Lauren tilted her head. “What kind of ‘enormous benefits’ are we talking about?”

  Zane smiled.

  “Think about it. Suppose a woman has four or five spiritual roots—mediocre talent. But her husband and son are top-tier geniuses in major sects. What do you think her status becomes within her clan?”

  Lauren’s eyes widened slightly.

  She understood immediately.

  Power wasn’t only about cultivation. It was also about connections.

  Just then, the person she’d been waiting for arrived.

  Zane stood.

  “That little girl—are you satisfied? If not, we can find someone else.”

  Lauren turned.

  The girl had two neat buns tied atop her head. She looked twelve or thirteen—just like Lauren had when she first entered Thunder Sect.

  Ten years had passed without her even noticing.

  “She’s newly recruited this year,” Zane added.

  Lauren smiled. “Did you tell her the payment?”

  “Yes. Two spirit stones a day. She agreed.”

  “Alright. Let her in.”

  An older disciple led the girl forward.

  She bowed respectfully.

  “Zainab greets Ancestor and Miss Lauren.”

  Ancestor?

  Lauren shot Zane a surprised look.

  Zane coughed lightly. “A distant junior from the family. I just helped her find something safe and decent-paying. If you’re uncomfortable—”

  Lauren waved it off, laughing softly. “Why would I mind? You’ve helped me plenty. I should be thanking you.”

  “It’s nothing.”

  .....

  Lauren brought Zainab back to Starfell Summit.

  “Wait here for a bit. Don’t wander around,” she instructed.

  The girl nodded obediently.

  Lauren handed her a Sound Transmission Talisman.

  “If you need anything, use this to contact me.”

  “Yes, Miss Lauren.”

  Before doing anything else, Lauren went to find Drake.

  “Master,” she said respectfully, “I spent some spirit stones to hire a young disciple to watch over Timothy. Is that acceptable?”

  Drake looked at her coolly.

  “You’ve already brought her up the mountain. Why ask now?”

  Lauren gave an awkward smile.

  “I had errands down the mountain, so I brought her along.”

  Drake made a quiet sound of acknowledgment. “You’ve had a long journey. As for Timothy…” He paused briefly. “Herbert is entering seclusion. He does not feel comfortable leaving Timothy at the Moonlit Sect, so he sent him here.”

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  Lauren understood instantly.

  Because Indiana had been allowed back into Moonlit Sect.

  Herbert trusted Drake more than his own sect.

  He would rather Timothy recuperate here—where he could keep a quiet eye on things—than risk whatever was unfolding over there.

  “Disciple understands.”

  She withdrew.

  Edmund followed silently and leapt onto her shoulder as soon as they were outside.

  She tilted her head slightly.

  “Did you tell Master everything?”

  “Yes.”

  “And the people on the seventh level…” she lowered her voice, “are they still alive?”

  “Of course.”

  That was enough. She didn’t ask further.

  ......

  Back at her residence, she saw Zainab sitting obediently where she’d been told.

  Lauren felt a flicker of relief.

  “Miss Lauren, you’re back.” Zainab stood immediately.

  “Don’t be nervous,” Lauren said gently. “I have a guest who’s injured and can’t move much. You don’t need to treat him. Just keep an eye on him. If he needs anything, use the talisman to contact me.”

  “Yes, Miss Lauren.”

  “Come with me.”

  They walked to the remote courtyard.

  Timothy was sitting directly on the dusty floor.

  He truly didn’t even have the strength to use a simple cleansing spell.

  Lauren silently cast a Dust-Clearing Technique. The thick layers of grime vanished instantly, revealing the courtyard’s original state.

  It had once been someone’s cultivation residence.

  Simple. Quiet. Almost austere.

  “Zainab,” Lauren said, “choose a room for yourself. Don’t neglect your cultivation.”

  “Yes.”

  The girl glanced curiously at Timothy.

  She had only joined the sect recently and didn’t recognize him.

  She only saw a pale young man with closed eyes and a weak aura—clearly badly injured.

  Miss Lauren had already warned her: speak less, work more, and never ask questions you shouldn’t.

  So she lowered her gaze and chose a room without another word.

  .......

  Lauren walked over to Timothy. As she approached, he opened his eyes.

  “Thank you.”

  She stopped short, genuinely surprised—then let out a cold laugh.

  “What are you thanking me for? I hired someone to monitor you. Did you think I brought her here to take care of you?”

  Timothy didn’t respond. He simply closed his eyes again.

  Lauren frowned.

  This was strange.

  He really did feel like a different person. As if someone had hollowed him out and replaced him with something quieter.

  “I’m the one who beat you into this state,” she said flatly. “Have you forgotten?”

  “How could I forget?” His voice was calm. Too calm.

  Lauren studied him.

  “With your temper? I thought the first thing you’d do after waking up would be to scream about revenge.”

  “An eye for an eye,” Timothy replied evenly. “We’re even.”

  Lauren crossed her arms.

  “As long as you think that way.”

  She glanced toward the now-clean courtyard.

  “It’s tidy inside. Go rest in the inner room.”

  He nodded slightly and, leaning on the crude wooden crutches she’d given him, made his way inside with slow, awkward steps.

  ......

  Lauren didn’t plan to leave the mountain anytime soon.

  The Icefield Secret Realm was the talk of the entire sect—its sudden freeze, the nightmarish sounds that echoed through the snowfields, the cultivators who vanished.

  Rumors spread like wildfire.

  But up on Starfell Summit, none of that noise reached her.

  She was busy. Sorting spoils. She opened storage ring after storage ring.

  “Damn, I killed a lot of monsters.”

  “Emm”

  “Hey, did you skin all of these yourself?”

  “Emm”

  “Whoa. You planted this many spiritual herbs?”

  “Emm”

  Lauren closed her eyes and took a slow breath.

  She spread her arms, sensing the space around her with every inch of her spiritual awareness.

  “The spiritual energy feels different… denser.”

  “Emm”

  Lauren: “…”

  She opened one eye and glared at Edmund. “You’re incredible. What were you in your previous life? A celestial gardener?”

  “Emm...? Nonsense.”

  She blinked. Strange. The old dragon sounded irritated.

  He had rolled onto his makeshift fur blanket, turning his back to her.

  Lauren walked over and sat beside him, lightly patting his shoulder.

  “Hey. What’s wrong?”

  She rarely saw him like this. Or maybe she simply hadn’t noticed before. He was usually in dragon form—hard to read a dragon’s face.

  “Edmund?”

  He let out a long breath. “I saw my bones.”

  Lauren froze. That… sounded unsettling in a way she didn’t even have words for.

  “My flesh and blood were stripped away. My remains were suppressed beneath the Nine Locks Dragon Formation. The entire Shrouding Sky Valley—thousands of miles—paved with my bones.”

  Her chest tightened.

  “You… already knew that, didn’t you?”

  “Knowing and seeing are different.”

  She had no idea how to comfort that. “You’re still alive,” she said finally. “Any formation can be broken.”

  He didn’t respond.

  “How did you suddenly see it?” she asked quietly.

  “Half of my soul separated.”

  Lauren’s eyes widened. It had taken this long for only half? “And the other half?”

  “It’s fused to my bones.”

  …Wonderful.

  She had no frame of reference for that kind of suffering. So she changed the subject.

  “Hey. Where’s that little red flower?”

  Edmund lazily gestured into the distance. “Over there.”

  Lauren hurried off.

  Sure enough, in a patch of scarlet soil, a small red flower had taken root.

  She stopped short, pinching her nose.

  “You’re joking. That soil is mixed with ten times its volume in flesh and blood.”

  What kind of normal plant grew in something like that?