At dawn, the door opened. Hua Hong rubbed her eyes, waking up in a tree, just in time to see Bai Shuo, with a small bundle on her back, step silently into the swirling snow. Hua Hong nearly let out a whistle.
What had she said? No one could outwit Bai Shuo.
Bai Shuo trudged through the snow of the northern lands, her feet sinking with each step, the cold wind biting at her face, nearly blowing her off her feet. She touched her tingling cheek and chuckled.
“How silly. Bai Shuo, you’re an Upper Lord now—you can fly.”
With a whoosh, she launched herself skyward, her initial burst of energy carrying her a bit too high. Following her not far behind, Hua Hong was just about to stop her when—bam!—spiritual energy burst around Bai Shuo as she collided with a silver barrier in mid-air. The barrier remained unmoved, and Bai Shuo fell like a shooting star, crashing into the snow below and leaving a crater.
Dazed, she clambered up, scowling at the glimmering barrier above her. Hua Hong nearly burst out laughing. This barrier had been removed a year ago when Bai Shuo joined Hao Yue Hall. When had it been put back?
Her Hall Master really had thought of everything.
“What were you thinking? The three Demon Kings are infamous; did you think you could just come and go from their territory as you pleased?” a familiar voice called from a short distance away.
Bai Shuo turned to see Mu Jiu sprawled in a nearby snow pit, peering at her through the barrier.
“What are you doing here?”
“What else? I’ve been at it all night. Can’t break through a semi-divine barrier, so I thought I’d try digging under it.”
Bai Shuo glanced at the hole he’d been digging, speechless for the first time in her life. “People say you’re clever, but I’d say you’re just insulting the word.”
“Mock me all you want, little half-immortal. Against absolute power, stupidity has its perks. If I dig deep enough, she might just see me and let me in,” Mu Jiu shrugged, pretending not to hear her.
Not far away, Hua Hong suddenly felt an absurd sense of embarrassment just looking at Mu Jiu’s face.
Bai Shuo eyed the barrier, rested her chin on her hand, and murmured, “There wasn’t a barrier when I arrived.” She paused, looking back at Hao Yue Hall. “It wasn’t here when I left yesterday either.”
Mu Jiu blinked. “What do you mean?”
Bai Shuo turned back, a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. “It means you’re just out of luck.”
Mu Jiu noticed her cheerful mood and, catching sight of her small bundle, blurted, “Don’t tell me you’re running away from a marriage?”
Bai Shuo froze. “What marriage?”
“It’s all over the place. They’re saying you’re the beloved that the Hall Master of Hao Yue has been searching for years to find. He defied the entire immortal realm just to rescue you, a little half-immortal, and bring you back to Hao Yue Hall to marry you as his consort. But then some say that you, the half-immortal from Miao Island, are trapped in Hao Yue and can’t leave. You even fed yourself to demons to have the Hall Master save your beloved, Chong Zhao, on Phoenix Island. So, little half-immortal, which story is true?”
Bai Shuo was thoroughly entertained by the first half but was completely taken aback by the gross misunderstanding in the second. Just as she was about to refute it, a silver flash appeared, and Fan Yue landed in front of the barrier.
Hua Hong, who had been about to take a step forward, froze. That fox really had the worst timing—he was practically begging for death.
Fan Yue’s gaze fell on Bai Shuo’s bundle, his eyes turning cold. Snow swirled around them, and Mu Jiu couldn’t help sneezing as he shivered from the icy wind.
“Hall Master, I…” Bai Shuo began, but Fan Yue’s eyes grew even colder, and he seized her by the wrist. With a flash of light, they vanished back to Hao Yue Hall.
Hua Hong dusted off her hands and was about to leave when she heard movement behind her.
Turning, she saw the little fox, bundled in the snow, still digging his hole, shivering from the cold.
Hua Hong took a few steps, waved her Flaming Staff, and pulled Mu Jiu into the barrier, sending him tumbling into a snowdrift.
“A-Huo!” Mu Jiu grinned as he climbed to his feet, quickly following her. “Did you come to get me when you saw I was digging?”
“Shut up.”
A twitch formed on Hua Hong’s forehead as she walked through the snow without looking back, completely missing Mu Jiu’s sly smile.
The racket from Bai Shuo’s collision with the barrier had drawn Fan Yue’s attention, and as the head general of Hao Yue Hall, Tian Huo the Demon Lord, how could she not come to take a look?
These two, the Master and his servant, really were far too easy to fool.
0 Comments