Chapter 9: A Treacherous Truce and a Fateful Encounter

“Let’s both take a step back,” Quan Haoqing proposed. “I’ll leave behind Fellow Daoist’s clothes and immediately withdraw from this grotto-heaven. How does that sound?”

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit promptly interjected, “[Don’t forget the spirit stones!]”

Ye Lan glared fiercely at Quan Haoqing. “And the spirit stones!”

Quan Haoqing nodded. “Yes, yes, I’ll leave the spirit stones too.”

Seizing the opportunity, the Xuan Yin Book Spirit pressed, “[At least two thousand pieces!]”

Ye Lan echoed, “At least two thousand pieces!”

Quan Haoqing stated without hesitation, “No, there are only two hundred spirit stones. Not a single piece more.”

Dissatisfied, Ye Lan twitched the ice sword in her hand. “Clarify your position.”

Quan Haoqing, in turn, subtly shifted the longsword he held against Ye Lan’s neck. “Please, let’s not call the kettle black. If we can’t agree, we’ll just be stuck here, and I certainly won’t be at a disadvantage. By the way, Fellow Daoist’s body is truly soft.”

At his words, goosebumps instantly prickled across Ye Lan’s skin, and she huffed, “Two hundred spirit stones it is, then.”

Seeing a turning point at last, Quan Haoqing immediately proposed, “Then I’ll count to three, and we’ll act simultaneously.”

“Agreed.”

“One… two… three!”

Ye Lan and Quan Haoqing’s sword tips clashed, producing a crisp clang, yet neither was repelled; instead, they remained locked in a stalemate.

Quan Haoqing: “……”

‘As expected, the prettier the woman, the more deceitful she is,’ he thought, ‘Good thing I had a backup plan.’

Ye Lan, however, was quick to accuse. “Oh, you sly dog! How dare you pull a trick!”

Quan Haoqing felt utterly exhausted. “’Stop testing me. There’s no trust between us, and this will never end if we keep going like this.’”

“Hmph, fine.”

After another countdown of three, two, one, the two finally managed to separate successfully.

****

As he fled towards the grotto-heaven’s exit, Quan Haoqing flung a storage bag in the opposite direction, then, from at least a thousand meters away, he shouted, “My apologies for today’s offense, Fellow Daoist; it was truly a misunderstanding. Should fate allow us to meet again, I shall compensate you further!”

With that, Quan Haoqing vanished.

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit and Ye Lan watched him depart. Ye Lan asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty, “He’s gone?”

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit confirmed, “[Gone, he’s definitely gone.]”

Ye Lan let out a heavy sigh, feeling her entire body go slack, yet she still forced herself to gather her wits and approached the storage bag. Inside, two hundred spirit stones and a piece of clothing lay quietly.

This, surprisingly, made Ye Lan look at Quan Haoqing in a new light; the fellow had actually kept his word.

Given the circumstances, had he simply fled without leaving anything, Ye Lan would have had no effective recourse against him.

Ye Lan murmured, “’Did we perhaps misunderstand him? Is this guy actually a good person? Alas, it’s a good thing he didn’t realize I’m his enemy, or he probably wouldn’t have even left me clothes.’”

As she spoke, Ye Lan chuckled self-deprecatingly. “This fortuitous encounter has, ironically, saved my life twice.”

The Book Spirit immediately chimed in triumphantly, “[See? See? I told you the Xuan Yin Mingyou Art is a supreme divine technique, haha.]”

“Quiet, I… I should head out now. Wait, why are these women’s clothes?!”

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit stated matter-of-factly, “[After cultivating this technique, you are absolutely a woman, so naturally, these are women’s clothes.]”

Ye Lan sighed. “……Oh, never mind.”

Ye Lan picked up the clothes one by one, then put them down, repeating the action three times. Finally, the Xuan Yin Book Spirit couldn’t help but say, “[There’s no need to be so bothered. It’s just like my book cover—merely outer packaging for others to see. No matter the style, as long as it looks good, isn’t that enough? It’s certainly better than being naked like a monkey.]”

Ye Lan shook her head, her expression troubled. “’No, it’s not that. I’ve endured so much pressure until now; I’m not that bothered by such a small thing. The main issue is… how do I even wear this?’”

Throughout her entire life, both this one and her previous one, she had only ever worn men’s clothing. As for women’s attire, especially ancient styles, she truly had no idea how to put them on!

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit: “……”

****

“’Ah, I nearly ruined my reputation.’”

Fleeing frantically from the secret realm, Quan Haoqing touched his somewhat flushed face and muttered, “I think my reputation is utterly destroyed. I saw her completely exposed, then irresponsibly ran off, and even made an enemy.”

The Blazing Starfall Tome Spirit responded, “[…Perhaps, she doesn’t care so much about what you did.]”

“’If she were one of those villainous cultivators from the Joyful Sect (TL Note: A demonic sect known for its female cultivators who practice dual cultivation to absorb male essence and bolster their own cultivation.) who harvest yang to supplement yin, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Do you think she’s from the Joyful Sect?’”

The Blazing Starfall Tome Spirit replied, “[…I don’t think so.]”

‘She used to be a man with pure yang energy! Of course she wouldn’t be!’

Quan Haoqing nodded. “Right? I’ve had some dealings with female cultivators from the Joyful Sect before, and their demeanor is entirely different from that fairy I just encountered in the grotto-heaven. Moreover, she fought me to the death simply because I saw her bathing. How could someone so concerned with her reputation be completely indifferent?”

“’For a woman to be seen twice in such a compromising situation by a strange man, there are essentially only two outcomes: either they become husband and wife, or they become sworn enemies.’”

The Blazing Starfall Tome Spirit asked, aghast, “[…You wouldn’t possibly…!?’”

“’I wish I were so lucky.’”

Quan Haoqing shrugged, displaying a clear sense of self-awareness. “I don’t even know her name or background; most likely, we’ll be lifelong enemies who never cross paths again. I only hope that by the time she learns my name, I’ll be far beyond her ability to provoke. It’s getting late; it’s time to leave this place.”

“Fellow Daoist, please halt.”

Just then, someone suddenly called out to Quan Haoqing. He immediately grew wary, his body tensing as he regarded the newcomer. The man before him appeared to be an upright cultivator, but as Quan Haoqing’s eyes flicked to the jade talisman at the man’s waist, his expression instantly turned subtle.

‘A Sky Philosophy Sect disciple?’

‘He certainly had a peculiar connection with people from this sect.’

Recalling the sect member who had robbed him, Quan Haoqing immediately took a step back, ready to flee.

Seeing his reaction, the man first paused, then offered a wry smile. “I bear no ill will towards you, esteemed sir. I merely have a sect bounty I wished to inform you about. This concerns the Sky Philosophy Sect, not solely myself. If successful, you may directly claim your reward from the Sky Philosophy Sect.”

Quan Haoqing’s expression relaxed slightly. Esteemed orthodox sects typically maintained their reputation when outside their territories, and tasks that allowed rogue cultivators to claim rewards directly from their sect were usually eagerly sought after.

“Please speak.”

The Sky Philosophy Sect disciple smiled. “It concerns one of our disciples, whose whereabouts are currently unknown. Should you encounter him, whether alive or dead, please inform us of his location. If you can bring him back, our sect will surely reward you handsomely. This is his portrait.”

The Sky Philosophy Sect disciple slowly unrolled the scroll. Upon seeing the person depicted, Quan Haoqing’s pupils subtly contracted, though his reaction was barely perceptible.

He recognized the person in the portrait, even to the point of gritting his teeth; the image was none other than Ye Lan, her former male self (TL Note: The portrait depicted Ye Lan in her previous male form.), who had snatched the magical treasure from his grasp.

This matter, however, was highly unusual, especially when he recalled the waist token found in that grotto-heaven.

Quan Haoqing remarked casually, “He’s missing? Hasn’t the secret realm closed yet? Perhaps he simply found a fortuitous encounter in some grotto-heaven.”

The Sky Philosophy Sect disciple narrowed his eyes, shaking his head. “He is indeed missing; the Sky Philosophy Sect would not issue a meaningless quest. Have you seen him anywhere, Fellow Daoist?”

“I haven’t.”

Quan Haoqing calmly asked, “May I inquire about the reward?”

The Sky Philosophy Sect cultivator did not press further, instead stating, “Two thousand high-grade spirit stones, or one magical treasure from the first floor of the Sky Philosophy Sect’s treasure vault.”

Quan Haoqing’s pupils contracted, and a hint of greed flickered in his eyes as he said, “If I find him, I will certainly report it. Is merely reporting his whereabouts sufficient?”

The Sky Philosophy Sect disciple nodded. “Reporting his whereabouts is certainly acceptable, provided we can locate him based on that information. However, if you can bring him back to the sect personally, that would also be an option, though it might cause you some trouble. If you truly possess this ability, please act quickly. May I ask for your esteemed surname and sect affiliation, Fellow Daoist?”

“Understood. My name is Quan Haoqing, merely a rogue cultivator.”

After responding, Quan Haoqing was about to turn and leave when he was called out to once more.

“Wait a moment.”

Quan Haoqing tensed, his face expressionless as he watched the Sky Philosophy Sect cultivator behind him. The man then handed a waist token to Quan Haoqing.

“This is a communication token,” the disciple explained. “If he misunderstands you, you can give this to him.”

Quan Haoqing took it and glanced at the name on the token: Du Yu.

After examining it thoroughly and confirming it was merely an encrypted identification token, he accepted it, cupped his hands in farewell, and departed.

‘It seems that fellow is wanted by his own sect.’

Quan Haoqing had no intention of searching for Ye Lan within the secret realm; it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Moreover, the secret realm was about to close, and being trapped inside would be a significant loss for a minor gain.

‘However, this certainly makes it convenient for me to kick him while he’s down.’

Quan Haoqing toyed with the waist token in his hand as he walked out.

‘This waist token probably has some sort of problem.’

Quan Haoqing believed the Sky Philosophy Sect disciple’s claim about the sect mission was genuine, but the matter of the waist token seemed suspicious. Therefore, if he found Ye Lan, he intended to kill him directly rather than show him the token.

‘Neither this waist token nor Ye Lan’s should be kept.’

Just as Quan Haoqing was pondering, he unexpectedly encountered someone. Their eyes met, and Quan Haoqing felt his scalp prickle; ‘what a small world for enemies!’