Inside the dungeon of Zhen Manor.
Upon hearing the words of that breathtaking woman, a torrent of curses erupted in Ding Songyan's mind, converging into a storm that swept through his thoughts:
*Fuck, "Ding Qingyan" is Yan Changqing's disciple?*
*She's the so-called "old friend" Yan Changqing spoke of?*
*No wonder my dispelling illusion couldn't see through to her true appearance! They were taught by the same master, so I couldn't breach her defenses at all! Especially since her master's current condition and strength might not even measure up to hers...*
*Who on earth is she?*
While his thoughts churned uncontrollably, Ding Songyan noticed that the fear on Yan Changqing's face had subsided considerably. The elder was forcing himself to display an amiable smile.
"How did that copy of *The Esoteric Classic of Mountains and Seas* end up in your hands?" Yan Changqing's voice was raspy, sounding like sand grating against iron.
Hearing this question, Ding Songyan's heart skipped a beat.
*Is Master Yan out of options? Is he rambling on with this nonsense just to stall for time and fish for inspiration?*
*Hurry up and use that brilliant intellect of yours!*
*I admit we're grasshoppers tied to the same string now! If you die, I won't live either!*
The woman's eyes rippled with emotion, and she gave a soft, radiant smile. "Those old fellows fear you, Master. Coveting your position yet dreading your sudden return, they had no choice but to let this disciple handle matters in their stead. Naturally, these trivial affairs have all fallen under my care."
With light, airy steps, she approached Yan Changqing and added with a beam, "The others came to rescue you only for the whereabouts of Kunlun and the Heavenly Emperor's secret treasures. This disciple is the only one who is different. This disciple has only you in her heart, Master—and only wants you dead."
Yan Changqing's expression grew even uglier.
Stopping before Yan Changqing, the woman tilted her head slightly, the corners of her lips curving upward. "Master, why are you afraid? When you severed my mortal ties back then, you weren't like this at all."
Seeing that "Ding Qingyan" was ignoring him, Ding Songyan quietly shifted his feet, edging toward the open iron door.
Just then, the woman's gaze swept over him.
Ding Songyan froze instantly, halted completely against his own will.
*Wait, what does this have to do with me?*
*Can't the two of you just have a nice chat?!*
The woman continued to gaze like tranquil water at Yan Changqing, who remained seated in the armchair. "Back then, Master, you were so full of vigor and pride. You said, 'Hanyi, your master awaits the day you surpass me.'"
*Hanyi?* Ding Songyan suddenly felt the name sounded familiar.
Abruptly, a sensation of cool clarity plunged into his sea of consciousness. Above the glittering golden expanse of water, Yan Changqing's likeness materialized.
The gaunt Yan Changqing spoke to Ding Songyan in rapid succession:
"You should know who she is by now, shouldn't you?
"She is this old man's unworthy disciple, Ji Hanyi."
"Ji Hanyi, the demoness of Juesheng Dao?" Ding Songyan blurted out in shock.
*A figure straight out of the jianghu storytelling has actually appeared right beside me...*
*Before, everyone was merely connected to her...*
Yan Changqing nodded. "She is treacherous, ruthless, and has taken countless lives. Once she rids herself of this old man, she will never let you go.
"Only by aiding me with all your heart in a moment and obeying my instructions will we have any hope of escaping alive.
"I will give you qi once more and help you suppress the Heaven Heart imprint she left in your sea of consciousness, preventing her from interfering with your thoughts."
The old man said all this in a single breath, his urgency palpable to Ding Songyan.
"The Heaven Heart imprint?" Ding Songyan asked instinctively.
*Something like that misty seed?*
Yan Changqing said solemnly, "The foundational art of the *Heaven Heart Wisdom Sutra* is the Heaven-Earth Shifting Divine Art. Its core secret consists of two verses. The world knows only the first, but today I will impart the complete teaching to you:
"'Imprint one's heart upon the Heaven Heart; pour the Heaven Heart into the human heart!'
"Once the Heaven Heart is poured into your mind, the imprint naturally formed is the Heaven Heart imprint. Through it, Ji Hanyi can influence your thoughts and obscure your memories."
*My guess was right... And the reason that so-called 'qi' could exert such immense power was because I was infused with the 'Heaven Heart.' With the 'Heaven Heart' resonating with heaven and earth, a single wisp of qi could leverage natural power!* Ding Songyan's thoughts raced. Without asking anything further, he replied in a deep voice:
"This junior is willing to lend Senior a hand!"
Right now, the one he feared more was not Yan Changqing, but Ji Hanyi.
All these days, that demoness Ji had been sleeping in the bed right next to his, separated only by a flimsy folding screen.
*She was personally keeping watch over me!*
Only now did Ding Songyan realize why, whenever an idea struck him or he made a discovery, he would immediately suffer a pinpointed "interception"—either forgetting it entirely or subconsciously dismissing certain possibilities. It was because the mastermind had been sleeping in the very same room.
He also understood another puzzle: why Miss Xiaoqing had succumbed so easily and forgotten critical matters without her second uncle noticing a thing.
*Miss Xiaoqing was probably covertly marked with a Heaven Heart imprint while she was in my room. The ambush on the road afterward was merely a cover! That way, even if Miss Xiaoqing's second uncle accidentally discovered her mind had been tampered with, he wouldn't suspect Ding Qingyan, because the event appeared to have occurred 'en route' from Chengyu Lane to Tianyang Guildhall!* Ding Songyan's mind raced with clarity as pieces fell into place.
Meanwhile, Yan Changqing wasted no time, bestowing qi upon Ding Songyan once more and condensing a misty seed within his sea of consciousness.
In reality, facing Ji Hanyi's remarks, Yan Changqing revealed a bitter smile. "Your master went through the same journey; it was not just you.
"Hanyi, your master has actually kept you in his thoughts all these years. Even while at Mount Kunlun, I thought of bringing something back for you."
Ji Hanyi raised an eyebrow slightly, her smile unwavering. "Master, what you ought to be speaking are your last words, not such useless remarks."
Yan Changqing shook his head. "Over the years, through the storytelling of Zhen Manor's disciples, your master learned of your circumstances. I know you were defeated by Feng Yining, which left a flaw in your mind and stripped away all hope of attaining the Heaven-Man Realm.
"Now that Feng Yining has passed away in secluded death-seclusion, you no longer have any chance of mending your foundation. If you abandon the path of the Heaven Heart, which demands the utmost of the mental realm, and switch to other arts, only the Taotie heritage and the Heavenly Emperor's teachings will not conflict with your foundation. Yet both are exceedingly difficult to obtain."
Ji Hanyi made no move to strike. She stood there with a faint smile, seemingly curious to hear what her master could possibly utter at the end.
With an earnest look, Yan Changqing said, "Back then, your master truly did find the long-lost Mount Kunlun and entered the Heavenly Emperor's traveling palace. You should be able to confirm this from the handwritten copy of *The Esoteric Classic of Mountains and Seas* I made.
"In the Heavenly Emperor's traveling palace, your master also found part of the remains of Dijiang. Dijiang is Hundun, the primordial and most ancient Heavenly Emperor. His divine wonders encompass all things, more than enough to allow you to switch cultivation paths.
"Once you consume them, the power brought by those remains will instantaneously merge with your current realm without causing the slightest detriment to your strength. It can also accommodate the various arts of the *Heaven Heart Wisdom Sutra*. Given your foundation, you would surely break into the Heaven-Man Realm in two years at most, or even just one."
*Dijiang? Hundun? Master Yan, you really do have treasures... No wonder Zhen Qianfan was tempted. Doesn't this match his desires perfectly?* Though trembling with fear, Ding Songyan could not help but feel a surge of yearning.
As expected of Master Yan, who had entered the Heavenly Emperor's traveling palace—he had even brought out part of a Heavenly Emperor's remains!
Still, who knew how much truth lay in the old swindler's words... Against Ji Hanyi, without authentic bait, that demoness would never swallow it. The chances of the old swindler outright lying were low; at most, he had concealed vital details...
Furthermore, how had Zhen Qianfan learned back then that Yan Changqing possessed Hundun's remains? Yan Changqing would never have told him... Or was Zhen Qianfan simply enticed by the Heavenly Emperor's secret treasures?
As Ding Songyan felt that yearning stir within him, the smile on Ji Hanyi's face faded slightly, her watery gaze shimmering with subtle ripples.
Yan Changqing continued, "I hid that portion of Dijiang's remains and the other treasures brought out from the Heavenly Emperor's traveling palace in a secluded spot. Hanyi, if you rescue your master, I will take you to retrieve them. Not only will that portion of Dijiang's remains be yours, but you shall also have a share of the other treasures."
Ji Hanyi suddenly broke into a radiant smile, bright enough to seem to cast a luminous glow over the underground chamber.
Her eyes swept past Ding Songyan, and she said to Yan Changqing with a laugh, "Master, having a flaw in my mind that made further breakthroughs difficult was my personal secret. Even if the people of the Five Saints Sect had their suspicions, they could never be certain. The reason this rumor circulated was because this disciple spread it herself and fanned the flames—all out of fear that, after suffering a drop in cultivation or grave injuries, you wouldn't dare return to the sect.
"As you know, toward a grandmaster like Zhen Qianfan who affiliated himself with us, the sect has always dispatched various people to keep watch in secret—observing only, never establishing contact. Qin Nuansheng was one, and so were the others.
"Two years ago, Qin Nuansheng sent word that Zhen Manor disciples frequently learned storytelling, which struck this disciple as very odd. Nine months ago, Jia Yushu brought back that copy of *The Esoteric Classic of Mountains and Seas*, and this disciple immediately guessed what was happening. I deduced that you were using the storytelling to keep abreast of jianghu affairs and changes in the martial world—something those old fellows could not be allowed to discover.
"Hence, this disciple allowed that rumor to spread even wider across Ningzhou, hoping that when I encountered you again, I could use it to coax some useful information from your lips. You truly haven't disappointed this disciple's expectations..."
Before Ji Hanyi could finish her sentence, Yan Changqing bellowed in Ding Songyan's mind:
"Strike!
"Then carry me on your back and flee Zhen Manor!"
The misty seed in Ding Songyan's sea of consciousness immediately blazed with brilliant light, utterly suppressing all other stray thoughts.
Seizing this opportunity, Ding Songyan channeled half of the qi from the misty seed into his palm.
Once again, he felt as though another body belonging to him existed within the void, sensing the flow and transformations of heaven and earth's qi dynamic.
Before, he had not understood. Now, he finally grasped what it was:
The Heaven Heart!
Grasping the shifts in the qi of heaven and earth, Ding Songyan thrust a palm strike toward the demoness Ji Hanyi from her flank!
Countless air currents converged before his palm, instantly forming a violent, surging whirlwind poised to erupt.
In that single instant, Ji Hanyi's clean, fresh countenance flashed before his eyes, along with that intoxicating smile—and a fair, delicate palm.
That palm was likewise gathering a tempestuous whirlwind.
In the next instant, the two palms collided.
*Boom!*
The whirlwinds detonated, swelling from small to massive in the blink of an eye as they surged violently upward.
Like a waterspout, the ferocious gale swept up the oil lamp, swept up Yan Changqing along with his armchair, breached the underground chamber, and violently rocked the entire building above.
Amidst the howling storm, the wooden building rapidly shattered into pieces, flying into midair plank by plank.
Standing in the eye of the storm, Ding Songyan and Ji Hanyi were unaffected. The former retreated a step, while the latter remained completely motionless.
Atop the tallest watchtower, Tao Wenshu drew her sword with a crisp *clink*.
Chapter 51