Surrender & Bond

Jian Dan recalled the woman before her—Feng Nianyue, the disciple she had glimpsed at the Affairs Hall the day prior. "Is this encounter fortunate or troublesome?"

"Greetings, Senior Sister Feng. May I ask why you seek me?"

"It was presumptuous of me to come unannounced. I have a personal matter I'd like to discuss with you."

"Please, speak freely."

"Did Junior Sister happen to exchange for the Seven-Colored Feather Robe the day before yesterday?"

"Yes. I'll be heading out for a sect mission soon, so I used up all my contribution points to obtain a defensive robe. Why do you ask, Senior Sister?"

"Junior Sister Jian, would you consider parting with it? I'm willing to pay you double the price in spirit stones."

Jian Dan's gaze sharpened. "Anyone with sense knows points and stones aren't equivalent. Double stones can't buy sect treasures."

Feng Nianyue said no more. Her bright apricot eyes simply locked onto Jian Dan, clearly waiting for her to make the decision.

"Senior Sister Feng, are you asking this as a disciple of Tianjian Peak… or as the personal disciple of Tian Yun Zhēnzūn?"

"You—!"

Feng Nianyue's expression darkened the moment Jian Dan finished her question. She was about to speak when a calm, magnetic voice interjected.

"Does it matter which identity she uses? Both belong to her, after all."

A cold voice cut through. Jian Dan immediately schooled her expression and bowed.

"Greetings, Martial Uncle."

Jian Dan immediately erased all expression from her face and bowed respectfully to the man who stepped out from behind Feng Nianyue—a true Golden Core cultivator.

"Senior Brother!"

Feng Nianyue's face lit up with joy. She quickly stepped forward and greeted him with obedient grace before taking her place behind him.

"My little martial niece hasn't answered my question," said the man lightly.

He wore the snow-white robes of a direct disciple, with a sword-shaped white jade token hanging from his waist. Standing at six foot one, he had sharp brows and phoenix-shaped eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips that made him appear emotionally distant, even cold.

Jian Dan answered with calm courtesy.

"To answer Martial Uncle's question, if Senior Sister Feng is negotiating with me as a fellow disciple of Tianjian Peak, I may well refuse. My contribution points weren't earned from nothing, after all. The offer isn't fair."

She paused, her voice steady as a still pond.

"But, if Senior Sister is speaking as the personal disciple of Tian Yun Zhēnzūn, then I have no choice but to offer the robe with both hands and accept my misfortune."

The words seemed to freeze the air around them. A suffocating silence followed. Then, the Golden Core cultivator narrowed his eyes and sent a wave of pressure crashing toward Jian Dan.

She stood firm.

Ever since she began cultivating both demonic and dao paths, her divine sense had always surpassed her actual cultivation by a full realm. Moreover, her rebirth had greatly solidified her soul. Facing down the coercion of a Golden Core cultivator? She could manage it in her sleep.

The man continued exerting his coercion, only to find the young woman completely unmoved. Not a ripple in her expression. That surprised him more than he cared to show. The mood grew tense.

Feng Nianyue, sensing the awkwardness, spoke up with a graceful pivot. Though displeased, she had no wish to tarnish her image in front of her senior brother.

"Junior Sister Jian, I was inconsiderate earlier and put you in a difficult spot. This is a Violet-Gold Card for the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. You can use it to choose another defensive robe at the mountain's market. I'll cover all costs."

Jian Dan raised her hand and caught the card as it was tossed to her. Half the size of her palm, it was engraved with the characters Ten Thousand, while the reverse displayed a formation pattern that absorbed ambient spiritual energy and rotated slowly.

After confirming the card was clean, Jian Dan straightforwardly handed over the Seven-Colored Feather Robe.

She gave another respectful bow to the Golden Core cultivator and turned to leave for her cave-dwelling. Nearby disciples who had been watching from a distance slowly began to scatter. Jian Dan didn't concern herself with how the story might spread after this—people would talk no matter what.

The first thing she did upon returning to her cave was remove the cotton candy stuck in her hairpin. Cradling it in her palm, she studied it for a long moment, debating whether to bind it with blood or soul.

Before she could decide, the cotton candy shimmered and pressed itself to her forehead. A bean-sized fragment broke off and sank into her sea of consciousness.

Inside Jian Dan's divine sense, the magnolia artifact continued its gentle orbit, casting a soft glow like stars falling through the cosmos. The miniature cotton candy circled once, then floated into that starlight stream, drifting like a small boat beside the magnolia.

"Cotton Candy greets Master!"

A sweet, childish voice echoed across her sea of consciousness.

"Huh? You already acknowledged me? Your name really is Cotton Candy?"

"Yes, Master. I am called Cotton Candy!"

"Why were you in the Tun Tian beast? Why choose me?"

"My first master discovered me sleeping in a secret realm and brought me back to the sect. He promised to help me cultivate."

She paused, the memory soft and faraway.

"For ten thousand years, he fulfilled that promise. He gathered countless treasures to help me evolve. But he couldn't form a soul contract with me, no matter how he tried. Over time, we developed a quiet bond. I stayed with him until the day he faced his heart demon tribulation before ascending. That day, he foresaw my true fated master." 

"With me?"

"He said the one who speaks my name would be my true master… and lead me home to the immortal realms."

"Before ascending, he left me in the Scripture Pavilion. Only the keepers knew my name. I grew restless, so I took a job as a transport tool, drifting between library branches… until you called me today."

"No wonder that Zhēnjūn was so shocked earlier!"

"He wasn't just Zhēnjūn. He is Tian Zhen Zhēnzūn, late-stage Mahayana."