Chapter Fifty-Four: Entrustment

With a long sigh, Dieyu slowly exhaled, stood up, and shook her supple waist before turning to glance at Lu Zhe.

At that moment, Lu Zhe remained seated cross-legged, eyes tightly shut, wholly absorbed in his cultivation, showing not the slightest intention of stopping.

Dieyu dared not speak loudly, fearing to disturb him. She tiptoed carefully past Lu Zhe and made her way to the nearby brook. There, she knelt and cupped her hands in the cool water, gently washing her face.

Having finished, she lifted her head, just about to speak, when she suddenly felt the surrounding spiritual energy rapidly converging toward Lu Zhe, the pull immense.

Looking up at Lu Zhe, she found that his hands were swiftly forming seals—then paused in a gesture she had never seen before, frantically absorbing the spiritual energy around him.

“Is he about to break through?” Dieyu murmured to herself. She studied the unfamiliar hand seals, puzzled. “Why have I never seen this kind of cultivation mudra?”

“You naturally wouldn’t have seen it,” a voice suddenly sounded behind her just as she finished muttering.

Startled, she spun around and saw a man lying beneath a tree not far from her. He was dressed in a green robe, his face concealed behind a green scarf, leaving only his eyes exposed. He lay there, watching her.

Dieyu was alarmed. How had she not noticed his arrival at all? Could it be related to the seal on her body?

The man reclining beneath the tree was none other than Lu Zhe’s master, Elder Ye.

Elder Ye looked Dieyu up and down, murmuring faintly, “This boy is certainly lucky with women. Even in these remote mountains, he encounters such a rare beauty. But if her true identity were revealed, women across the continent would fight to marry him.”

After his quiet musings, Elder Ye’s gaze shifted to Lu Zhe, noticing that Lu Zhe was already absorbing the vortex of spiritual energy swirling above his head.

Nodding approvingly, Elder Ye then turned to Dieyu and asked, “Who are you?”

Dieyu did not answer, her gaze grave as she stared at Elder Ye, brows knitted tightly, for instinct warned her this man was unfathomable.

Seeing her reluctance, Elder Ye showed no anger. He lay there, arms pillowed behind his head, and continued, “The seal on your forehead is likely the mark of the sixth-rank Beast King, the Crimson-Horn Crystal Dragon King, isn’t it?”

At this, Dieyu was shocked. She reached behind her, and with a metallic clang, drew a slender sword from her waist. Pointing it at Elder Ye, she demanded, “Who are you really?”

As soon as she finished speaking, a clear, ringing sound came from her blade. To her astonishment, it snapped cleanly in two at the center.

“Don’t raise your sword against me, or you won’t even know how you died,” Elder Ye said with the same indifference, still reclining with arms behind his head.

Dieyu was appalled at the sight, her almond-shaped eyes filled with disbelief as she stared at Elder Ye, brows furrowed. She muttered, “He didn’t even move, yet could shatter my sword in half… What level of cultivation must that be?”

Elder Ye shifted from lying down to sitting, quietly watching Lu Zhe. He glanced at Dieyu from the corner of his eye and said, “I don’t want to kill you now because you’re still of use.”

Dieyu was stunned—not so much by the threat as by the fact that the words seemed to ring in her ears.

She quickly glanced behind her, and sure enough, Elder Ye stood right at her back, bamboo staff in hand.

Before she could react, he reached out and tapped her body at lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, his hand had already withdrawn. With such swiftness, he could easily kill without his victims knowing how they died.

Now, Dieyu’s acupoints were sealed, rendering her unable to move.

Panic-stricken, she stared at Elder Ye. “What—what do you want?”

He did not answer. Instead, he extended his right hand, forming it into a sword-finger gesture. A surge of powerful green spiritual energy coiled about his fingers as he slowly reached toward the center of Dieyu’s brow.

She watched, horrified, as his hand drew closer, utterly helpless with her movements sealed. All she could do was await his touch upon her forehead.

Not far away, Lu Zhe remained oblivious, immersed in the swirling vortex of spiritual energy, unaware of the sudden turn of events.

Just as Elder Ye’s hand was about to touch Dieyu’s brow, he abruptly stopped. Meeting her confused gaze, he said quietly, “I can break your seal for you—if you agree to one condition.”

Dieyu arched a brow. “Is that a threat?”

Elder Ye smiled faintly. “No, it’s an exchange.”

He glanced at her furrowed brow. “This Crimson Crystal Seal of the Crimson-Horn Crystal Dragon King—you could break it yourself, but it would take a great deal of time, wouldn’t it?”

Dieyu’s eyes flickered. “What are your terms?”

Elder Ye nodded toward Lu Zhe with his chin. “I want you to protect him for a few days.”

Dieyu paused, thinking it over. “Do you know who I am? Do you dare threaten me?”

Elder Ye’s eyes suddenly turned cold. “I know who you are, and I know your sect. Remember, if I wanted to wash your sect in blood, it would be as easy as flipping my hand. I could kill you right now and annihilate your sect, but I refrain out of respect for an old agreement. Don’t mistake my patience for weakness.”

Dieyu was shaken, fear in her eyes. After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded. “Agreed.”

Elder Ye’s right hand flared with green light, then pressed against Dieyu’s brow.

A pillar of green light shot skyward, met by a surge of powerful red light. The two beams contended fiercely, neither yielding. For a moment, they were locked in stalemate.

But it was only temporary. Soon, the green light intensified, overwhelming the red, which waned as if losing strength.

Within seconds, the green light consumed the red and slowly faded away.

Elder Ye let out a long breath and withdrew his hand from Dieyu’s head.

With a snap, he swiftly released the seal on her acupoints. “If you dare break our accord, beware for your fellow disciples. If I come back and he’s suffered even a scratch, you should worry for your own safety.” With that, he vanished from before her.

Dieyu stared blankly at the spot where he had disappeared, then reached up to touch the center of her brow. The mark that had lingered there was now utterly gone.

Moments after Elder Ye vanished, Dieyu sensed a surge of energy behind her. Turning, she saw that the source was Lu Zhe—his body was radiating a powerful aura that then swiftly retracted within him. With a heavy exhale, he rose to his feet.

“Congratulations—you’ve advanced!” Dieyu approached him with a bright, playful smile.

Seeing her cheerful face, Lu Zhe scratched his head bashfully. “Only to seven-star Spirit Practitioner.”

Dieyu said nothing, quietly turning her head to gaze at the place where Elder Ye had disappeared, a silent pensiveness in her eyes.