Chapter 42: Tracer (Part 6)

Xu Qianyu was still pondering: “What exactly was that hidden weapon Chen Duo used to strike me?”
The three icicles left no marks on her body; they merely immobilized her for a moment. Such a useful item—why hadn’t she heard of it?
Xu Qianyu soon saw it.
In the magical artifact market of the Immortal Sect, there lay a miniature arrow tube among various artifacts. With a gentle press, the vendor demonstrated as the tube emitted a soft “pfft” sound, launching three dazzling icicles. “Ice Sleeve Arrow. Three needles per shot, which not only attack but can also freeze the opponent momentarily, buying time in combat.”

Most of these artifacts were crafted from spirit stones, with a silvery-white color that glistened like pearls. They resembled slingshots and crossbows from the mortal world; some were peculiar in appearance, their use unclear, yet undoubtedly lethal.
Xu Qianyu, who had loved intricate gadgets since childhood, couldn’t take her eyes off them. But upon seeing the price tag with a long line of zeros, she touched the six spirit stones left in her purse.
She had no money.
The vendor noticed the unwillingness and desire in Xu Qianyu’s eyes and smiled. “Little Senior Sister, can’t you afford it? No worries. In your weapon-forging class, you can also craft one yourself.”
Xu Qianyu thanked him and turned to leave.
Later, as she returned to Songtao Yuxue Courtyard, someone tugged at the hem of her dress from behind.
She turned around and saw an unfamiliar female cultivator, around seventeen or eighteen years old. The girl gave Xu Qianyu a subtle glance, looked around to ensure they were alone, then whispered, “Junior Sister, I have a question. Where do you buy your hair combs?”
She looked up at Xu Qianyu’s head with a bright, eager gaze.

Xu Qianyu reached back and touched the pearl haircomb in her bun. She took it out, the pearls glimmering in her hand. “This one?”
Back home, Xu Qianyu had a maid who styled her hair every day, ensuring she never repeated the same look twice. This habit continued even after she arrived in Penglai. Although she only knew one hairstyle, she carefully chose different hair accessories every day.
Life in Penglai was harsh and lonely—not everyone was solely focused on martial skills. Some young, beautiful female cultivators also cared about their appearance. Some had someone special in mind and paid attention to the details of their own adornments.
The Junior Sister with the wooden sword appeared on the practice stage every day, her hair accessories never repeating—sometimes extravagant, sometimes elegant, but always stunning, adding brilliance to her presence. Though the sect was martial-focused, the girls dared not express this openly and instead sent one bold representative to ask in private.
If they found out which shop in the mortal world carried these, they could buy some during the autumn outing.

The girl carefully took the hair comb, dazzled by the pearls. Having three pearls of such high quality was rare and surely expensive.
“I have many more,” Xu Qianyu said. “Would you like to take a look?”
The girl followed her into the chamber.
Xu Qianyu opened a box containing a set of hairpins adorned with flowers representing the twelve months. She laid them out in a row, an impressive display of jewels and greenery.
The girl was awestruck.
Xu Qianyu’s collection was hard to come by elsewhere. Her family owned a jewelry shop, and as the young lady who adored beautiful things, she had a maid assigned to gather the most exquisite accessories for her from various stores. Her family’s shop, naturally, would not be outdone.
Whenever a new collection was released, each store would reserve a set for her first. Others might scramble for limited editions, but she had the whole series waiting for her.
On her birthdays, the craftsmen at the shop would design a set just for her, ensuring no one in Nanling would have anything similar.
She had brought several of her favorite sets to wear in rotation, enough to last her one or two years without repeating. But now, the magical artifacts interested her more.
The girl cautiously picked up one after another, eyes wide with admiration. “Junior Sister, where did you get all these? They must have cost a fortune.”
“Do you like them?” Xu Qianyu pulled out one to try on her. Seeing the longing in the girl’s eyes reflected in the mirror, she added, “Since you’re my senior sister, I could sell one to you for a bit less.”

“Really?” The girl was thrilled.
Xu Qianyu nodded. “Ten taels of silver.”

The girl’s expression froze. “What? Where would we get silver? We haven’t used anything but spirit stones in years.”
“Do you not need silver when you go down the mountain to buy things?” Xu Qianyu said, beginning to put the items away, unfazed. “I have no need for spirit stones.”
“No, wait, Junior Sister! I’ll give you more spirit stones. How about one hundred?”
Xu Qianyu remained unmoved and began to remove the one she had placed in the girl’s hair.
“Two hundred spirit stones? Just as a favor.” The girl held her head to prevent the hairpin from being taken and hurriedly pulled out a silver dagger from her storage pouch. “How about this? I crafted it in my weapon-forging class. Since you only have a wooden sword, it might be a bit plain. With this, it would enhance your close-combat skills.”

Xu Qianyu examined the dagger and agreed. “Alright.”
The girl was overjoyed.
Xu Qianyu laid out the entire set again. “You may choose one.”
The girl deliberated for a long time.
Each flower of the twelve months was unique, making her feel she’d regret choosing any of them. Yet she could only afford one.
Finally, the girl chose a begonia hairpin and walked away. After a few steps, she felt she should have picked the rose instead. Just then, Xu Qianyu called out, “Senior Sister.”
The girl quickly returned. Xu Qianyu lifted the curtain, leaned out of the window, and handed her a wooden box with a lotus blossom still dewy with moisture. “Take this pair of earrings as well. If others ask, tell them to come here at night; I have even better things.”
She reached out and turned the wooden sign hanging outside the chamber, revealing the name: Mingtang.

The female cultivator took the flower branch, sniffed it, and nodded. “Will do, will do.”
The system said, “Not bad. If you keep this up, ten more customers, and you’ll be able to afford the Ice Sleeve Arrow.”
Xu Qianyu packed the spirit stones and entered an empty neighboring chamber, lighting a candle. She tore down the original curtain and picked a golden gauze dress, slicing it with the dagger and draping it over the beam.
The hem hung down, forming a colorful curtain that concealed the interior. She placed a table in front of the curtain, covering it with a layer of dark green fabric.
The candlelight glowed softly, illuminating Xu Qianyu’s face. In this dim, colorful little space, the scene took on an air of mysterious allure.
The system remarked, “Like a fortune-telling witch.”
Xu Qianyu then slapped an abacus on the table, neatly organizing her writing brush, account book, and money box in the corners. “How about now?”
The system hesitated. “…like a small convenience store.”
Xu Qianyu nodded in satisfaction and blew out the candle.
The system, horrified in the dark, exclaimed, “Are you planning to open a shop in the immortal sect?” ”
Back in her chamber, Xu Qianyu counted the two hundred spirit stones she’d earned that day, placing them all in her purse. “I’m going to save up and buy all the magical artifacts I like.”
The female cultivator should have spread the news.
Xu Qianyu also increased her display efforts. When she appeared in the arena, she didn’t just show off a hairpin; she added earrings, bracelets, and belts and even forced herself to wake up half an hour earlier, groggily applying makeup with closed eyes. From head to toe, she was adorned with splendor.
Suspended in the room, Wuzhen observed and said from behind, “Stay focused; don’t be distracted by external things.”
Xu Qianyu, used to it, continued applying her rouge.
This Phantom projector not only refused to be turned off but would also frequently speak up to encourage discipline.
Xu Qianyu walked up to it and bowed reverently, saying, “Uncle-Master, I beg of you, bless me to reach the foundation establishment soon.”

Phantom: “…”
Phantom: “Without taking small steps, how can you reach a thousand miles?”
Xu Qianyu had already left.
However, business had been bleak for the past two days, apart from the occasional male cultivator glancing at her during sword practice. A few people came, looked around, and left. She hadn’t earned many spirit stones.
System: “Just give up already. You really don’t have the talent for this; focus on your cultivation and strategy!”
Why was she distracted again? It seemed she’d have to try harder and make more flower dew potions.

But once Xu Qianyu’s interest was sparked, it wasn’t easily extinguished.
Since she couldn’t afford the necessary items, she chose to take an artifact refinement class.
Bathed in a glow of multicolored lights, large refining furnaces, taller than a person, were arranged. A ring of intensely bright flames surrounded each furnace top. The disciples busily tended the fires, consulted manuals, and controlled the temperature.
Inside the furnace were ancient Phoenix flames, with spirit stones or other magical artifacts as raw materials, used to forge higher-grade artifacts. However, if control was lacking, unpredictable items or even failures could emerge.
Xu Qianyu found this fascinating, but all her possessions wouldn’t even suffice as furnace fuel.
The disciples in this class were exceedingly wealthy. Spirit stones were poured into the furnaces in heaps, and there was no end to the magical artifacts.
Xu Qianyu was mentally prepared and refrained from displaying her meager amount of spirit stones. Instead, she asked a nearby person, “Can this furnace forge a sword?”
“A sword?” The male cultivator cautiously fanned the furnace flames. “Do you think forging a sword is that easy?”

“A sword is not just any magical artifact; it’s the foundation of a sword cultivator. It requires the finest materials, and the swordsmith must be an experienced Sword Master to control the sword’s attributes. A sword is too complex… hard to explain. You can ask your master.”
Xu Qianyu couldn’t use the main furnace and was taken to another area by her master to learn elementary artifact refinement.
In this section, disciples were busy carving wood, connecting pieces with wooden joints, and creating intricate mechanical artifacts.
Xu Qianyu sat at a workbench, picking up a piece of wood with disinterest.
She didn’t want to carve wood; she wanted to refine artifacts.
Her lack of interest drew the attention of a male cultivator nearby, who looked at her, saw her face, and his expression changed. He nudged the person beside him with his elbow.
The others reacted similarly. Soon, the entire room was abuzz, with countless pairs of eyes glancing at her and whispering.

Suddenly, everyone distanced themselves from her, seemingly with a mix of respect and fear.
Xu Qianyu looked around, then shouted, “What’s wrong with all of you?”
After a moment, a young female cultivator timidly spoke, “Are you… Senior Sister Xu? You should… go check under the training tower.”

_

Underneath the towering structure that resembled a sword pointing skyward, a small group of disciples had gathered, pointing at the tower and discussing something.
Within the bustling ranks of the Penglai sect disciples, such lively scenes were rare.
Shen Suwei was returning from outside and, as he approached the tower, thought that someone was likely showing the battle footage stored in the Recording Pearl. Exceptional duels from training grounds or arenas were often recorded in these pearls, categorized and stored on the seventeenth floor of the tower for disciples to study.

If one paid a large number of spirit stones, it would activate an image array for an hour, projecting the battle onto the entire tower wall for everyone in the training field to see.
However, the disciples’ reactions to this scene were unusually strange.
Shen Suwei looked up. On the enormous projection, two people were sparring with swords in the arena, with the young girl’s double-bun hairstyle displayed particularly clearly.
Initially, the sparring was normal, with well-executed sword moves, but then the girl suddenly collapsed, and moments later, her male opponent also inexplicably fell to the ground.
Then, the girl climbed on top of him, grabbed his collar, and, with a blank expression, punched him.
The disciples gasped. Many stepped back, accidentally stepping on the feet of those behind them.
It was just that the image was so large and clear, making it feel like the punch landed on the viewer’s face, leaving their own faces stinging.
Shen Suwei watched the punch expressionlessly, his fingers in his sleeve brushing against his sword hilt.
He was only wondering, Why was her spiritual energy leaking so badly again?
“How can you hit someone on a sparring stage?”
“You shouldn’t hit the face; that’s too harsh.”
“Is this how she wins every match?”
“Ah, that was satisfying; I’ve wanted to hit him for a long time.”
“Who is this junior sister? So fierce?”
Suddenly, the image disappeared.
Unfazed, Shen Suwei shattered the projection array.
The disciples exchanged glances and waited for a moment, but as it didn’t return, they gradually dispersed.

As the array shattered, Shen Suwei closed his eyes, focused his spiritual sense like an arrow, and followed the spiritual energy to pierce through the recording pearl, striking directly into Chen Duo’s spiritual core.
Chen Duo, seated in the tower, had been watching the commotion with amusement. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood. Staring at his bloody hands, his hands shook, unsure of what had happened.
Shen Suwei opened his eyes.
In that instant, he had discerned two things.

First, Chen Duo had used a hidden weapon first, and someone had used spiritual energy to erase part of this scene from the recording pearl.
Second, right before Chen Duo fell, a wisp of black energy had appeared at his brow…
Suddenly, a heavy hand fell on his shoulder. Xu Jiansu, dressed in dark robes with golden patterns, held the Lingbo Sword in his left hand and pressed down on Shen Suwei’s shoulder with his right, smiling as he said, “Qianqian was waiting for you in the pavilion, but it turns out you were here.”

The two brothers privately competed with each other, and heavy-handedness was a common occurrence.
Yet Shen Suwei turned his head slightly to look at him, not at all angry. Instead, there was a glimmer in his eyes, as if he was ready to enjoy the expression on his face.
“Second Senior Brother,” Shen Suwei said softly, “There is a demon within the sect.”
Xu Jiansu’s handsome face suddenly changed, and he gritted his teeth with a smile, saying, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Thousands of demon-exterminating disciples were in the immortal sect; how could a demon infiltrate it? This would be a slap in the face of Penglai Immortal Sect.
But if it were true, a demon that could infiltrate the sect would be no ordinary creature. If it wasn’t eradicated in time, the trouble would be enormous.

Shen Suwei threw a talisman, which turned into a golden double-fish teleportation array upon hitting the ground. After setting the anchor, he pressed two fingers together in his sleeve and flipped them suddenly. With a “plop,” a kneeling person suddenly appeared at Xu Jiansu’s feet—it was Chen Duo. When he looked up and saw Shen Suwei standing beside him, his body shook, and he fell to the ground, trembling.
Without looking at him, Shen Suwei leaned close to Xu Jiansu’s ear and said, “Interrogate him, and you’ll find it.”
With that, his snow-white robes brushed past Chen Duo, disappearing within a few steps.
Chen Duo looked at Xu Jiansu as he approached, inching back in fear.
Xu Jiansu tilted his head to look at him, but his gaze was like examining a piece of pork. He held up two fingers and pointed them at Chen Duo’s forehead. “So, will you tell me yourself, or shall I read your memory?”

Chen Duo, already battered and bruised, looked pitiful in his plea for mercy. However, Xu Jiansu’s spiritual sense entered his skull, and amid Chen Duo’s pig-like screams, he sighed, “You’re too slow; I can’t wait.”
Xie Yuzhen sensed a fluctuation in spiritual energy in the mirror and assumed it was the young lady again, so he took the mirror out of his robe.
In recent days, he had grown accustomed to observing Xu Qianyu’s life this way.
However, today, the mirror was empty. The surface was as clear as a shimmering lake, gradually reflecting his own face.
The young man’s expression tightened. Not good.
If he could use the mirror to attack Chen Duo, then the other party could also trace him through the mirror!

Cracks began to crawl across the mirror’s surface, which shattered into pieces and scattered on the ground.
Almost simultaneously, someone burst through Lu You’s door.
She had been at her desk bandaging a rabbit’s wound and stood up in fright. The man who entered had a handsome face and a ruthless smile. She froze.
Second Senior Brother, Xu Jiansu?
In the first timeline, Xu Jiansu lost Qianqian, and when he saw her, he projected his feelings onto her, spoiling her to the heavens.

Lu You looked at him as he approached, pressing her lips into a smile.
In the first timeline, whenever she smiled, Xu Jiansu would be reminded of Qianqian, becoming even gentler, more protective, and indulgent toward her.
Now, Xu Jiansu held his sword and stood before her, his gaze fixed on her face.
The young girl’s face, with peach-blossom cheeks and almond-shaped eyes, curved into a crescent moon when she smiled. Her appearance was remarkably similar to Qianqian.
She was holding a fluffy white rabbit in her arms and spoke softly, “Second Senior Brother, my name is Lu You.”

Xu Jiansu thought that if Qianqian hadn’t been ill, she would have had a similarly full, glowing face.
Too bad his sister was the only one in the world suffering. Looking at this young girl now, she didn’t seem so pleasing anymore.
“Miss Lu,” Xu Jiansu gave her a crooked, cruel smile. He leaned in closer and said, “There’s a demon hidden in your room.”
Upon hearing this, Lu You’s eyes widened in shock, her face turning pale.
Then Xu Jiansu slashed his sword onto the desk in front of her!
The jade desk collapsed, taking all the fruit trays, papers, and brushes with it, which soon crashed heavily onto Lu You’s feet.

She hardly felt the pain. The rabbit in her arms had been sliced in half, and as it dropped, blood trickled down her arm. It took her a while to realize she was trembling all over.
“Host, you have violated your cherished persona! You’ve been humiliated. Your thrill points are plummeting. Take caution!”
“Host, you have violated your lucky charm persona! If you fail to protect the Demon King, the mission will immediately fail!”

Xie Yuzhen…
Xie Yuzhen must not be found out.
She pulled her foot out from the debris and limped toward Xu Jiansu’s back, shouting, “You can’t go in!”