Why did Xinyun choose to let Wen Jiayin continue following the Wine Immortal to train in the Demon Subduing Hall, which is a hundred times more dangerous than the Zhenyao Tower? Xinyun had thought about this decision for a long time.
Originally, she planned to take things step by step, starting with small secret realms to help A Yin grow gradually.
She had plenty of time, enough for A Yin to develop slowly, so there was no need to rush.
But the Demon Subduing Hall reminded her of something—something about A Yin and the Demon Subduing Hall.
To be honest, it was all her fault.
In her previous life, she was blind and foolish.
Even though she had noticed something was off, she didn’t look into it in time, which led to the young A Yin being forced into a desperate situation and having to seek help from others.
And it just so happened that person was her Martial Uncle.
She was grateful to Martial Uncle, at least because she protected A Yin when she herself was being stupid, so the “generous gift” she received was just a harmless prank.
Back then, A Yin’s body hadn’t been carefully nurtured, and she’d even been poisoned, damaging her foundation.
Even so, her progress wasn’t any worse than in this life.
At the time, Xinyun didn’t think much of it, just assumed it was thanks to Martial Uncle’s help—until one day, Zhi Chang’an accidentally let something slip.
“The time you’ve spent with her isn’t even as long as the time I supported her in the Demon Subduing Hall.
You just met her earlier, that’s all.
If I’d met her first, you’d be out of the picture! So you should know how much of an eyesore you are to me.” After saying this, Zhi Chang’an probably realized she’d said too much, and hurried off without another word.
In her previous life, Zhi Chang’an didn’t have Xinyun’s recommendation, so she never took anyone as her master, and strictly speaking, she wasn’t even a member of Jingdao Sect—just someone the sect was temporarily raising, and she had no respect for Xinyun at all.
Xinyun, who was never good with words, was often so angry at Zhi Chang’an that her insides hurt, but she never actually fought this love rival, because she really was in the wrong.
Most of Zhi Chang’an’s provocations were because she was indignant about what A Yin had gone through and wanted to get back at Xinyun for her.
Xinyun could only accept this, but there was no way she could just swallow it all.
After all, the other party was always thinking about snatching A Yin away from her, and Xinyun wasn’t some saint with endless patience, so she gradually learned how to talk back.
Whenever the two met, as long as Wen Jiayin wasn’t around, they’d start trading barbs.
Most of the time, Zhi Chang’an won, though later on Xinyun started winning more often.
But this seemingly endless rivalry finally ended with Zhi Chang’an and Wen Jiayin falling together.
But as for the Demon Subduing Hall, Zhi Chang’an only ever mentioned it once, and after that, it was like she was avoiding the topic.
Even if it was something she could have bragged about, she never brought it up again.
A Yin, on the other hand, brushed it off lightly: “It was just Martial Uncle asking us to help clear out some of the excess population in the Demon Subduing Hall, that’s all.
Master, you don’t need to worry.”
At the time, the war between immortals and demons had broken out again, and all the captured demon cultivators were locked up in the Demon Subduing Hall.
Plus, there were still demons from battles a thousand years ago, so the place was really overcrowded.
Clearing out some troublemakers was normal, and Martial Uncle had gotten lazier over the years, so it made sense to ask for help.
But when something happened to Martial Uncle, Sect Master and Elder Martial Brother announced with grave faces the last words Martial Uncle had left: A Yin would temporarily take over as head of the Demon Subduing Hall while she was gone, and if her soul lamp went out and she was confirmed dead, A Yin would be her successor.
The Demon Subduing Hall was a very special place, and the old monsters locked up inside weren’t the type to obey just anyone.
When something happened to Martial Uncle, everyone was prepared for a riot, but in the end, everything stayed quiet, as if A Yin’s presence was no different from Martial Uncle’s.
That’s when she realized A Yin wasn’t just “helping out” like she said.
She must have, at the very least, beaten down those old monsters at the top of the Demon Subduing Hall to make them behave.
That’s why, when Martial Uncle sheepishly claimed she’d only let the two kids into the Zhenyao Tower, Xinyun’s first reaction was that it wasn’t the Zhenyao Tower at all, but the Demon Subduing Hall.
If it was the same in her previous life, then it matched what Zhi Chang’an had said.
If A Yin had been fighting her way through the Demon Subduing Hall since she was little, it made sense that her strength and talent would improve so quickly—there’s nothing like real combat to temper someone.
Sure enough, at least in this life, A Yin couldn’t hide anything from her.
One little trick and she spilled everything.
So… who’s the smart one here, really? Xinyun thought of Wen Jiayin’s over-the-top flattery and couldn’t help but smile helplessly.
Only now did she finally piece most things together—she couldn’t have been more clueless.
If the Demon Subduing Hall was A Yin’s whetstone, then she could let go a little and let A Yin go out and experience things.
After all, she was right there—if anything happened, she could just suppress the Demon Subduing Hall herself.
Unconsciously, her killing intent had grown much stronger than before.
Xinyun knew this was a sign of her heart demon acting up.
She’d been trying to stay calm lately, ignoring everything except A Yin, and had managed to find some peace for a while.
But the appearance of a single Carefree True Lord shattered that fragile calm, and the heart demon’s voice was louder than ever, like a backlash after being suppressed for too long.
“Master! I’m back!” Seeing her Master standing at the door, lost in thought, Wen Jiayin waved and called out.
“Martial Uncle is awake?” The heaviness on Xinyun’s face vanished with a smile.
“She’s awake, she’s awake! My Martial Uncle nearly turned to stone when she realized her drunken antics had been recorded… uh, I mean, she was so embarrassed she almost wanted to dig a hole and bury herself!” Wen Jiayin suddenly remembered her Master probably didn’t know what “turning to stone” meant, so she quickly rephrased it.
“She’ll probably try to get it from you somehow.” Xinyun reached out to smooth Wen Jiayin’s wind-tousled hair.
“Exactly! She looked so pitiful I almost felt sorry for her, but then she went and exposed how she bullied you when you were little! Now there’s no way I’m giving it to her! It’s fine if she bullies me, but bullying you is absolutely not okay! That’s a matter of principle!” If Wen Jiayin had a tail, she’d be wagging it for praise right now.
“When I was little?” Xinyun thought for a moment and seemed to remember a few things.
“Martial Uncle really was a pain when she was young, not like you, Jiayin—so obedient and cute.”
Wen Jiayin blushed at the compliment.
Her Master was always like this, never stingy with praise, but she still hadn’t gotten used to it after all these years.
“When I first met her, Martial Uncle looked just like an immortal! Every move she made was full of mystery, exactly how I imagined an immortal would be.
But now… sigh.” Wen Jiayin’s sigh was full of the helplessness that comes when your illusions are shattered.
“I’m starting to think all those rumors are fake.” The rumors Wen Jiayin was talking about were from the original novel.
In the book, the Wine Immortal wasn’t written as this kind of person.
She appeared with a blade, perishing together with an ancient demon, using the last of her strength to set up a barrier where the demon died to prevent the demonic energy from spreading, sacrificing herself for the world.
Meanwhile, the male lead was busy entangling himself with his soulmates and scheming against her Master, and in the end, all his “success” felt like he just picked up what others left behind.
“Actually, the way your Martial Uncle is now is probably closer to how she really is.
She’s probably suffered a lot over the years…” Xinyun didn’t know exactly what had happened to the Wine Immortal, only guessed from a few major events.
Wen Jiayin’s face was full of “I want to know,” and Xinyun gave in to her precious disciple’s curiosity.
“Her first big change goes back to the war before last between immortals and demons.
Back then, I was still a child, and Elder Martial Brother and Elder Martial Sister were young too.
Martial Uncle was the main battle force of Jingdao Sect.
The fighting was fierce, and Martial Uncle was at the front for months without coming back.
Then one day, she suddenly returned, covered in blood and out of it.
I walked right past her and she didn’t even notice.”
“After that…” Xinyun recalled the scene, still vivid in her mind.
“Jiayin, do you know what sound the old generation of demon cultivators fear most now?”
“Sound?” Wen Jiayin didn’t get it.
What kind of sound could scare those big-shot demon cultivators?
“It’s thunder.”
“Thunder?” Wen Jiayin suddenly remembered how the Xianwu Chronicles described the end of the war before last: “Blood thunder gathered, earth silenced the thunder, bones piled up, and the war ended.”
It meant that blood-red lightning kept falling, thunder was all you could hear, and the ground was piled with bones—the war ended like that.
She remembered… the Wine Immortal had a lightning spiritual root?! Wen Jiayin’s eyes widened.
She’d thought it was just atmospheric description, but was it actually a battle?
“That’s right.
Martial Uncle charged into the demonic horde, and her lightning turned blood-red.
I once met a demon cultivator who still doesn’t dare sleep on stormy nights.
That battle of Martial Uncle’s kept the demon cultivators quiet for a thousand years.”
So she was that kind of boss? Respect!
“But… Martial Uncle also went mad from killing.” During that time, the whole sect was shrouded in gloom, and no one smiled.
“Huh?”
“Martial Uncle went deep into enemy territory and was almost possessed.
She killed any demon cultivator she saw.
My grandmaster, who was in seclusion, personally dragged her back and locked her up.
By then, Martial Uncle was half dead, and I don’t know what method Grandmaster used to save her.
Not long after, Grandmaster passed away, and when Martial Uncle reappeared, she was the drunken mess you see now.”
“She stopped playing around with us juniors.
Honestly, I might not see her even once in a few hundred years.”
Sect Master once sighed that if anything could get Martial Uncle back on her feet, he’d even let bugs be stuffed in his bed every day.
But time doesn’t turn back.
