Yin Weiying Lost Her Composure

"Sorry,

"Actually... my name is Chen Yi."

Yin Weiying's almond-shaped eyes widened, her face filled with confusion, bewilderment, and disbelief.

Chen Yi took in every change in her expression.

From their interaction just now, he had already guessed that Yin Weiying belonged to the imperial family. Coupled with her remark that he "ought to follow me to Mount Taihua to cultivate," he immediately realized exactly who she was-the Goddess of Mount Taihua of this sixty-year cycle.

The Goddess of Mount Taihua... if he remembered correctly, the goddess of this sixty-year cycle in Beyond the Heavens had been almost entirely a background presence, mentioned only in passing here and there. Later, still hungry for more after his first playthrough, he had unexpectedly discovered her existence in the game files.

Only then had he learned that the Goddess of Mount Taihua had once been one of the female leads. For some unknown reason, however, she had not appeared in Beyond the Heavens, instead becoming a Scrapped Character.

Though she was a Scrapped Character, plenty of information remained in the files. Mount Taihua's Goddess Dao Lineage had ancient roots: it was an Ascension Method passed down from the Ancient Era. Its subtlety lay in the union of the Golden Lad and Jade Maiden, comprehending emotionlessness through emotion to achieve Supreme Oblivion of Emotion and ascend to immortality.

Faced with a goddess of such considerable standing, he could never keep the truth hidden forever. If she chose to send someone to investigate, she would certainly learn that he was not Min Ning at all.

Rather than passively wait to be discovered, he might as well seize the initiative now.

Chen Yi continued:

"Thousand Household of the Western Depot, Chen Yi, courtesy name Zunming."

This time, even Yin Weiying's pupils trembled slightly.

That... Thousand Household of the Western Depot?!

The man Father and the others wanted to kill?

"How... how could it be you?"

After blurting this out in astonishment, Yin Weiying turned to look at Min Ning.

"Is he Min Ning, then? No wonder, no wonder... such a deep affinity with the Dao, both dragon and phoenix!"

Min Ning folded her arms across her chest and gave Yin Weiying a displeased glance.

"That would be me. Min Ning, courtesy name Moon Pond."

She disliked the woman before her.

A shock of numbness exploded through Yin Weiying. She looked at Chen Yi, then at Min Ning, realizing that she had been thoroughly played. However well she had cultivated her composure, her face now alternated between green and red. Remembering how the strings of her heart had stirred earlier when she saw Chen Yi possessed the Heavenly Eye only made her mortification indescribably worse.

She had never suffered such humiliation.

Yet Chen Yi had the gall to ask with a smile:

"Well? Does Immortal Maiden Yin still want me as her dao companion?"

Yin Weiying's ears flushed crimson, and she turned to glare at Chen Yi.

"How could you... how dare you behave this way, you scoundrel?! Showing contempt for Daoists, declaring there are no gods, harboring a divided heart, corrupting the true mind-such a sinner deserves ten thousand deaths!"

Hearing her curse him, Chen Yi could not help finding it funny. This Goddess of Mount Taihua probably did not even know any foul language. Even her insults were so literary, all quotations from the Daoist Canon.

"Getting worked up, are we? Why didn't I see you this worked up in Hundred Flowers Tower?"

Chen Yi just had to say it.

She grew even angrier. Feeling that her words lacked force, she racked her brains for more curses:

"The wicked do not know the Dao's teachings and do not believe upon hearing them; now three hundred thousand Red-Killing Ghosts shall execute them. The wicked do not believe in the Dao's teachings, so Heaven sends plague ghosts to spread seventy-two diseases and slay the wicked through sickness..."

The more she cursed, the more amused Chen Yi became. The more he laughed, the more furious and flustered she grew, towering waves surging across the lake of her heart. She raised her peachwood sword and thrust it fiercely at him.

Before Chen Yi could react, Min Ning stepped forward, swiftly seized Yin Weiying's wrist, and twisted hard. Yin Weiying grunted in pain, and the peachwood sword fell from her hand.

Watching this, Chen Yi felt it was a pity. Then again, Min Ning was a woman dressed as a man, after all; she had no inclination to cherish a delicate beauty.

Yin Weiying turned her head, looked at Min Ning, then glared hatefully at Chen Yi.

[Negative emotions: 90]

[Yin Weiying's negative emotion reward: five years of True Qi.]

"Tsk, tsk. Looks like you really have lost your composure."

Chen Yi picked the peachwood sword up from the ground and teased:

"Curse all you like, but drawing blades isn't so nice. Besides, a peachwood sword can drive out ghosts, but it can't kill people."

Yin Weiying glared at Chen Yi and snorted coldly.

"I, Yin Weiying, distinguish clearly between kindness and grudges and strictly observe Lord Lao's Five Precepts. I would not kill anyone. I only wanted to teach a scoundrel like you a lesson."

Chen Yi tossed the peachwood sword from his left hand to his right, then from his right to his left.

"Once you draw a weapon, who cares whether you actually meant to kill? Besides, it's not as though there's nothing between us. Look, didn't I just save your life?"

At his mention of this, Yin Weiying immediately felt she was in the wrong. But seeing Chen Yi casually toy with her treasured sword filled her with indignation again.

"Something between us? That's already gone. The moment you deceived me, you committed the sin of contempt."

Chen Yi stopped tossing the sword and asked thoughtfully:

"When you saw her, why did you say 'what a pity'?"

Yin Weiying glanced at Min Ning and replied instinctively:

"I thought he was you..."

Then she suddenly realized that she had let something slip.

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes at the white-robed Daoist priestess.

"The fifth of Lord Lao's Five Precepts-do not speak falsely. It seems you know something. Considering that I saved your life, why not tell me?"

Yin Weiying clenched her teeth and shook her head.

Even if Chen Yi had not deceived her, she had never intended to save him from her father. All the more so now that he had treated her with such contempt; she wished he would be torn apart by five horses.

Chen Yi shifted his gaze to Min Ning and said softly:

"Undress her."

Yin Weiying was instantly horrified and turned stiffly toward Min Ning.

Min Ning frowned, clearly disliking this sort of thing.

"Be good."

Chen Yi smiled.

A chill of revulsion swept over Min Ning. She glared at Chen Yi, then swiftly struck Yin Weiying's acupoints with one hand to restrict her movements before placing it on the sash of her Daoist robe.

Yin Weiying panicked, her chest heaving rapidly, her lovely face flushed crimson, her lip seemingly bitten through. The scene was humiliating beyond words. Her father's enemy wanted to undress her, and the person helping him was none other than Min Ning-the Golden Lad of the prophecy, her future dao companion!

"I am Prince Jing's daughter, you brazen villain! Shameless wretch, shameless... don't, don't! My inner robe will show! Don't... tie it back, tie it back!"

When her sash came undone and her Daoist robe loosened, Yin Weiying nearly broke down and finally cried out.

Chen Yi brazenly inspected her plain white inner robe, watching her modestly developed chest heave. He gauged its size in his mind: neither large nor small, roughly a handful.

A white-robed Daoist priestess practicing Supreme Oblivion of Emotion...

Just how much pleasure would there be in defiling her?

Tsk... I'll have to find a way to become her enemy.

"Don't undo it! Don't. I'll talk, I'll tell you everything. You... say something! Say something!"

Min Ning's hands kept moving. Chen Yi's stare made the priestess's skin crawl, and she cried out in panic.

Chen Yi gestured, and Min Ning stopped and released her acupoints.

Yin Weiying gathered her clothing around herself and said with a slight tremble:

"Those who leave the secular world do not speak falsely, but that doesn't mean I will tell you everything. Whatever I say, simply listen. Don't press me."

Chen Yi nodded and returned her peachwood sword.

Yin Weiying tied her sash, slowly recovering her usual serene appearance.

"I heard... Prince Jing's Manor intends to kill you on Demon-Quelling Day."

At these words, Chen Yi frowned slightly.

It was no surprise that Prince Jing's Manor wanted to kill him, but choosing Demon-Quelling Day held considerable significance.

Then again, she actually knew about this, and she was Prince Jing's daughter...

Chen Yi's gaze abruptly sharpened.

Yin Weiying's face paled a little, but she grew calm and said evenly:

"I have nothing to do with this."

Chen Yi's brow relaxed slightly. Many of these people who had left the secular world valued observing their rules and precepts as dearly as their lives, and Yin Weiying was the Goddess of Mount Taihua, no less.

"In that case..."

Chen Yi wanted to tease her a little more, but the words suddenly caught in his throat. Murderous intent spread from within the alley, and he turned toward the dimly lit street.

A saber wielder carrying his blade at his shoulder and a lantern in hand was approaching, step by step.

"Huang Liuqing, eighth-generation True Disciple of the White Willow Sect of Shannan Province."

A martial artist announcing his affiliation...

Either he had come to make friends, or to kill!