The stone door opened, and Lin Xiao pressed his mask lightly before stepping out, his cloak covering him completely.
The corridor outside remained unchanged, and in Lin Xiao's memory, the Holy Spirit Sect's headquarters rarely looked any different.
Though the process hadn't gone exactly as he expected, his sixth soul ring was now secured, and he had no reason to linger here.
"Lord Holy Emissary?"
Before he could take more than a few steps, a voice called out from behind.
Turning around, he saw Wu Yun standing at the half-open door of a nearby room, dressed in thin clothing.
Lin Xiao glanced at her, nodding slightly, and was about to continue walking when Wu Yun spoke again.
"Is something troubling you, my lord?"
Lin Xiao paused, and Wu Yun slowly approached. "If you don't mind, could we talk?"
Lin Xiao turned to face her. Wu Yun's eyes flickered with hesitation, and she lowered her gaze slightly. "Please don't misunderstand, my lord. I only noticed you seemed troubled, so…"
Wu Yun trailed off, but Lin Xiao understood her meaning. "How did you know I was troubled?"
"I…" Wu Yun hesitated briefly. "When you brought me back to the Holy Spirit Sect, I saw the look in your eyes… and the look you have now is the same as it was then."
"Back then, I didn't understand what that look meant. Now, I think I understand a little."
"Then let's sit for a bit," Lin Xiao said with a soft sigh.
Wu Yun's eyes lit up with a hint of surprise, but when they reached her doorway, she hesitated again.
"It's fine," Lin Xiao said, shaking his head and stepping inside first.
Unlike Lin Xiao's room, Wu Yun's was adorned with decorations. Pale pink curtains surrounded her bed, and a table with a single chair stood nearby, though the chair looked wobbly and unstable.
A fragrance lingered in the air, a mix of incense and some medicinal herbs burning together.
Seeing this, Wu Yun hurried to the bedside, extinguishing the incense burner on the table. She then produced a new chair from somewhere and placed it beside Lin Xiao.
"Please sit here, my lord."
"You know my name. No need to keep calling me 'my lord.'"
Wu Yun opened her mouth, hesitating for a long moment before speaking softly, "I understand."
Seeing her sit down beside him, Lin Xiao wanted to say something but didn't know where to begin. Should he ask how she was faring in the Holy Spirit Sect? He already knew quite well that it wasn't exactly a pleasant life.
As for other matters… this was the Holy Spirit Sect's headquarters. Some things couldn't be asked outright.
Surprisingly, Wu Yun seemed to shed her earlier unease. With a smile, she spoke first. "I still remember that night when… Lin Xiao, you broke through the door."
Lin Xiao didn't respond, listening quietly.
"I saw with my own eyes the person my sister and I dreamed of killing day and night, kneeling and trembling before you, begging for mercy. And with your help, I drove a dagger into their heart."
"Wu Yu and I fantasized every day about personally eliminating that person. We swore that as long as we could get rid of them, we could endure any amount of pain."
Wu Yun's voice grew softer, but she suddenly looked up into Lin Xiao's eyes. "Though many things happened afterward, compared to the torment we endured before, they're insignificant. This is already a life we never dared to dream of. I'm very grateful that you brought us to the Holy Spirit Sect."
"I was just following orders back then. No need to thank me," Lin Xiao replied.
Wu Yun shook her head. "No, I still want to thank you for giving me the chance to take revenge with my own hands. I'm already content with my life in the sect now."
Lin Xiao looked at Wu Yun, who was about his age, and could sense the restless fluctuations of soul power within her.
With a martial soul like the Soul of Vengeance, if her heart were truly at peace, why would her soul power be so turbulent? Wu Yun's life was definitely not as easy as she claimed. To enhance the sisters' cultivation, the Holy Spirit Sect would surely find ways to keep their hatred alive.
As for who they hated, the Holy Spirit Sect didn't care.
The sect didn't concern itself with its disciples' backgrounds or thoughts. As long as they served the sect's purposes, even if their hearts were filled with hatred, the Holy Spirit Sect wouldn't mind. After all, one couldn't expect "loyalty" from a group of evil soul masters.
"Sister, I'm back."
Before Lin Xiao and Wu Yun could talk much longer, Wu Yu's voice came from outside.
"Come in," Wu Yun called.
Dressed in black, Wu Yu stepped inside, looking as though she had just returned from a trip, her face showing traces of exhaustion.
But the moment she saw Lin Xiao, her expression changed dramatically, and she took a step back.
"Sister… you… you two…" Wu Yu's soul power surged wildly, stirring gusts of wind that made Wu Yun's bed curtains sway violently. "Why, why even you…"
Lin Xiao stood, his own soul power rising, instantly calming the airflow Wu Yu had stirred. "You've misunderstood something."
He glanced back at Wu Yun. "I should go."
"I'll see you out," Wu Yun offered.
"No need," Lin Xiao said, shaking his head and stepping out of the room.
As Lin Xiao's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, Wu Yun slowly withdrew her gaze.
"Sister, you and him?" Wu Yu asked, looking Wu Yun up and down.
"You've misunderstood," Wu Yun said, pulling on an outer garment. "We just talked for a bit. We're not like him, and we never will be…"
Wu Yun didn't continue, and Wu Yu fell silent as well, stepping forward to embrace her sister gently.
On the other side, Lin Xiao raised his hand, feeling the soul power within him gradually settle. He had to admit, the Holy Spirit Sect had its methods. They knew how to maximize the potential of an evil soul master's martial soul.
When he first brought the sisters to the sect, they had never cultivated. But now, Wu Uu was close to Soul King level, and Wu Yun's soul power was even higher.
By harnessing hatred for cultivation, the Holy Spirit Sect ensured they hated all the sect's disciples, perhaps even the sect itself. And maybe, deep down, they held a trace of hatred for him, the one who brought them here.
In his previous life, Lin Xiao's world was entirely different. He might not realize—or might not think—that the few days he spent traveling with Wu Yun and Wu Yu to the Holy Spirit Sect were, for them, a life they never dared to dream of.