How can a person on the path of immortality act so underhandedly?
Secretly recording events behind someone’s back and reporting them—this was behavior that Xu Qing, no matter what, could not accept.
Xu Qing, who had been following in secret and had even transformed into a little fox to nap on Bai Muyao’s shoulder, thought as much. Therefore, she decided to let Bai Muyao know exactly what was being done.
Bai Muyao stared at the white papers in her hand; every single page featured her own image.
Seeing Bai Muyao flipping through the pages, Shi Hua immediately panicked. “No, no, no! It’s not what you think!”
Seeing her own likeness on every sheet, Bai Muyao felt a surge of flustered confusion. “Sister Shi… what is the meaning of this?”
Shi Hua lunged forward to snatch the papers back. “I… I didn’t…”
The atmosphere became incredibly awkward. The situation had unfolded so suddenly that Shi Hua didn’t know how to explain herself. She took a deep breath and lifted her chin arrogantly. “Fine, since you’ve discovered it, I have nothing left to hide.”
“You’re the person who has been in contact with Senior Sister Xu Qing all these years, aren’t you!”
The little fox listened from the side, thinking that, as expected, Shi Hua had indeed perceived these things. Although her interactions with Bai Muyao had always been very discreet, if someone was constantly watching, it was difficult to completely hide Bai Muyao’s existence.
The little fox looked toward Bai Muyao, thinking it wouldn’t matter even if she confessed now. She didn’t mind!
However, Bai Muyao said in a low voice, “Please do not make baseless assumptions, Sister Shi. I have no idea what you are talking about!”
At these words, Shi Hua and the little fox both frowned simultaneously.
Shi Hua sneered. “Stop trying to deny it. That day, I saw with my own eyes as Senior Sister Xu Qing carried you away!”
The little fox nodded in agreement. Wait, why was she nodding?
Bai Muyao remained firm in her reply. “Sister Shi, you saw wrong.”
Shi Hua hadn’t expected Bai Muyao to deny it even now. “How could I have seen wrong? Are you doubting me?” She tried to put pressure on Bai Muyao.
Bai Muyao shook her head. “It’s not doubt, but… Sister Shi, you are actually in love with Senior Sister Xu Qing, aren’t you?”
This question directly silenced Shi Hua. Although she had publicly expressed her affection for Xu Qing many times, she was rarely asked so directly.
“S-so what!” Shi Hua pouted.
Bai Muyao said solemnly, “Senior Sister Xu Qing and I have no relationship. I only wish to tell you that.”
Shi Hua froze. “You…”
Bai Muyao continued: “No matter how you ask, Sister, that will be my answer.”
Her meaning was more than clear. Even if Shi Hua had seen it with her own eyes, Bai Muyao would never admit to a single thing.
Shi Hua understood her meaning, grit her teeth, and said nothing more.
Meanwhile, the little fox unhappily scratched at a stone with her claws, leaving behind a series of deep gashes. No relationship, huh…
Xu Qing understood in her heart why Bai Muyao would answer that way. They had a long-standing agreement never to expose their relationship. Now, Bai Muyao was simply honoring that pact. But even so…
As Bai Muyao was about to say goodbye, Shi Hua spoke again. “Don’t you want to know why I drew those pictures of you?”
Bai Muyao asked respectfully, “Please, tell me.”
Shi Hua frowned and said, “Since you have no relationship with Senior Sister Xu Qing, then you shouldn’t mind if I draw you with other people, right?”
As she spoke, she pulled out two more pages from her pocket. One depicted Bai Muyao shaking hands with Zhuang Youbai, and the other showed Shi Shuyan caring for her.
Shi Hua said provocatively, “I’ll show these drawings to Senior Sister Xu Qing. You don’t have any objections, do you?”
The little fox stared intently at Bai Muyao. Would she mind? For example, Bai Muyao was about to go and consult with Shi Shuyan. If Shi Hua really did that, would she refuse to see Shi Shuyan?
The little fox frowned, not understanding why she cared so much about this question.
In the next moment, Bai Muyao said, “I would mind.”
The little fox raised her eyebrows, and the claws scratching the stone involuntarily stopped.
Shi Hua laughed triumphantly. “I knew it! And you still say there’s no relationship!”
Bai Muyao responded calmly, “I indeed have no relationship with Senior Sister Xu Qing, but if my personal affairs are reported to an unrelated person, anyone would mind.”
The little fox crushed the stone into powder. So that’s why she minds!
“Hehe, still being stubborn, I see!” Shi Hua said unhappily. “Regardless, I’m still going to do it!”
Bai Muyao sighed lightly. “I know. Your cultivation is much higher than mine, Sister Shi, and I have no power to stop you.”
Shi Hua snapped, “Good that you know!”
Bai Muyao bowed slightly. “Then I shall take my leave. Senior Shi is waiting for me.”
With that, under the watchful eyes of both the little fox and Shi Hua, she walked further and further away.
Shi Hua stomped her feet in anger. “That person! How did Senior Sister Xu Qing ever put up with that personality of hers!”
She simply couldn’t believe it. Bai Muyao hadn’t gotten angry, nor had she tried to stop her from doing those things. Shi Hua had imagined her behavior might be exposed, but she never expected Bai Muyao to handle it with such indifference. It was as if she didn’t care at all!
Shi Hua began to doubt if what she had seen that day was real. Was the person Xu Qing carried away really Bai Muyao? But she had seen it so clearly—how could she be wrong?
She glanced at the little fox beside her and saw that it also appeared displeased. “It’s all your fault!” Shi Hua vented her anger on the fox, pointing at it. “How could you just…?”
The little fox had no interest in listening to her nag and turned to run off in a flash. Shi Hua was left alone to fume in place.
The little fox returned to the tent area. There, she saw that Bai Muyao had already met up with Shi Shuyan; the two were sitting together, talking quite congenially.
Shi Shuyan had spread a scroll across the table, patiently explaining the common monster beasts of the mountain range to Bai Muyao. Bai Muyao listened intently, asking questions from time to time, which Shi Shuyan answered with patience.
According to the system’s hints, the fragment was hidden in a certain cave in this mountain range. The team was expected to arrive there on the third day. Bai Muyao had to give it her all to defeat the monsters and obtain the fragment. She couldn’t afford any laziness!
The only thing slightly distracting her was the little fox sitting beside her, silently watching.
The little fox sat between them, her eyes fixed on the scroll on the table. The monsters depicted on the scroll were all too familiar to the fox. During the demon invasions, these monsters had surged forward like a tide. If Bai Muyao wanted, she could have taught her!
Unfortunately, she was currently just a small fox and could not speak. Looking at Bai Muyao’s focused expression, Xu Qing wondered why she had never thought to teach her before.
In the past, whenever they met, it was only for the act of dual cultivation. Bai Muyao had always appeared dazed. She had never seen such a serious Bai Muyao. In the future, if there is a chance, I should teach Bai Muyao a few things as well.
Shi Shuyan said, “I’ve finished explaining everything I need to. You can keep this scroll.”
Bai Muyao thanked her. “Thank you, Senior Shi.”
Shi Shuyan hesitated for a moment before adding, “Can you show me your magic again? I’m curious.”
Bai Muyao was startled. “What does Senior mean?”
Shi Shuyan explained, “You have a water spiritual root, but your spells are mixed with flames. I’ve never seen anything like it, so I was curious.”
Understanding, Bai Muyao opened her palm and gathered her spiritual power. A ball of clear water emerged, and soon, blue flames began to dance upon the surface of the water.
Shi Shuyan’s eyes flashed with wonder. “Truly miraculous. You don’t have dual water and fire roots, yet you can generate flames. It’s quite baffling.”
Bai Muyao didn’t know how to explain it either. She hadn’t always been this way, but as her cultivation grew daily, she gradually noticed an abnormality within her body. It was only during a recent spellcasting session that she discovered her magic was tinged with threads of fire.
Xu Qing also stared at the blue flames; in truth, she had only learned of this today. This was a situation even she had never seen before.
Seeing this, Shi Shuyan didn’t press further. “The world of cultivation is vast, and there are no wonders too great. Well then, I’m heading back to rest.”
Bai Muyao respectfully thanked her and said goodbye.
It was late, and Bai Muyao prepared to sleep as well. She took her tent out of her storage ring and crawled inside. She looked back and saw the little fox still standing outside. Should I invite her in? Bai Muyao thought awkwardly.
While she was hesitating, a woman walked over. It was Ji Rao the one who had lost her Spirit Pearl and later tried to claim the little fox as a pet.
Ji Rao greeted her with a smile. “Hello there, Fellow Daoist Bai.”
Bai Muyao stepped out of the tent. “Senior Ji, good evening. Is there something I can help you with?”
Ji Rao glanced at the little fox and asked, “Have you claimed it as a spirit pet?”
Bai Muyao replied, “This… Senior Ji, I haven’t thought of doing such a thing.”
Hearing this, Ji Rao pulled a handful of spirit stones from her storage ring. “Here are a thousand spirit stones not a small amount. I feel quite a connection with this little fox. How about you hand it over to me?”
A thousand spirit stones? That was indeed no small sum; Bai Muyao would have to complete several sect missions to save up that much. But she still shook her head firmly. “Senior Ji, please take back your stones. This is not for me to decide.”
Ji Rao became somewhat impatient. “You won’t claim it, and you won’t let me claim it. Now I offer you spirit stones and you still refuse. What exactly do you want?”
“This…” Bai Muyao was at a loss for words. In truth, she had no real relationship with the fox. It was just that the fox was following her, and since it had saved her, she had been bringing it along.
Bai Muyao tried to explain this to Ji Rao, but the woman was clearly dissatisfied. “I get it now,” Ji Rao said. “We can’t force the little thing, right?”
Bai Muyao nodded.
Ji Rao said, “Fine. I’ll make this little thing like me, then I’ll claim it as my pet. That should be okay, right?”
Bai Muyao said, “If Senior is willing, then I have no reason to stop you.”
Ji Rao took a meat bun from her storage ring and said to the little fox with a smile, “Little one, want to eat?” She had seen the fox eat Bai Muyao’s meat bun before and assumed it must love them.
However, the little fox ignored her completely. She jumped directly onto Bai Muyao’s shoulder and nuzzled her furry cheek against Bai Muyao’s face.