The moment Zi Yuan heard Ruan Hongling's words, her expression sharpened, and she asked, "What's your plan?"

Ruan Hongling said, rather smugly, "I ran into Yan Hua today and was trying to borrow the **Sword from him."

Zi Yuan was momentarily stunned. "Why would you borrow the **Sword from him?"

Ruan Hongling chuckled, "The **Sword was the Second Martial Aunt’s personal sword, and it's one half of the parent-child pair of the Eight Desolations **Sword. Now that the Second Martial Aunt has captured Ao Wushuang, she has almost certainly obtained the Eight Desolations Sword. If she retrieves the **Sword, she can achieve the dual-sword union. Once the Eight Desolations **Sword pair is united, the Second Martial Aunt won't need to hide anymore; she will certainly show herself openly and march straight to the Fox Zen Sect."

Zi Yuan's heart stirred. She asked doubtfully, "I think I understand what you mean, but after the Second Martial Aunt fled back then, didn't she go for the **Sword immediately?"

Ruan Hongling let out a dry laugh. "I wondered that too, thinking the Second Martial Aunt might have already taken the **Sword. But when I asked Yan Hua today, guess what the answer was?"

Zi Yuan smiled faintly. "It must still be there!"

Ruan Hongling slapped her hands together. "Exactly! The **Sword is still there, which is so strange! We've been so swamped with other matters recently that we completely forgot to look for the **Sword immediately, but the Second Martial Aunt didn't go for it either! Sister Zi Yuan, isn't that odd?"

Zi Yuan’s face showed deep thought. She said, "It is certainly strange. Logically, the Second Martial Aunt should have retrieved the **Sword right away. With her cultivation, obtaining the **Sword would be like adding wings to a tiger. But why has she left it so long?"

Saying this, Zi Yuan suddenly declared, "Don't delay any longer. Go to Yan Hua's house right now and retrieve it. No matter what, we must secure the **Sword first."

Ruan Hongling responded, turned, and left the room. Zi Yuan sat alone by the bed, her delicate brows slightly furrowed in contemplation.

About half an hour later, Ruan Hongling rushed back in a state of agitation, shouting before even entering the door, "Sister Zi Yuan, this is terrible!"

Zi Yuan sprang up instantly and asked in a deep voice, "What is it? Looking at you like this, could the **Sword be missing?"

Ruan Hongling’s face was a little pale. She said, "Yan Hua—he said his aunt, the Second Martial Aunt, took the **Sword!"

Zi Yuan frowned. "When did this happen?"

Ruan Hongling said bitterly, "Just now! If only I had gone half an hour sooner!"

Zi Yuan shook her head. "If you had gone half an hour sooner, I wouldn't have seen you. In the Second Martial Aunt's current state, anyone who obstructs her revenge against the Fox Zen Sect will certainly face no mercy. At that point, never mind being her martial niece, even her own flesh and blood might be ruthlessly struck down."

Ruan Hongling sighed deeply. "Even though I don't like the Second Martial Aunt, seeing her like this truly pains my heart. What's the difference between her actions now and falling to the demonic path? Our Spirit Palace Sect is already depleted, and now the Second Martial Aunt is set on opposing the Fox Zen Sect. You are also determined to help the Fox Zen Sect. Heavens, why must you bring so much tribulation upon our Spirit Palace Sect? Are even the Heavens intent on destroying us?"

Zi Yuan smiled faintly. "Clouds rise and fade, tides ebb and flow; it is nothing more than this. Hongling, everything in this world is but passing vapor; do not attach too much importance to it."

Ruan Hongling grew indignant upon hearing this. "You are always like this. When it comes to your own affairs or the Spirit Palace Sect's matters, you act as if you don't care about anything. But the moment it concerns that Li Yundong, you become as anxious as if your life were on the line. And you still claim you aren't in love with him!"

Zi Yuan's cheeks first flushed red, but she quickly regained her composure. She glanced lightly at Ruan Hongling and said, "It is merely cultivation within the mortal dust. What I am anxious about is my Dao attainment, not the person of Li Yundong."

Ruan Hongling leaned close to Zi Yuan, her eyes wide, as if trying to find a single clue on her face. She enunciated every word, "You are deceiving yourself!"

Zi Yuan snapped back in annoyance, "Insolent!"

Seeing Zi Yuan angry, Ruan Hongling stuck out her tongue secretly and changed the subject. "By the way, Sister Zi Yuan, why do you think the Second Martial Aunt waited until today to take the **Sword? Why not earlier?"

Zi Yuan's expression instantly turned severe. Ruan Hongling rarely saw Zi Yuan display such an expression and felt a chill.

Zi Yuan stated gravely, "There are a few possibilities why the Second Martial Aunt didn't retrieve the **Sword. First, perhaps like us, she was so preoccupied with various matters that she forgot to fetch it."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ruan Hongling interjected, "Thinking about it now, that seems a bit unlikely. For her, there is only one goal: revenge! We have so many things to do, so many considerations, and we are exposed while the enemy is hidden—it’s understandable that we miss things. But the Second Martial Aunt, hiding in the shadows, surely couldn't have missed it."

Zi Yuan nodded in agreement. "You are right. So, there is a second possibility. This possibility is that the Second Martial Aunt was searching for it all along but couldn't find it until today."

Ruan Hongling shook her head. "Yan Hua said the Second Martial Aunt claimed that too, but I don't really believe it. The Second Martial Aunt managed to infiltrate the Fox Zen Sect for nine years without detection; that requires an incredibly meticulous and cautious nature. I wouldn't believe for a second that she would only find Yan Hua's house to retrieve her precious sword at the very last moment."

Zi Yuan cast an appreciative glance at Ruan Hongling. "You are correct. If the Second Martial Aunt hadn't said that, I wouldn't have been certain about the final possibility. But now that she has said it, I can almost confirm that statement is a deliberate smokescreen meant to confuse and mislead us!"

Ruan Hongling was also extremely astute, and her eyes lit up with realization. "Ah? Sister Zi Yuan, you mean...?"

Zi Yuan's voice turned somewhat cold. "The Second Martial Aunt might have been right beside us the whole time! The last time Li Yundong and I returned to the place where we buried the golden snake’s corpse, the snake was already dug up. At that time, we suspected someone was following us, someone with higher cultivation! This person, it now seems, is almost certainly the Second Martial Aunt! The reason she never went for the **Sword might be because she was trailing us and couldn't spare the time..."

Ruan Hongling frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Even if she were following us, she wouldn't be unable to spare time for twenty-four hours straight, would she?"

Zi Yuan let out a cold laugh, saying sinisterly, "What if she has infiltrated our ranks?"

The moment this sentence was uttered, even Ruan Hongling, who was usually fearless, couldn't help but shiver violently!

Ruan Hongling opened her mouth wide, intending to speak, but the words caught in her throat. It was as if Yan Fang, who had been lurking patiently for nine years, was standing in some dark corner, staring at her malevolently, sending a wave of horror through her!

Ruan Hongling instinctively glanced left and right, shivering as she said, "Sister Zi Yuan, please don't joke. Don't scare me!"

Zi Yuan stated coldly, "Didn't you notice? The last time the Second Martial Aunt appeared, it was precisely when the entire Fox Zen Sect was out buying clothes; they were all in the fitting rooms, giving the Second Martial Aunt the perfect opportunity for her primordial spirit to depart. And coincidentally... this time when the Second Martial Aunt appeared, the three Martial Aunts of the Fox Zen Sect just happened to go to the market together. Hmph, I truly hope this is just a coincidence..."

Ruan Hongling felt her scalp tingle. "Sister Zi Yuan, the Second Martial Aunt wouldn't be that bold, would she? To sneak back into the Fox Zen Sect? Th-this is too terrifying!"

Zi Yuan let out a dry laugh. "The more impossible something seems, the less people are willing to suspect or believe it. The Second Martial Aunt is exploiting this point, making us think she fled far away, when in reality, she has secretly slipped back in. This is called hiding in plain sight."

Ruan Hongling felt a chill run through her. "Then who could it be?"

Zi Yuan pondered for a moment. "The three Martial Aunts of the Fox Zen Sect are the most suspicious! It must be one of the three of them!"

Ruan Hongling immediately jumped up, ready to bolt out the door. She exclaimed, "No, I must immediately go tell Li Yundong! This fellow, though a bit of a rascal, is ultimately a good person. If the Second Martial Aunt suddenly ambushes him, he could be utterly annihilated, body and spirit!"

Zi Yuan grabbed her back, hissed softly, "Stop, don't go!"

Ruan Hongling turned around, eyes wide. "Why? Sister Zi Yuan!"

Zi Yuan said gravely, "Li Yundong has an innocent heart and a mild-mannered disposition; he is not someone deeply calculating. Once he knows the Second Martial Aunt is lurking near the Fox Zen Sect, he will inevitably reveal hints in his daily words and expressions. Given the Second Martial Aunt's cunning, she will notice immediately and flee without hesitation. Then, trying to find her again will be harder than scaling the heavens!"

Ruan Hongling stamped her foot anxiously. "But aren't you worried about Li Yundong coming to harm? Aren't you the most anxious about him?"

Zi Yuan looked at her strangely. "It seems you are the more anxious one right now?"

Ruan Hongling stomped her foot. "I'm worried sick while the emperor remains unconcerned! Good intentions are treated like donkey liver and lungs!"

Zi Yuan smiled slightly, a hint of admiration shining in her eyes. "Don't worry. Earlier, I provoked Li Yundong with my words. The next day, I observed his exhalations—a faint black mist from his left nostril and a faint red mist from his right. This is clearly the manifestation of the highest stage of the Eight Revolutions Fire Cultivation."

Ruan Hongling gasped in astonishment. "Impossible! To cultivate to the highest stage of Eight Revolutions Fire Cultivation in just one night? That means he's only one step away from the Ninth Revolution?"

Zi Yuan also sighed. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed cultivation could advance so rapidly for one person!"

Ruan Hongling shook her head. "It's terrifying. The last time on the rooftop, I saw him wield the Seven Treasures Spirit Fan with such mastery in just one night, as if he'd practiced for lifetimes."

Zi Yuan said, "So, you don't need to worry about Li Yundong. He is now a genuine Nascent Soul realm cultivator. In terms of overall cultivation and skill, he is only beneath the Second Martial Aunt, not below her. If they fought openly, his repertoire of divine abilities and spells might be less extensive or practiced than the Second Martial Aunt's, but if the Second Martial Aunt tries to ambush him, that’s another matter. At Li Yundong's current level, his spiritual perception can foresee any attempt by someone with lower cultivation to attack him. Since I can discern Li Yundong's cultivation, I believe the Second Martial Aunt can too, so she won't risk ambushing Li Yundong."

"Furthermore, since she dared to take such a huge risk to sneak back, she must have some astonishing scheme in mind. Now that we've found her trace, the situation is advantageous for us—we are hidden while the enemy is exposed. It would be worse if she realized we discovered her."

Ruan Hongling thought for a moment, then asked, "What if the Second Martial Aunt attacks the other members of the Fox Zen Sect?"

Zi Yuan smiled. "She won't. Before achieving her objective, she definitely won't act rashly and alert the enemy. Given her nature, she won't reveal her final move without a guaranteed victory!"

With that, Zi Yuan’s voice turned cold. "I truly wonder what devilish game the Second Martial Aunt is planning!"

Ruan Hongling finally understood, but then she frowned again. "But if the Second Martial Aunt took the **Sword, she wouldn't keep it on her person. Where would she hide it? And why wouldn't she unite the **Sword with the Eight Desolations Sword? With both in hand, who in this world would she fear?"

Zi Yuan chuckled. "I thought about that too, but you must remember that Ao Wushuang was sealed by the Second Martial Aunt inside the Glazed Heaven Imperial Bell. Do you know what kind of magical artifact that is?"

Ruan Hongling nodded. "Of course I know. It was the artifact of Ye Fashan from the Tang Dynasty, capable of sealing any expert short of an immortal, including those in the Golden Body and Thunder Tribulation stages."

Zi Yuan nodded. "Exactly. The Glazed Heaven Imperial Bell is extremely formidable, but it has one major flaw: once something is sealed inside, it is incredibly difficult to release. Thus, although Ao Wushuang is sealed by the Second Martial Aunt, she has, in fact, become the safest person in the world. Because the Second Martial Aunt cannot break the Glazed Heaven Imperial Bell to release Ao Wushuang, she cannot obtain the Eight Desolations Sword that Ao Wushuang carries!"

Ruan Hongling sighed. "This is what happens when one is overly clever, only to outsmart oneself. What should we do now? The Now Path Sect is pressing hard, the Second Martial Aunt is lurking nearby, and our business is just getting started—even our livelihood is a concern. With so many problems, what can we do?"

Zi Yuan said lightly, "Let him be strong, the soft wind brushes the mountain ridge; let him be arrogant, the bright moon shines upon the great river! We will simply wait and see which fox finally shows its tail!"

At the very end, Zi Yuan suddenly sighed. "I hope our guesses are wrong. Otherwise, the enmity between the Second Martial Aunt and the Fox Zen Sect truly might be irreconcilable."

When Zi Yuan mentioned the feud between Yan Fang and the Fox Zen Sect, Ruan Hongling suddenly let out a sigh, saying mournfully, "Sister Zi Yuan, if the Second Martial Aunt and Li Yundong really come to a life-or-death battle, whose side will you take?"