◎ No Empty Trips, No Detours ◎
“Hahaha, Junior Sister Lin, everything you said is correct—”
Inside the inn, the laughter of the Crown Prince and the sound of people coming upstairs could be faintly heard.
Bai Yu closed his eyes and took a step back.
Their plan had failed…
The previous Demon King, the mother of the current Lord, the Great Nine-Tailed Fox Immortal, had gone mad a hundred years ago and was killed by powerful cultivators and the leaders of the Thirteen Tribes.
However, in less than three days, when the Lord returned from studying in the Endless Sea, the remains of the Demon King and the elders of the thirteen clans had all disappeared without a trace from the Demon Burial Valley.
Now, a group of evil cultivators with human bones had appeared. Everything seemed to imply a connection between the two.
The cultivators and the powerful beings of the demon clans who had besieged the Demon King might have already betrayed him and secretly conspired with the evil cultivators. The fall of the Demon King might have concealed a hidden secret.
However, they had spent many years infiltrating various human sects and tracking down the vanguards of these evil cultivators, but they had all disappeared without a trace.
This time, the Lord intended to lure out the evil cultivators in Hua Ming City.
If it was related to the remains, they would pretend to be seriously injured, release the bait, and then identify the person and demon behind it.
Having Lin Shuang involved was just an accident. They had been trailing Liu Ba, the wielder of the Golden Hammer, before. However, the bag containing the bones had disappeared from his possession. They had to verify her identity.
If she didn’t show any abnormalities in this mission and didn’t show greed for the bones, even if the Lord disliked human cultivators, he wouldn’t trouble her.
But now—
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it. Who would have thought that the cicada would overturn the entire chessboard, making the guest the master?
Bai Yu sighed helplessly.
Crown Prince Cheng’s hearty laughter was already heard outside the door.
He was a quarter of an incense stick’s time earlier than what he had said!
“Instead of delaying it to another day, it’s better to proceed today. Thanks to Manager Huangfu, who brought my Daoist friend, Lin, she helped me organize my schedule, I finished the two-day inspection arrangements earlier than in previous years. Time management, how marvelous.”
The faint crease at the corner of Huangfu Yuan’s slender eyes couldn’t help but twitch.
The four little dogs under his feet scattered as if frightened.
Bai Yu felt suffocated and looked at the trio of Lin Shuang behind the Crown Prince.
Lin Shuang had a relaxed expression, but it was filled with the satisfaction and relief of “saved time.”
Bai Yu was stiff.
The Crown Prince laughed heartily and couldn’t wait to remove the dark gray warrior’s robe disguising his identity. Underneath, he wore a suit made of Bai Na silk. He respectfully extended a mustard seed-sized finger ring from his sleeve towards Huangfu Yuan.
“Steward Huangfu, I’ve brought the spirit stones.”
Although the Crown Prince had a charming appearance, he was wholeheartedly devoted to cultivation. He wasn’t foolish and knew that second and third-tier spiritual treasures often attracted covetous eyes.
If it weren’t for worldly affairs delaying him, he would have completed the transaction ahead of time to avoid trouble later.
Lin Shuang’s arrival was like a timely rain for him!
Huangfu Yuan’s fingertip pressed against the new jade-carved hand furnace, causing a vein to pop on his fingertip.
A pale smile appeared at the corner of his lips, giving off a gentle, almost playful, smile.
“Crown Prince, I understand your urgency, but you’ve been busy during the day, and taking the elixir tonight is a bit rushed. Perhaps a short rest and meditation would be more appropriate.
“Tomorrow noon would be more suitable.”
Bai Yu sighed in relief. Tomorrow at noon, at least three or four evil cultivators and the assassins from the Annihilation Pavilion would have arrived.
However, when he shifted his gaze, he saw Lin Shuang giving a knowing look to the Crown Prince, Bai Yu’s heart skipped a beat.
Sure enough, Lin Shuang smiled, and the Crown Prince laughed heartily.
“Manager Huangfu, indeed, you’re considerate of me. As you said, Junior Sister Lin had already thought of it and calculated it for me.”
Huangfu Yuan’s lips twitched.
“On the way, I followed Junior Sister Lin’s advice and made preparations for tonight’s meditation, taking a short nap in the carriage.”
“Upon waking up, I burnt incense and worshipped the ancestral shrine in the carriage, then headed straight to the inn.”
Crown Prince Cheng seemed quite satisfied. “I am fully prepared at the moment.”
Burning incense and paying respects to the ancestral shrine in the carriage!?
Bai Yu: “…”
He should have thought of it when he saw the Crown Prince!
Help!
Huangfu Yuan pursed his lips, and the corners of his eyes lightly twitched. He chuckled softly and looked at Lin Shuang.
“Sister, you’re impressive.”
Lin Shuang also nodded in satisfaction. “Mutual admiration.” Both of them were efficiency-focused cultivators.
Huangfu Yuan was panting, almost unable to catch his breath.
“Manager Huangfu?” The Crown Prince was becoming impatient.
Huangfu Yuan waved his hand and quickly calmed down, signaling Bai Yu to bring the jade box containing the Third Rank Fusion Immortal Pill.
“A Third Rank Fusion Immortal Pill,” Huangfu Yuan declared, “can help Your Highness break through to the Fifth Layer of Condensing Yuan within ten years.”
The Crown Prince was ecstatic.
Huangfu Yuan pondered for a moment. “You can absorb up to twenty percent of the pill’s power the first time. Your Highness is an honored guest of the Rong Bao Pavilion. According to the rules of the Rong Bao Pavilion, once the guardian has absorbed twenty percent of the pill’s power, the transaction is considered complete, and the final payment is collected.”
Meanwhile, Zhao Keran, who had stayed behind at the inn, while they conducted the transaction, curiously asked in a low voice, “Sister, how did you do it? The Crown Prince’s two-day schedule, how did you finish it in one day?”
Zhou Xuanwu silently perked up his ears.
Huangfu Yuan and Bai Yu remained silent simultaneously.
Lin Shuang, not hiding anything, replied generously, “Naturally, I referred to modern express delivery services and management guidelines for prioritizing tasks in the four quadrants.”
Complete silence fell upon the group.
Only Zhao Keran, unashamed to ask, said, “What’s express delivery?”
Since there were no threats at the moment, guarding the task was equivalent to idleness. Lin Shuang didn’t mind taking this opportunity to teach her junior.
“Minimizing inefficiency: avoid detours, empty trips, and unnecessary inspections.”
“Increasing efficiency: add dual routes, or even multiple routes in parallel, and schedule short breaks in between.”
“???”
Everyone had question marks on their faces.
Only Zhao Keran, who struggled to keep up, asked, “What is an empty trip?”
Lin Shuang patted her junior sister’s shoulder. “You still have a long way to go in mastering the fastest learning.”
Everyone: “…”
Zhao Keran hung her head in shame.
“Hehe,” the Crown Prince laughed as he consumed the Third Rank pill. “Each time I moved to the next location, Sister Lin had the person in charge of the next inspection location to report to me in the carriage.”
This was avoiding empty trips.
Zhao Keran suddenly understood.
“Later, when she saw that I still had energy left, she suggested that all the shops requiring inspection should conduct what’s called… oh yes, video meetings. This way, I could conduct inspections of a dozen or so shops simultaneously while on the road.”
These were parallel routes.
Zhao Keran felt like her brain was about to explode.
Lin Shuang smiled and nodded in approval at the Crown Prince.
An apt pupil.
“Your Highness, the best time for cultivation is at midnight when the energies of Yin and Yang intersect. Tonight, I’ve arranged a top-tier room for you.”
The Crown Prince was overjoyed. “Thank you, Daoist Lin.”
He felt like he was experiencing extraordinary transaction service.
Every step of the way, they were ahead of what he had in mind!
So considerate, so thoughtful.
“Next time, I’ll hire you for protection as well.”
He was incredibly satisfied.
Lin Shuang smiled and nodded.
“Well, our task is complete. Senior Huangfu, Senior Bai, Your Highness, and everyone, farewell.”
Bai Yu: “???”
Huangfu Yuan: “…”
A metallic taste rose in his throat.
“Oh, Manager Huangfu, regarding my elder brother’s stolen remains, does the Rong Bao Pavilion have any information?”
Lin Shuang’s footsteps paused.
***
Rong Bao Pavilion.
Remains.
Lin Shuang stepped out of the top-tier room, lost in thought.
She had initially thought that Rong Bao Pavilion primarily dealt with talismans and elixirs.
Could these remains be related to the finger bones in the bag of the Golden Hammer, which used to belong to Liu Ba?
“I’ve heard about this from my cousin,” Zhao Keran said, also quite interested. “Four years ago, Emperor Ming died in battle, but a year later, when the servants went to pay their respects, they noticed something strange about the tombstone. When they moved the coffin, they found that over half of the remains were missing.”
Lin Shuang frowned. “What was Emperor Ming’s cultivation level?”
“Well, it seems he was at the Qi Refining Stage, but I don’t know the specifics,” Zhao Keran shook her head.
Walking behind them, Zhou Xuanwu spoke up just as they were about to close the door. “Emperor Ming had seen countless battles and never parted with the Red Tassel Wooden Warehouse. It’s said that before he died in battle, he practiced the Wooden Warehouse every day without fail and even created a technique for it, allowing him to contend with those in the Foundation Building stage.”
As he spoke, a tinge of regret appeared on his face, diluting the awkwardness of speaking too much.
“My Master Li told me this because he thought my physique was more suitable for practicing the Long Wooden Warehouse.”
Creating a technique for the Wooden Warehouse was nothing short of genius.
Lin Shuang’s left index finger under her sleeve moved for a moment, and it felt like the scar on her finger had been scalded.
Could it be that her original body was inherently talented for cultivation?
And after merging with her time management efficiency, it became even more accelerated.
The original body had been injured ten years ago, and the finger bones in the bag of the Golden Hammer… Could they be related to Emperor Ming? Were the three connected in some way?
“I’ll see you tomorrow, my two junior sisters,” Zhou Xuanwu said and then left in a hurry as if he were embarrassed by talking too much today.
Once inside the room, Lin Shuang opened her diary.
[December 17th
The finger bone obtained unexpectedly only has minimal spiritual energy attached, at most reaching the Qi Refining stage, unlike those of a high-level Foundation Building cultivator. They may be related to this King, but the connection is limited.]
“Your Highness, please take care. I will inform you if there are any updates.”
“Currently, in the black market, there are people secretly buying the remains of cultivators, and Rong Bao Pavilion has also sent people to track down the information.”
Lin Shuang sat cross-legged on the bed and suddenly heard the sound of Huangfu Yuan speaking outside the corridor, just a wall away.
She quickly began to write.
[Today’s information 2: Someone is secretly buying remains at high prices.]
Who could be doing this, and for what purpose?
Lin Shuang fell into contemplation, but her expression quickly changed.
“Why didn’t Huangfu Yuan activate the sound suppression array? With his frail health, couldn’t he even perform a simple silencing spell? Why did he go out to the corridor to talk?”
“Is it because he believes this is common knowledge and doesn’t need to be kept secret, or does he think that… it’s necessary for me, Zhou Xuanwu, and Zhao Keran to hear it?”
Cultivators had keen ears and sharp eyes.
He didn’t seem to intend to hide it from them.
“Wait a moment, why does he think we need to know?”
“No, I can’t continue thinking about this. There’s too little information, and it’s easy to draw wrong conclusions, which might even slow us down. The next schedule is practicing the Music of Joy for Sound Cultivation.”
Lin Shuang took a deep breath and marked the important clue and the phrase ‘Rong Bao Pavilion is suspicious’ in her diary.
In an instant, she entered the schedule for today’s Sound Cultivation practice.
In the room, a joyful flute melody filled the air.
Zhao Keran also joined in happily.
As she was washing her face, she suddenly realized, “Sister, did you help the Prince complete his schedule early today so that you could cultivate the Music of Joy without any task pressure tonight?”
Starting from three years ago, she gradually synchronized her cultivation with her sister. This way, she could enjoy various “Buff” effects from her sister.
Indeed, Lin Shuang blinked her eyelashes, and each one exuded a factor of happiness. Even in the dim candlelight of the night, it sparkled with joy.
“Yes,” Lin Shuang admitted. “It’s the joy of helping the Prince, the joy of finishing work two days early, and the joy of getting a five-star rating.”
“Ah!” Zhao Keran suddenly realized. “So, Sister, did you plan how to do the next task while doing the previous one?”
Zhao Keran quickly calculated, feeling astonished. Her sister had always been several steps ahead.
“Doesn’t that mean today’s Sound Cultivation with the emotion of joy will be three times more effective?”
Lin Shuang smiled without saying a word.
“…”
“…”
In the corridor, Huangfu Yuan and Bai Yu deliberately revealed the information for Lin Shuang and Zhou Xuanwu to hear.
Silence.
Their Nascent Soul stage cultivation couldn’t hide anything from the two of them.
In less than a few breaths, Lin Shuang activated her sound suppression technique inside the room, but from within, faint joyful flute music could still be heard.
The musical notes leaped, conveying the exuberance of a bird soaring in the sky and the happiness of a fish swimming freely in the ocean.
“Cough—”
Huangfu Yuan felt a surge of heat in his chest and a trace of blood rising in his throat.
“Tomorrow, we’ll start heading back,” Bai Yu sighed.
“My Lord, do you understand now?”
You don’t just become a man for no reason.
It was because he encountered her… a woman who could fly like a bird.
Bai Yu shook his head and sent a message outside about Rong Bao Pavilion’s manager returning tomorrow after completing the transaction.
Complete defeat.
Their Lord’s schemes.
—
“Hmm? Not going to the palace, but heading back to the mountain?”
Meng Zi and Zhao Ming, traveling halfway through the journey, met.
Both of them frowned.
What’s going on? Why change the order halfway?
“Hmm? The transaction is complete, damn it!”
Evil cultivators traveling halfway and those attempting to snatch treasures encountered each other.
They both frowned.
They’re playing with us!
At dawn, over Hua Ming City.
Three assassins from the Annihilation Pavilion and several evil cultivators met by chance, cursing and grumbling, as they collided head-on.
“!”
“!”
In their eyes, they felt the excitement of seeing a fat sheep.
“Brothers, let’s go! Cancel the mission and kill these bounty-listed evil cultivators!”
“Damn it! Let’s go, and cut them down to snatch a few mustard seed bags!”
Both sides immediately clashed.
Slowly making their way back to the Qingshui Sect, Lin Shuang and her two companions sat on their wide swords, basking in the first rays of morning sunlight. They engaged in morning exercises, and meditation, read scriptures, and listened to the Music of Joy while watching the sunrise…
【Ding, Xiao Ai is here to serve you on your journey.】
【We have successfully ascended to an altitude of two thousand meters and are flying steadily.】
Lin Shuang lay back, her face adorned with a chilled cucumber slice mask, gently raising her neck.
A massaging talisman on her scalp moved up and down amidst her jet-black hair.
“Huangfu Senior, Bai Senior, are you sure you don’t want to ride with us?” Zhao Keran looked at the frail Huangfu Yuan.
Huangfu Yuan stood behind Bai Yu, looking at the four flying swords lined up, each covered with runes.
Not even a dog would like to ride on those swords.
“No need,” Huangfu Yuan tightened his grip on his hands and smiled. “Thanks for your kindness, Junior Sister.”
Zhao Keran nodded regretfully.
More swords would mean a smoother and faster flight.
What a pity.
【Ding! Alert! There is a spiritual energy disturbance ahead, 15 degrees southwest, 309 steps away. There are more than five people involved, with spiritual energy fluctuations ranging from Nascent Soul Stage Third to Seventh Layer.】
Zhao Keran was shocked.
Zhou Xuanwu also looked serious.
【Alert! Quickly activate the double wings and tail wings for stable flight!】
Zhao Keran had grown, so she immediately cast vibration suppression and reinforcement charms on all four swords. Then she opened the wings and tail wings of each sword.
Zhou Xuanwu stood on his sword, his face stern, and silently added a defensive charm to the tip of the sword.
【Ding, activate automatic evasion mode. Deviate from the disturbance, automatically veering away from the chaos…】
【Deviation successful! Please accelerate!】
Huangfu Yuan and Bai Yu watched in silence as they passed by the chaotic battlefield, which had been left behind in an instant.
Could it be the group of people originally planning to surround them at the palace?
Bai Yu was dumbfounded. Shouldn’t he slow down and capture an evil cultivator now?
“Phew, we finally shook them off,” Zhao Keran sighed in relief.
Huangfu Yuan and Bai Yu remained silent.
In moments of hesitation, they were already a hundred miles away from the others.
However, in an instant, Lin Shuang, with mud smeared on her face, raised her neck from the sword and stood up, her robes billowing.
Bai Yu’s heart trembled.
He seemed to have forgotten something important.
Lin Shuang glanced at them and licked her lips.
“I’ll be back in a moment.”
“To take care of a physiological matter.”
“???”
Author’s Note:
【Zhao Sect Master’s Note 19: Who says female cultivators don’t have physiological issues?】
– Outer Sect Manager Xu Rui’s comment: …Very well.
– Zhou Xuanwu: … Very, very well.
– Mountain and Sea Sect’s Xiao Qi: …I don’t know about other female cultivators… but Junior Sister Lin Shuang… once every two days…
– People who read this later: !!! Spread the word… Lin Fairy, once every two days.
*
Just a little side note: Let me help clarify things for everyone.
The current goal of the female and male lead is the same, which is to deal with the ‘evil cultivator’ possessing the bones. However, in terms of investigation progress and the amount of information, the male lead is ahead at the moment (mainly because the female lead has been in the Outer Sect and is more focused on herself, rather than being dragged down by revenge).
Due to these information gaps, the male lead will not tell her:
1. He’s not familiar with her and maintains suspicion towards everyone.
2. Even if there’s no problem, whether she lives or dies, whether he lives or dies, he doesn’t care.
3. She’s a ‘human cultivator,’ and he dislikes human cultivators, so he wouldn’t consider cooperating with her.
So, the male lead won’t say anything for now. What he mentioned in the corridor was just his desire to obtain the bone from her – he hopes she’ll sell it in the black market, where he can catch a few ‘fish’ to trade with. Of course, if she doesn’t sell it, that’s fine too. There are many others in the black market trading bones, and they can all be used as bait.
For now, the female lead won’t ask about it. After all, she doesn’t know who her enemy is yet. She’ll just be asking randomly, which could easily lead her to step on a big landmine.
TN: Ah, ah, ah, it was while re-editing I realized that I had exposed who the male lead was, ah, ah, ah..Dead.jpg
