"Bai… Shuo…" Bai Shuo gasped, clutching at the ice ring, her face red. "Just… a mortal!"
Fan Yue wasn’t convinced. Unmoved, he tightened the icy band further.
"A mere mortal—how do you know about Dragon One and Dragon Two?”
The light in Bai Shuo’s eyes dimmed, her legs dangling, barely kicking as she choked out, “Dra…gon One… Pig… you… told… me…”
Fan Yue’s gaze flickered slightly before he finally released her. The icy ring vanished, and Bai Shuo collapsed to the ground, coughing furiously. As the immediate terror faded, her expression grew fiercer, and she stood, taking a step closer to Fan Yue.
"Last night, I overheard you talking,” she said with uncharacteristic calm, cutting to the point. “You said I could awaken Dragon One and that I had Dragon Two’s aura on me. The only thing I touched of yours was that wooden pig talisman, so when that demoness tried to kill you, I thought maybe my blood could help. I don’t know a thing about Dragon One or Dragon Two! If I meant you harm, why would I save you?" Her fists clenched, eyes brimming with tears. “Yes, I lied to you. But didn’t you lie to me too? If you’re that furious, just kill me! It would be as easy as crushing an ant! But he,” she pointed at Chong Zhao, lying under the tree, “didn’t do anything. He hasn’t even seen anything. Even demons should have some honor! Let him go, and we’ll call it even!”
With that, she glared at Fan Yue, defiant.
Fan Yue was silent for a moment before speaking. “Have you read too many storybooks?”
Bai Shuo blinked, thrown off.
“Who told you demons have honor?”
“You…” Bai Shuo was speechless, scrambling for a response when Fan Yue sent a burst of demonic energy that struck her neck with ruthless accuracy.
Oh, not again! Dizziness overwhelmed her, and she slumped to the ground, struggling to keep her eyes open. Fan Yue’s icy expression hovered above her as darkness closed in, and a pang of frustration rose in her chest. With her last ounce of strength, she reached out her hand.
Look at me, you vile demon! I saved your life with my blood. At least let me keep mine!
Her hand, wrapped in a white cloth stained with fresh blood, hovered in the air. It wasn’t clear whether Fan Yue noticed it, but as she fell, a sweep of demonic energy caught her, lowering her gently to the ground, beside the unconscious Chong Zhao.
From Fan Yue’s sleeve, Dragon One Pig flew out, crossing its legs mid-air as it observed him with curiosity. “You knew from the start she was just a simple mortal. So why toy with her?”
Fan Yue ignored the question, instead asking, “Why did her blood wake you?”
"Natural treasures come from heaven and earth. Your demonic energy is drawn from them, so are people. Some mortals have exceptionally rare bloodlines—a perfect catalyst. This girl may just be a mortal with no trace of immortal blood, but by sheer coincidence, her blood happens to match my spirit’s energy, so it can wake me up. That said…” Dragon One Pig shrugged, fluttering its little wings. “She’s still a mortal. Each time she uses her blood to awaken me, it takes away ten years of her life. Too bad, really. She would’ve made a fine, long-lasting medicine jar otherwise!”
Dragon One Pig buzzed over to Bai Shuo, grinning as it hovered nearby. Just then, several streams of celestial energy descended toward them. Fan Yue frowned, swept up Dragon One Pig, and vanished into the sky.
In a heartbeat, Qing Yi and his celestial guards appeared at the riverside, where they spotted a faint silver glow vanishing in the distance. Qing Yi was about to pursue when a celestial guard cried out.
“My Lord! There are people here!”
Qing Yi turned, spotting Chong Zhao and Bai Shuo lying unconscious under the tree. Rushing over, he examined them, his relief palpable as he found only surface wounds. He extended his palm, and a gentle wave of celestial energy healed their injuries.
“They’re unharmed. Just a few scrapes.”
“My Lord, what shall we do with them?”
“From their clothing, they appear to be from noble families. They must have been ambushed by demons while out for an evening stroll. Go to the Land Deity and confirm their identities, then arrange for their safe return.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Qing Yi turned back, unwilling to waste a moment as he resumed pursuit of the silver light.
The man was none other than Qing Yi, the third-generation disciple of Mount Daze. Though only a thousand years old, he was a senior among the Immortal youth and an apprentice to the godlike Yuan Qi. Today, by coincidence, he’d led a heavenly army to Mount Mu Xiao after detecting an ominous surge of demonic energy.
A celestial guard approached and reported, “Your Lordship, no demons were found on the mountain.”
“They fled quickly,” Qing Yi murmured, grimly. “For demons to enter the mortal realm and slaughter so recklessly…this breaches the truce between the three realms! Report this to the Golden Sun Immortal.”
“Yes, my lord!”
“The rest of you, follow me!”
“Yes!”
Down the mountain, the Virtue-Donkey ran tirelessly. When the moon finally rose, it reached a riverside and collapsed, panting with exhaustion.
Bai Shuo dismounted, throwing herself under a tree and retching. Once she had composed herself, she gently set Chong Zhao against the tree trunk.
“You fool!” she muttered, shaking her head at Chong Zhao. “What were you thinking? This world is no place to roam freely.” She sighed up at the moon with an air of exaggerated wisdom. “All I’ve seen are demons—where are the Immortals when you need them?”
“Oh? So, you have a problem with demons?” The cold voice cut through the silence.
Bai Shuo snapped her head up and froze at the sight of Fan Yue. Leaning casually against a tree, he gazed up at the moon, his red robes billowing in the breeze, his posture both relaxed and intimidating.
“Good heavens!” Bai Shuo leapt to her feet, pointing at Fan Yue. “You, you, you…” She recovered herself, quickly retracting her finger, and broke into a sincere smile. “Mu…brother Mu! You escaped! Thank goodness!”
The Virtue-Donkey, drinking by the river, saw Fan Yue, went limp, and collapsed in a dead faint.
Fan Yue’s cold gaze swept over Bai Shuo. “Stop pretending.”
Bai Shuo clammed up, looking sheepish.
A gust of wind swept by, and Fan Yue landed lightly in front of her. She skittered backward, but he paid her no attention, moving toward the unconscious Chong Zhao. Bai Shuo’s heart raced, and she quickly shouted.
“Between you and me—he has nothing to do with it! If you have something to settle, come at me!”
Fan Yue halted, then turned to her with a lazy gaze. “When did you realize I wasn’t human, but a demon?”
“Well…” Bai Shuo scratched her head, eyeing him curiously. “Do you really want to know?”
Fan Yue’s gaze turned icy, and Bai Shuo shivered. “I can’t really take credit for it—it was you who gave yourself away!”
“Oh?” Fan Yue’s interest was piqued. “And what gave me away?”
Bai Shuo looked Fan Yue up and down, blinking in bewilderment. "Lord Fan, do you demons have some… misunderstanding about us mortals?" She pointed to her head.
Fan Yue frowned, but Bai Shuo, despite trembling, continued talking.
"We may be mortals, but we’re not idiots. Do you really think that if I woke up alone in the middle of the night in a forest, and some pretty young lord handed me two wild fruits, I'd believe everything he said?" Bai Shuo grumbled. "Not even storybooks are that obvious."
Fan Yue's face darkened slightly.
Bai Shuo pulled down her collar, showing a bruise on her neck. "If you’re trying to fool someone, your servant should’ve gone a little lighter on that chop to the neck. This bruise is still here!” She rolled her eyes. “And those wolves and bandits? They miraculously couldn’t find us all night, then suddenly showed up as soon as we stepped out of the cave?"
Bai Shuo grew increasingly animated, completely forgetting who she was talking to. She slapped her hand on Fan Yue’s shoulder. “Buddy, that old ‘hurt myself to gain sympathy’ trick doesn’t work—I stopped pulling that on my dad by the time I was eight!”
A cold stare silenced her. Realizing the stony look on Fan Yue's face, she awkwardly withdrew her hand, chuckling nervously. "You—you asked for my honest answer… I just…!"
Halfway through her sentence, she was cut off, her words choked off by a freezing, silver band that suddenly clamped around her neck, tightening until she couldn’t breathe.
Fan Yue glared at her icily. “You dare to act clever in front of me? Who are you, really? Immortal or demon?”
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