Stealing Immortal

Like a gust of wind.

Under the starry sky, Liu Tao flew with Chen Qingyang, landing on the Golden Summit in just a moment.

In addition to the Flying Sword, there were thirteen books—a wide variety, all about the study of Astrology. Shopkeeper Wang had given Chen Qingyang everything he could find on the subject.

"You little rascal, did you hear that Master Xuan Gui’s Magical Power is astounding, that he can divine the course of the future, and now you want to study Astrology?"

After fiddling with the Flying Sword for a bit, Liu Tao carefully hid it nearby, waiting to enter a three-day seclusion to properly perform its Sacrificial Refinement. Meanwhile, Chen Qingyang sat not far off, flipping through the books.

In that short time, Chen Qingyang had already finished two of them.

Chen Qingyang slowly closed the book in his hands and said to Liu Tao, "Senior Sister, I’m just broadening my horizons. I don’t want to be laughed at when I go to the outer peaks!"

"Hmph!" Liu Tao snorted, wrinkling her nose. "You sly old fox. I don’t believe a word you’re saying. You’re just after this Dharma Gate. If you really want to cultivate it, I can actually show you a path."

Chen Qingyang wanted to know what path Liu Tao was talking about, so he could no longer hide his intentions. "Senior Sister, why don’t you tell me what it is?"

Liu Tao flashed a grin as if her cunning plan had worked. "Haha, showing your true colors, are you? Let me tell you, almost all the disciples from Master Xuan Gui’s branch have already come over to my master. The few stubborn ones who refused to see the light have left for other places. In short, he’s the only one left. It’s clear that my master will eventually swallow his branch whole!"

’She wants me to join Master Yun Ci’s faction. But that Master isn’t skilled in Alchemy, so he probably wouldn’t value me much. Besides, I have bigger goals.’

"You’re joking, Senior Sister. I’m just curious!"

Seeing that her persuasion had failed, Liu Tao was slightly disappointed. "You’re certainly firm in your Dao Heart!"

She used to call him an old rascal, but now the word "old" had suddenly vanished—just as Liu Tao, who was once called an old crone, could now only be a young maiden.

The Sacrificial Refinement of the Flying Sword would take a full three days, and Chen Qingyang didn’t plan on coming up during that time. So, in one concerted effort, he committed all the books to memory. He wanted to avoid bumping into Leng Yueru while carrying a pile of them; that would just be asking for trouble.

The moon was bright, and a pleasant breeze stirred the air.

On the mountainside, at the top of the White Jade Steps, Leng Yueru stood with her arms crossed. Her black robes gave her a sharp, capable look.

"Senior Sister Leng!"

Leng Yueru nodded lightly. "I came specifically to remind you. Even though things have reached this point, you still need to be wary of Master Xuan Gui."

Chen Qingyang was surprised. "Senior Sister, does Master Xuan Gui even have any room to fight back at this point?"

Leng Yueru said, "According to my Master, Master Xuan Gui isn’t the type to suffer a loss quietly. But despite everything that’s happened, he has yet to show his face. He’s suspiciously calm, which makes it seem like he’s plotting something."

This made Chen Qingyang even more puzzled. "Senior Sister, has anyone seen Master Xuan Gui recently?"

Leng Yueru glanced at him. "I know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry. The Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array is watching him. The Sect sees his every move, so there’s no way he can escape!"

Her tone was resolute, and Chen Qingyang’s doubts vanished. ’Still, this Immortal Sect’s way of doing things is such a hassle. They’ve already pushed him this far, but they still have to painstakingly search for evidence. It would be easier to just execute him and be done with it.’

"So how is your evidence gathering going, Senior Sister?"

"Sigh!" Leng Yueru shook her head. "I’ve made almost no progress. I’m only now beginning to truly appreciate how cunning and calculating Master Xuan Gui is..."

After a moment, she added, "I’ve also been carefully looking for that Junior Sister Lin you mentioned. I even asked the new disciples who’ve recently joined, but no one has seen a girl matching her description. I’m afraid the situation doesn’t look good."

Even though Chen Qingyang had mentally prepared himself for this, he still felt a pang of anguish. He was reminded of his first encounter with Xu Baoling, when he’d been like a roadside weed. ’If you die, you die. Who would even care?’

"Thank you, Senior Sister. If she can’t be found, then let’s just let it be. Sigh... Everyone has their own fate!"

Leng Yueru nodded and fell silent. A gust of wind rushed past, and when Chen Qingyang looked up again, she had vanished.

’I was destined to miss out on Master Xuan Gui’s Immortal Seedling. Now I can’t even find a trace of Lin Qingxuan. Whatever happens next can just happen. It has nothing to do with me anymore.’

In the narrow alley, everything was deathly still.

As Chen Qingyang walked, he suddenly sensed something was wrong behind him. He was instantly on high alert. Turning around, he saw a figure standing among the weeping willows.

A pale green dress, a frail figure. She showed no signs of exhaustion, but no vitality either; her whole body seemed stiff, as if she had been frozen by the evening wind for a long time.

Anxious, Chen Qingyang hurried forward, but stopped a short distance from Lin Qingxuan. "Junior Sister Lin?"

Lin Qingxuan didn’t speak first, but let out a wretched laugh. It was an unsettling sound, like the sigh of someone facing an unchangeable fate, powerless to turn the tide.

"Senior... Senior Brother Chen, it’s me!" As she spoke, Lin Qingxuan seemed to regain a spark of life, a hint of the girlish air that Chen Qingyang found so familiar.

"I’ve been having people look for you. What on earth has happened to you these past few days?"

Lin Qingxuan ignored his question. "Senior Brother Chen, I’m leaving!"

"Where are you going?"

"The Tai Xu Sect isn’t for me. I’m going to a place where I belong. You don’t know the kind of suffering I endured on the Golden Summit. There is no fairness for me here..." Her expression grew dim, and she looked utterly wretched.

Chen Qingyang already knew all about Zhang Wenyuan’s reputation. For a weak girl like her, he could only imagine the suffering she must have gone through.

"Junior Sister Lin, we can figure these things out. Just come back with me first, and we can talk things through!" Chen Qingyang was genuinely afraid something bad would happen to her in this state.

Lin Qingxuan shook her head. "That’s not necessary. I’ve already made up my mind. If you really care about me, Senior Brother Chen, please let me go... I’m not alone, and I have a way to leave. Please, don’t try to stop me!"

Chen Qingyang didn’t immediately ask who she was with. Instead, he said, "Junior Sister Lin, don’t you want to see Li Sheng and the others? They’ve been missing you terribly."

Lin Qingxuan ignored his question again. "Senior Brother Chen, the people on the Golden Summit say you have a lot of secrets. Can you tell me who’s helping you? Who did you ask to find me?"

’That’s not a question someone asks when they’re about to leave.’ The question made Chen Qingyang suspicious. He used a technique from the Great Soul Scripture to subtly probe her, but he couldn’t detect anything amiss.

Chen Qingyang countered, "Junior Sister Lin, why do you ask? You haven’t even told me what you’ve been up to."

"Sigh!" Lin Qingxuan let out a long sigh. "I ran away before the Law Enforcement Hall even arrested Zhang Wenyuan. Later, I met someone in a cave on the Golden Summit. He was also a Miscellaneous Task disciple who had escaped. Neither of us could stand Zhang Wenyuan’s abuse, so we want to flee the Tai Xu Sect. Just think of us as two people depending on each other, running for our lives on the Immortal Path..."

Lin Qingxuan spoke quickly, the words tumbling out in a single breath, each sentence laced with resentment. It made Chen Qingyang feel she wasn’t the same girl he knew; at the very least, she had changed a great deal.

"...Senior Brother Chen, is Senior Sister Leng Yueru from the Law Enforcement Hall helping you in secret? I heard people say she was specifically looking for me among the Miscellaneous Task disciples?"

After a moment’s thought, Chen Qingyang gave her a firm, "Yes."

"Then... I understand..." A strange laugh escaped her. "Haha, I understand now. Good... that’s just great..."

She seemed lost in thought for a long, long time. Finally, the light in her eyes shifted again, and she seemed to return to that confused young girl he knew. This was the feeling he recognized.

She gave him a graceful bow. "Senior Brother Chen, thank you so much. If it weren’t for the Jade Pendant you left me, I would be dead for sure. I’m afraid I can’t return it to you just yet, but don’t worry. The Immortal Path is long, and we’ll meet again one day. You should go back now!"

A few tears finally fell from her eyes, which were filled with a look of utter brokenness. She turned and ran away quickly.

’Something’s wrong. She shouldn’t be like this!’

By the time Chen Qingyang realized this and moved to chase her for an explanation, Lin Qingxuan had vanished.

’Who was with her? What kind of Miscellaneous Task disciple has such powerful abilities?’

In a deserted part of the valley.

Lin Qingxuan moved with incredible speed, as if she possessed a powerful cultivation base. In just a quarter of an hour, she had already passed through the vast, towering mountains of the Tai Xu Sect.

She stopped and looked back.

She murmured, "Where are you taking me?"

The moment she spoke, her body went rigid. Her very posture seemed to shift. Though no one was there, a voice surfaced in her mind, "To find a place where we can both become immortals, of course!"

"Become an immortal... right, become an immortal. In a place like the Tai Xu Sect, what Immortal Dao is there to achieve? I should have figured this out long ago..."

These last words came from Lin Qingxuan’s mouth, her tone long and drawn-out.

Chen Qingyang stood in place for a long time. A thought suddenly appeared in his mind, startling even himself!

But...

’If what I’m thinking is true, why would Lin Qingxuan go out of her way to say goodbye to me? And risk danger to do so?’

The moment she mentioned the Warm Jade Scroll, Chen Qingyang truly felt her sincerity.

’Sigh, I wonder what Liu Tao will do when she finds out I’ve lost it!’