Chapter 113: The One It Belongs To

Yun Qiao didn’t notice Wen Qing’s astonishment. She simply turned to the right, bent down to pick something up, and walked back holding it in her hand. Pointing toward the ground, she said, “Look.”

Wen Qing blinked, then realized what she was holding—it was that square seal-like underworld artifact from earlier. She deliberately flipped it over, revealing four bright red characters carved onto its surface—“Han Shu’s Private Seal!”

“This is…” Wen Qing’s eyes widened. He looked at the seal carefully, and fury immediately flared up again. He cursed aloud, “That damned brat—it really was him!”

“Uncle Wen, you know this person?” Yun Qiao asked curiously.

Wen Qing’s expression froze, his anger deepening. With a heavy sigh, he rubbed his white hair awkwardly and said, “Unfortunately, he’s my worthless disciple.”

Yun Qiao was stunned. Disciple? Wasn’t Wen Qing one of the founding elders of the Taiqing Sect? How could he possibly have a disciple from the underworld?

“This matter is… complicated,” Wen Qing said, his tone heavy. He hesitated, then scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “Um… little junior niece, rest assured, I’ll get to the bottom of this. I’ll find out exactly what those people from the underworld are plotting. So before that… could you… could you maybe…”

The more he spoke, the quieter his voice became. His face turned bright red, but he still couldn’t bring himself to say what he wanted.

“You don’t want me to tell the Grandmaster, right?” Yun Qiao said bluntly.

“Yes, yes, exactly!” Wen Qing nodded rapidly. His little junior niece really understood him!

“No.”

“Huh?” Wen Qing was dumbstruck. He hadn’t expected her to reject him so firmly. His heart sank like a stone. “Little junior niece…”

“This isn’t a matter of whether I tell the Grandmaster or not,” Yun Qiao sighed. She could tell he was panicking. “This isn’t a secret. If the Tianshi Hall knows, then the rest of the sects will too. Even if I keep quiet, Grandmaster teaches so many disciples every day—he’s bound to hear about it sooner or later. Do you really think you can hide it from him?” The old man wasn’t stupid; one look at the situation and he’d figure it out.

“…” Wen Qing deflated instantly. Even the aura of immortality around him seemed to dim.

He looked so pitiful that Yun Qiao couldn’t help offering a few comforting words. “Don’t worry. Just focus on your investigation. Even if this Han Shu is your disciple, a single artifact isn’t enough to prove he made it himself. And besides, that has nothing to do with you. Grandmaster is a reasonable man—he won’t blame you without cause.”

“…” The corner of Wen Qing’s mouth twitched. He gave Yun Qiao a complicated look. Reasonable? Was she serious? This was the first time he’d ever heard anyone call his master a “reasonable man.” No! Wake up! That old man only reasoned with his fists, not with logic!

“In that case… um… little junior niece!” he said after some thought. It was probably better if he didn’t return to Qingyang right now. Before his master flew into one of his terrifying rages, he needed to get to the bottom of this. Bracing himself, he added, “I’ll have to return to the Upper Realm for a few days to investigate this matter thoroughly, so I won’t be able to go back with you for now.”

“Oh, all right. Be careful,” Yun Qiao replied with a nod. Though Wen Qing was an immortal, this involved the underworld, and caution was wise.

Wen Qing exhaled in relief and was about to soar away when he suddenly remembered something and asked casually, “By the way, little junior niece, can I ask—how did you break my Sleep Charm just now?”

“What Sleep Charm?” Yun Qiao looked blank.

“The one I released with my immortal energy,” he explained. “That energy carries a sleep curse—anyone with spiritual energy in their body should’ve been knocked unconscious. Unless, of course, the person’s cultivation surpasses mine.” He frowned. “But you’re still a mortal, aren’t you?”

“Spiritual energy? Oh…” Yun Qiao seemed to recall something. “Maybe because I don’t have a Xuan Meridian?” She said it as if it were nothing. Without a Xuan Meridian, she had no spiritual energy inside her, so it was only natural she wasn’t affected.

“What?” Wen Qing had assumed she’d used some special formation or healing technique. He had to admit, his little junior niece was a genius in the mystic arts. But this reason? He thought she was joking. “That’s impossible!” he said reflexively. “I’ve never heard of anyone born without a Xuan Meridian—and how could my master ever take in a disciple without one?”

“See for yourself.” Yun Qiao extended her hand.

He automatically placed two fingers on her wrist, not really expecting much. “You don’t have to—wait, what the—?!”

He froze mid-sentence, eyes widening in disbelief as he examined her pulse again, tracing her meridians carefully.

She… she really didn’t have one!

(⊙_⊙)

“You—you—” He was speechless. There actually existed someone in the world born without a Xuan Meridian! She was clearly so gifted, yet… what a waste. If she’d had one, with her talent in formations and his master’s guidance, she would’ve reached immortality without question. His gaze toward her filled with sympathy.

Yun Qiao didn’t seem to care much; she’d long since grown used to it. Glancing toward the unconscious people nearby, she said, “I’ll go wake them up. Do whatever you need.”

Wen Qing’s Sleep Charm had only put them to sleep—it was meant to conceal his immortal identity while the lingering immortal energy healed the damage they’d suffered from the underworld artifact’s pressure.

“I’ll be off, then.” Wen Qing was eager to begin his investigation. He gave Yun Qiao one last sympathetic look before vanishing into the sky. Such a brilliant junior niece… but no Xuan Meridian? What a pity.

Wait—

He suddenly remembered something—the day his master had forcibly extracted all their Xuan Meridians! That day, hadn’t the old man asked Yun Qiao whether she liked something—or someone? At the time, Wen Qing had been too stunned by his master’s return to think it through. But now… could it be that his master had taken their meridians for her?

“…”

No, no, no! He shook his head violently. He was overthinking it. His master would never spoil a disciple like that!

---

Wen Qing flew quickly toward his immortal residence, his mind racing. Because he was so preoccupied, he didn’t slow down until the familiar sight of his courtyard came into view—and only then did he realize something was wrong. Four or five familiar figures were waiting by the gate.

His expression changed instantly. He turned around and tried to flee.

Too late.

A delighted voice shouted from the entrance, “Junior Brother!”

Wen Qing shot forward in a panic, flying even faster—but the others spotted him immediately.

“He’s trying to run!”

“Stop him!”

“Catch him alive!”

Before he could react, a barrage of spiritual weapons hurtled toward him. He managed to dodge a few, but one golden bell struck him squarely, sending him tumbling head over heels.

And as if that wasn’t enough, the pursuers surrounded him, pulling out Binding Immortal Chains, Seal Talismans, and even a few people hurling weapons straight at his face. Within moments, Wen Qing was tied up tightly like a dumpling, unable to move.

“…”

(End of Chapter)