Chapter 43: Tracer (Part 7)

When Shen Suwei returned, Xu Qianqian’s quiet figure rose from the chair. “Senior Brother Shen has returned.”
Shen Suwei noticed a long, slender gift box on the table.
Xu Qianqian, pale and thin, wore an extravagant gown that trailed on the floor. She was visiting as a gesture of gratitude after recovering from her illness: “Thank you, Senior Brother Shen, for gifting me the elixir. I heard you lost your life-bound sword on your last outing, so I’m presenting you with this gift in hopes that your future path will be bright and brilliant.”
Shen Suwei thanked her and accepted the gift. Xu Qianqian glanced at him, said nothing more, offered a bow, and took her leave.
And so, the entanglements between him and Xu Qianqian were now thoroughly resolved.
Opening the gift box, he found a treasured sword. The elaborate craftsmanship of the scabbard and its subdued luster exuded an elegant richness, no less impressive than the sword he once wielded, “Shaking Light.”

Shen Suwei glanced at it, then closed the box and placed it on a high shelf.
“Qianqian gifted you such a fine sword, and you just put it up there on top of the shelf.”
Shen Suwei turned around to see Xu Jiansu sitting cross-legged on his windowsill, bracing himself with the “Ripple Sword,” his expression somewhat displeased.
Shen Suwei wasn’t fond of this sword, though it would suit Xu Jiansu. After a moment’s thought, he took the sword with its box and started toward him, only for Xu Jiansu to grumble, “Hey, if you dare to give it away, just wait and see.”
Shen Suwei stopped, and Xu Jiansu threatened further, “If I catch you using this sword, you’ll regret it.”
Shen Suwei, saying nothing, could only return the sword to its original place.
He thought, “This won’t do, and that won’t either. These siblings truly share a similar disposition.”
Xu Jiansu leaned over, plucked a grape from his fruit platter, and popped it into his mouth. “Didn’t catch it; it got away.”
He was talking about the demon.
Stretching out his hand, Shen Suwei received a handful of golden shards the remnants of the memory orb Xu Jiansu had shattered.
The two brothers shared a particular understanding about this matter. Shen Suwei put away the memory orb and casually drew a sword from the rack, its blade gleaming bright as snow.
“Don’t chase him; you won’t catch up,” Xu Jiansu said.
Shen Suwei had already jumped out the window with his sword, disappearing into the rain.
Xu Jiansu plucked another grape, its sourness making her raise an eyebrow.
Let him go. She had heard that Shen Suwei’s father had fallen into a nightmare when he was a child, and he had lived in the same room with a demon for two whole years. When it came to sensitivity toward demons, there was indeed no one who could match him here.
Outside, the rain continued to fall steadily.
Xie Yuzhen moved silently along the high rooftop, glancing down. Raindrops slid down his pale face and into his collar.
Below, a figure in a cloud-patterned robe held a sword; from above, one could see his jet-black hair and the jade crown that held it up.
The two moved forward almost simultaneously.
Their pace was quite close.
The demon king was different from ordinary demons. He had cultivated a human form, and only when he launched an attack would his demonic identity be revealed; otherwise, it was difficult for cultivators to sense his demonic aura. After decisively shattering the soul mirror, Xu Jiansu had lost her direction. Only now could he roam freely in Penglai.

But this cultivator seemed to possess an extraordinary sensitivity and patience toward him.
After circling around for a long time, Xie Yuzhen found it impossible to shake him off. Suddenly, he found himself with no solid ground beneath him, only thick shadows of trees, like some ominous sign of a dead end.
Lightning illuminated the rain curtain, and he caught a glimpse of the figure below, slowly raising his gaze. Those eyes, resting on elegantly shaped eyelids, were surprisingly bright, flickering in and out of focus in the rain mist, exuding an intense and pure killing intent.
Their gazes met, and a cold sweat broke out on Xie Yuzhen. Could it be that he had already noticed him?
After a moment of confrontation, Xie Yuzhen suddenly moved.
Shen Suwei, like a ghost, flashed onto the rooftop at the same time, blocking his path. The young illusionist smiled at him, and his disguise split in half like paper before him, scattering into countless peach blossom petals that fell onto the rooftop.
Xie Yuzhen discarded his disguise, transforming into a massive cloud of black mist and fleeing several yards away.
In the air, white sword shadows split into four, continuously striking toward him!
The black mist surged, quickly seeping into the dense thicket, merging into the dimly lit surroundings.
Behind him, the sword cultivator quietly and methodically tightened the noose around him. When Xie Yuzhen’s strength waned, he would reveal his sharp edge and pursue relentlessly. Severely injured and outmatched, he left a trail of blood and bones. There was only one place to go now—he had a third of his demonic soul left in the body of Wuzhen.
But Wuzhen used the Soul Nail technique. Whether he would be captured or able to command the body for his use was a gamble he had to take.
The black mist burst through the window and entered the boy’s body on the bed, then the window “thudded” back into place.
Xu Qianyu sat at the edge of the bed, having just fed a spoonful of flower dew to the boy on the bed when he suddenly trembled and “puffed” blood all over her skirt.
Outside, the wind and rain lashed against the window. She paused, staring in shock at the bright red bloodstain, then hurriedly looked at Wuzhen, who seemed to be suffering from slight convulsions, as if in pain.

What was happening?
Chen Duo had edited the battle recording, cutting the beginning and the end, and everyone who saw her had strange expressions. Xu Qianyu was annoyed to the point of wanting to die; she didn’t want to be in public, so she decided to come to Wuzhen for some peace.
However, within a short time, she had made him spit blood.
Xu Qianyu looked at the bowl with suspicion: “This flower dew…”
System: “I swear by the name of the little bee; it’s fresh and safe!! It’s definitely his own problem.”
Xu Qianyu leaned closer to the bedside: “Master Uncle, what’s wrong?”
She had intended to help him wipe the blood from his lips, but Wuzhen suddenly gripped her wrist tightly: “Shh, silence.”

The boy’s complexion was pale, with veins slightly bulging at his temples. His eyelashes trembled, and the corners of his lips curved into a barely noticeable arc.
The young lady smelled quite fragrant.
After her cultivation, her body had become purer, and her scent was more intense.
Once his demonic soul entered this body, it was devoured by the Soul Nail technique, and he struggled against Wuzhen’s remaining soul, which was quite painful.
This food’s fragrance, if one got too close, could easily provoke his demonic nature and lead him to swallow someone whole.
But smelling this scent was also soothing; his fingertips pressed down slightly.
Xu Qianyu pulled her hand away, watching him with worry and doubt.
Perhaps due to the passage of time, Wuzhen’s divine soul had weakened to just a small thread, allowing him to successfully invade. Yet this body indeed did not welcome him; from top to bottom, it was difficult to control. His third demonic soul had been trapped for too long and remained deeply asleep. The two demonic souls could not merge for now, and Xie Yuzhen still felt weak.
However, resting and recuperating were still beneficial.
He relaxed, lying on the bed, allowing the young lady to help him wipe away the blood. Smelling the faint sweetness within the blood scent, he felt a sense of safety he had never experienced before, reminiscent of being in the womb.
Shen Suwei chased into the thicket, and the demonic aura had completely vanished.
He looked around. This seemed to be Elder Wuzhen’s residence, and he shouldn’t have entered. Because Wuzhen had been seriously injured and recuperating, outsiders had been forbidden from visiting for decades. He should have immediately exited after checking around and finding nothing.
However, there were shadows moving inside the window, and voices could be heard.
Through the rain curtain, Shen Suwei took two steps forward.
In the dimly lit room, he saw a girl sitting at the edge of the couch with her arms crossed, saying something to the person on the couch. She had her hair styled in a pair of raised twin buns, with a golden hairpin inserted among them. Her face was like floating snow, and as she glanced around, her spirit was lively.

Shen Suwei tilted his head to look at the door of the pavilion.
This door had a restriction. It forbidden outsiders from intruding.
Wuzhen had been a “real person” even before becoming an elder, and even when injured, his cultivation level would surely far exceed that of ordinary disciples. Unless he deliberately allowed someone to enter, Xu Qianyu could not have just stumbled in by chance.
Restrictions, outsiders…
Shen Suwei took another step forward, and the person on the couch revealed most of his face, pale yet handsome, appearing to be a boy of seventeen or eighteen. Xu Qianyu’s handkerchief had fallen to his lips, and in such a posture, it looked quite familiar.
Because the two looked youthful, the scene gave off a feeling of a youthful banquet.
Shen Suwei was lost in thought, realizing that Xu Qianyu’s inner power was taught by Wuzhen, which explained why she always spoke vaguely and never fully revealed it; it must be that Wuzhen needed her to keep it a secret.
Wuzhen, after all, is an elder, with a much higher cultivation level than him, so there was nothing to say.
But with Wuzhen gravely injured and bedridden, the things she taught him were intermittent, and she couldn’t personally supervise him. If there were problems, could it really lead to his spiritual energy leaking out?

Xie Yuzhen sensed a gaze and suddenly opened his eyes. “Close the window.”
Xu Qianyu looked up and saw that the rainwater had soaked the gaps in the window, and the cold wind was seeping in. She felt a chill herself, while Wuzhen likely found it cold.
Xu Qianyu stood up and swiftly closed the window.
At that moment, Shen Suwei, holding a sword in his right hand, flashed down to the window below.
He shouldn’t have come over.
It was perfectly normal for Wuzhen to choose a fated person. Who Xu Qianyu practiced with was her own choice; he had no right to interfere. Not to mention that Wuzhen’s dwelling was not meant for others to enter.

So what was he still doing standing here? What else did he want to hear?
He turned to leave when a voice came from inside the window.
Xu Qianyu lifted a bowl, the spoon scraping against the edge, stirring. “Do you want some more?”
Shen Suwei placed one hand on the window frame, his fingers looking particularly pale in the rain.
With just a push of the window, he could shatter this tranquil atmosphere and see Xu Qianyu’s expression upon seeing him. He had his own reasoning after all; he had followed the demon here.
But what did it matter to him?
Shen Suwei lowered his lashes, his expression dark. He placed his left hand on the window frame without exerting much force, sheathed his sword, and took out a shard of the Reflection Pearl, using his spiritual sense to piece it together bit by bit.
It seemed he was accustomed to doing something meticulous while enduring, which could be considered a form of self-discipline.
It could also be viewed as a kind of torment.
The reflection pearl was only the size of a fingernail, and restoring it with his spiritual sense was akin to threading a needle. His emotional fluctuations did not affect this focus, and in a blink, he had reassembled most of it.
Xie Yuzhen finally saw the thing he had glimpsed a few times in the mirror up close. After a pause, he awkwardly asked, “Is it sweet?”
Xu Qianyu was taken aback, feeling pity for Wuzhen.
Indeed, after drinking the flower dew a few times, he couldn’t taste any flavor at all.
She described the taste as detailed as the system suggested.
From inside the window, Xu Qianyu’s clear voice emerged, without the slightest hint of pretentiousness: “The flowers are your favorite peach blossoms, the water is the morning dew, and I added some sweet honey.”
Shen Suwei fitted the last piece; the Reflection Pearl restored to its original state in his palm, resembling a full jade bead with cracks.
However, moments later, something went awry, and the assembled reflection pearl suddenly collapsed and shattered.
Shen Suwei stared at his palm, frozen for a while, seemingly in disbelief. After a moment, his figure flashed and vanished into the rain.
Xie Yuzhen drank the flower dew fed to him by the young lady for the first time in this body.
She wasn’t very skilled at feeding him. Xu Qianyu was indeed clumsy with such things; while feeding, she had to keep wiping away the spills, and it was a bit frantic.
But that taste and touch made him shudder.
After finishing a bowl of flower dew, Xu Qianyu left. He also couldn’t say too much; otherwise, it would expose him.
He needed to be trapped in this immobile shell for the next few days.
Xie Yuzhen licked the sweetness left on his lips.
After Xu Qianyu left, he finally felt the chill and solitude in the room, eagerly anticipating the next visit from the young lady.

_ 

Xu Binglai, accompanied by Lin Jin, watched the high-level arena’s reflection screen with a dark expression.
Xu Qianyu looked fierce, throwing two punches and delivering a slap; each hit felt like a blow to his temples, buzzing in his head.
A few days ago, he passed by the school, and an old Daoist flattered him, telling him that his relative was clever and diligent, with excellent performance.
At the time, he was quite puzzled. He had been in the immortal sect for a hundred years, completely cut off from the mortal world; where did this relative come from?
Looking at the report card, it turned out Xu Qianyu had ranked first with top marks.
“…” He didn’t know what to say, hesitating for a while before finally squeezing out a sentence, “Be stricter with her. Don’t be lenient just because she’s related to the true body.”
The old Daoist immediately straightened up: “Understood.”
Afterward, he pondered that while Xu Qianyu acted a bit high-profile, she was not without merits.
As a result, the sect leader’s relative broke the walls of the restrictions and ended up fighting on the arena, causing an uproar.
Looking at how she fought, it was evident that one couldn’t expect too much from this troublemaker; if she didn’t look for trouble for a day, she wouldn’t be her.
Xu Binglai poured a cup of tea and drank it down: “Not bad in the fight.”
Lin Jin, peering through the curtain, saw the sect leader’s shadow. His wrist was elegant as he held the teacup, quite beautiful. But the movements betrayed his agitation, indicating he was in a bad mood, so he said, “We’ve found out it was another disciple who violated the rules first. Of course, fighting is also wrong.”

Xu Binglai asked, “Who set up the reflection formation?”
Lin Jin replied, “It was also him.”
Truly blind to the situation, purely losing ten thousand while inflicting eight thousand on themselves. Now the disciples were all discussing this matter; if they didn’t punish, it would be hard to quell public opinion. Lin Jin said, “Sect Leader, what do you think…”
Xu Binglai shot him a sideways glance: “Is the elder of the disciple hall you or me?”
Lin Jin quickly said, “It’s me; it’s me.”
After a pause, Xu Binglai said, “What does the sect rule say?”
Lin Jin replied, “Mutual fighting in the arena, both are to receive five lashes and ten days of confinement. Using concealed weapons is ten lashes, ten days of confinement, and being barred from the arena for three years. Uh, if it’s malicious bullying of fellow disciples in the arena, it’s ten lashes and barred from the arena for three years.”
Xu Binglai turned the teacup in his hand and said, “Do you think Xu Qianyu’s behavior counts as malicious bullying of fellow disciples?”
In fact, he thought it did.
Lin Jin quickly said, “There must be a cause for every effect; this definitely counts as mutual fighting.”
“Then it’s settled; no need to ask.” Xu Binglai took a sip of tea and commented, “This is lenient on him.”
He was talking about Chen Duo. With his face beaten like that, ten days of confinement were just enough for recovery,

Thinking of this, he stopped Lin Jin: “Remember to add the punishment for using concealed weapons. Neither of them should be confined; let’s add one lash each.”

“Yes.”

After Lin Jin left, Xu Binglai endured his headache, squinting to watch the scene again. Seeing her spiritual energy leaking out, he wondered how this inner strength had been cultivated. He ordered, “Go, send a message to Shen Suwei.”
If only this troublesome child were a boy, he could discipline him himself and wouldn’t have to constantly ask his disciples for help.
Xu Binglai had always appreciated Shen Suwei’s sense of propriety. After all, she was a girl, and he feared that if he lost his temper, he might end up beating Xu Qianyu badly.
_
As soon as Shen Suwei returned, a boy grabbed the hem of her clothes and said, “Senior Brother Shen, the sect leader has punished Senior Sister Xu Qianyu with six lashes.”
“……” Shen Suwei’s expression tightened. “How long has it been?”
“Half an hour.”
Shen Suwei immediately appeared in the disciplinary hall, just as a worker was about to enter the punishment room. He stopped him and said, “I’ll do it.”
Xu Qianyu’s spiritual energy was chaotic and leaking severely; if she were to be punished recklessly, it could injure her meridians. A regular worker wouldn’t grasp this nuance well.
He took the whip and stepped into the room. In just a few steps, a flash of white light passed, and his form changed, transforming back into the worker from before.

Xu Qianyu lay on the punishment platform, holding a piece of paper in her hand. She couldn’t believe that she had suffered humiliation in the arena and was now being punished; she refused to cooperate and insisted on seeing the sect leader’s order document. The people in the disciplinary hall had given it to her.
Thus, even though she was pinned down on the punishment platform, she still half-propped herself up, stubbornly reading the order, trying to see what crime she had committed.
Calculating the time, she had just returned from Wuzhen when she was captured.
Xu Qianyu felt her hands and feet being adjusted and moved around. Unaware that receiving a lashing required proper posture, she became quite irritated. As someone moved her, she moved back on her own.
“Don’t move.” A cold voice from behind stopped her.
Shen Suwei repositioned her again, smoothing out her clothing. Disciples often carried pouches hanging from their waists, containing spiritual stones. He tucked Xu Qianyu’s pouch inward to prevent her money bag from being damaged by the whip.
After adjusting everything, he finally grasped the whip.
This way, it would be easier for him to find the meridians and force out her excess spiritual energy.