The war ended quickly, but restoring peace was an extremely lengthy process. Luojiu hastily withdrew their troops, leaving the restless Xilong as Dayun's only enemy. Fortunately, Xilong didn't have any so-called "Divine Descent Sage", and with surplus troops, even ordinary generals could handle them.

However, the Red Hook Sect near Shafu suffered.

Most of the Red Hook Sect members were local young men, and when the conscription notice came, nearly half of the Red Hook headquarters emptied out. Su Si, a newly appointed demonic Sect Leader, had barely enjoyed his glory before becoming a commander without troops.

With no tombs to explore now, Lord Bai resumed its idyllic life in a clear pond. It was very satisfied with its judgment—indeed, following Su Si had led to a bright future for its goose life. Over these days, it had grown another full circle fatter, looking like a soft, squishy rice ball from afar.

They say things resemble their owners. With most sect affairs at a standstill, Su Si simply began to idle away his days. He ate and waited for death daily, not even getting out of bed on time. If the subdued Ling Sect followers hadn't experienced his ruthlessness and cruelty firsthand, they might have revolted.

Was this the behavior of the first person in Dayun's history to unify the demonic sects?

Fortunately, the original guardians of the Red Hook Sect were open-minded. At least this ancestor hadn't run away again, which was considered giving them face.

"Sect Master, today..."

"Not doing it." Su Si lay spread-eagle on the bed, his eyes vacant.

"No, there are guests today..."

"Not seeing them." He turned over, showing his back full of rejection.

"The Martial Arts Alliance Leader Yan Qing requests an audience—"

Su Si sat up abruptly, slapping his thigh: "Oh, it's San-zi! Why didn't you say so earlier? Just let him in directly, no need to announce."

Servant: "..."

Forget about the incompatibility between orthodox and evil forces; their Sect Master's attitude was like a father happily welcoming his son home, without a trace of hesitation or vigilance. Yan Qing was Yan Bu Du's successor, and their Ling Sect had no shortage of people. Weren't they afraid that the Yan fellow might have ulterior motives?

He shook his head, about to continue speaking, but when he looked up, their Sect Master had already vanished.

Old Father Su clearly had no worries. He personally brought the best tea and snacks, happily rushing to Luoshen Tower. He didn't even change into formal attire, directly kicking open the door and opening his arms wide: "San-zi, I've missed you so..."

Unfortunately, this heartfelt cry wasn't completed. Sect Master Su silently swallowed the end of his words, staring wide-eyed at Yin Ci at the door.

Yin Ci crossed his arms, smiling ambiguously. His gaze slid from Su Si's nightgown to the snack box, finally landing on his casually tied-up long hair.

Remembering this person's identity, Su Si's entire being shuddered, instantly wilting like frost-beaten eggplant, not daring to say a word more. When he returned, he would definitely dock that servant's monthly pay—Yan Qing had even brought along this troublesome ancestor, and that guy didn't even think to mention it!

Yin Ci wasn't even the only "guest". Not to mention the inseparable Sect Leader Shi, even Shi Zhongyu, Shen Zhu, and Monk Zhixing were present. The several righteous figures looked at the disheveled Demonic Sect Master, pretending they hadn't heard anything.

"Ah Si, you're here." Yan Qing, who was drinking tea and chatting with Shi Jingzhi, greeted Su Si cheerfully.

"Y-yes, I'm here, I'm here." Su Si smiled sheepishly, handing the snacks to a servant. "Well then, everyone please enjoy the snacks first. This lord will go change clothes."

The Sect Master's attire was less presentable than that of a tea-serving servant, and with his momentum halved by Yin Ci's scare, he was utterly miserable but couldn't say a word. When he returned, he was properly dressed in formal attire, the corners of his mouth slightly drooping.

Monk Zhixing, being perceptive, was the first to bow: "My master had urgent matters and couldn't come in person, so he specially sent this poor monk to pay a visit. I hope the Sect Master will forgive us."

Su Si clearly didn't want to put on airs. He stole glances at Yin Ci while stiffly humming in response.

"This lord is very busy. If the righteous path wants to gather, why not gather at Taiheng?" Finally, Su Si asked, not without grievance.

"That's not really feasible." Shi Zhongyu laughed dryly, "After the incident with Qu Duanyun, Taiheng won't settle down for a while. It's true that he harmed many heroes, and it's also true that he was once Taiheng's Sect Leader. Taiheng can't deny that."

"I've seen people escaping from cesspools, but never jumping into them. Lady Shi is truly a hero, this mess will take at least ten or twenty years to clean up."

While mocking Shi Zhongyu, Shen Zhu was in a good mood, trimming the nails on her right hand—a few months ago, her left hand and flesh had been burned away by golden fire, leaving only a bit of bone. She had made a black puppet hand with the remaining Wushu soft armor. This puppet hand was incredibly flexible; as long as it was covered with a glove, ordinary people couldn't tell the difference at all.

She blew on her nail clippings, still smiling brightly: "Why don't you consider joining the Heaven Department of my Yueshui Bureau, Lady Shi? Since you could settle down in the Shafu Gang, you're clearly someone who can endure hardship. It's the same as serving the country and people, why not come keep this young lady company?"

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Shen, but Taiheng will always be Taiheng. Someone has to stand up."

Shi Zhongyu firmly shook her head.

"I've made up my mind."

"Hmm, you've made up your mind, but what does that have to do with me?" Su Si said indifferently, "I understand why Jianchen Temple isn't suitable for gathering, but your Yueshui Bureau is so generous, why don't you just allocate a place..."

"This is my fault." Yan Qing said apologetically, "I thought we haven't seen each other for many days and wanted to have a meal with you. I was almost here when I received Miss Shen's message, so I had no choice but to—"

"...Of course, this lord welcomes all of you." Su Si coughed, changing his expression as quickly as turning a page. "Please make yourselves at home."

"This gathering is about Luojiu's Suspended Tree," Yin Ci spoke leisurely, seeing they had joked enough.

Everyone's expressions became a bit more serious.

"Dayun's Suspended Tree is over a thousand years old and enormous. Luojiu's Suspended Tree has only grown for three hundred years and isn't that big. When they attacked Dayun before, it was probably due to the National Teacher's lineage meddling, wanting to establish Jingzhi as the new emperor."

Yin Ci swirled the tea in his cup.

"Now that we've killed Dayun's Suspended Tree, those in the know in Luojiu must be apprehensive. Before they clarify the situation, they will definitely expand towards other countries first. When that Suspended Tree grows to scale, its True Immortal will surely attack Dayun again."

Su Si: "That'll take at least a hundred years. Since it's a matter for a hundred years later, why not let the people of that time worry about it?"

He looked towards Shi Jingzhi, trying to find some sympathy. However, the Sect Leader was gazing lovingly at Yin Ci. Su Si clicked his tongue loudly.

Unexpectedly, the first to agree with him was Shi Zhongyu: "Sect Master Su is right. Without the Suspended Tree and 'Heaven's Wrath,' Dayun has more natural disasters, and there are countless things that need adjustment. In the current situation, I'm afraid the court can't look that far ahead."

Yan Qing coughed, picking up the conversation: "But with the existence of evil spirits, we can't ignore it. So I've already informed various sects about the truth of Suspended Tree, choosing loyal and righteous individuals who care about the world."

The two spoke in turns, their words full of hints to "discuss in detail".

Su Si remained silent for a while: "I see, you want to involve the demonic sects as well. When things settle down with Xilong, I'll talk to my brothers in the sect about it."

......

This "righteous and evil meeting" went from morning straight through to evening. As night fell, many people didn't return to their guest rooms to rest, choosing instead to go out to enjoy the moon and drink.

It was now midsummer, with a bright moon and twinkling stars. The chirping of insects was constant, and even the night breeze felt more humid than usual.

Shi Jingzhi hugged a jar of wine, sitting on the balcony of the guest room. The view from here was excellent, and he could see the crowd drinking heartily below—it wasn't apparent normally, but Shi Zhongyu turned out to be an excellent drinker, nearly able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. Shen Zhu, on the other hand, was completely flushed, having lost her usual composed demeanor, hugging Shi Zhongyu and laughing loudly.

Monk Zhixing stayed far away from the two, having had two cups of vegetarian wine by himself, possibly still muttering "form is emptiness." Su Si pretended to be drunk, sliding around like a puddle of mud, seemingly about to start teasing the unsuspecting Yan Qing again.

As Shi Jingzhi was watching, a hand reached out from behind him, touching his cheek. Shi Jingzhi took a sip of the mellow wine, nuzzling against that hand with the side of his face.

"I thought you would go with those people."

It was beyond Shi Jingzhi's expectations. After learning the truth about Suspended Tree, many martial artists were willing to go to Luojiu to eliminate the new growing Suspended Tree. Even if no one would thank them for their achievements, even if it would only become a threat to Dayun after a hundred years.

However, Yin Ci was always willing to do these things that he couldn't understand. Even after killing Divine Descent Sage, Shi Jingzhi always felt a bit uneasy. So when he heard these people were going to discuss this matter, Yin Ci naturally came along.

He felt a bit at a loss.

Unexpectedly, from beginning to end, Yin Ci only listened to these younger generation talk, at most offering some suggestions, without expressing any intention to personally get involved. But thinking about the detailed discussions scheduled for tomorrow, Sect Leader Shi's heart began to flutter again.

"We agreed only to eliminate Divine Descent Sage for the world."

Yin Ci sat down beside Shi Jingzhi, resuming the appearance he had when they first met—dressed in plain clothes, with ink-black hair like a waterfall, casually scattered over his shoulders. Previously on the battlefield, Shi Jingzhi had grown accustomed to seeing this man in armor, and for a moment, he felt a bit dazed.

Seeing him lost in thought, Yin Ci couldn't help but reach out and vigorously rub the top of his head.

"Now you and I are just mortals with a hundred years, I've fought for this world for over a hundred years, it's time to be a bit selfish."

Shi Jingzhi leaned against the other's neck, inhaling deeply that familiar scent: "Then why did you come with them?"

"Because I know someone whose desires are boundless and who is extremely materialistic. Even though he's received countless rewards from the emperor and wanders freely, he occasionally still looks at me with a thousand thoughts, imagining all sorts of things by himself."

Shi Jingzhi: "..."

"I don't know if he's afraid I'll care too much about the world and secretly become dissatisfied. Or if he's afraid I'm reluctantly accompanying him and might one day run off to the front lines by myself. Coincidentally, the other day when I was 'not awake', that person was staring at me from the edge of the bed, looking utterly miserable."

Shi Jingzhi turned his face away, his ears and neck turning slightly red.

"So I thought, why not find an opportunity to settle this matter properly. To save someone from not being able to eat or sleep well, causing my beloved to gradually become thin." The laughter in Yin Ci's tone grew stronger.

Shi Jingzhi filled a cup of wine and pressed it to Yin Ci's mouth: "You've gotten addicted to teasing your master, haven't you?"

"But this time I brought you here, I indeed had another purpose." Yin Ci candidly admitted after swallowing the wine.

"Oh?"

"The moon is beautiful and the wine is good right now, it's really not suitable to explain in detail. After tonight passes, I'll tell you all about it."