“Let’s go!” Fan Yue wasted no time. He recalled the wooden boar, grabbed Bai Shuo, and streaked toward the edge of the peach grove as a flash of light.
As the fake Chong Zhao dispersed, a crack formed in the overwhelming cloud of dark energy surrounding the island. The disciples of Miao Miao Island, who had been struggling to contain the evil aura, saw their chance and rushed inward. At the same time, two streaks of celestial light headed toward the center of the grove.
A flicker of demonic light, and Fan Yue and Bai Shuo landed at the island’s edge, with roaring waves not far off. Bai Shuo noticed Fan Yue’s pallor and recalled that he had taken two blows for her. She reached out to help him, but he brushed her off before she could touch him.
Her hand froze mid-air as Fan Yue shot her a look of disdain, leaving her awkwardly rubbing her hand on her waist. Glancing nervously at the eerie grove, she muttered, “That was close! Good thing I kept a vial of ‘Ten-Thousand Spirits’ Drunk’ on me. Otherwise, I’d have been gobbled up by that monster.”
Fan Yue snorted. “You’re not entirely useless. When did you realize that Chong Zhao was an impostor?”
“With your constant reminders, I could hardly afford to be stupid,” Bai Shuo replied solemnly.
“When did I ever remind you?” Fan Yue raised an eyebrow.
“Come on, don’t deny it! The moment you arrived, you pointed out that he recognized you too quickly, which was basically telling me he shouldn’t have known who you were,” she explained. “I may be new to cultivation, but I know the Hall Master of Hao Yue rarely appears before others. How could a disciple from a small, remote sect like ours recognize you with just one move?”
She paused, looking at him curiously. “And when you attacked me near the spring, that was actually to save me, wasn’t it?”
Fan Yue’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You’d already known he was an impostor before I even appeared.”
Bai Shuo let out a nervous laugh, not bothering to deny it. “I grew up with A-Zhao. Of course, I’d recognize him. Besides, A-Zhao would never let me use ‘Ten-Thousand Spirits’ Drunk’ to put myself in danger. I knew something was off about him from the start, so I decided to test him with the vial.”
Fan Yue gave her a strange look. “Who am I?” he suddenly asked.
Bai Shuo’s heart skipped a beat as she met his gaze. “The master of Hao Yue Hall,” she replied softly.
“And who else?” he pressed, his gaze intense.
Forcing herself to remain calm, Bai Shuo mentally reviewed everything that had happened that day—the injured A-Zhao, the mysterious tome she’d found in the archives, the treasure hunt at Fire and Ice Island, the eerie entity that had impersonated Chong Zhao. The events had turned her peaceful cultivation life upside down. She was desperate to leave this cursed place and tell Chong Zhao everything, so the sect could take precautions. But she was out of celestial energy, and her only way back to Miao Miao Island was by relying on the man before her.
Steadying herself, Bai Shuo bowed and flashed a well-practiced, innocent smile. “Brother Mu, long time no see. I trust you’ve been well?”
Fan Yue eyed her with an amused look. “You usually like to play dumb. Why stop now?”
“Before you, my lord, how could I dare deceive?”
“Speak plainly.”
Bai Shuo took a deep breath. “I’m afraid of dying.”
Fan Yue was momentarily taken aback.
“Miao Miao Island may be remote, but we’re not completely ignorant of the Three Realms. Lord Hall Master, your demonic powers are remarkable, yet the fiend that confronted you earlier held its ground. For someone of that caliber to transform into Chong Zhao and lure me to the spring instead of just killing me outright—he must have wanted something from me. He didn’t kill me because there’s something he needs, so he took on A-Zhao’s form to get close. But before he could succeed, you interrupted him.”
Her blood?
Fan Yue’s gaze shifted, his thoughts returning to the incident at Mu Xiao Mountain three years prior, where both he and Bai Shuo had sensed something extraordinary. But he kept silent, not revealing what he understood.
“What secret is hidden within you that renders my spells ineffective?” he demanded.
Bai Shuo blinked, taken aback. She wished she knew the answer too. After all, while Fan Yue’s spell had made Chong Zhao forget everything, it had somehow failed to work on her entirely.
Shaking her head plainly, Bai Shuo replied, “I don’t know.”
Fan Yue frowned, unconvinced but unwilling to press further. “I doubt your life will be a long one. If you want to live a few more years, you’d best return to the mortal realm.”
“Why?” she asked.
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