The Mountain Lord's Daughter

To Bear the Sword of Her Sword Immortal Fiance

At the hour of the rooster, as dawn was approaching, Yue Zhiheng returned to his residence to change into a new set of clothes, then took Chen Ye to the palace to report in.

His palm bore a fresh wound, and there was a faint icy lotus-like scent in the air, lingering from the blood. However, Yue Zhiheng didn't apply any medicine, not bothering to care about it.

Chen Ye had followed him for many years and knew that Yue Zhiheng was ruthless with others, but even more so with himself.

He glanced at the bloodstains seeping from Yue Zhiheng's sleeve. He didn't know if the Lord was in pain, but judging by the wound, he thought it was rather deep.

It was the first time Chen Ye had seen such a Spirit Master, and he was somewhat surprised.

In his impression, all Spirit Masters were delicate and fragile, needing Spirit Practitioners to protect them, as Spirit Practitioners relied on Spirit Masters for their lives.

No one ever taught Spirit Masters to kill, so most of them were shaky when holding a sword.

But that girl from last night, if they had arrived any later, she probably would have really killed the Third Prince!

Although the Third Prince was a useless fool who wouldn't be missed, the person was taken away under their supervision at the Che Tian Mansion. If His Majesty held them responsible, they couldn't escape blame.

"Lord, is Miss Zhan an old acquaintance of yours?" Chen Ye couldn't help but ask. He knew that the Lord usually couldn't be bothered to even look at things of no value. Yet yesterday, Yue Zhiheng had watched that girl for quite a while.

If it was because she was beautiful, that was indeed the case. Chen Ye had to admit that Pei Yujing's fiancée was extraordinarily beautiful. But the dynasty had no shortage of beauties, and many officials had dubious morals, keeping male and female pets alike. Yue Zhiheng wasn't one to indulge in such things, and on several occasions when Master Zhang sent beauties, Yue Zhiheng had ordered them to leave.

This left only one possibility: that girl was an old acquaintance of the Lord?

Yue Zhiheng recalled the first time he had met Zhan Yunwei many years ago.

She had a faint blush on her cheeks, like a flower blooming on a branch in March. Her long, jet-black eyelashes trembled lightly, and her bright eyes had a hint of light brown. She was small, crouching down to look at him, solemnly asking, "Why did you steal?"

Yue Zhiheng replied to Chen Ye, "Not really an old acquaintance."

The word "not really" was subtle, and it made Chen Ye freeze for a moment. "So, there is some kind of connection?"

Yue Zhiheng's tone was cold as he sneered, "Connection? I suppose, when she was young, she meddled in other people's business and arrogantly slapped me three times."

Chen Ye nearly choked.

He couldn't have imagined such a connection. He secretly sympathized with that young lady. Considering the Lord's meticulous nature... if such small matters were still remembered, perhaps it was for the sake of revenge.

They were about to decide the fate of this group of Spirit Masters. Would the Lord suggest that His Majesty assign her to the gluttonous Master Zhang or to the cruel and ruthless Master Li?

Yue Zhiheng didn't care what his subordinate was thinking.

He was focused on a serious matter. After the battle at Ling Mountain, the mountain leaders had joined forces to protect the severely injured Pei Yujing, and it seemed that he had vanished from the Spirit Domain without a trace.

Yue Zhiheng and the Che Tian Mansion people had searched for four days using the洞世镜 (World Traversing Mirror), but not a single clue was found.

Yue Zhiheng suspected that they had most likely gone to the human world.

Normally, one should not pursue a desperate enemy, and His Majesty was usually calm, but this time, he made the opposite decision.

Yue Zhiheng understood why the Spirit Emperor couldn't remain composed.

It all stemmed from a prophecy triggered by the Si Tian Observatory several years ago.

Once the prophecy was made, the Tongtian Bell rang, but those who later learned of the prophecy all mysteriously died, with unknown causes. Over time, it became a secret, and few people spoke of what the prophecy had predicted.

However, Yue Zhiheng had learned a little about it from his grandfather.

It was said that the prophecy had written: "Once the capable emerge, the dynasty will be overthrown."

Looking across the entire Spirit Domain, the one who most closely matched such qualifications was Pei Yujing, the young master of Penglai.

He was born with a sword bone, and when he was born, there were celestial phenomena. He was the true child of destiny. Not only in Penglai but across the entire Immortal Alliance, it was clear that he was the last hope of the Immortal Sect.

Pei Yujing had lived up to expectations. At the age of six, he entered the Dao and could hear the Buddhist sounds of the heavens. At twelve, he defeated the top disciple of his clan. At twenty, he killed rampant evil spirits, killing one person every ten steps and leaving no trace after a thousand miles.

Over the years, his cultivation progressed at an astonishing speed, and no one could surpass him in terms of growth rate.

Such a serious threat could not be allowed to exist by His Majesty.

Therefore, even though they hadn't found him yet, Yue Zhiheng knew that His Majesty wouldn't give up. In the end, they would probably be blamed, and Che Tian Mansion would be held accountable.

Yue Zhiheng felt some annoyance. Looking at the entire dynasty, the only remaining leverage to bring out Pei Yujing and the other rebels was Pei Yujing's fiancée, Zhan Yunwei.

Meanwhile, the Third Prince, that good-for-nothing fool, had no sense of propriety and was consumed with trivial matters.

Zhan Yunwei was also a delicate Spirit Master who couldn't be killed or tortured.

Yue Zhiheng lowered his gaze, hiding the contemplation in his eyes.

The Imperial Prison

Imperial edicts had been arriving one after another. Older Spirit Masters were sent to the Danxin Pavilion to cleanse the corruption of the aristocrats who had "fallen into evil" in the capital.

The younger and more beautiful Spirit Masters were less fortunate. Most were betrothed, with uncertain futures.

The dynasty had not executed the Spirit Practitioners in the prison. It wasn't because of mercy, but because most of these Spirit Practitioners were blood relatives of Spirit Masters. As long as they lived, they could be used to control the Spirit Masters.

Yunwei's gaze passed through layers of sealing talismans and finally landed on a disheveled man. Perhaps he was her soft spot—the man was shackled by his wrist bones, covered in wounds, his hair messy, and his once handsome face barely recognizable.

Among the Spirit Practitioners, he was the only one who had awakened the Seventh Level of the Spirit Vein, so his treatment was the harshest. Talismans covered his entire body, and anyone who didn't know would think he was an ancient talisman practitioner suppressing a zombie.

A few days ago, he had been unconscious, quiet as could be. Since the rain began yesterday in the capital, he had awakened, but upon waking, he refused to speak...

As one spirit cultivator after another was taken away, the silent man could no longer hold back and hoarsely spoke.

He was not very polite when he said, "Zhan Yunwei, come here."

Yunwei couldn't move closer, but she still tried to comply, standing as close as possible to him. "Brother."

"Who is your brother? Don't call me that randomly."

Despite this grim situation, she couldn't help but smile, yielding with a soft tone, "Zhan Shujing."

Zhan Shujing was her father's adopted son.

His mother had originally been the head of Qingyang Sect. After her parents killed the evil spirits, they never returned. With Qingyang Sect losing both of its leaders, it soon fell into decline. The Lord of Changya Mountain took him back to the mountain and treated him like his own son. He also instructed Yunwei to respect him and regard him as her real brother.

However, Yunwei knew that Zhan Shujing had always harbored a faint resentment towards her father, as it was the Lord of Changya Mountain who had called upon everyone to eliminate the evil spirits that day.

Clearly, Zhan Shujing lacked the "tolerance" and "sacrifice" spirit taught to every disciple of the Immortal Sect. As a result, he also harbored resentment towards Yunwei.

Before Yunwei had awakened her spirit master talent, he would secretly bully her, as if trying to make her feel as miserable as he did.

Yunwei never complained or cried. Whatever way he bullied her, she would soon come up with a way to get back at him, each time making Zhan Shujing grind his teeth in anger.

Sometimes she thought that maybe, like Zhan Shujing, she was also an anomaly in the Immortal Sect because she didn't have the spirit of tolerance. She wasn't as graceful and obedient as she appeared, nor did she want to live a safe and steady life in the imperial capital like all other spirit masters.

She always dreamed of going to the other side of the spirit realm, to the city of Du'e, a place that no spirit master dared to approach.

Zhan Shujing, whom she once saw as petty and irritable, eventually carried her, severely injured, and gritted his teeth saying, "Enough with the nonsense. If I can't save you today, then I'm useless."

Someone who clearly harbored resentment, in the end, sacrificed his life to protect the Zhan family.

Yunwei rarely called him "Brother Shujing." After his death, she cried out for him in her dreams, but saw him in bloody clothes, staggering forward, never looking back at her.

Looking at the living person before her, Yunwei suddenly realized that in her previous short life, she had always been losing.

Zhan Shujing, unaware of her complicated feelings, gritted his teeth and said, "Kill me, then."

Yunwei: "..."

After all, if there's a sickness, it should be treated from an early age.

Zhan Shujing continued his outburst: "Who wants to be your burden? You're the daughter of the Lord of Changya Mountain, and you're going to marry a dog thief of the imperial court. Isn't that disgusting?"

Yunwei didn't want to listen to his ranting and interrupted him: "I want to kill you, but I can't reach you."

Zhan Shujing didn't need to think much, as the two of them had to be in the same cell first.

"..." Zhan Shujing realized this and could only grudgingly fall silent.

Though he closed his mouth, a strange fire still burned in his heart.

Where he couldn't see, Yunwei thought to herself, Brother, I must do something for you.

In her past life, she had protected Zhan Shujing, but not with the same willingness as now.

Their calm atmosphere was eventually shattered by the imperial decree that came three days later.

When Zhan Shujing heard who Yunwei was to be married off to, his eyes flashed with a cold and oppressive light.

It was that cold-blooded, shameless imperial dog—Yue Zhi Heng!

He almost couldn't stop himself from telling Yunwei: "Kill him! Stab that man to death."

But then he realized, Yunwei would probably respond: "I want to, but I can't kill him."

What a useless spirit master!

Zhan Shujing swallowed his words. This was probably the first time in his life that he found Pei Yujing somewhat tolerable, hoping that he would quickly return to the imperial capital to kill Yue Zhi Heng.

But Zhan Shujing also knew deep down that someone as cold and ruthless as Yue Zhi Heng would offer to marry Yunwei precisely because he was after Pei Yujing.

Yunwei thought the same. She wouldn't delude herself into thinking Yue Zhi Heng liked her.

After all, she had heard from his nanny that he had someone he favored.

In the end, it was true—after marrying him and spending three years as his Dao partner, they respected each other like "ice" with no feelings between them.

The midsummer rain still fell. By evening, someone came to take Yunwei away.

Yunwei couldn't help but look back at Zhan Shujing. He opened his mouth, wanting to say many things, to tell her that if she had the chance, she should leave and not care about them. Spirit cultivators were tough and wouldn't die easily.

But the only thing he said was, "Stay alive."

Yunwei felt a moment of sadness.

Maybe it was because he really feared that she might not be able to handle it—just yesterday she was Pei Yujing's fiancée, and in a few days, she would be forced to marry someone else. That's why Zhan Shujing said this.

Though he knew that she wasn't as weak as other spirit masters, Zhan Shujing couldn't gauge how much Yunwei cared for Pei Yujing, and whether this affection would make her do something foolish. He also didn't know what kind of person the infamous, wicked imperial dog was.

Yunwei thought, This time, I will live well.

Live until dawn breaks, so the common people no longer live in fear, and the spirit realm can flourish again.

The old mansion of the Yue family was located in Fenhe County, quite far from the imperial capital.

Yunwei wasn't taken to the Yue mansion but instead to the Che Tian Mansion.

Yue Zhi Heng was busy in the Che Tian Mansion all year round, rarely returning to the Yue mansion. Since he wasn't married, he almost lived in the Che Tian Mansion. Now, unexpectedly having to marry, he probably had to inform the Yue family and make preparations first.

After Yunwei was taken to the Che Tian Mansion, Yue Zhi Heng did not have anyone guard her or restrict what was in her room. He only had Shen Ye bring a cold and brief message.

Shen Ye, with a deadpan expression, relayed: "Master said that if the young lady leaves Che Tian Mansion by even a single step, and it causes him trouble to catch her, he will cut off a finger from the man in the cell."

Yunwei knew that this was something Yue Zhi Heng was capable of doing. She gritted her teeth and smiled, no wonder she had always felt that this person was overly excessive in her past life: "Tell Master Zhangshi that my legs are not well recently, and I won't be leaving the residence."

Chen Ye had not expected that just a few days ago, the criminal they were capturing would soon become their mistress. He clicked his tongue in surprise, utterly puzzled.

But it wasn't exactly unexpected. In the entire capital, perhaps there were only a few people who could handle the daughter of the Lord of Changya Mountain. If she were really given to someone like Master Zhang or Master Li, considering Zhan Yunwei's temperament, they would probably be collecting their corpses by the end of that very night.

Or perhaps, if Pei Yujing truly returned, those officials would die too.

Chen Ye couldn't help but recall the scene from a few days ago in the hall. Initially, the noble families and royal relatives had nearly forgotten their dignity, fighting over who would take the most beautiful and skilled spirit master from Changya Mountain.

Yue Zhi Heng had only listened quietly, not saying a word. He truly had been busy every day—not only eliminating evil spirits but also tracking down the heretics of the Immortal Sect. Meanwhile, these good-for-nothing officials were eager to take on trouble and push it onto him.

Just as the quarrel was about to end, Yue Zhi Heng spoke up: "Since that's the case, I'll trouble this esteemed official to go capture the leader of the Immortal Sect's traitors, Pei Yujing."

The ministers in the hall immediately fell silent. Forget about capturing him, who would dare to take on that sword saint, Pei Yujing?

The Third Prince, however, was somewhat reckless. He was constantly obsessed with that beautiful woman. Yesterday, he had nearly been killed, but today, he still couldn't give up.

But in the end, he was just a cat with sharp claws—no real threat. At most, he would just be more cautious.

He gritted his teeth but unexpectedly met the gaze of the Ling Emperor's spiritual projection, which was fixated on him. He had no choice but to swallow his words.

The Ling Emperor spent most of his time in seclusion, and when he appeared, it was only as a wisp of divine energy. The Third Prince dared to misbehave on normal days, but in front of the Ling Emperor, he didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

Finally, from within the divine energy came the Ling Emperor's voice: "Yue Qing, this matter will be handled by you."

Chen Ye couldn't make out his lord's expression, but after a moment, he saw Yue Zhi Heng bow to the Ling Emperor, indicating his acknowledgment.