Chapter 121: Sect

Song Juguang's reprimand startled Qin Zhixun, and she smiled mockingly, and said, "Aren't I just wanting to help Shijie out?"

She wasn't wrong; the spiritual power in the mortal world was thin, and not only would one's cultivation not advance, it would regress. Everyone wanted to finish their mission as soon as possible and return to the sect. From the time Qin Zhixun had entered the sect, it was Song Juguang who had acted as the model of how to carry out their assignments, teaching them, and that she would feel filial towards her was normal.

But Song Juguang didn't accept her feelings, but rather hardened her expression, and asked, "Setting aside that each world only has one person training in it, your appearance here is already far from the typical. Aside from Shizun, the only one who knows a person's mission is she herself, so what do you mean by 'helping me'?"

Though this body wasn't originally Song Juguang's, and its face wasn't entirely the same as the one she's had while at the Kongqing Sect. But when she put on the demeanour of eldest Shijie, coldly reprimanding her, it still left Qin Zhixun terrified. She unconsciously shifted her gaze towards the corner, and her fingers thoughtlessly grasped at the hem of her clothes. Somewhat timidly, she explained, "Shizun said that this time is exceptional, and your mission and mine are entirely the same. To assist an enlightened sovereign, and protect the common people, so they can live in peace. Shizun ordered me specifically to establish myself and then come find you, and then to return together."

Song Juguang didn't say anything, merely taking unhappy measure of Qin Zhixun. Qin Zhixun seemed to be afraid she wouldn't believe her, and pulled out a piece of jade, shaped like a bamboo strip, from her breast. "Take a look; Shizun gave this to me."

Even if Song Juguang didn't take the jade strip to examine, she could tell it had come from her Shizun's hand. After all, each stroke and curve of the carved sigil seal upon it was in her Shizun's hand. Qin Zhixun had neither the skill to fake it, or the ability.

"Never mind," Song Juguang said, waving a hand, the expression on her face finally softening, "then, remain in the Great Li from now on out, and I'll arrange for someone to take your place and return to Shejin."

But on hearing this, shock rose on Qin Zhixun's face, and bafflement filled her gaze. Her cultivation was low, and training in the mortal world didn't require her to take the pains to change into a vessel, so when Song Juguang saw the sight, it truly made her memories of her time at the sect rise.

Shizun was enthralled with cultivation, and the one who had taught the basics of magic to the disciples who'd entered the sect had been Song Juguang. Qin Zhixun's innate talent wasn't much, and she'd often look at her with such a baffled expression.

By now, Song Juguang had let go of the vigilance in her mind, and she patted Qin Zhixun's shoulder. "Alright, as your Shijie, I've stayed here for this long; I can manage such a minor thing."

But Qin Zhixun shook her head, and the words she spoke were shocking. "But it should be Shijie who returns to Shejin with me; is the enlightened sovereign we're meant to assist not the current King of Shejin, Liang Jiwen?"

It seemed as if everything around them had fallen silent.

In a rare turn, Song Juguang's eyes widened, and the next moment, she raised the hand that had been resting on Qin Zhixun's shoulder, and without stopping to think, it turned into a palm, striking towards Qin Zhixun. With a sharp slap, a faint red handprint appeared on Qin Zhixun's clean cheek.

Actually, Qin Zhixun could have avoided it, but years of accumulated habit made her stand still and take the punishment. But in the past, though Song Juguang had punished her, she'd never gone to such an extent. For a moment, a sense of aggrieved hurt rose in Qin Zhixun's heart, and a mixture of unhappiness flashed in the eyes that were looking at Song Juguang.

Song Juguang herself had been startled, too. She'd been the Regent for so long, and she'd grown somewhat arrogant and domineering. The things she'd never have done before, now became a conditioned reflex.

"It was Shijie's wrong," Song Juguang rapidly lowered her voice and said, "I've stayed here too long."

Qin Zhixun raised her hand and brushed her cheek, then lowered her head. "Shijie's reprimand is correct. But everything I said is true, too. The astrology for this world is particular, and two stars have appeared at once. But when I descended to this world, I looked at the position of the stars that Shizun had calculated, and the one suspended in the Northwest was the brightest.

"Shijie, please return to Shejin with me; the quicker this mission can be completed, the quicker you and I can return to the sect and report the completion of our mission."

Song Juguang's expression, which had only just softened slightly, grew dark once more, and she said coldly as she looked at Qin Zhixun, "You're wrong."

She couldn't entirely deny Qin Zhixun's words, because when she'd prepared to leave the Kongqing Sect, she'd also calculated the position of the stars. It was as Qin Zhixun said; two stars had appeared at once, the two Emperor Stars hanging above this world at the same time. One's radiance had lit up the Central Plains, and the other shone over the Northwest.

But at that time, it had clearly been the Emperor Star over the Central Plains which had been brighter. As a result, when Song Juguang had recovered her memories and discovered she was in Jiang Changbai's residence, she'd been thrilled. As for the events after that, half had been for the greater good, but the other half had been genuine.

It was for this reason as well that that year, when Jiang Changbai had allowed Liang Jiwen to return to Shejin for the sake of the common people's peace, that Song Juguang had been so resistant. Her stubbornness hadn't been a match for Jiang Changbai's, and she could only watch as Liang Jiwen returned to Shejin with money and resources, and could only use the fact that the Emperor Star above Shejin was weak and lacking brilliance to comfort herself.

But now, hearing Qin Zhixun's words, Song Juguang of course found it hard to accept. After a short silence, she said, "Don't tell me you've listened to Liang Jiwen's trickery and allowed the disorder to sway you and thus reversed black and white."

"Shijie, believe me." Qin Zhixun didn't understand whence Song Juguang's resistance had come from, and, expression filled with earnestness, leaned forward to tug at Song Juguang's hand, only to be avoided. She could only withdraw her hand, embarrassed, and continue, "Return with me to Shejin, and nurture your strength for a few years, and then lead the cavalry to attack the Central Plains. After the mission is done, we'll return to the sect together and report on its completion—won't that be great? I've only been here for a year, and I most certainly didn't misremember it. There's so many years of friendly sentiment between us; would I really deceive you for the sake of the people of the mortal world?"

Seeing Song Juguang was utterly unmoved, Qin Zhixun lowered her head. Her eyelashes glinted under the sun, catching the sunlight. She bore a countenance of being pitiable, and said quietly, "Does Shijie know how long she's remained here for? Everyone in the sect says that you're the person who's remained for the longest in the mortal realm in the past hundred years. Some people say, you might not return. I got into fights with a few shijies about it, and was whipped by Er-shijie for it."

As she spoke, Qin Zhixun pulled her sleeve back, revealing the still terrible-looking scars on her arm. The Er-shijie Qin Zhixun spoke of was a sword cultivator, cold and callous, and ruthless in her punishment of her shimeis. When Song Juguang had been at the sect, she'd been somewhat restricted, but since she'd left to train, this Er-shijie's actions had bed even harsher.

As a result, even though it had been a while, these scars showed no sign of disappearing entirely. Typically, Qin Zhixun hid them with her clothing; this was the first time they'd been revealed before someone else.

Song Juguang's eyes darkened. "She is ruthless."

"That's right." As she spoke, Qin Zhixun stroked the scars on her arm, as if with lingering fear, but a smile suddenly rose on her face. "But I don't regret it."

Hearing this, Song Juguang nodded, and her voice carried a degree of certainty. "Good. Of all things, only time cannot be reversed; as long as you don't regret what you've done, then that's good."

"That's not what I wanted to talk about." Complicated emotions flashed in Qin Zhixun's gaze, and she said, "Shijie, please don't do something you'd regret, either."

"Of course."

After she spoke, Song Juguang headed deeper into the residence, and Qin Zhixun was about to follow her, but Song Juguang said, sharply, "I'm tired; why don't you go back. If the people at the relay station can't find you after the curfew, it'll cause a disturbance."

The words were said with the intent to see a guest off, and Qin Zhixun knew that, even if she were to try and force staying here, even pestering couldn't affect Song Juguang's decision. But she still didn't leave immediately, but rather drew out a jade pendant from her breast.

"Does Shijie remember this?"

The words were easy, and at first, Song Juguang hadn't intended to pay them any mind, but inexplicably, she turned to look. She hadn't imagined that the next moment, it was as if she'd been frozen in place by that thing, unable to make a sound for a long while. Qin Zhixun clearly wasn't anxious either, merely watching silently, waiting for Song Juguang to speak.

Only after half an incense's time was the silence between the two broken. Song Juguang's voice carried an interrogation. "How come you have it?"

She'd recognised the jade pendant at a single glance. When Liang Jiwen had been about to depart for Shejin, back then, she'd stayed up all night to create this pendant, and falsely appropriated Jiang Changbai's name to give it to Liang Jiwen. Each of the patterns on the pendant were ones she'd gravely drawn.

Of course it wasn't merely effective at clearing the mind and calming the spirit.

"Shijie, be at ease; she doesn't know." As if having guessed what Song Juguang was thinking, Qin Zhixun smiled, and said, "The instant I saw that jade pendant, I knew it was created by Shijie. The people here are ignorant, and wouldn't be able to notice the clues. But I, after all, am a disciple of the Kongqing Sect, so naturally I was able to tell. Shijie and I are from the same people, so of course I wouldn't meddle with Shijie's plans. At the moment, Liang Jiwen treats it as a treasure; I was only able to get my hands on it and bring it to the Great Li after asking a great number of times.

"Since Shijie's tired, I won't bother you further. I just hope that Shijie contemplates what I've said carefully."

Having spoken, Qin Zhixun turned and strode away, a smile on her face, not the faintest sign of the disappointment of having been rejected visible. Qin Zhixun felt an inexplicable sense of carefreeness bubble up in her heart; she didn't know where it had come from, nor where it dissipated to.

By Contrast, Song Juguang was rooted to the spot, unclear, dark emotions flickering across her face. She'd placed a loyalty spell on that jade pendant, and the person that loyalty was focused on was Jiang Changbai. If another were to wear that pendant, they'd be inexplicably feel loyal towards Jiang Changbai.

If Qin Zhixun were an ordinary person, then her discovery of it wouldn't be cause for concern—because, as long as she wore it for a dozen days or half a month, she would no longer hold any dissident feelings. But because it was Qin Zhixun, and this world's spiritual power was thin, no matter how much of her spiritual strength Song Juguang had thrown into carving those spells, they wouldn't impact Qin Zhixun in the slightest.

As she thought, Song Juguang couldn't help but raise her head and look towards the Imperial Palace. At that time, when she'd given that jade pendant to Liang Jiwen, Jiang Changbai hadn't had the slightest idea. Back then, Song Juguang had assumed that she'd be able to conceal it from Jiang Changbai for a lifetime, but she hadn't imagined that, in only a few short years, it would be impossible to hide.

But to Song Juguang, the bad news that Qin Zhixun brought here wasn't this alone. In comparison to the matter of the pendant with the hidden spells being exposed, the matter of the Northwestern Emperor Star being brighter was clearly more serious.

If, at this moment, she had yet to have come to the Great Li, or perhaps if it were when she and Jiang Changbai had first met each other, she wouldn't care which one was claiming the ascendant position, and on learning of this, she could have thrown aside all her responsibilities in the Great Li, and gone to Shejin with Qin Zhixun. But at this time, she'd already lived here eighteen years, and already considered herself the Regent of the Great Li; all emotions and previous affairs had long since bound her and Jiang Changbai together.

Song Juguang knew clearly that she could neither run away, nor was she willing to flee.

Jiang Changbai, though, had no idea of the undercurrents roiling in the Regent's residence, and, at that moment, was looking at Su Ya, kneeling before her, in exasperation.

"You're really blood sisters," Jiang Changbai couldn't help but raise a hand to rub her temple, feeling as if Su Ya's weeping was about to shatter her head. "When you first arrived in the Great Li, Jiwen begged Us to see you the same way."

"Bixia, please help me; this subject has lived in a foreign state for so many years, and only wishes to see someone from her homeland." As she spoke, Su Ya prostrated herself, her voice unavoidably choked.

She still remembered clearly what Liang Jiwen had said to her before she'd left, and now, the time she'd spent in the Great Li was already almost twice as long as Liang Jiwen had.

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