Chapter 81

The library of the Supreme Sect was always as silent as a small building perched on a mountain in an ink wash painting.

Most disciples with a master would take their books back to their own peaks and private quarters to read, but Lin Du was there every day. She even treated this library like a library without closing hours, where she would perform formation calculations or read miscellaneous books.

The library was guarded by an elder who was always present but never seen. Lin Du guessed this elder might be from Yan Ye’s generation or even older.

After all, cultivators who reach the third tier of the Tengyun Realm can live for a millennium, let alone higher-level cultivators.

With such a long life, apart from those who have resigned themselves to waiting for death, people need something to do.

There were no strict restrictions on the direct disciples regarding the library. They could browse through books on any floor, but sect rules prohibited copying or disseminating books, and one had to consult an elder before practicing any cultivation techniques.

The Supreme Sect was very lenient with its disciples, which often felt unreal to Lin Du. Perhaps that’s why the rogue disciples picked up on the roads had space to cause trouble.

She thought this was a good place, a peaceful place, and it should remain peaceful.

After finishing ten large characters, Lin Du went back to the library. She wanted to find books and maps about Witchcraft and the Yunnan region.

She had roughly figured out where each type of book was located in the library, just like when she was very young. During summer and winter vacations, she would be left in the Xinhua Bookstore by her busy parents, and she memorized what each shelf on each of the four floors contained. Even many years later, she still remembered it well.

“If you’re looking for books on Witchcraft, your Fifth Senior Brother has already been here and taken them,” said a deep voice from the library.

Lin Du wasn’t discouraged. “Then I’ll look for books and maps about Yunnan.”

The terrain of Yunnan was complex, and she wanted to understand it thoroughly and be prepared.

In some respects, she was very good at listening, such as when Feng Chao told her to be well-prepared.

When Yuan Ye arrived, Lin Du was reading a book and writing something in a small booklet.

Feng Chao was right; her skill with the brush was still limited. So, for taking notes, she used a brush with a sharpened round tip that she had broken earlier, dipped in ink, and wrote in a style similar to using a fountain pen.

So, when Yuan Ye arrived, he saw this peculiar scene.

“Uncle Junior Master, why did you ask me to come to the library this afternoon?”

“Aren’t you here for tea?” Lin Du pointed to the teapot nearby. “Help yourself. Do I need to serve you?”

Her usual manner of speaking didn’t bother Yuan Ye, who cheerfully moved closer. He then remembered the somber expression of his Uncle Junior Master when leaving Tianxin Peak last night and this morning and asked, “Uncle Junior Master, is your soul alright?”

Lin Du heard this and felt her eardrums buzzing, her head ringing with the battle anthem of a suona and erhu ensemble. She lifted the pen in her hand.

This action made Yuan Ye pause for a moment, and he even forgot to drink the tea he had eagerly picked up. “That gesture with the pen looks really familiar.”

Lin Du was using a modern pen-holding method at the time, and her heart skipped a beat. “Have you seen anyone else hold a pen like this?”

“Not really,” Yuan Ye scratched his head. “I had a reading companion in the past who once held the pen like this. He said his Uncle Junior Master would hold the pen this way when he was daydreaming. When he missed that Uncle Junior Master, he would imitate this gesture.”

Lin Du had always wondered how Yuan Ye, a prince, had come from the mundane world to the spiritual realm. Hearing this, she was momentarily lost in thought. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Yuan Ye said. “Unfortunately, he later went to the frontlines to fight. I followed the National Teacher to the spiritual realm and don’t know how he is now. The Xi Xia iron cavalry is brutal, and the Xie family is likely…”

Yuan Ye suddenly felt he had said too much. His pale, full face showed rare concern and bewilderment, as if recalling something. “At that time, the National Teacher told my father that I had a talent for learning and would find a way to save the country once I completed my studies. But when I arrived in the spiritual realm and was chosen by the Supreme Sect, I realized that cultivators could no longer concern themselves with mundane world matters.”

Lin Du didn’t expect this little bundle of apparent “I’ve been deceived” to also have such concerns about the country. “Do you still think about going back to seize the throne after you complete your studies?”

“Being an emperor is only for those who are willing to suffer!” Yuan Ye blurted out, then realized it was inappropriate and defensively added in a lower voice, “I won’t be one. Whoever wants to be one, let them. My father doesn’t have the stamina for it—there are internal and external troubles everywhere, and it’s a mess. I’d rather act in a play than try to manage such a mess!”

Lin Du: “… No wonder one wants to act and the other likes farming.”

She lifted her hand and gently nudged the tea in front of him, “Have some.”

“That Imperial master didn’t seem to have very good spiritual roots. The Supreme Sect is selective about who they take. He told me at the time that everyone has their fate. Your Highness, you should go. Our fate has ended. He couldn’t save the country, but at least he could save me.”

Yuan Ye paused, lowering his gaze. At that time, he had no spiritual power, and despite searching diligently after arriving, he couldn’t find that Imperial master again.

“Actually, I know why the Imperial master only took me. It was because I didn’t want to be an emperor and wouldn’t be accusing him of deceiving the country. When the Imperial master asked which play I liked the most, I said I loved ‘The Yellow Millet Dream.’”

As Yuan Ye said this, he suddenly chuckled. “The Imperial master took a prince along not just for show. He wanted my father to give him ample funds, ensuring he wouldn’t run off with the money. My father’s private treasury was all raided for treasures, and the Imperial master held onto them tightly, like a donkey on the road, not letting go.”

“And then, when we crossed into the spiritual realm, and after we disembarked, we found out that mundane gold and jade were as common as bricks here. Spiritual stones were the real currency. In the end, we were forced to stay in the kitchen and wash dishes for several days.”

He said he was tired, took a sip of tea, and his eyes lit up. “This is really good stuff. My master got two taels of your tea leaves and almost counted the leaves while brewing.”

Lin Du laughed along with him, then turned to listen to Yuan Ye chat about trivial matters. He mentioned a pig on the back mountain that was pregnant and that today he saw Senior Brother looking like a little wife trailing behind Second Senior Sister.

Yuan Ye, with a mischievous look, leaned closer and said, “Didn’t Shao Fei say she had a way to save Senior Brother and sought his forgiveness?”

“Then Senior Brother, who was drinking hot water at the time, immediately jumped up and said no matter how helpless she was, she had actually revealed you as a candidate to the evil cultivators. If it weren’t for your foresight and precautions, what would the consequences have been? He wouldn’t have forgiven her and would rather die than accept help from such a person.”

“At that time, Senior Brother went to rescue you. By the time Shao Fei came to report, you had already been captured for almost a quarter of an hour. Shao Fei didn’t know your abilities. Evil cultivators eat people, and a quarter of an hour later, the person would be dead. She definitely didn’t have good intentions!”

Yuan Ye shook his head, “Senior Brother has just been too inexperienced. I noticed from the beginning that Shao Fei’s talk of being a savior was definitely aimed at Senior Brother.”

Lin Du clapped her hands perfunctorily. Truly a member of the royal family—though not well-read, they were experts in palace intrigue.

“But Yuan Ye, Yan Qing mentioned at the dinner table yesterday that you asked me why I deceived Shao Fei about her strength.”

Yuan Ye grinned and scratched his head, looking up at the sky. “Oh, really? I don’t remember. Yan Qing must have mixed things up. His memory isn’t that good.”

Lin Du laughed and suddenly sensed a slight fluctuation in energy. She looked up in surprise at the child who was still playing dumb. “Yuan Ye, you’re about to advance.”

Yuan Ye was taken aback, realizing that spiritual power was surging towards him. The barrier from the early to mid-stage of the Qin Heart Realm had already shattered.