Chapter 173 – Azure Profound Sect Chief Team: They Grew Up Together

A flash of white light, a shift in the scene—she was still at Azure Profound Sect. But this time, Ying You looked a little older, now reaching her shoulder in height.

He had been well cared for by the Azure Profound Sect. The boy had grown into someone as gentle and refined as jade. The misfortunes of his childhood hadn’t twisted him; instead, they had made him even more resilient and kind. His temperament was far more composed than others his age.

Now, he already had two or three close friends. Lian Mu looked closely and realized they were all members of the current Azure Profound Sect Chief Team.

Azure Profound Sect preferred to raise disciples from a young age. Even children of Immortal Sect clans were often brought to the sect early on, personally guided by their masters. This generation’s Chief Team had grown up together, and their bond ran deep.

Ying You stood at the mountain gate of Azure Profound Sect. A few people sat on the stone steps, as if waiting for someone.

“When’s that person Master mentioned supposed to arrive?” Gu Qingyu asked, propping up her chin.

Jiang Yuechen replied, “Should be soon. I heard he’s an alchemy cultivator from the Feng Clan. The Wuyang Feng Family is famous for their alchemists, but they’ve always joined Clear Thought Sect. It’s strange that the Feng Clan would let someone come to our sect this year.”

Yuan Huai added, “My father said he was kicked out. He’s not even considered part of the Feng Clan anymore. Poor guy—his own family doesn’t want him. When he gets here, why don’t we take him kite flying?”

Jiang Yuechen frowned. “No way. Kite flying’s not allowed in the sect. The Venerable Elders would punish us. Better to take him to learn about the local venomous bugs. He’s from White Tiger West, probably doesn’t know our insects. If he gets bitten, that’d be a problem.”

“Then you guys go. I’m not going.” Gu Qingyu shivered. “I hate bugs.”

Not long after, a man led a young boy up the steps. The boy looked at them nervously, too shy to speak.

“We’ve been waiting for you,” Jiang Yuechen said, reaching out a hand. “You must be Fengyun Yi, right? I’m Jiang Yuechen, from the Jiang Clan of Huainan, a talisman cultivator family. You can hang out with us from now on.”

“I’m Gu Qingyu, from the An Valley Gu Clan, a mixed-cultivation family. We’ve got all kinds of cultivators—super impressive.” She pointed to Yuan Huai. “This one’s surname is Yuan. No need for introductions—anyone in Azure Profound Sect knows what that name means.”

Fengyun Yi hesitated, glancing at them, but didn’t dare reach out.

Ying You smiled gently and said to him, “I’m Ying You, a sword cultivator. You’ve had a long journey—come rest first. You can meet the Venerable Elders after you’ve recovered.”

In the end, Fengyun Yi followed Ying You, leaving the others behind, puzzled.

Gu Qingyu watched their retreating backs and asked, “Why didn’t he come with us?”

Jiang Yuechen shook his head. “No idea. Maybe because we didn’t bring a gift?”

Yuan Huai said, “Maybe he’s just really shy. Let’s go grab some food from the dining hall for him—maybe then he’ll talk to us.”

Lian Mu, who had been watching the whole time, couldn’t help but smile.

These kids had all introduced themselves by flaunting their family backgrounds. For someone like Fengyun Yi, who had just lost the support of the Feng Clan, it was hard not to feel intimidated.

Lian Mu followed behind Ying You and Fengyun Yi as they walked and talked. She listened quietly.

Ying You led him to a residence and said, “You’ll be staying here from now on. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me or those kids from earlier. We all live nearby.”

Fengyun Yi kept his head down and mumbled, “…Okay.”

He was at an age where emotions ran deep. In this unfamiliar place, his face flushed bright red. Perhaps knowing he no longer had a home, he moved with extreme caution, afraid of offending anyone.

Ying You asked, “The man who brought you earlier—he’s not your father, is he?”

Fengyun Yi suddenly looked up, then lowered his voice. “No… He’s sick. He couldn’t come see me off.”

“Don’t worry. The Venerable Elders will try to help with your father’s condition,” Ying You said softly.

Lian Mu perked up—finally, a useful bit of information.

Fengyun Yi said, “But I have a crippled Spiritual Root… Doesn’t Azure Profound Sect only accept those with high-grade roots?”

He seemed to let his guard down a little in front of Ying You.

Lian Mu suddenly remembered—when Fengyun Yi first arrived at Azure Profound Sect, he hadn’t yet retested his Spiritual Root. He still thought he had a crippled one.

“The Feng Clan’s patriarch sent a letter to the Elders asking us to take you in,” Ying You said, patting his head. “Even if you have a crippled root, Azure Profound Sect won’t treat you unfairly. You can think of us as family.”

Fengyun Yi lowered his gaze, eyes welling up with tears. “Thank you… My father is seriously ill. He was injured by someone from the demon race—Demonic Qi Invasion. We’ve tried so many alchemy cultivators, but none could cure him. Can Azure Profound Sect save him?”

“I don’t know,” Ying You replied. “I’m not an alchemy cultivator.”

It was like a dam had broken. Fengyun Yi began to cry as he spoke. “We’ve gone everywhere looking for help. We heard someone in the Wuling Ji Family had the same illness and survived over ten years using a secret technique. We begged them, but they wouldn’t help us.”

Wuling Ji Family… Did someone in Ji Mingyue’s family also get attacked by the demon race?

Lian Mu vaguely remembered hearing Xu Xianxing mention it before.

“They all said there’s no cure after a Demonic Qi Invasion, and told my father to just wait for death. But I don’t want him to die. He’s the most important person in my life,” Fengyun Yi sobbed. “If I didn’t have a crippled Spiritual Root, I wouldn’t have been cast out, and my father wouldn’t have gotten hurt. I want to become an alchemy cultivator. I don’t want him to die.”

Ying You said, “Your elder sister has a Heavenly Spiritual Root—how could you have a crippled one? Maybe the test was wrong. Why don’t I speak to the Venerable Elder and have them retest you another day? Our sect’s Pearl-Seeking Instrument is the most accurate in the world.”

Fengyun Yi paused. “Do I… still have a chance?”

Ying You replied, “You won’t know unless you try.”

Fengyun Yi wiped her tears and asked, “Thank you. Where are you from? I see everyone here is from some noble family—are you from one too?”

Ying You smiled. “I’m also someone without a home, just like you. But you’re luckier than I am—at least the person who matters most to you is still by your side.”

Fengyun Yi asked, “Then where is the person who matters most to you?”

“…I don’t know.” Ying You looked off into the distance, the green mountains reflected in his eyes. “I once traveled with her. But a great calamity tore us apart. I stayed with her for many years, yet I never saw her true face. By the time I could finally see the world clearly, she was already gone.”

Lian Mu was stunned again. The suspicion that had been quietly growing in her heart was about to break free. Just as she wanted to listen further, the memory fragment ended.

She returned to the void and reached for another fragment.

In the Azure Profound Sect’s Elder Hall, Ying You sat across from an elderly man dressed like an alchemy cultivator.

“Is there really no way to cure his father’s illness?”

The alchemy cultivator sighed. “The demon race has always been strange. Once demonic qi enters the blood, it can’t be forcibly purged. Sooner or later, the mind will collapse. Even if Feng Tianche himself came, he couldn’t do anything.”

Ying You asked, “The head of the Ji family has the same illness. Might they have a cure?”

“The Ji family can’t help either. Right now, the only way to break the curse is to kill the one who planted the demonic qi,” the alchemy cultivator replied. “The current Ji family head is already at the end of his rope. I heard the Ji family’s young miss joined the Returning Immortal Sect specifically to search for a cure. No one knows how that’s going.”

“The Immortal Sect Grand Competition is about to begin. Don’t tell him yet—it might affect his performance. His father is temporarily being cared for here. Don’t let word of the demonic qi infection spread, or someone might use it against him.”

Lian Mu understood now—it was his father’s illness that weighed so heavily on Fengyun Yi.

The fragment ended. Lian Mu reached for another, hoping to find more about Ying You to confirm her suspicions.

In truth, she already had an answer in her heart. But it was so absurd that even she doubted it.

If what Ying You said was true, then he was the reincarnation of the Longevity Sword. But… what did Ying You mean to her now?

He had become a living, breathing person—no longer the weapon that once lay ready in her hand.

When she crossed the tribulation, the Longevity Sword was struck alongside her. The Heavenly Tribulation gave birth to a sword spirit, and they were separated—he grew into someone completely unfamiliar.

To be honest, she no longer cared about the past. She only wanted to walk her path well in this life.

Lian Mu thought it over and decided there was no need to acknowledge him. She would wait for the right moment to dissolve the Sword Contract and pretend she knew nothing.

There were plenty of people in the world named “Lian Mu.” One more or less made no difference.

As she was thinking this, the red threads that had once loosened around her limbs suddenly tightened again. This time, they bound her firmly. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t cut them. It was as if the threads were trying to forcibly pull her away.

Lian Mu didn’t resist. She had already learned what she needed—there was no reason to linger in someone else’s memories.

She closed her eyes and let her divine sense be slowly drawn away.

……

……

“Has she come out?”

Inside the Hall of Hundred Blossoms, the Sect Master of Crimson Sky Sect held a red thread in his hand. The other end of the thread dangled into a censer. He gave it a slight tug, and the ashes inside scattered into the air.

“Her divine sense has returned to her body. No need to worry, everyone,” the Crimson Sky Sect Master said with a smile. “Who would’ve thought this sword cultivator was so capable? She actually managed to sever a Soul-Tethering Thread on her first try and accidentally fell into this little friend Ying You’s sea of consciousness.”

Shang Liu’s face darkened. From the moment Lian Mu entered until now, who knew how much she had seen about the Azure Profound Sect? He snapped, “For the next Immortal Sect Grand Competition, Crimson Sky Sect should stay out of it. This time things got way out of hand—who knows what kind of mess you’ll stir up next time.”

Murong Yi rubbed his nose and said nothing. This time, Returning Immortal Sect had clearly benefited. Though he kept a stern face, he was secretly quite pleased.

The Crimson Sky Sect Master wasn’t offended. He chuckled and said, “Why accuse us? It wasn’t Crimson Sky Sect that led little friend Lian Mu into someone else’s Heart Realm Trial—it was the Flying Swan Sword Spirit that invited her in. Has nothing to do with us.”

“The Flying Swan Sword Spirit resonated with both little friend Ying You and little friend Lian Mu, naturally forming a bridge between them. The Pangu Illusion Realm never makes mistakes, but that Flying Swan Sword Spirit sure is mischievous.”

The Sect Master of Crimson Sky Sect flicked his sleeve and said, “Since the matter is settled, I’ll be taking my leave. As for the situation with the Azure Profound Sect, let this be the last time. Keep a closer eye on that sword spirit of yours who keeps mistaking people left and right—don’t let it cause me any more trouble.”