Chapter 68

Chapter 68: Made the Right Choice

Back at Startling Swan Reflections, after settling with a cup of tea, Ling Bu Fei suddenly said, “I get it now. Uncle didn’t want this matter made public.”

Bai Meng Jin raised an eyebrow. She had thought he’d been brooding over something else entirely.

“If the sect never announces it,” Ling Bu Fei continued, voice steady, “and the hints that leak out stay vague, people start guessing.

“Over time, rumors spread. The disciples grow resentful toward you and me.” He reached for the tongs and stirred the scented charcoal in the brazier. “It’s like these coals. Sparks buried deep. You can’t see them, but they’re eating through everything.

“By the time you notice, the surface still looks intact… and the inside is already burned out.”

Bai Meng Jin’s mouth curved, amused by his analogy.

“And what you did today,” Ling Bu Fei said, “was pour oil onto that spark the moment it appeared.”

He lifted the lamp oil and drizzled a thin stream onto the charcoal.

The flames leapt up instantly, bright and hungry.

“It flared up so fast and so fierce that everyone saw it,” he said. “And once they saw it, they had no choice but to put it out.”

He splashed tea over the coals. With a sharp hiss, the flame died.

“And that way,” Ling Bu Fei finished, looking up, “we were protected instead.”

Bai Meng Jin met his eyes.

No wonder he had climbed to the top in her past life. At his age, to see the shape of power and rumor so clearly—it was rare.

Then Ling Bu Fei blurted, almost awkwardly, “Things weren’t easy for you back home, were they?”

Bai Meng Jin blinked. “Huh?”

“Family intrigues are no less vicious than sect intrigues.” Ling Bu Fei’s tone softened. “You lost your parents young. You had no elders to shield you. Your life must have been much harder than mine.

“Otherwise… how could you react so fast?”

For a heartbeat, she saw it—pity, sincere and unguarded.

It made her want to laugh.

It also moved her, in a way she hadn’t expected.

In her past life, Lord Yu Mo had dominated the Cultivation World for a thousand years. People respected her. Feared her. Hated her.

No one had ever looked at her with pity.

She hadn’t chosen wrong. For all his arrogance and sharp tongue, Ling Bu Fei’s heart was kind.

“There’s one thing I still don’t understand,” Bai Meng Jin said, easing past the strange tightness in her chest.

“What?” Ling Bu Fei poured himself another cup of tea.

“You may carry the title of Young Sect Master, but that’s only a stopgap to protect the Devil-Suppressing Cauldron. You were never meant to truly take the throne, so why would Uncle…”

Ling Bu Fei’s smile turned smug. “That’s where you don’t understand.

“You know the Devil-Suppressing Cauldron is Limitless Sect’s treasure that stabilizes the mountain, but you don’t know this: Limitless Sect’s Sect Master is chosen by the cauldron.”

Bai Meng Jin paused, surprised. “Chosen?”

“Limitless Sect was founded because the Devil-Suppressing Cauldron shone brilliantly during the Devil-Sealing War,” Ling Bu Fei said. “So the Founding Patriarch set down sect rules: the cauldron chooses the next Sect Master.

“My mother was the Sect Master chosen by the cauldron, but later an accident happened.”

Bai Meng Jin understood in a rush. “So that’s how it was…”

Ling Bu Fei nodded. “My mother sealed the Devil-Suppressing Cauldron inside my body.” His mouth twisted with humor and bitterness. “That created an awkward result: the sect had no way to choose the next Sect Master.

“According to the rules, even if I’m a cripple, as long as the cauldron still recognizes me as its master, then I am Limitless Sect’s Sect Master.”

Bai Meng Jin pictured it and couldn’t help laughing. “A baby in swaddling clothes as Sect Master.”

“Exactly.” Ling Bu Fei’s eyes gleamed. “Tell me—how could Limitless Sect allow that?

“So when I was brought back, the elders argued for a long time and couldn’t agree.” His voice cooled slightly. “In the end, Ling Family persuaded Tai Yi Hall, and they settled on this stopgap.

“They made me the Young Sect Master and had Uncle manage the sect in my stead.”

It kept the sect rules intact on paper. And on the surface, it worked—Ling Yun Gao’s cultivation was high enough, and his backing strong enough.

Bai Meng Jin’s laughter faded into thought. “In that case, the Sect Master must feel guilty, right? He’s the only Sect Master who never received the cauldron’s recognition.”

Ling Bu Fei snorted. “At first, Ling Family protected me with all their strength. As long as I existed, they could control Limitless Sect with legitimacy.

“Now…” His smile held mockery. “Uncle probably thinks his position is secure.”

It was only human nature.

They called it an immortal sect, but everyone was still mortal. Greed, anger, obsession, delusion—who could truly escape them?

The next day, the two of them went to class as usual.

As soon as they reached the academy, disciples came running to greet them.

“Young Sect Master, Junior Sister Bai!”

“Young Sect Master, Martial Uncle Bai!”

The greetings didn’t stop, and every face wore a smile. Ling Bu Fei returned them stiffly, clearly not used to it.

Then Bai Meng Jin heard someone whisper in awe, “So the Young Sect Master is pretty kind after all. He even smiled at me!”

Another voice answered, thrilled, “Right? The Young Sect Master looks so good when he smiles. He used to keep a cold face all the time, so I thought he’d be hard to approach!”

“Yeah, yeah. And with Bai Li Xu following him, it always looked like he’d draw his sword and chop someone the moment he got annoyed.”

Ling Bu Fei: …

Bai Meng Jin patted his arm, mischief bright in her eyes. “Smile more from now on.”

“You’re saying that’s really what they think?” Ling Bu Fei asked, horrified.

Bai Meng Jin studied his face and then understood too well.

Ling Bu Fei’s features were naturally flirtatious. Even a glance could look like seduction. If he smiled too often, there probably wouldn’t be many girls who could withstand it.

In class, Master Sun treated them with almost embarrassing kindness. Afterward, he pressed a book into Bai Meng Jin’s hands.

“This is my Spirit Talisman Compendium,” he said earnestly. “Everything I’ve learned in my life is recorded here. Consider it my apology to Martial Niece Bai.

“I think you have real talent for drawing talismans. Devil talismans are powerful as well. Study hard, and you’ll become someone great.”

Then he turned to Ling Bu Fei, voice equally sincere. “Young Sect Master, your daily bits of effort will one day gather into a river.

“When your meridians reconnect, you will soar.”

They thanked him.

When Master Sun wasn’t charging into trouble with his head down, he was actually a decent man.

As they were leaving, a disciple approached, cheeks slightly flushed. “Martial Uncle Bai, Young Sect Master… do you have plans tonight?”

Bai Meng Jin’s brows rose. An invitation?

That was new.

She glanced sideways and smiled. “Nothing important. What did you have in mind, Martial Nephew?”

The girl spoke quickly, eager. “We heard there’s a flower festival in Flowing Moon City tonight. It’s very lively. We’re going to have some fun. Would Martial Uncle and the Young Sect Master like to come along?”