Chapter 420: Arhat To the Moon

In a small, secluded courtyard at the back of Mount Dajian, home of the Shu Sword Sect.

As dusk settled, a round-faced Daoist master sat under a tree, fanning himself in the evening cool. He suddenly raised his mooncake-shaped phone high, ready to smash it, but stopped himself with a grimace. With a sharp exhale, he tossed it onto the table instead.

It was far too expensive to break.

"A strand of fiendish soul?

Ha!

"

In the corner of the courtyard, Li Gufeng and Zi Ling, who had been flirtin—practicing their dual sword technique, glanced at each other and hurried over.

"Master, what's wrong?"

"This is infuriating!" Fei Lianzi slammed the table. "Look at this! The Special Investigation Unit has announced that a strand of fiendish soul has possessed Fei Yu's little sister! That gentle, innocent, kind, and well-behaved girl doesn't even understand the ways of the world yet! They've twisted truth and falsehood, confused heaven and earth. It's making me mad!"

Zi Ling and Li Gufeng opened their master's phone projection to read the report. Both frowned deeply.

"Master," Li Gufeng said, "The investigation unit's leadership seems to have changed. Are they targeting cultivators close to Chief Chi Ling?"

"Xiaomiao is only around sixteen or seventeen, right? She's such a sweet little girl," Zi Ling commented angrily. "Master, please ask the sword spirit to help us again. Let's bring Xiaomiao back to the Shu Sword Sect."

Li Gufeng added, "I second that. If we're talking about purifying a fiendish soul, then our sect has the Melodic Righteous-Qi Mantra. We can purify her ourselves."

Fei Lianzi sighed heavily. "We don't even know where Xiaomiao is. Think about it. She was likely with Senior Xi Lian at the time of the incident and knows the real reason Xi Lian turned into a devil.

"The investigation unit—no, the ancient cultivators are still searching for her under that pretext, which means she's still safe for now. Even if we find her, though, whether we can protect her is another matter entirely."

Zi Ling muttered, "We can just ask the sword spirit for help, can't we?"

Fei Lianzi shook his head. "We're only his juniors. Just because we asked him for a favor doesn't mean he'll do it. He only helped Senior Xi Lian because she and Daoist Master Qinglin, our forefather, were close friends."

"But Elder Fei Yu and the sword spirit are also very close!"

"That's true." Fei Lianzi hesitated, then stood up. "You two stay here. I'll report this to the sect master. If he agrees, we'll send every last one of our disciples to search for Xiaomiao. Afterward, we'll request the sword spirit to come out and escort her safely back to the sect. Without Fei Yu, it feels like the sect has lost its backbone. Everything seems less certain."

Li Gufeng and Zi Ling nodded. Fei Lianzi straightened his Daoist robe and, with his hands clasped behind his back, headed to the courtyard gate.

He had only taken two steps and had yet to summon his flying sword when a young disciple soared in from afar on his sword.

"Martial Uncle! A high monk from the Buddhist sects has delivered a letter to the mountain gate!"

A letter? High monk?

Fei Lianzi muttered, "Since when do I know any high monk from the Buddhist sects?"

The young disciple landed before the courtyard, bowed deeply, and offered a simple paper letter with both hands.

Li Gufeng and Zi Ling leaned in curiously. The latter then frowned. "Wouldn't it be easier to just send a message?"

"The network isn't safe," Li Gufeng replied. "A hand-delivered letter is safer."

The envelope looked to be patched together from two sheets of paper. The moment he held it, Fei Lianzi sensed faint traces of Buddhist light sealing every edge, showing it hadn't been opened. On the front was the addressee's details.

On the front were the words:

To: Senior Fei Lianzi of the Shu Sword Sect

Fei Lianzi chuckled. "

Hah,

so formal. Is the monk still here?"

The disciple grinned. "He left right after delivering the letter and asking which peak had the weakest phone signal. He didn't say much else."

Fei Lianzi waved the disciple off. "Alright. You're dismissed."

The disciple bowed and flew back toward the mountain gate.

The weakest phone signal?

Fei Lianzi frowned. "What kind of question is that..."

After studying the envelope, he carefully broke the seal of Buddhist light and opened it, pulling out two sheets of paper. When he unfolded the first sheet, he froze. It was a simple drawing of him standing above a lake with the sword spirit on his back.

Ahead stood twelve silhouettes, and below, a fox.

He inhaled sharply. "

Tsk...

That's...!"

It was the exact scene from when he had risked everything to seal Xi Lian. The perspective of the image came from the forest near the lakeside.

His spiritual perception hadn't detected any living presence there at the time. Even if he did, they couldn't have escaped the ancient cultivators.

Fei Lianzi stopped mid-thought, quickly pulling out the second sheet. After glancing around the courtyard, he gestured for his disciples to stay silent and unfolded the paper.

"Xiao—"

Zi Ling had just opened her mouth when Li Gufeng pressed a hand over his junior sister's lips.

Fei Lianzi frowned as he skimmed through the letter before reading it again, this time carefully, word by word.

Dear Senior Fei Lianzi,

Thank you for putting yourself in danger to save Big Sister Xi Lian. My brother and I are indebted to you for helping her escape death and disaster. We will be sure to repay this one day.

Allow me to report everything that has happened.

Big Sister's ordeal was the result of the ancient cultivators' long-laid scheme. That night, a large number of cultivators surrounded us. A peak Tribulation Realm sword cultivator and a dual-wielding ancient cultivator then forced her to turn into a devil. You've already seen them before.

With our lives hanging by a thread, Big Sister had no choice but to turn into a devil and fight the two to protect me. Unfortunately, over a hundred cultivators simultaneously attacked her.

They fought without fear of death. With their help, the two ancient cultivators escaped unscathed. I suspect they used a mind-controlling spell. They may have even already cast the same spell to infiltrate deep into the Daoist sects.

Later, those people returned, shouting about "slaying devils to defend the Dao" to claim credit for what they themselves had caused. Their shamelessness knows no bounds.

Moreover, I have learned that Captain Qin Yishen of the Special Affairs Unit is colluding with the ancient cultivators. He intends to use them to seize control of the cultivation world and achieve his own hidden goals. Their full scheme will be revealed at the upcoming Immortal Dao Conference.

That being said, I am writing this letter mainly for three reasons.

Firstly, I hope the Shu Sword Sect will act as a sword of righteousness that would set right what has gone astray.

Secondly, I wish to make it clear that Big Sister bears no fault in this matter.

Thirdly, I urge your sect to restrain its disciples and make sure not a word reaches Qin Yishen's ears. Otherwise, we could find ourselves at a disadvantage during the conference.

Please don't worry about me. When the Immortal Dao Conference begins, I will appear together with my brother.

The Shu Sword Sect is now a thorn in the ancient cultivators' side. Qin Yishen is cunning and calculating, and Chief Chi Ling may have her own plans. You have to be cautious in everything. Make sure never to give the enemy even the slightest opening. The fate of the cultivation world and thousands of righteous cultivators rests on the edge of your sword.

With utmost respect,

Wang Xiaomiao

Fei Lianzi handed the letter to his two disciples. "Read this. If you could write even a tenth as clearly as Xiaomiao, I'd let you go out for secular training without a second thought."

Li Gufeng smiled bitterly. "What does writing letters have to do with training, Master?"

"Clear mind and steady logic." Fei Lianzi sighed. "While we were worrying about protecting Xiaomiao, she was already several steps ahead of us. Give me that letter. This has to stay a secret, got it? The fate of the Shu Sword Sect may depend on it! I'll go find the sect master now. If what Xiaomiao said is true, then those ancient cultivators might have also mind-controlled some of our members to infiltrate our sect!"

He then glared at the pair.

"Have either of you been down the mountain recently?"

Li Gufeng looked up and groaned, while Zi Ling's eyes filled with tears. "Master, we're your disciples! We've been cultivating on the mountain all along!"

"These are special times," Fei Lianzi muttered awkwardly.

He drew a sword core from his sleeve and made it transform into a flying sword under his feet. Rising into the air, he called out, "Guard the signal tower on Mount Dajian and wait for my letter. I now understand why the monk asked where the signal was weakest. He's certainly meticulous. If necessary, cut down the whole tower. Even if there are traitors in our sect, they won't be able to send any updates."

Li Gufeng and Zi Ling looked at each other, faces blank.

Cut down the signal tower? Well, it isn't exactly a bad idea.

But Fei Lianzi had misunderstood. After asking which peak had the weakest signal, Huai Jing went straight there. He looked up at the sky for a while, then stepped onto his violet-golden alms bowl and soared, breaking through the blue sky.

Xiaomiao had reminded him several times to avoid all surveillance satellites.

***

In a small city at the foot of the Heavenly Dragon Temple's mountain, a narrow alley ran behind a gaming arena. A few young women with heavy makeup and revealing clothes huddled together, trembling.

Before them was a short-haired girl holding a watermelon knife, her mouth and nose covered with a handkerchief. The leather boots and hot pants made her look much like the others, though her cartoon T-shirt was almost too plain by comparison.

They had tried to fight back earlier. In truth, they were the bullies of this neighborhood, frequenting nightclubs, arcades, and dance halls. They even extorted protection fees from junior students, teaching them to smoke, drink, and bleach their hair.

But their resistance had been crushed. Now, they stood bruised and humiliated.

The short-haired girl hummed lowly.

"Heads up. You, hand over your ID card. No, keep your wallet. I don't need your change. I just forgot mine and can't log in anywhere." She glanced at the card that she had just gotten and casually added, "Come to this internet cafe in a week to get it back, understood?"

"Y-yes..."

"If any of you dare go to the police or report that you've lost the card..." She twisted the watermelon knife in her hand until it knotted like a rope, then tossed it at their feet. "That's what'll happen."

Just as she was about to turn away coolly, she paused. It was as though she had just gotten an idea.

"Oh, one more thing: hand over your makeup and perfume. You, the one with colorful hair. Got any dye on you? A wig works too. I'll be taking those. You, give me that jacket. I like it. And that belt too. What on earth are you crying for? Stop it! Come back here next week, and I'll show you how to survive properly."

A few minutes later, a girl with smoky makeup, a rainbow wig, and a studded belt walked out of the alley. With faint sobbing coming from behind her, she headed to a nearby bus stop.