That day.
Another batch of spiritual plants reached maturity.
As usual, Zhao Wujie was scheduled to visit each peak to collect them.
Originally, all ten peaks entrusted their spiritual plants to him for centralized collection and redistribution. But ever since Yun Jin formed a contract with him, most of the peak lords had taken the opportunity to reclaim ownership of their own crops.
Only three remained tied to him: Huo Lie and two others.
This task of gathering spiritual plants had originally been handled by Ma Hongyu. This time, just as Ma Hongyu was about to depart, Ye Danxia appeared. "Uncle Ma," Ye Danxia said sweetly, flashing him a smile. "You're always so busy. Why don't I take care of this small task for you?"
Ma Hongyu gave Ye Danxia a puzzled look.
Only one thought echoed in his mind.
Was Yun Jin a prophet?
Before Ye Danxia came looking for him, Yun Jin had just sent him a voice transmission, warning that Ye Danxia might approach him soon. And sure enough, here she was.
Not only that, Yun Jin had specifically said that Ye Danxia would volunteer to take over the task of collecting the spiritual plants. And now, she was parroting that suggestion almost word for word.
If that wasn't prophecy, what was?
In the cultivation world, prophecy wasn't impossible.
But the entire path of cultivation was a rebellion against fate, a struggle to break free of the world's predetermined flow. To still make accurate predictions under such circumstances meant the person was far from ordinary.
In Ma Hongyu's heart, Yun Jin's image rose to astonishing new heights.
Sending Ye Cheng to her had been the right choice after all. After the sect assembly, Tianjian Peak had emerged as the greatest victor. He no longer needed to worry about Ye Cheng's safety.
Ma Hongyu mulled it over. Yun Jin had given him a subtle warning.
Was Ye Danxia planning something by taking on this simple task?
Though Yun Jin hadn't spelled it out, Ma Hongyu had lived for hundreds of years. He understood enough without needing everything explained.
He smiled and said, "Nephew Ye, the sect master personally assigns all tasks within the sect. If this was his arrangement, I wouldn't dare neglect it. If anything were to go wrong, I'd be held accountable."
What Ma Hongyu didn't know was that in Yun Jin's previous life, this exact situation had occurred.
Back then, the collection included all ten peaks. Yang Yun desperately needed a vast quantity of spiritual plants to recover his strength. Even as the sect's darling, Ye Danxia couldn't provide enough on her own. So, she volunteered to take on the job herself. After gathering the plants from the entire sect, she picked out all the ones useful to Yang Yun and handed them over to him.
It wasn't long before the matter came to light.
Since Ma Hongyu was the one in charge, Zhao Wujie questioned him first. Naturally, Ma Hongyu told the truth.
Then Zhao Wujie went to question Ye Danxia.
Ye Danxia, with a look of wide-eyed innocence, claimed she had already handed over everything to Ma Hongyu. How could it be missing? She had no idea.
Ma Hongyu was stunned.
It was true she had delivered the plants to him, but she had waited until the very last moment—Zhao Wujie's final deadline. At the time, Ye Danxia still had a spotless reputation and was beloved across the sect. Ma Hongyu hadn't suspected she would betray him. He'd barely skimmed through the contents before handing them over.
In the end—
A huge portion of the spiritual plants had gone missing, and he alone was blamed.
Furious, Ma Hongyu had tried to argue that it was Ye Danxia who volunteered for the task, and that she must be responsible for the missing stock.
But her reputation was too strong.
She didn't even need to defend herself. A few tears were enough to make others rush out to speak for her.
The final verdict?
Ye Danxia was found innocent.
It was declared that Ma Hongyu had embezzled the plants for personal gain.
Zhao Wujie ordered him to repay double the value of the missing materials.
Ye Danxia did feel a flicker of guilt. She quietly promised herself that once she got through this tough patch, she would make it up to Ma Hongyu. And later, after she achieved fame and power, she really did come to see him. She even gave him some spiritual plants and made a show of apologizing.
And Ma Hongyu?
What choice did he have?
To repay that debt, he had worked himself to the bone for years. Despite being in the Divine Transformation stage, he had aged like a mortal.
He was angry. He was bitter.
But by then, Ye Danxia was a towering figure, and all he could do was smile and accept her charity, saying politely, "It's fine. I don't mind."
Ma Hongyu didn't know any of this yet. But Yun Jin's warning made him far more cautious.
So he refused.
Ye Danxia's smile faltered slightly. Still, she kept up her sweet demeanor. "Uncle Ma, I was just bored and looking for something to do. There's no need to be so rigid, right? It's just a simple task. You think I can't handle it?"
Ma Hongyu was now even more certain that something was off. He glanced at her, then suddenly smiled. "It may be simple, but rules are rules. Without the sect master's explicit approval, I can't delegate the task. If you get his permission and bring me the sect master's token as proof, I'll gladly let you take over."
Ye Danxia's expression darkened. "Is that really necessary?"
Ma Hongyu kept his expression stern. "Without rules, there's no order."
Ye Danxia's fingers twitched as she thought of the black demon core hidden in her dantian. She gritted her teeth. "Then please wait a moment, Uncle Ma."
She left in a hurry.
But instead of going to find Zhao Wujie, she approached Han Xiaoyu. Casually, she mentioned how curious she was about the sect master's token. She had heard that he always carried it and wondered if she could have the honor of seeing it just once.
Han Xiaoyu, eager to flaunt how favored he was, actually agreed to lend it to her. Exactly how he got it was unclear. But one way or another, he brought her the real thing. Ye Danxia made up an excuse and, with the token in hand, returned to Ma Hongyu.
This time, Ma Hongyu didn't refuse.
But he secretly activated a recording stone and captured the entire interaction. He was merely following orders. Whatever underhanded means she had used to get the token had nothing to do with him.
Ye Danxia, not daring to waste time, immediately rushed to the other three peaks.
At first, she only intended to collect the usual share.
But something gnawed at her.
Would it be enough for Yang Yun?
If it wasn't, she'd be the one to suffer.
Teeth clenched, Ye Danxia added thirty percent to the reported quota.
The other peak lords voiced their doubts, but she directly presented the sect master's token. That token was Zhao Wujie's personal item. To see the token was to see the sect master himself. If it hadn't been Zhao Wujie's orders, how else could Ye Danxia have gotten the token?
Though their faces soured, the peak lords complied.
Ye Danxia let out a sigh of relief. Things had gone more smoothly than she expected. What she failed to notice, however, was the way the peak lords glared at her retreating figure. In the recent sect assembly, Tianjian Peak had won decisively. The Supreme Elders had practically spelled out their intention to replace the sect master.
Those peak lords who had sided with Zhao Wujie were already having a rough time. Just a few days ago, Zhao Wujie had offered them some sweet words to keep them loyal. And now, with a flick of the wrist, he'd taken it all back through the spiritual plant collections.
This wasn't appeasement. This was milking them dry one last time.
They had hoped there might still be a chance to turn the tide.
But now?
It might be time to find another path.
Should they throw their lot in with Tianjian Peak?
But after the way they had treated Lin Ya before, would Tianjian Peak even take them in?
That thought made them all uneasy.