The Forbidden Path to Immortality-Chapter 262

“Rare to see you take an interest, senior sister.”

Su Huaiyu didn’t read too much into it. He figured Shui Die Lan was either curious or just putting on a show of being “proper.” He chuckled, then took his time saying, “Funny thing is... I picked this up as a bonus when I bought information on your whereabouts from the Yanxing Sect.

“Apparently there’s a lot of messy backstory. Something like someone killed someone’s brother, someone else killed someone’s disciple, that kind of thing...

“In short, Old Tian Yuan’s got that ruthless Ming Ji trapped in the ‘Star River’ now. Claims he’ll keep her locked up for a thousand years. The Mingxin Sword Sect isn’t what it used to be. If Zhong Yin were still around, Tian Yuan wouldn’t have the guts even if you gave him ten lifetimes of courage.”

“Oh, I see..." Shui Dielan glanced at Li Xun as if by accident, quickly feigning disinterest. “Forget it. This has nothing to do with us. But you, White-Hair… coming all this way, surely it wasn’t just to say hello, was it?”

“You always read me best, Senior Sister Shui.” Su Huaiyu smiled. “I’ve never been one for courage, and I’ve never had the slightest wish to risk my life for the sake of Dao. The reason I’ve managed to sit in this seat at all is simply because I never get up early unless there’s something in it for me.

“When Senior Sister Shui betrayed the sect back then, I was dead against those idiots’ plan. It's just a shame I’d just taken the seat and had to compromise... and because of that, I ended up losing thirteen Blood Feathers.”

Shui Die Lan’s brow twitched. “Didn’t know you had a habit of rambling like this.”

“Not at all. I said all that just to tell you one thing, Senior Sister. A few days ago, Elder Hong misstepped in his cultivating and suffered a qi deviation. He ended up killing himself for the sake of the path. This whole thing...”

Li Xun was lost in the clouds, staring blankly. But Shui Die Lan knew exactly what it meant. She let out a soft “oh,” then laughed, clapping her hands once. “Congratulations, White Hair. Finally, the reins are all yours. Your day to truly shine is just around the corner!”

Su Huaiyu gave a slight bow and accepted the praise without protest.

But then he lifted his head again, and the light in his eyes had changed entirely. Even Li Xun beside him could see just how intense that eagerness was.

“Senior Sister Shui, at this point, someone as wise as you doesn’t need me to spell things out. With Elder Hong gone, the sect no longer carries the same hostility as before. And in these turbulent times… would you be willing to return and lend me a hand?"

Shui Die Lan raised an eyebrow. Li Xun rolled his eyes and turned his face aside, though his ears were perked up and listening.

After a brief show of surprise, Shui Die Lan soon smiled. “I’m impressed you can even make such a request. But honestly, I’m enjoying my free and easy life. Why on earth would I go looking for trouble again?”

Her tone wasn’t exactly final, but Su Huaiyu was wise enough not to push his luck with more pointless talk. He let out a soft sigh, and there was a real shade of sadness on his face.

Li Xun glanced over from the corner of his eye. Even now, he couldn’t tell whether Su Huaiyu’s shifting expressions were genuine or not. Someone that unreadable… it reminded him quite a bit of himself.

“I understand what’s in your heart, Senior Sister,” Su Huaiyu said gently after a moment of silence. “But I have one awkward request. This world will be troubled from now on, and our sect can’t afford any more needless losses...

“I plan to issue the order today. All past grievances between you and the sect will be wiped clean. That 'kill on sight' order is hereby canceled for good. As for you…”

Watching him casually wipe out the kill order that represented the honor and authority of the entire sect... even though Li Xun had sensed it coming, he couldn’t help but gape.

Shui Die Lan on the side showed not the slightest surprise. She let out a low hmph. “Why would I bother you lot when I have nothing better to do?”

Su Huaiyu broke into a broad grin, even going so far as to slap his hand to his forehead in exaggerated relief. “If Senior Sister thinks this way… it’s a blessing for the sect, truly…”

“Is that so?” Shui Die Lan’s eerily blue lips curled into a strange little smile. She jerked her chin toward Li Xun. “For the sake of the centuries of ties between us, let me give you a bit of advice. Sometimes letting go at the right moment is the real blessing.”

Su Huaiyu gave a small smile and turned to look this way. His eyes met Li Xun's, and while neither man was openly hostile, there was a tension in the look they exchanged.

This was actually Li Xun’s first time going head-to-head with a sect leader. Even while keeping steady, he still had strength to spare. And in that instant, he found his mental cultivation had reached a new level.

The two men’s sharp glint briefly flashed before disappearing. Su Huaiyu was genuinely surprised. “If I’m not mistaken, this is Hundred Ghosts Daoist, right? Deep cultivation is one thing, but I didn’t expect your knowledge to cover so much. Truly impressive for someone your age.”

It was the first direct line exchanged between them and suited Su Huaiyu’s status well. But in the current situation… it had a strange taste to it.

Li Xun was perceptive enough to pick up on the hidden meaning. Normally, his nature leaned toward hiding sharpness in softness, yielding in order to advance. Yet as he prepared to answer, a surge of heat rose straight to his head, and what he was about to say took on a different tone.

“Trying to stay alive forces you to put in more effort,” he said, pausing for a beat. A faint smirk tugged at his lips. “Your esteemed sect seeks the Dao through killing, even to the point of dying for it. This Hundred Ghosts’ spirit is too weak for that. I can’t hope to emulate you; I can only do my best to stay alive.”

Coming from Hundred Ghosts, words like that were nothing if not a provocation. And how could Su Huaiyu not hear it?

Though he was annoyed inside, his face remained calm and breezy. With a small smile, he turned to Shui Die Lan. And saw her staring at Hundred Ghosts, a flicker of surprise on her face. That response had clearly caught her off guard as well.

Anyone with a sharp mind tends to think a few steps ahead. Seeing Shui Die Lan react like that, and not yet knowing exactly what kind of relationship she had with Hundred Ghosts, Su Huaiyu had no intention of revealing any displeasure too soon.

He paused, swallowed his annoyance, and pretended he hadn’t understood the jab. He nodded to Li Xun, then spoke to Shui Dielan.

“Senior Sister Shui, it’s rare to see you in the mood to guide a junior. Naturally, I won’t be the one to spoil that. Fine, I’ll risk offending Lord Bishui and let this deal fall through. And honestly, if all of Madam Yan’s disciples are like this, our sect might as well stop taking Lord Bishui’s commissions altogether. There won’t be any work left for us anyway.”

He was going along with the situation, but he was giving her a great deal of face.

Even if Li Xun felt a twinge of awkwardness, there was nothing more to say. He nodded in thanks, letting his eyes drift toward Shui Die Lan. And caught her winking at him intimately, completely unconcerned.

For a moment, Su Huaiyu’s face took on a very odd look.

Dawn was creeping in. Stirred by the morning wind, the three of them drifted slowly away from the chaos of the forest below.

In the fresher air and under the gradually brightening light, Shui Die Lan’s face was beautiful. Almost unnaturally so, as if not entirely of this world.

Su Huaiyu’s gaze slid over her, then seemed to flinch as if stung. He squinted slightly, thought for a moment, and then abruptly said his goodbyes.

“Since you’ve made up your mind, Senior Sister, I won’t intrude any longer.”

“Oh, go ahead!”

There was no polite playacting. Shui Die Lan waved her hand, already impatient, and that counted as her farewell. Li Xun only gave a slight nod.

Su Huaiyu showed no hint of displeasure. If he even remembered that the sect’s rare Soul-Seeking Ice Beetle was still in Li Xun hands, he gave no sign. He simply smiled and drifted away.

“If you ever change your mind someday, Senior Sister, just let me know. I will gladly welcome you.”

He paused, then something seemed to occur to him. Just before he faded into the clear sky, his voice floated back. “I heard that the Thousand-Mechanism Old Freak has cooked up something strange again. You should be careful for a while.”

The sound still lingered in their ears. He was already gone. The Falling Feather Sect assassins had also slipped away soundlessly.

Li Xun rubbed his chin, a smile on his face. “After all that talk, it sounds like he had something else in mind.”

“Yeah, she cares about our lives!” Shui Die Lan shot Li Xun an annoyed look. “You idiot. Still don’t get what ‘Soulcharmer’ means, do you? You actually think a sect master of his standing would bring along a bunch of useless sidekicks?

“Hmph. There are at least two Dark Feather assassins waiting twenty li from here. If I had shown even the slightest sign of being injured just now, we’d be running for our lives.”

The Falling Feather Sect ranked its killers by five colors: Yellow, Green, Blood, Dark, and Pure, in ascending order. “Pure Feather” was the title reserved for the sect master, and “Dark Feather” referred to the sect’s highest-level assassins.

“Two? I thought there was only one,” Li Xun said, surprised. Then he caught Shui Die Lan’s even more astonished expression.

He shrugged: "Ever since I started cultivating this damned technique, I've become pretty sensitive to living things, though it looks like I'm still not as good as your nose... And even if someone was lying in ambush, would he really take the risk and pick a fight? One wrong move and we might be the ones taking him out.”

Shui Die Lan snorted, but anger caught in her throat and she couldn’t help coughing out. “You really fell for it. It’s exactly because you can’t imagine it that he’d make a move. That lunatic… I practically watched him grow up. How could I not know what he’s like?” 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“Lunatic?” Li Xun thought back, but he couldn’t recall anything that fit the description. He shook his head. “Maybe my eyes are just bad. But from where I stand… hahaha.”

There was a certain nuance in his laugh, yet it had absolutely no effect on Shui Die Lan.

She let out a cold laugh. “Idiot. Think about it. If he still had even a trace of normal human feeling, how would he have become the master of the Falling Feather Sect? All ten of the sect’s killing arts require cutting off emotion and compassion. You only succeed if you walk the edge between life and death. After being steeped in that kind of cultivation for hundreds of years, even a bodhisattva would turn into a demon.

“Why do you think I betrayed the sect back then, only to turn around and join the Vermilion Hook Sect? You think I did it for fun? I just needed a place where I could kill to blow off steam.”

Li Xun stopped laughing and frowned. He wasn’t an idiot, or a fool, but if the man really was a lunatic, then he honestly had no way to predict how such a mind worked. So he asked sincerely, “Then what do you think he’s trying to do?”

“You didn’t hear what he said? The Thousand-Mechanism Old Freak is coming after me, and I should be careful for a while.”

She put heavy emphasis on the words “for a while.” If Li Xun still didn’t get it, then he really would be a genuine idiot.