Chapter 948: Nian Yue Xian Is Going Into Seclusion

"Then what do you plan to do with her?" Nian Yuexian asked.

Lu Ye glanced at Shen Chudan beside him, cupped his fists, and said, "This matter requires your decision, My Lady." Simultaneously, his spiritual sense surged, and he quietly transmitted, "My Lady, I already knew her from the Cloud River Battlefield. We have some connections. Last time, it was through her that I sent a message to Ying Wuji, which led to subsequent events." Nian Yuexian understood, nodded slightly, and said to Shen Chudan, "I need a maidservant. You can follow me from now on."

Shen Chudan felt like crying but dared not disobey. She could only answer, "Yes," while consoling herself that being a maidservant under such a renowned Divine Sea Realm expert wasn't a disgrace, and it was certainly better than being captured by those others earlier. Nian Yuexian then looked at Lu Ye: "You should go rest. Come find me tomorrow; I have something to tell you."

"Yes, your subordinate will take his leave," Lu Ye replied.

Lu Ye departed, and Nian Yuexian's figure flickered and disappeared as well, leaving Shen Chudan alone, somewhat bewildered, unsure where to go or what to do. After a moment of thought, she followed the direction Lu Ye had taken and soon arrived at his bamboo building. She raised her hand and knocked on the door: "Lu Yiye, what am I supposed to do now?" There was no response from inside.

After knocking for a while longer, the door finally opened. Lu Ye walked out, hand on his saber, and strode directly past her, as if he couldn't see her at all.

Shen Chudan was furious. She flashed and blocked Lu Ye's path: "Are you deaf? I'm talking to you!"

Lu Ye paused, pondering for a moment as if remembering something. He turned around, re-entered the bamboo building, and shut the door with a thud.

Shen Chudan was dumbfounded. She felt that Lu Yiye was utterly despicable. He had brought her back, yet now he ignored her and pretended not to see her, despite her helping him relay messages and bring things last time. Indeed, Ying Wuji was right; interacting with him never ended well. The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"He can't see me..."

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her mind.

Shen Chudan's heart skipped a beat, and she vaguely realized something.

Inside the bamboo building, Lu Ye sat cross-legged, replying to messages from Cheng Xiu. Cheng Xiu was the person from the Law Enforcement Department specifically responsible for handling the transfer of Blasting Fire Spirit Stones with Lu Ye. Previously, he would come to Cangyan Mountain Pass every seven days to collect the refined Blasting Fire Spirit Stones. However, Lu Ye found this too troublesome and asked him to report to Qian Wudang to change the frequency from once every seven days to once a month. Qian Wudang had agreed.

As a result, Lu Ye had been away for the past two months and naturally couldn't deliver the Blasting Fire Spirit Stones. During this time, Cheng Xiu had messaged him multiple times to inquire about the situation. Lu Ye had only told him to wait. Now that he was finally back at Cangyan Mountain Pass, it was time to deliver the Blasting Fire Spirit Stones, as this directly affected the acquisition of battle merits. They agreed for Cheng Xiu to collect the goods tomorrow, and Cheng Xiu readily agreed.

Lu Ye actually wanted to ask how the Blasting Fire Spirit Stones he refined ended up at Jinglan Lake Pass, but it was not a good question to ask. After all, as Lu Yiye, he shouldn't have known about the battle situation at Jinglan Lake Pass so quickly. With arrangements made, Lu Ye subtly activated his spiritual sense to check outside. Shen Chudan's figure was gone, and there was no trace of her within a mile radius.

"Not too dumb after all," Lu Ye muttered to himself.

Given their previous acquaintance and her assistance last time, Lu Ye couldn't be too hard on Shen Chudan. However, when he rescued her from the Haotian Alliance cultivators, he couldn't release her immediately. He could only bring her back to Cangyan Mountain Pass. Now that she was "lost" at Cangyan Mountain Pass, it was no longer his concern; Nian Yuexian was ultimately in charge.

Without cultivating, and having already agreed with Cheng Xiu for tomorrow's pickup, Lu Ye had no Blasting Fire Spirit Stones on hand. Today, he had to work overtime and quickly refine them. This wasn't difficult for him; refining Blasting Fire Spirit Stones was merely a matter of going through the motions. Two full months' worth amounted to sixty thousand Blasting Fire Spirit Stones, which would bring Lu Ye a substantial income of three hundred thousand battle merits, not including the additional gains from refining losses he had initially agreed upon with Qian Wudang.

The night passed uneventfully.

The next day, when Cheng Xiu arrived at Cangyan Mountain Pass as agreed, Lu Ye had already prepared sixty thousand Blasting Fire Spirit Stones. After the exchange, Cheng Xiu left satisfied. Lu Ye didn't bother resting and immediately headed to Nian Yuexian's residence.

Inside the bamboo building, Lu Ye stepped in. After receiving permission, he sat down. "The woman you brought back yesterday has safely returned to Gushan City Pass," Nian Yuexian said.

Lu Ye was momentarily stunned before realizing that Nian Yuexian must have secretly escorted her, otherwise, she wouldn't have known such details. He immediately cupped his fists, "Thank you, My Lady."

"Also, I will be going into seclusion," Nian Yuexian continued.

"Please rest assured, My Lady, your subordinate will do his best to look after the pass."

Nian Yuexian slowly shook her head: "This seclusion might take a while." If even a Divine Sea Realm expert like her said it would take 'a while,' then the duration certainly wouldn't be short; it was highly likely to be measured in years.

Lu Ye mused, "My Lady gained much from the Sword Arts Sect's secret realm?"

Nian Yuexian nodded: "Within that Sword Mountain, each flying sword contains a remnant thought of a Sword Arts Sect ancestor. There are many exquisite sword arts there. My previous ascent of Sword Mountain yielded significant gains, which I need to thoroughly comprehend. Additionally..." She took out the Willow Fluff Dagger: "I also need to completely refine this treasure." The Willow Fluff Dagger was a treasure beyond the realm of Spirit Treasures. Although Nian Yuexian had been refining it for some time, she hadn't fully succeeded yet. By her own estimation, completely refining Willow Fluff would not take a short amount of time.

"My Lady means...?" Lu Ye vaguely understood. If Nian Yuexian were only going into seclusion for ten days, half a month, or even one or two months, it wouldn't be a big deal. However, if the duration was too long, she would surely need to find a safe and secure place, meaning she would definitely have to leave Cangyan Mountain Pass. Once she left, there would be no one guarding the pass. Lu Ye, as a mere third-layer True Lake Realm cultivator, couldn't achieve much on his own. Staying here alone would be dangerous. If the people of the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge learned of the situation, they would launch a large-scale invasion, if only for Lu Yiye of the Biqing Sect.

"I have already reported this matter to Haotian City. Soon, another Divine Sea Realm expert will come to take over the command here, and a large number of provincial guards will also be mobilized. From now on, Cangyan Mountain Pass will be like any other pass." Cangyan Mountain Pass's uniqueness lay with Nian Yuexian, whose solitary defense of the pass earned her great renown throughout Kyushu. But without Nian Yuexian, Cangyan Mountain Pass would be no different from other passes.

"I'll give you three choices," Nian Yuexian said, looking at Lu Ye. "First, stay at Cangyan Mountain Pass. You now hold the rank of Captain, and your strength is not weak. No matter which Divine Sea Realm expert comes, they won't slight you. Of course, because of your connection to the Biqing Sect, they might even be hostile towards you. If that's the case, your future days here won't be easy."

"Second, if there's a pass you wish to go to, I can arrange your transfer. This small matter is within my capabilities."

"And the third?" Lu Ye asked.

Nian Yuexian's gaze was thoughtful: "Qian Wudang, the head of the Law Enforcement Department, has been asking me for you, wanting to transfer you to his department. I haven't paid him any mind until now. If you don't want to go to a pass, you can go to the Law Enforcement Department. Although Qian Wudang can be a bit unreliable at times, at least you don't have to worry about him targeting you. Furthermore, you seem to have had some dealings with him before, so you would be valued if you went to the Law Enforcement Department."

"Your subordinate understands," Lu Ye nodded. "What is your advice, My Lady?"

Nian Yuexian looked at him and slowly said, "You must be very aware of the unique nature of the Biqing Sect. Here in Bing Province, the Biqing Sect has many friends, but also many enemies. No matter which pass you go to, it's difficult to guarantee that you won't be targeted, because essentially every pass has at least two Pass Masters in charge, and above them are Gate Masters. Pass Masters also have their own connections. If someone is determined to make trouble for you, it will be very difficult to guard against. The Law Enforcement Department is different. It holds significant authority and is a very powerful institution. Qian Wudang is also a decent person who is known to protect his own. Since he values you, you will surely be given important responsibilities under him."

"So, My Lady suggests I go to the Law Enforcement Department?"

"This is just my personal suggestion. Whether you go or not is up to you. You don't need to answer me immediately; just give me your answer in three days. I will make proper arrangements for you before I go into seclusion."

"Your subordinate understands. Thank you for your care, My Lady."

Nian Yuexian's gaze was complex: "You have also assisted me greatly during this period. It's only right." Recalling, Lu Ye had only been at Cangyan Mountain Pass for a few months, yet the events that transpired during these months were far more exciting than her decades of solitary command.

"Oh, right, My Lady, this is for you." Lu Ye took out a jade slip.

"What is this?" Nian Yuexian looked at him suspiciously.

"A copy of the Sword Arts Sect's Sword Dao True Meaning," Lu Ye explained. "It should be useful to My Lady." Before the Sword Arts Sect's secret realm collapsed, Kong Kong gave Lu Ye the Sword Gourd, the sect master's token, and also a jade slip. That jade slip contained the Sword Arts Sect's essence of artifact refining and Sword Dao True Meaning. Nian Yuexian had no use for the essence of artifact refining, but the Sword Dao True Meaning was suitable for her. Yesterday, Lu Ye had already divided the contents of the jade slip into two parts and made several copies using his spiritual sense.

Nian Yuexian nodded: "You are thoughtful."

"Then your subordinate will take his leave."

Walking out of Nian Yuexian's bamboo building, Lu Ye returned to his residence and sat down in deep thought. Yi Yi saw him and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Our Pass Master will be going into seclusion for a very long time," Lu Ye explained the three options he received from Nian Yuexian.

After listening, Yi Yi asked, "Which one will you choose?"

"Actually, I want to go to Jinglan Lake Pass," Lu Ye said, surprising her. His Third Senior Brother's situation there was concerning. If he could go to Jinglan Lake Pass, he could also look out for his senior brother. However, going there would also present a significant problem. His identity as a Biqing Sect disciple would undoubtedly attract severe targeting and suppression.