Chapter 76

Ling Zai Xin, speaking these words, displayed the dignity of being the valley master. Ling Qinghui and Ling Jianlan nodded together and said, "We await the valley master's punishment."

Ling Zai Xin had been staring at the two all along, and there was also a hint of testing in his words. Seeing that the two always looked guilty, he finally put his mind at ease and asked, "Elder Sister, I don't understand. Why did you only realize your mistake just now?"

Ling Qinghui sighed, her tone seeming a bit weary, yet also a bit relieved. She said, "When the valley master said he was confused and didn't deserve to be called Ling Zai Xin, I thought, don't I also deserve to be called Ling Qinghui? My heart is full of murky greed, and there isn't a trace of clarity and wisdom. Sigh, to be honest, I've thought countless times about sitting in the position of valley master, but I never thought of killing you..." At this point, a look of shame appeared on her face, and she couldn't bring herself to say the rest.

Ling Zai Xin then asked Ling Jianlan, "Second Elder Sister, you did have the thought of killing me, right?"

Ling Jianlan nodded and said, "Yes, I did want to kill you just now, thinking that if I killed you, I could become the valley master."

Ling Zai Xin asked, "Then why did you ultimately hold back?"

Ling Jianlan sighed, her eyes flickering. She said, "When I saw Elder Sister suddenly change, I didn't understand at first. But when it was my turn, just before I was about to kill you, I couldn't help but think of our childhood. In that moment, I felt very sad. This must be human conscience! In fact, I did struggle internally. I wondered if this was a conspiracy between you and Elder Sister to trick me, and I also thought that after I killed you, Elder Sister might kill me from behind... Sigh, all of this made me unsure of what to do. But in the end, I couldn't bear to do it! Third Sister, I was wrong, really, terribly wrong!"

Ling Qinghui said, "Jianlan, don't say anything more. Since we have committed such a grave mistake today, it would be fitting for the valley master to remove our Dao seeds and nullify our powers. Perhaps this way, we can at least atone for our sins and find some peace of mind."

In fact, whenever a person feels ashamed and recognizes their mistake, it often happens in a moment, and the reasons are often unclear even to themselves. At such times, their minds are often filled with shame and guilt, making it impossible to think clearly and thoroughly. It is only after the situation has changed that they can look back and understand their thought process.

Ling Qinghui was exactly like this. Initially, she was completely focused on becoming the valley master, and nothing else mattered. When Ling Zai Xin was completely hopeless, the position of valley master was almost hers. For a moment, she felt satisfied and fulfilled, but when she heard that she had to kill Ling Zai Xin to become the valley master, her desire to be the valley master had already faded. Thinking of the person she had to kill, her conscience was moved, and she repented.

After hearing this, Ling Zai Xin quickly left her seat and went to help the two elder sisters up. Both were surprised to see Ling Zai Xin smiling, with no trace of anger. Not knowing what to think, they heard Ling Zai Xin say, "Elder Sisters, you treated me as a younger sister, so you couldn't bear to kill me. Could Ling Zai Xin treat you as anything but elder sisters and bear to let you suffer? Talk of removing Dao seeds is not something we should say among sisters."

Both were stunned, not expecting Ling Zai Xin to say such things, and it seemed she was going to let them go. Their hearts were even more moved. Suddenly, a man's laughter came from outside the door, saying, "Ha, women are women, they can never accomplish anything! I was hoping they would really fight, to save me the trouble. Sigh!"

Before he finished, a woman's voice "hmm"ed from outside, clearly displeased. The man quickly said, "Elder Sister, I didn't mean to include you!"

Another slick male voice laughed and said, "Second Elder Brother, are you mocking Elder Sister for not being a woman?"

The first male voice immediately said, "Elder Sister, that's not what I meant! Third Brother, are you trying to provoke your elder brother? Are you itching for a beating?"

The slick voice said, "Hehe, Second Elder Brother, I was just telling a joke. Why take it seriously? I'll apologize to you, okay?"

These people were talking to themselves, but Ling Zai Xin and the others were greatly alarmed. How could outsiders enter the valley without the Cloud Traveling Array reacting? They exchanged glances, all knowing that the situation was not good. Ling Zai Xin instructed Hongyao and Lanzhi to hide, and the three of them rushed out the door.

The sky was full of stars, and under the bright moon, four people, three men and one woman, stood in the open space in front of the Chao Du wooden building. The man on the left had a slick, smiling face. Next to him was a tall, silent man with a serious expression. Then came a woman in white, and next to her was a man in brocade, looking very handsome.

When Ling Qinghui saw the woman, she immediately shouted, "Ling Baixiu, it's you!"

Her words "it's you" contained the resolution of many doubts. Seeing Ling Baixiu there, she understood why the Cloud Traveling Array had no reaction to the invasion of the Hundred Flowers Valley. She also realized that this youngest sister had not just wanted to distance herself from her and Ling Jianlan, but had planned to take advantage of their conflict to bring people in and gain the upper hand. She felt a mix of regret and anger, realizing how deep her youngest sister's scheming was.

Ling Jianlan, a perceptive person, also understood everything when she saw Ling Baixiu. She scanned the three men and asked, "Youngest Sister, are these people from the White Lang Mountain lineage?"

Ling Baixiu then walked forward gracefully, bowed, and said, "Greetings to the three elder sisters. Allow me to introduce these three, my elder brothers from White Lang Mountain." She then introduced them one by one.

It turned out that Ling Baixiu's original name was Baixiu, and she was given the surname Ling by her master, Lian Huanchen. Baixiu came from the White Lang Mountain cultivation family. Her father, Bai Yanlong, practiced the Heaven-Seizing Life-Stealing Technique and was said to have the ability to change fate, making him a formidable figure in the cultivation world. The three men present were Bai Yanlong's disciples. The tall, silent man was the eldest brother, Bai Wuchi. The handsome one was Bai Qin Yi, and the slick-talking one was the third brother, Bai Shouqi.

Ling Qinghui scolded, "Pah, who needs your fake sympathy! Ling Baixiu, tell me, what do you really want by bringing these outsiders into the valley?"

Ling Baixiu smiled sweetly and said, "Elder Sister, why ask what you already know? Master's last will was to pass the position of valley master to me, but it was taken by Third Sister. The two of you refused to stand up for me and instead tried to seize the position for yourselves. With my limited strength, I had to return home and ask my father to take charge and clear out the traitors in the sect."

Ling Zai Xin sighed silently, remaining silent all this time. Seeing her youngest sister, who was usually the closest to her, standing before her, she no longer dared to recognize her. Seeing her lie so easily while maintaining an innocent look, she shook her head. She never imagined that this youngest sister, the youngest of them all, had the deepest scheming and could still pretend to be harmless.

Hearing Ling Baixiu's words, Ling Qinghui was startled. It seemed that Ling Baixiu was ready to take drastic action. She thought quickly, and the three of them could probably match the disciples of Bai Yanlong. But was Bai Yanlong himself here, hidden from view? If so, they would have no chance, and the Hundred Flowers Valley would fall to White Lang Mountain tonight!

At this moment, Bai Shouqi, the slick-talking man, noticed that Ling Zai Xin and the others were all extremely beautiful and began to make lewd comments, stepping closer and leering at them. He said, "Tsk tsk, Youngest Sister, why didn't you tell your elder brother that your three elder sisters are all beauties? Elder Brother worked hard for you, so as the valley master, why don't you order them to massage my legs and feet?"

Bai Qin Yi, on the side, crossed his arms and laughed, "Third Brother, if you want to massage their legs and feet, just say so! Even if you want to undress them and bathe them, we'll pretend not to see!"

Ling Qinghui's eyebrows furrowed, and she shouted, "Shameless!" She began to channel her magic, a black light gathering, ready to attack. But Ling Zai Xin suddenly held her back, signaling her not to act.

Bai Shouqi laughed and said to Ling Qinghui, "You, Elder Sister, are so fierce and have such a foul mouth. Which man would want you!" Then he turned to Ling Zai Xin and said, "Tsk tsk, no wonder you're the valley master. Not only are you the most beautiful, but you also have the best temper. That's what makes a woman, the most attractive to men! A beauty like you, if I could hold you in my arms while sleeping, I bet I'd have sweet dreams!"

Ling Qinghui was furious, but she saw that Ling Zai Xin was completely unmoved, which puzzled her. Earlier, she had seemed so weak and tearful, but now she was so calm. Ling Jianlan whispered, "Elder Sister, we don't know the enemy's strength, so we shouldn't act rashly. We are in Chao Du, and they won't dare to act recklessly."

Ling Qinghui suddenly realized, scolding herself for forgetting this. It was night, and the Chao Du array was automatically activated. They must be hesitating because we are in the Chao Du array, and they are trying to provoke us into leaving to fight. Fortunately, the valley master is calm! Thinking of this, she also realized that in her panic, she had forgotten such an important fact. But seeing her two younger sisters remain so calm and thinking of ways to deal with the situation, she felt even more ashamed. It seemed that the master had chosen the right valley master.

The Chao Du wooden building in the Hundred Flowers Valley was located at the inner valley's focal point, with a powerful array that operated according to the earth's energy, generating life during the day and death at night. During the day, it promoted vitality, but at night, it was filled with death energy, which would invade anyone who didn't understand its secrets.

Ling Zai Xin finally spoke, "Ling Baixiu, even if you can enter the Cloud Traveling Array, how do you plan to enter the Chao Du array?"

Ling Baixiu blinked and smiled, "Third Sister, you finally spoke! I thought you were ignoring me, which would make me very sad."

Seeing that Ling Zai Xin didn't respond, she didn't mind and continued, "Third Sister, you've stumped me! The Chao Du array is even more powerful than the Cloud Traveling Array, with life and death energies cycling. If you take a wrong step, you might be sucked dry by the death energy! I'm not as smart as you, and my powers are weak. How could I possibly break the array?"

Ling Zai Xin said, "Oh, I wonder how many of you are here. Your father, Bai Yanlong, is definitely here. But he's hiding, letting you say all this nonsense, trying to provoke us into leaving the Chao Du array to fight you. Even if you are clever, why do you think we are so stupid? If we stay in the Chao Du wooden building, what can you do? Are you waiting for dawn when the Chao Du array naturally changes?"