After massaging Pei Lengxue’s shoulders and checking her meridians, adjusting some newly grown unnecessary acupuncture points, Ye Anping allowed her to leave.

Since Profound Star Sect had already given her a disciple robe and disciple waist token, she was now an official entry-level disciple of the Profound Star Sect. In a few days, entry-level disciples would be assigned to elders based on their aptitude—those suited for sword cultivation would be assigned to Sky Cloud Peak, and those suitable for alchemy would be assigned to Lunar Spring Peak.

As Pei Lengxue was accompanying Feng Yudie, she would join Sky Cloud Peak along with Feng Yudie and Xiao Yunluo. Elder Qin of Sky Cloud Peak was experienced and had a good reputation. Ye Anping believed that, under his guidance, his junior sister would continue to make progress.

His role would be to periodically check her meridian condition and intervene a bit when necessary to prevent her from being led astray by Elder Qin onto the path of an ordinary cultivator.

The next step would be to prepare for the foundation-building for both his junior sister and himself. But before that, Ye Anping needed to figure out the mystery of his supposed ‘cheat’.

After much contemplation, the best course of action seemed to be to ask Sima Xuanji. If a transcendent practitioner like her, with her all-seeing eyes, didn’t know what was going on, then perhaps no one in this world did.

So…

A few days later, at dusk, after locking up the massage center, Ye Anping changed into slightly more formal attire and flew to the entrance of the Profound Star Sect. As he arrived at the mountain gate, two Profound Star Sect disciples descended from above and blocked his way.

“Young friend, from here on is the territory of the Profound Star Sect. Non-disciples are not allowed.”

Ye Anping quickly clasped his hands in salute and replied, “Senior brothers, I’ve come to see Miss Xuanji…”

“Xuanji?”

The two disciples exchanged a glance, seemingly unfamiliar with the name Xuanji, showing a hint of confusion on their faces.

“I haven’t heard of anyone named Xuanji. Young friend, do you have any token or entry permit? If not, I’m afraid I can’t let you in.”

“…”

Ye Anping felt a bit awkward. It was clear that Sima Xuanji had mentioned “Xuanji” to him, and the gatekeepers should have let him in upon hearing that. How did…

After a moment of silence, Ye Anping simply clasped his hands in a farewell gesture, preparing to leave. However, at that moment, a plump woman on a flying sword rushed over from inside.

Although she wasn’t wearing the Profound Star Sect disciple robe, the two gatekeepers hurriedly saluted when they saw her.

“Miss Qiu.”

Ye Anping looked up and immediately recognized her; she was Qiu Shuirou, Sima Xuanji’s personal maid. While not a significant figure, she left a deep impression on him. Qiu Shuirou’s great-great-grandmother had been saved by Sima Xuanji over seven hundred years ago. To repay the debt, the Qiu family had sworn an oath: every generation, the most outstanding daughter would be sent to serve Sima Xuanji, never betraying her.

Now, with Qiu Shuirou, it was already the eleventh generation.

“Well… you’ve worked hard. This young gentleman is a guest; I’ll take him in.”

Upon hearing this, the two gatekeepers looked slightly surprised, glancing at Ye Anping again. However, they didn’t dare to say anything and respectfully saluted before flying away on their swords.

“We’ll leave then.”

After watching the two depart, Qiu Shuirou approached Ye Anping on her flying sword, assessed him from top to bottom, and her gaze lingered on his face for a moment.

“No wonder… you do look quite obedient…” Qiu Shuirou muttered to herself.

Ye Anping blinked in confusion and asked, “May I ask how I should address you, senior?”

Qiu Shuirou smiled and returned the gesture.

“You can call me Auntie Qiu; the young miss has already informed me. I’ll lead you there.”

“Thank you.”

Ye Anping nodded and summoned his own flying sword, following Qiu Shuirou towards the Moon Spring Peak of the Profound Star Sect.

After flying for a while, Qiu Shuirou approached Ye Anping and spoke as if giving a reminder, “Young Master Ye, may I offer a few words of advice?”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“If I’m not mistaken, Young Master Ye has already reached the Qi Refining stage, right?”

“Uh… yes.”

“Please do know, Young Master Ye, what I say is not a joke, but your physique is not strong enough to withstand what comes next….”

“…”

Ye Anping nodded somewhat speechlessly. Yet, he felt an awkward sensation as if someone wanted to curl their toes.

He seemed to understand how Sima Xuanji had talked to Qiu Shuirou:

—”This old body has taken a liking to a young lad named Ye Anping. I’m thinking of having him come over to help me alleviate some loneliness. If he comes, lead him in, and remember, don’t expose my identity. Call me young miss in front of him and don’t mention it to anyone else…”

Or something like that?

. . . . . .

Ye Anping had six imaginary dots floating above his head and decided not to dwell on it too much. In any case, this matter wouldn’t spread like the rumors about Bai Yuelin before.

Only three people knew about it—himself, Sima Xuanji, and Qiu Shuirou.

After all, if this matter were to spread, it wouldn’t be good for Sima Xuanji’s reputation—preying on the young, pretending to be young, and luring a naive youth onto an irreversible path…

Tsk tsk tsk…

Following Qiu Shuirou on her flying sword for about a quarter of an hour, Ye Anping arrived at a Tri-Rivers Courtyard building on Moon Spring Peak, standing alone in a bamboo grove.

The backyard featured a sizable lotus pond. The girl with the Yin-Yang eyes was sitting in a pavilion beside the pond. Her legs dangled above the ground as she swayed back and forth, her black-and-white hair trailing on the floor.

Spotting Ye Anping descending on his flying sword, Sima Xuanji immediately hopped off the stone bench and approached him. She performed a ladylike courtesy and greeted, “Young Master Ye, this… this little lady has been waiting here for quite some time.”

Next to Ye Anping, Qiu Shuirou promptly bowed and then anxiously glanced at him before stepping outside to wait.

After reaching Ye Anping, Sima Xuanji tilted her head, giving him a slight smile, and asked, “Young Master Ye, I’ve prepared some drinks. Would you like to have a couple of sips first, or are you in a hurry…?”

“Miss Xuanji is too kind.” Ye Anping returned the gesture and said, “I’m not here only for the matter of Yang energy.”

“Oh… really?” Sima Xuanji’s smile instantly drooped, appearing somewhat disappointed.

Her lips slightly curved downwards, but she then led Ye Anping back to the pavilion to sit down.

“Such a pity. I received a message from Little Qiu earlier. This little lady was worried that you might not enjoy yourself when the time comes, so she was uneasy for quite a while. Turns out, Young Master Ye didn’t come for the matter of Yang energy…”

‘You’re just pretending, huh..’ Ye Anping smiled inwardly and replied, “Actually, I have a question that I’d like to consult Miss Xuanji about.”

“Please go ahead.”

“Miss Xuanji should be able to discern the nature of the question.”

“Young Master Ye wants to discuss a matter related to cultivation?” Sima Xuanji tilted her head, smiling. “When I first saw you, Young Master Ye, I could tell that you’ve already reached the Peak stage of Qi Refining within a few days. There must be something extraordinary that happened to you for such a sudden increase in cultivation.”

“Yes, so I ask Miss Xuanji to enlighten me. Why did my cultivation increase so abruptly?”

“Young Master Ye feels that I know the reason?”

“Miss Xuanji seems knowledgeable, and I assume you’ve read many ancient texts. I don’t know anyone else, so I’ve come to seek your guidance.”

Sima Xuanji let out a sigh and then sat next to Ye Anping, leaning against him. She grabbed his right hand and opened it.

“Young Master Ye, I once did an astrological divination for you. You are a person with a reversed destiny, connected to the first of the Big Dipper, the Tian Shu star. Though I’m not entirely sure, the sudden increase in your cultivation is likely due to this.”

“A person with a reversed destiny? Tian Shu?” Ye Anping furrowed his brows slightly. In the game, Tian Shu referred to Feng Yudie, the protagonist.

“All things in the world exist under the heavenly path, and the lives of creatures, from birth to death, follow a predetermined pattern. However, you have defied this destiny, breaking free from the control of the heavenly path, just like a fish leaping to become a dragon.”

“Leaping over the dragon gate like a carp?”

“You were originally a fish in stagnant water, but you jumped out, entering another pool—just like that,” Sima Xuanji explained.

“So, what does this mean? If she dies, will I die too?” Ye Anping frowned, seeking clarification.

Sima Xuanji shook her head slightly, saying, “If she dies, you’ll only fall into another pond.”

“So, currently, when we are together, I siphon off her fortune and cultivation that originally belonged to her?” Ye Anping asked.

“You can understand it that way.”

“In that case…” Ye Anping nodded, “Thank you, Miss Xuanji, for clarifying my doubts.”

“You’re welcome.” Sima Xuanji squinted and smiled, tilting her head. “Now that you’re here, why not let this little lady help you suppress your Yang energy a bit? This little lady is prepared mentally.”

‘You were just anxious a moment ago, weren’t you?’ Ye Anping blinked and quickly stood up, politely bowing. “There’s no need for that. Thank you, Miss Xuanji. I’ll take my leave now.”

“Ah—”

Without giving Sima Xuanji a chance to detain him, Ye Anping summoned his flying sword almost like he was facing a formidable enemy and swiftly flew away.

Watching Ye Anping fly into the distance, Sima Xuanji became a bit disgruntled, puffing out her cheeks in apparent annoyance. However, after a while, her expression returned to its usual impassive state.

Lowering her head to look at her clothes, Sima Xuanji fell into contemplation.

At this moment, Qiu Shuirou walked over from the neighboring courtyard. Seeing Sima Xuanji scrutinizing her current outfit, she spoke, “Little Mistress, I don’t think it’s about the clothes.”

“Is it because he figured out my true identity?” Sima Xuanji asked without emotion.

“… I don’t think so.” After some thought, Qiu Shuirou said, “If Young Master Ye had recognized your identity, he wouldn’t have spoken to you so naturally as before.”

“Is that so?”

As Sima Xuanji asked this question, a parrot’s voice suddenly echoed from above.

“Not charming enough!! Not charming enough!!”

“…”

“…”

“…”