"Senior Sister, why are you just arriving now? I was about to send you a message. Did something delay you?"
Jian Dan stood up with a smile, greeting Jian Yu in a light and teasing tone. Jian Yu's face was stern. She had planned to scold her, but seeing Jian Wu awkwardly standing by like a wallflower, she could only redirect her frustration.
"Shimei, how could you be so reckless? You dared to walk through Heifeng Ravine. Not to criticize, but while you and I might not fear it with our cultivation, you were leading over a hundred disciples. You need to think about their safety too."
"Yes yes, Senior Sister is right. I acted without enough thought. But the disciples of Heavenly Sword Sect aren't delicate greenhouse flowers. They can handle a bit of wind and rain."
Jian Yu felt like her fist had landed in cotton—completely ineffective. She sighed inwardly. No wonder Jian Wan had suffered at Jian Dan's hands.
"Senior Sister, please sit. I may have been rash this time, but I really did stumble upon something significant. You should hear what Jian Wu has to say first."
Though still suspicious, Jian Yu took a seat. The presence of someone from the Discipline Hall meant something serious had likely occurred.
She silently considered her options. If this turned out to be something good, she might gain some credit. If it turned bad, well, Jian Lu had already distanced himself from her—this could serve as an excuse to avoid responsibility. So she stayed silent and waited.
Jian Dan sipped her fruit tea, casting a glance at Jian Yu from the corner of her eye. A flicker of disdain passed through her gaze. "Such a pity," she thought. "Despite all that cultivation, Jian Yu still clung to self-preservation. Who had the idea to entrust this mission to someone like her?"
Jian Wu began his formal report to both Zhūnzhǔ.
From the moment Jian Yu picked up her teacup, she didn't put it down again. As she listened to the events at Heifeng Ravine and the matter of the evil cultivators in Tianyue City, she quietly let out a breath of relief. Thank heavens she hadn't been there.
"Senior Sister, you weren't around at the time, and I felt uneasy, so I made the decision myself. I hope you won't blame me. Next time, I'll follow your lead."
Jian Dan still wore her usual pleasant smile, subtly pushing Jian Yu into the lead role. The message was clear: she had taken charge only because Jian Yu was absent. Next time, the responsibility would be hers.
"I believe Senior Sister would surely handle it more prudently than I could."
Jian Yu finally put her cup down and replied with a half-hearted nod.
"This time, you handled it fairly well. Luck was on your side. But don't be so impulsive next time."
She wore the expression of a senior giving heartfelt advice, as though praising Jian Dan. But she never once acknowledged her own absence or any responsibility. Even Jian Wu, off to the side, couldn't help but curl his lips in disdain.
Jian Yu noticed Jian Dan only smiled at her without replying, lifting her cup once more.
Seated on the table, Yue Liang followed suit and raised an empty teacup.
The message from woman and beast couldn't have been clearer: Tea's served, time to leave.
Not wanting to embarrass herself further, Jian Yu stood, nodded to them both, and walked off into her own side of the cave residence.
Jian Dan casually brushed her fingers over the pendant at her chest. A tiny silver-armored insect shot off silently in Jian Yu's direction, unnoticed by Jian Wu.
Once Jian Yu was out of the way, Jian Dan turned directly to Jian Wu.
"Come, try this new fruit tea I made. It's quite good. You saved me a lot of trouble just now by explaining everything to Senior Sister."
"Thank you, Zhūnzhǔ."
Only then did Jian Wu take a seat across from her.
"The scenery here at Cloud Sea Sect really is something. Clouds curling around the mountains, an ethereal aura everywhere, and such clear seawater. Look at that main peak..."
Inside her own residence, Jian Yu hadn't activated the barrier. She was eavesdropping, ears perked for anything the two might reveal.
To her dismay, Jian Dan had dragged Jian Wu into admiring the scenery, even comparing it with that of the Heavenly Sword Sect. She knew right away—nothing useful was coming out of their mouths now.
Frustrated, Jian Yu activated her barrier, and the tiny silver insect, now like a speck of dust, drifted inside with it and fell still on the floor.
Watching the barrier descend on the other side of the mountain, Jian Dan cast a sound-isolation ward before finally asking:
"Did Jian Po get anything out of them?"
Jian Wu sipped his tea before replying.
"He did. These people may not be hosts for the black-armored insects, but they're still puppets of the insect clan."
"Some are willing to die fighting. Others care only about self-preservation, or worse, profit. It's not unusual."
"They made a deal with the insect clan. The insects provide cultivation resources, and they, in turn, help shield the insects from the cultivator world's purging."
"A bunch of fools. When the entire Lingyun Continent falls, they'll just become food in the insect clan's mouth."
"Zhūnzhǔ sees clearly. These people gave in too easily, blinded by short-term gain. Worse still, the Jia family of Lingyun City is involved."
"I recall we once destroyed the Xuan Pavilion in Huan Le City. They specialized in capturing furnace vessels and using drugs to control high-level cultivators. The Jia family was responsible for transporting these captured cultivators. Didn't Jian Sheng take over the investigation afterward?"
"Yes. Jian Sheng followed the trail for a long time. The deeper he looked, the bigger the net became."
Jian Wu set his teacup down and frowned slightly as he continued.
"We later discovered involvement from the Hua family. They worked with the insect clan and the Jia family. Once the Hua family gained a foothold in Huan Le City, they began selecting cultivators. The Jia family transported them to various cities, making money and forging connections with higher-level cultivators. Meanwhile, the insect clan's puppets managed the Xuan and Xiu Pavilions, using them to control cultivators directly or indirectly."
"I killed Hua Chunshan, so that should have cut off one of their limbs."
"Zhūnzhǔ acted decisively. Killing Hua Chunshan threw the Hua family into chaos. That gave Jian Sheng the breakthrough he needed. He captured everyone in the Hua family who was involved and worked with the Demon Sect and beast clans to root out all the insect clan's strongholds across the cities."
"Seems like fate had a hand in all of this. That day I received Yu Yuanhai's distress signal. Borrowing the power of the Heavenly Demon Palace, I struck him down."
"He reported the entire event in detail to the Law Enforcement Hall after returning. He still doesn't know it was you who saved him."
"Let's keep it that way. What about the Jia family?"
"Their base is in Lingyun City. Their current backer is Fan Ji'an, who belongs to the same faction as the city lord, Peng Xilai."
"More twists and turns."
Jian Dan rubbed her forehead. She hated these kinds of messy entanglements. One pull and everything else came loose, making it difficult to handle without repercussions.
"So how did Jian Li Zhūnzhǔ decide to proceed?"
"Jian Li Zhūnzhǔ sent all the intel we gathered to Peng Wang Zhūnzhǔ, the city lord's grandfather, and let him decide what to do."
"That's very much his style."
"Peng Wang Zhūnzhǔ is no fool either. He responded that instead of wiping them all out at once and forcing them to go underground, it would be better to keep them close—under watch. That way, any sign of movement could be caught immediately."
Jian Dan tapped her fingers lightly against the table, her brows furrowing at Jian Wu's words.
"Peng Zhūnzhǔ's reasoning isn't wrong, but this method won't hold forever. Eventually, they'll catch on."
"That's our concern too. Jian Li Zhūnzhǔ already voiced his reservations to Peng Wang Zhūnzhǔ."
"Peng Wang Zhūnzhǔ said he would handle it. But this situation might present a perfect opportunity to close the net."
"Oh? How so?"
"The Jia family's stores are selling Wind-Fixing Pearls."