Chapter 263: Joyful Union Sect’s Holy Daughter Selection
Lu Sangjiu hadn’t gone far after leaving when she ran into Yan Zui, who had come to watch the show.
"You’re out already? What a shame. Why did Sword Master Bu Gui have to show up all of a sudden? I didn’t even get to see any drama."
Lu Sangjiu: "..."
’Did she have to be so blunt about wanting to see a spectacle?’
She said helplessly, "Ms. Yan Zui, I just woke up and my head’s still fuzzy. I completely forgot Sword Master Bu Gui was here. Why didn’t you remind me? You were just focused on watching the drama, weren’t you?"
Yan Zui beamed. "Yep, that’s right. You clearly don’t know me well enough. I’m the type who loves a good show and doesn’t mind if things get messy. You’ll get used to it."
Lu Sangjiu: "..."
’Fine, whatever makes you happy.’
Knowing that Xie Ningyuan and Gu Jue were both okay, Lu Sangjiu finally felt at ease.
It was only then that she suddenly remembered. "Oh, right. Where’s Ye Zhiyao?"
"Her..." Yan Zui rubbed her nose. "She was taken away by True Monarch Liu Feng."
"True Monarch Liu Feng?"
’The name sounded familiar to Lu Sangjiu. She thought for a moment before it clicked—wasn’t he a member of Ye Zhiyao’s harem, as written in the book?’
’Right... Because he had some bad blood with Bai Heng, he’d directly abducted Bai Heng’s treasured disciple the moment he met her.’
’He was already very handsome, and on top of that, people from the Joyful Union Sect all practiced Bewitching Techniques to some extent. He had Ye Zhiyao completely captivated.’
’Later, he even seduced her into dual cultivating with their Divine Souls, which caused her cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds.’
’Thankfully, she managed to keep some of her wits about her and didn’t give up her body. Otherwise, the Gu Jue in the book would have been a cuckold of epic proportions.’
’Of course, the book made a special point to emphasize that this absolutely wasn’t because Ye Zhiyao was unfaithful, but simply because True Monarch Liu Feng’s methods were too sophisticated.’
’—A thousand wrongs, ten thousand wrongs, it’s always someone else’s fault. The female lead can do no wrong.’
’In the book, True Monarch Liu Feng wasn’t supposed to appear until much later. But now that Lu Sangjiu had pretty much wrecked the plot, the timeline had shifted. She hadn’t expected him to just abduct Ye Zhiyao right here and now.’
’When the book described this part, it mentioned Gu Jue clashing with the Joyful Union Sect to save Ye Zhiyao, and Bai Heng flying into a rage to get his disciple back.’
’But... the Gu Jue of today definitely wouldn’t bother with Ye Zhiyao, and Bai Heng had been punished to guard the border of the Western Demon Realm.’
’With things as they were, she wondered how Ye Zhiyao would end up escaping from True Monarch Liu Feng.’
’Or maybe, without her official partner Gu Jue around this time, Ye Zhiyao would just get together with True Monarch Liu Feng and be so happy dual cultivating that she’d forget about everything else?’
Lu Sangjiu’s mind wandered for a moment, but she ultimately decided that if they wanted to dual cultivate, she had no reason to stop them.
’It’s not like she could just kill True Monarch Liu Feng, or find someone even prettier to throw at him, could she?’
’Hmm... This was a consensual affair. She’d better stay out of it.’
’Besides, with Ye Zhiyao tied up with True Monarch Liu Feng for a while, she could use the opportunity to improve her own cultivation. Why bother getting into it with her?’
With that thought, Lu Sangjiu decided not to worry about Ye Zhiyao anymore.
She turned to Yan Zui and said with a straight face, "Our Senior Sister Ye has always been a favorite among the elders. Since True Monarch Liu Feng has invited her to be his guest, it’s not our place to ask too many questions. I’m sure True Monarch Liu Feng will take good care of her."
Yan Zui had been a little unsure of Lu Sangjiu’s attitude toward Ye Zhiyao, since they were from the same sect.
But hearing Lu Sangjiu’s words, she understood immediately. Her face lit up as she chimed in, "Exactly! Our True Monarch Liu Feng is the best at taking care of his juniors. There’s no need for us to worry at all!"
The two exchanged a smile, and by tacit agreement, neither of them mentioned Ye Zhiyao again.
"I was meaning to invite you over to visit anyway. Since a strange twist of fate brought you here, you might as well stay for a while! I’ll give you a grand tour of the Joyful Union Sect!"
Lu Sangjiu thought for a moment. The business with the sword scabbard was over for now, and she really didn’t have anything else urgent to do.
So she nodded. "Alright, then I’ll be in your care, Ms. Yan Zui!"
Yan Zui immediately brightened up. "Perfect timing! We’re about to select a new Holy Daughter. If you stay, you can watch the ceremony."
"Select a Holy Daughter?" Lu Sangjiu didn’t know much about the Joyful Union Sect. She knew they had a Holy Daughter, but she had no idea how one was chosen.
As soon as she asked, Yan Zui immediately began to explain.
"The title of Holy Daughter of the Joyful Union Sect is passed on to a successor only after the previous one passes away or becomes an elder."
"The new Holy Daughter is publicly selected from all the female disciples in the Joyful Union Sect who are below the Golden Core Stage. The method is actually quite simple: they must infuse their Spiritual Power into the sect’s Hundred Flowers Stone Tablet. The one who is most compatible with it becomes the new Holy Daughter."
At this point, Yan Zui paused before adding, "You probably don’t know this, but the Holy Daughter holds a very high position in our Joyful Union Sect. Not only are sect resources heavily skewed in her favor, but she also has a certain amount of say in major decisions."
Lu Sangjiu nodded in understanding. "So that’s how it is. I’ve never seen such a grand event before. I really came at the right time."
"So, the reason you haven’t broken through to the Golden Core Stage yet, Ms. Yan Zui, is for this Holy Daughter selection?"
Yan Zui nodded. "That’s right. My master was the Holy Daughter before the last one. As her disciple, I can’t bring shame to her name, can I?"
Lu Sangjiu smiled. "I’m sure you’ll succeed, Ms. Yan Zui!"
Although she didn’t know what "compatibility with the Hundred Flowers Stone Tablet" meant, she felt that with Yan Zui’s aptitude, the result was sure to be good.
’Yes, when it came to her friends, Lu Sangjiu always had this kind of blind confidence.’
After deciding to stay and witness the Joyful Union Sect’s Holy Daughter selection, Lu Sangjiu called her two companions over and told them about it.
Xie Ningyuan said nonchalantly, "I’ll stay with you."
Gu Jue added, "My master also said he wants to wait until the Holy Daughter selection is over before we leave. I’ll be staying for a while with him."
Lu Sangjiu nodded. "That’s great. At least we’ll have some company."
"Tomorrow, Ms. Yan Zui is taking me out to look around. Do you two want to come along?"
This time, however, Xie Ningyuan shook his head. "I have no interest in the Joyful Union Sect. I’ll sit this one out."
After a pause, he looked at Gu Jue and raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps Mr. Gu is more interested in the Joyful Union Sect?"
Gu Jue: "..."
’He had originally wanted to go, but Xie Ningyuan’s words were clearly loaded with insinuation.’
’He had a feeling that admitting interest in the Joyful Union Sect wouldn’t be a good look.’
So, after a moment’s hesitation, Gu Jue also shook his head. "I’m not interested either."
Xie Ningyuan’s lips curled in a satisfied smile. Then, with exaggerated insincerity, he said, "Oh, what a terrible shame. I guess it’ll just be the two of you, then."
Lu Sangjiu didn’t think much of it and just said, "It’s fine. Ms. Yan Zui’s company will be more than enough for me."
The three of them were currently staying in the guest quarters. After finishing their chat in the courtyard, they turned and went back to their respective rooms.
The moment he stepped through the door, the nonchalant expression on Xie Ningyuan’s face crumbled. He clutched his chest with one hand, a look of unbearable pain flashing across his features...