Jian Dan could clearly sense that after hearing her words, Mo Su tensed for a moment, then relaxed, bowing in salute.
"Jian Lu Zūnshàng, how would you like me to act?"
"It's not about what I want. It's about what you plan to do."
Mo Su glanced at the Palace Master Mo Lie seated at the head of the hall, then turned back to Jian Dan.
"My constitution complements Jian Feng's. It would be greatly beneficial for our cultivation."
Jian Dan waved a hand, cutting him off.
"Have you considered whether Jian Feng is willing to cultivate with you? He is a cultivator highly valued by my Law Enforcement Hall, someone I am grooming as my successor."
What she said was not entirely true, but in negotiations, one must elevate their bargaining chips.
"Jian Lu Zūnshàng, you must understand—last time, deep beneath Chonglin Mountain, Jian Feng Daoyou saved me when I suffered backlash from extreme yin cold. He channeled his own pure yang into my meridians. But because my cultivation was higher than his, the yin cold was far beyond what he could endure, leading to severe depletion on his part."
Mo Su paused before continuing.
"I intend to pass some of my cultivation to him to help him reach Divine Soul. Once his cultivation stabilizes, I plan to visit Flame Mountain to find a rare flame to help Jian Feng recover his losses quickly."
Jian Dan nodded inwardly. At least Mo Su had a sense of responsibility—willing to lower his own cultivation to aid Jian Feng. But outwardly, her tone remained cool.
"Jian Feng has no interest in your cultivation. As a sword cultivator, he has his own pride. He'll regain his strength on his own."
"Yes. I spoke out of turn."
"A month from now, my Heavenly Sword Sect will hold the ceremony for our new Sect Master. You will attend. You can see Jian Feng then."
"Yes, Jian Lu Zūnshàng."
"I had half a mind to give you a beating. But since my cultivation is higher than yours, people would say I was bullying the weak. So I'll have my subordinates spar with you instead. Think of it as helping you consolidate your realm."
The first half of Jian Dan's words made the Mo Lie Palace Master relax. The second half made his lips twitch.
"Jian Lu Daoyou has already decided. Mo Su, you just go along with it," Mo Zhang Zūnshàng said casually from the side.
What could Mo Su say? The words had been spoken plainly—he could only nod in acceptance.
Jian Dan turned to Wei Zhengrong behind her.
"Bring in the Heavenly Sword squad captain."
"Yes."
The squad captain of a Heavenly Sword Sect team entered the hall, saluted the gathered leaders, then came to stand before Jian Dan.
"Hall Master!"
"It's fortunate we came today. Mo Su has just left seclusion. I can sense a hint of restlessness in his aura. Since we have time, have your team learn a few tricks from the Demon Sect. Spar with Mo Su Daoyou for a bit."
The captain's eyes lit up. This was a rare opportunity. He immediately bowed.
"Yes, Hall Master. We will see to it that Mo Su Daoyou's realm is stabilized swiftly."
Everyone present had the same thought: Jian Lu Zūnshàng's ability to speak blatant nonsense with a straight face had reached perfection. Clearly, she had forcibly dragged Mo Su out of seclusion.
After Mo Su and the squad captain exchanged greetings, they headed for the Heavenly Demon main peak's dueling grounds.
Before the captain left the hall, Jian Dan sent a private voice transmission.
"Don't waste time. Have four below Void Refinement challenge Mo Su together. Then the remaining four fight him one-on-one. You stay out of it. Tell them to stop short of injury."
"Yes."
The captain didn't even turn his head as he acknowledged her orders.
The main purpose of Jian Dan's visit to the Heavenly Demon Palace was now essentially achieved. She planned to linger for two days, then set out for the beast clan's territory.
Mo Zhang spoke up with an invitation.
"Jian Lu Daoyou, if you're not in a hurry, stay a few days longer. There are some matters I'd like to consult you on."
"Oh? What matters?"
"You've just arrived. Rest for a day. Tomorrow, I'll have someone invite you to the Black Robe Guard quarters."
Jian Dan nodded without comment and, led by a palace guard, went to the guest hall on the main peak.
Once Jian Dan and her group had left, the Mo Lie Palace Master finally said,
"Good thing Jian Feng helped Mo Su of his own accord. Otherwise, they'd likely be crossing swords by now."
"Heh. She's clearly here to stir trouble. That squad of hers has the strength of a large cultivation clan. And those nine clearly fight often—the killing intent is heavy on them, though well concealed. I suspect they're the Heavenly Sword Sect Law Enforcement Hall's combat squad."
"And compared to your Black Robe Guards?"
"About the same. You'll see for yourself soon enough—just ask Mo Su later."
Mo Zhang cast him a sidelong glance, leaving the Palace Master awkwardly scratching his nose. Then he conjured a water mirror before them to watch his disciple's match.
At the same time, high-ranking cultivators across the Heavenly Demon Palace received the news and turned their attention toward the dueling grounds.
Jian Dan, meanwhile, entered the guest hall with Liu Li and Zheng Rong. The palace guard bowed respectfully.
"Zūnshàng, please rest here. If you need anything, simply instruct the guards outside."
Jian Dan nodded, dismissing the guard. Without a care for appearances, she lounged on a side chamber couch. Jin Liuli brought out the tea set Jian Dan normally used, brewed a pot of spirit tea, and placed a tray of high-grade spirit fruit and pastries before quietly taking her place at the side.
Wei Zhengrong, unable to sit still, wanted to watch the match, but Jin Liuli stopped him with a single look.
"Zheng Rong, before Jian Sheng went into seclusion, he should have told you to gather all records of the past hundred years concerning Cloud Sea Sect. Do you have them ready?"
At her question, Wei Zhengrong immediately dropped his thoughts of watching the fight. He retrieved a jade slip from his storage ring.
"Zūnshàng, the information is too vast. Before going into seclusion, Senior Brother Jian Sheng only sorted a third of it. I'm still organizing the rest. This portion is ready for your review."
Jian Dan took the jade slip and swept it with her divine sense. There were indeed over ten thousand entries—covering Cloud Sea Sect's developments and incidents over the last century—but very few were connected to Hai Yan.
She handed it back casually, sipped her tea, and said,
"Zheng Rong, this doesn't contain the information I need."
"Is the Intelligence Hall's collection incomplete? Please give me some time, Zūnshàng. I'll recompile the reports."
Wei Zhengrong's reply was earnest. Before Jian Sheng's seclusion, he had stressed repeatedly that the Intelligence Hall was the sect's eyes, ears, and voice—the foundation of every decision made by the Hall Master and Sect Master. Accuracy was paramount, for even a single false report could mislead the leadership.
Jian Dan waved a hand dismissively.
"I'm not blaming you. I know the Intelligence Hall's abilities. What I mean is—change your focus. Gather rumors, hearsay, and even the reports Cloud Sea Sect has officially denied."
Wei Zhengrong's eyes lit with sudden understanding.
"Those were filtered out in the first review because they couldn't be verified. We feared they might affect your judgment, so they weren't included."
Jian Dan nodded knowingly. Institutions as rigorous as the Law Enforcement Hall would never send her unverified reports.
"Unverified doesn't mean false. Every rumor contains some truth. The question is how you extract the real part."
===
Because my babies have been clamoring for me to pick up another yuri novel, I decided to do it right now (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡ Since I already finished translating "The Invincible Money-Grubbing Fairy," that freed up one slot. This new project will be a modern setting yuri, and just like "My Cold-Hearted Boss Wants to Marry Me," it's another short novel.
That said, I should be honest with you: yuri isn't my main focus. I'll still translate yuri, but the frequency won't be that high. If you'd like me to add more yuri projects, I'll definitely consider it—but only if the requests reach my "minimum slot." How many requests do I need? That's a secret of course (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
On another note, I'm also starting a new apocalypse-themed project, since "Mom's Apocalypse Survival Log" is almost fully translated. The difference this time is that the new novel is one of my personal favorites. I've literally reread it 5–6 times already, and it has over 1000 chapters serialized!
Both of these newly picked projects are still going through the book vetting process. I'll update you all once they're approved and available on my profile. Please look forward to it~ (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ