Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 402 388: Third Junior Sister Nangong Jin

Above Dan Yun Pavilion, a Fairy clad in white slowly descended before the pavilion, causing the passing Pill Masters to turn and stare.

"Look, it's Elder Lu... no, former Elder," a Pill Master said, his laughter tinged with ridicule.

"Lu Fairy is so young, and her talent for Alchemy is the best the Dao Sect has seen in nearly a thousand years. Why would she resign from her position as an Elder?

Pavilion Master Fu gave her so much preferential treatment. It was obvious he was grooming Lu Fairy to be his successor," another person added, their tone full of regret.

"There's a rumor... They say it has something to do with that gossip from before. About her and her junior brother—Palace Master Pei, who just broke through to the Void Refining Realm—having an improper relationship..."

Another Pill Master gossiped in a lewd tone, but then he remembered that the Cold Sun Sword Immortal had already broken through to the Void Refining Realm. Times had changed, so he reined in his words, not daring to be too crude.

Faint, furtive glances fell upon the desolate Lu Ruoxi.

But her expression was serene, as if she was completely unconcerned with the opinions of outsiders.

BUZZ—

As the Teleportation Scroll flared with light, Lu Ruoxi was transported into her own courtyard.

Sensing the spatial fluctuations from her arrival, a young Alchemy Girl hurried over.

"Master, where did you go last night?"

Chen Sixuan asked with concern, quickly walking forward to help Lu Ruoxi change out of her outer robe.

"I just went out to clear my head last night. I'm a Divinity Transformation Cultivator, after all. Xiaoxuan, you don't need to worry about me so much."

Lu Ruoxi watched the girl bustling about in front of her, and her expression softened considerably.

Ever since she had voluntarily given up her position as an Elder and spent days wallowing in alcohol and despair, her most talented Alchemy Apprentices had all left.

Only Chen Sixuan, this somewhat ditsy Pill Boy who had been by her side the longest, had stayed.

Lu Ruoxi didn't blame the students who had left her. People had their reasons for choosing a patron with better resources, but the one who stayed behind in her time of need was all the more precious.

It was also because of Chen Sixuan's encouragement that some of the gloom in Lu Ruoxi's heart had finally begun to dissipate.

She had finally decided to go see Junior Brother Pei last night... But she had underestimated his keen senses and was caught red-handed.

Lu Ruoxi pressed her lips together. She recalled how she had fled in a hurry after Junior Brother Pei caught her in the act last night. 'How pathetic of me,' she thought.

"Ah! Master, how did your outer robe get torn... It's a sword mark."

Chen Sixuan cried out in confusion, but Lu Ruoxi smoothly took the robe from her hands.

"Have you finished the Alchemy assignment I gave you yesterday?"

"...No."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Lu Ruoxi sent Chen Sixuan away, then stood alone, dazedly clutching the outer robe that had been sliced open by Sword Qi.

Then, she let out a soft sigh and pressed the tip of her nose against the cool fabric—or more precisely, against the small section of cloth that had been severed by the Sword Qi.

Lu Ruoxi's breathing grew ragged. It was as if she could smell it—Junior Brother Pei's familiar scent, the one that drove her wild.

The white-robed Fairy, who had been so prim and proper in front of Chen Sixuan just moments ago, now had a heaving chest. A strange flush crept up her porcelain-white neck, quickly spreading across her pretty face until even the tips of her ears were stained scarlet.

After a long moment, she lifted her head, a flicker of self-loathing in her eyes.

'So pathetic. Even though Junior Brother Pei despises me so much... I still can't break this obsessive habit...'

Lu Ruoxi laughed self-deprecatingly as she carefully placed the outer robe into a Jade Box, storing it away as a "keepsake."

Collecting "Holy Artifacts" that carried Junior Brother Pei's scent—it was, of course, an obsessive and disgusting habit.

But it was her only vice... She really couldn't change it. Perhaps this was just her fatal flaw.

Lu Ruoxi hated this part of herself. She wanted to change.

But then she thought that even if she changed, her junior brother would never forgive her, so she might as well just continue her downward spiral.

Lu Ruoxi sighed mournfully, then sat down, took out some Spirit Wine, and prepared to drink away her sorrows.

BUZZ BUZZ—

Just then, the Transmission Token at her waist began to vibrate.

Lu Ruoxi, irritated, was about to turn it off, but her beautiful eyes widened the moment she saw who the message was from.

Third Junior Sister [Nangong Jin]!

'Why would Junior Sister Nangong contact me all of a sudden?'

Lu Ruoxi murmured to herself, her full, red lips slightly parted and a look of astonishment on her face.

Nangong Jin was the youngest disciple taken in by their master, the Nameless Daoist. She was also personally acknowledged by the Nameless Daoist as the number one genius the Dao Sect had produced in several thousand years.

It was said that their master had found her at a Demon Dao blood-sacrifice altar.

Perhaps because she had endured torture at the hands of the Demon Sect and witnessed too much bloodshed and darkness, Nangong Jin was exceedingly aloof and indifferent when she was first brought back to the Dao Sect.

Drawn together by some kind of shared resonance in their experiences, the only person Nangong Jin was willing to interact with back then was the equally aloof and detached Pei Yuhang.

And then... she was bested by Ye Liyuan in the contest for his heart.

Disheartened after Pei Yuhang began to deliberately distance himself from her, Nangong Jin dedicated herself wholeheartedly to cultivating the Supreme Forgetfulness Dao.

Eventually, she left the Sect, claiming she was going down the mountain for training, and had not returned once in several decades.

Their last communication had been five years ago, when Nangong Jin told her she was going to investigate their master's disappearance.

'And now, Junior Sister Nangong is contacting me again of her own accord.'

'Is there a new clue about Master's whereabouts?'

Lu Ruoxi's eyes flickered. Her fingertip hovered over the Transmission Token as she channeled her Spiritual Power to accept the call.

[Senior Sister.]

A voice as cold as frost emerged from the Token, without a ripple of emotion. It was like the water in the depths of a Cold Pool, so calm it made one's heart clench.

Lu Ruoxi pressed her lips together and said softly, "Junior Sister Nangong, it's been a long time since we last spoke. How have you been?"

[I'm fine.]

Nangong Jin was a woman of few words. She seemed to feel no warmth at all for Lu Ruoxi, her senior sister whom she hadn't seen in years.

But Lu Ruoxi knew she couldn't be blamed. Cultivators who practiced the Forgetfulness Dao were like this; their seven passions and six desires gradually froze, and they lost the emotions of an ordinary person.

[Senior Sister, I've found a clue regarding Master. I'm going to head to the vicinity of the Endless Sea to investigate further.]

"You're going to the vicinity of the Endless Sea?!"

Lu Ruoxi's brow furrowed.

"No, that's too dangerous!"

"The Sect has never figured out what happened with Master's disappearance, or if they did, they sealed it away in classified archives. This means it's not something an ordinary Cultivator like us can meddle with."

In response to Lu Ruoxi's urgent warning, Nangong Jin simply stated one word.

[Mahayana.]

Mahayana?!

Lu Ruoxi's beautiful eyes flew wide open. 'How old even is Junior Sister Nangong, since she first set foot on the path of cultivation?'

"Junior Sister, you don't mean..."

[That's right. I have a premonition. My opportunity to advance to the Mahayana realm is in there as well.]

[So I'm definitely going to take a look. I'm contacting you this time, Senior Sister, because I don't know when I'll be able to come out once I go in. I just wanted to let you know, so you wouldn't worry.]

"..."

Lu Ruoxi gave a self-deprecating smile. So this youngest junior sister of hers had already surpassed her, the eldest senior sister, by so much.

In that case, she—a decadent Divinity Transformation cultivator with a shattered Dao Heart and no hope of advancing to the Void Refining Realm—truly had no right to lecture or persuade Nangong Jin.

[Senior Sister, has anything happened in the Sect these past few years?]

"These past few years..."

Lu Ruoxi composed herself, pushing aside the blow her junior sister's cultivation progress had dealt to her mood, and began to tell Nangong Jin about the various events in the Dao Sect.

"...The Yin Yang Sacred Land and the Xuanyuan Dao Sect have also formed an alliance. Disciples from the two sects now come and go frequently, so it's gotten a lot more lively."

At this point, her tone faltered slightly, and a complex look flashed in her eyes.

"Also... last year, when Junior Sister Ye was breaking through to the Void Refining Realm, she drew the legendary Blood Evil Tribulation Thunder."

Mentioning this, Lu Ruoxi recalled the apocalyptic scene from that day: the sky filled with roiling blood-red lightning, the entire firmament dyed scarlet. Just watching from a distance had made her Divine Soul tremble.

It was hard to imagine what kind of resolve Pei Yuhang must have had to charge in alone with his sword and save Ye Liyuan, who should have perished.

[Did she die?]

The hitherto silent Nangong Jin suddenly spoke, stunning Lu Ruoxi so much that she thought she had misheard.

But she quickly shook her head and gave another self-deprecating smile.

'Junior Sister Nangong has long since severed her seven passions and six desires. How could she still be hung up on the old grudge of losing in the game of love?'

'It couldn't have been mockery.'

'Perhaps... it was just her way of showing concern?'

Lu Ruoxi sighed softly and said, "Junior Sister Ye was saved by Junior Brother Pei. Although her cultivation was completely destroyed, at least her life was spared."

[Oh.]

Nangong Jin replied in a flat tone.

A moment later, she asked another question: [How is Brother Pei?]

"After he saved Junior Sister Ye, Junior Brother Pei's realm dropped from Divinity Transformation to Nascent Soul. Fortunately, his deep foundation allowed for a sudden burst of progress. Not only did he return to Divinity Transformation in just over a year, but he also broke through to the Void Refining Realm with unstoppable momentum."

As Lu Ruoxi said this, she couldn't help but feel a pang of resentment.

She complained silently in her heart: 'Junior Brother Pei spent that year dual cultivating with so many incredibly talented Fairies. How could his foundation not be profound? Of course his cultivation progressed at lightning speed...'

[So Brother Pei is a Void Refining Cultivator now. In that case, Senior Sister, please congratulate him for me.]

[It's getting late, I should be on my way, Senior Sister. When I find Master, I'll bring him back to the Dao Sect to see you all.]

"Alright. Be careful on your journey, Junior Sister Nangong."