At this moment, Mu Zijun's heart was in his throat. He felt a powerful aura blanket him. Even without any pressure released, he could not move. Only after hearing that heavenly voice did he lift his head slightly and stammer a reply, "Please forgive me, Zūnzhě. I… I saw this contract array in the archives of Spirit Beast Peak. It was different from what we usually study, so I… I copied a rubbing to study at home."
Yunxi kept stroking Li Li's head, her tone unchanged. "This is not something you figure out from simple research. You clearly tried it, and you succeeded."
Mu Zijun's body trembled. He blurted, "Do not be angry, Zūnzhě. I did research it, b-but only carved it onto a jade pendant. I do not know why… why it suddenly activated."
By the end his confidence had crumbled. He could feel a razor-sharp gaze locked on him. Without looking up, he knew it was the little red panda.
Yunxi crooked a finger. The cracked jade pendant at Mu Zijun's waist flew to her palm. Her divine sense swept it once. She erased the contract pattern carved within and sent the pendant back.
Mu Zijun could only hold it in both hands, ready to receive punishment.
Yunxi said lightly, "The pendant is yours. The contract pattern was carved by you. The moment your intent stirred, the pattern activated. It is a domineering script, and it could indeed have let you force a successful contract.
But your cultivation is limited, and you were not contracting with Li Li's willing consent. One day you would be bitten back. It would not end as easily as it did today."
Cold sweat drenched Mu Zijun's back. Earlier, when he saw Li Li watching the spar while perched on the Xunzong Mouse, his heart had stirred. He thought that if he could have such a formidable contracted beast, how wonderful it would be. He also knew Li Li bore no contract mark and so had no formal master.
But he was well aware that, contract or not, Li Li truly lived on Lingxue Peak, and the one on Lingxue Peak was utterly beyond his reach. He had just pressed down that greedy thought when the jade pendant at his waist flashed. A contract array rose beneath his and Li Li's feet.
He froze for a heartbeat, then exulted, though he hid it well, feigning panic and pretending to stop the contract in a fluster. In truth, he wanted to complete it as fast as possible. If he succeeded in contracting a high-rank spirit beast, even the one on Lingxue Peak could do nothing to him.
Unfortunately, pretty plans meet cruel reality. Ran Xi Zūnzhě arrived faster than he ever imagined. With a single move she shattered the array. In the instant the array fell, the little red panda clawed at him and wounded his soul. He had tried to steal a chicken and ended up losing the rice. Now that his thoughts had been laid bare, terror wrung the sweat from him.
Yunxi watched every change in Mu Zijun's expression. She said coolly, "Take this Lord to the place where you found this contract array."
With that, she swept Mu Zijun away from Doufa Peak.
Once the people directly involved had left, the disciples who had gathered to watch finally dispersed, though the incident remained the center of their chatter.
Sheng Yuhong arrived a step late and could only listen to his junior brothers' retelling, regretting that he had missed the chance to see Ran Xi.
Since the end of the Central Region war, Sheng Yuhong had returned to the sect with his squad and had not seen Ran Xi again. Though they belonged to the same sect, he could not even set foot on Lingxue Peak.
He refused to be left behind. After greeting his master, he went into seclusion. He had only emerged recently, two days later than Wei Yunqing. This time, after leaving seclusion, he shadowed Sect Master Yu Geng to learn how to handle sect affairs. Freed from duty, Zhou Lingchuan had successfully condensed a Yuányīng and left the sect to temper himself.
Sheng Yuhong now held the position of deputy sect master. He knew almost everything that happened within the sect, yet there were still matters where he could not intervene. He was desperate to prove himself. Even if his cultivation could not catch up to Ran Xi, he wanted to intersect with her in other ways, to help her if he could.
Only Sect Master Yu Geng saw a fraction of these thoughts. As his master, he said nothing. He simply assigned more sect duties to his disciple, while giving him no opportunity to approach Ran Xi.
Yunxi did not know that Sheng Yuhong still harbored "deep feelings" for her. If she knew, she would likely gag. By now, she had already arrived at Spirit Beast Peak. Peak Master Yu Wu welcomed Ran Xi into the grand hall at the summit.
Yunxi flicked her sleeve and released Mu Zijun, gave a concise account of what had happened, then said to Yu Wu Zhēnjūn, "Peak Master Yu Wu, send someone with Mu Zijun to retrieve that book. This Lord wishes to see it."
Yu Wu Zhēnjūn nodded and had his chief disciple escort Mu Zijun away.
When the hall had quieted, Yunxi spoke again, "There is a problem with the array Mu Zijun used. This Lord suspects it was left by Zuo Qiu. Please investigate carefully all the places Zuo Qiu frequented."
Yu Wu Zhēnjūn's face was grave as he nodded. "Thank you for the warning, Ran Xi Zūnzhě. After Zuo Qiu was captured, we turned his cave-dwelling upside down, yet found nothing. It seems he was clever and hid his things elsewhere. The library is the easiest place to tamper with, since disciples can enter freely and consult jade slips and books. This was my oversight."
"It is fine. Evil cultivators are cunning. Most of the spies within the sect have already been purged. There are not many gaps left to exploit. Disciples with unsteady hearts are their best entry point."
"I understand."
Yu Wu Zhēnjūn also felt regret. Mu Zijun was at least late-stage Golden Core, yet he had stumbled in this way. It was unexpected.
A short while later, Mu Zijun returned, face flushed, cradling a stitched-binding volume. "Reporting to Zūnzhě and Yu Wu Zhēnjūn. This is the book where this disciple saw the contract pattern. But when my senior brother and I went to retrieve it just now, something that had been tucked inside was already gone."
Yunxi swept it once with her divine sense, then withdrew her gaze and said to Yu Wu Zhēnjūn,"Peak Master, I will trouble you to investigate thoroughly. Do not let Zuo Qiu's back-hand arrangements taint all of Spirit Beast Peak."
"Rest assured, Zūnzhě. That is my duty as peak master."
Having given her instructions, Yunxi hugged Li Li and vanished from Spirit Beast Peak.
Only when she returned to the summit of Lingxue Peak did her expression change slightly. She lifted her eyes to the sky, sarcasm flashing in her gaze. That familiar, self-important air clinging to Mu Zijun disgusted her.
This fake Heavenly Dao truly stooped to anything. After she knocked Wei Yunqing down, it wanted to nurture another cultivator to oppose and restrain her. Unfortunately, the false Dao's taste was as poor as ever. It chose the likes of Mu Zijun and even dreamed of contracting Li Li, thinking that by stealing her spirit beast it could leash her. Laughable.
Li Li flicked his fluffy tail. "Zūnzhě, do not be angry. I have already dealt heavy damage to his soul. He will not notice it now, but when he attempts a breakthrough, he will be blocked."
"It does not matter. He is only a chess piece of the fake Heavenly Dao, and a new piece at that, not so useful yet. Compared to Wei Yunqing, he is far inferior."