Sometimes the speaker might not mean anything, but the listener reads into it.

Li Xun’s eye twitched. He shot a quick glance at Yin Wanderer, but got no response.

Yin Wanderer laid her palm lightly on Madam Yu’s forehead again. She sent out a quick probe of qi for a moment, then pulled it back. “It’s better not to let her wake for now. Use the ‘Entering Spirit Method’ to keep her consciousness in complete silence. You know what to do, don’t you?”

Qin Wanru’s mood was clearly low. She lowered her gaze and gave a quiet “yes.” But in the end, she couldn’t help asking, “Master, my mother…”

“Unless Gu Zhixuan is willing to let go…” Yin Wanderer’s face stayed calm, but her eyes flicked over to Li Xun with a hint so subtle it was almost hidden.

Of course, Qin Wanru didn’t notice that. She only heard him say in a low voice, “Or… go to Qianfan City to get the ‘Soul-Stabilizing Blue Star.’ One thing cancels out another; it’s another way.”

A flash of hope lit Qin Wanru’s eyes, but it quickly faded. “The Soul-Stabilizing Blue Star? Wasn’t it destroyed seven hundred years ago?”

Yin Wanderer replied in an almost offhand tone, “It can always be remade. But… there are a few rare ingredients needed, and those will have to be found.”

Her eyes swept across Li Xun’s face once again.

Li Xun had been puzzled at first, but when he saw what was happening, he understood right away.

He sneered inwardly. Those words weren’t meant for Qin Wanru at all. They were clearly a roundabout way of asking him. Without his consent, no matter what tricks Yin Wanderer had, it would all be nothing but illusions, with no real effect.

But why should he agree?

He had never even heard of this so-called Soul-Stabilizing Blue Star. Still, from Qin Wanru’s expression, he could tell it was no ordinary treasure.

And if he “agreed,” even just gathering the materials would take who knows how long. If it really came to that, who would be commanding whom? Would he still be the one controlling his puppet, or would he become the puppet being controlled? The answer wasn’t so clear.

So his face stayed cool, and he acted as if he hadn’t noticed Yin Wanderer’s glance.

Yin Wanderer, seeing his attitude, showed neither hurry nor anger. She suddenly smiled, and shifted the subject. “This time, you did well.”

Li Xun froze for a second before realizing she was speaking to him.

He had to admit, Yin Wanderer’s ability to put on an act was flawless. With that tone, his chest tightened in spite of himself. Fortunately, he had been getting used to this lately. He quickly forced a smile and lowered his head. “Not at all. Serving my aunt-master is only right.”

“You’ve got the right attitude. Good. But just as you said, no one can be made to work for free. After all, your position isn’t what it used to be. Fair exchange; that’s the way things should be. So, what do you want in return?”

“Uh… I wouldn’t dare…”

Li Xun had barely gotten half the words out when he suddenly realized it. This wasn’t praise at all. It was just another roundabout way of asking for his help.

The meaning behind her earlier words was clear enough: Even if I’m the puppet, you should at least show me some respect.

Li Xun blinked, then spoke in a respectful tone: “Aunt-Master, please don’t say that. Today’s matter hasn’t gone smoothly, and I’m already deeply ashamed.”

What he really meant was: Where’s Kitty? I told you to take care of something, and you didn’t. On what grounds are you trying to bargain with me?

“That’s not such a big issue…” Yin Wanderer replied in a flat tone, though her eyes slid briefly toward Qin Wanru.

Whatever Qin Wanru understood from that look, she clearly thought she had the meaning. She glanced once at Li Xun, then carefully supported Lady Yu as she descended.

By now, the Yin-Yang Sect cultivators who had fled earlier were hurrying back. When they saw Yin Wanderer and Li Xun, none of them dared approach. They only offered respectful bows from a distance, then followed Qin Wanru down to clean up the aftermath.

Before long, the two of them were left alone in the sky, their relationship as strange as ever.

Before long, only the two of them with their strange, complicated relationship remained high above.

With no one else around, Li Xun finally let himself relax. He folded his arms across his chest and said nothing, only sneering.

Yin Wanderer lowered her gaze at the sight of his attitude, her face as calm and unreadable as still water. Even Li Xun, who was supposed to be the master here, couldn’t guess what she was thinking. He could only faintly sense that she was weighing something in her heart.

So after spiritual consciousness is restored, it can interfere with the heart-link to this degree!

Li Xun hated this feeling, though he had come to realize more and more lately that it was, in a way, a form of cultivation.

Of the three branches—Soul-Driving, Spirit-Refining, and Mind-Binding —Soul-Driving and Spirit-Refining were just practical techniques. Even at their peak, they were nothing more than borrowed power, shortcuts at best. Only the Mind-Binding was the true path toward attaining supreme Netherworld mastery.

But then again, if Li Xun’s real interest lay in cultivation, why had he spent the last sixty-some years struggling, wandering, risking his life over and over? He could have just stayed in the mountains and shut himself away to cultivation.

Of course, Li Xun also longed for the Great Dao. But if that lofty, unreachable goal ever clashed with reality, he would choose reality without the slightest hesitation.

Put plainly, in this moment it came down to one thought: Why in the world did I saddle myself with this trouble in the first place?

Regret aside, after a brief silence Yin Wanderer spoke in a low voice. “To create the Soul-Stabilizing Blue Star, the first materials required are three rare treasures: the Ink-Silk Clam Pearl, the Golden Striker, and the Azure Light Net. It’s said that the Azure Light Net still survives within Qianfan City. But as for the Ink-Silk Clam Pearl and the Golden Striker, those will need to be gathered…”

Li Xun raised his brows and gave a cold smile. “Very good. I don’t know what this Ink-Silk Clam Pearl is, but the Golden Striker, now that, I do know. It’s a top-grade material for alchemy and talisman-making in the Mystic Cycle Sect. Their mines produce barely a few grams a year, and most of it gets used right away. Less than a hundredth remains. So tell me, how much do you need?”

Yin Wanderer’s eyes darkened. “At least two taels.”

“That’s three centuries’ worth of stockpiling at the very least!” Li Xun clapped his hands together, his smile all mockery. “And what about this Ink-Silk Clam Pearl?”

“Native to the East Sea,” Yin Wanderer answered simply. “Rare as well.”

Li Xun said nothing more, only fixed his gaze on her.

Yin Wanderer clearly knew what he was thinking. His brows tightened slightly. “Chong Yu knows much about the North Pole. If you can unravel the Spirit-Extinguishing Thread, it would be of no small benefit to you.”

“Of course I know that, and I’m tempted too.” Li Xun gave a wry laugh. “But if something’s out of reach, no matter how sweet it is, it’s useless. Aunt-Master, you know Jade Wanderer better than I do. Do you really think he’d put something so easy to undo on Madam Yu?”

Yin Wanderer stayed silent for a long while. “That doesn’t sound like Gu Zhixuan’s style,” she finally said. “It’s more likely the work of Gu Yin.”

“Then there’s even less to say.”

Just the thought of his few encounters with Gu Yin made Li Xun’s scalp prickle.

That woman’s schemes were unfathomable. She hid truth within falsehood and falsehood within truth, leaving no one able to grasp her real face. Over the decades, Li Xun had been used by her more than once without realizing it, suffering plenty of losses. By now, he was genuinely afraid of her.

Yin Wanderer lifted her gaze to him, her eyes dark and carrying a quiet, pressing weight.

Li Xun was more or less used to it. Though a faint unease stirred inside, he still kept a smile on his face.

At last Yin Wanderer only let out a soft sigh. “Honestly, this isn’t really all that hard for you.”

Given her personality, for her to say something like that was no different from a gentle plea.

Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough.

Li Xun let out a laugh and was just about to speak when both of their expressions suddenly shifted.

A faint ripple of primordial qi came trembling in from afar. The message carried within it left them both startled. Who’s fighting now?

Since something unexpected had happened, they couldn’t keep tangling with each other. Li Xun gave Yin Wanderer a look, and without a word, Yin Wanderer moved first, her face expressionless. Li Xun slipped into a shadowy form, following silently after.

The source of the disturbance was on a sunlit slope.

When the two of them crept closer in secret, they saw that the Yin-Yang Sect’s tents were only half set up, most of them slanting or collapsed. A small group stood in a ring, protecting Madam Yu where she lay in a deep sleep, facing off against another group of five cultivators.

Meanwhile, in the middle, cultivators from both sides were clashing fiercely, filling the air with flying dust and explosive bursts of qi.

“Who’s got time for all this nonsense?”

Yin wanderer’s mood was obviously bad, and she had nothing good to say about this sudden complication.

From the look on her face, she was about to start killing.

Li Xun had only planned on watching the show, but when he caught sight of a opposing cultivator’s face, his eye gave a little twitch.

“The Thunder-Beaked Hawk? From the Succubus Sect?”

The man had a hooked, hawklike nose, sunken eyes, and a sharp, cold gaze that marked him as anything but ordinary.

Li Xun had seen him before. He was a direct disciple of Luo Moshi, the head of the Succubus Sect. And he was one of the few who had both crossed swords with Li Xun and tangled with Hundred Ghosts.

Li Xun had a very strong impression of him. Before his Yin Fire had flared up, he had no confidence he could match this man in terms of cultivation alone.

Now this was interesting. The Thunder-Beaked Hawk was shrewd and carried himself like a true commander. He would never pick a fight with a well-known figure like Qin Wanru for no reason, not when that could put him at odds with the entire Yin-Yang Sect.

So then… what was he after?

With that hint, Li Xun took a closer look. Sure enough, at Qin Wanru’s feet lay a disheveled-looking male cultivator. He wore a robe of animal hide that seemed crude at first glance, yet faintly shimmered with a hidden brilliance. Strange and out of place.

From his aura, the man was gravely wounded, his breath fading. He didn’t look like he would survive.

That, most likely, was the cause of the conflict.

Just then, Li Xun felt something and turned his head. Yin Wanderer’s lips were moving ever so slightly, clearly using some technique to communicate with Qin Wanru.

Li Xun grinned, sending his own thought through. Yin Wanderer frowned but didn’t push him out, letting their minds connect so he could hear the conversation as well.

“The Hundred Beasts Sect?”