Elder Chou's gaze shifted between Xie Zhaolin and Mo Yan, but in the end she didn't dwell on any of the unspoken secrets. Instead, she revealed a clear, almost carefree smile.
"Speaking of which, I really have to thank Elder Mo."
Her voice was light, as if genuinely grateful. "If Elder Mo hadn't stepped in and helped me persuade Elder Lian to keep silent, Formation Peak wouldn't have risen so easily. I'd have had to struggle through countless more obstacles."
She emphasized the word persuade with curious clarity, but wrapped it in tones of gratitude, leaving no fault to grasp.
Xie Zhaolin curved her lips into a faint smile, asking casually, "Elder Chou, after all your careful planning, you still didn't completely replace Alchemy Peak, only ended up as equals on all sides. Don't you feel disappointed?"
At her words, Elder Chou instantly struck a pose like a frail beauty, lowering her brows with watery eyes, looking as if she might burst into tears.
"Disappointed? Of course I'm disappointed… ah, what a terrible loss! I missed such a perfect chance to push Formation Peak to glory!"
She sighed dramatically, but as she spoke, she drifted forward two steps. She ignored Mo Yan's sudden wariness and abruptly leaned close to Xie Zhaolin.
Cold fingers, carrying a faint fragrance, tilted her chin upward.
Elder Chou bent closer, her eyes locked on the calm depths of Xie Zhaolin's gaze. Her lowered voice was tinged with something strange, a near-intimate charm.
"But then… the moment I look at Martial Nephew Xie's face, I can't explain why, but my mood improves for no reason."
The gesture was bold and sudden, her words ambiguous, crossing the line of normal seniority or alliance.
Yet Xie Zhaolin's expression didn't change. She smiled as if amused, not even blinking, as though this was just a senior's harmless joke.
Inside, her thoughts spun.
"What's her angle?
Is this just a probe? Using a flirtatious trick to disturb my mind and watch my reaction?
Or is it something else—a warning, a declaration, a hint that she's already seen through certain ties? Or simply a show of dominance, that even in cooperation she holds the reins?
Or maybe this woman simply acts with no rules at all, making her impossible to predict?"
Whatever the case, it made Xie Zhaolin silently raise Elder Chou's danger rating another notch.
"Elder Chou jests," she said softly, tilting her head away with the same smoothness, slipping free of that cold fingertip. Her smile was gentle and harmless. "My cultivation's shallow. Having Elder Chou's regard already leaves me deeply uneasy."
When she subtly avoided her touch, Elder Chou's gaze flickered with the tiniest trace of regret, but she didn't pursue it. Instead, she drew back naturally, turning with a bright smile to Mo Yan, who stood silently guarding.
"Elder Mo won't mind if I linger here a bit, will you?" Her tone was casual, as though it were just polite chatter.
Mo Yan didn't answer immediately. Seeing that Xie Zhaolin gave no sign, he stayed silent for a few breaths, then inclined his head ever so slightly.
With that, he turned and melted back into the shadows of the house, clearly returning to cultivation.
Xie Zhaolin also smiled politely. "Please feel at ease, Elder Chou. I still need to cultivate, so I'll excuse myself first." With that, she turned and went into her own room, leaving Formation Peak's peak lord sitting in the courtyard alone.
But Elder Chou didn't seem to mind. Her enigmatic smile never wavered. She sat herself down on a stone bench, drew out a tea set from who knew where, and actually began brewing tea at a leisurely pace, as if she intended to stay for quite some time.
Inside, Xie Zhaolin didn't immediately meditate. Instead, she used her contract to send Mo Yan a message.
"Leave through the back gate. Make a trip to the Law Enforcement Hall. Make sure some people see you on the way."
Mo Yan was puzzled, but he didn't ask.
A moment later, his figure slipped quietly out the back. His steps weren't hidden, and he happened to cross paths with a few outer disciples, striding straight toward the Law Enforcement Hall.
An entire hour passed before the fragrance of tea in the courtyard began to fade. Elder Chou finally packed away her tea set, and with a single flicker of her body, she vanished like smoke, as though she'd never been there.
Only after a little while longer, when Xie Zhaolin was sure Elder Chou had truly gone, did she allow Mo Yan to return. His figure emerged silently, his brows furrowed, his face showing confusion and faint concern. "Master, why did you…"
Xie Zhaolin sighed. She knew if she didn't explain some things, Mo Yan's nature might cause trouble later.
"Why do you think I asked you to go out at that exact time?" Her voice was calm but weighty.
"Today Elder Chou came openly in broad daylight, made no effort to hide herself, then sat in our courtyard for a full hour before leaving. Tell me, how do you think the other peaks, especially Elder Lian who's paranoid right now, will see that?"
Mo Yan froze, then realization dawned. His lips parted. "They'll think… that I talked with her for a long time? That we've even formed some sort of alliance?"
"Exactly. Elder Chou's visit today was an open scheme," Xie Zhaolin said evenly. "By coming boldly and staying long, she shoved the impression of close ties with us straight into the minds of those who are spying."
"She's dragging us into the water. Forcing us to take sides?" Mo Yan's expression darkened.
"More accurately, she's muddying the waters and trying to seize the initiative," Xie Zhaolin's eyes flashed cold. "She saw we wanted to stay hidden, so she deliberately pulled us onto the stage, binding us tighter to her."
But what Xie Zhaolin really pondered was something else.
The information she'd gained from Elder Wei, through Mo Yan's approach, matched Elder Chou's involvement. But her actions just now carried an even stranger undercurrent.
When Elder Chou leaned close, beneath her flirtatious air, she'd actually used a subtle charm technique, nearly invisible. A normal Foundation cultivator, even one with strong will, might've swayed in that instant, feeling inexplicable affection or trust.
But who was Xie Zhaolin?
In her past life, she'd been Hehuan Sect's chief disciple. Even though she hadn't specialized in charm arts, her mastery of them was top-tier.
Elder Chou's attempt, to her senses, was nothing but showing off with a dull blade. It couldn't shake her in the slightest.
And that was exactly why she became more alert.
What puzzled her most was—why use such a technique on her?
It made no sense.
Mo Yan was the one with deep cultivation, someone who could stand as her equal or even threaten her. If Elder Chou truly wanted to manipulate or control someone for her goals, Mo Yan was the obvious target. Yet she deliberately chose Xie Zhaolin, who on the surface was just a low-ranked martial nephew, dependent on him.
Why?