Chapter 15
Si Nidie followed the thread of Lou Yuqing’s thoughts and instinctively flicked her gaze toward the corner.
Empty.
Still.
Silent.
…Or at least, it looked that way.
Her eyes lingered a moment longer, narrowing slightly. The corner opened into a long corridor that stretched deeper into the complex, connecting to the Enforcement Hall, the Third District, and several inner passageways.
Shadows pooled there in quiet layers, deep enough that someone could stand just out of sight and never be noticed.
Could someone be hiding further in?
“Senior Sister… did you hear that too?” Lou Yuqing turned toward her, catching the strange look on her face.
Si Nidie scratched her head, uncertain. “I… think so?”
Truthfully, she hadn’t been paying attention at all. She’d been too busy listening to Lou Yuqing’s internal commentary, to the point everything else had blurred into meaningless background noise.
Meanwhile, in that very blind spot—
Wei Houming stood perfectly still.
Unless someone deliberately walked closer, no one would ever see him.
Hearing their exchange, he felt a rare flicker of awkwardness.
Earlier, before contacting his master, he had cast a soundproofing barrier out of habit. But when the first transmission cut off, he had dropped it without thinking. When he tried again…
He simply forgot to cast it a second time.
Which meant—
Everything he had said… had carried.
“…It’s me.”
After a brief pause, he stepped out from the shadows as if nothing had happened at all, his expression calm, his movements unhurried, and walked straight toward them.
“Xiao Si,” he said evenly, “how’s your copying of the sect rules coming along?”
Si Nidie’s brain exploded.
Holy crap.
Captain Wei… had been eavesdropping?!
That was downright sinister!
Thank heavens she hadn’t said anything reckless—
Relief flooded her chest.
Then froze solid.
Wait.
Captain Wei had never been the type to circle around like this. He was always blunt, efficient, straight to the point.
Unless—
He heard her thoughts too?
Her head snapped up.
She stared at him.
One breath.
Two.
Three.
Wei Houming’s face remained completely blank.
And somehow… that made things worse.
Normally, he would’ve already demanded an answer. He wouldn’t just stand there, watching.
“I—I’ll finish copying soon! Quality guaranteed!” she blurted quickly, her thoughts racing.
She’d originally been thinking about how to subtly warn him without exposing herself.
Now?
Apparently unnecessary.
The man already knew.
But something still gnawed at her—
Her junior sister hadn’t mentioned the most important part.
A shattered Dao heart.
Reduced to a cripple.
That was Captain Wei’s future.
And yet… no explanation why.
What exactly had that family done?
Wei Houming, for his part, didn’t care.
In his mind, those so-called parents and brother were already dead—no different from strangers.
“Not bad,” he said coolly. “Your copying speed keeps improving. No one in the Enforcement Hall can match you. You could call it… a specialty.”
Si Nidie: “…”
Was that praise?
Or an insult?
…Whatever. Stay positive.
“Hehe, just average,” she replied modestly.
This time, it was Wei Houming who fell silent.
In just a few days, her skin had grown noticeably thicker.
At the side, Lou Yuqing stood quietly, posture obedient, expression calm.
Inside—
She was screaming.
How did he appear like that?!
Like some ghostly homeroom teacher lurking in the hallway, waiting to ambush students—
Just recalling it made her spine go cold.
Her academic trauma had resurfaced on the spot.
Wei Houming’s gaze shifted toward her, and for the briefest moment, something like gratitude flickered in his eyes—gone before it could be fully recognized.
“Xiao Lou,” he said, his tone unexpectedly gentle, “how are you adjusting to the auditorium? If you have any concerns, you can tell me. Don’t hold back.”
Lou Yuqing blinked.
…What?
She stared at him, genuinely stunned.
This… was not the usual Captain Wei.
His expression had softened. His voice carried an unfamiliar warmth.
It was so out of character it felt suspicious.
“I—I’m fine,” she said quickly, waving her hands. “Everything’s good.”
Wei Houming nodded. “Good.”
He turned, about to leave.
Lou Yuqing quietly let out a breath of relief—
Then—
He stopped.
Turned back.
“Would you like to transfer to the Enforcement Hall?” he asked. “You have good aptitude. I’d be willing to train you personally.”
“…What?!”
Lou Yuqing nearly jumped out of her skin.
“No—sorry, I have to refuse.”
She crossed her arms defensively, rejecting him on pure instinct.
Was he possessed?!
Where exactly did he see “good aptitude” in her?
And worse—
If she ended up under him, her dream of being a carefree freeloader would be completely annihilated.
Just imagining it was terrifying.
“…Alright.”
Wei Houming didn’t press further, though a trace of regret lingered in his voice.
He had only intended to repay her kindness.
Unfortunately… she didn’t want it.
Still, his tenure in the Enforcement Hall would last another four years. As long as she remained within the sect, protecting her would not be difficult.
His gaze drifted toward Gu Buqi, unease quietly stirring.
If Gu Buqi was truly Zixiao’s incarnation…
Then what exactly was Lou Yuqing’s identity, being brought here alongside him?
Gu Buqi’s voice slipped into his mind without warning.
“She’s my last disciple. No need for you to concern yourself.”
Wei Houming: “…”
Of course.
Trying to “look after” someone else’s disciple—in front of his own grandmaster—
How arrogant.
With his grandmaster present, who would dare let Xiao Lou suffer?
…Which led to a new problem.
Her generation.
If she was his grandmaster’s disciple…
Then she stood on the same level as his master.
Which meant—
He shouldn’t be calling her Xiao Lou.
He should be calling her—
Martial Aunt Lou.
Wei Houming’s expression twisted ever so slightly.
Even with his composure, that was… difficult to accept.
He was just about to correct himself when—
“Just keep calling her the same.”
Gu Buqi cut him off immediately.
If that title slipped out, his identity would be exposed.
“…Understood.”
Rules could bend.
Grandmaster could not.
Meanwhile, Lou Yuqing felt nothing but relief.
Good.
No transfer. No strict supervision. No daily scolding like a grandson.
Compared to the miserable lives of Enforcement Hall disciples, the observation area felt like paradise.
If she ever found out his behavior came from gratitude—
She’d probably think he was repaying kindness with hostility.
Si Nidie, however, had no intention of letting things go. She leaned forward, eyes gleaming.
“Captain Wei, I heard you found your biological parents.”
That family—
Absolutely could not be let off.
Lou Yuqing’s eyes lit up instantly.
[Have the gears of fate started turning? But this doesn’t match the system… it said they would come to the sect themselves.]
Wei Houming’s gaze sharpened.
If looks could kill—
Si Nidie would’ve died several times over.
She flinched and looked away.
I was trying to help…
“…It’s true,” Wei Houming said at last.
“I also heard they’re living in Ping’an City,” Si Nidie pressed on bravely. “Not far from the sect.”
His jaw tightened.
At the same time, Lou Yuqing spoke, voice thoughtful, “Senior Sister’s right… That’s too coincidental. As they say—coincidences make stories. Could there be some connection?”
Gu Buqi’s lips twitched faintly.
Without hearing her thoughts, no one would understand what she was hinting at.
Wei Houming was about to respond—
When the door slammed open.
“Ming’er!”
A tall, broad-shouldered figure strode in, his voice booming like thunder.
Dust clung to his robes. Travel-worn. Yet his presence was as overwhelming as ever.
Elder Wei Tu.
“Master?” Wei Houming froze. “Weren’t you at the Netherworld Sea?”
Wei Tu waved a hand dismissively, clearly pleased with himself.
“I had the foresight to set up a one-time ultra-long-distance teleportation array.”
“You… teleported back?”
Wei Houming was stunned.
That kind of array could cross millions of miles in a single jump—single-use, yes, but the cost…
Astronomical.
His master had likely burned through most of his fortune.
Wei Houming lowered his head, eyes stinging.
Wei Tu slapped his shoulder heavily.
“Don’t get sentimental! Where are they? We’re going now!”
[He’s already back?! Going to settle accounts?]
Lou Yuqing blinked, instinctively checking her system panel.
Nothing matched.
…System, are you broken?
[…]
Silence.
She paused.
Then relaxed.
…This was actually better.
[With Elder Kui Tu here, Captain Wei won’t fall into their emotional trap.]
Her thoughts sharpened instantly.
[Then I’ll expose them myself.]
Plan: formed.
Mission: save Captain Wei.
“Captain Wei!” she said brightly. “You must be nervous meeting your family. Why not take me along? I can… give you courage.”
“Me too!” Si Nidie jumped in immediately.
Wei Houming felt a headache coming on.
Lou Yuqing was fine.
Si Nidie… was chaos incarnate.
But he couldn’t agree to one and refuse the other.
That would be suspicious.
A deadlock.
Si Nidie smiled smugly.
Exactly as planned.
Then—
“Everyone goes!”
Wei Tu slammed the decision down without hesitation.
He cast a brief glance at Gu Buqi.
The instruction had come from above.
That was enough.
Moments later, a cloud formed beneath their feet.
They stepped onto it one by one.
Wind roared past their ears.
The sect shrank behind them, mountains blurring into streaks of green as they sped forward.
Ping’an City rose in the distance—a vast, towering fortress, its ancient walls etched with the scars of countless battles.
“No flying inside,” Wei Tu said calmly. “We walk.”
No one objected.
[Eight districts… northwest is poorest… Sunset Street, third house on the left.]
Wei Houming repeated it aloud without hesitation.
“The third house. Sunset Street.”
Wei Tu nodded.
And without another word—
He led them forward, his presence sharp and imposing, drawing eyes wherever they passed.