He seemed to not expect that Zhōng Yǐn Yuè would ask this question. After blinking in confusion, he immediately became tense.

He turned to look at his disciple and then glanced back at the bustling crowd behind him at the grand ceremony. Elder Guāng Hán hurriedly pulled Zhōng Yǐn Yuè, who was bowing to him, up and pushed him toward a more secluded corner.

The two of them jostled a bit, and Zhōng Yǐn Yuè was half-pushed, half-led to a huge celestial stone far from the crowd. Once they reached the stone, Elder Guāng Hán looked around to ensure no one was nearby, then turned back to his disciple and said, “Ā Lìng, you stay outside and take care of Bai Rěn Dōng.”

“Disciple obeys.”

The disciple Wēn Lìng, who was accompanying Elder Guāng Hán, obediently bowed and held onto Bai Rěn Dōng, watching as the two of them went behind the celestial stone.

Once behind the stone, Elder Guāng Hán pulled Zhōng Yǐn Yuè closer, his expression tense and serious: “Why did you think to ask this?”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè blinked.

“Junior brother has no other intentions,” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè said, “It’s just that Shen Chàng Xuě was once called to my Yù Luán Palace by Senior Brother Qián Yào, and he helped me a lot. I heard a few days ago that he was heavily punished, and I was already anxious. Then I heard Senior Brother say he committed theft… I really don’t want to believe it. Senior Brother Guāng Hán only said half of what was important at the time, and I’m really curious about what you wanted to say and why you didn’t finish.”

“This sounds like Senior Brother knows this matter is absolutely impossible… Junior brother just wants to know the truth, and I have no intention of offending either of the senior brothers.”

Elder Guāng Hán twitched his lips and licked them, glancing back again.

He looked quite guilty, afraid that someone might overhear. Zhōng Yǐn Yuè’s suspicion grew stronger.

What exactly was Elder Guāng Hán afraid of?

After confirming that no one was nearby, Elder Guāng Hán pulled Zhōng Yǐn Yuè and led him a few steps deeper into a corner.

“I know you’re not a fool,” Elder Guāng Hán said, gripping one of his sleeves and lowering his voice, “If I don’t tell you today, you’ll definitely find a way to investigate later. Look at how you and Senior Brother Qián Yào have been at odds lately; it’ll probably cause even bigger trouble…”

“So today, I’ll tell you a bit. But you must promise me that you’ll keep this to yourself and not cause any trouble with Senior Brother Qián Yào.”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè nodded, “Junior brother understands.”

Only after he agreed did Elder Guāng Hán let out a sigh of relief.

Elder Guāng Hán straightened up slightly, his expression heavy as he said, “Junior brother is also an elder of the sect, so you naturally know that in this world of cultivation, it’s not just us who are devoted to the path of immortality.”

“In this world, there are those who cultivate with evil thoughts and fall into demonic paths, becoming demonic cultivators.”

“After death, they transform into lonely souls and wild ghosts, and those who have too much resentment and cannot reincarnate become ghosts and cultivate the ghost path, becoming ghost cultivators.”

“And even those non-human beings like flowers, plants, trees, and animals can cultivate. It just takes them much longer than humans.”

“Enlightenment takes a hundred years, and transforming into human form takes even longer. Moreover, these non-human beings inherently absorb the souls of others to increase their cultivation. If they follow our path of immortal cultivation, it goes against their own nature.”

“There are very few beings in this world that can completely resist their own instincts.”

Elder Guāng Hán sighed, “So, these spiritual beings often absorb souls after becoming adults to cultivate, ultimately becoming those twisted demonic cultivators.”

“However, there are also those who, after transforming into human form, turn towards the righteous path and join a righteous sect. These cultivators are neither human nor demon, but they are indeed spiritual beings, so they are called spiritual cultivators… However, these spiritual cultivators are still of the same root as demonic cultivators, so their status in the world of immortal cultivation is very low.”

Elder Guāng Hán lowered his voice even more, “This is understandable. Spiritual beings inherently absorb souls… Even if these flowers, plants, foxes, cats, dogs, and rabbits have their hearts set on the righteous path, aren’t they still of the same kind as those demonic cultivators? It’s really hard to put one’s mind at ease.”

“Moreover, in the past, there have been incidents caused by such non-human disciples. Their spiritual cultivation is much easier to go astray compared to us human cultivators… They are beings whose nature is destined to become demons.”

“I know all this.” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè said, “Although these spiritual cultivators share the same root as demonic cultivators, their states of mind are different. Since they are willing to walk the righteous path… It’s really unfair to just dismiss them all.”

“That is true, but the major authorities in the world of immortal cultivation have held meetings and ultimately decided to prohibit spiritual cultivators from entering the sects.” Elder Guāng Hán said, “This is not something you or I can decide. Moreover, the matter you asked about today is not whether these spiritual cultivators should enter the sect.”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè felt even more confused at this point: “What you’re saying, Senior Brother, has to do with Shen Chàng Xuě…?”

Elder Guāng Hán fell silent.

After a moment, he stroked his chin and said heavily, “Do you remember? A hundred years ago, after the incident with the demon queen, the authorities in the world of immortal cultivation held a meeting. Because spiritual cultivators and demonic cultivators share the same root, and there are very few who can cultivate properly, they often cause trouble, so the authorities ordered that spiritual cultivators be prohibited from entering any sect for cultivation.”

“But this rule is not set in stone.” Guāng Hán said, “If there are immortals who feel this is unfair and are willing to teach spiritual cultivators, it’s not impossible.”

“After all, as you said, it’s really unfair to just dismiss them all. But it’s also true that spiritual cultivators can easily cause trouble.”

“Therefore, the authorities established this rule.”

“If spiritual cultivators want to enter a sect, they must have their own master establish a contract with them.”

“This contract is called a life lock.”

“I know.” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè said, “This life lock is a kind of spiritual law that can completely control the other party. Once the spiritual law is activated, the bound party will be forced to obey the commands of the one who established the law… Moreover, if the one who established the law gives an order, the life lock will use the nature of the one who established it to torment the bound party to the brink of death.”

“I suppose those authorities also wanted to manage these spiritual cultivators thoroughly.”

Elder Guāng Hán nodded, “Exactly, and this life lock will leave a mark on the bound party.”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè knew about this; the life lock would only leave a mark on the bound party.

In the original story, the protagonist encountered a fox girl in another sect later on, and she had such a mark. The life lock formed an ugly circle around her neck, making her look like a prisoner.

At this point, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè understood Elder Guāng Hán’s meaning.

His eyes widened in shock, “Could it be…?”

“The place where the life lock leaves a mark is determined by the one who established it.” Elder Guāng Hán’s expression became very serious, and he turned his face away to look elsewhere, “Speaking of which, I remember that Shen Chàng Xuě has a very strange mark on him.”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè’s expression darkened.

Elder Guāng Hán suddenly let out a breath of relief and immediately put on a smile, “I’ve said enough; junior brother must remember to keep your promise.”

His smile was quite glaring, and the more Zhōng Yǐn Yuè looked at it, the more annoyed he felt.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè calmed himself, lowered his eyes, and bowed, “Thank you for the information, Senior Brother.”

Elder Guāng Hán waved his hand, patted his shoulder, and helped him up.

The two of them walked out from behind the celestial stone, with Elder Guāng Hán leading the way. After bringing his disciple along, he turned back and said, “Well, I’ll be leaving now.”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè once again cupped his hands in salute, bowing his head to see him off.

Elder Guāng Hán walked away casually.

Once he left, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè straightened up, shook his sleeves, and dusted off his clothes.

Bai Rěn Dōng, who had been looking down with him, raised his head and quietly asked, “Master, what did you just discuss with Elder Guāng Hán?”

“Nothing, don’t pry.” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè replied.

Though he said that, his expression was not good.

There was actually such a hidden setting.

The lowly status of spiritual cultivators had been mentioned in the original story, and Zhōng Yǐn Yuè was aware of it.

But Elder Guāng Hán told him all this today, which was nothing more than a subtle way of telling him: Shen Chàng Xuě is a spiritual cultivator.

He is not human.

He could be a flower, a plant, a fox, a rabbit, a cat, a dog, or a long snake—basically, not human.

Elder Guāng Hán didn’t say it outright, perhaps fearing that there might be ears on the wall, or maybe he was worried about Qián Yào calculating things later.

No wonder Qián Yào could so decisively send him to his death when Bai Rěn Dōng needed him.

He took in Shen Chàng Xuě, but he never regarded him as a disciple. He treated him like a pet he picked up, one that could loyally help him with tasks.

He is not human, and Qián Yào doesn’t see him as human either.

So when the protagonist needed him, Qián Yào could kill him without hesitation.

In his eyes, killing Shen Chàng Xuě was no different from killing a chicken for a meal.

The more Zhōng Yǐn Yuè thought about it, the darker his expression became.

“Master, Master.”

Bai Rěn Dōng called out to him again.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè looked down, “Hmm?”

“What is Master thinking about?” Bai Rěn Dōng asked with concern, “Master’s expression doesn’t look good. Is it that Senior Brother Shen is in trouble again?”

“No.” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè said, “I was just lost in thought. You don’t need to worry. Alright, today is a grand ceremony; you should come along with me to take a look.”

Bai Rěn Dōng immediately perked up, “Yes!”