Hua Hong turned away, leaving behind a lonely silhouette under the moonlight.
Outside the hall, beneath the trees, a shadow flickered ghostlike, concealed behind the branches, then vanished without a sound.
As soon as Hua Hong pushed open the door, a red invitation envelope came flying straight at their face.
“Hua Da Tie! Move!”
Bai Shuo grabbed Hua Hong’s wrist and tried to drag them away, but Hua Hong firmly planted their foot, refusing to budge.
“Little Immortal Bai, what’s the rush this early in the morning?”
A large, red wedding invitation, edged in gold, was thrust in front of Hua Hong’s face:
“The Fox King has sent out a marriage announcement in the demon realm—three days from now, you’re to marry the little fox!”
Hua Hong paused, then casually curled their lips into a smirk, saying lazily:
“The Fox Clan sure moves fast when it comes to matchmaking.”
“You’re still in the mood to joke? This is your lifelong commitment!”
“Marriage, just marriage.” Hua Hong patted the fluffed-up fur on their forehead [likely referring to a transformation or a demonic feature], looking completely unconcerned. “What’s the big deal?”
Seeing Hua Hong’s utterly indifferent expression, Bai Shuo fumed:
“You’re seriously going to marry that little vixen just because of some random matchmaker’s arrangement? Do you not realize that you’re being handed over for nothing? The one who needs protection is you, not them!”
Hua Hong rarely showed a serious expression, but now they looked at Bai Shuo and said,
“Little Immortal Bai, in Hao Yue Hall, nothing—no event, no person—is more important than the Hall Master's life.”
Bai Shuo fell silent, lowered his head, and muttered in a hushed voice,
“I understand.”
Bai Shuo turned to leave. Hua Hong watched his small, lonely figure disappear and let out a deep sigh.
By noon, Bai Shuo, carrying a small bundle, found a young man basking in the sunlight on the back mountain.
“Long Er, I need your help.”
“Not close enough, strangers keep away!” Upon seeing Bai Shuo, Long Er reacted as if he had seen a ghost. He turned to run but was immediately yanked back by the ear.
“You can’t just get through life by always looking for the easy way out. Stop fooling around—knowing when to adapt and endure hardship is a true survival skill!” Long Er grumbled, rubbing his sore ear.
“Still babbling nonsense.” Bai Shuo pinched his temples in frustration. “Cut the chatter—do you want to leave this place or not?”
“You have a plan?” Long Er’s head whipped around, his expression instantly sharpening. Then, he chuckled and said,
“Young master Bai, the other side of the mountain is the Demi-God Boundary. Do you really think you can handle that? Yet here you are, still playing the role of a worried little maiden.”
“That trick won’t work on me.” Bai Shuo’s voice remained calm, his tone indifferent. “Are you coming or not?”
“Fine, fine, let’s go.” Long Er threw an arm around Bai Shuo’s shoulders, sighing dramatically.
“Not bad, not bad! We've survived life and death together, yet even when fleeing from disaster, you still remember to drag me along.”
Bai Shuo ignored Long Er’s antics and started walking away. Long Er immediately followed after him.
Two figures moved deeper into the snowstorm. Long Er glanced back at the distant palace and, with an expression of growing admiration, exclaimed,
“Little Immortal Bai, just what kind of trick did you use to break through the Demi-God Boundary of Fan Yue?”
Bai Shuo’s steps faltered slightly. Moonlight shone on the lotus pendant at their waist. Their last act before their little disciple disappeared had been signing a divine contract with Fan Yue. But the boundary of Fan Yue—how could it ever hold them back? That day, when they had crashed into the barrier, it wasn’t that… it wasn’t that they couldn't leave.
Bai Shuo said nothing and simply continued forward, quickly vanishing into the snowy wind.
Hao Yue Hall had been eerily quiet that day—so quiet that not a single explosion from the alchemy furnaces was heard. Hua Hong had thought the Little Immortal Bai was sulking again, so they didn’t take it seriously.
The next day, however, realizing something was wrong, Hua Hong turned the entire northern border upside down looking for them. But by then, Bai Shuo and the half-crippled Demi-God Fan Yue were nowhere to be found.
Bai Shuo was like the supreme ruler of this era. There were few in both the immortal and demon realms who could even wound them. For now, they weren’t worried. But Fan Yue was one of the Eight Bitter Beasts—if it fell into Zhen Yu’s hands, the consequences would be disastrous!
Hua Hong hurried to report this matter to Fan Yue, only to find them draping a cloak over the young girl called A-Yue. Worried that this was an inappropriate moment, Hua Hong hesitated, but before they could speak, Fan Yue’s slightly cold voice cut them off.
“The ones you long for… are unnecessary. The Fox Clan’s wedding invitation has arrived. I leave today—I'm heading to Jingyou Mountain for seclusion.”
“You’re leaving?” A-Yue grasped Fan Yue’s sleeve, her eyes filled with hesitation and reluctance.
“We’ll go together.” Fan Yue gently patted the young girl’s hand. A-Yue froze for a moment, then smiled.
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