Chapter 29: A Beast Through and Through

Gu Dinghan said with displeasure, "Meng Wenzhang, what nonsense are you spouting!"

Meng Wenzhang replied coldly, "Which part of my statement was nonsense?"

Gu Dinghan choked.

There was none. Every word was true.

Gu Dinghan took a deep breath and addressed Yun Zhao, who was still confused about the situation, "Fellow Daoist Yun, I apologize for my previous offense, but we truly need the Dragon Saliva Grass."

"If you are willing to part with it, I am willing to serve you as a beast of burden to repay your kindness."

Meng Wenzhang struggled slightly, only to be bound tighter by the Immortal-Binding Rope. "I am the same."

After they finished, they looked simultaneously at Bai Lingxiao.

Bai Lingxiao appeared hesitant, but Gu Dinghan ignored her and pressed, "What does Fellow Daoist Yun think?"

"As far as I know," Yun Zhao frowned, "Dragon Saliva Grass is only used to refine Body Tempering Pills. Did you perhaps look for the wrong herb?"

"We didn't look for the wrong one," Bai Lingxiao said with a wry smile. "To be precise, I need another herb, but that herb is in the hands of Song Zhiyuan. He said that if I want it, I must trade it for Dragon Saliva Grass."

"So, you came here looking for Dragon Saliva Grass, and when you couldn't find it, you set your sights on us."

Bai Lingxiao nodded softly.

Yun Zhao and Qi Yan exchanged a glance, both seeing the irritation in each other's eyes. Naturally, it was directed at Song Zhiyuan.

Good heavens, this wretch was doing everything in his power to make things difficult for them!

"If I may be so bold," Yun Zhao said, "may I ask what kind of illness you are suffering from, Fellow Daoist Bai?"

Bai Lingxiao hesitated for a moment. "It is a chronic condition left over from an injury I sustained previously."

On the Yun'an Cliff, the campfire was lit once more. Holding the honey water Yun Zhao had given her, Bai Lingxiao began to recount her past.

"Do you know what kind of person the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect is?"

The Sect Leader was Bai Lingxiao’s master, yet she did not refer to him as such, which immediately piqued Yun Zhao’s curiosity.

"He... seems very kind, appearing to be a virtuous elder."

Bai Lingxiao laughed with an inscrutable expression. "See? Everyone thinks so."

Yun Zhao caught the implication. "Everyone?"

Gu Dinghan and Meng Wenzhang muttered, "We thought so too."

Gu Dinghan added, "That was before we knew his true face."

Yun Zhao tapped her finger. "It seems the Heavenly Sword Sect Leader is not as simple as he appears on the surface."

Bai Lingxiao smiled. "You are right."

The next moment, her voice was filled with overwhelming hatred. "Hu Guichen is a complete and utter beast!"

"Hu Guichen?"

Qi Yan, who had been sitting quietly by Yun Zhao’s side like a background ornament, suddenly spoke up: "Is that the name of the Heavenly Sword Sect Leader?"

Bai Lingxiao was stunned. "Yes."

Yun Zhao asked him, "A-Yan, do you know him?"

"Not really," Qi Yan shook his head. "The name just sounded familiar. I must have heard it somewhere before."

With Qi Yan’s interruption, Bai Lingxiao’s mood darkened, and she continued her story to Yun Zhao.

Bai Lingxiao was originally the daughter of a small sect leader. Born with a natural Sword Bone, she was the ideal candidate for a sword cultivator. To ensure her future, she was sent to the Heavenly Sword Sect to study. Upon entering the sect, she was favored by Hu Guichen and became his chief disciple, the senior sister of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

"He treated me extremely well," Bai Lingxiao murmured. "When I first joined the sect, I was still young and often homesick, so he would take me home once every month."

"The Sect Leader had many responsibilities, yet he always found time to fulfill every request I made."

"In my heart, although he was my master, he was like a father to me."

"And then?" Yun Zhao couldn't help but ask.

Logically speaking, if the Sect Leader had been that kind to her, Bai Lingxiao shouldn't hate him. However, according to typical tragic plots, Hu Guichen must have been pretending and committed an unforgivable act.

"And then..."

A tear fell from Bai Lingxiao’s eye for no reason. "My home was destroyed."

She said, enunciating every word, "By Hu Guichen’s own hand!"

Yun Zhao gasped. "What?!"

Bai Lingxiao gave a mocking laugh. "Hard to believe, right? I couldn't believe it either. He treated me so well and even hit it off with my father, becoming sworn brothers."

"But that year, he used the very spirit sword my father had gifted him to personally slaughter all one hundred and fifty-six members of my Tianshui Sect!"

"The most ridiculous part is that after killing my family, he told me he would avenge them."

"He didn't know that I had a pair of mother-son jade pendants, capable of transmitting the final moments of the holder's life."

She had seen with her own eyes her once-benevolent master, his face twisted in a ferocious grin, plunge his sword into her parents' chests.

Yun Zhao silently handed Bai Lingxiao a handkerchief. "Wipe your eyes."

Bai Lingxiao took it and continued, "The day my parents were laid to rest, he even hypocritically knelt before their memorial tablet and swore to avenge them, and to raise me properly as his own child."

"But I knew he kept me for my Sword Bone."

Bai Lingxiao smiled bitterly. "Ever since I entered the sect, he had his eyes on my Sword Bone, but it needs time to mature—the Golden Core stage is best—so he didn't take my life immediately."

"This is... this is too..." Yun Zhao was shocked into silence. "But now your cultivation has reached the Golden Core stage, doesn't that mean..."

"She is in great danger," Gu Dinghan interjected. "That is why we need the herb in Song Zhiyuan's hands."

What was the connection?

Noticing Yun Zhao’s confusion, Bai Lingxiao took the initiative to explain. "That herb is the Spirit-Turning Golden Lotus. As long as I consume it, I can severely wound Hu Guichen when he tries to steal my Sword Bone!"

A touch of madness flashed in Bai Lingxiao’s eyes. "Once he is severely wounded, I will have the chance to kill him!"

"Then what does this have to do with the illness you mentioned earlier?"

Bai Lingxiao’s expression looked off, and Yun Zhao quickly interrupted, "You vomited blood earlier; did you need the Spirit-Turning Golden Lotus to treat that?"

"No," Bai Lingxiao shook her head. "The Spirit-Turning Golden Lotus is hard to find, so I have to prepare two plans. That is a side effect of practicing a forbidden technique."

"If I cannot find the Golden Lotus, that forbidden technique can also severely wound Hu Guichen."

Gu Dinghan said coldly, "The problem is that once that technique is used, you, the user, will either die or be crippled."

"I don't understand. Can't you just endure for now and wait until you are stronger to seek revenge on Hu Guichen?"

"I can't wait," Bai Lingxiao said in a low voice. "I fear that after the Sect Grand Competition ends, he will make his move."

Gu Dinghan frowned. "Then let's think of a way to stall for time..."

"Stalling won't change anything," Bai Lingxiao said softly. "The result will be the same. At the very least, if I can avenge my family before I die, it will count as..."

Yun Zhao interrupted her. "The result is not the same."

"You haven't tried yet; how can you be sure that the result of trying will be the same as just sitting here and waiting to die?"

Bai Lingxiao looked at Yun Zhao, who crossed her arms. "I can't stand it anymore. Such scum doesn't deserve to live. I've decided—I am going to help you!"