Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 459 445: Seeing Ji Xichan Again

Fan Xuan watched as Pei Yuhang pushed open the door and walked out into the dark, snowy night.

Before the door closed completely, a cold wind carrying fine snowflakes gusted into the room, rustling the hair at her temples.

She narrowed her beautiful eyes, a murky, unreadable light flashing within them. Then, she lowered her head and spoke to the shadow at her feet.

"Hmph. Fan Xuan, it seems Xiaohan doesn't trust you either. I can see he has no passion for you at all. In fact, he's even a little wary."

The shadow beneath her wavered uneasily, its edges rippling slightly. It seemed to shrink back like a small, wronged animal.

"My apologies, Holy Daughter. This subordinate is useless for failing to gain Pei Yuhang's trust."

Hearing Fan Xuan's self-reproach from within the shadow, Shang Miaoyan let out a soft laugh.

She leaned back lazily in her chair, her long fingers tracing her crimson lips. The corners of her eyes tilted up, revealing an arrogance that showed she was certain of victory. "Well, no matter. What kind of man is Xiaohan?"

"With just your looks and intelligence, even with the bit of favor you have from the past, it's impossible for you to conquer him.

He's a man that even I can't do anything about. How could you possibly capture him after just one month together?"

Shang Miaoyan belittled Fan Xuan in a slow, deliberate manner, her tongue lightly licking the corner of her mouth. "So, next, I'll let you see just how I flirt with men~"

Within the shadow, Fan Xuan's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

As a loyal guard, she had every reason to believe that the Holy Daughter's talent in any field was astonishing.

But on the sole matter of conquering Pei Yuhang, Fan Xuan felt utterly unconvinced when she heard Shang Miaoyan claim to be far superior to her.

She didn't dare say it aloud, but she complained inwardly:

'Holy Daughter, you've been trying to seduce him for decades. If you had even a little bit of success, you wouldn't be a complete failure...'

...

...

Meanwhile, Pei Yuhang returned to his room with a heavy heart. He picked up his brush and began to write down the key information "Fan Xuan" had just mentioned.

In his mind, Shang Miaoyan had always been a forceful and domineering woman. If he hadn't listened to Fan Xuan, he never would have imagined that "wicked woman" wasn't having everything her way in the Yin Yang Sacred Land, but was actually facing great difficulties.

'So... I knew so little about her.'

A flicker in his eyes, Pei Yuhang resolved to have the Dao Sect provide support to Shang Miaoyan.

This had nothing to do with the grudges between him and that woman. Pei Yuhang simply didn't want the Yin Yang Sacred Land to fall back to the Demon Forces, which would cause countless people to be displaced, their families torn apart, and their lives lost in the future.

"Ah Han, it's so late. Aren't you going to rest?"

Ye Liyuan gracefully approached from behind and placed a platter of carefully peeled fruit in front of him.

As she spoke, she used a silver pick to spear a piece of juicy fruit and offered it to Pei Yuhang's lips.

Pei Yuhang opened his mouth and took it. The sweet, refreshing taste of the fruit melted on his tongue.

His Dao Companion's tenderness smoothed the slight frown on his brow. He said gently to Liyuan:

"Liyuan, I have to go out again in a little while to deliver this letter to the Great Elder. You should rest first."

Hearing this, Ye Liyuan sighed softly.

"Ah Han, Nascent Soul isn't enough... If I could also reach the Void Refining Realm, I could help you shoulder more of your burdens."

Pei Yuhang gave her a gentle smile and took her small hand. "Liyuan, don't put so much pressure on yourself. Just let things happen naturally."

Ye Liyuan nodded as if she had taken his advice, but as her husband, Pei Yuhang knew that the resilient Fairy Ye would surely push herself even harder in her future cultivation.

'It's not a bad thing for Liyuan to be motivated... The matter of the Chosen One and the resurrection of the Dragon Corpse always makes me feel like a great calamity is on the horizon.'

If his Dao Companion could become stronger before then, he would also feel more at ease.

...

...

After writing the letter, Pei Yuhang traveled through the night and personally delivered it to Elder Xiao at the Ancestral God Pavilion.

After receiving the letter, Elder Xiao didn't seem surprised by its contents. This made Pei Yuhang breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed the Dao Sect's cooperation with Shang Miaoyan ran deeper than he had imagined.

Perhaps the Dao Sect had long since established a network within the Yin Yang Sacred Land for Shang Miaoyan to use. She was too young and her foundation was weak, so she needed the Dao Sect's power. Likewise, the Dao Sect needed her to manage the situation in the Yin Yang Sacred Land.

Previously, whenever Shang Miaoyan came to the Dao Sect, she had always sought him out to indulge in debauchery, lavishing her passions on him.

This had led Pei Yuhang to believe she was a dissolute and unrestrained person. He hadn't expected Shang Miaoyan to possess strategic talent.

Afterward, Elder Xiao spoke with Pei Yuhang about the details of the attack by the Chosen Organization. By the time they finished, it was already dawn.

Pei Yuhang finally emerged leisurely from the Ancestral God Pavilion.

But he didn't expect that as soon as he stepped out, a cold and aloof figure would enter his sight—

Ji Xichan.

The young woman he hadn't seen in a long time—the one he had persuaded to leave after they returned to the Dao Sect from hunting the Mirage Dragon—was now standing in mid-air. Her ink-black hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall, loosely tied up with a single, simple white jade hairpin.

As the morning breeze swept by, her black gauze dress rippled like flowing water. At the hem, several barely visible winter plums embroidered with silver thread floated gently with the rhythm of her breathing.

Pei Yuhang's gaze shifted, and he stared at Ji Xichan's figure. She was cultivating as serenely as a black lotus under the Ancestral God Pavilion's Suppression.

He hadn't expected that Ji Xichan would actually use the terrifying Suppression the Ancestral God Pavilion exerted on Cultivators to circulate her Spiritual Qi, tempering her body and engaging in arduous training.

It seemed that after they had parted ways, not only had Ji Xichan not fallen into despair, but she had instead trained herself even more diligently, reaching a new level of mastery.

'Previously, Yueqiu could still suppress her right after breaking through to Divinity Transformation, but that might not be the case anymore...'

Pei Yuhang observed for a moment and decided he needed to go back and properly spur Yueqiu on.

Ever since he had accepted that girl, she had actually grown lax in her cultivation.

'Hopefully, when she learns of Ji Xichan's efforts, she'll return to her former diligence.'

Just as Pei Yuhang was about to leave quietly, the young woman circulating her Spiritual Qi with her eyes closed slowly opened them.

"Sword Immortal Pei, it's been a long time... Are you planning to leave the moment we meet?"

As her clear, cold voice pierced the morning mist, Pei Yuhang turned around.

"I just didn't want to disturb Miss Ji's cultivation."

Since she had called out to him, Pei Yuhang had no choice but to turn back gracefully and look at the arrogant and willful young woman with whom he once had a deep entanglement.

However, he couldn't call her "arrogant and willful" anymore.

Pei Yuhang could see that Ji Xichan had truly "settled" a great deal. Her temperament was no longer as impulsive as before.

"Back then, I said I hoped that after leaving me, you would find your own path. It seems you've already done so.

Perhaps you aren't far from Void Refining."

Ji Xichan looked at the White-clothed Sword Immortal before her, a man she once yearned for but could not have. A thousand thoughts flashed through her eyes, but she suppressed them all and spoke faintly:

"I'm still far from it."