Chapter 15: Master’s wife, his god.(Part 1)

The person opposite did not speak.

Jiang Zhaoxue had been cold for too long and began to feel uneasy.

Just as she was about to say something, she heard the other person sigh faintly, “Three hundred years… you finally grew a brain.”

Jiang Zhaoxue: “…”

Jiang Zhaoyue was a few hundred years older than her.

He had entered the Mahayana stage early and was one of the few talisman cultivators who could spar with Shen Yuqing.

When they were young, he often mocked her when he spoke.

Later, when she married into Zhongzhou, he almost stopped talking to her.

Now, hearing the familiar sarcasm, Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t help but laugh.

Just as she was about to retaliate, she heard the other person speak seriously, continuing, “But Father will not agree.”

“Why?”

Jiang Zhaoxue was stunned.

Then she frowned, worried that her father feared it would affect the sect’s relations, and quickly said, “I…”

“He has not been well lately.

There are faint signs of spiritual decline.

This must not be noticed.”

Jiang Zhaoyue only said this one sentence, but Jiang Zhaoxue immediately realized that the situation was dire.

Jiang Zhaoyue had always been reserved.

If he spoke up, it couldn’t simply mean “not feeling well.”

It must have already had a severe impact.

Penglai, a ten-thousand-year-old grand sect, had vast territory and abundant resources.

But resources needed strength to maintain.

Although her brother was exceptionally gifted, he was still young and alone.

Without their father, Jiang Wen, sitting in charge, Penglai would become a piece of fat meat that everyone wanted a bite of.

Thinking of the book’s plot there was little mention of her and even less about Penglai one thing was certain: Shen Yuqing later became ruthless, but Penglai never came to take her back.

She had been adored in Penglai since birth.

When she married Shen Yuqing, her parents were furious, yet they still gave her the most glorious wedding gifts: a celestial mountain, fifty disciples, and a spiritual vein.

Because of this, Jiang Zhaoyue even stopped speaking to her actively, yet he still sent talismans for her protection every month.

As a Mahayana-stage talisman cultivator, each talisman cost him immense effort and was priceless.

Still, he maintained relations with Lingjian Immortal Pavilion for years, always leaving room for her.

She later suffered because of Shen Yuqing.

If Penglai had known, they couldn’t have ignored it.

At first, she thought it was because, in the book, she endured everything as before and never sought help from Penglai.

But now she suddenly realized Penglai could decline too.

Jiang Zhaoxue’s heart clenched for a moment.

She curled her fingers and pretended to be calm.

“So that’s the reason.

Then let Father take care of his health.

I’ll handle things myself.”

“But I will come.”

Jiang Zhaoyue heard the fear in Jiang Zhaoxue’s voice.

His tone remained exceptionally steady, just like when they were younger.

“I’m telling you this so you are prepared.

I will be ready by tomorrow.

By then, if you want to distract Shen Yuqing or obtain the sect leader’s seal to open the teleportation array, I can come anytime.

At that point, I will negotiate with Senior Gu Jun in Father’s name and take you away first.”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue’s heart settled.

Jiang Zhaoyue’s plan aligned with hers.

She responded steadily, “Don’t worry, I’ve arranged everything.

I won’t let Shen Yuqing face you directly.”

Not to mention that now, as a sword cultivator, Shen Yuqing might not be Jiang Zhaoyue’s match.

Even if he were, their soul-binding contract meant Jiang Zhaoyue could never truly fight him.

Of course, with Gu Jun’s presence, no one would dare make a move anyway.

Thinking about all the preparations, Jiang Zhaoxue felt guilty.

Because of her marriage to Shen Yuqing, she had burdened her family too much.

She pressed her lips together and said seriously, “Brother, don’t worry.

I won’t just bring trouble to the family.

I will become a Nine-Realm Fate Master.”

If she could obtain all of Pei Zichen’s fortune, not only could she break the soul-binding contract, but she could also ascend to the Nine-Realm Fate Master stage.

That was a supreme existence unseen in the Central Continent for tens of thousands of years.

Though she felt sorry for Pei Zichen…

Jiang Zhaoxue dared not think further.

Jiang Zhaoyue was silent for a moment, then simply said, “Go wash up and sleep.

I’m tired.”

With that, the voice transmission jade dimmed.

Jiang Zhaoxue glanced at the sky, which had just begun to brighten, and widened her eyes.

Wait a minute.

She finally expressed some emotions, and this was all the sibling affection she got?!

Although Jiang Zhaoxue was slightly annoyed, she couldn’t help but smile.

Jiang Zhaoyue was still the same harsh on the outside but soft on the inside.

Since he promised to be ready tomorrow, he would probably be ready even sooner.

Now, all she had to do was quickly prepare the evidence to overturn Pei Zichen’s case.

Once ready, she would immediately activate the teleportation array, bring the Penglai people over, and go straight to Gu Jun.

Using the fire poison as an excuse, she would demand Pei Zichen.

With Gu Jun’s support, she would take over Pei Zichen’s case from Wen Xiaoyan and overturn the verdict that very day before leaving immediately.

Jiang Zhaoxue reviewed the plan carefully.

Gu Jinglan was already searching.

Before, she didn’t dare send too many people out, fearing it would draw attention.

But now, she needed to act quickly.

With Shen Yuqing absent, she had no more concerns.

She immediately called Qingye over.

“Send everyone to find Gu Jinglan.

Leave a few accountants to check the past years’ accounts.

And,” Jiang Zhaoxue thought for a moment, then added, “You go personally and inspect the corpse.”

“Oh, Lady Jiang,”

Qingye responded immediately, then suddenly exclaimed,

“What?

There’s no corpse?”

Then, if they weren’t eaten by that black snake, how could there be no corpses?

However, Qingye still nodded and said, “Gao Wen said that on their way back, they encountered a fire spirit beast.

Three disciples were eaten by it, so there are no corpses.”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue instinctively felt something was wrong.

She pondered for a moment and then rubbed her fingers together as she said, “Find a way to bring me Gao Wen’s testimony.”

“Uh…” Qingye hesitated.

“That’s not easy to do right now.

As soon as the Son-in-law left, Wen Xiaoyan immediately redeployed the enchantment of the Punishment Hall.

Even voice transmissions can’t get through, let alone people.”

Jiang Zhaoxue frowned at this and tested it herself, only to find that her spiritual power indeed could not penetrate.

However, the jade token she gave to Pei Zichen was bound by blood and linked to the soul.

If Pei Zichen actively wanted to contact her, no enchantment could block it.

But if he didn’t want to…

Jiang Zhaoxue rolled her eyes.

Fine, let him be.

If he wants to suffer, there’s plenty of suffering waiting for him.

She just needed to make sure he left alive.

Clearing his name would already be a great favor to him.

In any case, as long as they found Gu Jinglan, everything would be over within a few days.

Jiang Zhaoxue ignored Pei Zichen and focused on accounting while searching for Gu Jinglan.

Every day, when she had nothing to do, she would feed Pangpang.

Since Pei Zichen never took the initiative to contact her, she couldn’t be bothered to reach out to him either.

Survival is one’s own responsibility.

If he didn’t speak up, it meant he still had a way forward.

Jiang Zhaoxue kept herself busy packing.

On the third day after Shen Yuqing’s departure, before dawn, Qingye suddenly rushed into Jiang Zhaoxue’s room in a panic.

“Lady, we found him.”

Jiang Zhaoxue groggily opened her eyes, still confused, and yawned, not understanding the urgency.

“So you found him.

Why are you in such a rush?”

She glanced at the sky and frowned.

“Can’t this wait until daylight?”

“No.”

Qingye immediately refuted.

Jiang Zhaoxue’s expression turned serious.

Then she heard Qingye continue in a solemn tone, “Gu Jinglan said something very important.

He said that the three disciples from Luoxia Mountain… were killed by Gao Wen.”

Jiang Zhaoxue froze in shock.

She raised her eyes in disbelief.

“Are they insane?!”

However, as soon as she spoke, she immediately understood.

Pei Zichen and Gao Wen clearly had long-standing grievances.

Those disciples were Pei Zichen’s juniors, so Gao Wen likely already harbored resentment.

When the Nine Nether Realm’s enchantment was opened, despite being affected by illusions, the disciples of Lanyue Peak acted against orders and even fought Pei Zichen over it.

Because they had violated sect prohibitions and caused this disaster, they would be expelled from the sect even if they weren’t executed.

During their escape, the disciples of Luoxia Peak had sustained injuries while fending off demons.

Without Pei Zichen present, Gao Wen and his disciples could have easily slaughtered the defenseless Luoxia Peak disciples.

But to think they actually did it.

Jiang Zhaoxue felt an indescribable emotion.

She knew that a large sect like Lingjian Immortal Pavilion would naturally have some disciples with improper intentions, but she hadn’t expected them to be this ruthless.

But if they truly had murdered those disciples, expulsion alone wouldn’t be enough they would undoubtedly be sentenced to death.

To save their own lives, those people would do anything.

Gu Jinglan had been the last to leave.

Perhaps that brief delay had allowed him to witness his senior brothers’ crimes and subsequently escape.

He was the most crucial witness.

Does Wen Xiaoan know about this matter?

Jiang Zhaoxue thought about the difficulty of searching for Gu Jinglan in recent days.

She recalled that as soon as Pei Zichen was imprisoned, he was kept in the water dungeon.

The Punishment Hall was also under strict guard.

She immediately understood.

She knew.

Just relying on Gao Wen alone could not have forced Gu Jinglan to go into hiding like this.

The Punishment Hall was sealed off after Shen Yuqing left.

That meant Wen Xiaoan only acted after Shen Yuqing had left.

She had not sought out Shen Yuqing in recent days at all.

She was probably waiting for Shen Yuqing to be absent to deal with this matter.

Shen Yuqing’s absence was an opportunity for her.

It was also an opportunity for Wen Xiaoan.

Wen Xiaoan was determined to protect Gao Wen.

So, she would definitely take action against Pei Zichen while Shen Yuqing was not around.

However, Pei Zichen was an inner disciple.

Killing an inner disciple was not a casual matter.

He had to be publicly interrogated at the Tribunal before being executed in front of everyone.

Otherwise, if his disciple token was destroyed, an elder would surely investigate.

In the past few days, Wen Xiaoan had sealed off the Punishment Hall to interrogate Pei Zichen.

And now, Gu Jinglan had fallen into her hands.

Once Wen Xiaoan found out, she would not just sit back and do nothing.

She would definitely take action.

Jiang Zhaoxue closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and realized she could not delay.

Every moment she delayed, Pei Zichen’s situation became more unpredictable.

She immediately took out her transmission jade and said calmly, “Brother, pack up.

I am going to open the teleportation array for you now.”

“Have you checked the time?”

Jiang Zhaoyue’s pained voice came through.

“At this hour, who will receive us?”

“Just come.

Something has happened.”

After speaking, Jiang Zhaoxue first sent a message to Ancestor Gujun about today’s visit.

Then, she got up, dressed, and prepared her belongings.

She called Qingye and, without delay, led her people toward the sect’s great array.

All allied sects built teleportation arrays that were only used for travel between sects.

Such teleportation arrays consumed an enormous amount of energy.

To activate them, they required the Sect Leader’s Seal from both sects.

Jiang Zhaoxue stormed toward the teleportation array.

When the disciples saw her, they looked panicked, assuming she was here to cause trouble again.

One quickly said, “Madam, without the Sect Leader’s Seal, you cannot…”

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Zhaoxue had already displayed the Sect Leader’s Seal in front of them.

She smiled and said, “Recently, Penglai wants to negotiate a fifty-year medicinal herb price agreement with Lingjian Immortal Pavilion.

My brother has come today to pay respects to the ancestor.

Since Yuqing is not here, she ordered me to receive him.

Open the array.”

Seeing the Sect Leader’s Seal, the disciples were stunned.

They quickly came to their senses, took the seal, and hurriedly said, “Yes, Madam!

We will activate the array immediately!”

The disciples exchanged glances, silently understanding each other.

Jiang Zhaoxue’s request did not follow proper procedure.

No one dared to say much about it.

Over the years, Jiang Zhaoxue had caused plenty of trouble in Lingjian Immortal Pavilion.

Even after all the commotion, she was still the wife of the Pavilion Master.

Though many looked down on her, few dared to confront her directly.

Except for Wen Xiaoan.

Among ordinary disciples, no one wanted to provoke her.

The only thing they could do was delay and notify Wen Xiaoan.

Jiang Zhaoxue watched as the disciples took the Sect Leader’s Seal and placed it at the center of the formation altar.

Four disciples then stood in position and began casting the spell.

She immediately transmitted a message to Jiang Zhaoyue.

“Brother, I am preparing to open the array.”

“Understood.”

Jiang Zhaoyue responded.

However, the disciples who had positioned themselves hesitated while casting the spell.

Jiang Zhaoxue instantly saw that they were stalling for time.

Without hesitation, she grabbed Qingye’s sword from the side and walked behind one of the disciples.

The others were still confused when they heard Jiang Zhaoxue’s slow and deliberate voice.

“Have you heard about how I once poisoned Shen Pavilion Master’s beloved disciple to cripple her spiritual roots?”

Hearing this, the disciples’ eyes flickered.

Some were shocked, wondering why Jiang Zhaoxue suddenly mentioned this.

A moment later, the disciple in front of her felt a cold sensation on his neck.

Then, Jiang Zhaoxue asked, “Do you think that if I kill you all, the worst they would do is put me in confinement?”

“Madam!”

The disciples exclaimed in shock.

Jiang Zhaoxue calmly pressed the blade down.

Estimating the usual time needed to activate the array, she started counting down.

“Ten.”

As soon as they heard the number, the disciples tensed up.

They recalled the scene when Lingjian Immortal Pavilion once searched for the Lingxiao Flower for Mu Jinyue.

Mu Jinyue was Shen Yuqing’s beloved disciple and was highly favored.

Even though Jiang Zhaoxue had poisoned her to destroy her spiritual roots, she had not suffered any punishment.

What did their insignificant lives as disciples matter in comparison?

After quickly considering the situation, none dared to delay further.

They immediately accelerated the process of forming the spell.

Jiang Zhaoxue watched as the teleportation formation lit up.

A loud rumble echoed through Lingjian Immortal Pavilion.

She could not help but sigh.

Being notorious was really useful!

As Jiang Zhaoxue rushed toward the sect’s great array, the morning light broke over the horizon.