Chapter 23: Promises

The fierce mountain winds of Kunyang Valley whipped up the hem of Bian Qingxuan’s green skirt. She gripped a sword in her hand, gazing into the seemingly bottomless valley below. Her expression was unreadable, and no one could tell what she was thinking.

Jiang Qi had been watching her for quite some time.

A faint smile lingered on his lips, and his eyes carried a hint of amusement. This junior sister of his was truly remarkable—she had managed to make Wei Changyuan dissolve his engagement with Shi Luoyi for her sake.

Under the instructions of their sect leader, Hengwu Zongzhu, there were hardly any secrets in Mingyou Mountain. Naturally, Jiang Qi was also aware of the dissolution of the engagement between Shi Luoyi and Wei Changyuan.

To be honest, Jiang Qi was extremely surprised. He had long been well aware of just how much Wei Changyuan adored Shi Luoyi.

Back then, the Jiang family hadn’t completely fallen yet, and Jiang Qi was considered a noble heir among the cultivation families. Though both he and Wei Changyuan hailed from similar backgrounds, as senior and junior brothers, they rarely interacted due to Jiang Qi’s earlier entry into the sect. For certain reasons, Jiang Qi always harbored the desire to challenge this junior brother of his.

Wei Changyuan’s birth had caused a stir across the nine provinces, and his extraordinary talent seemed to predestine him for ascension. Even though he entered the sect later and at a younger age, all eyes were on him.

Upon returning from his travels, Jiang Qi’s first act was to seek out this junior brother for a duel.

He had endured much hardship during his travels but also gained significant opportunities. Facing Wei Changyuan, Jiang Qi was brimming with confidence.

The two youths stepped onto the sparring platform. It was Jiang Qi’s first time seeing the fabled prodigy Wei Changyuan in person. He couldn’t deny that this junior brother possessed an outstanding appearance—carved and polished like a celestial being. Even at such a young age, one could already glimpse the brilliance he would exude in adulthood.

Young Wei Changyuan was stiff and mild-mannered, bowing slightly while holding his sword: “Senior Brother, please instruct me.”

That battle remained unforgettable even years later. For the first time, Jiang Qi realized just how vast the gap in innate talent could be between individuals.

Though Wei Changyuan had joined the sect later and was younger, his swordsmanship was overwhelmingly terrifying, far surpassing Jiang Qi’s own. Within less than a hundred moves, Jiang Qi knew he would lose.

If it had been anyone else as his opponent, Jiang Qi might have conceded defeat without hesitation. But facing Wei Changyuan, he gritted his teeth and pressed on, unwilling to yield.

Jiang Qi’s competitiveness caused even the usually calm Wei Changyuan to furrow his brows, though he still raised his sword to defend himself.

Their duel ended with a grass-woven dragonfly.

The dragonfly fell from Wei Changyuan’s collar, on the verge of being shredded by Jiang Qi’s sword qi. Without hesitation, Wei Changyuan reached out to grab it, allowing Jiang Qi’s sword to pierce through his palm.

Blood covered his hand, but Wei Changyuan visibly relaxed. Carefully placing the dragonfly back into his chest, he smiled gently at Jiang Qi: “Senior Brother’s swordsmanship is exceptional—it is I, Changyuan, who has lost.”

Jiang Qi stared at the dragonfly tucked inside Wei Changyuan’s robes, his lips pressed tightly together. He sheathed his sword and leapt off the platform without so much as a polite word.

How laughable—it was the dragonfly, a simple grass-woven trinket belonging to a young girl, that defeated him in the battle he had long anticipated.

It was then that Jiang Qi first realized just how deeply Wei Changyuan cherished his little fiancée.

They said sword cultivators were cold-hearted and aloof, especially those born with innate Sword Bones like Wei Changyuan. Yet here was someone who could soften the heart of a sword cultivator into something tender and pliable.

From that day on, Jiang Qi decided to forget his father’s words—

“If not for our family’s decline, it might have been our Qi’er who formed the alliance with the immortal palace of Buye Mountain.”

What use was it? Young Jiang Qi thought, even if the Jiang family hadn’t fallen, Shi Luoyi, having met someone like Wei Changyuan, would never have looked at him. Because he could never cherish her the way Wei Changyuan did.

Years later, after returning from his travels, Jiang Qi’s mindset had changed entirely. He no longer harbored the obsession of competing with Wei Changyuan.

People remained the same, but circumstances had shifted dramatically.

No one understood better than Jiang Qi how much noble families valued marital alliances. Yet ironically, the engagement that not even the Dao Lord’s slumber could shake had been utterly destroyed by an unknown junior sister.

Thinking of this, Jiang Qi’s smile grew even more pronounced.

Today, the disciples of Mingyou Mountain weren’t practicing cultivation techniques. Each of them was tasked with retrieving an ice lotus from the Forgotten Valley.

As the leading senior brother, Jiang Qi would guide the junior brothers and sisters on this mission.

Previously, Jiang Qi hadn’t joined the trip to Qing Shui Village. Upon hearing that they had encountered the Unchanging Toad and returned alive, he was astonished. Amidst his surprise, he couldn’t help but reflect further. Even Hanshu wouldn’t have been able to return unscathed from the hands of the Unchanging Toad.

The only variable was Bian Qingxuan. Jiang Qi had voiced his suspicions to their sect leader, but to his surprise, the sect master merely raised an eyebrow and said indifferently: “There’s no need to investigate her. If necessary, lend her a hand.”

What a formidable presence, Jiang Qi thought. No one understood their sect leader better than he did. What kind of background could this junior sister possess to earn such special treatment from the sect leader?

Bian Qingxuan, with her own efforts, had made Wei Changyuan dissolve his engagement. Yet when Jiang Qi observed her, he didn’t sense any joy. Several disciples approached her to speak, but she brushed them off dismissively.

With time to spare before departure, Jiang Qi stepped forward and smiled: “Junior Sister seems troubled?”

Bian Qingxuan turned her head and saw Jiang Qi. A perfunctory smile appeared on her otherwise expressionless face: “Why does Senior Brother Jiang ask such a thing?”

Jiang Qi curved his lips into a smile: “Junior Sister managed to snatch the heart of my junior brother away from the immortal maiden of Buye Mountain. Yet instead of rejoicing, you’re sitting alone on this cliff, lost in thought. I can’t help but wonder—does Junior Sister not truly care for my junior brother? How curious. Then who does Junior Sister fancy? Someone of your caliber surely doesn’t find anyone in Mingyou Mountain worthy of your attention.”

His tone was gentle, but his words were laced with sarcasm, causing the smile in Bian Qingxuan’s eyes to quickly fade.

She hadn’t paid much attention to this senior brother before, assuming Jiang Qi was just another incompetent disciple of Mingyou Mountain. Only now did she truly look at him.

Under her talents, even her senior sisters couldn’t help but speak to her softly and kindly. When Wei Changyuan first met her, he didn’t harbor an ounce of ill will. Yet this Jiang Qi seemed impervious to her charms.

She scrutinized him from head to toe, a cold smirk tugging at her lips as she drawled: “You like Shi Luoyi?”

The moment the words left her mouth, the smile in Jiang Qi’s eyes dimmed slightly. He replied indifferently: “Junior Sister should choose her words carefully.”

Bian Qingxuan’s tone grew even more malicious: “So I guessed correctly? How amusing. It turns out Senior Brother Jiang has always coveted his junior brother’s fiancée.”

She propped her chin on her hand and sighed: “But Senior Brother should give up. Even though Senior Sister Luoyi and Junior Brother Changyuan have dissolved their engagement, it doesn’t mean you stand a chance.”

Jiang Qi neither grew angry nor confirmed or denied her claim. He merely chuckled lightly: “My affairs are none of Junior Sister’s concern. You should worry more about yourself. No matter who or what you are, your powers are waning. Aren’t you afraid? Look at Xue An—that fool isn’t even under your control anymore.”

Bian Qingxuan glared at him, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Indeed, she was growing weaker and couldn’t fully see through this Jiang Qi standing before her. But no matter how weak she became, if he dared provoke her, she could still deal with him.

Meanwhile, the “fool” Xue An mentioned earlier was busy questioning a few fellow disciples.

“What do you think of Junior Sister?”

The disciple being questioned blushed, stammering: “What are you talking about, Senior Brother? Junior Sister is naturally wonderful.”

“How so?”

Under Xue An’s pressure, the disciple reluctantly elaborated: “She’s gentle, beautiful, kind, generous, and broad-minded. Whenever we go on missions together, good things always happen. Talking to her makes people happy.”

After finishing his questioning, this second-generation immortal waved his hand dismissively and let the disciple go.

Xue An couldn’t help but glance at Bian Qingxuan. As the disciple had said, even though Junior Sister still appeared as captivating as ever, he no longer felt the same flutter in his heart that he used to.

This strange change had only occurred after returning from Qing Shui Village. At first, Xue An thought he had been repulsed by the toad that had transformed into Junior Sister and that the feeling would pass after a few days. But now, so much time had passed, and when he looked at her, there was not a trace of the past infatuation. Gone was the fervent desire to clear all obstacles for her, even to the point of giving his life for her.

Xue An wondered uncertainly: Have I changed my feelings?

Shi Luoyi also had to participate in today’s lesson. She had always been unpopular among her peers and was only informed upon arrival that they were to gather ice lotuses today, which left her feeling rather irritated.

She arrived neither early nor late, standing quietly among the disciples. As usual, some disciples immediately distanced themselves upon seeing her.

Shi Luoyi didn’t care, but Xue An, recalling how she had saved his life in Qing Shui Village, couldn’t help but feel pity for the girl.

Xue An thought inwardly: Shi Luoyi is such an embarrassment to families like ours. Look at me—I’m living life so smoothly, yet how did she end up like this?

Both their parents were powerful figures—one a great cultivator, the other royalty. Just look at how impressive he was, while she was despised by everyone.

His gaze was too piercing and intense, but Shi Luoyi, who lived life freely, never tolerated his scrutiny. Her Divine Ruin Blade emerged from its scabbard, pointing directly at him: “Why are you looking at me? I’m warning you—stay away from me.”

She didn’t like Xue An and assumed he was acting under Bian Qingxuan’s orders to mock her, so she spoke harshly, her words laced with strong rejection.

Despite her sharp expression, her appearance wasn’t cold at all. Her bright, almond-shaped eyes carried a gentle charm, creating a striking contrast with her fierce and impatient demeanor.

A devastating clash of contradictions!

Pointed at by the blade, Xue An should have been furious. The first thing on the tongue of this young master of a prestigious cultivation family was a curse, but before the words could leave his mouth, his gaze fell on her, and his face slowly reddened.

Shi Luoyi watched him grow redder and redder until, with a final angry glare, he turned and fled: “….”

She thought Xue An was utterly ridiculous. She shouldn’t have saved him in Qing Shui Village.

After returning from Qing Shui Village, Shi Luoyi still planned to obediently attend her lessons. Though dissolving the engagement with Wei Changyuan had freed her from the shackles of her past life, it had also made her situation more precarious in subtle ways.

At the very least, if the sect leader ever decided to tear off the mask and confront her directly, he no longer needed to consider the Wei family.

Shi Luoyi understood that no matter how much she wanted to retaliate against the sect leader, it was currently impossible unless her father woke up.

In this era, the number of cultivators who had reached the Great Ascension stage could be counted on one hand.

Great Ascension was just one step away from ascending to immortality, but within the Great Ascension stage, there were still early, middle, and late phases.

The only person who had broken through to the late phase of Great Ascension, standing on the brink of ascension, was Dao Lord Shi Huan.

Hengwu Sect’s leader had remained stagnant in the early phase of Great Ascension for hundreds of years. Shi Luoyi knew that unless she was given another thousand years, she would never stand a chance against the sect leader. To survive under this hypocrite’s rule, she had no choice but to pretend everything was fine.

As long as the sect leader cared about his reputation, he had to treat her well outwardly.

But that didn’t mean she was powerless. She could still work against him in secret.

She had no intention of letting the sect leader discover that she already knew his true thoughts, so she continued to act as usual. Shi Luoyi had Xianghui discreetly instruct spirits and plants to keep an eye on the sect leader’s movements.

No matter how powerful the sect leader was, he couldn’t guard against the smallest and most omnipresent forms of life.

In her previous life, she hadn’t just lost because of her weak cultivation but also because of her inexperience. She had been in the open while the sect leader operated in the shadows—it was impossible to defend against.

After Jiang Qi organized the group, everyone set off toward Kunyang Valley.

Today’s task was difficult for most disciples.

Each disciple was required to bring back an intact ice lotus from the coldest part of Kunyang Valley—the Extreme Cold Ice Ravine.

The deeper one ventured into the ravine, the colder it became, and spiritual energy was suppressed. Often, disciples froze before even reaching the place where the ice lotuses grew and could proceed no further. Moreover, once removed from the valley, the ice lotuses would dissipate into mist. Only those skilled in using divine techniques and spiritual energy could successfully retrieve them and deliver them to the Alchemy Hall.

The one advantage was that there was little danger—no spirit beasts guarded the ice lotuses.

The disciples were discussing how to bring back the ice lotuses. They whispered: “It’s alright. Even if we can’t retrieve one, Junior Sister will remember us and bring one back for us.”

“Sigh, it’s embarrassing to always trouble Junior Sister. It’s all because of these ice lotuses—why do they grow in such a place? It’s so cold that even fire beasts can’t go near. Why does the sect make us do this?”

They complained, and someone suddenly remarked: “I heard that in the past, Buye Mountain had no weeds—ice lotuses bloomed across the entire mountain. I wonder if that’s true or not.”

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but glance at Shi Luoyi.

An entire mountain covered in perennial ice lotuses, with spring-like weather year-round and no hint of cold—what kind of terrifying cultivation level would it take to achieve that? If the Dao Lord were still awake, someone of Shi Luoyi’s status would never have to suffer alongside them gathering ice lotuses.

Their discussion was so animated that it was impossible for Shi Luoyi not to overhear. Seeing their curious gazes, she chose not to respond.

In her past life, she had been overly cautious, desperately trying to get along with every fellow disciple and almost forgetting to be herself. But it was useless—behind her back, they still pointed fingers and gossiped.

Now she had come to terms with it. Why should she answer their questions just because they were curious about Buye Mountain and looked at her with arrogant expressions?

Did they understand what it meant to ask for something?

Her silence left them frustrated, their curiosity gnawing at them, but they could only awkwardly avert their gazes and silently curse her for being stingy.

Seeing their gloomy faces, Shi Luoyi actually felt quite pleased. This was how it should be. After two lifetimes, she had finally realized that some people would never appreciate kindness. They took her goodwill for granted, and since they didn’t value it, from now on, they wouldn’t receive anything.

Bian Qingxuan carried her sword, walking behind Shi Luoyi. She saw no trace of despair or sorrow on her face over the dissolved engagement, and her gaze darkened.

Moreover, the faint traces of demonic energy that had once emanated from Shi Luoyi had significantly diminished.

Where had things gone wrong? Everything seemed to be unfolding according to her plans. Could it be that Shi Luoyi no longer loved Wei Changyuan?

At this possibility, Bian Qingxuan’s expression grew strange.

Unfortunately, a few disciples failed to notice her displeasure and approached her, whispering: “We might have to rely on Junior Sister to bring back an ice lotus for us again this time.”

Bian Qingxuan concealed the coldness in her eyes and smiled lightly: “Of course.”

They immediately surrounded her, showering her with flattery while belittling Shi Luoyi’s aloofness and arrogance.

Listening to them, Bian Qingxuan didn’t feel any joy. She inwardly mocked them: A bunch of worthless fools. What do you think you are? Even if Little Miss High-and-Mighty is a fallen phoenix, she’s still nobler than any of you.

She sneered slightly and finally pleaded: “Everyone, please don’t talk about Senior Sister Luoyi like that. She’s just in a bad mood today.”

The group immediately followed her lead, beginning to discuss Shi Luoyi’s broken engagement.

Finally, the girl in front turned her head.

Bian Qingxuan looked at her with a pitiful expression, secretly anticipating what she might say.

The mountain breeze stirred the apricot blossom hairpin in Shi Luoyi’s hair, causing it to chime softly. The girl glanced at her indifferently but then gave a faint smile tinged with subtle mockery: “Congratulations, Junior Sister. I hope you get everything you desire.”

Shi Luoyi’s tone carried a cold detachment, as if silently saying, I’ll just watch and see what you’re planning to do.

Though she no longer loved Wei Changyuan, she also didn’t believe Bian Qingxuan truly loved him. In her past life, Bian Qingxuan had chased after her like a rabid dog, biting and tearing at her. Yet, when Shi Luoyi fell into demonic cultivation, Bian Qingxuan hadn’t ended up with Wei Changyuan.

She suddenly became very curious—what exactly was Bian Qingxuan after? Did she simply want to outdo and trample on Shi Luoyi to elevate her own status? To see her in pain? But what if she didn’t feel pain because of it?

Shi Luoyi thought to herself: With Sect Leader as the wolf in front and Bian Qingxuan as the mad dog behind her, this hellish difficulty would surely test her limits. If she managed to survive in the end, she would settle every score from the past.

The sect leader envied her father and didn’t want him to awaken again. But what about you, Bian Qingxuan? Now that I’m no longer under your control, will you still achieve what you desire in this lifetime?

Bian Qingxuan gazed at her for a long while before clenching her fists tightly and giving Shi Luoyi a smile.

The group entered the ice valley.

The deeper they ventured into the frigid ice valley, the fewer people could endure the conditions. Shi Luoyi didn’t find it particularly difficult; she could simply walk slowly and eventually retrieve an ice lotus.

But…

She raised her eyes to glance at the sky. She hadn’t expected that, on a day when they usually practiced cultivation techniques or sparred briefly with fellow disciples, they would be tasked with gathering ice lotuses.

Just yesterday, she had promised Bian Lingyu that she would come to refine pills for him at dusk. Was she really going to break her promise so soon today?

Thinking of Bian Lingyu’s icy gaze, she didn’t want to disappoint him over such a small matter. She formed a hand seal, deciding not to waste time by carefully protecting her dantian while walking slowly. Instead, she flew directly toward the depths of the valley.

A hand grabbed her wrist.

Shi Luoyi turned around, surprised to see a handsome face.

The senior brother surnamed Jiang looked at her and said: “Ropei Junior Sister, you can’t do this—it will injure you. You could walk slowly—why are you in such a hurry?”

Standing close, Shi Luoyi found Jiang Qi’s voice somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t quite recall where she’d heard it before.