As Cai Zhao had always believed since childhood, Ning Xiaofeng was the luckiest woman in the world.
She and Cai Han arrived at Nine Conch Mountain two days later. To spare her unnecessary worry, her elder brother, the Awakened Chan Master, had kept his brother-in-law's disappearance a secret from her. She only knew that the Azure Tower Sect had been attacked and that her daughter was unharmed. It wasn't until she arrived and saw her husband, now recovered forty to fifty percent of his vitality, that she learned of the heart-stopping events of the past half month.
From beginning to end, she had never endured a single day of the same anguish and anxiety as her daughter.
Watching her mother weep while clinging to her father outside the medicine hut, Cai Zhao couldn't help but sigh, "Actually, Old Sect Leader Yin wasn’t entirely wrong. Women don’t necessarily have to train rigorously to become strong. Look at my mother—who around her doesn’t protect her, cherish her, and spare her from suffering? If you lack ability, others won’t expect you to shoulder responsibilities. When the sky falls, let the tall ones hold it up… right, Senior Sister Lingbo?"
Qi Lingbo snorted heavily, lifted her chin, and strode away haughtily.
Among all the changes since their return, Qi Lingbo’s transformation was the most striking. She had actually stopped picking fights with Cai Zhao. Whenever the two women with their long-standing grudges crossed paths, Qi Lingbo either gazed at Cai Zhao with a complicated expression or walked away in silence, her demeanor aloof.
"What’s gotten into Senior Sister? She’s become so mild-tempered," Cai Zhao remarked in surprise. She herself had just faced death on the snowy mountains and had since adopted a more detached outlook. But Qi Lingbo had been safely by Madame Sulian’s side all this time—how had she changed too?
"You don’t know," Fan Xingjia lowered his voice. "After you barged down the mountain alone with your blade that day, Junior Sister Lingbo had several arguments with Madame. Once, when I went to the Twin Lotus Pool Palace to deliver calming pills, I overheard Junior Sister Lingbo blaming Madame. She said it was all Madame’s fault for never pushing her to train hard since childhood, instead indulging her laziness and comfort."
Cai Zhao was astonished. "Senior Sister actually said such things?"
"Who would’ve thought?" Fan Xingjia, finally reunited with a junior sister he could gossip with, grew animated and chatty. "Junior Sister Lingbo said Madame not only failed to encourage her to improve but also constantly filled her ears with stories about skilled female martial artists meeting tragic ends… uh…" He hesitated.
Cai Zhao waved it off. "Just say my aunt’s name outright. Do you think I don’t know Madame Sulian?"
Fan Xingjia gave an awkward laugh. "Anyway, that’s the gist. Now Junior Sister Lingbo won’t even listen to Madame’s instructions anymore." He changed the subject. "Have you visited Senior Brother yet, Zhao Zhao? He’s finally speaking clearly today."
Cai Zhao sighed. "Ah, poor Senior Brother. He was under the Soul Confusion Needle’s effect for too long, and his cultivation was weak to begin with. Even after waking up, he’s been dazed and slurring his words."
Though rescued, the interrogations were far from over. Sect Leader Song toiled tirelessly, continuing to shine in his role. Through questioning the Demonic Cult’s ten covert operatives, they finally pieced together the sequence of events.
It all started with Nie Zhe. After serving as the Demonic Cult’s acting leader for ten years, he inexplicably decided half a year ago to shed the "acting" title and become the cult’s official leader.
Song Shijun burst into laughter upon hearing this. "Who doesn’t know Nie Zhe’s limitations? Nie Hengcheng must’ve been thoroughly embarrassed by such a nephew. During that treasure hunt at Nine Bends Valley years ago, if Lu Shinan’s horse hadn’t shielded him in time, I would’ve torn him apart alive."Zhou Zhizhen pondered, "The Demonic Cult has had precedents of leaders with low cultivation. It's said the eighth-generation leader was frail and sickly from childhood, yet cunning and full of schemes. His subordinates were fiercely loyal, causing the Big Dipper Six Sects considerable trouble over the years. He could be considered a formidable figure of his time."
Song Shijun scoffed, "You've dealt with Nie Zhe before. Do you think he's cunning or full of schemes?"
"Perhaps not him, but there must be someone formidable behind him, guiding his actions," Zhou Zhizhen replied.
Song Shijun fell silent.
As a sect leader who had ruled for a decade, he wasn't blind to the oddities in this situation.
"Everything about this feels strange, indescribably so," he hesitated. "This series of moves by the Demonic Cult feels disjointed, as if... as if..."
Cai Zhao, recalling Mu Qingyan's deduction, couldn't help but interject, "As if the plan was brilliantly conceived but poorly executed."
Zhou Zhizhen slapped the table in admiration. "Zhao Zhao has hit the nail on the head. Exactly so."
From the confessions of the captives, they learned that the Demonic Cult had accidentally captured a remnant of the Thousand Faces Sect a year prior. Nie Zhe (or whoever was behind him) then conceived the entire plan.
Taking advantage of the bicentennial memorial of Old Ancestor Bei Chen, they aimed to either annihilate the Big Dipper Six Sects in one fell swoop or at least capture their leaders. By presenting Qi Yunke and the other sect leaders before the Demonic Cult followers, who would dare oppose Nie Zhe's formal ascension as leader?
The key to this plan was chaos—first weakening and disorienting the sects, then exploiting the confusion to replace key figures.
However, Nie Zhe hadn't anticipated Luo Yuanrong causing a disturbance during the memorial ceremony, forcing an abrupt end to the event. With each faction preoccupied with their own concerns, they chose different return routes, resulting in only a fraction of Nie Zhe's ambushes achieving their goals.
Yet the plan proceeded as initially set.
The first to be replaced was Zeng Lou.
As the person in charge of sect logistics, his frequent comings and goings made him an easy target. With the help of the fake Zeng Lou and bribed outer sect stewards, Demonic Cult followers were gradually smuggled into Qingque Town.
Originally, Qi Yunke and Song Yuzhi were supposed to be severely injured in an ambush by Wu Gang and Wu Xiong, making them vulnerable to replacement. This would then allow for the substitution of Song Shijun, who would rush to his son's side in concern. But thanks to Cai Zhao's interference, the former only suffered minor injuries, while the latter, though seriously wounded, remained lucid and immediately summoned Vast Heaven Gate guards to protect himself.
Thus, they were forced to risk using the Soul Confusion Needle. After the fake Zeng Lou smuggled the masked Qiu Jie into the sect, it took two attempts to subdue the bedridden Qi Yunke for replacement.
After two days of calm, Cai Pingchun, who was supposed to have returned to Fallen Blossom Valley, unexpectedly arrived in Qingque Town and requested to see Qi Yunke the next day. To prevent discovery, the fake Zeng Lou repeated his tactic, using the Soul Confusion Needle to capture Cai Pingchun.
This, however, provoked Cai Zhao—a factor completely absent from the original plan.
Before Qiu Jie could summon the sect leaders back under the pretense of "discussing how to counter the Demonic Cult's ambushes on the martial arts world during their return," Cai Zhao publicly executed the fake Zeng Lou, fully exposing the body-switching technique.
By this point, the original plan had already collapsed, and everyone began suspecting whether those around them had been replaced."Zhao Zhao is decisive, courageous, and intelligent—she will surely achieve great things in the future." Zhou Zhizhen was both gratified and wistful. "I still remember when Ping Shu hid your snacks and you cried until your little face turned red. It feels like it was just yesterday, yet now you’re already capable of handling matters on your own. Ah, your aunt’s spirit in heaven would be overjoyed to know this."
Song Shijun couldn’t resist chiming in: "Yuzhi is also remarkable. Despite his own severe injuries, he pushed through to stabilize the situation. If it weren’t for him, Brother Yunke and Xiao Chun might not have returned unscathed—he deserves the most credit!"
"Father," Song Yuzhi frowned.
Cai Zhao, however, wholeheartedly agreed. "Sect Leader Song is right. This happy outcome is all thanks to Third Senior Brother’s quick thinking. He insisted that Li Shibo surround Dusk Micro Palace completely, allowing no one to leave."
"Glad you recognize that," Song Shijun said smugly.
As Zhou Zhizhen had anticipated, after repeatedly sending out forces and suffering heavy losses, Nie Zhe was left with dwindling resources. The first group sent to infiltrate Azure Tower Sect had been led by the fake Zeng Lou to Myriad Waters, Thousand Mountains Cliff, awaiting the arrival of the sect leaders—even if they couldn’t replace them, they planned to slaughter the unsuspecting crowd, just as they had done with Clear Wind Temple years ago, to establish Nie Zhe’s authority and intimidate the world.
But they hadn’t expected Cai Pingchun to be captured for less than two days before Cai Zhao would rise in rebellion. Soon after, Song Yuzhi and Li Wenxun, under the pretext of "protecting the sect leader," trapped them in Dusk Micro Palace, cutting off all escape.
Thus, they lacked the manpower to escort Qi and Cai back to the Demonic Cult. The situation unfolded too quickly—they didn’t even have time to deal with the two sect leaders before heading to Nine Conch Mountain. Meanwhile, the spies at the coffin shop, under orders to keep the sect leaders and Zeng Lou alive, dared not harm them without permission.
Cai Zhao and Fan Xingjia marveled at their master and Cai Pingchun’s luck and decided to deliver medicine to Qi Yunke together. However, as they passed through the small garden in Dusk Micro Palace’s inner courtyard, they suddenly overheard Yin Sulian and her daughter arguing behind a rockery.
"...I won’t go, I won’t!" Qi Lingbo’s voice was strained. "You were the one who told me to reconsider when Third Senior Brother lost his martial arts. Now that Uncle is here and Third Senior Brother is recovering, you want me to fawn over him again. Do you think he’s a fool, to be manipulated at your whim—close when you want, distant when you please?!"
"Stubborn child, why must you defy me? Everything I do is for you!" Yin Sulian said urgently. "If Yuzhi had truly lost his martial arts, at best he’d be a idle noble in Vast Heaven Gate—what would you gain by marrying him? The arrangement between my sister and me was clear from the start, and Yuzhi knows it well. There’s no deception here!"
"I’m not going!" Qi Lingbo’s voice trembled with tears. "Third Senior Brother has never liked me since we were children. No matter how gently I try to appease him, he remains cold. This time, after his injury, I only visited him twice. Now you expect me to shamelessly cozy up to him as if nothing happened?!"
Yin Sulian was furious. "You foolish girl! Our Yin family has spent generations building influence in the sect. Are you going to let the position of sect leader’s wife fall into someone else’s hands?!"
"Back then, Mother was first engaged to that Qiu fellow, then married Father. Now you’re forcing me to cling to Third Senior Brother—all because our martial arts are weak, and we must rely on husbands to maintain power. If Mother and Aunt had Cai Pingshu’s skills, or if I had Cai Zhao’s abilities now, I could inherit the sect leader position myself! Why must we always grovel at others’ mercy?!"Yin Sulian angrily rebuked, "How dare you spout such nonsense and criticize your elders!"
Qi Lingbo burst into tears, "It's all Grandfather's fault! The world says he doted on his daughters, but deep down he looked down on women, never imagining a woman could become sect leader! It wasn't until he met Cai Pingshu that he realized women could also astonish the world with their unmatched skills. Mother and Aunt saw through Grandfather's prejudice, which created resentment in their hearts. They've been making trouble for the Cai Family everywhere, even using Cai Pingshu's misfortunes to warn me, trying to make me follow the same path as you."
"But if I could live as spectacularly as Cai Pingshu even once, this life would be worth it! What does living a few years less matter?"
Furious beyond measure, Yin Sulian slapped her daughter across the face.
Clutching her cheek, Qi Lingbo ran off in tears.
Cai Zhao and Fan Xingjia hid behind the rockery, not daring to move a muscle.
Yin Sulian stood frozen for a long time before finally sighing deeply and walking away.
Watching her retreating figure, Fan Xingjia murmured softly, "Old Sect Leader Yin himself was exceptionally talented—how could his two daughters' aptitudes be lacking? It's just that Madam Yin was frail, and both childbirths were difficult, leaving Madam Qinglian and Madam Sulian congenitally deficient and sickly since childhood. I don't think Old Sect Leader Yin looked down on women—he simply couldn't bear to see his daughters suffer."
Cai Zhao retorted, "That's nonsense. What's the difference between having poor aptitude that prevents mastering advanced martial arts and having good aptitude but being too sickly to practice? By that logic, Madam Qinglian and Madam Sulian would have even more reason to resent my aunt—they were born weak while my aunt was strong and full of energy. Isn't that infuriating?"
"You could at least sympathize with your teacher's wife a little," Fan Xingjia said with a bitter smile.
"I won't," Cai Zhao stated bluntly. "They only see the thief eating meat, not the beatings he endures. No matter how talented my aunt was, her skills didn't fall from the sky—she earned them through relentless effort, suffering every hardship along the way. Since I was little, unless I was too sick to get up, my aunt never let me slack off even for a day, no matter the weather. I'm sure she pushed herself even harder. Senior Sister Lingbo talks big now, but I wonder how many days she could endure that kind of hardship."
Remembering her childhood when she first practiced internal energy—the constant soreness and swelling of sixty-four minor acupoints day and night to clear the extraordinary meridians, the need to focus her mind and guide internal energy through her body's channels, lest she risk qi deviation. Back then, she bit her lips bloody from the pain, drenched in cold sweat, unable to sleep. Her aunt would stay up all night holding her rather than let her rest.
Having endured this trial, Cai Zhao understood her aunt's intentions even more.
Since returning this time, she'd clearly noticed the change in how people treated her. It wasn't about flattery or scorn—before, she'd just been a "child," but now she was someone who could participate in important discussions.
The Martial World was no utopia but a place where the strong preyed on the weak and skill spoke loudest. The Clear Wind Temple was once renowned, yet after Duan Jiuxiu slaughtered them, most like Yin Dai simply advocated "long-term planning for the greater good." Aside from Cai Pingshu, who else stood up for them?
Family background might earn you initial respect, but in the end, you had to stand on your own."Ah, Junior Sister Lingbo really spoke without thinking. Not just among women, but even counting all men and women together, how many in the world could match Heroine Cai Zhao? Most people are ordinary. Living an ordinary life with self-awareness isn’t bad at all. The real issue with the sect mistress and her sister is..."
Fan Xingjia trailed off, but Cai Zhao understood his meaning.
The problem with the Yin sisters wasn’t their lack of martial prowess—it was their desire to maintain power and status beyond their capabilities. At least Yin Qinglian had cunning and intelligence, but Yin Sulian lacked even that. If they had chosen husbands based on affection, relying on Old Sect Leader Yin’s lingering influence, they could have lived comfortably and happily.
Fan Xingjia shook his head and sighed before suggesting, "The sect mistress is probably still upset and wandering around the garden. Let’s take the back door to avoid running into her."
Cai Zhao agreed.
But just as the two slipped into the side room, they heard Yin Sulian and Qi Yunke speaking.
"...I’m talking to you about Lingbo and Yuzhi, and you’re changing the subject! Have you forgotten what you promised my father and sister all those years ago?!" Yin Sulian’s voice was shrill and piercing.
"I haven’t forgotten," Qi Yunke replied in a low voice. "I promised my master to take good care of you and never let you suffer the slightest grievance—I haven’t broken that vow. I also promised your sister to nurture Yuzhi properly—I haven’t failed in that either. But when it comes to Lingbo and Yuzhi’s marriage, they must be willing. If they have no feelings for each other, forcing them into a union would be meaningless."
"No feelings?! Lingbo has adored Yuzhi since childhood! It’s Yuzhi who’s always been cold and distant, making her lose heart! Yuzhi listens to you, his master, more than he ever did to my brother-in-law—can’t you persuade him properly?! It seems to me you’re just standing by with folded arms, watching from the sidelines. Isn’t Lingbo your daughter too?!"
"Precisely because Lingbo is my daughter that I want her to be happy every day, not to choose the wrong marriage for the sake of being the sect mistress!"
The room fell silent. After a long pause, Yin Sulian whispered, "What... what do you mean? Did Senior Brother Qiu... did Qiu Jie say something?"
Qi Yunke replied, "He said nothing—not a single word until his death."
"He... he’s dead?" Yin Sulian’s voice trembled.
"Yesterday. He tricked Yuzhi’s father into thinking he would confess about the Demonic Cult, then took his own life."
Yin Sulian staggered and collapsed into a seat. Before her misty eyes appeared the image of that handsome, smiling youth from twenty years ago—the gentle boy who would climb trees to fetch bird nests and pick flowers for her, who obeyed her every whim.
He had always treated her well, but she had always resented him for not being outstanding enough—first coveting Zhou Zhizhen’s striking looks and formidable martial skills, then marrying Qi Yunke, who was next in line for the sect leadership.
Qi Yunke said softly, "I meant nothing by it. I’ve already ordered Senior Brother Qiu to be buried in the back hills. You should visit his grave when you can. Even if he wronged the whole world, he never wronged you. If he had truly meant to deceive you, he wouldn’t have refused you again and again. A real spy would have pretended to be close to you, no matter what. But to protect your reputation, he refused to let you near him—that’s what made Yuzhi suspicious."
Yin Sulian left in a daze.
Cai Zhao and Fan Xingjia were deeply embarrassed, having unintentionally overheard their master and mistress’s private conversation. Now, they were torn—should they go in or slip away?"Come out, you two." Unexpectedly, Qi Yunke saw through their hiding at once.
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