Chapter Seventy: Astonishment—The White Lotus and the Villain

Bai Shulan gazed at her with moist eyes, murmuring softly, “Once… once, someone said the same thing to me.” She pressed her face into her hands, lowering her head as if recalling some painful memory, and began to sob quietly.

Qu Yiqiu looked at her curiously and asked in confusion, “What happened to them?”

Wiping away tears the size of beans, Bai Shulan replied through her sobs, “They’re all… they’re all dead…”

Qu Yiqiu offered her comfort with a sigh, “Don’t cry. This time, disciples of Wuhui Peak will not fail again.”

Bai Shulan wept until her sorrow was spent, then used a handkerchief to wipe away the traces of her tears, her reddened eyes fixed on Qu Yiqiu.

“Fellow Daoist You, how many people from Wuhui Peak have arrived?”

Qu Yiqiu’s eyes flickered as she recalled the answer You Ruoying had given her and replied, “Forgive me, I can’t reveal the exact number right now, but it won’t be few.”

Bai Shulan bit her lower lip gently, seeming to make some weighty decision, and said gravely, “The force behind the Spring Rain Pavilion is not just the Hehuan Sect.”

Qu Yiqiu was slightly surprised, but after a moment’s thought, she asked, “Is the Venom Manor also sheltering Spring Rain Pavilion?”

Bai Shulan, biting her lip, looked up at her, ready to answer, when footsteps sounded at the door.

Creak—

“What are you doing in there? Fairy Yiqiu is getting impatient!” A burly guard barged in rudely, shouting at them.

Qu Yiqiu remained calm and feigned ignorance, saying, “Brother Guard, it seems this elder sister doesn’t know how to put on a Daoist robe. Shouldn’t you come in and help her?”

“What?” Both Bai Shulan and the guard were stunned.

Naturally, Bai Shulan was frightened.

Qu Yiqiu shot her a subtle glance, signaling her to stay quiet.

The guard licked his lips, his gaze roaming greedily over Bai Shulan’s delicate figure, and leered, “No problem! If the fairy doesn’t know how, I can teach you slowly!”

He rubbed his hands eagerly and stepped inside.

With a snap, Qu Yiqiu shut the door. As the guard reached toward Bai Shulan, she struck him swiftly at the neck, knocking him out.

Bai Shulan’s eyes widened in shock. “You… you… you’re a Foundation Establishment cultivator?”

The guard who’d just knocked was himself at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, yet Qu Yiqiu had felled him with a single blow, proving her cultivation was at least as high.

In truth, Qu Yiqiu’s current cultivation, hidden by Little Yan, appeared to be only ninth level of Qi Condensation.

She smiled slightly and once again raised the banner of Wuhui Peak. “For disciples of Wuhui Peak, reaching Foundation Establishment is nothing special. Now that you’ve seen my strength, can you rest easy?”

Bai Shulan slowly relaxed, carefully wiping away the last traces of tears, and said softly, “Fellow Daoist You, I trust Wuhui Peak!”

Qu Yiqiu thought to herself that she’d finally won her over; she hadn’t expected it to be so easy.

“Fellow Daoist Bai, how much Wood-Stiff Powder do you have? And do all the women in Spring Rain Pavilion carry it?”

Bai Shulan changed into a dark green Daoist robe, her figure graceful and elegant, and stammered, “Not everyone has it. I… I’m considered obedient and well-behaved here, so Madam trusts me and gave me some Wood-Stiff Powder.”

Qu Yiqiu studied her expression, musing that even the purest flower, when rooted in muddy waters, inevitably picks up some dirt.

Deliberately ignoring whatever deeds Bai Shulan might have done for Spring Rain Pavilion, she said calmly, “Is the Wood-Stiff Powder you have plentiful? I’d like to test it.”

Bai Shulan glanced at her, then at the unconscious guard, quickly understanding Qu Yiqiu’s intentions. She hurriedly pulled a small wooden gourd from her bosom and handed it over.

“This contains the Wood-Stiff Powder. It’s all I have; most of the rest is with Madam.”

Qu Yiqiu accepted the gourd without hesitation. “Good. The Wood-Stiff Powder is vital to our plan, so I’ll need your cooperation in handing it over. No problem, right?”

She glanced nonchalantly at Bai Shulan’s face.

Bai Shulan hesitated for a moment, a flicker of reluctance in her eyes, but she quickly covered it with a gentle smile. “This was never truly mine. As long as you can help me escape, even if you want everything in my storage pouch, I’m willing!”

Qu Yiqiu nodded in satisfaction.

This one was not beyond saving after all.

At least in the face of greater matters, she could let go.

After a moment’s thought, she said, “Handing over your storage pouch might not be a bad idea either.”

Bai Shulan was momentarily speechless. Her slender hand hovered uncertainly at her waist, her face full of conflict.

How could a disciple of the righteous Wuhui Peak ask for money in such a roundabout way?

Qu Yiqiu coughed, then smiled, “What are you thinking, Fellow Daoist Bai? I meant we should confiscate the storage pouches from everyone else in Spring Rain Pavilion, not yours.”

Bai Shulan stared at her blankly, then let out a barely audible sigh of relief and said sheepishly, “I misunderstood…”

Qu Yiqiu raised her eyebrows.

If she were willing to hand over her pouch, that wouldn’t be bad either.

But for now, to maintain the proper image of Wuhui Peak, she must refrain.

She’d reconsider when chaos erupted in Spring Rain Pavilion.

She shook the little gourd, listening to the powder inside rustling, then uncorked it and tapped a little into a teacup.

The Wood-Stiff Powder was colorless and tasteless, instantly dissolving without a trace.

Qu Yiqiu picked up the teacup and, without further ado, pried open the guard’s mouth and poured the tea down his throat.

Standing by, Bai Shulan explained, “Wood-Stiff Powder can seal one’s spiritual power, making them no different from an ordinary person—though stiff and slow in movement. There’s no antidote; only time will wear off the effect.”

Qu Yiqiu asked curiously, “That bowl of tea I just gave him—how long will the effect last?”

“His cultivation isn’t deep. For an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, about six hours,” Bai Shulan replied.

Qu Yiqiu’s eyes lit up.

This Wood-Stiff Powder sounded quite useful. If only she could get its recipe.

The guard soon regained consciousness, but his eyes were vacant and dull. He opened his mouth slowly, trying to speak, but couldn’t utter a coherent word, his syllables drawn out endlessly.

Qu Yiqiu smacked him unconscious once more.

Then, to Bai Shulan’s astonishment, she began to strip off his clothes.

“F-Fellow Daoist You, what are you doing?” Bai Shulan couldn’t fathom her actions.

Qu Yiqiu replied mysteriously, “Disciples of Wuhui Peak need to sneak in. I’ll use these clothes as a disguise.”

Bai Shulan suddenly understood, “So that’s it!”

Qu Yiqiu smiled. “Fellow Daoist Bai, let’s go quickly. Golden Flower Madam is probably throwing another tantrum.”

Only then did Bai Shulan remember she still had to serve Jin Yiqiu. She hurriedly stuffed the guard under the bed, straightened her robe, and opened the door.

Qu Yiqiu glanced in surprise at the guard under the bed. She’d been considering silencing him for good, yet Bai Shulan had merely hidden him.

She unconsciously touched her cheek and wondered if, after so long in this world, she’d lost her own heart.

But this guard could not be allowed to live.

A flash of killing intent flickered in Qu Yiqiu’s eyes.

As Bai Shulan left the room, a wisp of black mist slipped from her sleeve, gliding silently into the room.

Moments later, the black mist swiftly returned to her robe.

At a thought, Qu Yiqiu sensed that the Golden Ghost King had taken care of the guard and stored the Soul-Suppressing Banner back into her storage ring.

Thank you all for your support!