The Transmigrated Male Lead Confessed to Me - Chapter 27 (Part 1)

Tianyuan Sect.

In a secluded bamboo grove on Weiyun Peak.

A young girl dressed in pink sat on a rock, frowning slightly at the wooden sword in her hands.

Her master had taught her a new sword technique, along with a method for channeling spiritual energy, instructing her to practice the two in combination a thousand times.

She had only practiced two hundred times and was already exhausted. Most of her spiritual energy had been depleted, her limbs felt weak, and a dull ache throbbed in her head.

Her senior brother had once said that their master always had his reasons for assigning such tasks. If one wished to improve, they had to exceed the requirements, and never fall short.

Even if it was exhausting, that was to be expected.

He himself had once been so tired he could barely lift a finger.

Jiang Wang, Su Zhen, and Zhou Ziheng had all endured the same.

But—

It was truly exhausting.

Liu Yunyao held her head in pain, and once again recalled what her master had said earlier. Apparently, Su Zhen had gone to another plane, though exactly where, Master did not say.

At the time, she couldn’t help but ask, but Yuchen Xianzun had seemed displeased.

“Why are you asking this?”

The man in white looked at her, his cold and elegant features tinged with weariness. “Yunyao, don’t concern yourself with her affairs any longer.”

Her affairs?

If not for Leng Xiang, why should Su Zhen’s whereabouts, her life or death, have anything to do with her?

Liu Yunyao felt helpless and could only mutter, “I was just expressing concern. It was my fault for saying the wrong thing that day. If Senior Sister got upset and went somewhere dangerous because of that, then I’d be doubly at fault.”

“She will not be in danger.”

Yuchen Xianzun was silent for a moment. “You should put Leng Xiang aside for now.”

Liu Yunyao was startled. “Master, that’s not what I meant…”

His expression remained calm, but those clear, dark eyes stared at her intently, sending a strange chill through her heart.

Yuchen Xianzun shook his head, unwilling to listen to her explanations. “Yunyao, the next Immortal Alliance Trials are only a year away. At that time, Chensha Xianzun will also be in Xianyuan City. I will personally go and ask him.”

Liu Yunyao was shocked. “The Palace Lord of Qihuang Palace?”

If the foremost medical cultivator were to act, then indeed, no cursed wound or lingering affliction could withstand him. But would he really be willing to heal a nameless half-demon?

Even if he didn’t know at first, once they interacted, it would be impossible to hide her identity.

Even for Master—

“I am only a mere Quasi-Saint. I may not have much influence before him,”

Yuchen Xianzun seemed to anticipate her thoughts. “But don’t worry. I will make a trade with him. I can offer something that will move him.”

Liu Yunyao was at a loss for words. “That’s not what I was thinking.”

If she could completely rid herself of the old injury, she would certainly be delighted.

But what about Leng Xiang?

She hadn’t wanted the sword for healing purposes to begin with.

Yet she couldn’t tell Master the truth, for there were too many people and matters entangled behind it.

“Master…”

Liu Yunyao said with a pained expression, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. About three years ago, when Senior Sister demonstrated sword techniques to us, she used Leng Xiang…”

In the past, whenever she taught lower-realm disciples and needed to demonstrate with a sword, Su Zhen would often use Leng Xiang.

She also seemed to quite enjoy the admiring and envious gazes others cast at the immortal weapon.

At least, Zhou Ziheng always thought she did it to show off.

Of course, there must have been other reasons. Perhaps because she couldn’t fully bond with Leng Xiang, she had to carry it constantly.

Some people happened to bond with spiritual weapons by sheer luck. Holding them frequently might increase the chance of such an event.

However, in recent times, Su Zhen hasn’t brought out Leng Xiang again. Perhaps because too much time had passed and she had given up on bonding with it, or had even given it away.

Liu Yunyao said, “…Once, I got very close to the sword and suddenly felt a wave of warmth throughout my body. The chilling aura from the curse was significantly suppressed.”

Yuchen Xianzun paused in surprise. “You never mentioned this before.”

Of course, it was because nothing of the sort had ever happened.

But Master wouldn’t go to Su Zhen to confirm it, and Su Zhen herself likely wouldn’t remember whether the junior sister had ever come into close contact with that sword.

Liu Yunyao gently shook her head. “It was only for a brief moment. Senior Sister walked away shortly after, and I quickly returned to normal. At the time, I wasn’t even sure what had happened.”

Yuchen Xianzun seemed to fall into deep thought.

He couldn’t think of any reason why his young disciple would lie about this.

As Liu Yunyao reflected on this, she added, “Besides, that’s Senior Sister’s sword. She treats it like a treasured possession…”

Yuchen Xianzun’s expression shifted slightly. “After all these years, this is the first time you’ve encountered a spiritual weapon that has had such a clear effect on your injury. Leng Xiang, was it?”

Liu Yunyao nodded silently.

He said no more.

Even after Liu Yunyao left the peak and returned to her quarters to practice swordsmanship, she couldn’t help but think about Master’s expression just before she left. He had looked somewhat conflicted. There was even a faint trace of inexplicable disappointment.

But in the end, it seemed he had made up his mind about something.

“…He should help me get the sword, right?”

Liu Yunyao thought uncertainly.

“That’s right. Even if it’s already been given away, so what?”

A soft and pleasant voice echoed in her mind.

Liu Yunyao smiled, then quickly restrained the expression.

Although no other cultivators seemed to be nearby, her low cultivation level meant she might not notice if someone really was spying on her.

She gripped the wooden sword tightly. “Thank you, Senior Brother Xie!”

The two of them communicated through spiritual thought, with no need to speak aloud. But this method was slightly draining for her, so she didn’t dare waste time. She quickly reviewed what had just happened.

After receiving the information, the other person spoke to comfort her, “I’ve already looked into your master’s martial uncles. None of them have spiritual roots that fully align with Leng Xiang’s attributes.”

Liu Yunyao was slightly stunned.

Even if the attributes matched, it didn’t necessarily mean one could bond with an immortal sword. Su Zhen was the best example of that.

But conversely, if the attributes didn’t align, then it was almost certainly impossible to bond with it. Even if they did succeed somehow, it would be of little use to the cultivator.

“In other words, once your master offers something of greater value, even if that person has obtained Leng Xiang, they’ll likely hand it over without resistance.”

Such as a spiritual weapon more compatible with their own attributes.

Liu Yunyao understood the implication. “But what if Leng Xiang has already been—”

“It hasn’t.”

The other replied firmly, “You’re worried Leng Xiang was dismantled, melted down, or sold? Don’t be. After all, it was once Yuchen Xianzun’s personal sword. His martial uncles aren’t fools. Even if someone tricked the sword away from Su Zhen, they’d keep it for themselves, not do something rash with it.”

They didn’t think Su Zhen’s claim of giving the sword away was just an excuse.

After all, Yuchen Xianzun hadn’t even asked for it yet, and she mentioned it first. She couldn’t have predicted the future.

Liu Yunyao said, “…Tricked away? Maybe Senior Sister gave it away willingly? If they were in love, and Su Zhen couldn’t bond with the immortal sword, she might’ve preferred to give it to someone else. She doesn’t lack money, and her family has other unclaimed immortal artifacts.”

The other party chuckled. “That’s reasonable too. But either way, what I said still holds.”

Liu Yunyao agreed with that.

“Still, each of those people has a different temperament.”

The other paused. “Does your master actually know which of his martial uncles took the sword?”

Liu Yunyao felt a headache coming on. “From his expression, it seemed like he knew, but when I probed a bit, it felt like he didn’t. Or maybe he just didn’t want to tell me? But why wouldn’t he say? After he sent me away that day, I think he had an argument with Su Zhen. Could it be related to this?”

The other party was not surprised. “If Su Zhen is the petty and calculating type, and found out that Zhou Ziheng was willing to hire assassins to steal the sword for you, then she probably hates you even more. And since your master is protecting you, she wouldn’t be kind to him either. But you used to suspect that Su Zhen had feelings for your master. That doesn’t seem to be the case now?”

“I was only guessing. They’ve known each other for so many years. Maybe she sees him as a father or an elder brother. But even that would look different to outsiders. It’s understandable if she’s jealous. Some people get upset just because their best friend made a new friend.”

Liu Yunyao sighed. “Why did it have to be Leng Xiang? Why couldn’t it be one of those unclaimed immortal swords in the storehouse? Su Zhen is really not someone to provoke. I wish I could stay far away from her.”

“If possible, I’d naturally prefer you choose an unclaimed sword too. That way, you wouldn’t have to suffer like this.”

The man said in a low voice, “But with our current plan, Leng Xiang is indeed irreplaceable. Still, since this situation is complicated, there’s no need to rush. After all, the other sword spirits haven’t been gathered yet. You can wait until your cultivation improves a bit.”

He paused. “After all, the locations of the other sword spirits are mostly unknown, whereas the remnant soul within Leng Xiang, due to the sword’s unique materials, has regained the most strength. If it’s willing to cooperate, you may be able to use it to sense the locations of the other sword spirits. That is the most important part. Moreover, the vital force of that remnant soul will help the other sword spirits fuse more rapidly when refined together.”

Liu Yunyao was already aware of this. “That’s right. So far, I’ve only obtained Lian Guang and Fei Tang…”

“You’ve done incredibly well.”

The man offered gentle reassurance. “I’m in charge of collecting the sword’s fragments, while you collect the sword spirit shards. Your task was always the more difficult one.”

“Senior Brother Xie, don’t say that.”

Liu Yunyao bit her lip. “The sword spirits of that holy sword have all transformed into the spirits of other spiritual artifacts. There are more than ten in total, and I only need to collect nine. But your task is much heavier. The sword spirit’s fragments number in the hundreds, if not thousands, and you have to gather them all…”

“But many of them are just treated as scrap, buried at the bottom of storage chests, or left scattered in the ruins of the Demon Realm. I can collect three to five pieces in a single day.”

He interrupted her. “You’re the one truly doing the hard work.”

Liu Yunyao felt warmed at heart. “Senior Brother Xie, if not for all of you, I wouldn’t have made it this far.”

As she spoke, her gaze gradually grew resolute.

It was as if she were making a vow to him, or perhaps to herself, as she said each word slowly and firmly, “I will definitely get my hands on Leng Xiang.”

……………

The Demon Realm.

Within the Secret Archive of Thousand Chariots Sect.

Two figures strolled leisurely through a long corridor. When they reached the end, there was no more path ahead.

At the corridor’s end lay the exit, but beyond it there was neither bridge nor steps, only a void shrouded in mist, where dim purplish-red toxic miasma surged and churned.

Su Zhen didn’t stop walking. She leapt forward directly, plunging into the miasma.

For a cultivator of her level, it would normally be difficult to last long within such a dense miasma.

But she simply adjusted the spiritual energy within her body and easily expelled the miasma that tried to invade her meridians. Then she moved deftly among the towering spires and connecting bridges.

Several Scythe-Wing Demons, sensing the spiritual energy, turned their heads toward her and shrieked as they swooped in to attack.