After I Became A Divine Beast In An Immortal Sect [Transmigration into a Book] - Chapter 4

It was once again the day Cheng Suxi held a public lecture.

As soon as she arrived at Xuerong Square, the disciple Yunlan came forward to express his gratitude.

“Thank you for bestowing medicine upon me, Peak Master.”

Yunlan was handsome, with an elegant and unhurried bearing that naturally carried a carefree, unrestrained air. His injuries had only recently healed, so his face was still somewhat pale, but he did not appear frail.

Cheng Suxi looked him over and frowned slightly before transmitting her voice directly to him.

“Where did you go during this training expedition? Why is there demonic energy on your body?”

Yunlan froze.

Demonic energy?

Judging by his expression, he did not appear to have knowingly encountered the demon race. Cheng Suxi relaxed slightly.

“After the lecture, follow me back to Canglang Hall.”

Yunlan understood that the matter was serious. His expression became solemn as he replied, “I shall obey your command.”

Cheng Suxi instructed Yunlan to return to the other disciples and continue listening to the lecture, but inwardly, she began to contemplate the matter.

The demonic energy on Yunlan was extremely faint, as though he had picked it up unintentionally. However, Cheng Suxi had personally slaughtered tens of thousands of demons before, so there was no possibility that she had mistaken it.

The great war had only recently ended, and the demon race had supposedly retreated entirely into the Demon Realm. If any had escaped the net and remained behind, there was no guarantee that they would not cause further calamity.

No matter what, this matter had to be thoroughly investigated.

After the lecture concluded, Cheng Suxi leaped down from the elevated platform and immediately took Yunlan away on her flying sword.

To some of the disciples watching, however, this action carried an entirely different meaning.

“I’ve long heard that Senior Brother Yunlan is the disciple most favored by the Peak Master. Now that I’ve seen it for myself, the rumors certainly weren’t false.”

“Senior Brother Yunlan possesses dual spiritual roots and is also Martial Uncle Lingyue’s disciple. What is wrong with the Peak Master showing him a little extra concern? You sound so sour—were you raised in a vat of vinegar?”

“I was merely making a few observations. Why must this junior brother from Xianmiao Peak be so aggressive? Could it be that there are certain things on Xianmiao Peak that must not be spoken of?”

“As it happens, I also have something I wish to ask this senior brother. Are sarcastic remarks and falsely accusing others special skills of Suhui Peak’s disciples? Since Senior Brother loves meddling in other people’s business so much, were you perhaps born in the Year of the Dog?”

“You—you—you are simply… completely unreasonable!”

“Senior Brother, don’t be angry. Don’t be angry. This junior brother was merely speaking the truth… Hey, hey! Senior Brother, why are you leaving in such a hurry?”

Yunsheng had rendered the troublemaker speechless with his retorts and watched him storm away in fury. Only then did he turn proudly toward the black-clad man beside him.

“From what I can see, the people of Suhui Peak are only capable of this much.”

Yunmo stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a stone pillar. With no expression on his face, he commented, “Indulging in verbal victories is not the conduct of a capable person.”

Yunsheng rolled his eyes at his taciturn senior brother and pointed at his own face.

“My mouth is right beneath my nose. Wouldn’t it be a waste if I didn’t use it to speak?”

Yunmo replied, “Keep your mind calm and your heart free of impurity, and malicious words will naturally fail to reach your ears. The more one speaks, the more faults one reveals. Junior Brother, I hope you will examine yourself and reflect upon your conduct each day.”

After being lectured by his senior brother all the time, Yunsheng felt as though calluses were about to form inside his ears.

Yet he did not dare be too perfunctory. Otherwise, his senior brother would certainly drag him to the training grounds and “reeducate” him.

“Senior Brother is right. Yunsheng will certainly repent, turn over a new leaf, and become a better person.”

Yunmo saw through his insincerity at once but could not be bothered to expose him.

“I know you are close to Meng Li’an, but you absolutely must not interfere in the Peak Master selection.”

On the surface, Xianmiao Peak and Suhui Peak had nothing to do with the selection. However, anyone with discerning eyes could see that the two peaks represented the sect’s new and old factions.

Although Yunmo did not know what the Sect Master and Peak Master were planning, as disciples of Xianmiao Peak, the very least they could do was avoid causing trouble at such a critical moment.

Yunsheng failed to understand the deeper meaning behind Yunmo’s words, but he nevertheless raised two fingers as though swearing an oath.

“I promise that I’ll cultivate properly on Xianmiao Peak for the entire month and won’t go anywhere.”

Yunmo said, “Have Qingyun remain with you.”

Qingyun was the young attendant who served Yunsheng. He had a round head and face and was clever and adorable.

It was often said that servants took after their masters. Qingyun resembled Yunsheng somewhat in both appearance and temperament, so the two naturally got along well. Qingyun frequently helped Yunsheng with his various “violations of laws and discipline.”

Yunsheng’s face immediately fell.

Everything about Xianmiao Peak was wonderful, except that there were too few people and the Peak Master preferred excessive peace and quiet.

The other peaks were different. Not only was there an endless amount of excitement to watch, but one could also frequently discover unusual trinkets among the outer disciples’ belongings.

Yunsheng often took Qingyun with him to wander around and experience the thrill of treasure hunting.

He had originally thought that although he could not leave personally, he could have Qingyun bring some interesting things back for him.

Now, it seemed that would be impossible.

……

Meanwhile, Cheng Suxi had already returned to Canglang Hall with Yunlan.

After dismissing the servants, she established a restrictive barrier and said to Yunlan, “Speak. Where did you go during your training, and where did you encounter the demon race?”

Yunlan did not dare conceal anything. He recounted his entire journey and everything he had encountered along the way.

“This disciple traveled westward. Along the way, I passed through several mortal villages and killed a few demonic beasts that were harming the people. When I reached the banks of the Sushui River, I encountered an injured female cultivator. She claimed to be a disciple of the Tianling Sect and said that she had been severely wounded after being ambushed by an evil cultivator. I noticed that her aura was not that of a human, so she explained that she was one of the Tianling Sect’s guardian disciples.”

The Tianling Sect was the most unusual sect in the entire cultivation world.

Its members came from diverse backgrounds. It included not only human cultivators but also demon cultivators. The demon cultivators within the sect referred to themselves as “guardian disciples.”

According to legend, this was because the Tianling Sect had been founded by one human and one demon, who were also Dao companions.

However, that had happened tens of thousands of years ago. The Dao companion pair had long since ascended to the Immortal Realm, and even the current disciples of the Tianling Sect could no longer clearly explain the details.

“I gave her medicine for her injuries and escorted her into the Tianling Sect’s territory. Once I saw that other disciples had arrived to receive her, I left. After thinking it over, she is the only suspicious person I encountered.”

“Did she carry any demonic-beast aura?”

Yunlan considered the question for a moment before replying, “There was indeed a trace of demonic-beast aura, but it was not obvious. I assumed it was faint because she was injured, so I did not think much of it.”

“Do you know her name?”

“I heard the other disciples of the Tianling Sect call her ‘Xuanyue.’”

“How did you receive your own injuries?”

“On my return journey to the sect, this disciple encountered several fellow cultivators from the Xuanyuan Sect. Some disagreements arose between us during our conversation…”

Yunlan’s explanation was vague, but Cheng Suxi could easily imagine what had happened.

Logically speaking, the Xuanyuan Sect and Qianyuan Sect shared the same origins and ought to have supported one another. Unfortunately, the relationship between the two sects was extremely poor, and conflicts frequently broke out between their disciples.

After gaining a general understanding of the situation, Cheng Suxi took a jade pendant from her storage pouch.

“Demonic energy can easily destabilize one’s Dao heart. This jade pendant was crafted from Iceheart Jade Marrow and has the effect of calming the mind and settling the spirit. Wear it on your person, and the demonic energy should be eliminated within several days.”

Yunlan was both ashamed and grateful.

“I have caused trouble for the Peak Master.”

Although Cheng Suxi disliked dealing with trivial matters, she had always been fiercely protective of her own people and had never considered the disciples of her peak to be troublesome.

She told Yunlan not to dwell upon it and dismissed him.

After Yunlan left, Cheng Suxi took out a voice-transmission token.

It had been left to her by one of her closest friends, Jiang Lingyu.

Jiang Lingyu was also the chief disciple of the Tianling Sect’s Sect Master.

Using the token, Cheng Suxi transmitted a message to her friend, asking her to investigate the disciple named Xuanyue. She also instructed Jiang Lingyu not to alert the target.

Perhaps the other party was in seclusion, because she did not respond immediately.

Cheng Suxi could only set the matter aside for the time being.