News that Wen Shaohua intended to form a Dao companion bond with Leng Hanyuan spread across the entire Yuntian Sect overnight.
Xiao Lingyu listened in surprise as disciples on Yilan Peak quietly passed around the latest gossip, finding it rather unexpected.
He glanced at Chu Mingwei in confusion, his eyes clearly asking: “Wasn’t the sect leader going to suppress this? How did it leak out? Could Leng Hanyuan have deliberately spread it?”
This suspicion, however, wronged Leng Hanyuan—at this very moment, he himself was feeling thoroughly frustrated by the situation.
Of course, Xiao Lingyu did not know that. Seeing the curiosity written all over his junior brother’s face—I am curious, I do not understand, is this another scheme?—Chu Mingwei found it amusing. He quickly leaned in and gave Xiao Lingyu a light peck, his breath warm. “Since you are so curious, Lingyu, shall we call Meng Fan over to explain?”
As he spoke, he had already sent out a transmission talisman.
Xiao Lingyu shot him a glance. “Senior Brother is curious too, isn’t he?”
Chu Mingwei smiled faintly and admitted it. Although he had been staying at Yilan Peak every day recently, his contact with Ling Xiaozi had never ceased. He knew all of Ling Xiaozi’s secret arrangements clearly. His constant presence here was partly because he could not bear to leave Xiao Lingyu—but also to lull any hidden enemies within the sect into lowering their guard.
When the previously suppressed matter suddenly resurfaced, Chu Mingwei’s first thought had also been whether this was some scheme by Leng Hanyuan.
His thoughts only flickered for a moment before he refocused on Xiao Lingyu. Seeing his junior brother’s lashes tremble slightly, those upturned peach-blossom eyes shimmering, Chu Mingwei leaned down again—this time deepening the kiss, lingering until Xiao Lingyu’s breathing grew unsteady before finally pulling away.
Despite being sealed multiple times for running his mouth, the old ghost still refused to behave. “Indulging in lust in broad daylight—we truly cannot bear to watch.”
Chu Mingwei snorted. “We? Who is ‘we’?”
The old ghost immediately dragged Zhu Yurong into it. “Me and Little White.”
Xiao Lingyu smiled and cast Zhu Yurong a glance, subtly indicating the plate of pastries on the table. Zhu Yurong immediately betrayed his ally. “Little Pig saw nothing.”
Satisfied, Chu Mingwei pushed the pastries toward him.
Seeing the two so in sync, Chu Mingwei’s gaze casually swept over the Nether Bracelet. The old ghost swallowed back the insult he had been about to hurl and retreated in frustration, once again imagining Chu Mingwei getting beaten into a swollen mess when Wu Yunzi came out of seclusion.
Without even asking, Xiao Lingyu could guess exactly what the old ghost was thinking. Casting Chu Mingwei an amused glance, he suddenly found himself looking forward to his master’s return as well.
Chu Mingwei sighed helplessly. “Little troublemaker.”
Just as the two were wrapped up in each other, the formation around Yilan Peak stirred—Meng Fan had received the message and hurried over.
Seeing Meng Fan’s anxious expression, as if something serious had happened, Xiao Lingyu felt a trace of guilt. His senior brother spent every day idling with him, while all of Haotian Peak’s responsibilities had been pushed onto Meng Fan. Watching him rush over so urgently, Xiao Lingyu felt they really should not have disturbed him.
Chu Mingwei, however, immediately saw through Meng Fan’s act and shot him an amused glance.
Meng Fan caught that look but maintained his anxious expression perfectly. He had thought this through carefully: if his senior brother wanted to stay with Xiao Lingyu long-term, he would inevitably need a substitute to take over sect affairs. That meant their interests were fundamentally in conflict—Senior Brother could no longer be relied upon.
If Meng Fan wanted his carefree life back, he had to win Xiao Lingyu’s sympathy. Once the junior brother pitied him, surely Senior Brother would think twice before overworking him.
Thus, his current priority was simple—leave an impression of being overworked.
As for Bai Qian and the others… Meng Fan silently thought, better you than me.
That morning, upon receiving the summons, Meng Fan had carefully reviewed his recent actions—he had not offended Senior Brother in any way. Relieved, he flew over while practicing his “anxious” expression multiple times using a water-mirror spell.
Even if it meant offending Senior Brother, he accepted it. After all, Senior Brother was completely unreliable now.
So, ignoring the sharpness in Chu Mingwei’s gaze, Meng Fan delivered his lines flawlessly: “Senior Brother, Junior Brother—did something urgent happen? You did not explain clearly earlier and truly startled me.”
Xiao Lingyu, unaware of Meng Fan’s scheming, hesitated to speak out of guilt. Although he and Chu Mingwei were wary of Leng Hanyuan and took any news about him seriously, others did not share that concern. To everyone else, Leng Hanyuan was still the polite and gentle senior brother. Calling Meng Fan over just for gossip would sound rather frivolous.
While Xiao Lingyu hesitated, Chu Mingwei showed no such restraint. Ignoring Meng Fan’s act, he said directly, “We happened to hear about Junior Brother Leng and Junior Brother Wen today. Since you are well-informed at Haotian Peak, we asked you here to learn more.”
Though Chu Mingwei could not reveal everything, he had subtly warned Meng Fan several times to stay cautious. He trusted that Meng Fan’s sharpness would pick up on his intent—and indeed, Meng Fan immediately understood. His thoughts lingered on Leng Hanyuan. Wen Shaohua, being young and simple, was not a concern. It was Leng Hanyuan who worried Senior Brother—yet for some reason, he could not speak openly.
Having figured this out, Meng Fan promptly recounted everything he had learned.
After listening, Xiao Lingyu and Chu Mingwei exchanged strange looks—this time, it might truly have nothing to do with Leng Hanyuan.
The source of the incident was actually Wen Shaohua himself. Although the sect leader had blocked the Dao companion matter, Wen Shaohua already considered himself Leng Hanyuan’s partner. Yesterday, he had gone to see Leng Hanyuan in high spirits—only to find Xu Xuan there, the two behaving intimately. Enraged, Wen Shaohua caused chaos at Huawu Peak and loudly proclaimed their supposed bond, making it known to everyone.
Thus, the news spread rapidly throughout the sect—along with the entanglement between Wen Shaohua, Leng Hanyuan, and Xu Xuan.
Xiao Lingyu could not help but think it was no wonder Leng Hanyuan disliked Wen Shaohua. With such a temperament, even someone as patient as Leng Hanyuan would struggle. Still, perhaps because Xiao Lingyu himself was no longer by Leng Hanyuan’s side in this life, Leng Hanyuan had not been as cold toward Wen Shaohua. Since Wen Shaohua was not foolish, if he believed himself to be Leng Hanyuan’s partner, then Leng Hanyuan must have given him some sort of promise.
Thinking of this, Xiao Lingyu asked, “Did Senior Brother Leng acknowledge it?”
Meng Fan shook his head. “He neither admitted nor denied it. But compared to Shaohua, he seems more protective of Xu Xuan.”
Xiao Lingyu lowered his gaze, concealing the complexity in his eyes. It seemed Xu Xuan truly was Leng Hanyuan’s “true love.” It had been the same in his previous life—no matter the rumors, Leng Hanyuan never confirmed or denied anything, but whenever Xu Xuan was involved, he always protected him.
Xiao Lingyu had thought things would be different this time—but in the end, Xu Xuan still “won.”
These thoughts passed quickly. Raising his eyes, Xiao Lingyu looked at Chu Mingwei, who was still speaking with Meng Fan. In this life, what did Leng Hanyuan even matter? In his eyes, ten Leng Hanyuans could not compare to a single finger of his senior brother.
As if sensing his gaze, Chu Mingwei turned and met Xiao Lingyu’s smiling eyes, returning a gentle smile. Their affectionate exchange nearly blinded both the old ghost and Meng Fan.
While Xiao Lingyu concluded that Xu Xuan was Leng Hanyuan’s true love, most disciples in the sect—though not saying it outright—shared the same belief.
Hearing others whisper about Leng Hanyuan’s supposed affection for him, Xu Xuan’s delicate face flashed with a trace of mockery.
Love? If Leng Hanyuan truly loved him, why had he not stepped forward to deny the Dao companion rumors? Or perhaps he did love him—but not enough to outweigh what Wen Shaohua could offer.
Returning silently to his room, Xu Xuan stared at the gift Leng Hanyuan had sent the night before. After a long while, he let out a bleak smile.
In the end, he had to admit—it was his own foolishness.
He had believed the person he loved had finally noticed him. He had believed their feelings were mutual. But it was all a lie. In Leng Hanyuan’s eyes, he was nothing more than someone who could be appeased with a few gifts.
Staring at his pale reflection in the mirror, Xu Xuan’s thoughts spiraled.
What had he done wrong?
Was it his fault that his spiritual roots were poor?
That his cultivation was weak?
That he loved Leng Hanyuan?
That he wanted a better life—wanted to be liked?
For years, he had never dared to relax. He carefully tried to please everyone, presenting himself as gentle, harmless, and pitiful. Yet was that still not enough to earn affection?
As he stared at his reflection, a faint voice seemed to rise from deep within:
“It’s not your fault. You did nothing wrong. You simply chose the wrong method.”
“A different method?”
“Yes. In the cultivation world, the strong devour the weak. Power determines everything. Without power, nothing matters. If you were at the Nascent Soul stage, how could Leng Hanyuan not like you? How could others not fawn over you?”
Xu Xuan thought of Xiao Lingyu. “That’s right… if I were as strong as Xiao Lingyu, Senior Brother Leng would definitely like me.”
At the mention of Xiao Lingyu’s name, something stirred within—but quickly settled.
“What should I do, then? My aptitude is poor—how can I improve?”
“Go to the back mountain. In the forbidden grounds, there is a treasure. Obtain it, and you will gain everything.”
“Everything?”
“Everything. Leng Hanyuan will love you. Everyone will flatter you. Those who once looked down on you will kneel before you. Those who bullied you—you can torment as you wish. Everything you desire will be yours.”
“Everything…”
“Everything.”
“The back mountain… the forbidden grounds…”
Xu Xuan turned toward the door in a daze—but accidentally struck the table. Pain shot through his waist, snapping him back to clarity.
Terrified, he looked at the mirror—and saw a faint black mist rising behind him.
He staggered back. “Who are you?!”
“Come out!”
“Was it you controlling me?”
“You want me to go to the back mountain, don’t you?!”
He shouted into the room—but there was no response.
Only the black mist behind him seemed to grow thicker.