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If it weren’t for that startling accusation of “trash” freeing her from her bewitched state in time, she would have likely already lost her Daoist Heart and destroyed her entire cultivation level in a flash.

Thus, Junior Sister Xu could only sincerely apologize to her senior brother and thank him earnestly before obediently following him back to the Kunlun Mountain Range.

Qiu Changtian brought Xu Yinglian to the Jade Void Palace and hurriedly relayed the events to the Ziwei Sect Leader.

The Ziwei Sect Leader was so shocked that he immediately descended from his nine-colored lotus platform and pointed his horsetail whisk at Xu Yinglian’s brow, carefully probing her Sea of Consciousness.

No traces of a lurking Demon Head were found.

The Daoist deviation can be divided into two categories based on its cause:

The first is a breach in the Daoist Heart. For example, due to extreme emotions such as love, hatred, stupidity, or desire that cannot be fulfilled, the mind becomes unguarded and is spotted by external demons, who directly conquer the Daoist Heart, leading to immediate demise.

The second is the lurking of a Heart Demon. If your Daoist Heart has no breach for the time being, but you’re targeted by an external demon, it will secretly reside in the deepest, most shameful thoughts within you. It transforms into a Heart Demon, waiting for the right moment.

One day, you might encounter something that shakes your mental state, creating a breach; or, you might face a life-and-death situation, like a Heavenly Tribulation, for example. At that point, the parasitic Demon Head will suddenly cause trouble, attacking both from within and without, significantly increasing the danger.

Cultivators most commonly face the second scenario. After all, a breach in the Daoist Heart can be mended, but a parasitic Heart Demon is exceedingly difficult to detect—Daoist Heart Clarity is considered a peerless talent partly because the heart is like a bright mirror, leaving the Heart Demon nowhere to hide.

Although the Ziwei Sect Leader conducted a cursory inspection of Xu Yinglian’s Sea of Consciousness and found no traces of a Heart Demon, this did not guarantee absolute safety.

Therefore, he invited several Nascent Soul Elders, who employed various magical treasures and divine skills, to meticulously search Xu Yinglian’s Sea of Consciousness again, leaving no stone unturned.

“At present, the likelihood of a Heart Demon lurking seems minimal,” stated the Elder of the Criminal Law Hall, withdrawing the Bright Mirror and speaking solemnly, “With a Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart, one naturally has strong resistance to Heart Demons. If an external demon were lurking within, it would be like oil scorched by fierce flames, with no place to hide… We can largely rule out this possibility.”

“However, regardless of this, the breach in Xu Yinglian’s Daoist Heart was indeed significant, particularly in the realms of anger and infatuation.”

“One must know, that to desire without fulfillment, to harbor unresolved resentment, is the greatest taboo in cultivation…”

“That will be enough,” interrupted the Ziwei Sect Leader, swaying his horsetail whisk and cutting off the Elder’s words, “Erasure of Sin, I have my own plans for this matter.”

“Hmm,” the Elders exchanged glances and then took leave of the Sect Leader.

Xu Yinglian’s face was pale, and she remained silent. Qiu Changtian stood beside her, stern and quiet.

A moment later, the Chief Disciple, Xu Changqing, hurriedly arrived upon hearing the news.

“Great-grandfather.” Xu Yinglian greeted him with a bow.

Xu Changqing did not look at her but instead asked the Ziwei Sect Leader:

“Master, regarding the marriage arrangement between Yinglian and Changtian as Daoist Companions, do you think it could be moved up…”

Upon hearing this, Xu Yinglian’s face immediately turned paler.

Xu Changqing, in his secular identity, was the uncle of Xu Yinglian’s grandfather. Since her great-grandfather had passed away, he was begrudgingly considered a direct elder of hers, with the authority to decide her marital matters on behalf of the Xu Family of Southern Heaven.

The Ziwei Sect Leader pondered for a short while and was about to speak when Qiu Changtian stepped forward assertively and said:

“Master, brother Xu. Now that Junior Sister has a breach in her Daoist Heart, I, as the Chief Disciple, cannot shirk the blame.”

Having said that, he was about to kneel in apology, lifting his robe, but Xu Changqing quickly steadied him, repeatedly saying “There’s no need for such,” his expression filled with shame.

After all, in Xu Changqing’s eyes, Xu Yinglian’s current plight was purely self-inflicted.

Was it not enough for you to be strong-willed, but also unacceptable for someone else to be stronger?

Failing to achieve dominance, you’ve allowed your Daoist Heart to be riddled with holes. Can you really blame anyone else?

Qiu Changtian did not insist, merely saying:

“As her senior brother, I will naturally do everything in my power to help her mend the flaws in her Daoist Heart. Whether we become Daoist companions or not, this will never change!”

His tone was resolute, emphatic, and so forceful that it moved Xu Changqing and the Ziwei Master simultaneously.

It is known that to marry early means Qiu Changtian would become the son-in-law of the Xu Family of Southern Heaven and thus receive the full support of this old and reputable family devoted to cultivating immortality.

The cost is also clear: helping Xu Yinglian mend the flaws in her Daoist Heart would definitely delay his own cultivation. So, in essence, it was a mutually beneficial exchange of interests.

Yet now, Qiu Changtian took the initiative to state that he did not need to marry early (that is, he did not need the Xu Family of Southern Heaven to fulfill their promise in advance) and was willing to help Xu Yinglian…

His statement was so magnanimous that even Xu Yinglian herself bit her lower lip, unable to utter a word.

If Qiu Changtian had not expressed his position, even if she lacked the confidence to persuade Xu Changqing, she would at least have the courage to protest.

But her senior brother had taken the initiative to step forward for her, preventing the advance of the marriage alliance, leaving her unable to agree, lest she appear ungrateful and disloyal.

Xu Changqing was silent for a long while before he let out a long sigh and said,

“It is also acceptable not to advance the marriage. But from today onwards, let’s provide Qiu Changtian with everything according to the standard of being Ying Lian’s Daoist companion.”

“That would be excellent,” the Ziwei Master said with a smile, twirling his beard.

What Xu Changqing meant was, even if you do not wish to marry early, we still have to provide Qiu Changtian with the resources in advance; our Xu Family of Southern Heaven, too, has a reputation to uphold.

But Xu Yinglian was thinking of something else:

If everything is according to the standard of Daoist companions, doesn’t that mean that when I return home for a visit in the future, my senior brother will have to accompany me?

At the Xu Family’s ancestral worship ceremony, would my senior brother also act as my husband and recite the sacrificial words with me?

Even if we stay overnight in the clan’s homes, we might be given only one room, one large bed, one set of quilts…

This! Wouldn’t this be “though not in name,” yet “indeed in reality” a married couple?

Considering this, she felt increasingly embarrassed.

But in the end, it was her own inability to maintain her Daoist Heart that had led to reliance on her senior brother’s help.

If she made more demands, she would truly be unappreciative of her senior brother’s kindness.

So Xu Yinglian could only remain silent, neither nodding nor opposing, showing a stubborn attitude.

As for the Ziwei Master and Xu Changqing, they naturally ignored her behavior and quickly settled the matter with just a few words.

Upon leaving the Jade Void Palace, Xu Yinglian managed to calm her indignant feelings before speaking helplessly,

“Then, senior brother, how do you plan on stabilizing my Daoist Heart?”

“Or, do you already know that the blemish in my Daoist Heart is due to consistently lagging behind you?”

“In that case, do you have any method that can quickly make me stronger?”

“I have my ways,” Qiu Changtian said calmly. “You just need to follow my instructions.”

Xu Yinglian took a deep breath, evidently aware that this matter was related to her own life and she could not afford to be capricious. She could only nod and say,

“Alright.”

“Hmm,” Qiu Changtian nodded solemnly and said, “Let’s go, we have preparations to make back at Golden Ridge.”

“Prepare what?” Xu Yinglian mounted her Sword Light.

“Prepare to take on our Kunlun peers,” Qiu Changtian said casually.