Chapter 090

Chapter 90: Threads of Coincidence

Even Sheng Yu Hong himself didn’t realize that Yun Xi’s wild maneuver had inadvertently saved him from his greatest calamity, right when little aunt had nearly forced him to his death.

Yun Xi’s deductions, pieced together from the boss’s fragmented memories, had come very close to the truth.

In the original novel, Sheng Yu Hong had led disciples to rescue their captured fellow cultivators from the Three-Headed Serpent, only to sustain injuries himself. Afterward, he had been drawn into the stone chamber by a nearly dispersed powerful cultivator, who possessed him.

The possessed Sheng Yu Hong did not immediately return to the sect. Instead, after completing his assigned mission, he stayed in Treasure Blossom City under the guise of further cultivation. Only when he had erased every trace of the possession did he return to the Grand Righteous Sect.

With the cultivation method, Peerless Sword Lightning Manual, in hand, he secured his standing by claiming he had discovered it by chance during his cultivation in Treasure Blossom Mountain. Offering it to the sect, he received lavish praise from the Sect Master, who then formally introduced Wei Yun Xi to him as his junior sister.

The entity possessing Sheng Yu Hong had once been a mighty cultivator. Though now weakened, his insight remained sharp. He immediately sensed something strange about Wei Yun Xi’s destiny but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

When he later encountered Wei Yun Qing, he immediately identified her as this world’s Child of Destiny. From that moment onward, Wei Yun Xi became insignificant in his eyes. He lavished his attention and care entirely upon Wei Yun Qing instead.

Thus began Wei Yun Xi’s heartache, for she couldn’t understand why her senior brother favored Wei Yun Qing rather than her.

In the mind of the insignificant little Wei Yun Xi, Wei Yun Qing was always the elder sister who competed with her for everything: their father’s affection in childhood, the leadership of fellow clan disciples in isolating her within the sect, and now even the love of the senior brother she admired.

Accumulated grievances finally erupted, and Wei Yun Xi openly clashed with Wei Yun Qing. But Sheng Yu Hong remained steadfastly by Wei Yun Qing’s side.

Overwhelmed by jealousy and anger, Wei Yun Xi committed an irreversible mistake, inadvertently handing a deadly weakness to Wei Yun Qing and Sheng Yu Hong. Ultimately, she paved her own way to ruin, exiting the story prematurely.

Yet, the novel was told through Wei Yun Qing’s perspective. Sheng Yu Hong’s ordeal was glossed over, with the possession incident never even mentioned.

Through a web of countless coincidences, Yun Xi had now arrived at this hidden truth, slowly unraveling secrets never written in the novel—though even she was only just beginning to grasp the enormity of it all.

After calming himself, Sheng Yu Hong ceased his meditation, sorting instead through his gains from the Treasure Blossom Mountain expedition to pass the time.

Meanwhile, Yun Xi had completed her exchange with Star Trek in the jade tablet space. This transaction satisfied her greatly. Not only had she secured an interstellar body-tempering technique, but she had also acquired a tube of mental suppressants and a vial of physical restoration fluid, preparing herself against future emergencies.

Star Trek, in exchange, received spirit stones from Yun Xi: five thousand low-grade stones, one thousand mid-grade stones, and various stamina-replenishing pills. Both sides benefited greatly from the trade.

Drawing her consciousness back from the jade tablet, Yun Xi opened her eyes. She had memorized the interstellar introductory body refining method, and her next task would be cultivating it.

Star Trek had emphasized during the exchange that due to Yun Xi’s young age, practicing any higher-level techniques would harm her developing bones. Yun Xi accepted this advice readily, especially since this particular refining technique was popular across the entire Stellar Alliance—clearly, it had proven its worth.

Upon reviewing its contents, Yun Xi recognized similarities between interstellar and cultivators’ body-tempering methods, offering her fresh insights into the varied cultivation practices of different worlds.

Exhaling softly, Yun Xi opened her eyes, feeling drained by today’s dramatic ups and downs. Turning her head slightly, she noticed Dian Dian curled up next to the meditation cushion, sleeping soundly, small body rhythmically rising and falling as he cultivated.

“Demon beasts have it good. Even sleeping counts as cultivation,” Yun Xi muttered enviously. After changing into her sect robes, she gently tucked Dian Dian into her chest. Since she lacked a proper beast pouch, she had to make do.

As Yun Xi finished preparing, dawn softly broke outside, heralding the start of a new day.

After swallowing a fasting pill, she recalled her third-tier formation disc just as someone activated the isolation array outside her room. With a wave, Yun Xi opened the barrier and stepped out.

Outside, Qin Tong Shuang and Long Dao Yu waited. Yun Xi greeted them warmly: “Did you both rest well last night?”

“Pretty good. I couldn’t focus enough to cultivate, so I just went to sleep,” Long Dao Yu responded carelessly.

Qin Tong Shuang had regained her usual cool demeanor, replying calmly, “I had no mood for cultivation either, so I sorted through our gains from Treasure Blossom Mountain.”

“Me too,” Yun Xi echoed before lowering her voice to ask, “Any news from the sect yet?”

Both shook their heads in unison, indicating they had heard nothing.

Just then, Sheng Yu Hong emerged from his room. Glancing around briefly, he addressed everyone clearly, “Ladies and gentlemen, Treasure Blossom City is quite chaotic right now. Unless absolutely necessary, remain within our stronghold. If you must go out, do so in groups. I’ll lead a few people out to gather information, and we’ll return quickly.”

“Yes, Senior Brother Sheng (Senior Uncle)!” everyone replied.

Sheng Yu Hong quickly selected several disciples, finally letting his gaze rest briefly upon Wei Yun Xi, indicating her as well.

Wei Yun Xi appeared momentarily surprised, obediently stepping next to Mu Ning Zhu. Both Mu Ning Zhu and Du Yu Ling had also been chosen for this outing.

Seeing Sheng Yu Hong had chosen only Foundation Establishment cultivators, the others swallowed any bitter remarks, silently accepting the reality of their weaker positions.

Long Dao Yu watched Yun Xi’s departing figure enviously and whispered to Qin Tong Shuang, “Junior Sister Qin, we need to work harder. Once we reach Foundation Establishment, we’ll be able to accompany Senior Uncle Sheng too.”

Qin Tong Shuang inwardly rolled her eyes but still politely responded, “Then I’ll return to meditate. No point wasting more time.”

In truth, Qin Tong Shuang had wanted to invite Yun Xi out to explore the city, hoping to trade items and perhaps exchange pills and talismans. Unfortunately, Senior Uncle Sheng had beaten her to it. Reluctant to partner with the chatty Long Dao Yu, she returned to her room instead.

Left feeling somewhat rejected, Long Dao Yu rubbed his nose and went off to chat with someone else.

Aware of her junior status, Yun Xi didn’t push herself toward Sheng Yu Hong’s side, instead quietly conversing with Mu Ning Zhu, “Senior Sister Mu, although my time in the mountain was brief, I did get some things. I’d like to sell the pills and talismans I don’t need—do you recommend a particular shop in Treasure Blossom City?”

Mu Ning Zhu smiled gently. “If you crafted the items yourself, trade them directly within our stronghold. But if you obtained them from, shall we say, ‘unsavory’ sources, try Overlook Terrace Pavilion. They buy almost anything without questions, though their prices tend to be lower.”

At that moment, Du Yu Ling leaned in with a soft smile, adding, “Junior Sister Wei, I’m planning to sell the Three-Headed Serpent’s remains as well. Why don’t we go to Overlook Terrace Pavilion together?”