Li Xun sat cross-legged on a cloud, his gaze drifting over until it settled squarely on Qin Wanru’s face. He didn’t say a word.

Qin Wanru’s cultivation was nothing short of exceptional; easily on par with the likes of Ming Ji and the others. You could tell just by the effortless way she rode the clouds.

By all accounts, if the two of them came to blows, Li Xun wouldn’t stand a chance. But accounts are just that.... accounts.

With Ming Ji and the rest no longer holding him back, and no need to fake weakness just to stay alive, facing a sworn enemy he knew inside and out, the cold, ruthless force simmering in Li Xun’s chest began to leak out, slowly, inch by inch.

Still, he wasn’t stupid enough to jump into a fight right away. He let the mood settle, let the tension rise, and then gave a cold chuckle. “Well, well, Consort Qin. It’s been two years, and you’re even more radiant than before. Congratulations.”

“It’s just as worth celebrating that the young National Preceptor has returned to his sect to pursue the Great Dao,” Qin Wanru replied, her tone perfectly sincere; which only made the depths of her mind feel all the more unreadable.

Li Xun had seen her act before, so he didn’t take it to heart. He gave a slight smirk and got straight to the point.

“Titles like that don’t mean much anymore. Let’s just call things what they are. You, for example, Yin-Yang Sect? Qin Wanru?”

Qin Wanru smiled faintly and gave a graceful bow. “Qin Wanru, Chief Archivist of Moonlight Hall, Yin-Yang Sect.”

“Chief Archivist of Moonlight Hall?”

This time, Li Xun was genuinely taken aback. He’d figured out her sect easily enough, but he hadn’t expected her to hold that position. The role of Chief Archivist in Moonlight Hall was a sensitive one, and he couldn’t help but show his surprise.

"Sunward Scribe" and "Chief Archivist of Moonlight Hall," those two awkward, oddly named titles might seem unimpressive at first glance, but within the Yin-Yang Sect, they’re actually the designated candidates for the next sect leader.

Sunward for men, Moonlight for women, each commanding their own inner court; five consorts and seven ministers, respectively. Under the sect leader, they were the most powerful positions in the entire organization.

Which meant... the woman standing in front of Li Xun right now could very well be the future leader of the Yin-Yang Sect, chosen to rule for the next few centuries?

Li Xun suddenly felt the world twist into something absurd. And when his thoughts drifted back to those strange, almost farcical days in Songjing, he couldn’t help but feel a quiet, vain kind of pride start to swell in his chest.

Maybe it was because of that feeling that, for the first time since they reunited, Li Xun really took a good look at the beauty standing before him. Something about what Qin Wanru was wearing stirred a faint sense of familiarity.

The robe: white with jade-green patterns. The embroidery: lush ivy vines that seemed to glisten like fresh spring leaves. And those wide, layered sleeves made of sheer gauze. All of it hit him at once, triggering a flood of memory that made time feel strangely warped. Like past and present were bleeding into one.

He remembered the first time he saw that outfit; not the first time he met her, but back during the most reckless, arrogant days of his life. It was then, in a moment of wild defiance, that he had torn that very robe off her himself, pressing this woman beneath him to stake his claim and assert his dominance.

Looking back on it now, his arrogance felt downright laughable. Seeing her again like this only added a bitter touch of irony.

Still, from another angle, those brash memories burned like fire. And even if he had no idea what that fire would ignite... it was definitely making his blood boil.

“So I’m standing face to face with the future head of the Yin-Yang Sect?” Li Xun’s tone was icy. “What an honor. Who would’ve thought I was worth all this trouble, Chief Qin?”

“It wasn’t too difficult,” Qin Wanru replied calmly. “Though I did have to put in some effort to get those little demons under control. But if it helped the young National Preceptor take care of a nuisance, then I’d say it was worth it.”

“A nuisance?” Li Xun’s heart skipped a beat. What nuisance?

Qin Wanru gave him a casual glance, her half-smile half-teasing expression strikingly charming. That look, it reminded him of Yin Wanderer. Uncannily so. The moment he saw it, something in his chest jolted.

Then she feigned surprise.

“Has the young National Preceptor forgotten already? There are still quite a few people in this world who recognize the name ‘Hundred Ghosts,’ you know.”

Her words were light as air, but they landed like thunder, crashing straight down on his head.

Silence. In that instant, it was the only defense Li Xun could manage. Clumsy, but all he had.

He kept his mouth shut, but his eyes.... his eyes betrayed him. He didn’t even know what they gave away. All he saw was the radiant smile blossoming on Qin Wanru’s face.

“Just as I thought. I was right, wasn’t I?”

It was a trap. Li Xun’s eyes widened.

So Qin Wanru hadn’t been sure. She’d been probing. He had no idea how she’d picked up the clues, but none of that mattered now.

Just like that, the momentum he’d finally started to build collapsed in on itself.

Looking back, it made sense. Even before she had fallen under his control, she must’ve already been suspicious. Just the techniques he’d used would have been enough to link him to the Shadow-Devouring Soul Sect.

And then there was the bamboo token; the one symbolizing his identity as Hundred Ghosts. Qin Wanru had seen that too. Add to that the massive stir Hundred Ghosts made two years ago… once she started connecting the dots, the truth wasn’t all that hard to guess.

But… was that really all she knew?

Li Xun couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Before he could dwell on it, Qin Wanru spoke again, her voice soft and distant:

“As expected of the Nine Truths' number one demonic sect…”

She started in a tone of admiration, but her words quickly turned sharp:

“Truly, a centipede doesn’t die easily. After the fall of Underworld Flame Yama, everyone thought your sect had lost its successors, that it could never return to its former glory. But clearly… there’s still plenty of tricks up your sleeves.”

What does any of this have to do with the Shadow-Devouring Soul Sect?

Li Xun was caught completely off guard. Suddenly, he realized something; Qin Wanru had drawn the wrong conclusion.

Whether that was good or bad, he wasn’t sure yet. He didn’t have time to overthink it either. Trusting his instincts, he immediately settled on a course of action.

A cold gleam flashed in his eyes, and he took on a poised, ready-to-strike stance.

But Qin Wanru didn’t even flinch. Instead, she spoke slowly, as if talking to herself: “It must be ghost-spirit reincarnation.”

Li Xun froze.

Qin Wanru went on, unfazed: “I did wonder at first. How could a disciple of the Mingxin Sword Sect, not even twenty years old, possess such refined cultivation? And not just that… you even understand the Shadow-Devouring Soul Sect’s mind-bending illusion arts. No matter how gifted you are, who on Lianxia Mountain could have taught you that?

“So it had to be the Ghost-Spirit Reincarnation technique. According to legend, your sect’s forbidden art lets someone whose lifespan has nearly run out transfer a sliver of their soul into a new body, starting cultivation all over again.

“This time, I assume you set your sights on a young man with a Primordial Embryo Dao Body?

“No mere mortal child could compete with that… It’s laughable, really. That fool Blood Wanderer had no idea the one he thought he was manipulating… had already become someone entirely different.

“Am I right? Or am I wrong?”

Li Xun was completely stunned. Yes, he knew about the Ghost-Spirit Reincarnation technique, and it did involve taking over a new body to be reborn, but that was supposed to be a desperate move, only used after a failed breakthrough.

He had to admit, Qin Wanru’s knowledge was impressive, and her imagination… even more so. That she could jump to this conclusion was genuinely unexpected.

But the look on his face only confirmed her suspicions. In Qin Wanru’s eyes, his reaction meant something else entirely. Her smile grew more confident.

“The incident in Songjing… it must have been planned by you from the start, right, young National Preceptor? With insiders and outside coordination, striking when we least expected it. We never stood a chance. No shame in losing that kind of game.”

She paused, then added with a touch of cold amusement, “Still, you did overlook one thing. That so-called ‘Hundred Ghosts’? Just a washed-up nobody. He died long ago, not even leaving a whole corpse behind. What power could he possibly have to join the ranks of the number one demonic sect? Only someone like you, with both a Primordial Embryo Dao Body and a reincarnated ghost-spirit, could ever earn that kind of position!”

A wave of absurdity washed over Li Xun. Now I get it, he thought. So that’s why people say, ‘Too much cleverness trips itself up.’

There was no doubt Qin Wanru was a brilliant cultivator, extraordinarily so. But she was too smart. So smart that, when she couldn’t resolve a question, her mind simply invented an elaborate, far-fetched story that just so happened to explain everything perfectly.

Has it never crossed her mind that things like “lucky encounters” and “freak opportunities” actually exist in this world?

But… this was perfect.

His mind raced. Qin Wanru’s tone had shifted ever so slightly, and he saw an opening. Time to adjust.

At first, he let his eyes burn with killing intent. But then, he softened his gaze, let the fire fade, and raised both hands in mock surrender.

He gave a bitter laugh. “Come on, Chief Qin, give me a break. For the sake of the little bit of sibling affection we used to share? What happened back then, can we even say who was right or wrong? And besides, no one really lost anything… right?”

He put on a look of exaggerated helplessness, but in truth, he was watching Qin Wanru like a hawk, analyzing every twitch of her expression. And the moment he said, “no one really lost anything,” he caught just the faintest flash in her eyes.

Almost immediately, Qin Wanru raised her eyebrows slightly, a look of both amusement and irritation crossing her face.

“No loss?”

Seeing that expression, Li Xun nearly burst out laughing on the spot, just to vent the pressure bottled up inside him. Exactly. No loss. The Two Wanderers had already lost their minds, now reduced to being his most loyal dogs. How was that a loss for him?

He was certain now that he’d nailed her line of thinking. A deep sense of confidence settled in, and his mind felt sharper than ever.

Quickly adjusting his tone, he put on the air of someone fully in control and gave a calm, knowing smile.

“Back then, things got out of hand. No one came out of it feeling great. But in the end, there wasn’t any real, irreversible harm. Just from how calm you seem, Chief Qin, I’d wager Master Aunt is still safe and sound. Am I wrong?”

Qin Wanru rolled her eyes at him, but didn’t reply.

Li Xun lowered his gaze slightly so she wouldn’t see the surge of joy lighting up his eyes. Once his excitement settled, he spoke again in a low voice. “To be honest with you, Chief Qin, I didn’t come back to the Mingxin Sword Sect for nothing. I’ve got serious business here. Of course, if you want to give me a hard time, that’s your right. But I don’t think that helps either of us, does it?”

As he said this, he gave a relaxed, almost open-hearted smile; only to accidentally stretch the wound on his face. A sharp sting made him grunt under his breath, and his smile twisted into a grimace.

Qin Wanru looked at him, amused. “Rest easy, young National Preceptor. That’s not something I’d involve myself in. The Yin-Yang Sect has no interest in that matter.”

At first, a hint of suspicion flickered across Li Xun’s face. But under Qin Wanru’s steady gaze, he quickly shifted, replacing it with an expression of openness.

“Well then, thank you… of course, I can’t let that favor go unpaid. If there’s anything Chief Qin need, anything within my ability, I will surely make it happen.”

“Wanru would never be polite with the Little National Master!” Qin Wanru said softly with a soft smile. She gave a slight, graceful bow, exuding a quiet charm and warmth that made Li Xun’s heart flutter.

But what she said next didn’t let him off so easily:

“As a matter of fact, there is something I’d like to ask.”

Of course.

Li Xun had expected as much. Ever since he confirmed her identity, he knew she’d been scheming from the very beginning. If she didn’t make a request now, that would’ve been more suspicious. Even though, in truth, she had already achieved her real objective.

He took a slow breath and adjusted his posture. “Please, Chief Qin, go ahead.”

“Well… there’s no time to explain now. Maybe next time!”

By then, they had already crossed into the territory of the Nightless City. But Li Xun knew full well this was just another one of her psychological tricks. He let out a cold snort and said nothing more.

Qin Wanru gave a small smile, then pulled out something from her sleeve; it was neatly folded like a square cloth. She flicked her wrist, and in an instant, it transformed into a mask with a metallic sheen. It looked solid and well-crafted. Clearly no ordinary item.

“The Faceless Armor?”

Qin Wanru smiled faintly and nodded.

Li Xun snorted again. He wasn’t the least bit surprised to see the mask here. He’d seen plenty of Qin Wanru’s lies and theatrics before. That whole act about not having it earlier, probably just a ploy to stay close to him. Now that everything was out in the open, there was no need to keep up the charade.

Qin Wanru raised both hands, eyes glancing toward him, clearly offering to help him put it on herself.

Tempting, Li Xun had to admit. It wasn’t every day the future leader of the Yin-Yang Sect offered to wait on someone. But this really wasn’t the time or place.

He chuckled. “I wouldn’t dare trouble you.” He reached out and took the mask from her.

Inside, he saw a thin layer of medicinal ointment already applied. She’d clearly prepared ahead of time.

He gave it a quick glance, then pressed it onto his face without hesitation. Just as she’d promised, it covered his wounds without the slightest pain. The mask was clearly a treasure, though it left only his eyes exposed, and fully covered his mouth and nose, it didn’t feel stuffy or hard to breathe through at all.

Li Xun gave a lukewarm word of thanks. Qin Wanru guided the floating cloud lower, then glanced back at him with a playful smile. “Would you say that’s one more favor you owe me?”

“No need to split hairs over it,” replied Li Xun, though he clearly had no intention of turning her down.

For one, now that he was the one “at a disadvantage,” he wasn’t really in a position to refuse. And besides, when you’re about to receive a major gift, offering a small favor in return isn’t such a big deal, is it?

….

"Heh... ha... hmm hmm hmm..."

Li Xun stifled the laugh that was threatening to burst out of him, turning it into a strange sound muffled by both his mask and sleeve.

He couldn’t help it. He had to laugh. He was laughing at Qin Wanru’s clever little schemes… and at his own unexpected luck.

He thought to himself: now he finally understood how it had all come together.

Back then, under the influence of the Mind Bewildering Technique, Qin Wanru had been compelled to serve him, only to be “eliminated” by Yin Wanderer herself. But looking back now, it was clear Yin Wanderer had held something back. Some hidden move that let her survive in the end.

Still, thanks to the effects of that technique, she had lost all memory of the most crucial period. In other words, she had no idea what ultimately happened to Yin Wanderer or Blood Wanderer.

Not that she was alone in that. Even Qing Luan, the only one at the time who still had full awareness, might not have known either; she’d been under the direct assault of the Youxuan Technique, after all.

Qin Wanru had probably assumed the worst. After all, a puppetized Yin Wanderer wouldn’t be reaching out to her, and there hadn’t been a single trace of her in the Tongxuan Realm over the past two years.

But of course, she wasn’t about to give up so easily. That’s why she set her sights on Li Xun.

The only reason Li Xun had dared to swagger back into the Mingxin Sword Sect was because he was counting on one thing: in the vast Tongxuan Realm, no one would bother wasting their time and energy on a nobody like him. Not even Yanxing Sect, the so-called “all-knowing” sect.

Unfortunately, the one thing in this world that couldn't be underestimated was determination.

Eventually, Qin Wanru dug up the truth about Li Xun’s background. She was clearly hoping to use him to get concrete information about Yin Wanderer.

To be fair, she had done a flawless job up to that point. Her sudden appearance, the healing, the gift of the mask; everything had been carefully planned and flawlessly executed. That’s how she earned Ming Ji’s trust so quickly.

Her psychological tactics afterward were sharp, too. Li Xun’s defenses had already started to crack under the pressure she applied.

But then, at the most critical moment, she made a fatal mistake. What did the upheaval in Songjing have to do with the Shadow-Devouring Soul Sect?

She had underestimated him. She didn’t believe Li Xun had the power to orchestrate something so massive. She assumed there had to be someone pulling the strings behind the scenes. And who better than the infamous First Demonic Sect from years past?

What she didn’t know… was that Li Xun had fooled the entire world.

One wrong step led to another. Her misjudgment gave Li Xun the perfect opening to flip the situation on its head. He let her believe that Yin Wanderer was still alive. And now, things were getting interesting.

By the time the laughter had left his chest aching, Li Xun finally fell silent. He ran his fingers lightly over the cold surface of the mask, while layer upon layer of calculation churned in his mind.

There was no doubt; Qin Wanru was probably the one person in the world who knew him best. And that made her the biggest threat to the secrecy of his identity… assuming she ever decided to act without restraint.

And under what circumstances would she throw caution to the wind?

Either she learned of Yin Wanderer’s death and, in her despair, became capable of doing anything… or Li Xun himself had completely lost his value to her. In that case, she wouldn’t hesitate to be the one to deliver the final blow.

So, he gave her exactly the information she most wanted, along with a little “leverage” she could use against him.

And since it was leverage, of course there was risk. But Li Xun had every confidence he could turn that leverage into bait, to lure this beautiful “fish” right onto the hook.

“Nether Two… this time, it’s all on you.”

Just whispering her name made Li Xun tremble with excitement.

“No, not yet. But give it another eight… ten years. With Nether Two, what’s Qin Wanru to me? She’ll be nothing! Just another dog. A dog who listens to my dog! Ha…!”

He pictured Qin Wanru bowing her head in obedience, recalled that soul-searing, bone-melting memory from two years ago, and imagined how everything seemed to be slowly drawing closer. Yin-Yang Sect, the Shadow-Devouring Soul Sect, even the Mingxin Sword Sect.

A vast, almost delusional plan had begun to take shape in Li Xun’s mind…

....

TLer: I get the feeling the whole thing with his face getting burned was part of her plan. Like she did it to help keep his identity hidden. Otherwise, why would she be carrying that mask around?