chapter 34

"At night, her vision blurred, and she made a mistake."

Under the moonlight outside the Wen manor, Zhan Yunwei's spiritual power in her palm was like a thread, pulling and controlling a puppet elsewhere.

The spirit of the instrument was perched on her shoulder, spreading its spiritual power to help her keep watch.

This was the first time she had used spirit control techniques fully on a spirit cultivator, and it was a strange feeling. Whatever Wen Ju could see, she could see as well.

A moment ago, Wen Ju had caught her and joined a large group escorting spirit cultivators to the fishing village.

Zhan Yunwei's sharp eyes immediately spotted that Yue Zhiheng was among them. His pipa bone had been pierced, his body drenched in blood, and he was unconscious.

Her heart jolted, and for a moment, she nearly thought that Lord Yue's plan had gone awry. But the spirit of the instrument gently tapped her wrist, signaling that everything was fine.

Spirit cultivators were incredibly powerful and far beyond the reach of spirit masters.

Since Yue Zhiheng was aware of the situation, Zhan Yunwei decided not to intervene. Remembering the distress signal from the Wen manor, she decided to return and check it out.

So, she used her spirit control technique on Wen Ju.

Wen Ju never imagined that he would be controlled by a spirit master. When his consciousness was invaded, he was furious and tried to resist, aiming to kill Zhan Yunwei.

However, the spiritual power, as dazzling as the stars, quickly coalesced, like a tidal wave drowning his awareness.

Zhan Yunwei knew she would succeed, but she didn't expect it to be so easy. The success of the spirit control technique depended on the opponent's willpower.

Some time ago, the person she had practiced on was a young man carrying a giant sword.

Since he was her senior brother, she could never truly hurt him, so her hands were tied.

Pei Yujing had said, "Junior sister, feel free to try. Don't worry about me turning into an idiot."

He had spoken seriously, "If you ever face an enemy in battle, leaving any room for mercy would be putting yourself in danger."

A breeze and a clear moon, the young man looked handsome.

While others avoided her practice of "forbidden arts," there was someone who defied the world and showed her the greatest understanding.

At first, her practice with spirit control techniques hadn't gone well. Most of the books and insights from predecessors had been burned by the dynasty. She could only rely on rare copies to figure it out. As her skill with the technique improved, however, someone noticed.

That person was her senior brother, Feng Lanyin.

He was a very special spirit master with a soft and delicate name, a beautiful but feminine appearance, yet his personality was not like most male spirit masters, who were fond of cosmetics and embellishment.

He came from a poor background, an orphan saved by the immortal sect. Due to his odd and stubborn nature, he often kept to himself and didn't get along well with the other spirit masters at the academy. He had even been wrongfully accused of stealing things.

One afternoon, Zhan Yunwei had seen someone sneak out of his courtyard. That evening, rumors spread that Feng Lanyin had stolen a high-grade artifact from the young master of the Taixu Sect.

Feng Lanyin blushed but refused to admit it.

The young master of the Taixu Sect sneered, "You're the one who lacks everything in the academy, and you still have to support your sickly little brother. You say you didn't take it? Who would believe you?"

Zhan Yunwei observed for a while and then spoke up, "I believe him."

She pointed to the suspicious-looking follower beside the Taixu young master. "I saw him go into Senior Brother Feng's house. Even if you want to investigate, he is just as suspicious."

The Taixu young master glared at her. "Zhan Yunwei, mind your own business."

Zhan Yunwei blinked. "I heard that the Yue family recently made a truth-testing artifact. If Senior Brother wants to investigate, why not ask our master to borrow it? One question, and the truth will come out."

She made this up on the spot, but the naive spirit masters believed her, and the follower's expression changed. Feng Lanyin, on the other hand, straightened his back.

This cleared Feng Lanyin's name.

Afterward, Zhan Yunwei realized that whenever she practiced spirit control in secret, someone was always watching. Feng Lanyin remained quiet, and didn't expose her. She pretended not to know.

In the world of spirit masters, their power was already weak, so it was a good thing if more people learned.

Until the autumn of the following year, Feng Lanyin accepted a large dowry and married a female spirit cultivator with a fourfold spirit vein, leaving the academy.

Later, she heard that he was living poorly, and his wife often beat him. Zhan Yunwei suspected why he didn't fight back. He had clearly learned her spirit control technique and wasn't without the ability to fight.

As she had guessed, that same month, Feng Lanyin's younger brother died. Even heavenly treasures and spiritual medicines couldn't save his life. Soon after, his wife died unexpectedly, and Feng Lanyin disappeared completely.

Zhan Yunwei never saw Feng Lanyin again and wasn't sure if his wife's death was an accident.

Now, she suspected that the person in the Wen manor could very well be Senior Brother Feng.

Compared to Pei Yujing's strong and pure consciousness, Wen Ju's consciousness was as fragile as thin paper.

After a while, Wen Ju, whose pupils had lost their color, jumped down from the Xuanwu carriage, signaling for the main force to continue on their way. He had important business to attend to.

The elite members of the Wen family didn't suspect him and left with Yue Zhiheng and the others.

Zhan Yunwei watched as Lord Yue went further away. She had her own plans. She had to save the people of the Wen family, but they couldn't be discovered by Yue Zhiheng. Otherwise, it would be like falling out of the wolf's den and into the tiger's den—Yue Zhiheng wouldn't spare any people from the immortal sect. It was best to send them away before Lord Yue returned.

The spirit of the instrument didn't understand why the young girl stopped and didn't chase after its master. It was anxious, thinking she was being disobedient and doing things the master didn't like. It feared she would be scolded and turned into mist, tugging at her sleeve.

— Don't do that. He's scary when he gets angry.

"Zhan Yunwei grabbed the spirit and placed it on her shoulder, saying, 'I know, thank you, Master Spirit. You can keep watch for me; I'm not running away.'"

The spirit, with its limited intelligence, heard that she wasn't planning to run and obediently began scanning the surroundings.

Zhan Yunwei briefly thought to herself: "Although Lord Yue is tough to deal with, his spirit is really quite cute. It's so obedient and easy to deceive."

She couldn't help but imagine that if she fled with the spirit, it might even cheer her on. With such an ally, she could practically reach the level of a seventh-tier spirit cultivator! It would fill the gap in her own relatively weak spiritual body.

But as tempting as that thought was, she didn't have the courage to steal Yue Zhiheng's spirit. The bond between a spirit and its master was deep, and she didn't want to become a live target—chased down by Yue Zhiheng wherever she went.

Wen Ju had already arrived in the backyard. Zhan Yunwei gathered her thoughts, and when she saw the scene, she was furious.

On the bed, chained up, was a young man whose clothes barely covered his body. With a face that resembled a beautiful woman, it was none other than the familiar Feng Lanyin, her senior brother.

He looked pale, his eyes dead and lifeless. Upon seeing "Wen Ju" enter, he didn't even have the strength to resist. His gaze was fixed on the window, as though trying to see something through the tightly shut glass.

But this time, "Wen Ju" wasn't here to humiliate him, nor did he tear at his clothes.

Instead, he walked around the room, seemingly searching for something. Feng Lanyin's eyes moved sluggishly, filled with resentment as he glared at him.

Zhan Yunwei didn't expect Wen Ju to be so vile. There wasn't even a single decent outer robe in the room.

She unchained Feng Lanyin, speaking through Wen Ju's mouth: "Senior Brother Feng, it's me, Zhan Yunwei. Get your clothes together. I'll take you out of here."

Feng Lanyin stared at her with disbelief in his lifeless eyes and awkwardly bent down to adjust his clothes.

Zhan Yunwei, being considerate of his pride, had already turned her head away: "Senior Brother, are there others locked up here?"

Feng Lanyin answered hoarsely, "I'll take you to them."

In the backyard, there were five other reluctant young men, each a spirit master. Zhan Yunwei now understood the rumors about Wen Ju's disinterest in women—he had no interest in them at all.

She used Wen Ju's control to lead them out. Her greatest advantage was that in the spiritual domain, no one paid attention to spirit masters. Even if the City Lord Wen had a nine-tier spirit vein, he would never have imagined someone daring enough to come and go freely in his manor.

The moonlight was as cold as water, and Feng Lanyin saw the graceful figure under the moon from afar. He lowered his head.

Unlike the other companions, who were mostly overjoyed at being rescued, he couldn't decide whether it would have been better to die in the Wen manor.

He vaguely regretted asking for help tonight. Why bother? He only had a worthless life left. Why had he to appear so miserable upon meeting again?

Among the six young men, only Feng Lanyin and two others were from the immortal sect. One of them, his eyes red with hatred, asked Zhan Yunwei, "Miss, can we deal with the evil thief of the Wen family?"

Zhan Yunwei nodded. When it came to revenge, it was naturally up to the victims. She destroyed Wen Ju's consciousness, causing him to faint. Two of the immortal sect disciples stepped forward to drag him away, calling out, "Senior Brother Feng, let's go."

But Feng Lanyin remained still, his face even paler than before, with a trace of bitterness in his eyes. "You all go ahead."

The young men exchanged a look, then glanced at Zhan Yunwei, who was obviously familiar with Feng Lanyin. After a brief moment of silence, they left one by one.

The few confused young men from Yongning County stood there, uncertain of what to do.

Most spirit masters were raised in fragile conditions. Unlike disciples from the immortal sect who had their sects to rely on, they had nowhere to go and dared not return to their villages for fear of bringing disaster to their families.

Zhan Yunwei, seeing that Feng Lanyin hadn't left, knew he had something to say to her.

Her emaciated senior brother wore thin clothes, and there was even a red mark on his neck. She felt a pang of sorrow and unwrapped her cloak, offering it to him.

"The wind is strong tonight. Senior Brother, please wear this."

Feng Lanyin looked at the cloak, and the warmth of the gesture—something he had only ever dreamed of in his youth—made him smile, but his smile was bitter.

The moonlight spilled across the ground, and the spirit, who had been diligently keeping watch, suddenly froze.

It sensed a figure under another tree, who had quietly appeared there at some point. If it were anyone else, the spirit would have immediately alerted Zhan Yunwei. But this person… it only hoped Zhan Yunwei would turn around and notice him, or at least not do anything rash.

The figure watched them coldly and silently. The spirit curled up, trembling, in a way that was hard to describe.

Zhan Yunwei, unaware of the spirit's distress, saw Feng Lanyin don the cloak, but she didn't dare ask him how he ended up here.

It was then that Feng Lanyin gazed at her wrist. "Junior Sister, did you… receive a lingering intention?"

He could tell this? Zhan Yunwei followed his gaze and, sure enough, noticed a red mark on her wrist that wasn't there before, bright and scarlet like cinnabar.

Feng Lanyin lowered his eyes and explained, "I happened to see this once before."

Zhan Yunwei sighed, feeling that in these chaotic times, no one had it easy. It was all about who suffered more than the others.

Feng Lanyin's eyelashes trembled. He was already more beautiful than most women, an extraordinarily handsome spirit master. "Junior Sister, where's your… White Jade Butterfly?"

At this moment, the cinnabar on Zhan Yunwei's wrist had turned blood-red, a sign that the White Jade Butterfly had not yet bonded with her. With such a color, it was likely to react soon.

Feng Lanyin should have left by now.

"Perhaps it was a fleeting thought, or maybe it was the news he had heard from Wen Ju a few days ago about the immortal sect, but he knew that Pei Yujing and the others were nowhere to be found.

Where would Junior Sister go to resolve the lingering thoughts?"

Zhan Yunwei: "..." She really didn't know how to respond to this. The White Jade Butterfly was still with Lord Yue, and whether it was alive or dead, Lord Yue had yet to give a definite answer.

Feng Lanyin saw that she remained silent, gently bit his lip, and his tone became soft and low: "Junior Sister, do you need my help?"

The spirit trembled slightly, almost too afraid to look back.

Yue Zhiheng glanced at Feng Lanyin, giving him a faint smile. The twenty-four ice spikes hung silently in the air, taut like a drawn bow.

In fact, he didn't really need to know the answer that Zhan Yunwei might give.

Just moments ago, Miss Zhan had asked him to help find a young servant. And now, this very thing was standing before him—wasn't this the most gentle, little servant with tender feelings? But she had probably forgotten his words. She could run, and if she could escape, then let her. No matter who she turned to, he wouldn't be moved. But if things were like this, he didn't like people treating his words as though they were the wind in their ears.

Yue Zhiheng could have acted sooner, but he wanted to wait for Miss Zhan to nod. Only then would the person in front of her experience his mind exploding, and Miss Zhan would remember this lesson.

Zhan Yunwei: "..."

She looked at the young man before her, who appeared so sorrowful, and finally understood why her fellow disciples from the academy had once found Feng Lanyin's character so strange and incompatible with others.

He looked so delicate and beautiful, but his temperament was bold enough to... be overwhelming.

If this were before today, she would have definitely needed a lifeline. But Lord Yue's words from this morning still echoed in her mind—at that time, Lord Yue didn't seem to have said he wouldn't help her.

Perhaps it wasn't that she didn't want to burden her pitiful senior brother with such a life-saving favor. After all, if she sought the White Jade Butterfly, she and Feng Lanyin would both be done for.

She wasn't unfamiliar with Lord Yue.

In some ways, he couldn't be called a good person. Although these days in the Yue manor had been very peaceful, her mind was still sharp, and she knew what kind of reputation Lord Yue had earned to become the head of the Heavenly Court of the Dynasty.

Could such a thing be done by a good person? Without tearing faces apart, Lord Yue and she had remained at peace. But once their bottom lines were crossed, neither of them would spare the other.

Therefore, she firmly shook her head. "No need. The White Jade Butterfly already has a master."

If she could stay alive, there was no need to commit suicide and drag Senior Brother Feng down with her!

The spirit trembled and stopped, cautiously turning its head to look back.

Feng Lanyin's eyes were dim and filled with grief as he said hoarsely, "Does Junior Sister think I'm filthy?"

Before Zhan Yunwei could respond, the familiar feeling of impending danger from behind made her alert. She quickly set up a spiritual barrier to protect them and pulled Feng Lanyin away.

Feng Lanyin fell to the ground with a muffled grunt, and where he had been standing, an ice spike plunged a foot deep into the earth.

At that moment, the spirit turned against them. It surged violently, opening its mouth wide to devour Feng Lanyin.

Zhan Yunwei instinctively grabbed it, angrily scolding, "You traitor!"

She should never have let someone else's spirit stand guard. Powerful as it was, it didn't always listen.

Without even turning her head, she knew who had arrived. "Senior Brother Feng, hurry and go!"

That person specialized in hunting and killing immortal sect members!

With the force of the wind, Zhan Yunwei pushed Feng Lanyin away. Feng Lanyin looked up in shock and met a pair of cold, indifferent eyes.

In the air above them, the twenty-three ice spikes hung, all pointing directly at his head.

Feng Lanyin bit his lip, climbed up, and ran in the opposite direction.

Zhan Yunwei looked up. Yue Zhiheng had already arrived behind her. She warned sternly, "Lord Yue, he is a Spirit Master! The Dynasty has decreed that Spirit Masters are not to be killed!"

Yue Zhiheng glanced at her calmly. "You're seeing things. You must have made a mistake."

She looked at him suspiciously. "Then why are you still chasing him?"

Shouldn't Spirit Masters also be chased?

No. She stayed silent and used her spiritual power to bind him, preparing to act at any moment.

Yue Zhiheng pulled his spirit back from her grasp and raised his eyes, speaking in a soft voice, "Zhan Yunwei, let go."

She froze for a long while. It was the first time he had called her by her full name. She couldn't tell if it was just her imagination, but she felt as though his mood seemed somewhat... better.