The Transmigrated Male Lead Confessed to Me - Chapter 30 (Part 2)

“This must be Fellow Daoist Liu?”

Liu Yunyao pressed down the corners of her lips that were about to curve upward, pretending not to know him.

“I have seen Xie Xianjun.”

Meanwhile, the battle below swiftly came to an end.

The young cultivators all flew up to the mountaintop on their swords, while those whose cultivation was insufficient were carried along by their senior brothers and sisters.

As soon as they drew near, they clearly saw this group of Shangji Sect cultivators, and every one of them revealed surprise.

“…That is Xie Changfeng?!”

“The Xie Changfeng of the Shangji Sect?”

“Who else could it be? He is just over two hundred years old and already in the Profound Immortal realm…”

“He is about the same age as Senior Brother Jiang, but…”

He was already a full realm higher.

“He made it onto the Five Domains Rising Talent Rankings decades ago!”

That list included all the Upper Seven Realm experts under a thousand years of age.

“What is he doing here?”

From just a few words exchanged with Xie Changfeng, Jiang Wang understood they had come because of the surge of spiritual energy earlier.

The other Shangji Sect disciples were all at the Golden Core realm, brought out to train under Xie Changfeng’s lead.

Though Xie Changfeng had sensed the presence of the demon cultivators, because he was traveling with his junior brothers and sisters, his pace wasn’t quick, and by the time he arrived, it was already too late.

Jiang Wang guessed as much and told them that Pei Xun had slain them all except for one, who escaped.

At this time, the disciples of Weiyun Peak gathered around. They were all disciples of the Peak Master, not low in seniority, and at once exchanged greetings and courtesies.

With a dozen or so people gathered together, the pavilion at the mountaintop instantly grew lively. Several of them tried to strike up a conversation with Xie Changfeng, crowding around him with all sorts of questions.

Liu Yunyao wanted to approach but could not, so she could only stand aside and watch.

Suddenly, a voice tinged with amusement sounded in her ears. “It really is not easy to see you.”

Liu Yunyao instinctively looked toward Xie Changfeng. He was speaking to another Weiyun Peak cultivator, yet his gaze lingered on her with a smile.

The others were clearly unaware that he was communicating with her through sound transmission.

Even Jiang Wang, still conversing with another Shangji Sect cultivator, noticed nothing unusual.

Worried, Liu Yunyao quickly asked via mental transmission, “Who were those people just now? Did Brother Huang come with you as well?”

“Do not worry, he has already gone back.”

Xie Changfeng reassured her, “Although he was injured, he will recover quickly.”

After a pause, he added, “You care for him quite a bit?”

Liu Yunyao sighed silently. “He has looked after me often, and even saved me before… Why did they come here?”

“They had business in the Central Domain. I merely brought them along the way.”

Liu Yunyao immediately understood.

Xie Changfeng was here in order to see her.

Those demon cultivators of the Moon-Worship Sect had all been his subordinates. Two of them were Lower Seven Realm cultivators. If they entered the Human Realm through a boundary gate, their physical bodies would likely be destroyed.

Thus, Xie Changfeng used a method to bring them over. The drawback was that their landing point could not be far from him.

So they had happened to run into those Lingxiao Peak disciples.

“Has Su Zhen returned to Weiyun Peak?”

“No. I was just wondering if I should ask her cousin.”

“…It is fortunate you did not. Pei Xun is not easy to deal with. If she began to suspect you, it would be troublesome.”

He thought for a moment, then asked, “Do you think Su Zhen could have gone to the Demon Realm?”

“How would I know? Why does Senior Brother Xie say this?”

“If she went to the Demon Realm, she should have returned by now. As for other realms, her strength is still lacking. It is not impossible, but did you not say before that she had been to the Demon Realm several times already? Your master even rebuked her for it, though, since she never listened, he stopped caring?”

“She has indeed gone more than once, but I am not certain where she is now. And even if she is truly in the Demon Realm, so what? It is such a vast place. Could Senior Brother Xie find her?”

“I can only ask them to keep watch.”

“And if she is found?”

Xie Changfeng suddenly laughed, his handsome features blooming into the tender allure of a spring breeze.

The surrounding cultivators looked on in puzzlement.

But Liu Yunyao heard his transmitted words clearly, “Then things will be much simpler.”

……………

Huanhua State.

Qiongdu City streets.

Two people continued to stroll leisurely.

This immortal city was not large. On ordinary days, there were not many residents, and Huanhua State rarely saw travelers. Occasionally, a wandering cultivator would pass through, but such instances were rare.

The marketplace was concentrated in the city center, where several long streets crisscrossed and shops stood in rows. Most sold materials were used for tailoring, artifact forging, and pill refinement.

Even the food and tea were largely made from spiritual plants. As for trinkets and toys, most carried benefits for cultivation.

At first glance, it looked no different from a mortal town, but the wares in the shops were mostly items for cultivators.

From time to time, strange noises arose from some store—a loud bang, a sudden burst of flame, or even a building collapsing and then instantly restoring itself.

The people around them paid no attention, as though long accustomed to such sights.

Ever since Su Zhen could remember, she had often come here to play. She was so familiar with the place that many shop owners and clerks recognized her, greeting her all along the way.

“…When I was a child, I once came across a mortal from Lanxiang City, who begged a passing rogue cultivator to bring her here in order to cure her mother’s illness.”

Su Zhen pointed toward a pharmacy a few steps away. “She was wandering around inside, and my mother happened to see her…”

Many of the immortal-grade pills that ordinary folk could only dream of were things mortals could never even touch.

Without spiritual energy in their bodies to assimilate the medicine, taking such pills would only harm them instead.

Of course, some medicines were exceptions, such as those that could extend lifespan or stop bleeding and mend bones. But if one was not a cultivator, they might not even know the names of such medicines.

“My mother helped her buy some Qi-Replenishing Powder and taught her how to decoct it for consumption.”

Su Zhen recalled, “Later, my mother told me that such things actually happened quite often. Some mortals came to seek cures, but others came in pursuit of immortality or simply to broaden their horizons. Especially those with money in hand, who would pay someone to bring them in, then foolishly buy clothes or ornaments. They would look at a robe that seemed light as a feather, not knowing it actually weighed a hundred catties, completely impossible for a mortal to wear. They would try to return it afterward, causing all kinds of trouble. Most shopkeepers were unwilling to deal with mortals, so my mother, as the City Lord, had to handle these vexing matters herself…”

Su Zhen sighed lightly. “I imagine Senior must have seen many such cases as well.”

“No, tell me more. I’m more than happy to listen. It broadens my horizons, too.”

Xiao Yu immediately said, “Back when I was a mortal, there is nothing worth mentioning. After I started cultivating, I had no time for play. Ninety-nine percent of my time went into training or fighting, and the remaining one percent was spent in seclusion. For a long while, my mind was on the verge of collapse…”

Su Zhen looked at him speechlessly.

Xiao Yu went on as if oblivious, “…But when I think back, I muddled through it in a daze somehow.”

After speaking, he glanced at her.

Su Zhen truly had no idea what he was talking about, and could only assume he was rambling like a madman.

The two happened to pass by a bookshop. She stopped and walked straight inside.

The store was brightly lit, tidy, and orderly. The shelves were lined with many manuals of cultivation techniques, most being ordinary introductory methods, though there were also some rarer and more obscure arts.

Su Zhen swept her gaze across them but saw nothing unfamiliar, so she looked no further.

She turned to the shopkeeper behind the counter. “Do you have the latest Heavenly Weapons Compendium?”

The shopkeeper, lounging on a recliner, reading, sat up at her words. “How many copies does the customer require?”

“Just one, thank you.”

The Immortal City accepted both gold and silver as well as spirit stones. Su Zhen took out a small piece of top-grade spirit stone.

The shopkeeper took the stone, examined its luster, and pocketed it.

She reached out and tapped a drawer. Golden light flickered at her fingertips as she released the seal on it, then pulled out an extremely thick volume, placing it on the counter with a light thud.

The book was about three inches thick. Its cover was hard and smooth, made entirely of jade, while the inner pages were supple yet sturdy. Each page bore the illustration of a different artifact.

Some entries included the name and owner, along with notes about the artifact’s craftsman, origin, materials, and successive wielders.

Others were completely blank, not even a name recorded.

Su Zhen pressed her hand to the illustration of one artifact. Immediately, a three-dimensional projection appeared in the air above.

It was a scaled-down image of that very artifact. She rotated the projection with her hand, carefully examining it, then infused more spiritual energy through her palm that pressed on the page of the book.

The projection instantly enlarged several times, becoming a life-sized replica of the artifact.

Su Zhen closed the book and put it away. “Is this the latest edition?”

The shopkeeper nodded. “It was delivered not long ago. The dates are all written at the front, customer may see for yourself.”

The Heavenly Weapons Compendium, published by Shengong Pavilion, cataloged all the world’s artifacts. Unless its contents remained unchanged, it would be recompiled and reissued annually.

This was because many artifacts were passed down from master to disciple, or sold from one owner to another, or destroyed in battle, or refined a second time and upgraded in grade, among other changes.

Xiao Yu glanced at it. “Let me guess why you bought this?”

Su Zhen smirked. “Go on, guess.”

He pondered for a moment. “Your sword will not recover anytime soon. Now you are probably planning to select a suitable weapon from the first hundred pages?”

Su Zhen smiled faintly. “Senior guessed correctly.”

In her previous life, she had abandoned Leng Xiang and soon acquired her own life-bound artifact. This time, she intended to obtain that sword as early as possible.

This time, their conversation was not hidden from others.

The shopkeeper behind the counter gave them a strange look, her eyes shifting back and forth between the two.

The first hundred pages?

Those contained nothing but divine artifacts and immortal artifacts. Either they already had owners, or their whereabouts were unknown, or they were located in places of extreme danger.

Yet these two, whose cultivation looked utterly ordinary, dared to speak such words?

“No surprise, that is me.”

Xiao Yu placed a spirit stone on the counter and said to the shopkeeper, “Please, get me one as well.”

Su Zhen glanced at him curiously, then teased, “Shall I guess why Senior is buying the book?”

Xiao Yu showed a look of genuine interest.

Su Zhen pretended to ponder for a moment before deliberately saying, “To see whether your sword has risen to the first page?”

The shopkeeper stared at them in horror, as though seeing two lunatics.

Xiao Yu laughed. “That is impossible. After all, this is a book published by the Shengong Pavilion. Of course, they will exalt their City Lords of Tiandu.”

Su Zhen instinctively flipped to the first two pages of the section on upper-tier divine artifacts.

The Sacred Sword Mieshi had already been destroyed, so the compendium began with the divine artifacts.

The first entry was—

Upper-tier Divine Artifact: Kuanglan.

The illustration showed a long sword of pure silver-white, its blade wreathed in watery blue halos. Strands of light coiled around the edge, intertwining and spinning like surging tides under the moonlit night.

Merely looking at the image, one could almost hear the roar of crashing waves by the ear.

Su Zhen had always thought this sword beautiful, much like its master.

Spiritual artifacts could only possess a single attribute, immortal artifacts two, but divine artifacts could have three.

Though it looked like a water-attribute weapon, Kuanglan actually possessed triune attributes of water, wind, and ice. In terms of elemental attributes, it matched perfectly with her master.

Yet this sword was far more powerful than Liu Shuang, the weapon of her master, Yuchen Xianzun.

And its wielder was thousands of times stronger than him.

Su Zhen’s gaze fell to the line of characters beneath, indicating the current wielder of the divine artifact.

——Sword Master Cangming Xianzun, Sect Leader of Shangji Sect, City Lord of Tiandu.

Her own affinity aligned only with water, so she had no great coveting desire for this sword. She simply admired its appearance.

Su Zhen turned the page gently.

Upper-tier Divine Artifact: Yuqie.

The second divine sword resembled a blade more than a sword, its tip slanting to one side. Its body glowed amber, translucent and lustrous, its form thin as a cicada’s wing.

Her gaze slid down.

——Sword Master Jiangxiao Xianzun, Vice Sect Leader of Shangji Sect, City Lord of Tiandu.

“You see? That pair of brothers, with Kuanglan and Yuqie, are immovable from the top.”

Xiao Yu’s voice came from above her head. “They have dominated the list for a thousand years.”

“What kind of list is this? It is merely a record. If you scrutinize the order of these rankings, much of it hardly makes sense.”

Su Zhen turned to the third page.

Upper-tier Divine Artifact: Tianzhen.

It was a snow-white greatsword, solid and heavy. Though appearing smooth, it carried a peculiar texture, as if polished from bone, its lines sharp and austere.

Streaks of golden-purple lightning flickered across the blade, from which sparks burst forth.

Those sparks scattered in the air like silver gravel on a summer night, transforming into dazzling streams of light, like meteors trailing fiery tails as they circled the sword before sinking back into the edge.

Yet it too was beautiful.

The majestic flames of lightning, contrasted with the severe, cold body of the sword, created a sharp and paradoxical harmony, lending vitality to an otherwise oppressive divine artifact.

“…These animated projections are obvious only for divine artifacts. For immortal artifacts, at most, they emit a bit of light.”

Xiao Yu glanced at it. “Well, how does it look to you?”

Su Zhen moved her hand, her fingertip brushing the name of the sword’s master on the right, pausing briefly above the four characters of Chaohua Xianzun.

“Whether it looks good or not is beside the point.”

Without raising her head, she teased, “Why not strive harder, Senior, and claim first place yourself?”

“Hmm.”

Xiao Yu pondered for a moment. “Very well. If it will make you happy, I will challenge the two of them later.”

The two joked as they walked out together.

The bookstore’s owner, seated behind the counter, could not see which pages of the book they had opened. Only hearing their words, her expression had already shifted several times.

Now, as she stared at their departing backs, she slowly rolled her eyes.

Some cultivators might look proper on the surface, but inside, they were clearly already half-maddened by cultivation deviation.

So she thought to herself.