The Immortal Lord and the Demon Venerable Are Both My Vests - Chapter 30

Yuejiang Peak was perpetually blanketed in heavy snow.

Fine, scattered snowflakes fell from the firmament, drifting densely across the endless snowfield, yet the accumulated snow never deepened by even a layer.

Hua Feiying ran forward, lifting the hem of her skirt, leaving footprints that instantly restored themselves to smooth, pristine snowfield the moment she lifted her feet.

In the distance across the boundless snowfield, a small courtyard built of withered bamboo stood alone and desolate.

The bamboo was of the finest spiritual variety, but unfortunately had completely lost all vitality. Withered and decayed, it stood in extreme contrast to the once lush and verdant bamboo grove on Tianji Peak—like the extremes of death and life.

Inside the courtyard, long ribbons danced through the air. Li Baisu’s figure was obscured within the sky full of ribbons and the snow mist they stirred up, blurred and indistinct.

Outside the small courtyard, a massive bluestone had been carved with a smooth surface, with the two characters “Yuejiang” inscribed in bold, flowing calligraphy.

Hua Feiying waited anxiously outside the courtyard. Even though she was burning with worry, she still dared not disturb her master who was practicing martial arts.

Li Baisu’s offensive grew increasingly urgent. When the final strike fell, a huge crater was blasted into the back of the massive bluestone. Looking carefully, there were still a few fine cracks around the edges of the crater.

She irritably closed her eyes.

“What do you seek me for?” Li Baisu said coldly, her impatient mood unrestrained even when facing her own personal disciple.

Hua Feiying instinctively lowered her head in fear. Thinking of the purpose of her visit, she mustered her courage, raised her head to face Li Baisu directly, bent both knees and knelt down. “I beg Master to save Qilan!”

Li Baisu spent considerable effort finding the main point in her incoherent, chaotic narration, nearly making the cross-shaped vein on her forehead become tangible.

She had long known this disciple’s mind hadn’t been clear for many years, but she hadn’t expected it to become even more confused now? Had all of Liu Yu’s so-called treatment effects over these years been fed to the dogs?!

Before answering, she couldn’t help but slap her first.

“Useless waste! I told you to control Qingnang Peak and you couldn’t even manage that, and were even countered by Liu Yu. You still have the face to come begging this lady?!”

Hua Feiying trembled under her pressure, only pleading desperately for Li Baisu to save her daughter.

“I will try hard… I will try hard… Daozhu has been taking blood too frequently in recent years. Qilan is still a child—with such massive blood loss, she can’t withstand it!”

Hua Feiying pleaded mournfully. “Please ask Daozhu for mercy. Qilan grew up under your watch. Her constitution is weak—if this continues, she’ll lose her life soon, Master!”

Li Baisu was so infuriated by this fool that her head ached. She couldn’t help but slap her again.

“Ask for mercy, ask for mercy—you make it sound so simple! What do you take Daozhu for, and what do you take me for?”

Yuan Daozhu needed special blood to support him in successfully weathering each tribulation lightning. He was a grand Dao Integration Stage expert and the founding ancestor of the entire Taihua Immortal Sect. Facing a life-and-death crisis, how could he possibly listen to anyone’s pleas for mercy?!

She waved her hand impatiently. “Stop worrying needlessly. Hua Qilan has had her blood taken for so many years and hasn’t died. One more extraction won’t kill her.”

Li Baisu muttered to herself that Hua Feiying’s reaction was so intense, as if this were Hua Qilan’s first blood extraction. What an overreaction—her madness was getting worse and worse.

If Hua Qilan weren’t so useful, she wouldn’t want to deal with this disciple whose mind had been unclear for years.

However, Hua Feiying’s complexion only grew worse. Her deathly pale face kept changing colors, her microexpressions as dramatic as a staged play.

Thinking of her daughter’s pallid face, she finally gritted her teeth and prostrated herself completely, telling the truth.

“Master, all these years, the one whose blood Daozhu has been taking… was not Qilan.”

“What?!”

Li Baisu finally looked at her properly. “What nonsense are you spouting???”

Throughout the entire Taihua Immortal Sect, fewer than five people knew about Yuan Daozhu’s blood extraction for artifact refinement. And the number of people who knew the specific target of the blood extraction was even smaller.

Li Baisu had always thought she was one of them, yet today Hua Feiying suddenly came out with such words. Her first reaction was that Hua Feiying was speaking nonsense, but thinking carefully, she was Hua Qilan’s mother and someone privy to the blood extraction incident—no one would know better than her whether Hua Qilan’s blood had been taken.

Facing Hua Feiying’s reluctant expression, Li Baisu suddenly had an ominous premonition. That expression looked like she knew the unlucky victim, and knew them quite well.

Hua Feiying had merely suffered severe soul confusion from a major incident, making her thinking less normal than ordinary people, but her mind was still functional.

She had hidden this secret tightly back then, but was now willing to reveal this major secret to her, which meant this person had become enemy rather than friend.

“…Who is it?”

Li Baisu asked while rapidly running through a mental list.

Hua Feiying said, “Shen Muxuan.”

“Oh, it’s him—huh?”

…………

???

!!!

“Who did you say?!” Li Baisu lost her composure and grabbed Hua Feiying by the collar.

Hua Feiying: “Tianji Daojun, Shen Muxuan.”

Li Baisu drew in a sharp breath, looking at Hua Feiying as if she were looking at a madwoman.

“You actually dared to lay hands on Tianji? No—wait… the point is, such a huge matter, and you’ve been hiding it from me all these years???”

Her belated fury rose in full force.

The greatest anger naturally stemmed from the fact that Hua Feiying, whom she thought she had long controlled, had been hiding such a major deed from her!

Though Li Baisu had an explosive temper, she had a brain too. She could fight to the death with Feng Jiangcheng over power, and could even storm Sword Master Tianji’s mountain gate for a disciple.

But whenever it involved matters concerning Yuan Daozhu, she never extended her hand even an inch further. When her own interests weren’t harmed, she simply acted deaf and blind.

Both she and Feng Jiangcheng knew about Yuan Daozhu’s blood extraction for artifact refinement, but who didn’t pretend nothing was happening and obediently act as the well-behaved junior under Daozhu’s knee?

How could Hua Feiying be so bold!

Before Daozhu, she could even set aside Hua Feiying’s disobedience in secretly doing things behind her back.

Li Baisu took a deep breath. “Did you discover Shen Muxuan’s constitution yourself and report it to Daozhu? Did anyone else handle it or know about it in between?”

Hua Feiying nodded then shook her head. “I did it myself.”

Her expression was bitter. “Back then, after Qilan was taken away by Daozhu, she rapidly lost weight. As her mother, watching her was too heartbreaking. I kept trying to find a replacement. During one battle, I accidentally discovered that Shen Muxuan’s blood could achieve the same effect as Qilan’s. I was too anxious—I didn’t have time to think it through before bringing this news to Daozhu and exchanging Shen Muxuan for Qilan.”

One sentence of “didn’t have time to think” and she wanted to gloss over the sin of hiding such a major matter from her?

Li Baisu laughed in anger and raised her hand for another slap. “Since Vice Peak Master Hua has a way to find someone to replace her own daughter, then why don’t you continue? What are you coming to this lady for? This lady is merely a Tribulation stage cultivator—how would I dare to be as bold as you, brazenly negotiating conditions with a figure like Daozhu?”

Hua Feiying didn’t dodge or evade, knowing Li Baisu must be absolutely livid right now. But besides this master, she didn’t know who else she could turn to.

“In recent years, Daozhu’s demand for special blood has grown larger and larger. Shen Muxuan alone can no longer satisfy him.” Hua Feiying finished speaking and collapsed in tears: “He will definitely come for Qilan again. For the sake of her being your grand-disciple, please save Qilan!”

Li Baisu really wanted to throw a “scram” at her.

Asking her to snatch someone from a Dao Integration Stage Daozhu’s hands—why not just ask her to commit suicide on the spot!

When causing trouble, you didn’t think of me, but now that you can’t handle it yourself, you suddenly remember I’m your master?

Li Baisu smiled without mirth. “Then do you know that Shen Muxuan is one of our sect’s four Sword Masters, bearing the responsibility for the sect’s safety?”

Hua Feiying shuddered.

“So you did know.” Li Baisu sneered. “You only started worrying about Hua Qilan’s life because you knew Daozhu definitely wouldn’t easily take Sword Master Tianji’s life, right?”

After all, Sword Master Tianji’s life couldn’t be easily taken, while ordinary Spirit Transformation stage cultivators in Taihua Immortal Sect could be said to be everywhere—they weren’t short one Hua Qilan.

‘Smack—’ another vicious slap.

Li Baisu suddenly felt that this purely mortal method of venting was quite satisfying.

She rebuked angrily, “Then when you caused this disaster back then, how come you didn’t know he was Sword Master Tianji?!”

Hua Feiying remained silent.

What was there to explain? Who could know someone’s future achievements and status when they were only in their teens? Master was purely looking at her unfavorably and randomly finding excuses to vent her emotions.

Moreover… even if she had known early on that Shen Muxuan would become Sword Master Tianji in the future, she would still have done the same.

Nothing could be more important than Qilan. She was her most precious treasure.

“Fine, fine.” Li Baisu covered her face and took deep breaths, calming the violent waves in her heart.

She said, “This lady will confirm with you one last time—besides you, no one knows that you were the one who exposed Tianji’s bloodline issue, right?”

Hua Feiying hesitated, “I’m not certain whether Shen Muxuan himself has noticed. After all, from his perspective, he was taken away by Daozhu without warning. He must have guessed someone discovered and leaked the secret, but I don’t know if he’s suspected me.”

“Judging by his attitude toward Hua Qilan all these years, probably not.” Li Baisu frowned as she recalled. “At least this lady doesn’t believe that when I have the ability to kill an enemy, I would still tolerate them being an eyesore right under my nose.”

She roughly ruffled her long hair that had come loose from practicing martial arts. “Don’t worry about this matter anymore. Stay obediently at Qingnang Peak and don’t cause more trouble. This lady will find a way to handle it.”

From the bottom of her heart, Li Baisu really didn’t want to take on this mess at all. But her disciple was impossibly foolish, while her useful and obedient grand-disciple hadn’t yet matured. Even if purely for her grand-disciple’s sake, she had to try to pin this black pot on Feng Jiangcheng’s side.

How high the status of Sword Masters was in Taihua Immortal Sect could be seen from the fact that Gu Fuxuan, at the Mahayana stage, was qualified to directly clash with her at the Tribulation stage.

One Gu Fuxuan, one Shen Muxuan—both were powerhouses whose combat ability far exceeded their cultivation level. And her only Sword Master, Tu Feng, happened to be the Sect Master, a neutral faction member even more upright than Shen Muxuan.

If Gu Fuxuan was having a hard time, Li Baisu’s days were difficult too!

She had too few capable people under her command who were mentally flexible and had decent martial prowess.

She needed to cultivate Hua Qilan, but equally couldn’t give up winning over Shen Muxuan. At the very least, she needed to ensure that when conflicts arose between the two sides, Shen Muxuan maintained a relatively neutral stance!

Li Baisu seriously considered it and felt she had absolutely no irreconcilable grudges with Shen Muxuan.

She had even yielded the disciple Xu Rong with cupped hands! Though it was just surface-level work, and she still needed to secretly work to pull that boy’s stance over, what everyone saw was that she, the dignified Tribulation stage Elder Li, had chosen to back down in the conflict. This had given Shen Muxuan plenty of face!

She had already paid so much—she absolutely couldn’t let Shen Muxuan’s stance completely tilt toward Feng Jiangcheng’s side!

But she didn’t notice the unclear, dark light in Hua Feiying’s lowered eyes.