Jian Dan sat with Yue Liang on the banyan tree for the entire night. As the sun rose and morning light spilled across the sky, Yue Liang rubbed her cheek against Jian Dan's, reluctant to part. She sent a message with her divine sense.
"I'll go help out at Purple Sky Sect and gather information. I'll wait for you to return, Zhēnjūn."
"Good girl. I'll miss you too," Jian Dan replied gently. "Now that you've advanced, you haven't gone back to tell your clan, have you? This is a good chance to see them. I'll report to the sect and escort you to Purple Sky first, then continue on to the demon domain."
"Thank you, Zhēnjūn." Yue Liang smiled so brightly her eyes crinkled into crescents.
Back at the residence, they found Lu Xuanyuan sprawled in bed, sleeping in a crooked mess. Yue Liang wrinkled her nose in disgust. Still, Zhēnjūn had made it clear—once they reached Purple Sky Sect, this boy would be her cover and backing. His cultivation was pitiful, but his status was untouchable. As Zhēnjūn had said, one must learn to read the times.
Xiao Die Zhēnjūn was satisfied with the arrangement and expressed full support for Jian Dan's escort.
The next three days were spent in preparation. Yue Liang went to Medicine Peak to pay respects to the elder of the raccoon beasts, saw her older brother Xing Xing, and visited their mother's resting place. Xing Xing, ever the protective brother, worried over her well-being, but after questioning her thoroughly and seeing how much she'd grown, he finally relaxed. Yue Liang even showed him a miniature statue of herself perched on Zhēnjūn's shoulder, which amused him greatly.
Meanwhile, Jian Dan went to the Discipline Hall to find Jian Wu Zhēnrén. This time, his attitude toward her had clearly shifted. After all, it wasn't just anyone who dared sneak into the current chaos of the demon sect territory alone.
"Greetings, Jian Wu Zhēnrén."
"No need to stand on ceremony. You're a Nascent Soul cultivator now. Just call me Senior Brother."
"Yes, Senior Brother."
"What brings you here today?"
"I'll be escorting Yue Liang to Purple Sky Sect. After that, I plan to change identities and infiltrate the demon domain. I need the sect to prepare a demon cultivator identity for me."
"Easily done. What name will you use?"
"Jian Dan."
"The Dao is simple. And it fits, since your surname is Shan. Good choice. I'll assign you a Loose Cultivator identity. It'll be sent to your residence before your departure."
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
"This journey will be dangerous. Here, take this." Jian Wu passed her a white jade token. "This is a protective talisman from my master, Jian Li Zhēnzhǔ. It holds a single strike from him. Use it to break through if you're surrounded."
Jian Dan accepted it solemnly. A flash of purple light shimmered across the jade, carrying the immense pressure of a Void Refinement master. It was a rare treasure indeed.
After returning to her cave-dwelling, she saw Lü Se and Lu Xuanyuan bickering over who got to cultivate the spirit field.
Upon seeing her, both froze and waited for judgment.
"Lü Se, you till the soil and sow the seeds. Xiao Lu, you handle the Spiritual Rain Technique for irrigation."
"Yes!" "Yes!"
The two immediately went to their tasks with renewed energy.
Jian Dan returned to her cultivation chamber and studied the protective talisman again. There was something familiar about it. She flipped through her memories and suddenly recalled a white jade token left behind in the inheritance from her ancestor, Jian Rou.
She took it out. Sure enough, it looked nearly identical. It was likely another life-saving treasure left by her forebear. One could never have too many.
Since there were too many eyes in the sect right now, she didn't refine it, only stored it back into her spatial storage.
Her inner world had completed its upgrade after expelling her last time. She had yet to inspect it.
As the third evening fell, an inner sect steward from Tianyue Peak knocked on her door. He greeted her respectfully and handed her a slip of paper.
Jian Dan frowned. "What's this?"
The steward bowed again. "It's the maintenance bill for the upper stream spiritual plants and spring source that were damaged during your recent sword comprehension."
Jian Dan squinted at the document, then forced a smile. "Surely you've got the wrong person?"
"I wouldn't dare. If you're uncertain, the Discipline Hall can call upon the Water Mirror to confirm."
"Ahem! Maybe I was a little drunk that day. Just a minor mistake."
"Since this was your first offense, the Discipline Hall decided to offset the fee using your reward for capturing the black beetle larva during the Zixiao Sect incident. Please be more careful next time."
He handed her a black storage pouch, gave a crisp bow, and left.
Jian Dan gritted her teeth. That Jian Chun Sect Leader really was stingy. One sentence and her entire reward was gone. Next time, she'd make sure to claim it before they could deduct it.
Inside the black storage pouch was her new identity token. Everything was in place.
The next day, Jian Dan and the newly returned Yue Liang boarded the Purple Sky Sect's flying vessel together.
Lu Xuanyuan had been working hard over the past few days to win Yue Liang's approval. His efforts had paid off. She didn't detest him nearly as much as before and would occasionally practice spells with him. Under Jian Dan's pressure, he had even advanced to the late stage of Qi Refining , sixth level.
Xiao Die Zhēnrén was more than pleased.
After three days of flight, they exited the Heavenly Sword Sect's territory and officially entered the Purple Sky Sect's domain. Xiao Die Zhēnrén let out a breath of relief. The mission was complete, and the added bonus of Lu Xuanyuan's progress would surely earn him further praise from the Sect Leader.
Just as the flying vessel passed over a lake, two thick tentacles burst from the water and wrapped around the vessel's hull, dragging it downward.
===
[Notes]
At first glance, the names "Jian Dan" (简单) and "Shan Yunzu" (单云竹) seem to share a common root—the character 单. And yet, they are pronounced differently. In "Jian Dan", it is read as dān, while in "Shan Yunzu", it becomes Shàn.
The character 单 is a polyphonic character—a single written form that holds multiple possible readings. Its pronunciation changes depending on context, much like how a cultivator's path can shift based on karma or opportunity.
—When 单 appears as part of the common word 简单 (Jian Dan), meaning "simple" or "plain," it takes the pronunciation dān. This is its modern standard reading in compound words.
—But when 单 is used as a surname, it often carries the pronunciation Shàn. In ancient records and many family lineages, this is how it was passed down through generations.
So in the name 单云竹, or Shan Yunzu, the character follows its surname reading, honoring its ancestral pronunciation. Meanwhile, in 简单, the same character shifts roles—no longer a family name, but part of a descriptive term meaning "simple," "uncomplicated," or "direct."
This is why 简单 can be translated as Simple. It is a common modern term composed of:
~ 简 (jiǎn) meaning "brief" or "concise"
~ 单 (dān) meaning "single" or "plain"
Together, they express the concept of simplicity—not in the sense of lacking depth, but in the clarity and directness of form. Much like the cultivation path some strive for—not flamboyant, not convoluted, but clean and resolute.