Chapter 10: His Way

With a swish, the younger female cultivator pulled out several spirit stones and loose pills from Li Xingruo’s storage ring.

Though the stones and pills were of modest grade, they bore an unmistakable mark—

They were steeped in thick demonic aura.

“Demonic aura! It’s demonic aura!”

“Such dense demonic aura—it must have been carried by a demonic cultivator!”

“Could the pretty boy be right? Is this fairy-like girl really a spy?”

Many diners in the restaurant hall, also cultivators, instantly recognized the items’ origin.

Staring at the objects laid out on the table, Li Xingruo was dumbfounded.

Something’s wrong!

Why are these things in my ring?

I clearly didn’t… wait, the aura on these items—it’s from those demonic cultivators chasing me…

A flash of realization hit, and she glared at Shi Xiangwen, seeing his harmless smile still plastered on his handsome face. She gritted her teeth.

It’s definitely this stinking Taoist’s doing!

If he could seal my spiritual power without me noticing, he could easily slip something into my ring!

So he didn’t actually know I’m a demonic spy—he’s just turning my trick against me.

I called him a flower thief, so he calls me a demonic spy!

Filthy Taoist, playing dirty, huh?

Taking a deep breath, Li Xingruo forced herself to calm down.

She didn’t say something foolish like “These aren’t mine” and instead raised her voice:

“Don’t listen to his nonsense! I took these from demonic cultivators I killed! This lecher ambushed me when I was drained from fighting them. Sisters, don’t believe his lies!”

She wasn’t sure how convincing her defense was to the crowd.

Shi Xiangwen only planted generic treasures like spirit stones and pills, not broken demonic artifacts.

If he’d slipped in a snapped demonic sword, she could’ve convinced everyone she’d fought demonic cultivators to the death.

He was too clever with what he planted.

“You claim to be from the Huangji Sect. Where’s your proof?”

As Li Xingruo prepared to argue further, a burly man approached and questioned Shi Xiangwen.

“Of course.”

Shi Xiangwen nodded slightly, producing his Huangji Sect identity token and handing it to the man.

“Hiss! Truly a Huangji Sect fellow Daoist!”

The burly man gasped, bowing. “I’m Shi Jingtian from Chiyun Pavilion. We share the same surname, haha…”

“Really?”

The younger female cultivator eagerly stood, snatching the token from Shi Jingtian. She and her companions examined the Huangji Sect emblem.

“Shi Xiangwen from Thousand Mechanism Peak… He’s really from the Huangji Sect! That was close—we almost got fooled by this demonic witch!”

After inspecting the token, the younger cultivator bowed in shame.

Then she turned, glaring at Li Xingruo. “The Huangji Sect is a righteous immortal sect, its disciples known for chivalry. How could they be vile fiends? You wicked witch, you nearly made me wrong an innocent!”

She raised her hand to strike.

Shi Xiangwen flashed to Li Xingruo’s side, blocking the younger cultivator’s arm with a smile:

“Since the misunderstanding is cleared, I must take this witch back to my sect. I won’t disturb you further.”

“Brother Shi, please go ahead.” The group bowed with smiles.

Returning the gesture, Shi Xiangwen grabbed Li Xingruo’s wrist and, under the curious gazes of the diners, pulled her out of the restaurant.

Back on the street, he let go and smiled. “I thought Miss Xianer would cause more of a fuss. Why follow me so obediently?”

“Hmph, they’re all scared of your Huangji Sect status. No matter how much I fuss, no one would help,” Li Xingruo shot him a glance, sneering.

Shi Xiangwen nodded. “Miss Xianer is perceptive.”

“Tch!”

Li Xingruo scoffed. “I thought they had some guts, but seeing the Huangji Sect, they’re just as scared as…”

As demonic cultivators, she didn’t finish.

“It’s not fear. Compared to someone carrying demonic spirit stones and pills, they trust a Huangji Sect disciple more,” Shi Xiangwen explained. “That’s the reputation the Huangji Sect has built over centuries.”

Sect reputation?

Raised in the Radiant Sect, steeped in demonic disdain, Li Xingruo scorned such things.

She mocked:

“So to uphold your sect’s reputation, you’re forcing a mortal woman to marry that cripple from Chui Xing Peak?”

“I understand Miss Xianer’s reluctance to marry a cripple,” Shi Xiangwen said calmly. “But as I said, if you don’t want to marry, just cancel the engagement properly. Why resort to fleeing, harming the harmony between our families?”

Li Xingruo pursed her lips. “Cancel the engagement? Easy to say, but what if he won’t let me?”

“How do you know without trying?” Shi Xiangwen countered.

“Fine, I’ll cancel it!”

Li Xingruo switched tactics quickly.

Raising an eyebrow, she said:

“How about… you don’t drag me up the mountain. Just help me cancel the engagement. I’ll announce that the Huangji Sect called it off, not that I refused, so your sect’s face is saved.”

“No, Miss Xianer must come with me to the sect to cancel it in person.”

Shi Xiangwen rejected her suggestion without hesitation.

After all, his trip wasn’t about the marriage.

Shi Xiangwen… or rather, Si Ruochen, the master of Chui Xing Peak, using a pseudonym.

He’d never met his Li family fiancée and cared little about the marriage or its cancellation.

He came down the mountain for one reason—

Days ago, a flash of divine insight revealed this girl, tied to fate, must be brought back.

The threads of karma don’t converge on someone without reason.

His divination hinted she was linked to the rise and fall of both immortal and demonic paths.

Though Si Ruochen couldn’t fathom how she held such favor from the Heavenly Dao, one thing was certain:

Bringing her back would aid his grand plans.

The immortal sects, without the demonic path’s pressure, were decaying at an alarming rate.

If not reformed, today’s demonic path would be tomorrow’s immortal sects.

Could the task of reshuffling the immortal sects fall to her?

But…

Glancing at the mischievous girl beside him, clearly plotting something, Si Ruochen sighed with a slight headache.

From today’s initial observation, this fated girl, his nominal fiancée, seemed to have a rather troublesome personality.

She couldn’t yet be brought into his secret faction.

Fortunately, her talent was exceptional, her mind sharp, and while not exactly virtuous, she wasn’t utterly wicked.

Once back, she’d need proper training.