[Qing Yun saw you too.]
[He frowned and looked you up and down. The white-haired, ordinary-looking old woman before him wore coarse clothes washed pale. No matter how he looked at her, she did not seem to have come to seek a master.]
[Qing Yun's brow relaxed, and he assumed a condescending expression. "Old woman, this is the Green Bamboo Sect. Not just anyone can come here. If you want to burn incense and worship Buddha, go down the mountain and walk twenty li east. There's a Land God Temple there."]
[How could Qing Yun be so mean-hearted? you thought. He actually wanted to send an old granny trudging twenty li?]
[You said nothing, merely taking another step forward.]
[Qing Yun's expression finally darkened. He drew the Azure Frost Sword and pointed its tip at your throat, the last trace of patience in his voice. "I'll say this one last time. Back off."]
[You said nothing, but you did stop.]
[Then you took your stance where you stood, sinking into a textbook horse stance, and then-]
[You threw a punch!]
[The wind from your fist surged like a dragon, carrying the abundant Spiritual Energy of the Houtian Ninth Level as it tore through the air and slammed straight toward Qing Yun's chest.]
[Qing Yun's pupils contracted sharply. By the time he saw that abundant Spiritual Energy, it was already too late.]
["Boom!"]
[The Azure Frost Sword flew from his hand, spun several times through the air, and plunged diagonally into the dirt three zhang away.]
[Qing Yun flew backward like a kite with its string cut, smashed heavily onto the stone steps at the mountain gate, rolled several times, and lay facedown, motionless.]
[You withdrew your fist, looked at your hand, then at Qing Yun lying on the ground, and sighed softly.]
["Qingfeng said I killed you, so this time, I really will kill you."]
[Muttering this to yourself, you walked over, bent down, and picked up the Azure Frost Sword.]
[Qing Yun let out a faint groan from the ground, and you glanced down at him. He lay there with blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, his eyes half-open, already looking as though he was about to die.]
["You-who are you-" His voice was hoarse, as though he had used all his strength to squeeze it out of his throat.]
[You did not answer that question. Instead, you bent down with practiced ease, untied the money pouch from his waist, hefted it, and tucked it into your robes in satisfaction.]
[There were spirit stones inside, after all. Of course you had to take it.]
["You-" Qing Yun's eyes widened. He spat out a mouthful of blood and fell utterly silent.]
[Having successfully achieved your little goal of infuriating Qing Yun to death, you stood up, hung the Azure Frost Sword at your waist, and continued up the mountain.]
[The mountain path wound onward, and bamboo shadows swayed.]
[Your pace was neither hurried nor slow, your movements leisurely.]
[The Green Bamboo Sect's layout had hardly changed since the last simulation. Standing before the house at the summit, you released your aura.]
[In an instant, every bamboo stalk within a radius of ten zhang bent low, their leaves rustling down, giving you quite the grand entrance.]
[The sound of a teacup shattering came from inside the house, followed immediately by the dull thud of a chair falling over.]
["Who's there?!"]
[Qingfeng's voice came from inside, carrying unmistakable panic.]
[You did not answer. You merely raised your hand and shattered the wooden door with a palm strike.]
[Amid the flying splinters, you saw Qingfeng.]
[He stood behind a table, his face deathly pale, a short saber in his right hand and a half-eaten pastry still pinched in his left. Crumbs clung to the corner of his mouth, making him look utterly ridiculous.]
["You-who are you?" Qingfeng's voice trembled.]
[The sound of the Azure Frost Sword leaving its sheath answered him.]
[Sword light flashed, and the short saber in Qingfeng's hand broke in two, clattering to the floor. The Sword Qi knocked him backward, and he fell heavily, striking the back of his head against a table leg and grimacing in pain.]
[You walked over and pressed the sword tip against his throat.]
["Don't-don't kill me-" Qingfeng's voice changed pitch, tears and snot streaming down together. "Whatever you want, I'll give it to you-spirit stones, cultivation arts-I'll give you everything-"]
[You briefly sensed the surroundings, then frowned and looked down at him. "Where's the sect leader?"]
["The sect leader-the sect leader will be back soon! Spare me! As long as you spare me, our sect leader has plenty of good things. We can give you all of them!"]
[The muscles in Qingfeng's face twitched, his eyes darting uncontrollably toward the sword tip pressed against his neck. He was terrified. The sect leader had only said that following her would let him live forever without aging. She had never said he would have to face anything like this!]
[The sect leader was away, Qing Yun was dead, and all that remained was Qingfeng, shaking like a sieve.]
[You realized this was the perfect opportunity to question him!]
["You know the Evergreen Art, don't you? Your Green Bamboo Sect's Azure Wood Art came from the Evergreen Art, didn't it?"]
[At the words "Azure Wood Art," Qingfeng's pupils suddenly contracted, and he seemed to have been seized by the throat, even his breathing stopping. They had only settled on the cultivation art's name yesterday. How did you know it?]
[Noticing his reaction, you pushed the sword tip another half-inch forward.]
["So it's true."]
[Hearing your conclusion made Qingfeng want to cry even more.]
[Where on earth had this granny come from? Why was she holding Qing Yun's sword? How did she know about the Azure Wood Art? And how was she so good at fighting?!]
[Qingfeng could not figure it out, but he knew that if he confessed everything honestly, he would have no value left, and you would definitely finish him off with a single stroke. All he could do now was stall for time!]
[If the sect leader returned early, he might still have a chance to live.]
["You'd better not ask!" Qingfeng blustered, fierce on the outside but fainthearted within, his voice trembling badly. "We're undertaking something great. There are plenty of people involved you can't afford to cross!"]
["Whether I can afford to cross them is none of your concern."]
[You answered casually, then chuckled softly and drew the sword tip across his neck, bringing a string of blood beads to the surface. "But those words of yours-it seems you know quite a lot."]
[Qingfeng stiffened all over, his face white as paper, his lips quivering several times.]
[Your expression remained unchanged. After a round of torture and intimidation, Qingfeng finally understood: if he did not resist, he would die quickly; if he resisted to the end, he would die painfully.]
["I-I'll talk-don't kill me-" Qingfeng's voice was thick with tears, and he finally broke. "The Evergreen Art-the sect leader got the Evergreen Art from the emissary-"]
[An emissary?]
[Your eyes widened, and you bristled with righteousness.]
[So this Green Bamboo Sect really was a cult! What respectable Immortal Sect had an "emissary"?]
[You committed that term to memory and asked, "What did that person look like?"]
[Qingfeng shook his head. "I don't know. I only saw her once. I know she holds a post in the Imperial Court. She wore white clothes and a veil that day. She looked very young, but the sect leader treated her with great respect. I remember-she had a piece of jade hanging at her waist-"]
[Your heart gave a sudden leap. "What sort of jade?"]
["White-a very small piece-there seemed to be writing carved on it." Qingfeng struggled to remember. "I couldn't see it clearly. I only remember there was writing."]