Li Xun grew more cautious, his mind settling into a calm focus. But on his face, a trace of suspicion, nervousness, and confusion flickered.

He forced a bitter smile. “Senior sister, stop keeping me in the dark. I’m just a nobody. I can’t handle being flattered like this.”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Lin Wuyou puffed up her cheeks, clearly annoyed by how little ambition he showed.

“How could my deadbeat old father have a disciple like you? You’re his disciple, which makes you a direct disciple in the Mingxin Sword Sect’s main bloodline. Qingmig’s own grand-disciple! With resources like that, are you telling me you’ve never thought about… maybe trying to become the sect leader, just for fun?”

That last part was pure Wuyou. She said it like a kid playing house, and even though Li Xun knew she was hinting at something much deeper, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Being sect leader isn’t something you just decide to do. There are immortal masters above me, not to mention all the senior disciples—”

“Nonsense. All of it.”

Lin Wuyou shot him a look, clearly fed up. “Mother was right about you. You always say one thing and feel another. You’re just too scared to admit you actually want it, so you hide behind all these fancy-sounding reasons.”

He looked a little embarrassed.

Everything he’d just said really was just deflection. Deep down, of course there was a tiny spark of desire inside him.

But if he admitted that to Lin Wuyou outright, he’d just be handing her more ammunition.

So he just smiled and said nothing, managing to bluff his way through.

Lin Wuyou rolled her eyes. “Knew you’d be like this. Whatever. I’m done talking to you.”

True to form, she turned on her heel and walked off.

“That’s all you’re going to say?” asked Li Xun in surprise.

Lin Wuyou spun around like a little whirlwind, mouth open, ready to speak; then suddenly stopped. She made a silly face at him. “Beg me! If you beg, I’ll let you in on some insider information

!”

She stretched out those last two words with dramatic flair, as if she were sharing a huge secret.

Li Xun had seen this act before. Two years ago, in fact. All she wanted was for him to say something like, ‘Oh Miss Wuyou, please be kind and help your humble little brother out.’

Now that he’d been through it once, it wasn’t a big deal. He smiled, put his hands together in a polite gesture, and parted his lips to speak...

But Lin Wuyou tilted her head, looking at him strangely. “What, did you turn mute?”

Li Xun really had gone mute for a moment. If he were still the same guy as back then, just following orders like some obedient mutt, why would he have fought so hard to survive these past two years? He might as well have just let those two Wanderers finish him off.

He thought it over, then smiled. “I’ve grown up a little. Some things... don’t come as easily now. How about you cut your junior brother some slack, senior sister?”

She burst out laughing and even clapped her hands. “Now that’s what I call backbone! That’s more like my junior brother. Just for that, I’ll tell you two things!”

Hands behind her back, she made a show of clearing her throat before continuing. “First thing, unlike those boring righteous sect disciples, you’re different. My cousin’s actually really interested in you. She asked me to tell you that back on Zuwang Peak, her mood was bad, so don’t take what happened too seriously. She owes you one.”

“So, that little issue of yours. We’re not going to bring it up, and we don’t want to. But if someday you want to make a move and feel like you’re all alone, you can come find her. Consider that her way of paying you back.”

Li Xun felt a flicker of emotion; this was the real reason she’d come.

Clearly, Gu Yin was deeply invested in the Mingxin Sword Sect behind Zhong Yin's back. This was her way of trying to recruit him as a plant on the inside.

And even if not a spy, leaving a thorn buried in the sect would be useful enough.

He rubbed his nose and said helplessly, “Didn’t you just say earlier that Sect Master Gu is the world’s greatest liar? And now she’s offering me all these generous favors… Tell me, should I actually believe anything she says?”

Lin Wuyou giggled and ignored the jab, continuing on: “Second thing. This one’s from me. Even though my cousin’s technically in charge now, and even Auntie has to listen to her sometimes…

“But Mother really can’t stand you. As soon as she heard you were back, she started looking for excuses to get rid of you. Aunt Qing’s not a fan either. So if you ever need help, don’t go to the wrong person.”

What was that supposed to mean?

Li Xun’s eyes widened, but he quickly caught on. He shrugged. “Well, that complicates things. Even if Sect Master Gu’s willing to back me, if your mother and Fairy Qing Luan are against me, I’m still stuck. What about Master Gu? Where does he stand?”

“I just told you. My cousin’s the one in charge now. He only fights. Doesn’t deal with the rest of it.”

She waved her hand like she couldn’t be bothered. Then she flashed him a mischievous grin. “Worried already? Don’t be. You’ve still got me, don’t you?”

If you’d just stop making trouble, that would be enough help already…

Li Xun grumbled inwardly, still trying to think of how to respond, when the little troublemaker suddenly said, “Number three... mmm, what are you staring at? Consider this a bonus from your senior sister here, since I’m in a great mood today. Come on, come closer!”

Closer? If he got any closer, they’d practically be face to face.

Li Xun hesitated for a second but stepped forward anyway, leaving just half a body’s distance between them.

He hadn’t even opened his mouth when she flashed a sly smile and suddenly leaned in.

Lin Wuyou was half a head shorter than him, and when she tilted forward, her forehead landed right on the spot in his chest where he’d been injured.

To an outsider, it might’ve looked like playful roughhousing. But to Li Xun, it was a full-on headbutt straight to the chest!

He let out a choked cry as the freshly healed bones cracked again. Meanwhile, Lin Wuyou used the impact to push herself off and somersaulted away, her silvery laughter echoing over the waves...

“Idiot! Did you really think I wouldn’t hold a grudge?”

Clutching his chest, Li Xun couldn’t even breathe, let alone speak. All he could do was stare helplessly as the little demon vanished across the sea.

Net Throat Demon, who had been obedient as a big loyal dog this whole time, now shot him a cold glance, then silently slipped beneath the waves without another sound.

Swallowing that blow, Li Xun wasn’t even sure if he was more angry or amused. In the end, he just dropped into the sand with a thud and sat there.

At that moment, a dozen streaks of sword-light zipped across the sky. One look, and Li Xun could tell that they were headed for Yemo Heaven, for that so-called Rogue Cultivators’ Alliance summit.

Across the sea, the growth of the Rogue Cultivators’ Alliance had never slowed. And now that the Ten-Thousand Li wide Aurora Barrier was broken, nothing stood between the outside world and the North Pole Yemo Heaven.

On top of that, the ceasefire agreement between both sides had greatly emboldened rogue cultivators and demons alike.

Over the past few days, just the number of rogue cultivators and wandering demons flying over the skies of Nightless City each day had reached several hundred.

A rough estimate put the gathering on the icefields at over 30 000 people.

That kind of scale was unheard of in the Tongxuan Realm, except for perhaps the likes of the One-Dou Rice Cult, with its claim of a million followers and a hundred thousand disciples; or the Grand Radiant City, which boasted “eighty thousand armored warriors, lording over the wilds.”

Li Xun murmured, “Quite the show of force. Just in terms of headcount, none of the orthodox sects can compare.”

It really was a curious phenomenon in the Tongxuan Realm.

In theory, the 33 sects of Tongxuan had over a million disciples altogether. That should mean each sect had at least thirty thousand members. But in reality, the Ten Orthodox Sects were all understaffed. Put together, they didn’t even total a hundred thousand people.

Take the Mingxin Sword Sect, for example; it didn’t even have a thousand.

Most of the time, that wasn’t an issue. But in situations like this, the gap became glaring. They were simply stretched too thin to respond effectively.

“Rogue Cultivators' Alliance…” Li Xun repeated the name quietly, deep in thought.

“Jade Wanderer and the others pulled together such a massive network of resources… they couldn’t have done all that just to hand it over to someone else, right? Judging by Lin Wuyou’s attitude, it’s still firmly under their control. But how did Jade Wanderer manage to pull that off?...”

Still deep in thought as he sat there, he suddenly felt something stir behind him. He turned his head. And a fluttering silk ribbon brushed across his face. His heart skipped a beat, and he jumped to his feet.

This time, no ribbon struck him in the eyes, but what he did see made him cry out in shock.

“Mistress!”

There was only one person here he would address with that title; the only female sect leader among the Ten Orthodox Sects, the Lady of Nightless City, Mistress Tianzhi.

This was someone Li Xun hadn’t expected to see at all. He barely had time to be struck by her beauty at such close range when another thought flashed through his mind.

Did she see anything just now? And if she did… what then?

He fought the urge to glance around suspiciously, instead keeping his gaze steady and clear. He met her eyes for only a moment before quickly looking away.

Her expression eased his nerves a little.

There was a glint of curiosity in her phoenix-like eyes as she looked him over. Then her lips curved slightly into a smile.

“You’re… a disciple of the Mingxin Sword Sect. Li Xun, yes?”

Li Xun had already been struck by her smile once before. Back in the Radiant Pool Hall, when she’d gone head-to-head with Gu Yin. That smile had left a deep impression.