As soon as those words were spoken, Mo Yi and the others showed no change in expression, but their movements shifted. In the blink of an eye, they had formed a Nine Palace Defensive Formation, ready to act at the slightest provocation.
Jian Dan gave a small smile. This Jian Wan Zhūnzhǔ really did not know how to speak. Saying something like that to cultivators fresh off the battlefield would only provoke a sensitive reaction.
Jian Wan hadn't expected her sarcastic remark to be taken seriously, much less that their guards would respond so swiftly and with such discipline.
The atmosphere grew tense. Jian Dan waved her hand toward Mo Yi's group.
"Jian Wan Zhūnzhǔ was only joking. You don't need to take it seriously. Don't frighten the children."
Only then did the formation dissolve. Seeing that even Jian Wan's expression showed a hint of embarrassment, they stepped back into a more casual stance.
"Alright, Jian Wei, be a dear and take my guards to soak in the sword pool. While you're at it, tell them a little about the pool's history."
As she spoke, she flicked a top-grade spirit stone over to the boy as a reward.
"Thank you for the reward, Senior. I'll take these seniors over right away. This way, please."
Once Mo Yi was sure there were no further threats, he nodded and led the others after Jian Wei. As they left, he cast one final glance at Jian Wan Zhūnzhǔ.
She grit her teeth at that but said nothing more. After all, she had misspoken and caused the misunderstanding.
Jian Dan had little patience for people who didn't know their place.
"Jian Ning, if you're free, keep me company. I won't trouble Jian Wan Zhūnzhǔ any longer."
Jian Ning's gaze flicked to her master's displeased face and sighed softly, stepping in to smooth things over.
"Zhūnzhǔ only accompanied me because I've never received a Void Refinement stage senior before. She worried I'd be discourteous."
"Well-intentioned, then. Your master clearly cares a lot for you."
Jian Dan kept her tone polite. Since Jian Wan was Jian Ning's teacher, it was only proper to give her a bit of face.
Jian Dan's words made Jian Wan's expression ease slightly. After a few instructions to Jian Ning, she turned and left.
She had only come to get a look at this Mo Yue Zhūnzhǔ, who had destroyed a Zhēnzūn's cave residence and walked away unharmed. Now that she'd seen her in person, Jian Wan found her even harder to deal with than expected. No wonder Jian Li had only said to maintain friendly relations for now and wait until Jian Jun Zhūnzhǔ returned to make any decisions.
She wasn't welcome here, and she had no desire to stand around pretending otherwise. After a few final words to Jian Ning, she left without delay.
"You go take care of your own matters. Just walk through the formalities as needed."
"Alright."
No one wanted to soak in a hot spring while being watched.
After Jian Ning left, Jian Dan opened the sword pool cavern for Void Refinement cultivators. Once the formation was lifted, the space inside revealed its own unique world.
Just beyond the entrance was a four-panel screen embroidered with scenes titled Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon—each one capturing a different poetic image.
Beyond the screen was a square pool, about a hundred meters wide, built entirely from top-grade spirit stones. The water swirled with mist, and within the haze above the surface, traces of sword qi occasionally flickered.
This was the sword cultivators' signature hot spring. It allowed cultivators to not only sense the feeling of sword qi merging into the body but also refine their own sword aura in the process.
Jian Dan was quite pleased. With a casual gesture, she laid down protective formations, then placed a reversed grand array over the pool she chose. She had no intention of being barged in on by some clueless male cultivator.
She had no tolerance for such foolishness.
Stripping off her robes, Jian Dan let her hair down and stepped into the center of the sword pool, sitting cross-legged as she gradually began releasing her accumulated killing intent.
At first, the sword qi and killing intent clashed, creating a turbulence that caused the water around her to churn, rippling outward from where she sat.
As her killing aura thickened, the surrounding sword qi responded with equal intensity. The entire hot spring seemed to boil, sword and slaughter energy colliding in waves.
But as the conflict continued, the two forces slowly began to cancel each other out. Jian Dan's own aura gradually smoothed and calmed.
She remained there for three days and nights. When she finally opened her eyes again, the mist above the pool had thinned significantly, and the sword qi was no longer as volatile.
Jian Dan teleported out of the pool. She changed into a clean white robe, twisted her long hair into a bun, and secured it with a pearl hairpin. She reapplied her makeup. The silver armored insects on her robes shifted, changing into a gleaming silver hue and returning to their place atop the formation patterns on her sleeves.
She withdrew the array. A single willow leaf drifted toward her and attached itself to her wrist as usual.
"Any changes these past few days?"
"None. The Heavenly Sword Sect still has you and your guards surrounded tighter than a drum. Not even a moth could slip through."
"Did Jian Wan return?"
"No."
"And Mo Yi's group, they're all fine?"
"Much of their killing aura has been dissolved."
While she was communicating with her spirit plant through divine sense, Jian Dan sensed something small approaching.
A willow branch shot out, catching the intruder and gently placing it beside the white jade table where Jian Dan sat.
"Please don't eat Maodou, Senior!" a little boy, no older than five, cried out, covering his face in fear.
Jian Dan replied lazily, "Who told you I eat children?"
The boy, who called himself Maodou, heard her voice—pleasant, gentle—and peeked through his fingers to look at her. He stared, utterly entranced.
Jian Dan noticed the red birthmark that covered the left side of his face, sprawling across his cheek.
"Are you a fairy guest visiting the Sword Pool Peak?"
"Mm, something like that."
"Maodou greets the fairy."
"How did you end up here?"
"I lost a bet with my friends. I promised them I'd come see what the child-eating witch looked like."
"Oh? Who told you there was a child-eating witch here?"
"My senior brothers. They said there was a scary woman in black robes who was really powerful. I wanted to see for myself."
Jian Dan raised an eyebrow, amused. "So, did you find her?"
"No. I just disturbed the fairy instead."
"Well, too bad. I'm just a guest here myself, unfamiliar with the place. Can't help you with that."
Maodou quickly waved his hands. "No need to trouble the fairy."
He sat down cross-legged on the stone bench, rubbing his hands awkwardly before speaking again in a small voice.
"Fairy, could you grant me one wish?"
"Let's hear it. I'll see if I can help."
"My mom said if I ever met a fairy, I should make a wish right away. If the fairy heard it, she might make it come true."
"Alright, tell me your wish."
"I... I want to know where my mother is."
"Didn't she send you to the Heavenly Sword Sect?"
"You really do know everything, Fairy. After she sent me here, I never saw her again. I'm really worried."
Jian Dan glanced at him and saw it instantly. The child's spiritual bond with his mother was extremely faint. She had already passed away and entered reincarnation.
"Alright. Your mother is far away now. I'll find a way to let her appear in your dreams."
Maodou was overjoyed and bowed deeply to her. Before he could rise again, he had already slipped into the dream realm Jian Dan wove for him.
As his quiet snores filled the cave, Jian Dan took his wrist and sent a gentle stream of spiritual energy through his meridians.
She was surprised. The child had a natural sword bone, the best possible constitution for a sword cultivator. She hadn't expected to stumble upon such a rare seedling.
As the sun rose over the eastern ridge, its rays washed the mountain in golden light.
Maodou rubbed his eyes and stretched. Seeing the fairy still sitting with her eyes closed, he silently climbed off the stone bench, gave her another deep bow, then darted off into the trees.
The moment Jian Dan opened her eyes, a flying sword pierced through the sky and stopped before her, unfurling a message in midair.
"Mo Yue, there is a change in the Ming Valley. Return to the Heavenly Demon Palace immediately."