Chapter 142 - 121: The Person Behind the Scenes

Chapter 142: Chapter 121: The Person Behind the Scenes

He would have never ended their communication so decisively in the past. He used to find all sorts of awkward topics to chat with her about, always reluctant to part, even when it was time to sleep.

’How did it come to this?’

Shen Yunjiao’s fists tightened slightly, the blue of her veins becoming visible beneath her fair skin. As memories of the past surfaced one by one, she had to admit that she had fallen for Zhao Zuo...

It happened the day he heroically saved her, the day he willingly gave up the inheritance, and every time he had chosen not to abandon her.

’He must have met someone he likes in the sect,’ Shen Yunjiao thought. A sudden, intense feeling of emptiness washed over her, as if she’d plummeted from a high cliff to the abyss below.

"But I was here first," Shen Yunjiao whispered.

But soon, a smile reappeared on her face, as if she’d suddenly seen love for what it was.

’This is for the best.’

She thought of her short lifespan, of the inevitable fate that awaited her for cultivating the Taotie Secret Technique, and of the deep-seated vengeance she had to carry out. The budding affection in her heart was extinguished in an instant.

The burdens she carried were simply too great; she couldn’t afford the distraction of growing old with someone.

Inside his Cave Mansion, Zhao Zuo sat with his eyes closed, centering himself. He evened his breathing and sought a deep inner peace. With the aid of the Concentration Incense, this wasn’t a difficult process.

His mind was now perfectly clear and serene.

Only then did he pick up the porcelain bottle and pour out the Yellow Bud Pill.

The pill was the size of a large grape and pale yellow. It carried the faint scent of rice, mixed with the fresh, spicy aroma of medicinal herbs. The pill was warm to the touch, its surface seemingly coated in wax. In reality, it was a layer of honey, applied to prevent the pill’s medicinal efficacy from dissipating.

Zhao Zuo put the Yellow Bud Pill into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed it.

Immediately, two streams of energy—one hot, one cold—originated in his abdomen and began to spread outward.

The hot energy transformed into exceptionally pure Spiritual Power. This power was then refined by his Mana as it circulated through his Meridians, ultimately converting into pure Mana that settled in his Dantian before beginning the cycle anew.

In terms of sheer energy, the Yellow Bud Pill was about thirty percent more potent than a Purifying Spirit Pill. However, it was still within a range Zhao Zuo could refine and absorb. Coupled with the assistance of the Huayang Bead inside him, practically none of the pill’s efficacy would be wasted.

What truly intrigued Zhao Zuo was the cool stream of energy. It rapidly split into minuscule clusters that flowed through his Meridians without being assimilated by his Mana. Instead, as they traveled, they merged directly into the walls of the Meridians themselves.

It was like tiny hands massaging his Meridians. This process also greatly enhanced the resilience and strength of his Meridians, and eventually, the energy was fully absorbed by them.

Of course, there wasn’t a large amount of this energy. After just one full circulation, it had been completely absorbed by Zhao Zuo’s Meridians, and the resulting enhancement was minimal.

What Zhao Zuo didn’t realize was that the Clear Heart Jade Pendant had already strengthened his Meridians several times. Their resilience had long since reached the threshold required for the Late Period of Qi Cultivation, which was why the duration of his cultivation sessions had been steadily increasing.

Unfortunately, while Zhao Zuo knew the Clear Heart Jade Pendant could both protect and nourish his Meridians, he valued its protective qualities far more and paid little attention to its nourishing effect.

Little did he know that in the Cultivation Realm, while there were many pills that could protect one’s Meridians, they were far less rare and precious than those that could nourish them.

It was precisely for this reason that the Yellow Bud Pill was exclusively supplied to the Moyun Sect’s Inner Sect Disciples.

Once the meridian-nourishing energy had dissipated, Zhao Zuo focused all his attention on refining the medicinal power. It took him about six hours to completely refine the Yellow Bud Pill’s energy, after which his Spiritual Pressure surged, growing noticeably stronger.

Unfortunately, he only received two Yellow Bud Pills a month. While they would speed up his cultivation slightly, they wouldn’t significantly shorten the time needed to break through to the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer.

Zhao Zuo’s Meridians were now stinging slightly from the intense refinement process, so he couldn’t continue his Cultivation. He decided instead to think about his strategy for dealing with his enemy the next day.

Of course, the first thing he did was extinguish the Concentration Incense, which hadn’t fully burned down, saving it for later use.

He already had a few suspects in mind for the mastermind. There weren’t many people around Zhao Qingmeng who had reached the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer. The first was Lin Hao, who lived in the same courtyard. But considering he’d been cuckolded, it was unlikely that he was the real culprit.

The other was Fang Qingshan, the Outer Sect disciple who had cuckolded Lin Hao. His strength was also at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, and according to Lin Heng, the man also used a longsword.

Lin Hao was the top Outer Sect disciple of Shenxiao Hall.

Fang Qingshan, on the other hand, was the top Outer Sect disciple of the Punishment Hall.

The two had long been like fire and water within the sect. Zhao Qingmeng’s betrayal, moreover, had escalated their rivalry into a feud to the death.

Zhao Zuo leaned toward Fang Qingshan being the culprit. He had prepared three cards to play against his enemy.

First, his own strength.

Second, Shen Yunjiao’s assistance.

Third was his true ace in the hole: using the Communication Jade to call for backup.

The night passed without incident. After finalizing his plan, Zhao Zuo meditated, using his Mana to gently nourish his Meridians and adjust his condition for the potential battle to come.

「The next morning.」

He ate breakfast first, then headed to the Scripture Pavilion to read for the morning.

"I’m about to leave the Outer Sect area."

The moment he stepped out of the Scripture Pavilion, Zhao Zuo took out his Communication Jade to contact Shen Yunjiao, confirming that his second card was in place.

"I’m already here, a hundred meters outside the mist," Shen Yunjiao replied.

"Just a moment."

Zhao Zuo hadn’t told Liu Heng about his plan for the day. A Master-Servant Contract, after all, couldn’t bind a person’s Soul. Even though Liu Heng had been performing well recently, with no faults to be found in his work, deep down, Zhao Zuo still didn’t fully trust him.

Wisps of clouds and mist clung to the sides of the path, which was lined with a profusion of colorful wildflowers.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the ancient trees, dappling the ground with shifting spots of light. The breeze was gentle and the temperature was perfect.

Zhao Zuo walked at a moderate pace, his attention not on the beautiful scenery but on his surroundings, which he observed with vigilance. The closer he got to the Mist Zone near the Moyun Mountain gate, the more tense he grew.

After all, Shen Yunjiao couldn’t enter the mist, making the Mist Zone the most dangerous place for him. However, he suspected his enemy wouldn’t attack there.

In broad daylight, it would be easy to run into Outer Sect disciples returning from Moyun Workshop.

So, Zhao Zuo guessed the attack would come in the forest between the Mist Zone and Moyun Workshop. That location was better suited for a prolonged battle, and his opponent wouldn’t have to hide their true abilities.

Even though he didn’t think his enemy would attack in the Mist Zone, Zhao Zuo remained on high alert.

Just as Zhao Zuo stepped out of the Outer Sect area...

Back in the Outer Sect disciples’ residential area, Lin Hao took a struggling, green Gu Insect from his Storage Bag. Dizzying patterns covered its five-centimeter-long body, and it had a pair of translucent antennae.

"He’s finally left the Moyun Sect," Lin Hao whispered. "I can finally get my revenge."

This creature was a Marvelous Insect of Heaven and Earth. It had no combat abilities; it was a fortunate find Lin Hao had acquired while out on a mission.

Its ability was to locate and track a person by their scent. The more violently the insect struggled, it meant the distance between it and the target was increasing. The translucent antennae, meanwhile, pointed in the target’s direction.

Of course, the insect had its limitations. For example, it had to be fed Wood Attribute Spiritual Objects to advance, required Spirit Stones to live, and its effective range was only five hundred li.

If the target moved beyond that range, the scent it had absorbed would dissipate, and the insect would fall dormant.

In truth, Lin Hao and Zhao Qingmeng were actually brother and sister. Zhao Qingmeng’s birth name was Lin Qingmeng. When she first joined the Moyun Sect, she took her mother’s surname and changed her name to Zhao Qingmeng to hide their relationship.

Zhao Qingmeng’s talent was mediocre, leaving her with basically no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment. Lin Hao’s talent, however, was somewhat greater. Not long after joining the Moyun Sect, she began giving most of her resources to Lin Hao, hoping he would advance to the Inner Sect—and even reach Foundation Establishment—as soon as possible.

This was also why she had been willing to choose death—all for the sake of her brother, Lin Hao.

.......