Mu Xuan silently looked at the two of us. His unreadable gaze made me uneasy, so I decided to come clean. “It was my idea! I asked Uncle Master to bring me along to gain experience. You can scold me if you want.”
Mu Xuan remained quiet for a long time before finally speaking. “Your cold’s better?”
The unexpected question surprised me. I looked up at him, startled, then quickly nodded. “Better, much better! I was fine yesterday!”
His gaze shifted to my hands, which were clutching Mu Jue’s robe for balance.
Since the sword was narrow, I had to press against Mu Jue to stay steady. I hadn’t thought much of it, but under Mu Xuan’s sharp eyes, the position suddenly felt awkward.
“Come here.”
His tone was calm, but it carried a weight that left no room for refusal.
I thought something might be wrong with my ears because I could have sworn I heard Mu Xuan tell me, “Come here.” Uncertain, I hesitated and didn’t reach out my hand. “Master, are you planning to send me back to Cang Lan Mountain?”
Hearing this, Mu Jue immediately moved to shield me. “Senior Brother, we’re already halfway there…”
“Who said I was sending her back?” Mu Xuan frowned, clearly annoyed, and extended his hand toward me again. “Come here.”
Blinking in surprise, I thought to myself, As long as he’s not sending me back, whatever happens is fine. Without hesitation, I grabbed his hand and leaped onto his sword.
Mu Xuan didn’t spare Mu Jue another glance as he turned and guided the sword down to the ground. The wind rushed past, and as we descended, he rebuked me: “He is your Uncle Master. Although you appear close in age, do you not understand the concept of propriety?”
I pouted. Master, you and I don’t look that far apart in age either!
When we landed, I caught a glimpse of a faint mark carved into a small tree nearby. Its shape was unmistakable—I had seen it countless times in my dreams. It was the shape of the Ling Jing.
My heart stirred with suspicion. Could the Demon Lord be here? Suppressing my excitement, I maintained my composure and acted natural around Mu Xuan.
Later that night, after everyone had fallen into a deep sleep, I quietly got up.
But as soon as I moved, Mu Xuan, who had been sitting against a tree, opened his eyes. “Where are you going?” His voice was so clear it was as if he hadn’t been sleeping at all.
Startled, I quickly composed myself. After days of living as an “infiltrator,” my acting skills had improved considerably. Rubbing my eyes, I gestured toward the secluded woods behind us. “My stomach doesn’t feel well, Master. Can you keep watch to make sure no one comes this way?” Without waiting for a reply, I hurried into the shadows of the trees.
I walked as far as I could, putting enough distance between myself and the camp that the firelight became faint and blurry. Even then, I could feel Mu Xuan’s gaze lingering on me. His abilities weren’t to be underestimated—it wouldn’t be easy to slip away unnoticed.
Grinding my teeth in frustration, I made a bold decision. Finding a pile of grass, I loosened my belt… and the persistent gaze following me vanished instantly.
Squatting down, I let out a breath of relief. But before I could even finish pulling up my pants, a shadow loomed in front of me.
It was the Demon Lord.
He stood there, silent as ever, his expression unreadable.
The situation was so awkward that even I, someone who usually despised silence, found myself at a loss for words.
Fortunately, the Demon Lord seemed to have some sense. He turned his head away, giving me enough time to hastily pull up my pants and tie my belt.
As I fumbled with my clothes, I glanced back toward the camp and saw Mu Xuan’s attention still seemed fixed in this direction. Panicking, I quickly turned back to the Demon Lord and mouthed exaggeratedly, “Move! This place is too close!”
The Demon Lord cast a sideways glance at me, clearly unimpressed. “I set up a barrier.”
I blinked in surprise and looked around but couldn’t sense anything. He noticed my confusion and added, “You can’t detect it, and neither can he.”
The “he” was obviously referring to Mu Xuan. Trusting the Demon Lord’s words, I finally relaxed and exhaled. “You should’ve told me earlier! You made me feel like I was sneaking around for something shady…”
The Demon Lord gave me a long look but said nothing.
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