"Hey, say what you want, but that was... something. The guy's got moves, I'll give him that!"
"Yeah? Try doing that to someone your own size instead of a child. Pathetic!"
"Ew, you're disgusting. Hahaha—"
Many were making crude jokes, while others questioned what was really going on behind the scenes.
"Who's the one that recorded the footage in the first place?"
"Could someone have set Liu Yao up? I think he was framed."
"The culprit might be the one who filmed everything!"
"Who cares who filmed it? The point is, Liu Yao did it. And what if it's just his... particular taste?"
"Fair point. What matters now is how Wangshan Sect and Liu Yao respond."
"Pfft—he probably doesn't even have the guts to show his face right now!"
…
While the rumors and commentary spread like wildfire, the Wangshan Sect had not stopped searching for Liu Yao.
The sect master had rushed to contact the Divine Transformation Ancestor, but the elder was currently in secluded cultivation. Though he'd already sent a transmission talisman, there was no telling when it would be read.
For now, everything was at a standstill. The only path forward was to find Liu Yao and get to the bottom of this. He issued another order: all sect disciples were to drop everything and prioritize locating Liu Yao. He even offered a generous reward.
Once the reward was announced, even disciples who had stayed behind at the sect couldn't resist. They all rushed out to join the search. While the sect was in an uproar, Liu Yiyi was on the verge of breaking down. Currently hiding her identity, she trembled in the shadows of a wall.
After using the Thousand-Mile Teleportation Talisman to escape, she hadn't dared to pause for even a moment, flying straight toward the city where her brother had last been seen. Along the way, she'd overheard many heated discussions but didn't think much of it—until she arrived at the city and saw a projection displayed high in the sky.
The footage froze her in place.
That familiar face on the image made her neck stiffen as nausea surged from her gut. She turned and vomited uncontrollably.
Even though the projection had already ended, her thoughts were in complete disarray. Listening to the mocking, doubting, and disgusted voices around her, she felt as though the sky itself was collapsing. Compared to that horrifying scene, her humiliation before Song Wanníng felt utterly insignificant.
"How could this happen?"
Her fingers, gripping the stone wall, pierced into the surface, leaving them bloody—yet she didn't even notice. How she wished this was all just a nightmare.
"So... Senior Sister Wu wasn't trying to catch me because of Song Wanníng, but because of this?"
Liu Yiyi finally understood. Her face turned even paler.
Did that mean she'd wasted her Thousand-Mile Teleportation Talisman?
"Ugh—"
She couldn't take it anymore and coughed up a mouthful of blood from sheer rage and stress. Disaster after disaster. And now this? If not handled properly, her brother's future would be completely destroyed.
"Brother... where are you??"
For the first time, Liu Yiyi truly wanted to cry. She recalled the bitter days before cultivation, when she and her brother begged for scraps just to survive. After everything they had gained through cultivation, she could not afford to lose it now.
Meanwhile, Liu Yao—who was being cursed by name across the realm—was barely staying alive while dodging a beast. Wounded and without pills, his injuries refused to heal. To make it worse, he'd crossed paths with a third-rank spirit beast that had been chasing him relentlessly.
The beast pelt skirt he'd just managed to craft was now torn to shreds, barely hanging from his waist. After narrowly escaping, Liu Yao ducked into a cave, hissing in pain while tending to his torn wounds. He had to leave this place soon. Any longer and he might lose his arm for good.
"That wretched woman... she actually stole my storage ring!"
Bloodshot eyes glared out from his bruised face. With his soul injured and spiritual tools lost, Liu Yao now looked more like a ragged wildman than a Nascent Soul cultivator.
"At least I haven't run into anyone I know... or my reputation would be utterly ruined."
He quickly bandaged the wound and limped toward the city. Right now, he needed to contact Liu Yiyi. If he could find her, everything could still be salvaged.
As for that bitch Song Wanníng...
They would settle the score one day.
Even if she had damning footage, it wouldn't be enough to threaten him!
Naively, he still thought Song Wanníng had recorded the video to blackmail him, completely unaware that the memory stone had already been shared with the entire cultivation world.
"Song Daoyou, what brings you to the Artifact and Talisman Sect?"
Feng Lanxi rested her cheek on her hand, gazing at the woman before her with a faint trace of envy. They were both grandmasters of the Four Arts, yet while she remained stuck at early Nascent Soul, Song Wanníng had already reached its peak.
Some people were just built different. It was enough to drive others mad.
"I'm here to acquire some materials. I hope I'm not imposing, Feng Daoyou."
Song Wanníng smiled and handed over a list of items she needed.
Feng Lanxi was a renowned artifact master, born with extraordinary talent. Like Song Wanníng, she had stepped into the Nascent Soul realm at a young age.
However, her cultivation had stagnated ever since. With no clear explanation, most assumed it was because she spent all her time refining artifacts instead of cultivating.
In her previous life, Song Wanníng and Feng Lanxi hadn't interacted much. They weren't enemies or friends, just acquaintances.
If even Feng Lanxi didn't have the items, she'd have to start searching elsewhere.
Feng Lanxi read over the list and frowned slightly.
"I have everything listed here... except for this 'Western Wind Sand'."
Western Wind Sand was a rare material used to enhance durability in crafted artifacts. It could even replicate certain spiritual attributes, making it quite valuable.
She had used up her own supply long ago.
"It's hard to come by. I'll ask around the sect. If no one has any left, you'll need to search elsewhere."
With that, she tucked the list away and left. Song Wanníng didn't get up to see her off and instead sipped her tea calmly in the inn.
Outside the window, the streets bustled with activity and noise.
Inside, chatter filled the inn as everyone discussed the scandal.
"Did you hear? That Liu Yao guy turned out to be a total freak. He targets little kids!"
"What? Wasn't he framed?"
"No way. Word is, he recorded it for his own sick pleasure! Someone picked up the memory stone later, but they didn't dare come forward. So they got help from Hundred Ghost Sect to spread the truth!"
"Is that for real?"
"Totally. Apparently, even Hundred Ghost Sect was so disgusted they didn't even charge for the service!"
"Now that's what I call righteous!"
"Yeah, Hundred Ghost Sect really did a good deed this time!"
Everyone nodded along.
Listening to all this, Song Wanníng's lips twitched.
"Hundred Ghost Sect sure knew how to polish their own image."