Chapter 8: Reverse Scale

Now, Bu Xiwei was finally satisfied.

Yu Xiu had put on the invisibility mask, so she clearly didn’t want to alert those two uninvited guests. Bu Xiwei understood her well. Although the circumstances leading up to this moment were still unclear, Yu Xiu often acted on her own to investigate situations, and this time was likely no different.

Thus, the little bird dumpling spoke in human language, proactively offering Yu Xiu the clues she knew.
“That… evil cultivator I squeezed… and popped… was purely an accident. It has nothing to do with this matter.”

Mentioning her own brutal methods in front of the incredibly innocent-looking Yu Xiu, Bu Xiwei still felt a little guilty. She quickly added,
“This venerable one will… will help you clean up the things that shouldn’t be here.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the little bird dumpling lifted her left wing, and all the bloodstains and remains left by the middle-aged Golden Core man on the ground vanished. All traces he had left inside the cave, as well as the ones Yu Xiu had left nearby, were completely erased. As for Bu Xiwei herself, she had left no traces to begin with.

Looking at the scene, now appearing as if nothing had happened, Yu Xiu said, “Thank you, Your Excellency,” with much more sincerity in her voice.

Bu Xiwei heard the difference and happily hopped around on the silver hairpin.

By now, Yu Xiu’s divine sense could accurately perceive the two evil cultivators approaching. With one at the late stage of Qi Refinement and the other at early-stage Foundation Establishment, they were completely insignificant in Yu Xiu’s eyes. She no longer needed to hide carefully in the treetops as before. Moving her feet, she shifted to a corner with a better view of the surroundings and concealed her aura.

After a while, the figures of the two female evil cultivators finally appeared. The sky was gradually dimming. Both were dressed in black, wearing veiled hats with gauze that obscured their faces, and had even deliberately masked their features under the veils. It was clearly the attire of someone moving in secret.

The two walked while looking around, appearing very vigilant.
“Do you really think they saw the note we left and will come?” the late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator asked in a low, anxious voice.
“That place is Five Elements Sect territory! What if they were discovered by those righteous cultivators?!”

Yu Xiu’s gaze shifted slightly.
So her prediction wasn’t wrong.
These two evil cultivators really were connected to the case she was investigating.

The “that place” the woman mentioned clearly referred to Qingshui Village. Even if “they” weren’t the two cultivators who controlled the spider monsters, they were definitely related.

The early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator didn’t lower her voice deliberately, but still spoke softly,

“You know that’s Five Elements Sect territory! To avoid being detected, we specifically got a mortal to write the note. Unless those immortal cultivators have the nose of a dog, there’s no way they could’ve discovered it!

“…”

A dog’s nose isn’t necessary. Just a more thorough search with the naked eye would’ve done it.

“It’s already the time we specified on the note,” the Foundation Establishment cultivator went on.

“There will definitely be our people heading there. As long as nothing goes wrong, they’ll meet us here today!”

Yu Xiu was speechless again.

The “accident” had already happened.

Even without her involvement, the writing on the note was partially missing and blurred. At the very least, the meeting time this woman referred to was completely illegible.

The two walked closer, and from their perspective, the cave was now in sight. Seeing their destination, both cultivators visibly perked up and quickened their pace. The late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator’s anxiety and nervousness were replaced by excitement.

“I wonder how many two-legged sheep from Tianshuang Peak they brought this time!” she said eagerly.

“…!”

Yu Xiu’s eyes turned cold.

“Two-legged sheep from Tianshuang Peak”… these evil cultivators are treating the disciples of Tianshuang Peak as edible prey.

Thinking back to the dried meat in the ruined temple at Qingshui Village, it all lined up.

Yu Xiu couldn’t help but feel a wave of nausea.

The Five Elements Sect had a total of five peaks: Cangling Peak, Tianshuang Peak, Chiyang Peak, Xuanji Peak, and Jinlu Peak. These represented blue-green, white, red, black, and yellow, the “five colors” in Five Elements theory. Their geographic distribution also matched: Cangling Peak in the east, Tianshuang Peak in the west, Chiyang Peak in the south, Xuanji Peak in the north, and Jinlu Peak at the center.

Among them, Jinlu Peak was naturally the sect’s core. Its Peak Master also served as the Sect Master of the entire Five Elements Sect, and the sect’s administrative center was there.

Cangling Peak specialized in combat. In times of battle, its Peak Master would lead the entire peak to the front lines.

Xuanji Peak specialized in intelligence. Its Peak Master, Su Miaoyu, was a popular capture target in Five Elements Immortal Domain—the beautiful and mysterious master featured prominently in the game’s promotional art.

Tianshuang Peak, located at the western gate, had the largest population in the sect. It was the primary destination for new disciples and responsible for various mundane sect affairs. The “Disciple Affairs Hall” mentioned earlier by Master Chiyang’s immortal servant, Mo Hui, was one of Tianshuang Peak’s departments.

Tianshuang Peak disciples generally had low cultivation levels, most at early-stage Qi Refinement. Mid-stage was already considered above average.

For outsiders targeting Five Elements Sect disciples, Tianshuang Peak was the most accessible and vulnerable target.

Sensing Yu Xiu’s disgust, Bu Xiwei’s dark, glossy eyes fixed on the location of the two evil cultivators. Daring to provoke Yu Xiu was like poking her most sensitive nerve.

Bu Xiwei instinctively wanted to attack and dispose of these two small fries—but stopped herself.

She didn’t want Yu Xiu to think she enjoyed indiscriminate killing. Yu Xiu had yet to fully accept her, and she didn’t want to make things worse.

Suddenly, the two black-clad evil cultivators felt an overwhelming pressure descend from the sky.

This pressure was just a slight, unconscious leak from Bu Xiwei, yet it was already completely unbearable for the two.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator dropped to her knees with a thud. The Qi Refinement cultivator collapsed on the spot, unconscious. Both of them vomited blood, which tore through their face coverings. Crimson blood soaked their clothing—it was a wretched sight.

By comparison, the fact that Yu Xiu had only bled slightly at the lips when she’d been affected by Bu Xiwei’s intentional pressure earlier was quite remarkable.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator didn’t even have time to wipe the blood from her mouth. Her veiled hat had fallen to the ground, and her now-revealed eyes were filled with terror.

She looked around frantically and stammered in shock,

“Your… Your Highness?! Y-you’ve arrived?! It is this subordinate, this subordinate was late! Please punish me, Your Highness!”

While begging for forgiveness, she slammed her head into the ground again and again.

With that, the final clue from the paper slip—”Your Highness”—now had a clear connection.