The Cub I Raised Turned Out to Be a Reborn Boss (GL) - Chapter 23.1

Qingyang City was Yun Tongtian’s territory, and he had no intention of hiding his aura at all.

So Song Xi quickly locked onto Yun Tongtian’s location.

Dark Netherworld power wrapped around Song Xi’s body, allowing her to easily pass through layer after layer of guards and sneak outside the window of the sentry post on the city wall.

There were two people standing inside the sentry post. One of them wore a white robe. His temperament was gentle and refined, filled with the scholarly air of a learned man.

If one did not know Yun Tongtian, they would definitely mistake him for a powerless scholar.

Beside him stood a middle-aged man dressed in black brocade robes. “City Lord, are you really going to kill Yuqing Sect’s young sect master… That is Yuqing Sect. If Xue Qiancheng’s wrath descends, our Qingyang City will be flattened in moments.”

Yun Tongtian slapped the table in anger. The folding fan in his hand struck the surface with a crisp sound. “Yi’er was killed by them. I will never rest until they are dead.”

The middle-aged man still refused to give up and advised him in a low voice, “City Lord, if you had not set up the great array, Young Master Yun would not have been killed. Every grievance has its culprit and every debt has its debtor. We only need to find the woman who killed Young Master Yun. Why must we offend Yuqing Sect?”

Even if they cut off spiritual communication here, Xue Qiancheng would definitely come to Qingyang City afterward to investigate thoroughly. With her famously protective nature and her status, even if she destroyed Qingyang City in one move, no one would dare criticize her. In his view, what Yun Tongtian was doing was seeking his own destruction.

“Xue Qiancheng?”

Yun Tongtian held his folding fan and lightly tapped it against the table. His tone grew slightly heavy. “She has Xue Qiancheng behind her, but we have Cold Moon Valley behind us. This is the order of the Cold Moon Valley Master. Even if Xue Qiancheng seeks revenge, let her go find Han Ruliu. You know our Qingyang City’s situation. Now is the time when we must make a choice. Kill Jiang Yixue, then join Cold Moon Valley. That is the most appropriate method now.”

Qingyang City was located between Yuqing Sect and Cold Moon Valley. On the surface, it had vast territory and a prosperous city, but in truth, it struggled to survive between two great powers.

Neither side was an existence they could afford to offend. But recently, Cold Moon Valley had extended an olive branch to Qingyang City.

In Yun Tongtian’s view, Yun Yi’s conflict with that woman at the auction today had only been a small dispute. As the lord of a city, he should not have lowered his status and acted personally.

But after hearing Yun Yi say that Jiang Yixue had come to the auction today, Yun Tongtian had become tempted.

He was somewhat moved by Cold Moon Valley’s goodwill. The reason he had delayed replying until now was because he was worried that once Qingyang City came under Cold Moon Valley, he would lose his previous position above tens of thousands. Within Cold Moon Valley, Heaven-rank strength was not enough to make him an important figure.

Jiang Yixue was also praised within Yuqing Sect as a genius rarely seen in a thousand years. Such a person was a treasure inside one’s own sect, but to outsiders, she was a tremendous threat. Based on Jiang Yixue’s cultivation speed, within a hundred years, Yuqing Sect might gain another Immortal-rank expert.

Cold Moon Valley bordered Yuqing Sect. How could one sleep peacefully while someone else snored beside one’s bed? Cold Moon Valley definitely feared this.

If Yun Tongtian could help Cold Moon Valley get rid of Jiang Yixue, this major threat, then he would not need to worry about having no status in Cold Moon Valley later.

Outside the window, Song Xi’s brows furrowed tightly, and killing intent flashed through her phoenix eyes.

So their target had been Jiang Yixue from the very beginning…

Whether Jiang Yixue was her enemy or her senior sister, Jiang Yixue’s life belonged to Song Xi. No one else was qualified to touch her.

Darkness gradually enveloped the room. Yun Tongtian suddenly turned around. His sharp instincts allowed him to sense the killing intent behind him.

“Who’s there?”

The Ruofeng Sword, wrapped in Netherworld power, was like the dark shadow of a swimming dragon cutting through the void. It brushed past Yun Tongtian’s neck.

After missing the first strike, Song Xi did not withdraw her momentum. She smoothly changed direction, driving the Ruofeng Sword with her elbow directly into the chest of the middle-aged man beside Yun Tongtian.

Netherworld power instantly invaded his body through the blade. In just a moment, that person lost all signs of life.

In her previous life, Song Xi had relied on this method of hiding and assassination to make Shendaozi pay no small price before he managed to capture her.

Yun Tongtian reached out and wiped away the blood at his neck, his face dark. “So you’re the one who killed my son. Then stay here and pay with your life.”

Yun Tongtian did not summon his subordinates. Those low-cultivation subordinates had no chance of surviving in front of such an expert.

But Yun Tongtian was very confident. “You attack with assassination methods right away. With only Earth-rank cultivation, you can do this much. That shows your concealment skills are impressive, but your true cultivation is probably not high.”

As he spoke, the saber in Yun Tongtian’s hand swung out.

The Silver Moon Long Saber carried mighty power, and each move was a broad, forceful saber technique.

Song Xi’s spiritual power did not belong to her, and she quickly fell into a disadvantage. The strength from the Silver Moon Long Saber shook her wrist numb.

Yun Tongtian forced Song Xi back with one slash and sneered. “So this is all the strength you have. It seems today, you will die in my hands.”

“That may not be true.”

Song Xi’s eyes shifted slightly. All the spiritual power from Jiang Yixue inside her body was immediately refined into Netherworld power.

She had not cultivated a Netherworld seed inside her body yet, so she could not control this much Netherworld power. For a time, the violent power crushed through her meridians, and waves of tearing pain rolled through her internal organs.

If it were an ordinary person, they would not be able to control this power at all. But as the Netherworld King, what Song Xi was most familiar with was Netherworld power.

If she could not control it, then she would forcibly suppress it and turn it to her own use.

The ruthlessness in Song Xi’s eyes became extremely intense. She had always been ruthless toward others, and she was equally ruthless toward herself.

The meridians inside Song Xi’s body even gave off faint cracking sounds. But at that very moment, the aura around her surged wildly, surpassing Yun Tongtian before her.

Seizing this instant of opportunity, the Ruofeng Sword in Song Xi’s hand stabbed out from the trickiest angle.

With a clang, the sound of metal scraping against metal rang out.

Yun Tongtian blocked it.

But the corner of Song Xi’s lips curved. “City Lord Yun, you fell for it.”

A flash of dark light swept past Yun Tongtian’s neck. That short dagger landed in Song Xi’s palm, still carrying the warmth of Yun Tongtian’s blood.

From the very beginning, she had never intended to clash head-on with Yun Tongtian. Her so-called sudden surge of aura was only to shift Yun Tongtian’s attention to the sword in her hand. Netherworld power was strange and unpredictable, most suitable for hiding and assassination. Song Xi did not care whether an ambush lacked dignity. The result was what mattered most.

“Your cultivation method is rather unique.”

Song Xi’s heart tightened. She turned back and saw a touch of frost-white.

A woman walked in from outside the door. A light veil covered her face, and her plain Daoist robe swayed gracefully. Her head of frost-white hair shone like bright moonlight at the edge of the sky.

Unable to sense her cultivation, Song Xi frowned slightly, and the little spiritual energy left in her body quickly began circulating.

“Someone from Cold Moon Valley.”

The woman walked leisurely, stepping lightly around the corpses on the ground without staining the tips of her shoes with even a trace of blood. The pair of bright eyes she revealed smiled as brilliantly as stars.

“This is not my real body. You don’t need to be so cautious.”

Cold Moon Valley had a Moon Shadow technique. Relying on a token left behind beforehand, one could temporarily condense an incarnation with moonlight. This incarnation had no cultivation at all and could only last for fifteen minutes. Moreover, the cultivation difficulty was extremely high, making it rather useless. Even so, many people in Cold Moon Valley had successfully cultivated it.

The most famous among them was Cold Moon Valley’s saintess, Han Jixing. Rumor had it that she acted mysteriously and unpredictably, always covering her face with a light veil, dressed in frost-colored clothes like the moon.

She was the most outstanding saintess in Cold Moon Valley’s history and had reached Heaven-rank cultivation at a young age.

“I went through so much trouble to condense this incarnation because I wanted to meet Jiang Yixue. I didn’t expect that the person who could kill Yun Tongtian wasn’t her.”

She paused, lowered her eyes, and smiled. “After so many years apart, I went into secluded cultivation and ignored worldly affairs. I didn’t expect her to have now become the number one genius of the righteous path.”

Her words made it sound as if Jiang Yixue’s title as the number one genius of the righteous path was something she had merely picked up. As long as Han Jixing emerged from seclusion, she could casually take it back.

The moment Song Xi heard this, she frowned. “You only broke through to Heaven rank after cultivating for a hundred years, and you think you’re worthy of speaking about her?”

“If she had been the one to kill Yun Tongtian today, perhaps I would have been a little wary. But she is only at Spirit-rank cultivation. Her cultivation is inferior to mine. Why can’t I speak of her?”

Han Jixing’s tone carried a faint anger. Her life had been glorious, yet in the end, she had been stuck at the bottleneck of advancing to Heaven rank for a full thirty years. Because of that, she had entered long seclusion, and there were even people who said her talent had run dry… This was Han Jixing’s reverse scale that could not be touched.

“Noisy.”

Song Xi pressed her lips together slightly. Without another word, the sharp sword in her hand stabbed directly toward that frost-white figure.

The blade stirred up a strong wind, and the spiritual power accompanying it strangled that incarnation. The incarnation slowly dispersed in the breeze.

In the moment before the incarnation vanished, Han Jixing glared furiously. “You actually dare destroy my incarnation…”

Even though this incarnation had no strength, the person behind it was Han Jixing. Destroying it directly without a word simply gave Han Jixing no face at all.

Face?

Song Xi grinned. Han Jixing was not worthy of the Netherworld King’s face.

Nor was Han Jixing worthy of saying those words that belittled Jiang Yixue.

The city fell into chaos.

Once Yun Tongtian died, the great array he had set up shattered with a crash.

Even the Heaven-rank Yun Tongtian had died at the hands of an unknown expert. The others instantly lost all will to resist. Yun Tongtian’s subordinates feared being implicated by Yun Tongtian and were now busy fleeing in every direction. The order to pursue also vanished like smoke with Yun Tongtian’s death.

After recovering some spiritual power, Jiang Yixue hurried toward the city wall.

She happened to meet Song Xi as she came down from the city wall. Before Jiang Yixue could even speak, Song Xi’s figure swayed, and she staggered into Jiang Yixue’s arms.

A warm, soft sensation and rich fragrance instantly wrapped around Jiang Yixue.

Jiang Yixue had no time to let her thoughts wander. She reached out and wrapped an arm around Song Xi’s waist.

She understood very well how bad Song Xi’s physical condition was right now. Even through the fabric, she could feel the slight trembling coming from Song Xi’s body.

But thinking about it, she understood. Song Xi had relied on half-baked strength to defeat Yun Tongtian, so the price she paid had to be heavy.

“You trust me this much?”

Jiang Yixue sighed softly. Her fingers fell on Song Xi’s forehead, brushing aside the messy hair covering the corner of her brow.

Almost the entire weight of Song Xi’s body pressed against Jiang Yixue. Her lips were deathly pale, and those beautiful phoenix eyes curved in a smooth arc, now slightly closed, as if she had fainted from exhaustion.

Dawn climbed across the horizon. The usual bustling prosperity of Qingyang City did not appear, and the streets seemed somewhat desolate.

Song Xi was woken by the shifting light and shadows before her eyes. She narrowed her eyes slightly and opened them. What came into view was Jiang Yixue’s face.

Morning light passed through the window and the bed curtains, falling onto Jiang Yixue’s side profile and outlining a gentle silhouette. Compared to her daytime appearance, there was less coldness and distance, and a little more quiet softness.

Most of the injuries from last night’s battle with Yun Tongtian had healed. Although her body was still somewhat sore, it was no longer a problem.

Thinking of how she had fainted in Jiang Yixue’s arms yesterday, Song Xi lowered her eyes slightly. She could not explain why she trusted Jiang Yixue so much.

Perhaps it was because, even when they had been in a desperate situation yesterday, Jiang Yixue had still stood beside her without hesitation and had even taken the initiative to transfer all her spiritual power to her.

Song Xi had built Youming Palace and had countless subordinates, but in her heart, she knew better than anyone that she could not trust a single person. Because anyone could stab her in the back.

But last night, when she had held Jiang Yixue’s hand and avoided pursuit together with her, she had suddenly felt somewhat wronged. Why, in her previous life, had there only been herself? She had also felt somewhat warm. In this life, Jiang Yixue was by her side. She was someone who would not harm her…

Song Xi’s gaze traced Jiang Yixue’s brows and eyes bit by bit.

This was not the Jiang Yixue from her previous life. This was the senior sister who belonged only to her.

Jiang Yixue’s lashes trembled slightly, then she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was that pair of beautiful phoenix eyes tinged with faint red. Those phoenix eyes were staring at her very seriously.

“Cough, cough…”

Jiang Yixue coughed lightly twice to ease the awkwardness and slightly avoided Song Xi’s gaze. “Why are you looking at me?”

“N-nothing…”

Song Xi’s tongue nearly tied itself into knots. She had never expected Jiang Yixue to wake at this moment and catch this scene.

Song Xi hurriedly continued, “It’s getting late. We should leave too.”

“Where are you going next?”

As Jiang Yixue asked, she supported herself on the bed and sat up.

When she looked back, she saw that Song Xi’s clothes were stained with blood, especially around the neckline, where the color was particularly dark.

Jiang Yixue leaned over to look. “Are there still wounds that haven’t been treated? Why is there still a smell of blood…”

Jiang Yixue’s long hair also fell down from her shoulder with her movement, the ends brushing lightly across Song Xi’s cheek with a faint cold fragrance.

Strands of morning light passed through the gaps in Jiang Yixue’s long hair. Her face behind the curtain of hair was not clear, but those pale ink-colored glassy eyes were like a calm lake so deep one could not see the bottom. Amid the distance, they held tranquility and peace.

Moving downward, what entered Song Xi’s eyes was the smooth line of Jiang Yixue’s jaw, and the snow-white skin gradually hidden beneath her clothing.

“No. It might be Yun Tongtian’s blood.”

Song Xi shifted her gaze slightly, then turned sideways and sat up from the bed. But the tips of her ears were faintly red.

That embrace from earlier, carrying a faint cold fragrance, kept echoing in her mind and refused to fade.

Only outside the city, when Jiang Yixue was preparing to leave, did she seem to remember something and turn back. “That sword…”

The Ruofeng Sword was the gift Jiang Yixue had bought for “Song Xi.” Song Xi suddenly woke from her daze and almost forgot that the two of them were only chance acquaintances right now. She hurriedly took the Ruofeng Sword from her storage pouch.

“Yesterday, it was thanks to this sword’s sharpness. Now it’s time to return it to its rightful owner.”

But Jiang Yixue did not reach out to take it. She smiled and said, “I meant that it has found its owner. Consider this sword my thanks for saving my life yesterday. Yesterday, I dragged you into trouble.”

Cold Moon Valley and Yun Tongtian had both come for Jiang Yixue, so Jiang Yixue could not help feeling guilty.

The person before her had changed out of that deep purple and was now wearing a black long dress. Her long hair was pinned up, and faint scarlet brewed within the darkness of her eyes. Her appearance was unparalleled in its bewitching beauty. The sword also suited her perfectly in her hand, just like her own temperament—sharp and dazzling.

Only after watching Jiang Yixue’s back disappear into the horizon did Song Xi sigh softly. Looking at the sword in her hand, her expression grew complicated.

Hadn’t Jiang Yixue said it was a gift for her junior sister? Yet she gave it away just like that… Was she not afraid her junior sister would be unhappy…

But this sword was now indeed in Song Xi’s hands. It seemed she had no reason to be unhappy either.

What a messy relationship. She could not sort it out at all.

The Qingyang Mountain trial lasted one hundred days. Jiang Yixue had been delayed for several days going back and forth. A few days after she returned to the flying boat, the trial disciples gradually began coming back.

Jiang Yixue decided to return and find Zuo Hao first, asking him to send people to temporarily stabilize the situation in Qingyang City. After the trial ended, she would discuss the matter of Cold Moon Valley with Xue Qiancheng.

When Lin Chen returned, he did so with great momentum. The disciples now looked at Lin Chen with eyes full of admiration and willingly followed behind him.

In the early stage, they had been bullied terribly by those wandering cultivators. In the later stage, when Lin Chen led them to crush the wandering cultivators, they felt just as refreshed and proud, finally holding their heads high.

The moment Lin Chen boarded the flying boat, he saw Jiang Yixue. Joy appeared on his face, and he stepped forward.

“Senior Sister Jiang, I have not failed my mission.”

“You did well. The champion of this trial should be you.”

Jiang Yixue turned to Zuo Hao and said, “Captain Zuo, return as soon as possible. I’m going back to my room to cultivate.”

She had gone to Qingyang City, encountered all sorts of chaotic matters, yet her cultivation still had not improved. If she did not cultivate soon, that little brat Lin Chen would catch up to her.

Senior Sister Jiang was so outstanding, yet she still worked so hard.

Lin Chen clenched his fists, a breath of determination gathering in his chest. “Thank you for your hard work, Captain Zuo. This disciple’s strength is still low, so I must also seize the time to return to my room and cultivate.”

Zuo Hao: “…”

People said that everyone in the guard squad was a cultivation maniac, but compared to these two, those young men in the guard squad seemed like incomparably normal people.

Yuqing Sect was now right before their eyes. The flying boat slowly slowed and landed on Fengyuan Mountain.

Jiang Yixue pushed open her door and walked out. Her expression carried a little regret. She was still just a little short of breaking through. The bottleneck of Heaven rank could trap a genius like Han Jixing for thirty years. This threshold was not so easy to cross.

Inside Wanxue Hall, Jiang Yixue carefully recounted the entire process of the mission to Xue Qiancheng, including the change in Qingyang City and Han Jixing’s appearance at the end.

Jiang Yixue was not without worry. She felt a strong sense of belonging toward Yuqing Sect. But from the current situation, Cold Moon Valley was definitely playing all sorts of shady tricks behind the scenes.

“That child Lin Chen followed along to the trial?”

Unexpectedly, Xue Qiancheng did not ask a single question about Qingyang City. Instead, the first thing she mentioned was Lin Chen.

Jiang Yixue froze for a moment, then answered, “Yes, Master. I allowed him to go. This disciple is willing to bear responsibility.”

“What responsibility do you have? You simply felt that you could not stop him, so instead of that, you let him follow openly. That made it easier for you to protect him.”

Xue Qiancheng lightly lifted her skirt and turned to sit in the main seat. The crystal-blue tassels by her temples swayed gently with her movements.

She merely sat there, yet she seemed to be the center of the entire world. Her brows and eyes carried authority without anger, and her whole body held a graceful and steady bearing, as if the entire world was under her control. Even the small thoughts Jiang Yixue had not voiced, she had actually guessed completely.

“He is just like his mother. When he wants to do something, others cannot stop him.”

The person Xue Qiancheng spoke of was the only empress among the generations of Cang Emperors of Eastern Profound Canghai.

Back then, Xue Qiancheng and the empress of Eastern Profound Canghai had been existences whose strength could stand shoulder to shoulder. They had also been very good friends. But later, that person passed away, leaving only Xue Qiancheng behind.

“Things have changed, and the outcome is already set. Looking back is useless.”

“Why did the empress…”

Jiang Yixue was unable to continue. She knew that to Xue Qiancheng, this matter was a scar.

Xue Qiancheng shook her head slightly and let out an almost imperceptible sigh. The brightness in her eyes dimmed. “Canghai is too far away, and Yuqing Sect is the foundation passed down generation after generation by my sect. I could not abandon Yuqing Sect’s safety, nor did I have a reason to go investigate.”

“Let’s not talk about this anymore.”

Xue Qiancheng changed the topic. “There is something I need to tell you. That little disciple of your Martial Uncle Han has recently stirred up quite a few waves inside the sect.”

“Xixi?”

Jiang Yixue instantly grew nervous. She had not seen Song Xi for three months. Although she had made arrangements before leaving, there were too many variables within the sect. It was hard to guarantee no one had made things difficult for Song Xi… If even Xue Qiancheng called it “waves,” then it had to be something major…

Xue Qiancheng smiled faintly. “Some time ago, she returned from the ancient battlefield secret realm and got into a conflict with others on the martial stage. That was when it was revealed that she had actually already reached Mystic-rank cultivation. Moreover, she defeated Yan Ming and Yan Zi two against one, making her reputation rise quickly within the sect.”

Jiang Yixue’s eyes widened in surprise. “Mystic-rank cultivation?”

When she left, Song Xi had still been at Yellow rank. This was a direct jump by an entire major realm. It had only been three months. What kind of cultivation speed was this?

“It’s because you taught her well. When your Martial Uncle Han returns, I must remember to ask for credit on your behalf. If there is nothing else, you may go back first.”

Jiang Yixue did not move. She raised her eyes and looked at Xue Qiancheng, reminding her carefully, “Master, Cold Moon Valley…”

This was the main reason Jiang Yixue had come to find Xue Qiancheng today. She had never expected Xue Qiancheng to not mention it at all.

“You need not worry about this matter.”

Xue Qiancheng waved her hand. Cold light suddenly gathered in her eyes, and her tone became cold and heavy. “Some people have not seen me act for many years, so their ambitions have grown. It is time to beat them back a little. Cold Moon Valley is only a second-rate force, yet they actually dare take the initiative to provoke us and even set their sights on you.”

Jiang Yixue was so frightened by Xue Qiancheng’s tone that she shrank her neck slightly. Rare indeed. Even Xue Qiancheng had moments when her anger meter was completely full.

No wonder Xue Qiancheng had not mentioned Cold Moon Valley at all. It was because she had never considered it a difficult matter in the first place.

Yuqing Sect had no ambition to dominate, so Xue Qiancheng had not acted for many years.

As Xue Qiancheng’s disciple, Jiang Yixue knew very clearly how terrifying Xue Qiancheng’s current strength was. Cold Moon Valley Master Han Ruliu still believed Yuqing Sect and Cold Moon Valley were evenly matched. That was simply absurdly wrong… Roughly estimating, if Xue Qiancheng attacked with full strength, Han Ruliu might not be able to withstand three moves…

Xue Qiancheng continued, “Since Han Ruliu took the initiative to provoke us, then I will directly slap them into submission, lest they continue using underhanded tricks behind our backs.”

Jiang Yixue: “…”