He stood outside the formation gate of Zhaoyue Cliff, his gaze sweeping over the jade token at Xu Ning’s waist.
Chen Heng was from Yuheng Peak, and his elders were sect elders; he had seen many peak tokens in his daily life. He naturally recognized this guest elder token. But he recognized the token, not the person.
Most people in the sect had only heard that Lu Hanyi had formed a dao companion with a mortal. As for that mortal’s name and appearance, few people were clear about them. Chen Heng had only heard rumors, and he had been quite indignant about it.
Until today, someone in the Pill Hall told him that while Lu Hanyi’s injuries had not healed, that mortal had been taken by Shen Zhenren to Zhaoyue Cliff. That person spoke vaguely, but the implication was clear: with Lu Hanyi not yet recovered, Xu Ning had already latched onto Shen Yuwei.
Chen Heng was displeased by this, so he took over the task of delivering medicine and came to Zhaoyue Cliff himself. He had thought that someone who was spoken of like that would be full of schemes. But when he actually met him, he found that the other was plainly dressed, slender, with clear and handsome features. That only made him more uncomfortable.
Chen Heng curled his lips, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
“I heard you left Cold Sword Peak. I didn’t expect you’d started cultivating.”
Xu Ning didn’t take the bait. He only said, “Immortal Shen isn’t at Zhaoyue Cliff right now. If the medicine is for her, you can hand it to me.”
Chen Heng raised an eyebrow. “You’re collecting medicine on behalf of Shen Zhenren?”
“Just temporarily.”
Chen Heng glanced at the guest elder token at Xu Ning’s waist, then at the formation gate between them. He naturally couldn’t force his way into a Golden Core Zhenren’s territory.
“It seems the rumors aren’t baseless.”
Xu Ning frowned.
Chen Heng said slowly, “That mortal husband of Cold Sword Peak, just divorced from True Disciple Lu, and now he’s the guest elder of Zhaoyue Cliff. Xu Ning, your path is smoother than even us sect disciples.”
Xu Ning’s expression didn’t change. “If Brother Chen is here to deliver medicine, you can leave the medicine.”
“Brother Chen?”
Chen Heng suddenly laughed. “Xu Ning, do you really think of yourself as a member of the Taiwei Immortal Sect?”
He looked Xu Ning up and down. “A mortal who is not a sect disciple—by what right do you call me ‘brother’?”
Xu Ning looked at him for a moment, then nodded. “Then, Immortal Chen.”
Chen Heng’s face darkened slightly. This guy really was impervious to reason.
“Back at Cold Sword Peak, didn’t you have no spiritual root?”
“That was then.”
“Fine. ‘That was then.’”
Chen Heng took half a step forward, then stopped outside the formation gate. Moon-white spirit patterns flowed across the ground, silently blocking him. He sneered, “A spiritual root can be absent before and present now? A guest elder token can be absent before and present now? Shen Zhenren treats you quite differently.”
Xu Ning didn’t explain. “Immortal Chen was sent to deliver medicine; I assume you didn’t come specifically to interrogate Zhaoyue Cliff’s affairs?”
Chen Heng’s eyes turned colder. He had expected Xu Ning to at least show some embarrassment. But the guy stood behind the formation gate, calm as if he couldn’t understand the mockery.
“The medicine will be left, of course.”
Chen Heng placed the medicine box on the stone platform outside the gate, then took a white talisman from his sleeve and pressed it under the box.
“But that guest elder token at your waist might not count yet.”
Xu Ning looked up.
Chen Heng finally showed a hint of a smile. “A guest elder must register their identity at the Disciplinary Hall. And they must pass an assessment.”
[New Karma Detected: Host will participate in the Taiwei Immortal Sect’s guest elder assessment.]
[Clear Condition: Complete the assessment mission and obtain the guest elder registry name.]
[Karma Reward: One Ten Thousand Swords Talisman.]
Seeing the small characters that hadn’t appeared for a long time, Xu Ning was startled and frowned. “Immortal Shen never mentioned this.”
Chen Heng laughed. “I don’t know what Shen Zhenren was thinking. Maybe she gave you the token intentionally?”
He looked at Xu Ning, his gaze carrying a pitying condescension. “What, Shen Zhenren only gave you the token but didn’t tell you the rules?”
Xu Ning looked at him and shook his head. “She’s been staying at Cold Sword Peak, at True Disciple Lu’s residence. If you have important business, Immortal Chen can go there yourself.”
If he could get in.
As for what they were doing, he naturally wouldn’t say.
“Husband and wife,” yet they called each other “Immortal Master”—it seemed the rumors were true: there was no affection between them.
Thinking of that noble and pure Senior Sister Lu, who was still . . . Chen Heng felt his heart surge.
‘If I could save her from this bitter sea, would Senior Sister Lu cast a glance at me?’
A figure suddenly flashed through his mind.
‘No, no. How could I have such delusions?’
Looking at the handsome face before him, Chen Heng’s thoughts wavered even more. He couldn’t help grinding his teeth.
Xu Ning suddenly asked, “Did the Disciplinary Hall tell you to relay this to me, Immortal Chen? Or is it your own idea?”
Chen Heng stared at him, his face turning cold. “It seems coming to Zhaoyue Cliff has made you bolder.”
Xu Ning didn’t answer.
The difference between the two was huge. The Disciplinary Hall wouldn’t send a Pill Hall disciple to say such a thing—Chen Heng must be lying. But if it was Chen Heng’s own idea, he hadn’t known Xu Ning before.
Xu Ning didn’t notice Chen Heng’s ugly expression.
He had only come to deliver medicine and take a look at this Xu Ning from the rumors. But now, being brushed off so lightly by Xu Ning made it seem like he, a Pill Hall disciple, was just a gossip.
Chen Heng sneered, placed the medicine box on the stone platform outside the formation gate, then took out another white talisman from his sleeve and pressed it on the box.
“This is the registration notification talisman for guest elders. Within five days, take the token to the Disciplinary Hall to register. Only after the guest elder assessment will the sect record your identity.”
Chen Heng looked at Xu Ning. “Of course, if you want to curl up in Zhaoyue Cliff and never come out, you can pretend you didn’t see it.”
Xu Ning nodded. “Just leave the things here.”
Chen Heng suddenly felt that this man was different from the rumors. A mortal, facing him, could still be this calm. But the calmer he was, the more uncomfortable it made him.
“You’d better think it through.”
Before turning away, Chen Heng still left a last remark. “If you really die in the assessment, no one can save you.”
After saying that, he no longer lingered. He stepped onto his sword and left Zhaoyue Cliff.
Xu Ning withdrew his gaze only after Chen Heng’s figure disappeared at the end of the mountain path. Protected by Zhaoyue Cliff’s formation, Chen Heng hadn’t been able to enter the courtyard. But those few words had still crossed the formation and landed.
Xu Ning walked to the formation gate, picked up the medicine box and the notification talisman, and brought them back to the bamboo cottage. He placed the medicine box by the table and only picked up the white talisman.
The words “Disciplinary Hall” were pressed into the paper, the ink very dark.
Xu Ning looked at it for a long time, then finally tucked it into his sleeve.
If Immortal Shen still hadn’t returned in five days—he wouldn’t be able to go either.
Not to mention he didn’t even have a proper cultivation technique yet, his training barely at the entry level. He couldn’t ride a sword. He didn’t know the way. How could he reach the Disciplinary Hall?
Immortal Chen probably hadn’t thought of that.
Then again, if he knew, would he be willing to give him a ride?
—
After Chen Heng left Zhaoyue Cliff, he paused at a bend in the mountain path. A Pill Hall disciple emerged from the shadows of the path.
“Brother Chen, the medicine is delivered?”
Chen Heng snorted. “Delivered.”
The disciple’s eyes flickered as he lowered his voice. “That man is really at Zhaoyue Cliff?”
“Mm.”
Chen Heng’s tone still carried displeasure. “He even got a guest elder token. He really thinks he’s somebody. I don’t know what Shen Zhenren is thinking.”
Hearing about the guest elder token, the disciple was astonished. “Then can he participate in the guest elder assessment?”
Chen Heng scoffed. “He’ll have to live through it first.”
“But what if he passes?”
The disciple said enviously, “I heard that after a guest elder passes the assessment, although they’re not formal disciples, they can take sect missions and exchange merits for pills and spirit stones. If their merits are enough, they can even exchange for treasured techniques in the Sutra Library and enjoy the sect’s protection.”
Ordinary itinerant cultivators found it extremely difficult to obtain a proper technique. If the source was unclear, they might even provoke questioning from sect disciples.
Chen Heng stopped walking, his expression turning even uglier. That was exactly what bothered him most. A mortal who couldn’t even absorb qi before, now as long as he passed the guest elder assessment, could legitimately take sect resources. Even the lowest-grade technique was far better than the immortal fate Xu Ning had begged for three years and never gotten.
“He won’t pass.”
Chen Heng said coldly. “How could a mortal possibly pass the sect’s assessment?”
After saying that, he stepped onto his flying sword and left straight away.
The disciple muttered, “But the guest elder assessment doesn’t just look at cultivation…”
Seeing Chen Heng leave, he didn’t follow immediately. Instead, he took out a message talisman.
“The target is at Zhaoyue Cliff. Situation unclear.”
A green flame flashed, and the talisman silently turned to ash.