“Number Twenty-nine!”
“Number Twenty-nine!”
“Number Twenty-nine!”
In the Hall of Three Corpses, Elder Chu Jiaolin called out three times without reply.
The Devil Heaven Lord could no longer keep his eyes closed. He opened them and asked coolly, “Number Twenty-nine, how long has it been since he returned?”
The Celestial Realm’s central region was dotted with immortal sects and rich in resources. The number of packbearers in the Hall of Three Corpses had grown so large that they no longer bothered with names—they were simply numbered.
Elder Chu Jiaolin hurried forward. “Reporting to the Immortal Lord: Number Twenty-nine has been absent for quite some time. He wasn’t here when we submitted the offerings last month, and he is missing again now. Shall I send someone to look for him?”
On the fifteenth of every month, packbearers were required to turn in all their storage rings to the Hall of Three Corpses. Occasionally, a packbearer who had gathered too few resources would claim to be busy counting them outside rather than face punishment; Chu Jiaolin usually turned a blind eye. After all, who didn’t have special circumstances? Moreover, Number Twenty-nine sometimes sent him small gifts, earning his special favor.
But two months’ absence was excessive—and being called out by the Devil Heaven Lord himself, Chu Jiaolin dared not cover for him. He knew this seemingly mild-mannered sect lord was ruthless enough to keep countless evil immortals in line.
Tapping his fingertip lightly on the table, the Devil Heaven Lord’s voice turned cold. “Living or dead, you must show me proof. The rules cannot be broken. You have three days to answer—or you need not return at all.”
Chu Jiaolin’s face drained of color, but he dared not refuse. He bowed and left the hall.
... Two days later ...
Three controlled sect lords brought Ye Yu shocking news: the Zhuxie Sect had indeed been stolen—openly and by three female immortals! They were now inside the Wuwei Tower!
At first Ye Yu refused to believe it, until he recalled the scene with Xu Nanqiao two days earlier. His face changed instantly. No wonder that ruined sect looked so familiar—it was the former Zhuxie Sect!
It was like a family failing to recognize its own temple. Back when Zhuo Lanqing and Shangguan Jiujiu sought an abandoned sect to renovate, they unwittingly took the Zhuxie Sect’s ruins. The Zhuxie Sect, reduced to a single survivor, Zheng Nanxiu, now lay at the heart of this mess.
What should he do? He remembered Zheng Nanxiu’s tears and felt a headache coming on. Zheng Nanxiu was intent on rebuilding her sect—what would she do if she learned they had stolen it? She would surely collapse in despair.
He needed an explanation—and fast.
“Hey, what’s the matter? Why the long face today?”
Zhuo Lanqing and Shangguan Jiujiu approached, noticing Ye Yu’s troubled expression. They had both been beaming lately—pleased with their sect’s expansion.
“Why am I upset? Because of you ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ two!”
Ye Yu recounted everything. Zhuo Lanqing and Shangguan Jiujiu listened in disbelief. They had thought it was merely a discarded sect, never realizing it belonged to Zheng Nanxiu.
“Zhuxie Sect... I remember a stone stele, but I threw it away!” Zhuo Lanqing grabbed her head in horror at her social suicide. Recently she had grown close to Zheng Nanxiu, even vowing to help her punish whoever stole the sect—and now the culprit was herself.
“What do we do now?” Zhuo Lanqing asked, mortified.
“You ask me—I ask whom?” Ye Yu groaned. His head ached just thinking about it.
Before any solution emerged, a figure appeared at the hall entrance: Zheng Nanxiu herself, her expression grave. “You’re all here. I have something important to tell you.”
Doomed! Had Zheng Nanxiu already discovered the truth? Zhuo Lanqing hid behind Ye Yu; Shangguan Jiujiu pretended to sip tea, nudging Ye Yu forward.
Ye Yu protested, but with no choice, he stepped up. “Um, what’s so important you came all this way?”
Zheng Nanxiu walked in and looked around seriously. “Lately I’ve felt that the grounds behind your mountain sect are actually the Zhuxie Sect.”
Ye Yu, Shangguan Jiujiu, and Zhuo Lanqing all gasped. Was this the legendary immortal’s intuition? It felt overwhelmingly strong!
Ye Yu wanted to explain, but Zheng Nanxiu raised a hand to stop him. “Don’t rush. Listen—I’ve found even more evidence underground: ruins unmistakably from the Zhuxie Sect.”
Their hearts sank. Caught red-handed! Shangguan Jiujiu’s hand trembled on her tea cup; Ye Yu forced a smile. “Finished? Can I try to explain?”
Zheng Nanxiu shook her head, brow furrowed. “No need. There’s nothing you can say—I’ve already figured it all out.”
Ye Yu clenched his robes, at a loss. Zhuo Lanqing buried her face in Ye Yu’s back; Shangguan Jiujiu remained silent.
“I... must be bewitched,” Zheng Nanxiu sighed helplessly. “Ever since I came to your Wuwei Tower sect, something felt off. I thought it was just homesickness. But when I uncovered those ruins beneath your sect, I finally realized the truth.”
