Lěng Yè stroked the soul jade in his palm, silently thanking his lucky stars. "Thanks to Xiaoqian's warning, otherwise things would have been genuinely troublesome." Recalling his conversation with Gongsun Biyue, he remembered that the sect crafted a life lamp for every disciple; not only could these verify whether a disciple was alive or dead, but the spiritual consciousness within them allowed the sect to track deserters and even inflict curses. Lěng Yè now realized that although a life lamp had never been made for him, he had instead been turned into a soul jade, proving the sect had clearly kept an eye on him all along.
"Tower Spirit, your mind isn't very pure, is it? Don't tell me you're trying to use Xiaoqian?"
"He who touches vermilion turns red, and he who touches ink turns black. After spending so much time with you, what good could I possibly learn?" the Tower Spirit teased. The two bantered back and forth, yet Lěng Yè understood that his feelings for Xiaoqian were rooted far more in gratitude than romance. After all, Xiaoqian was now the Saintess of the Vast Heaven Sect, a figure of noble status; why would she ever care about a wandering traveler like him?
Chapter 1478