Chen Kuang's heart sank.
He knew very well that the relationship between Shen Xingzhu and Shen Meinan wasn't as simple as just sisters.
Because no pair of ordinary twins would have one of them born ten years later.
Especially in this kind of high-cultivation world, there was definitely something fishy going on.
Chen Kuang had once thought that the Shen family and Shen Xingzhu might be using Shen Meinan as a tool to achieve some greater purpose. But Shen Xingzhu's attitude toward Shen Meinan had always left him perplexed.
Shen Xingzhu was someone who could be called cold and unfeeling without exaggeration.
Yet when it came to Shen Meinan, she did indeed behave like a proper elder sister, caring for her, speaking to her gently and doing things for her.
Chen Kuang didn't believe it was an act. Nor did she have any reason to fake it.
And more importantly, Shen Meinan herself didn't show even a hint of resentment or wariness toward Shen Xingzhu. She even trusted her deeply.
That made Chen Kuang feel he was simply overthinking things.
But now it seemed... he hadn't been wrong.
In just two days, no matter how prodigiously talented Shen Meinan might be, it was impossible for her to leap from the Innate Realm straight to the Master Realm.
Not even cheating could make that happen!
This was definitely connected to Shen Xingzhu, and their "twin sisters" relationship was very likely the key.
But what exactly had happened, only by meeting them in person could he find out. Otherwise, he could wrack his brain for a thousand years and never figure it out.
"But wanting to openly go find her now is unrealistic... unless I attain sainthood, or join the Wugou Pure Land and become a Buddhist Heir."
Chen Kuang sighed.
He was in hiding now precisely to restore some of his strength before heading to Wugou Pure Land.
Even though he was now a demon, there was no rule that said a Buddhist Heir had to be human...
What's more, the bloodline of this current body originated from the Descendants of the Dragon Mother, and had a karmic connection with Buddhism, it might even make him more convincing to those monks of the Wugou Pure Land.
Chen Kuang collected his thoughts and continued listening to the gossip of the two cultivators.
Shen Meinan's existence was something the Shen family rarely mentioned. The outside world had only vaguely heard they had a younger daughter, but she had never appeared publicly.
Now, with this sudden high-profile announcement that Shen Meinan had also reached Master Realm, it had shocked everyone.
"I heard Shen Meinan just turned sixteen this year. Doesn't that make the Shen family a 'double-gem' household, unparalleled in all of history?"
"Hiss... Seriously? That would make her even scarier than Shen Xingzhu!"
"Absolutely true! Just last night, the Shen family invited the Canglang Evaluation's scribe to bear witness. Shen Meinan sparred with Jiang Yunqing, the current second-ranked 'Wisdom Sword,' and won by pointing her sword at his forehead."
"Unfortunately, there were no other witnesses, and the Shen family used her young age as an excuse to refuse listing her on the Canglang Evaluation."
"But the result was publicly declared! Jiang Yunqing is recognized as the strongest below Master Realm. If she beat him so effortlessly, how could she not be a Master?"
The other person fell into a long silence, then picked up his wine cup and took a deep sip, seemingly to suppress his shock.
Sword?
Chen Kuang frowned slightly.
If Shen Meinan had defeated him using a sword, then this was even more suspicious...
Because Shen Meinan didn't know swordsmanship at all!
He had fought and survived alongside her through several harrowing encounters.
Not once had he seen her use a sword. Her specialties were clearly talisman techniques, artifact control, or to put it bluntly, chequebook sorcery.
The number of miraculous Spiritual Treasures she possessed could literally crush a person to death...
But swordsmanship?
Not once had he seen her wield a sword, at most, she used one with the sheath on to hit people, or draw it just to scare someone.
And yet now she had supposedly "touched his forehead with her sword" to win against Wisdom Sword? That wasn't something one could achieve using talismans or artifacts.
And this style of action... didn't match Shen Meinan's personality.
It felt more like... Shen Xingzhu.
Chen Kuang's eyelid twitched. The thought that popped into his head startled even himself.
He forced himself to calm down.
No way. It couldn't possibly be that Shen Xingzhu had possessed Shen Meinan, right?
Maybe the Shen family was just trying to build momentum and deliberately had Shen Meinan mimic Shen Xingzhu's style.
That was still within the realm of possibility.
The two cultivators continued their drinking and chatter, circling back again to the topic of "Chen Kuang vs. the Martial Saint."
Clearly, the event still had a massive impact within the cultivation world, especially since the Martial Saint himself had manifested.
"By the way, Brother Li, you're well-informed. Do you know when the Martial Saint will come out of seclusion? Since he already manifested an avatar, I assume it won't be long?"
"Difficult to say... I heard it's been postponed again."
"Wasn't he said to be breaking through to Canliao? Could it be that no one in our era can ascend to the Celestial Vastness Realm?"
"Maybe he's playing it safe? But that Ancient Battlefield of Meditation secret realm will close in a month, and who knows when it'll open again."
"Brother Li, I heard the last seven days of the Ancient Battlefield will open to mid-tier cultivators. Is that true?"
"Forget it. The entry slots are all controlled by major sects. Us wandering cultivators have no business getting involved."
"Sigh... if only someday a great sect would take me in."
Brother Li chimed in:
"True. I even heard a juicy rumor recently, though I'm not sure it's true."
"They say the little princess who escaped from Liang Kingdom was spotted in Yongan Prefecture, accompanied by disciples from Liberty Mountain."
"If that's true... there's a good show coming."
Chen Kuang raised an eyebrow slightly.
That... was probably true.
Chen Kuang thought to himself.
It was perfectly logical that Zhang Zhizhou would seek out Su Huaiying. In the illusion realm, he had assisted Su Huaiying countless times, now that they were back in reality, naturally he would go for a "one-life clear run."
The little princess was intelligent and sharp, and now armed with the memories of reincarnation, there shouldn't be much to worry about.
But this time, with Chu Wenruo's "death", regardless of whether it was true, it was bound to be a major blow to her.
Who knew if she could hold her mind steady?
The exiled princess had finally begun her long and lonely road of vengeance...
And judging from this, the flood disaster in Yongan Prefecture definitely had more going on beneath the surface.
The Department of Shennong was so focused on it, and now Su Huaiying, who was practically a prophet thanks to her past life, had arrived there too.
Chen Kuang didn't consider this a bad thing. On the contrary, it might even aid him in accumulating more Good Karma.
...
The business at Xuni Pavilion really had taken a downturn.
Several government officers passed by just that morning, and most of them paused at the gate, as if monitoring it.
A place meant for elegance and leisure now had its atmosphere dampened like this, of course customers wouldn't want to stay long.
Yu Xiangsi's expression was hesitant. She kept glancing toward Lian Mi's room, seemingly deep in thought.
Chen Kuang wasn't given much work. Soon, he was idle, clearly because of Liu Qingcheng's arrangement.
After all, just imagining someone who slays demons without batting an eye being ordered around doing menial chores made her throat itch with discomfort.
With nothing to do, Chen Kuang went to look for Lian Mi.
After a morning of simple work, his hand was now stacked with several gold leaf tokens...
Some were given to him randomly as tips. Others he'd picked up while sweeping dusty corners.
Looks like those chests of silver had truly become part of his personal wealth now..
Chen Kuang felt like a walking money magnet, wherever he went, wealth simply clung to him like he was a human Pixiu.
Lian Mi was doing laundry again. Liu Qingcheng was known for her cleanliness and bathed daily, so her maid had to wash clothes every day as well.
Luckily the garments weren't very dirty, just needed a bit of light scrubbing.
Chen Kuang casually sat down, spreading out his palm. A few golden leaves shimmered in the midday sunlight, almost blindingly bright.
Lian Mi froze, eyes going wide and her mouth forming an "O."
"Wha, where did you get so much money?!"
She quickly pressed his hand down, whispering nervously:
"Ah! You dummy! Money like this... You have to hide it! If someone sees, you'll get reported to the authorities!"
Chen Kuang couldn't help but laugh. "You think I stole it?"
Lian Mi pouted. "Didn't you? Where else would you get so much?"
Chen Kuang said, "Just now I ran into a guest who had a sudden burst of poetic inspiration. He wrote a nice poem and got in a great mood. He looked around, saw me, and asked me what I thought of it. I said it was great."
"He got so happy, he tossed his entire purse at me and ran off to find his friends."
Lian Mi was dumbfounded.
"Th-That's impossible?!"
What kind of person even existed in this world?!
Chen Kuang said, "He laughed wildly to the sky like a madman, then sprinted out. Plenty of people saw it."
Lian Mi stared blankly for a long moment before finally accepting reality. Still, she couldn't help but ask, "Was the poem really that good?"
Chen Kuang thought for a moment. "It probably was."
In truth, he hadn't heard a single line.
He was just randomly asked, and of course he said it was good.
Lian Mi pouted, eyes fixed on the golden leaves.
"You have ridiculous luck. You don't even move and money walks up to you."
Chen Kuang chuckled. "Exactly. So, since I didn't earn it, I'll give it to you instead."
Lian Mi blinked, stunned. "Really?"
Chen Kuang nodded. "How much are you short for your ransom? I'll put in a bit more effort over the next few days, flatter some people, and maybe I can help you make up the difference."
Lian Mi's lips trembled, and her nose turned red.
"Just a little... I'll have it all saved up by next month."
"So... if you don't feel like flattering people, you don't have to."
Chen Kuang smiled quietly.
This little maid actually knew how to consider other people's pride.
Lian Mi carefully took the gold leaves, holding them as if they were priceless treasures.
"Thank you. Other than Lady Liu, you're the first person to treat me so kindly."
Chen Kuang said, "I didn't do anything... When you get out of this place, you'll meet many more kind people."
Lian Mi shook her head.
"It's not the same. Meeting someone kind when you're at your worst is different from meeting someone kind when you're already doing well."
She actually felt in her heart... that she wouldn't be able to ransom herself out..
Later tonight, she planned to sneak those gold leaves back under Chen Kuang's door.
"Lian Mi, are you done washing? I cleared a space for you to hang the clothes."
Another maid called from the far end of the corridor.
"Coming!" Lian Mi replied.
She picked up her wooden wash basin and scurried off.
Chen Kuang withdrew his gaze, turned, and quietly slipped into Liu Qingcheng's room again.
With the passive [You Can't See Me], lowering his presence was trivial. So long as he didn't speak or make an obvious move, he wouldn't be noticed.
Lady Liu was inside, holding the performance prop sword and examining it carefully. Now and then she would get excited and mimic sword movements:
Vaguely imitating the scene of Chen Kuang piercing Wu Man's throat last night.
But in the end, sword dancing was only sword dancing.
The blade was soft and limp, with no real killing power. The glitter of the sword light was a mere illusion, at most, it could scratch the skin.
She hadn't noticed Chen Kuang at all.
She finished her little sword-dance and turned to drink some tea, only to suddenly see Chen Kuang standing there, staring at her.
"Ah!" Liu Qingcheng jumped, then asked breathlessly, "When did you get here, Senior?"
Chen Kuang replied, "Just now."
Liu Qingcheng exhaled in relief. Thank goodness she hadn't been caught mimicking that strike.
Then Chen Kuang added, "Your sword dance was quite elegant."
Liu Qingcheng: "..."
Wuwuwu... He saw it after all!
Her cold and glamorous face turned completely red, burning with shame.
On a whim, she'd tried mimicking that graceful, lethal sword strike from last night...
She hadn't expected to be caught mid-act.
Chen Kuang hadn't expected such a big reaction, but upon reflection, it was understandable.
This was like someone in a Kamen Rider belt transformation sequence getting caught by relatives mid-pose.
Truly shameful.
He chuckled. "If you want to learn swordplay, I can teach you. Whether you can master it, though, depends on your own ability."
Liu Qingcheng paused, then beamed. "Many thanks, Senior!"
Chen Kuang asked, "By the way, did you figure out the answer to my question from last night?"
Liu Qingcheng nodded firmly. "Thanks to your guidance, I realized... I still acknowledge myself as human. Wanting to be a demon, that was just a momentary pretense."
She was forthright, admitting that her previous words were spoken on impulse.
Chen Kuang smiled. "You're teachable."
"You must understand, demonic cultivation methods awaken with bloodline inheritance. They differ completely from human ones. Your demon blood is too thin, thus it never awakened. You cannot cultivate demon methods at all."
"Had you chosen to be a demon, I could give you a technique, yes, but you'd go mad trying to cultivate it."
Liu Qingcheng felt a chill in her heart.
So that was a test!
If she hadn't confronted her true self, she might have ended up dead..
"By the way, I wanted to formally apologize to Senior earlier, and offer a gift of apology."
She turned and opened a cabinet, retrieving a small box.
"This 'Glazed Image-Freezing Lamp' was a gift from the Prince of Jingnan. It's said to possess a Divine Ability that immobilizes a target, though to me, it's just a lamp."
"Perhaps it might be of use to you, Senior?"
She opened the box, inside was a multicolored glazed lantern.
"However, it has one strange trait: for some reason, when it shines on a person, it casts no shadow."
Liu Qingcheng lifted the lamp, and then, completely froze.
In the glow, behind Chen Kuang, there weren't just one.. but two shadows.