“Turns out, you’ve always known how to wake me up!”
“No, no, no, I didn’t know!” Bai Shuo’s eyes opened wide in shock. Sunlight fell onto her face, a bit blinding. She blinked in confusion, taking in her surroundings. Above her was a stone room, simply furnished with a table and chairs. Scattered across the floor were grasshoppers made of straw, toys for children.
She reached down and felt the rough wooden plank of the bed beneath her, thinking to herself, in a daze, This family is quite poor…this bed is much harder than Mumu’s… Mumu? Mumu! Bai Shuo suddenly jolted upright from the bed. Her legs gave way from weakness, and just as she was about to fall, someone caught her. “White Immortal, you’re awake?” Bai Shuo turned to see the delighted face of a woman. “Auntie Little Qiu Gua?” “Yes, yes, it’s me.” “Where am I?” “My home.” Bai Shuo froze. Wasn’t she in the stone hall of the Yiren King’s palace? How did she end up here? Where was the evil god-dragon? Where was A-Zhao? What about Hua Da Tie, the Kunlun Sword Cultivator, the fox…her little disciple?! Oh, she remembered now: the great demon had descended from the sky…and her little disciple…was gone. Bai Shuo’s heart felt heavy. She clutched her chest. The pain—it made sense. Using heart's blood to awaken a contract-bound demigod didn’t just drain energy; it consumed life.
“Good thing you’re awake, White Immortal. Here, have some porridge.” Auntie Little Qiu Gua set down the basket she held onto the table, guiding Bai Shuo to sit. “You’ve been asleep for two days.” “Two days?” Bai Shuo quickly raised her head. “Auntie, what about my friends?” “They’ve all gone.” “Gone?” “Yes, the Foreign City doesn’t allow outsiders to stay, and the Wu Tong Martial Gathering has ended, so they had to leave.” Bai Shuo was bewildered. The Yiren King had caused such a commotion that surely the High Immortals of the Celestial Palace would have been alerted. Regardless of whether the Yiren King had been manipulated, his sacrifice of immortal and demon youths as an offering was an undeniable crime. Why was the Foreign City so peaceful?
“Come to think of it, we owe you Immortals a lot.” Gratitude filled the woman’s eyes. “Prince Yong said that a few days ago, a sinister spirit infiltrated the city and stole the souls of the Foreigners. If not for your help, we couldn’t have rid ourselves of the evil spirit or saved the city’s people.” Bai Shuo was stunned. The woman continued, “Oh, and that day, there was an explosion in the palace. Many Immortals flew in from outside the city.” “Immortals? They didn’t do anything?” “What could they do? Old Zhu from next door said that little god who followed you into the city threw all the immortal and demon youths out and rebuilt the Spirit Suppression Array. Those Immortals didn’t even enter the city; they just gathered their youths and left.”
Little god? Bai Shuo felt a tightness in her chest. What little god—he was clearly a great demon. No wonder the Foreign City was preserved; both tribes’ youths had been saved by Fan Yue. Since he protected the Foreigners, even the exalted Jin Yao Immortal, as well as the leaders of Kunlun and the Fox Tribe, would give him this favor.
“Auntie, how did I end up here…?” “That little Zhong Immortal brought you.” A-Zhao? Bai Shuo’s heart leaped with joy. Could A-Zhao still be here? “Where is he?” “He left with those Immortals as well. Little Zhong Immortal asked me to take good care of you. White Immortal, the King ordered that you are a benefactor of our Foreign tribe. If you like it here, you’re welcome to stay in the city forever.” “The King?…” Bai Shuo was surprised. Hadn’t the Yiren King already…? Seeing Bai Shuo’s astonishment, the woman’s expression darkened. “The old King and General Wu Zhao fought the evil spirit to the death. Prince Yong has now ascended to the throne.”
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