took the Medicine Bottle, and upon smelling the familiar scent from within, a look of delight spread across his face. He smiled brightly at Han Bingyu and spoke.

He had heard before that people from Pharmacist Yang’s side were very generous. Seeing Han Bingyu’s actions now, he knew he hadn’t heard wrong; they were indeed very magnanimous.

An Elixir like the one in his hand was nothing to Yang Chan. He could probably produce a large quantity without spending much time on Refining. For Steward Lu, however, it was something he would need to spend Contribution Points to exchange for.

It made all the time he spent selecting and sending the most outstanding Maid candidates here worthwhile. The reward was indeed substantial.

"Of course. Next time I need something, I’ll be sure to find you, Steward Lu. Thank you for your trouble!"

Han Bingyu smiled and replied naturally upon hearing this.

She had long since developed a set of methods for dealing with such people, especially as she had to face more and more of them as Yang Chan’s status continued to rise.

She had even received Elders at the Inner Refining Grandmaster Level, so she handled this matter with ease.

Watching Steward Lu lead the others away, her gaze fell upon the remaining Maids. From now on, they would be people of Yuanqing Courtyard.