Lin Yu even pointed to the fine print at the end of the document. “Sunset Death Gate also sent a box of fine Spirit Realm materials as a gift. So even though he’s not a True Transmission Disciple, the seniors in the Pill Room still added his name to the list.”
Lin Yu’s words fully demonstrated his capability as the Pill Room supervisor—thorough and meticulous. Unfortunately, after hearing it, Pei Jiye felt as if struck by lightning, his heart turning to dead ashes.
This Xie Yu was clearly a promising seedling Sunset Death Gate had found in the True Realm—a proper cultivator who had formally joined Sunset Death Gate from the start and cultivated successfully. He couldn’t possibly be Xie Linlang’s reincarnation, much less possessed by him.
Pei Jiye stared fixedly at Xie Yu, especially when Xie Yu lifted his gaze toward Shen He and revealed a smile of approval and relief. It cut Pei Jiye like a knife, igniting a blaze of fury.
“…Who is the one opposite Xie Yu?”
“Hey, are you playing dumb on purpose? That’s my new disciple Shen He. Didn’t you stay with him for a few days?”
Pei Jiye said coldly and ruthlessly, “Kill him.”
Lin Yu was full of question marks. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Kill Matt Little Bird’s eyes were blood-red, brimming with deep killing intent, as if in the next second he would charge at Shen He and deliver a salted fish thrust, directly exploding Shen He’s head.
“I don’t like the look of him. Kill him.”
“…We have to wait until after the Grand Pill Competition. With so many people from the sect watching now, if he suddenly dies, it’ll draw attention. Don’t forget, that Shanle group just settled accounts and vanished. The sect’s high-rank cultivators accepted your explanation, but they’re still dissatisfied. Calm down.”
Lin Yu was like the loyal lackey every villain had. After his persuasion failed, he actually began pondering how to help Pei Jiye kill Shen He.
Shen He was just a low-rank Foundation Establishment disciple anyway; he wouldn’t even need to act personally. A subtle hint, and a horde of demonic cultivator disciples would eagerly trouble Shen He.
But Pei Jiye quickly added, “Don’t let Xie Yu find out.”
Lin Yu suspiciously eyed Xie Linlang and Shen He, who seemed to get along well over there, then looked down at the Kill Matt bird head poking out of the hole in his sleeve. He had a strange illusion.
This feels a bit like jealousy over romance?
Lin Yu always handled things rigorously, so he first investigated the relationship between Xie Linlang and Shen He.
It seemed Le Qingping had approached Hong Kui, who recommended Shen He. Xie Linlang and Shen He were just an ordinary client-entrustee pair.
But because Pang Sanxian had learned of the Grand Pill Competition in advance through Shen He and deliberately stockpiled a large batch of low-rank materials for practice, Pang Sanxian had profited handsomely.
On the surface, Xie Yu came to Shen He every day to procure enough practice materials. Over time, the two seemed to hit it off and often refined pills together in the Pill Room.
Even though Xie Yu was nominally in the Rune House, the Rune House also wanted a piece of the action in this competition and didn’t mind Xie Yu slipping over to the Pill Room—in fact, they secretly supported it.
Lin Yu had asked Hong Kui why Xie Yu kept coming to Shen He every day.
Hong Kui’s answer was that Xie Yu was willing to loan money to Shen He.
Lin Yu was speechless.
What a simple yet devastating answer.
Xie Yu was a Sunset Death Gate cultivator who had come with prior skills; his credit was limited.
But for low-rank cultivators, exchanging sect resources in advance for materials to win the Grand Pill Competition made any investment worthwhile.
“Junior Brother Shen promised Senior Brother Xie that if he won the Grand Pill Competition, he’d split the rewards evenly with him.”
Hong Kui was quite envious. “As a sect True Transmission Disciple, if Junior Brother Shen really wins, he’ll get rewards at Golden Core level or above. Whether selling them for Demonic Stones to split or exchanging for other materials to share with Xie Yu, that Xie kid makes a fortune.”
Investing some credit in advance was a deal that turned one into ten thousand.
Lin Yu had a headache. Silent Night Palace had unique cultivation rules. If Xie Yu really loaned to Shen He and Shen He couldn’t repay, the debt might transfer to him, Lin Yu!
Oh, wait—they hadn’t held the True Transmission Disciple initiation ceremony yet.
And as shizun, there were apparently some risk-avoidance rules for accepting a disciple’s transferred debts?
But no matter how Lin Yu handled it, he couldn’t bypass Xie Yu, who was the creditor.
After his investigation, Lin Yu went to find Pei Jiye, only to see the youth who usually slumbered leaning obliquely on the throne of the Crimson Tree Branch upon entering his seclusion chamber.
A mirror the height of a person floated before him, displaying a youth who seemed to be attending Silent Night Palace’s sect-wide lecture—none other than Xie Linlang.
The sect lecture was held in Silent Night Palace’s public area, which supervisors and Nascent Soul cultivators and above could monitor with spells to prevent mishaps during cultivation.
Lin Yu: “…”
This didn’t feel right.
He eyed Pei Jiye suspiciously and probed, “I checked. Xie Yu and Shen He have a deep bond…”
Pei Jiye’s gaze snapped to Lin Yu’s face like lightning, turning into tangible blades and swords. If Lin Yu elaborated further on their deep bond, it seemed he’d be diced into minced meat.
Lin Yu: “…”
If he still didn’t get it, he wouldn’t deserve to be a Nascent Soul Cultivator.
“Love at first sight?”
“Hmph, he’s just a stand-in!”
Lin Yu: “…”
He casually reminded, “Be careful not to nurture a Heart Demon.”
Pei Jiye withdrew his murderous glare and gazed deeply at the youth in the mirror, trying to trace another person’s features and grace through him.
He murmured, “My Heart Demon is no longer in this world. What do I have to fear?”
