Chapter 70: Joining the Sect

Beneath the Twin Peaks, Hu Xiaoyu glanced anxiously towards the dense mountain forest. Daylight had already broken, yet after searching within, she could no longer find the Mountain God’s Cave. Memories of the overwhelming mountain spirits made her shudder.

“Is Li Yan dead? He hasn’t appeared by now—surely he can’t still be alive,” Hu Xiaoyu thought gloomily, though she was reluctant to accept such certainty.

After waiting a while longer, her impatience flared; she slapped the nearby tree with her palm, leaving a deep handprint in the bark. Then, she turned to leave, ready to report back.

“Xiaoyu,” came a familiar voice behind her.

Hu Xiaoyu spun around abruptly, spotting that wretched man grinning in her direction. The joy that bloomed at her lips vanished when she saw A Youduo standing beside him. Her gaze hardened; she stepped forward, intent on capturing A Youduo.

“Hey, hey, don’t be so hasty,” I quickly pulled Hu Xiaoyu back.

“Scoundrel! You lust-blinded fool—can’t you see this whole scheme was orchestrated by that woman? Kawa died at her hands,” Hu Xiaoyu said sharply to me.

“Of course I know, but so what? Why are you so upset—what was Kawa to you?” I replied, my tone sardonic.

“You… Me and him…” Hu Xiaoyu pointed at me, wanting to explain, but felt no obligation. Yet my attitude pained her, so she stomped her foot and turned away in silence.

A Youduo spoke then, her tone calm. “Your White Lotus Sect wants the Mountain God’s Jade and the aid of the Hundred Caverns Miao Village. I can provide both.”

“What do you mean?” Hu Xiaoyu turned, fixing A Youduo with a cold stare.

“Kill Xusha. Support me as the Miao Village’s shaman, so I may lead the Hundred Caverns Miao. Then I’ll give you the Mountain God’s Jade,” A Youduo declared.

“Are you mad, or did I hear wrong? Is this a dream? Your brother is still in our hands; you know what happens if you don’t hand over the Mountain God’s Jade,” Hu Xiaoyu looked at A Youduo as if she were a fool.

I patted Hu Xiaoyu’s fragrant shoulder, whispering into her ear.

She looked at me, incredulous, and murmured, “She can command those thousands of mountain spirits in the cave? She also has a Gu King in her body?”

“It’s true. So go talk to your superiors. If you kill her brother and she unleashes thousands of Gu insects and mountain spirits, it’ll be mutual destruction—and the uproar would be unimaginable. The consequences would be catastrophic,” I said.

Hu Xiaoyu’s heart tightened. If that were so, it could ruin the sect’s grand plan.

“Very well, I’ll do it,” Hu Xiaoyu nodded.

“And… Mingxue, can she be released?” I asked, grinning.

“Fine!” Hu Xiaoyu gritted her teeth. After all her worry, he only thought about his lover.

...

In the pitch-black night, at the stilted house.

The woman’s screams soared wave after wave, finally subsiding into gentle whimpers. With a cigarette between my lips, Mingxue lay weakly beside me, a little lost in thought.

Ever since she and her mother were released, Mingxue had passionately clung to me, seeking every way to please me. Such imperial treatment was probably only offered by professionals in certain establishments.

Yet, inexplicably, I thought of Chi Yun. If I had to describe thorough satisfaction, our encounters were like battles—mutual offense and defense, both sides letting go completely. Only she matched me that way.

I exhaled a cloud of smoke, banishing the thought. Having just been with Mingxue, to immediately think of another woman seemed dishonorable.

After finishing the cigarette, I rose to dress. Mingxue struggled up, helping me arrange my clothes, then escorted me out.

Halfway, a glint caught my eye. My heart stirred; I stepped into the nearby grove.

Within, Nightingale stood clad in black, arms crossed, brows arched coldly. “Enjoying yourself, lost in the arms of pleasure, forgetting your mission?”

I chuckled twice. “I always play the part thoroughly—pleasure is just one aspect of the mission.”

“Spare me your nonsense, you lecher,” Nightingale shot me a glare.

“Heh, since you called me a lecher, wouldn’t it be a shame not to act accordingly?” I said, reaching to pull her close.

Nightingale gave a muffled grunt, her face paling.

My gaze sharpened; I released her and saw blood staining her shoulder. “You’re hurt?”

“It’s just a scratch, nothing serious,” Nightingale replied.

I sniffed, surprised. “Demonic aura—did you enter the misty forest with me and encounter a beast?”

She nodded.

I sat her down and began unfastening her clothes.

“What are you doing?” Nightingale asked, startled.

“Nothing improper—just treating your wound,” I said.

Her shoulder injury was deep. Though she had tended it herself, her efforts were insufficient; my embrace had reopened it.

Carefully, I stitched her wound, applied special medicine, and bandaged it.

Noticing Nightingale’s gaze lingering on me, I asked, “Why are you staring? It’s embarrassing.”

She looked away, a faint blush on her cheek. She admitted that, for a moment, she’d been bewitched—the warmth and tingling sensation lingered in her heart.

Once her wound was tended, I said, “Tonight, something will happen at Hundred Caverns Miao Village. We’ll just watch the spectacle.”

While I spoke, the elders’ council of Hundred Caverns Miao Village was in session.

Thirty-six elders comprised the council, with Elder Xusha serving as the current chairman.

At that moment, Elder Xusha slammed the table in fury. “Without me, Xusha, would you enjoy such comfortable days? Boliu, Yuliang, you dare propose my removal?”

“Xusha, you know full well how many resources you’ve siphoned off these years. Many villages can’t even feed themselves,” said Boliu, the bald elder, in a cold voice.

“That’s right—even brave men like Mingdong aren’t spared. Let you remain as chairman, and Hundred Caverns Miao will be ruined,” Elder Yuliang added.

Elder Xusha’s eyes flashed murderously as he swept his gaze over them, sneering. “Fine, let’s vote. Those who support Boliu and Yuliang, stand up. I want to see who defies me.”

Boliu and Yuliang stood first; the others glanced at each other, hesitating.

“Hahaha, just the two of you—the proposal fails,” Elder Xusha laughed wildly.

Suddenly, an old woman who had kept her eyes closed stood up. “I support replacing the chairman.”

A chain reaction followed; elders rose one after another. Over twenty stood, and the rest, seeing the tide turn, joined in.

“You…” Elder Xusha’s face darkened, then twisted in fury. “You want to remove me? Then you all die! Sect Mother, come aid me!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the masked White Lotus Sect Mother slipped in, standing by Xusha’s side.

“Sect Mother, let’s join forces—kill them all, and half of Hundred Caverns Miao will belong to White Lotus,” Xusha said.

“Agreed!” The Sect Mother nodded. In the next instant, her sword, glowing with white light, pierced Xusha’s heart.

Elder Xusha bowed his head, staring at the sword in disbelief, then at the Sect Mother. They’d been partners, yet she delivered the fatal blow. He could not understand why.

Just then, he saw a young girl enter.

A Youduo!

A moment later, a blood-red Gu worm burrowed into his eye; in an instant, both sockets became pitch-black voids, and he collapsed backward.

“I, A Youduo, from this moment on, am the shaman of Hundred Caverns Miao. My word is divine decree; those who defy me shall suffer the wrath of the Mountain God and Gu God,” A Youduo declared fiercely. As her voice fell, thousands of spirits appeared behind her, insects wailing in chorus.

...

In a few short days, news of the shaman’s arrival and the divine decree spread through the hundreds of Miao villages across the Bosuo Mountains.

The council of elders remained, but above them now stood a supreme shaman.

That day, Hu Xiaoyu brought me to a mountain cave, beside which a waterfall cascaded.

The cave was pitch-black. As we entered, an eerie light flickered within.

At the center sat the masked White Lotus Sect Mother on a stone chair, with eighteen White Lotus maidens behind her. Along the sides stood dozens of White Lotus men and women.

“Greetings, Sect Mother,” Hu Xiaoyu bowed low.

I remained standing, my gaze sweeping the chamber.

“Li Yan, why do you not bow?” The Sect Mother’s voice was icy.

“I heard from Xiaoyu that the White Lotus Sect bears the responsibility of saving the world, striving for fairness, justice, and equality for all. If that is so, why must I bow to you, Sect Mother?” I replied.

Everyone was stunned, their expressions strange. That rhetoric was meant to hoodwink ordinary followers; in practice, the Sect Mother was a mythologized being, exalted above the masses through constant indoctrination.

At that moment, the Sect Mother smiled. “You’re right. Since you have completed your mission, I hereby permit you to join our White Lotus Sect as the leader of our Beichuan branch.”

Soon, someone brought a device to record my appearance, then handed me a badge.

The Sect Mother stepped down from the stone chair, opening her hand. A white lotus formed within, radiating beams of light like holy rays upon me.

“A white lotus opens in chaos, purifying dust and grime from the world. Li Yan, from now on, you are our sworn brother,” the Sect Mother said, and with a turn of her hand, the lotus vanished.