Jian Dan listened to Jian Wu's report and nodded, indicating she understood. But when she noticed something unusual in Jian Wu's expression, she finally asked,
"Jian Wu, is there something wrong?"
Jian Wu nodded, then shook his head, before finally saying,
"I'm not sure either. Why don't we wait and ask Jian Xu Zūnshàng later?"
"You're keeping me guessing now. Fine, I'll ask Senior Brother Jian Xu myself when the time comes."
Two hours later, Jian Xu appeared in the main hall of the Law Enforcement Hall. Jian Dan smiled and said,
"Thank you for making the trip, Senior Brother. Has everything been handled properly?"
Jian Xu didn't stand on ceremony. After sitting down, he replied,
"The matter of the ore vein is basically settled. But there was a small incident along the way."
Qi Hua, who was standing to the side pouring tea for Jian Xu Zūnshàng, also placed a plate of pastries before him. When she heard his words, she immediately pricked up her ears.
"I don't even know how to begin explaining. Better to wait until Jian Feng arrives, then you can ask him yourself."
"He just finished his Divine Soul Tribulation. Why isn't he consolidating his cultivation?"
"This matter is a little troublesome. It involves Heavenly Demon Palace's Mo Su."
When Jian Dan heard that name, her eyelid twitched for some reason. She waved to Qi Hua and said,
"Qi Hua, step out for now. When Jian Feng arrives, send him in directly."
"Yes, Zūnshàng."
After Qi Hua left, Jian Xu flicked his sleeve, sending Bai Bai over to Jian Dan.
Bai Bai was still a little dizzy. But upon seeing his patron Zūnshàng, he immediately scrambled up onto the desk in front of her, chittering loudly while gesturing with his paws.
The sight made Jian Dan chuckle. The little fellow was lively as ever, and the gold tint in his fur had already begun to fade, proof that he had been steadily absorbing and refining energy. Soon, he would be back to his pure white self.
By now, Jian Feng had tidied himself up. Instead of immediately returning to stabilize his cultivation, he followed Jian Xu Zūnshàng's instructions and made his way to the Law Enforcement Hall.
Outside the hall, Qi Hua caught sight of Jian Feng's flowing silver hair and froze for a moment. She only came back to her senses once he reached her, quickly inviting him into the hall.
Jian Dan, who had been watching Bai Bai's animated gestures, looked up when she sensed Jian Feng's Divine Soul pressure filling the hall. Seeing him with a full head of silver hair, she paused, narrowed her eyes, and shattered the desk in front of her with a single palm strike.
"Who did this? Was it Mo Su?"
The instant Bai Bai sensed her shift in mood, he darted back into Jian Xu Zūnshàng's sleeve, poking his head out cautiously to observe.
Qi Hua was startled as well. Since following Jian Lu Zūnshàng, this was the first time she had seen her so furious.
"Junior Sister, don't lose your temper just yet. Let Jian Feng explain what happened," Jian Xu said to calm her, then waved at Qi Hua.
"You can leave. If Zūnshàng needs you, she'll summon you."
"Yes."
Qi Hua responded quickly and left the main hall.
Jian Feng remained composed. He knew Zūnshàng's anger was for his sake, so he recounted the events in detail.
Jian Dan waved her hand to store away the shattered desk and brought out a new blood-jade desk in its place. She looked at Jian Feng and asked,
"What do you want to do about this?"
Jian Feng frowned, his sharply defined features flickering with thought before he finally said in a low voice,
"I don't know. My heart is devoted to the sword. I've never considered finding a Dao partner, and because of my Pure Yang Constitution, I rarely get close to female cultivators. But Mo Su is a male cultivator."
"I see. Go consolidate your cultivation first. We'll discuss this again when you leave seclusion."
"Yes. Thank you for your concern, Zūnshàng."
Jian Feng bowed to both Jian Dan and Jian Xu before leaving.
As she watched his departing back, a flash of familiarity struck Jian Dan's mind like a falling star. She suddenly stood up and murmured,
"So that's how it is… so that's how it is."
Seeing her expression, Jian Xu asked,
"Junior Sister, did you discover something?"
Turning back with a smile, Jian Dan said,
"I think I've figured out something about Jian Feng's situation."
"Good."
Jian Xu sipped his spirit tea before continuing,
"I've assigned squads from the Tracking Hall and War Hall to guard the spirit stone vein. You should arrange for someone to take over quickly. It's best to start mining soon. Don't let it drag on."
"Understood. Thank you, Senior Brother. This matter has gone fairly smoothly. Tomorrow, I'll have someone set up an array around the vein first. As for the actual mining, I'll leave that to the Sect Master. I've already brought half of a top-grade vein into the sect, so it's time for Sect Master Jian Chun to put in some effort."
"Alright. I won't be going into seclusion anytime soon, so just send me a message if anything comes up."
"Thank you, Senior Brother. You're the reliable one. I just wonder when Senior Brother Jian Li will emerge from seclusion."
"Don't think about him. He'll need some time, especially after crossing two minor realms."
"I know. I'm just saying it to make his ears burn, so he'll hurry up and come out."
After seeing Jian Xu off, Jian Dan returned to the hall and set Bai Bai on the desk again, asking him to recount the events once more.
Noticing her caution, Bai Bai carefully went through it all. His account matched Jian Feng's almost perfectly, except for what happened after Jian Feng returned to Mo Su's side and activated the defensive array—Bai Bai hadn't seen that part.
"You little rascal, you're sharp enough. Don't tell Zong Fan about this. He doesn't need to know. Just tell him you completed your mission perfectly."
Bai Bai nodded obediently. Jian Dan took a Yan Fruit from her storage bracelet and handed it to him.
"This is your reward. Eat it, and your fur will look even more beautiful."
Hugging the fruit—half the size of his own body—Bai Bai slipped into Jian Dan's sleeve to eat.
Jian Dan's thoughts, however, drifted far away. No wonder she had felt a strange sense of familiarity ever since meeting Cao Chenfeng. Even after becoming Mo Yue, she had teased him several times. Though mostly in jest, it had been a form of cover. Now, she realized she had met him in her past life.
Especially today, seeing his silver-haired back perfectly overlap with the image in her memory.
In her previous life, a Void Refinement Zūnzhǔ had exhausted his cultivation to play Funeral for the Soul, forcing open the Gate of Reincarnation to send his Unity Realm beloved inside. He had then dissipated his own cultivation and followed his lover into reincarnation.
That Void Refinement Zūnzhǔ had been Jian Feng. Funeral for the Soul was the piece he had played. She herself had learned it from him.
But in this life, the first time she played the piece, Jian Feng had been right there. If their path repeated the same as before, then she would be the one to teach him Funeral for the Soul.
Jian Dan didn't want them to repeat the past. Mo Su, as the disciple of Mo Lie Palace Master, was the future master of the Heavenly Demon Palace. Jian Feng was destined to become a sword cultivator of great power. Neither sect would want to lose someone like them.
Right now, neither man had made his stance clear, and she didn't intend to interfere. All she could do was put some safeguards in place, to avoid the fatal knot from her previous life.
On this, Jian Dan had confidence. If Du Yanran could be kept under her heel, then many things in this life had already veered from the old path. She believed the two men could reach a different ending as well.
Meanwhile, Du Yanran, still evading relentless pursuit from Tianya Haijiao, was hiding in Tianyue City. She dared not go to small towns, where tracking would be easy. Larger cities, with their constant flow of people, made for better cover.
She used a high-grade spiritual herb from the magnolia pendant to rent a cave residence for a year, preparing to break through to the Divine Transformation stage.