Chapter 78: Truth and Illusion

Ji Jiuxuan looked up and met Nie Xingyuan's eyes. She hesitated for a moment, then finally decided to blend truth with falsehood, and said in a voice transmission, “Little Uncle-Master, last night I saw Yu Heng being taken away by an unknown teleportation formation.”

This revelation clearly shocked Nie Xingyuan.

After probing the surroundings, he smiled and said to Ji Jiuxuan, “Little Jiu, are you hungry? Uncle-Master brought you some delicious food. Come, let’s eat together.”

Ji Jiuxuan was certainly a clever child. The moment Nie Xingyuan said this, she instantly understood—walls have ears!

The Yu family’s influence was still strong!

“Alright.” Ji Jiuxuan replied with a sweet smile, as though tempted by the promise of good food.

In everyone’s eyes, she was the lazy glutton, the lucky granddaughter of the sect master. Her reaction fit perfectly with the image others had of her, arousing no suspicion.

She followed Nie Xingyuan into the parlor, where the space was immediately sealed off by a formation, making it impossible for any divine sense to penetrate and see what the two of them were doing inside.

Once everything was arranged, Nie Xingyuan hurriedly pulled Ji Jiuxuan over, checked her for injuries, and only then did he relax. “Jiu, where did you see this?”

“On Spirit Beast Peak. Last night I took Moonwhite with me to admire the moon, and on the way, I saw Yu Heng lying on the ground. From a distance, I watched him being taken away.”

Ji Jiuxuan remained perfectly composed, lying without so much as a blink, her voice fluid and natural.

Nie Xingyuan regarded her intently, his expression very serious. “Did you see anything else? Did anyone else notice you?”

The people he’d arranged to watch the area had gone over quickly after Qu Liang left last night, but found nothing. Yu Heng’s sudden disappearance had caught him completely off guard.

He’d already prepared for the worst—that the Yu family had taken Yu Heng—but this morning Yu Yang had come demanding the boy’s return, ruling out that possibility.

Ji Jiuxuan shook her head. “No one was there when we arrived. After I saw Yu Heng disappear, I immediately had Moonwhite take me away.”

Ji Jiuxuan, completely unfazed, was not at all afraid her little uncle-master might go check with Moonwhite. She doubted he would, and even if he did, she could think up another explanation.

Still uneasy, Nie Xingyuan looked at her.

To allay his doubts, Ji Jiuxuan smiled and said, “Don’t worry, uncle-master! I’m very clever. Second Uncle-Master gave me some advanced concealment talismans before—when I noticed something was wrong, I used one.”

She even glanced at him with a hint of pride. “Even if a powerful expert was nearby, there’s no way they could have found Moonwhite and me.”

Before she’d gotten Moonwhite Rabbit’s permission, she would never reveal its ability to hide itself, not even to family. It had kept itself secret for so many years; it must have its reasons.

“As long as you’re safe,” Nie Xingyuan said, though he still felt uneasy about the girl.

For the next few days, he decided to use teaching her the Shadowstep as an excuse to stay close, to watch for any further abnormalities and ensure nothing went wrong.

With that in mind, he said, “Just now you asked about the Shadowstep, didn’t you? I happen to have some free time lately. Would you like me to coach you?”

At this moment, he remembered the usefulness of his own foolish disciple—having her stay with Little Jiu every day would make protecting her more convenient, though he worried she might lead the girl astray. The thought of his two troublesome disciples together made his head ache.

“Of course!” Jiuxuan replied eagerly. Her little uncle-master’s skills were far superior to her own; she had only just begun cultivating and had many shortcomings. Some guidance would make a world of difference.

“Thank you, Uncle-Master!”

Having ascertained the situation, Nie Xingyuan finally relaxed. He took out several plates of pastries and a pot of spirit beast milk from his storage and set them on the table.

“Come, see what you like.”

If he promised to bring Little Jiu something tasty, he would deliver. These treats had been prepared earlier, waiting for the right moment to share.

Ji Jiuxuan was surprised. She had seen these pastries in a popular food guidebook.

Recently, culinary delights had become all the rage. The author of the Xuantian Gossip Record had even produced a food compendium, which made her mouth water just looking at it.

She’d been planning to find time to try the delicacies from the book; who would have thought her uncle-master would bring them first?

She recalled how he’d once told her not to bother reading the gossip records and asked with a smile, “Uncle-Master, you’re amazing! How did you know what I wanted to eat? Thank you!”

Nie Xingyuan gave her a helpless look. “Alright, these are indeed from the food compendium. Senior Uncle had them made. If there’s anything else you want from the book, just tell me.”

He had noticed the girl was always reading the gossip record, worried it would affect her temperament. That was why, based on her interests, he’d helped produce the food compendium. He never expected it to become as popular as the gossip record itself.

Ji Jiuxuan was even more surprised—it was Second Uncle-Master who’d arranged for these to be made!

She looked at Nie Xingyuan seriously. She remembered clearly that both the gossip record and the food compendium came from the same source.

So, did that mean the gossip record was also commissioned by Second Uncle-Master Min Chengjun?

She never would have guessed!

“Alright, I know exactly what you’re thinking, you little rascal. These were arranged by your Second Uncle-Master, not written by him directly,” Nie Xingyuan said, giving her a gentle knock on the head. “Focus on your studies and training. Much of what’s in there isn’t true.”

“Then, Uncle-Master, can you tell me stories about my parents?” She’d bought the books out of curiosity, but her experience as a voracious reader in the modern world told her most of the stories were made up.

“Which parts are true, and which are fabricated?”

Nie Xingyuan didn’t intend to say much. He disliked discussing third parties, even with Little Jiu, and was known for his strict discretion and loyalty.

“There’s truth and falsehood mixed together, but since you’ve read it, just let it be. Best not to read the gossip record anymore.”

But it was such a pleasure to read—Ji Jiuxuan was reluctant to agree. Inspiration flashed, and she smiled, changing the subject. “Uncle-Master, if I ask Second Uncle-Master, will he tell me?”

Nie Xingyuan was caught off guard by her bluntness. “He will.”

Well then, all his efforts were wasted.

Unwilling to speak ill of his senior brother, Nie Xingyuan decided to leave the matter to Second Uncle-Master.

He was a stickler for rules but knew when to be flexible. So he poured Ji Jiuxuan some spirit beast milk, then stood up and said, “Eat first. I have some matters to arrange. I’ll come back later to help you practice Shadowstep.”

“Alright.” Fortunately, Shadowstep wasn’t on any restricted list—otherwise, training in it would have forced her to set aside all other cultivation.

These days, she was practicing the Xuanqing Sword Art, the Extreme Fire Sword Art, the Light Fire Like Shadow Sword Art, and now, the Yin-Yang Fish Sword Art she had learned from the White Mist Dumpling. She barely had time for anything else.

As soon as Nie Xingyuan left, Ji Jiuxuan eagerly sent a message to Min Chengjun: “Uncle-Master, Uncle-Master, in the gossip record, which stories about my parents are true and which are false?”

(End of chapter)