Chapter 62: Breaking Down

No, wait!

Bian Chunzhou rubbed his CPU, which was on the verge of overloading.

So the Jiang Ying standing before them was actually Jiang Baozhu?!

Holy crap, Wen Xu, aren’t you an ancient person?! How could your brain arrive at such a horrifying conclusion so quickly? Didn’t it feel abrupt? Bizarre? Downright uncanny? What normal person would dare think of that? He was a university student, and even he wouldn’t have dared!

And the most outrageous part was—oh my god—it actually seemed like Wen Xu had guessed correctly!

Sure enough, as long as you lived long enough, you would encounter every kind of strange bird in every kind of forest. All he had done was return late one night, hear someone calling for help, and use a shadow-recording stone because he thought the scene ought to be documented. So what did this count as now?

A lucky accident?

But that still didn’t make sense. If that was the case, why had none of the teachers at Yonglu Mountain noticed? Soul-transfer arts were forbidden techniques explicitly listed in the iron laws. Anyone with a higher cultivation than Jiang Ying should have been able to detect it at a glance.

So… could Jiang Baozhu have transmigrated into Jiang Ying’s body after dying, just like him?

No, that couldn’t be right either. Jiang Ying wasn’t dead. How could her body have accepted Jiang Baozhu’s soul with such precision?

Then was it… two souls in one body?!

It was over. His CPU had genuinely burned itself dry this time.

The cultivation world was absolutely ridiculous. Even a university student didn’t have enough brain capacity for this.

“Mother, stop spouting nonsense. I am Jiang Ying. Don’t have another fit.”

“Jiang Ying” tried to salvage what little dignity she had left. Her father had said that as long as she refused to admit it, even a Great Luo Golden Immortal would never detect any incompatibility between her and this body.

Of course she felt guilty, but at this point, she had no option except to trust her father.

Yet despite all her precautions, she had guarded against Yonglu Mountain only to overlook the Yunxia Sect.

When the Yunxia Sect’s youngest junior brother secretly slipped into the Jiang residence and discovered there was no Ice Array in the rear courtyard, Jiang Fengnian’s words instantly lost all credibility.

“Junior Granduncle-Master of Yonglu Mountain, there’s no Ice Array in the rear courtyard at all! They’re lying!”

Wen Xu raised an eyebrow, though he wasn’t surprised.

After all, had they not meddled in this matter, who would have cared about a change in an outer disciple’s personality? The Jiang family naturally had no need to make their performance especially convincing. An Ice Array was also a considerable expense for a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.

“Jiang Baozhu, refusing to admit it won’t help you. According to the Yunxia Sect, the damage to your spiritual root was caused by a sudden accident. That means your transformation into Jiang Ying wasn’t something planned long in advance, but something done in haste.

“It’s true that Yonglu Mountain’s Punishment Hall requires evidence. But you acted in a hurry. If we work backward from the conclusion, then believe me—your plan will be riddled with flaws.”

“Jiang Ying” pressed her lips together and continued to refuse to speak.

Or rather, deep down, she was unwilling to acknowledge the truth.

“For example, Jiang Ying spent more than ten years at Yonglu Mountain. She must have done many things you know nothing about, while the disciples of the sect surely know at least some of them. The fact that you exposed yourself before us just now proves you don’t possess Jiang Ying’s memories. Are you certain you want to confront everyone in the Punishment Hall?

“Then there are your combat habits and the traces left by your spellcasting. Jiang Ying has five spiritual roots. She has practiced Five Elements spells ever since she began cultivating. She may know something about fire spells and arrays, but…”

Wen Xu paused.

“Jiang Baozhu came from the Yunxia Sect. Believe me, Yonglu Mountain would not mind inviting disciples from the Yunxia Sect up the mountain to help clear your name.

“And then there’s your spiritual power and cultivation. Breaking through in the middle of a battle is perfectly normal, of course, but… are you sure your breakthrough can withstand inspection?”

Good lord.

So there really were flaws everywhere.

Bian Chunzhou touched his own head.

Huh. Empty.

Never mind, then.

“Jiang Ying’s” expression had become hideous. By now, she understood completely that she had been exposed.

Her first reaction was to seize Madam Jiang as a hostage.

“Don’t come any closer! Take another step, and I’ll kill her!”

Madam Jiang was frightened senseless.

She could not understand why the daughter upon whom she had lavished all her love would one day hold a blade against her neck.

She even forgot to be afraid.

She stood there woodenly, as though the soul inside her had also been taken hostage.

“Killing a blood relative is one of the greatest taboos among cultivators. Jiang Baozhu, are you trying to fall onto the wicked path?”

Bian Chunzhou could hardly believe his eyes.

Had she gone mad?

How could she dare do this?

He had to admit that cultivation was something filled with irresistible allure, but… was it truly worth gambling with the lives of one’s family?

“The wicked path? You’re the ones who forced me into this! I’m nothing but an outer disciple. Do you really have to cut off every path left to me?”

Jiang Baozhu no longer restrained the savagery on her face. At this moment, she bore no resemblance whatsoever to a cultivator of the righteous path.

“Every one of you is a heaven-favored prodigy—or else you’re still a heaven-favored prodigy. How could you possibly understand the suffering of cultivators with multiple spiritual roots? You already possess so much! Why must you take away my only hope too?”

She was insane.

Bian Chunzhou reached that verdict in his heart.

“No. Quite the opposite.”

Wen Xu’s words pierced Jiang Baozhu’s Dao heart like a blade.

“You were the one who stole Jiang Ying’s hope. You took possession of her body, her cultivation, and her spiritual roots. You are the burglar who broke into another person’s home and robbed her.”

“No—!”

No one knew which part had struck Jiang Baozhu’s sorest nerve, but her emotions abruptly shattered.

A moment ago, she had still been making excuses and pretending ignorance. Now, she descended directly into hysteria.

Because of her unstable state, blood had begun to bead at Madam Jiang’s throat.

And it was precisely that pain that finally brought Madam Jiang back to herself.

She tried to speak in a hoarse voice, but…

She suddenly had no idea what she could possibly do.

She was an extremely traditional woman. Though born into a merchant household, she had married an immortal master as his lawful wife and become the pride of her entire clan. Her family had consequently directed a great deal of its resources toward her, and she had always wanted to repay them.

That was why she had risked everything to give birth to her daughter, Jiang Baozhu.

The heavens had blessed them. Baozhu possessed spiritual roots. One day, she too would become an immortal who could soar through the skies.

So what if Baozhu was only a daughter?

Cultivators did not value male heirs as ordinary mortals did. After Baozhu was found to possess spiritual roots, Madam Jiang’s position in the Jiang family became as stable as a mountain. She also devoted all her attention to her daughter’s early education.

Madam Jiang understood very clearly that her husband was a cultivator. Although he had never openly shown it, she knew he had never truly regarded her as his equal.

She wanted her daughter to succeed, but she did not want Baozhu to grow into someone as cold-hearted and unfeeling as her husband.

She wanted an affectionate daughter.

She had believed she possessed one.

She had never imagined—

As expected of Jiang Fengnian’s blood.

Despair appeared on Madam Jiang’s face.

But she would soon discover that she was still far from the moment of true despair.

“This was my body and my spiritual roots to begin with! Weren’t you curious how I managed to break through in the middle of battle?”

Jiang Baozhu was so furious that she began exposing everything herself.

“Because this cultivation was mine in the first place! I merely took back what belonged to me. What did I do wrong?”

After speaking, she turned her faintly bloodshot eyes toward the three disciples from the Yunxia Sect.

“Tell them. Wasn’t I at the eighth level of Qi Refining?”

“S-S-Senior Sister Baozhu? Is it really… you?”

The second senior brother from the Yunxia Sect was trembling so violently that even his voice quavered. The terror and disbelief in his heart had clearly taken over his entire mind.

Heavens.

How could their lovable and respected Senior Sister Baozhu be this kind of person?

Eldest Senior Brother, I’m sorry!

Had he known, he absolutely would not have come today—

“Speak!”

“Y-Yes, yes, yes! You were at the eighth level of Qi Refining!”

Jiang Baozhu withdrew her gaze in satisfaction.

“My cultivation can withstand inspection, Junior Granduncle-Master.”

But was that the important part?!

Of course not!

It was not only Bian Chunzhou whose CPU had overloaded. Even Wen Xu was stunned by the convoluted mess hidden within the Jiang family’s inner residence.

Two daughters alone had managed to create such an enormous disaster.

Human beings truly never disappointed him.

“So what you mean is that the life you occupied before belonged to Jiang Baozhu. I have understood correctly, haven’t I?”

Of course Wen Xu had understood correctly.

But Madam Jiang…

Madam Jiang had gone mad.

Had she not been too weak to escape from Jiang Baozhu’s grasp, she might already have spilled her blood on the spot.

Yet precisely because she could not, despair was able to devour her little by little.

The fear and hopelessness in her eyes were almost tangible.

“That’s right, but it wasn’t something I did willingly. Junior Granduncle-Master, you must believe me. I’m innocent.”

A look of realization suddenly appeared on Jiang Baozhu’s face.

She had discovered that there was no reason for her to panic at all.

“I merely took back what belonged to me. What did I do wrong?”

Bian Chunzhou was speechless.

Never had he seen anyone so utterly shameless!

“What belonged to you?”

Wen Xu laughed softly, as though he had heard an extraordinarily amusing joke.

That laugh successfully wounded Jiang Baozhu’s fragile pride.

“As far as I know, Junior Sister Jiang obtained her place at Yonglu Mountain through an act of kindness. Did that kindness belong to you as well?

“Junior brother from the Yunxia Sect, what spiritual roots did this senior sister of yours possess?”

The Yunxia Sect’s youngest junior brother immediately answered every question asked of him.

“Three spiritual roots—metal, wood, and fire.”

“You exchanged five spiritual roots for three. Why didn’t you think of taking them back before? Why did you only remember that you were Jiang Ying after those three spiritual roots were damaged?”

Wasn’t this entire thing a joke?

“Whether you are Jiang Ying or Jiang Baozhu, Yonglu Mountain will recognize only that junior sister as one of its disciples.

“You are not her.”

“Even if she’s dead?”

Wen Xu nodded.

“Even if she’s dead.”

The moment he finished speaking, he abruptly realized something.

“It seems the real Junior Sister Jiang is still alive.”

She was actually alive?

Unfortunately, Yonglu Mountain did not issue soul tablets to outer disciples. Otherwise, finding her would have been extremely easy.

But—

Bian Chunzhou looked toward the Jiang residence.

“I’ll search for her.”

“You’re not allowed to go!”

Wen Xu snapped open his Folding Wind Fan and blocked the crazed Jiang Baozhu directly.

“Your opponent is me.”

“I lost to you in the arena because I wasn’t prepared! This time, I will defeat you!”

Wonderful.

Now they were fighting too.

Jiang Baozhu immediately discarded her hostage. Madam Jiang was thrown to the ground like a limp rag.

Her eyes shot toward “Jiang Ying,” and the look in them was nearly murderous.

At that exact moment, Chen Zui knocked Jiang Fengnian down with a single slash.

Jiang Fengnian had suffered significant injuries. He had never expected to be beaten so thoroughly by someone in the Qi Refining Realm that he could not even fight back.

It felt worse than being killed.

Why?!

Yet Madam Jiang wanted an answer to that question even more than he did.

Nearly hysterical, she rushed over and clawed at her husband.

“Jiang Fengnian, tell me! What did you do? What gave you the right to switch my daughter with the daughter you had with that slut?

“Tell me!”

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