Chapter 27

The attendants exchanged uneasy glances. Madam Su had only instructed them to summon the second young master—she never mentioned bringing a guest.
But none of them dared question him. It was odd, really. The favored first son, Ling Zhongyu, held far more influence, yet they all dared to jest with him, to gently tease or even rebut him on occasion.
But with Ling Qingxiao? No one ever dared to cross a line.
Every word he spoke was taken seriously. No jokes, no objections.
The attendants quickly bowed in unison. “As you command.”
By the time Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao arrived at the flower hall, the gathering was already in full swing. As it was a “family banquet,” of course Su Yinyue had come too.
Luo Han hadn’t even stepped through the door when she heard Su Yinyue’s laughter ringing out.
Wasn’t she supposed to be bedridden just days ago? Judging by the tone of her laughter, her spirits were more than fine.
Of course she was happy. Yun Menghan and Ling Zhongyu were currently in a cold war. She’d rejected his jade slips, refused to see him—the two were barely speaking. Su Yinyue must be glowing.
But as soon as Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao crossed the threshold and their names were announced by the attending servant, the joyful chatter inside fell suddenly silent.
Only after a beat did the voices resume, slightly stiff, as several elders stood and greeted them: “Second Young Master has arrived.”
The celestial attendants all bowed in greeting as Su Yinyue rose gracefully from her seat beside Su Yifang. Ling Zhongyu, his expression cold, also stood. Apart from Su Yifang, everyone else in the room had risen to pay their respects.
"Second Young Master."
Ling Qingxiao remained composed, his expression indifferent as he clasped his hands and greeted Su Yifang. "Madam."
Clad in pristine white, he seemed almost unreal, like a vision from a dream. When still, he was breathtaking; when he moved, every gesture carried an effortless elegance. Even the simple act of paying respects was fluid and precise, neither humble nor overbearing.
Luo Han followed suit, greeting Su Yifang as well. As the elder, she naturally deserved the formal greeting, but for Su Yinyue and Ling Zhongyu—who were of the same generation—just a polite nod was enough.
Once the formalities were complete, everyone took their seats again. Luo Han quickly surveyed the room. Su Yifang reclined leisurely on the chaise, her posture dignified and regal. Su Yinyue remained close by, fanning her with an air of affectionate intimacy. Beside them, a single chair had been placed—clearly a recent addition by the attendants. Ling Zhongyu now occupied it, seated so near to Su Yinyue that barely an arm's length separated them.
Su Yifang’s intentions could not have been more obvious.
As for Ling Qingxiao, after exchanging formalities, he had taken a seat on the guest side, separated from the three of them by a sheer curtain. The distinction in closeness was plain to see.
Luo Han let out a quiet sigh and followed Ling Qingxiao, sitting down beside him. Glancing between the tightly knit trio above and the solitary figure beside her, she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of melancholy.
They called it a family gathering, yet in the end, only those three truly seemed like a family. Su Yinyue clung to Su Yifang, chatting animatedly. With her niece on one side and her son on the other, Su Yifang had little attention to spare for the silent and distant Ling Qingxiao.
By all rights, Ling Qingxiao was her own flesh and blood, yet in this so-called family reunion, from Su Yifang to the celestial attendants, not a single person spared him a second glance. The warmth and laughter belonged to everyone else—Ling Qingxiao remained alone, untouched by any of it.
Luo Han felt a tightness in her chest and stole a glance at him. Ling Qingxiao was lowering his gaze, absentmindedly stirring the tea leaves in his cup. Sensing her stare, he looked up, his eyes calm and unreadable. "What is it?"
He was too composed, as if everything happening before them had nothing to do with him. With so many people present, Luo Han couldn’t say what she truly felt, so she simply shook her head.
Though she remained silent, Ling Qingxiao could more or less guess what was on her mind. This little cub of his often had sudden, whimsical thoughts, but most of the time, she was easy to read.
He had long grown numb to such situations. It had happened too many times—so often that his heart had turned to still waters, untouched by ripples. He had expected this outcome before they had even set out.
A younger Ling Qingxiao, barely past his first decade, might have agonized over his parents’ favoritism, might have blamed himself. But the present Ling Qingxiao had long since stopped caring.
Still, judging by Luo Han’s expression, she seemed more troubled by it than he was.
She was still young, after all. Still the kind to feel deeply over an elder’s treatment. Ling Qingxiao picked up a jade teacup, cleansing it with a trace of spiritual energy before pouring her a cup of tea himself.
Su Yifang had always lived in extravagance—anything placed before her was bound to be of the highest quality. The tea set was no exception. The translucent jade shimmered with a faint spiritual glow, its texture smooth and lustrous.
Luo Han had initially been studying the teacup, but somehow, her gaze drifted downward and settled on Ling Qingxiao’s hand. And then—it refused to move.
Ling Qingxiao’s face was stunning, but his hands were no less exquisite. His palms were slender, his fingers long and perfectly proportioned, with even the knuckles appearing delicate yet defined. The jade cup, flawless as it was, seemed to pale in comparison, as if its beauty was merely a backdrop to the hands that held it.
Ling Qingxiao finished pouring and extended the cup toward her. Only then did he notice Luo Han staring blankly at it.
"Here," he said.
It took a second call to break her trance. Startled, she hastily accepted the teacup.
Ling Qingxiao watched her closely. "You've been distracted quite a bit today," he remarked. "Did you notice something? What were you staring at just now?"
Luo Han shook her head, evading the question. "Nothing important."
What was she supposed to say? That she had been staring because his hands were simply too mesmerizing?
She had her dignity! She was the embodiment of the Dao, a being who walked among the heavens. How could she admit to something so ridiculous?
Luo Han refused to say another word, and Ling Qingxiao did not press further, though he quietly took note of it. Instead, he continued, "This tea is 'Rain After Empty Mountains.' It is entirely nurtured by nature, untouched by human hands. Its spiritual energy is pure, carrying a trace of the world's profundities. Try it."
Luo Han obediently lowered her head and took a sip. She didn’t bother questioning why a tea imbued with heaven’s mysteries would be beneficial to her. By now, it was an unspoken understanding between them—some things simply didn’t need to be said aloud.
At first, she assumed the supposed profundity of the tea was just a figure of speech. But after drinking it, she realized there was indeed something there—elusive, faint, slipping just beyond grasp. It was too distant, too fleeting.
Ling Qingxiao observed her reaction and asked, "You felt it?"
"Mm." Luo Han nodded instinctively, then hesitated. "But I'm not sure...I might have imagined it."
"You didn’t." Ling Qingxiao refilled her cup. "The mysteries of the heavens are not so easily comprehended. Steady your mind, cast away distractions, and let yourself perceive it fully."
Of all he had said, it was "cast away distractions" that was his true intent.
Luo Han thought too much. Her eyes should have been filled with nothing but the purity of a child’s world—perfect and untouched. The ugliness, greed, and prejudice of the adult world had no place in it.
She pursed her lips, suddenly taking his words as something profound. With a solemn nod, she attempted to focus. But no matter how she tried to grasp the tea’s meaning, it remained shrouded in mist.
Meanwhile, from behind the curtain, the voices of the others drifted over.
Su Yinyue nestled against Su Yifang’s side, her voice carrying a playful lilt. She had clearly dressed with great care today, and as she spoke, she subtly glanced at Ling Zhongyu from the corner of her eye.
One of the attendants took notice and teased, "Young Miss, is there something fascinating about that side of the room? You keep stealing glances over there."
The teasing was lighthearted, but the meaning was clear. The attendant stood directly behind Ling Zhongyu—who else could Su Yinyue have been looking at?
The room burst into quiet laughter. Su Yinyue, flustered by the teasing, blushed deep red. She quickly lifted her silk fan to hide her face, pouting as she turned to Su Yifang. "Aunt, your attendants are bullying me!"
Su Yifang had previously turned a blind eye to the little ones' antics, clearly pleased with how things were unfolding. But now, upon hearing Su Yinyue's complaint, she couldn’t help but chuckle. "You’re the one who insisted on looking back. Now that someone pointed it out, you’re blaming them for bullying you?"
With Su Yifang speaking up, the celestial attendants' laughter became even more crisp and clear. Su Yinyue pouted, tugging at Su Yifang’s sleeve coquettishly. "Aunt, you're bullying me too! I won’t accept it!"
Su Yifang laughed even more heartily. Seeing Su Yinyue's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, she knew when to stop. "You're frail and sickly—everyone dotes on you, how could anyone bear to bully you? Even if someone were blind enough to try, your cousin wouldn’t allow it."
Luo Han felt a pang of envy and nudged Ling Qingxiao with her elbow. He turned back, only to see her leaning in, whispering through a sound transmission, "They’re talking about 'Cousin'—that means you."
Sound transmission was a secret technique that allowed one to convey thoughts directly to another without speaking aloud. However, it was only effective between two people, and under absolute power suppression, it wasn’t completely secure.
It was merely convenient for casual use, nothing reliable in critical situations. But here, in the inner chamber, it sufficed.
Ling Qingxiao shot her an exasperated glance and responded through sound transmission, "Don't be ridiculous."
Though he was also Su Yinyue’s cousin—her only legitimate one, in fact—he never considered her his responsibility. Likewise, whenever Su Yinyue called for her cousin, Ling Qingxiao was never the one she had in mind.
Su Yifang had clearly intended to create an opportunity for the two young ones, but after she spoke, while Su Yinyue was already blushing, the other party remained silent for a long while.
Left with no choice, Su Yifang explicitly directed her question, this time calling out, "Zhongyu, don’t you agree?"
Luo Han had been about to attune herself to the spiritual essence within the tea leaves, but the moment she sensed gossip brewing, she immediately abandoned the idea, fully engrossed in waiting for Ling Zhongyu’s response.
Ling Qingxiao, on the other hand, could only sigh inwardly. If only Luo Han showed even a fraction of this enthusiasm for cultivation.
Unexpectedly, a long pause stretched on—once again, the male lead had yet to react.
By now, everyone had noticed—Ling Zhongyu was lost in thought.
Though seated within the embrace of his mother and cousin, Ling Zhongyu’s mind was far away. He couldn’t help but wonder—what was Yun Menghan doing at this moment?
For the past few days, she had distanced herself from him, likely misled by someone's words. She hadn't even responded to his message talismans. Today, the Celestial Palace’s summons had suddenly descended, causing numerous flying artifacts and formations across Zhongshan to fail simultaneously. Many disciples had fallen and been injured. Yun Menghan had always been careless with her flying technique—had she been hurt?
The more he thought about it, the deeper his frown grew. He wished he could leave immediately, rush to her side.
Ling Zhongyu was still lost in thought when Su Yifang’s voice abruptly called his name. He snapped back to the present, startled, and met her gaze. There was a hint of displeasure in her eyes.
"Zhongyu, what do you say?"
Hurriedly, he sifted through his recent memories with his divine sense, piecing together the conversation. Realizing Su Yifang was asking about Su Yinyue, Ling Zhongyu instinctively thought of Yun Menghan.
But with everyone’s eyes on him—his mother’s and cousin’s filled with expectation—he could only sigh inwardly and reply, "Of course. With us here, we won’t let anyone bully Yinyue."
Su Yinyue’s eyes immediately sparkled. The “us” in his words was instantly filtered in her mind as simply “me.”
Luo Han clicked her tongue inwardly, unimpressed. This male lead was too irresponsible. If he truly loved Yun Menghan, why not just declare it outright? Why entangle himself with both, neither refusing Su Yinyue nor committing to Yun Menghan?
She didn’t believe for a second that if Ling Zhongyu truly made his stance clear, rejecting her once and again, the Su family would still insist on pushing their daughter toward him.
How boring.
Maybe she simply didn’t understand love. In her mind, liking someone was straightforward—either you did, or you didn’t. Where was the need for all these hesitations and half-spoken sentiments?
Luo Han, emboldened by curiosity, leaned in again and sent another sound transmission to Ling Qingxiao. "You're a cousin too. What do you think?"
This time, Ling Qingxiao turned to her with an expressionless glance and said coolly, "Since you have so much free time, why not use it to review the scriptures?"
It was like a bucket of cold water dumped over her head.
Luo Han’s flames of gossip were instantly extinguished, leaving her thoroughly chilled.
She had overestimated herself. Where had she found the courage to provoke Ling Qingxiao again and again?
And so, Luo Han was forcibly dragged into reciting scriptures.
It was absolutely unreasonable. It was supposed to be a break before lunch, yet here she was, being quizzed on memorization.
Having not grown up in the Celestial Realm, Luo Han lacked a solid foundation. Her knowledge was patchy at best, like a sky held together with makeshift repairs—holes everywhere.
The more gaps Ling Qingxiao found, the more he had to fill in. Eventually, even he sighed and had no choice but to start explaining from the beginning.
Luo Han was listening attentively when she suddenly sensed an unusual silence around her. She looked up in confusion and found that the entire room had gone quiet, everyone staring at them.
A round-faced maid beside Su Yifang broke the silence with a laugh. "Second Young Master and Miss Luo seem deeply engaged in conversation. What are you discussing so seriously?"
The maid was clearly speaking on Su Yifang’s behalf.
Su Yifang had been chatting with her niece and son, but after a while, she suddenly realized she had left Ling Qingxiao out.
She had invited everyone today to mend her relationship with her son. Yet, in her distraction, she had neglected him for so long. Feeling a pang of guilt, she turned to check on him.
But what she saw left her stunned.
Contrary to what she had expected, Ling Qingxiao did not appear lonely or out of place. In fact, he seemed slightly flustered.
And the reason? He was deep in conversation with a young woman, both utterly focused, as if the world around them was just a distant backdrop.
Su Yifang watched them for a long time, wanting to say something, but finding no opportunity to interject.
Her reaction didn’t go unnoticed. Gradually, the entire room quieted, everyone turning to observe the scene.
And there they were, at the center of attention, still murmuring to each other.
For the first time, Su Yifang felt a strange sense of displacement, as if she were the one left out—not Ling Qingxiao.
Ling Qingxiao, with his keen divine sense, had noticed the shift long ago but chose to ignore it.
It was only when Luo Han finally sensed something was off that their conversation came to a halt.
Hearing the maid's question, Luo Han finally realized that Su Yifang had been waiting for them for quite some time. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she answered, "Nothing much, just discussing the Jiuhua Scripture."
The Jiuhua Scripture was a foundational Daoist text, practically required reading for all cultivators. Su Yifang had already been surprised earlier, but upon hearing Luo Han's response, she became even more astonished. "Jiuhua Scripture? You were discussing scriptures?"
Luo Han nodded, while Ling Qingxiao, seated beside her, added with precision, "To be exact, we were discussing the Jiuhua Scripture's Xuanming Outer Volume, which doesn’t fall under the category of traditional scriptures."
Su Yifang was momentarily speechless, unable to find a response. She wasn’t sure whether to be pleased that the younger generation was so studious—even discussing Daoist texts during lunchtime—or to feel disheartened that Ling Qingxiao was so distant from her. She had arranged this gathering specifically to mend their relationship, yet Ling Qingxiao showed no initiative. He would rather discuss scriptures with someone else than say a few words to his own mother.
The room fell into silence. Ling Qingxiao remained quiet as well, and neither of them spoke. Ling Zhongyu pretended not to notice, while Su Yinyue, sensing the shift in atmosphere, no longer dared to cling to Su Yifang, instead quietly inching away.
Just as the tension in the room grew palpable, greetings echoed from outside, one after another.
Ling Xianhong had arrived.
His arrival brought a silent sigh of relief from many in the room. They quickly stood to welcome the head of the household. With his entrance, the previous awkwardness was naturally swept away.
Ling Xianhong strode inside, with Bai Lingluan accompanying him. She was dressed in her usual simple yet elegant attire, exuding an air of quiet grace and warmth. Su Yifang’s face darkened the moment she saw Bai Lingluan standing beside him.
Ling Zhongyu paid his respects to Ling Xianhong before also greeting Bai Lingluan. Bai Lingluan’s eyes lit up, and her gaze softened with unconcealed warmth. However, with so many people present, she could only suppress her emotions.
Her reaction was not subtle. Many in the room noticed it. Su Yifang let out a cold chuckle, her mood plummeting.
Ling Zhongyu, caught between them, could clearly sense the unspoken animosity. Though the truth of his parentage was now known, he still regarded Su Yifang as his mother.
But at the same time, Bai Lingluan had endured so much for him. A delicate woman, forced to wander alone for years, willing to risk her life just to give birth to him. Deep down, Ling Zhongyu felt a sense of sympathy and responsibility toward her as well.
On one side was the adoptive mother who had raised him with care and ambition, and on the other was the biological mother who had suffered immensely to bring him into this world. He couldn’t bear to forsake either of them. If possible, he wished he could honor them both.
But Su Yifang and Bai Lingluan refused to make peace, constantly at odds with each other, forcing Ling Zhongyu into an impossible position.
Women were truly small-minded—why did everything have to be a competition? Whether it was Yun Menghan and Su Yinyue, or Su Yifang and Bai Lingluan, it was always the same.
Ling Xianhong, however, acted as if he hadn’t noticed the silent battle between the two women. He strode into the main hall, where a more formal setting was required. Su Yifang followed and took her seat beside him, while Bai Lingluan stood at his side. Ling Zhongyu and Ling Qingxiao sat to the left and right of the main seats, while Luo Han and Su Yinyue instinctively chose to sit near their respective allies.
The celestial attendants glided in silently, refilling their tea with fluid grace before retreating just as noiselessly. Ling Xianhong took a sip before setting his cup down and getting straight to the point.
"I called you here today because there's something important to discuss."
Even before he spoke, everyone had already guessed the reason.
Sure enough, after a slight pause, Ling Xianhong continued, "Today, the Celestial Palace issued a summons. All major clans are to select their strongest cultivators at the early Celestial Immortal stage to head to Western Sea to subdue the Devourer Beast. It has once again broken free of its seal, ravaging the lands and devouring everything in its path, plunging the entire region into chaos."
After delivering the news, Ling Xianhong took another sip of tea, while the others quietly observed him, waiting. They all knew there was more.
And indeed, after wetting his throat, Ling Xianhong slowly set his cup down and delivered the real shock.
"This time, it’s not just a matter of destruction. The beast has devoured the Demon-Suppressing Stone."
The moment the words left his lips, Su Yifang's face visibly paled.
Demon-Suppressing Stone!
The last time she had heard of it was during her early years of study, buried deep in ancient history texts. Those records barely mentioned the Demon-Suppressing Stone, but its origins could be traced all the way back to the Age of the Gods.
It was said that in the earliest days of creation, the gods separated the world's energy into two forces: pure and light spiritual energy, which rose to the heavens, and heavy and dark demonic energy, which sank into the earth.
At first, celestial beings and demons were merely two different factions of cultivation, neither superior nor inferior to the other. But after the realms split apart, the celestial race followed the gods to the upper realms, while demons, mortals, and beasts remained below.
At first, no one thought much of it. In those days, the gods still traveled freely between realms, and Nuwa herself spent most of her time on the mortal plane.
But as time passed, the gods disappeared, leaving behind only traces of their divine realm in the heavens. Meanwhile, humanity—Nuwa’s favored creation—thrived, expanding rapidly. The demon race, their territory shrinking under the pressure of human expansion, suddenly realized a bitter truth.
The celestial race, with their proximity to the divine realm, had monopolized resources that once belonged to all.
Once equals, celestials had now risen above demons, a result of divine favoritism. Enraged, the demon race waged war against the heavens, ushering in the end of the Primordial Era and the beginning of the ten-million-year-long Middle Era.
The Middle Era was a time of ceaseless war. The conflict between celestials and demons raged on for millennia, only ending when the gods finally intervened. They erected a vast barrier between the two realms and placed Demon-Suppressing Stones at key points, forcibly sealing the flow of demonic energy.
As its name implied, the Demon-Suppressing Stone was meant to suppress demonic energy. Demon veins, much like rivers, ran beneath the surface of the world, flowing unseen beneath the land. By placing a single Demon-Suppressing Stone aboveground, all demonic veins in the area would be blocked, forcing them to divert elsewhere.
When the gods laid the Demon-Suppressing Stones along the boundary between the immortal and demonic realms, it was like erecting a colossal dam. Every demonic vein that reached this point was forced to reverse flow, sealing off the magic energy from leaking into the celestial realm. For a time, the demonic realm thrived on the abundance of sealed-off magic.
But blocking something was never a long-term solution. The demons, indulgent by nature and unrestrained in desire, made no effort to regulate their consumption. High-level demon lords seized and squandered demonic veins without restraint, and over the centuries, magic energy in the demon realm began to wither. Now, their overall power was universally acknowledged to have fallen behind that of the celestials.
If another war like those of the Middle Era were to break out today—where every demon, young and old, took to the battlefield—the demon realm wouldn’t stand a chance. The celestials attributed this decline to indulgence and excess, using it as a cautionary tale to teach their disciples to be ascetic and disciplined, to cultivate with a clear heart and minimal desire. The demons, on the other hand, believed their decline stemmed from celestial meddling.
They had long suspected that beyond the boundary stones laid openly during the ancient wars, the celestials had secretly acquired more Demon-Suppressing Stones from the gods and hidden them throughout the land—intentionally blocking demonic veins, choking the flow of magic energy at its source.
It made sense. Just like a diverted river would eventually dry up, a blocked vein would inevitably weaken.
The celestial realm, of course, flatly denied all such accusations. The Celestial Emperorhimself had issued multiple decrees condemning the rumors as baseless slander. The two sides had argued over this for centuries...until now.
Until this year, when a Devourer Beast dug one out of the depths of the Western Sea—and ate it.
That...was a little awkward.
The room fell into a moment of uneasy silence.
Luo Han, who had flipped through a few pages of Celestial-Demonic History, had some idea of what the Demon-Suppressing Stones were. She blinked, then broke the silence with curiosity. “Why would a Demon-Suppressing Stone be buried in the Western Sea?”
It was the question on everyone’s mind.
Ling Xianhong held his teacup for a long moment before finally sighing. “We’ve yet to find out.”
And that was the truth. Even the Celestial Palace wasn’t sure whether this was one of the original boundary stones, somehow shifted by the upheavals of time and geography, or a naturally occurring anomaly—a freak creation of nature mimicking the real thing.
When they imprisoned the beast in the Western Sea, it had been an act of exile. As long as the creature didn’t emerge to wreak havoc on the celestial domain, the sea could rot for all they cared. No one had expected the beast to unearth and consume a Demon-Suppressing Stone.
Without the stone suppressing the region’s demonic veins, magic energy surged wildly. The flood of magic stirred the beast into a frenzy. Not just the exiled ones in the Western Sea—beasts locked away in prisons across the heavenly realm began to thrash and howl under the influence of that tainted energy. Only then did the Celestial Palace take full notice.
This was no longer a problem brute force alone could solve. The situation threatened the very stability of the celestial world. It would take the combined strength of elite forces from every great clan to restore order.
Hence the golden decree from the Celestial Emperorhimself—an imperial summons commanding all clan leaders to dispatch their finest.
Ling Xianhong set down his cup and straightened his spine. His gaze grew solemn as he addressed those gathered. “I need not explain the importance of the Demon-Suppressing Stones. You all understand what’s at stake. This is no longer about individuals or families—this is a crisis that affects the entire celestial realm.”
He paused, then turned his piercing gaze to the two young men before him.
“Before righteousness, there can be no selfishness. Between you two, who is willing to go to the Western Sea, investigate the truth, restore the seal, and resolve this crisis?”