Li Xun collapsed onto Yin Wanderer’s bare body, completely drained, and yet a laugh still tugged at her lips.

He’d done it.

Looks like all that thinking and planning these past few days actually worked out.

Ever since his mindset completely changed that day, he’d been working nonstop to cover up all the flaws and weaknesses he’d shown before.

And Yin Wanderer, that unpredictable factor, was of course the person he had to deal with first.

The sect did have secret techniques for controlling puppets, of course. But Li Xun had shot straight to his current level thanks to the Heaven's Nether Yin Pearl, skipping all the proper steps. His foundation was way too shallow. As for the crucial “Mind-Binding” method used to command puppets and advance one’s cultivation, he could forget about even dreaming of it.

So, backed into a corner, he could only rely on brute-force tricks. Just like he’d done a moment ago, when he'd crushed Yin Wanderer’s spiritual sense through sheer violence, ripping the memories straight out.

And the result was more than satisfying.

Not only did he confirm that Yin Wanderer was clean of any betrayal, but while she was at her weakest, he took the chance to plant a mark in her mind. A simplified version of the Mind-Binding technique, you could say. From now on, he could trust her completely.

But in the long run, that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Especially for his own cultivation; it might even block him from ever reaching the highest level of the Soul-Driving, Spirit-Refining, Mind-Binding Grand Technique.

Still… wasn’t having a harmless, fully controlled Yin Wanderer a hundred times better than the alternative?

The only pity was that his method had been too rough. Her spiritual consciousness, which had only just begun to recover, was once again badly damaged. For now, she’d be useless to him for quite some time.

Li Xun sighed and pushed himself to his feet.

Yin Wanderer was staring blankly at the sky. Her body was unhurt, but the blow to her mind... that was far worse than any wound.

She might’ve gotten back enough power to level mountains and stir up oceans, but right now she couldn’t even wiggle her little finger.

Li Xun looked down at her. Her gorgeous body... his eyes still burned with that same fire, and wherever his gaze fell, it made her body twitch instinctively.

But in the end, he didn’t do anything more. He simply dressed himself.

“Go rest,” he said calmly and withdrew the last trace of killing intent that had been suppressing her spiritual consciousness flame. The release gave her a flicker of strength and she struggled to lift herself halfway up.

She tilted her head up, meeting his eyes. “Getting the Ink-Silk Clam Pearl and the rest shouldn’t be difficult for you. And not just the Spirit-Extinguishing Thread. That Soul-Locking Radiant Orb on the Bloodkiss Beast… you might need that too.”

Li Xun hadn’t expected her to still be thinking about that. He paused for a moment, then smiled. “I know… we’ll talk about it once you’ve recovered.”

His tone made it obvious he was just brushing her off. Yin Wanderer’s expression dimmed. She opened her mouth as if to say something more, but the words caught in her throat.

That hesitant, faltering look said it all; her consciousness was still weak. In her normal state, Yin Wanderer would never have lacked the courage to speak her mind.

Li Xun didn’t want to drag it out any longer. He was just about to use a technique to put her away when a soft sigh reached his ears.

“It’d only take you a flick of the hand… wouldn’t it, Master?”

Li Xun looked at her in surprise. But Yin Wanderer turned her face aside, unwilling to let him see the look in her eyes.

His hand caught her by the chin and forced her face back toward him. She shut her eyes fast, but even through her lids, she could feel the heat of Li Xun’s gaze burning against her skin.

Then came his calm voice: “Good. If your mind’s still that sharp, I can rest easy.”

An irresistible will broke through, opening the private realm that belonged only to his Nethermyst Puppets, then drew her inside.

Li Xun let out a long sigh. He had to admit, what he had just done, and the information he’d gathered, was a lot to take in. He needed a minute to breathe and get his head straight.

Just then, the sound of clapping broke the silence.

“Tsk. Impressive. Really impressive.”

Li Xun turned his head. Shui Die Lan was standing on top of a small ice peak, smiling brightly and clapping in delight. He had no idea when she’d gotten up there, but one thing was for sure; she’d definitely seen everything that just happened.

“Hope you enjoyed the show,” Li Xun said evenly. He didn’t sound embarrassed at all. More like an artist who’d just finished a piece he was quietly proud of.

Shui Die Lan scoffed at his composure. Her body seemed almost weightless as the cold wind carried her down to land gracefully beside him. She stood a little too close for comfort, then deliberately took two steps back and nodded, as if to say that’s better.

Li Xun gave her a questioning look.

She smiled. “Now I get it. It’s boring when I’m not around you, but getting too close is way too dangerous. So this distance feels just right… Anyway, you’re probably the first person in the world who’s managed to put Yin Chonghua in her place like that. Who knows, maybe you’ll make a habit of it?”

You mean, try it on you next?

Li Xun thought it, but wisely kept it to himself. Some things were better left unsaid. Seeing that Shui Die Lan had no intention of pushing the topic, he chuckled to himself and steered the conversation elsewhere. “I heard from Yin Wanderer that you went to Qianji Pass again. How are things over there?”

“What do you think? Everyone’s pulled out already. Hmph, they didn’t even bother to send me a single message.”

“Oh?” Li Xun raised a brow, something clicking in his mind. “Right, that reminds me, you never did tell me how you landed that job in the first place.”

“They were the ones who reached out first, asking if I was interested,” Shui Die Lan said. “It wasn’t until I agreed to take the job that they revealed who they really were. Honestly, I was pretty shocked when I found out it was Gu Yin.”

Remembering the excuse she’d given the last time they parted ways, Li Xun asked casually, “So that last goodbye, you were leaving to handle this job, huh?”

Shui Die Lan’s eyes flicked playfully, and she shook her head with a grin. “Nope, that was something else. I only took this one after I broke with the Vermilion Hook Sect. Qianji and Su Huaiyu had me cornered... I wouldn’t have agreed to such a troublesome job otherwise.”

Li Xun had the feeling she wasn’t telling the whole story, but he didn’t press. “You left the sect, yet you can still take on jobs?” he asked with genuine curiosity.

“Why not? Who doesn’t have a few private channels for work?” she said with a laugh. “If you only take jobs from the sect, when will you ever get your hands on the real treasures. Or the rare techniques?”

Shui Die Lan looked completely matter-of-fact, but then she frowned thoughtfully. “Still… this job’s a little weird,” she said. “At first, Guyin said she'd create and opening and wanted me to wait for the right moment to strike Tian Zhi near the polar region.

“I even went through the trouble of forging a fake identity for it. But then, right after the relocation of Nightless City was confirmed, she suddenly changed the plan. Told me to do it in Yemo Heaven instead… and, well, the rest you’ve already seen.

“The weird part is, once a contract’s issued, the the method, timing, place... that’s all up to the assassin. Employers almost never dictate every last detail like that. If they do, it usually means they’re after something more than just a target’s life. Hmph, as if I wouldn’t notice.”

Li Xun rubbed his chin, shaking his head. “Changed the plan, huh? Sounds less like she made that call herself, and more like Tianzhi’s movements forced her hand.

“But even so, she had a chance to do it herself, yet still paid someone else to do the job? Gu Yin really does have some peculiar tastes. When you met her, didn’t you notice anything off?”

Shui Die Lan snorted. “Meet in person? Please. Only amateurs do that kind of thing! You have to understand; most of the time, it’s against the rules for a client and a killer to meet face to face. We always go through certain channels. Never once seen each other.”

Li Xun blinked. “Never? Then how do you even know your client is Gu Yin? What if someone just used her name to hire you?”

“That’s… probably not the case, right?” Shui Die Lan scratched her head. “The client’s seal was definitely Gu Yin’s. I remember it from when we made that Bloodkiss deal years ago. Same exact seal. The transmutation technique on it was perfectly refined, and the aura signature felt identical both times…”

Even so, she didn’t seem entirely convinced.

Li Xun’s eyes lit up. “If it wasn’t Gu Yin, then that opens up a whole new possibility. Besides Kunpeng and his group, someone close to her might be secretly working against her. Now that’s interesting.”

He started running through everyone in the upper ranks of the Miaohua Sect and the Rogue Cultivators’ Alliance, analyzing them one by one, trying to pick out a possible suspect. It was the kind of task that really burned brain cells. And after half a day of thinking, he still hadn’t come up with a thing.

Shui Die Lan reminded him, “Hey, looks like Tianzhi’s finished her cultivation. Want to go check on her?”

“Oh... of course,” he said and suddenly remembered the question he was dying to ask. He gave Shui Die Lan a nod and started to walk away.

Just then, his ears twitched. Through the piercing howl of the blizzard came a sound. It was faint, almost impossible to believe it was real, yet unmistakably there.

At first, it seemed like just a string of random syllables, nothing meaningful. But to someone with a sharp, focused mind, the tiny rises and falls in the tone revealed a gentle warmth, a calm harmony… and a subtle, radiant brilliance.

“The Great Baptism Light Mantra?” Shui Die Lan exclaimed. “Since when is there a great monk from the Western Zen Sect around here? That mantra’s power is pouring in from beyond the Yemo Heaven; it’s spreading almost everywhere... wait, could it be the Tiger Monk?”

The nicknames the Seven Demons used for each other were actually pretty entertaining.

Li Xun had already guessed who it was, so he corrected her with a half-smile. “Not a monk... he’s a lay monk. Ban Cheng the Lay Monk, to be exact.”

Shui Die Lan didn’t gave a damn about that. What caught her attention was the situation itself. A former demon of such terrifying strength showing up outside Yemo Heaven at this moment. There was no way he’d come just to keep chanting for lost souls, right?

She and Li Xun exchanged a glance. And both thought of the same person: Mistress Tianzhi.

Li Xun swept the area with his divine sense. And suddenly froze. “Crap!” He whipped around and dashing toward the ice layer where Tianzhi was resting.

Shui Die Lan didn’t follow right away. She lowered her gaze to the traces Li Xun and Yin Wanderer had left behind. The wind and snow had already buried most of them, but enough remained to tell the story.

At last, she sighed. “What a terrifying man.”

Li Xun had no idea she was saying that behind his back. In just a few breaths, he reached the icy shelter where Tianzhi was staying.

He was about to step inside when his body suddenly tensed. He stopped, voice low and cautious. “Mistress Tianzhi, are you all right?”

After a heartbeat’s pause came a reply. “I’m fine.”