Chapter 3

Ming Yan sat before the dressing mirror, carefully outlining her brows and eyes.  

The original owner’s appearance had always been that of a delicate beauty, but over the years, as Ming Yan’s cultivation advanced several times, her looks had improved even further. Now, she was considered one of the most renowned beauties in the Cultivation world.  

Even without makeup, she was already stunning. Yet, Ming Yan had always made it a habit to dress up meticulously before her death—a final act of respect for the inevitable.  

But before she could even finish drawing her brows, the Celestial Crane sent by Chu Xuanqing to fetch her had already arrived.  

In the courtyard stood a crane nearly as tall as a two-story building, its slender figure poised with elegance. It raised its neck haughtily and let out a cry.  

“Ang!”  

Ming Yan, your husband is summoning you!  

The crane’s call drew the attention of many disciples. Heads peeked out from windows, and wisps of spiritual sense extended to observe the commotion atop the peak.  

Then, the century-old nanmu door of the Yuyin Pavilion creaked open.  

Ming Yan stepped out.  

“It’s Little Martial Aunt!”  

“Heavens, how does she keep getting more beautiful?”  

“No wonder Martial Uncle Chu has failed his Tribulation Transcendence so many times. With a Dao Companion like her, who’d want to ascend?”  

Even the usually aloof Celestial Crane froze for a moment at the sight of her.  

“Ang…”  

So beautiful.  

Alas, the illusion lasted only until the next moment.  

With Ming Yan on its back, the crane spread its wings and soared into the sky amid the gasps of the disciples. The Flowing Cloud Woven Feather Fairy Skirt billowed in the wind, its iridescent hues blending with the crane’s snow-white feathers like a dream.  

Proud of itself, the crane flapped its wings, eager to climb higher.  

But Ming Yan yanked at the feathers on its neck. “Fly lower—I’m afraid of heights!”  

The crane: “Gah?”  

Have you forgotten you’re a sword cultivator?  

“Lower, or I’ll throw up on you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”  

“…” The crane stumbled midair, nearly crashing.  

Ultimately unwilling to risk its meticulously groomed, glossy white feathers, the crane grumbled but descended.  

Ming Yan’s pale face gradually regained color as she exhaled in relief.  

“Phew—”  

She hadn’t expected that even after transmigrating into a cultivation novel, her old fear of heights would persist.  

Before, it was airplanes that terrified her. Now, it was riding a living, unenclosed crane—somehow even worse.  

Sword Flight was manageable since she controlled it herself; she could always keep the sword just ten centimeters off the ground. But this crane was unpredictable and flew far too fast, making her heart race.  

Fortunately, such days wouldn’t last much longer.  

She’d heard that once a cultivator reached the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, they could teleport at will. Then, she could go wherever she pleased.  

At the thought, a faint smile curved her lips.  

Yes.  

The cultivation manual in the Nightmare Forest—she had planted it there deliberately.  

Ming Yan had analyzed it carefully.  

Chu Xuanqing, the villain, might seem utterly ruthless, but the reason for his descent into darkness was simple:  

Decades of arduous cultivation, yet he still couldn’t ascend.  

As a cultivation fanatic and a prodigy, Chu Xuanqing had breezed through every stage before ascension—only to be stuck at the final hurdle.  

Such obsession, left to fester, would inevitably twist a man.  

So, Ming Yan tailored her solution.  

She placed the Wife-slaying Dao Attainment manual right under his nose, the very temptation that would push him over the edge.  

How could he resist?  

In the original novel, Chu Xuanqing only resorted to killing his wife after failing his forty-ninth Tribulation.  

But Ming Yan couldn’t wait that long.

Forty-nine times… By then, the yellow flowers would have wilted, and the female lead Mu Qingqing would have grown even stronger. Although Chu Xuanqing’s cultivation was high, in the later stages of the novel where combat power inflated dramatically, even he couldn’t take on ten opponents at once.

So of course, it was better to seek death—no, to cultivate as early as possible!

Ming Yan sat atop the Celestial Crane, her little schemes clinking loudly in her mind.

“Screech—”

They had arrived!

Ming Yan snapped back to reality.

But the building before her astonished her.

The Hall of Justice?

Celestial Pivot Peak oversaw punishments, so halfway up the main peak, there was a dedicated Hall of Justice for interrogating and charging disciples.

Ming Yan knew this well because, when not in seclusion for cultivation, Chu Xuanqing, the peak lord, would work a 996 schedule here.

But knowing was one thing—Ming Yan had never actually been here before.

Disciples often said the Hall of Justice was eerie, with the wails of countless ghosts echoing through it. Ming Yan was terrified of ghosts and always took detours to avoid the place.

Chu Xuanqing knew this and never summoned her here.

But this time, for some reason…

Well, never mind. She was going to die anyway.

Why be picky about the location?

Ming Yan gritted her molars, lifted her skirt, and strode confidently inside.

“Husband?”

Ming Yan’s gaze landed on the man seated in the main chair of the Hall of Justice.

Chu Xuanqing was dressed in a black robe edged with gold today.

It suited the somber atmosphere of the Hall perfectly.

Yet, the black robe made his already radiantly pale skin seem as if it were bathed in a soft, glowing filter.

“Pfft—”

Ming Yan couldn’t help but laugh.

“Silence!”

Someone roared.

The voice was familiar—Chu Xuanqing’s deputy.

Also a Celestial Pivot Peak elder, surnamed Su.

Over the years, as Chu Xuanqing focused on seclusion to ascend, Elder Su had effectively wielded sole authority on the peak.

But Elder Su was famously impartial. Even when the sect leader’s son broke the rules, he showed no mercy, enforcing the sect’s punishment of a thousand lashes on the unfilial disciple.

This earned him widespread praise in the sect, hailed as the “Light of Righteousness.”

“Elder Su, why so serious? I’m just here to see my husband.”

Ming Yan smiled.

Elder Su’s beard twitched, his brows furrowing deeply. “We summoned you here for a serious matter, Little Madam.”

“Serious matter?”

Ming Yan looked at Chu Xuanqing on the main seat.

Chu Xuanqing sat aloft.

His expression didn’t waver in the slightest at her presence.

Ming Yan: “…”

How utterly fucking delightful!

Chu Xuanqing’s demeanor and Elder Su’s uncharacteristic behavior toward her.

It was practically screaming that today was the day they’d kill her.

As for why they called her to the Hall of Justice—it was simple: motive!

Chu Xuanqing might be a dog, but he still had to maintain his reputation in the Cultivation world.

The Wife-slaying Dao Attainment method was probably something he feared would tarnish his image if word got out, inviting scorn from others.

Hence this charade of a trial.

Admittedly, it was quite clever.

Ming Yan almost wanted to give him a thumbs-up.

But… Her eyes swept over the various torture instruments hanging around the Hall, and she shuddered.

She just wanted to die—not suffer!

“Five days ago, the sect leader sent me and the peak lord to Nightmare Forest to guard his cultivation,” Elder Su began, hands clasped behind his back, addressing all the Hall of Justice disciples present. “With the peak lord’s cultivation, the journey was naturally smooth. However—”

He paused, his gaze suddenly sharp.

“I discovered someone had trespassed into Nightmare Forest.”

The disciples gasped.

“What?!”

“No way, the Nightmare Forest is filled with so many restrictions and demon beasts. If he trespasses, isn’t he afraid of death?”

“Death is beside the point.”

Elder Su immediately set the tone for the matter.

Ming Yan and the other disciples all caught the underlying meaning in Elder Su’s words:

Death wasn’t the main issue—what mattered was that he had violated the sect rules.

And violating the sect rules meant punishment.

One disciple volunteered, “Elder, did that rebellious disciple leave anything behind? I’ve made some progress with the Soul-Searching Grand Art. No matter who it is, as long as there’s even a trace of their aura on the item, I can expose them!”

Elder Su waved his hand. “No need for such trouble.”

The disciple looked puzzled. “Why?”

Elder Su gave a light hum and took out the item belonging to the offending disciple from his sleeve.

To everyone’s surprise, it wasn’t a magical artifact, nor was it the disciple’s jade token.

Instead, it was… a hairpin?

And a strangely familiar one at that!

The disciples were stunned.

In the Hall of Justice, Ming Yan remained expressionless.

The hairpin was hers.

Perhaps she had dropped it during her fight with the Nightmare Forest’s demon tiger.

She had so many hairpins that losing one or two didn’t bother her.

Who would’ve thought Elder Su would pick it up?

But this worked out perfectly—an accidental stroke of luck.

Now, Chu Xuanqing had a ready-made motive for murder.

Ming Yan thought for a moment, then suddenly burst into tears, collapsing weakly to the ground. “Husband, it’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have trespassed into the forbidden area!”

Chu Xuanqing: “…”

The hall erupted in chaos.

“What? It was really Little Martial Aunt?”

“I knew that hairpin looked familiar—I’ve seen it on Little Martial Aunt before!”

“Heavens, how could Little Martial Aunt be so reckless… With her delicate skin and only Foundation Establishment cultivation, if she’s punished according to sect rules, she might not survive.”

Ming Yan’s sharp ears caught every word of the gossip.

Immediately, she cried even harder.

“Waaah, yes, my cultivation is low—I definitely can’t endure the punishment.”

“Waaah, husband, for the sake of our bond as Dao Companions, could you at least give me a proper burial? Would you send me off with your own hands?”

“Sniffle, sniffle…”

“Little Martial Aunt, what are you doing?!”

Elder Su hurried forward to help Ming Yan up, his face a picture of distress.

“I, I…” Ming Yan, fully immersed in her act, gave Chu Xuanqing a pitiful glance, her voice soft and sweet, utterly heartrending. “I know I was wrong.”

“Wrong? How could Little Martial Aunt ever be wrong?!”

Ming Yan: ?

That’s not what you said earlier!

“Ahem—” Elder Su suddenly coughed. “I hadn’t finished speaking earlier.”

The disciples: “What?”

“This hairpin is forged from Millennial Cold Iron, which can neutralize Flame Poison. When the Peak Lord and I were battling that demon beast, we accidentally contracted Flame Poison. Thanks to the Millennial Cold Iron, we were cured. Therefore, I, Su, must express my deepest gratitude to Little Martial Aunt for her thoughtful consideration. The deep affection between Little Martial Aunt and the Peak Lord is truly a model for us all!”

With that, Elder Su bowed respectfully to Ming Yan.

Ming Yan: “…”

She didn’t know what to say—perhaps this was what they called “when you’re unlucky, even cold water chokes you.”

“Wait, even so, Little Martial Aunt still violated the sect rules. If disciples from other peaks find out…”

One disciple voiced skepticism.

Ming Yan: Well said! Our Celestial Pivot Peak’s Hall of Justice needs talents like you!

“So—” The Beacon of Righteousness, Elder Su, stood up and glanced around, then suddenly lowered his voice, looking shifty-eyed as he said:

“This matter must be handled even more discreetly.”

Ming Yan: “…”