Chapter 62: Breakdown

No, wait!

Bian Chunzhou rubbed his near-overloaded CPU. So the Jiang Ying in front of him was actually Jiang Baozhu?!

Holy crap, Wen Xuxu, aren’t you a local from an ancient setting?! How did your brain jump to such a shocking conclusion so quickly? Doesn’t it feel incredibly abrupt? Isn’t it bizarre and surreal? Who would even dare to think that? Even he, a college student, wouldn’t have dared!

And the most ridiculous part is, oh my god, he actually seems to have guessed right!

It really is true that if you live long enough, you’ll see all kinds of things. He had just been returning late at night when he heard someone calling for help, and out of a desire to record the scene, he had used the Shadow Retention Stone. What was this now? A lucky strike?

But wait, that’s not right. If that’s the case, why didn’t the elders of Yonglu Mountain notice? Soul-shifting is a forbidden art written into the ironclad laws of the cultivation world. Anyone with a higher cultivation level than Jiang Ying should have seen through it at a glance. So… did Jiang Baozhu transmigrate into Jiang Ying’s body after death, just like him? No, that’s still not right. Jiang Ying wasn’t dead, so how could she have received Jiang Baozhu’s soul so precisely?

So… two souls in one body?!

Oh no, his CPU was definitely fried now. This cultivation world was truly ridiculous. Even a college student felt like he didn’t have enough brain capacity.

“Mother, stop talking nonsense. I am Jiang Ying. Stop acting hysterical.”

“Jiang Ying” tried to save face. In any case, her father had said that as long as she did not admit it, even a Golden Immortal would not be able to tell that she didn’t belong in this body. She was naturally feeling anxious, but at this point, she had no choice but to trust her father.

Yet, despite all her precautions, she had guarded against Yonglu Mountain only to let her guard down against the Yunxia Sect.

Once the junior disciple of the Yunxia Sect snuck into the Jiang Residence and discovered there was no Cold Ice Array in the backyard, Jiang Fengnian’s words instantly lost all credibility.

“Little Grand-Uncle Master of Yonglu Mountain, there is no Cold Ice Array in the backyard at all! They are lying!”

Wen Xu raised an eyebrow, though he was not surprised. After all, if they had not poked their noses into this business, who would have cared about a change in an outer disciple’s personality? The Jiang Family naturally did not need to put on a very convincing show. A Cold Ice Array was a significant expense for a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator. “Jiang Baozhu, it is useless for you to deny it. According to the Yunxia Sect, the damage to your spiritual root was a sudden accident. Therefore, your replacement of Jiang Ying was not long-planned, but done in haste. It is true that Yonglu Mountain’s Punishment Hall requires evidence, but since you acted in a rush, if we work backward from the conclusion, believe me, your plan will be full of loopholes.”

“Jiang Ying” pursed her lips, still refusing to speak. Or rather, she was utterly unwilling to admit it.

“For example, Jiang Ying spent over a decade at Yonglu Mountain. She must have done many things you know nothing about, but the disciples of the sect will certainly know. The fact that you just gave yourself away in front of us shows that you do not possess Jiang Ying’s memories. Are you sure you want to go to the Punishment Hall to face interrogation?”

“Furthermore, there is your combat style and the traces of your spellcasting. Jiang Ying has five spiritual roots. Ever since she began cultivating, she has practiced five-element spells. She might have some understanding of fire array techniques, but… Jiang Baozhu, you come from the Yunxia Sect. Believe me, Yonglu Mountain will not mind inviting the disciples of the Yunxia Sect up the mountain to help clear your name.”

“And then, there is your spiritual energy cultivation. Breaking through in the middle of a battle is common, of course, but… are you sure your breakthrough can withstand a thorough examination?”

Man, she really is full of holes, Bian Chunzhou thought, tapping his own head. Huh, empty. Well, never mind then.

“Jiang Ying’s” face turned incredibly grim, realizing she was completely exposed. Her immediate reaction was to grab Madame Jiang as a hostage. “Don’t come any closer! If you do, I’ll kill her!”

Madame Jiang was completely dumbfounded. She could not understand why the daughter she had showered with all her love and affection would hold a sharp blade to her neck.

She even forgot to be afraid. She stood there in a daze, as if her very soul had been snatched away.

“Killing one’s own blood relative is a taboo for cultivators. Jiang Baozhu, do you want to fall into the demonic path?”

Bian Chunzhou could hardly believe his eyes. Was she insane? How did she dare? Although he had to admit that cultivation was incredibly alluring, was it really worth risking a family member’s life?

“The demonic path? You forced me into this! I’m just an outer disciple. Did you really have to cut off my path forward?” Jiang Baozhu no longer hid the ferocity on her face. At this moment, she did not look like an orthodox cultivator at all. “Every single one of you is a favored child of heaven. How could you possibly understand the suffering of us multi-spirit root cultivators? You already have so much, so why must you take away my only hope!”

She’s gone mad, Bian Chunzhou concluded.

“No, quite the opposite.” Wen Xu’s words pierced like a blade into Jiang Baozhu’s Dao heart. “You are the one who took away Jiang Ying’s hope. You stole her body, her cultivation, and her spirit root. You are the home-invading robber.”

“No…”

It was unclear which of his words had struck a nerve, but her emotional defenses completely shattered. Just moments ago, she had been making excuses and playing dumb, but now she had gone completely frantic. Because of her erratic movements, blood was starting to seep from Madame Jiang’s throat.

The sting of the blade drawing blood finally brought Madame Jiang back to her senses. Her throat felt dry as she tried to say something, but she realized she had no idea what she could even do.

She was a very traditional woman. Born into a merchant family, she had managed to marry a cultivator as his primary wife. She was the pride of her entire clan, which was why they had showered her with resources, and she desperately wanted to repay them. Thus, she had done everything she could to give birth to her daughter, Jiang Baozhu. Heaven had blessed her; Baozhu possessed a spirit root and would one day be an immortal flying through the skies.

Even if Baozhu was just a daughter, what of it? Cultivators did not value male heirs as much as ordinary people did. Once Baozhu was found to have a spirit root, Madame Jiang’s position in the Jiang Family became rock-solid. She poured all her attention into her daughter’s early education. Madame Jiang knew very well that her husband was a cultivator. Though he never showed it, she knew he had never truly viewed her as an equal. Madame Jiang wanted her daughter to succeed, but she did not want Baozhu to grow up to be cold-hearted like her husband.

She had wanted a sweet, caring daughter, and she had thought she had one, but she never expected her to prove to be, without a doubt, Jiang Fengnian’s spawn.

Despair washed over Madame Jiang’s face, but she would soon realize that this was far from the moment of true despair.

“This was my body and my spirit root to begin with! Weren’t you curious how I managed to break through mid-battle?” In her rage, Jiang Baozhu actually began to spill all her secrets. “Because this cultivation was mine all along! I am only taking back what belongs to me. What did I do wrong?”

Having said that, she turned her bloodshot eyes toward the three from the Yunxia Sect. “Tell me, am I at the eighth level of the Qi Refining Stage or not?”

“Ba… Senior Sister Baozhu? Is it really… you?”

The second senior brother of the Yunxia Sect was trembling so hard his voice shook like a leaf. The sheer terror and bewilderment in his heart had completely taken over his mind. Heavens, how could their sweet, respectable Senior Sister Baozhu be this kind of person? Eldest Senior Brother, I’m sorry! If he had known, he would never have come today…

“Speak!”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, you are at the eighth level of Qi Refining.”

Jiang Baozhu withdrew her gaze, satisfied. “I can tell you that my cultivation will stand up to any investigation, Little Grand-Uncle Master.”

But was that the point? Not at all!

Never mind Bian Chunzhou’s CPU overloading; even Wen Xu was stunned by the sheer complexity of the Jiang Family’s inner household. To think two daughters could cause such a massive mess. Humans truly never disappointed him.

“So what you mean is, the life you occupied before belonged to Jiang Baozhu. Did I understand that correctly?”

Wen Xu had not misunderstood, of course. But Madame Jiang… was going mad. If she hadn’t been held hostage due to her weak cultivation, she might have already painted the ground with her own blood. Yet it was precisely because of this helplessness that despair could slowly consume her.

The fear and despair in her eyes were almost tangible.

“That’s right, but it wasn’t by my own choice. Little Grand-Uncle Master, you must believe me, I am innocent.” A look of sudden realization washed over Jiang Baozhu’s face. She realized she didn’t need to panic at all. “I only took back what belongs to me. What did I do wrong?”

Bian Chunzhou: …I have never seen anyone so utterly shameless!

“What belongs to you?” Wen Xu chuckled softly, as if he had just heard a hilarious joke. His laughter successfully stung Jiang Baozhu’s sensitive pride. “As far as I know, Junior Sister Jiang’s spot to enter the mountain came from her own kindness. Does that kindness belong to you as well?”

“Junior brother from the Yunxia Sect, what kind of spirit root does this senior sister of yours have?”

The junior disciple of the Yunxia Sect answered immediately, “A three-element spirit root, with metal, wood, and fire attributes.”

“You traded a five-element spirit root for a three-element spirit root. Why didn’t you think of taking it back before? Did you have to wait until your three-element spirit root was damaged to remember that you are Jiang Ying?” What a joke. “Whether you are Jiang Ying or Jiang Baozhu, Yonglu Mountain will only recognize that junior sister as our disciple. You? You are not her.”

“Even if she dies?”

Wen Xu nodded. “Even if she dies.”

As he spoke, he suddenly realized something. “It seems the real Junior Sister Jiang isn’t dead yet.”

She was actually still alive? Unfortunately, outer disciples of Yonglu Mountain did not have soul tablets, which would have made finding someone incredibly easy. But… Bian Chunzhou looked toward the Jiang Residence. “I’ll go look for her.”

“You’re not allowed to go!”

Wen Xu snapped open his Wind-Folding Fan, blocking the frantic Jiang Baozhu. “Your opponent is me.”

“Losing to you in the arena was only because I wasn’t prepared. This time, I will definitely defeat you!”

Now that the fight was on, Jiang Baozhu tossed her hostage aside. Madame Jiang was thrown to the ground like a discarded rag. She glared at “Jiang Ying,” her eyes filled with murderous rage.

Right at that moment, Jiang Fengnian was slashed down by Chen Zui. He was heavily injured. He had never expected to be beaten so helplessly by someone in the Qi Refining Stage. This was worse than death to him.

Why?!

But Madame Jiang wanted to know the answer to that question even more than he did. She rushed over, clawing at her husband in near-hysteria. “Jiang Fengnian, tell me! What did you do? How dare you swap my daughter with that wench’s daughter! Tell me!”