Clinging to the female lead’s waist while atop Song Shenshi’s flying sword, Lu Xiangyu felt as though her skin was about to be blown off by the wind.
By the time the group reached Bishui Peak, Lu Xiangyu looked no different than someone who had been slapped ten thousand times. She hunched over, leaning against a pine tree and panting heavily, her vision swimming with dizziness.
When she finally regained her senses, only Song Shenshi remained by her side. Standing at the edge of the cliff, Song Shenshi’s elegant silhouette, clad in green robes with raven hair, blended perfectly into the breathtaking scenery before them.
Senior Brother Li was gone.
Lu Xiangyu looked around but couldn’t find Li Wenran. Noticing her searching gaze, Song Shenshi said, “That Senior Brother Li has already departed. This is, after all, my Wuhua Villa; it is not suitable for him to linger here.”
“Oh… Senior Brother Li is actually a pretty good person.” As a professional “wingman,” Lu Xiangyu didn’t forget to put in a good word for Li Wenran.
The female lead, however, let out a cold snort. “Being a ‘good person’ is the only merit he has.”
“…” Lu Xiangyu froze. She had never seen such a biting side of the female lead—at least, she wasn’t supposed to show it! The female lead was going OOC (Out of Character)!
Boohoo… Poor Senior Brother Li. What did I do wrong? What did Senior Brother Li do wrong?
Lu Xiangyu felt utterly dejected.
Song Shenshi didn’t seem interested in chatting further. Since there was no one else around, she didn’t feel the need to maintain her friendly facade. She began walking away, pulling a roasted flatbread from her spatial bag and tossing it to Lu Xiangyu.
Lu Xiangyu felt a bit like a pet following its master, but she caught the bread anyway—best to recharge her energy first.
Still, she really hoped the female lead would get a new storage bag. So tragic.
Chewing on the flatbread, she watched Song Shenshi’s leisurely retreating back.
“Come, I’ll take you to see my Master.”
“Cough!” Lu Xiangyu choked on her bread.
At the Courtyard Atop Bishui Peak
Lu Xiangyu clung to the pine tree by the entrance for dear life. No matter how much it hurt as her nails dug into the bark, she refused to let go.
“Master has a bad temper, but he is still an Elder of Bishui Peak,” Song Shenshi said with a frown. “Besides, I violated sect rules by bringing you in; you cannot avoid passing Master’s inspection.” She grabbed Lu Xiangyu by the back of her collar.
“You… go… by… yourself… is fine…” Lu Xiangyu squeezed out an answer, her face scrunched up like a steamed bun.
She couldn’t exactly tell the female lead that the Master possessed a magical treasure called the Spirit-Sensing Mirror. It could detect abnormal auras within a small radius. While there were often strange auras within the Haiqian Sect due to other undercover demonic cultivators, a “fine young sprout” like Lu Xiangyu couldn’t afford to get caught just yet!
Song Shenshi gave the collar a few light tugs but failed to pry Lu Xiangyu off the tree. She eventually gave up.
Sighing, she said, “Then wait here. Do not wander around. There are other formations on the peak; stay exactly where you are.”
“Oh…” Lu Xiangyu muttered.
As she committed to her lifelong union with the pine tree, the female lead stepped into Elder Xiao’s courtyard.
“…” So boring.
It wasn’t long before Lu Xiangyu felt the loneliness creep in.
She looked at the sky, looked at the ground, and watched the beautiful sunset. Because of the Haiqian Sect’s mountain-protecting array, the days were long and the nights short. Though it was still quite bright, Lu Xiangyu was already yawning uncontrollably.
She shook her head vigorously.
“Mustn’t let my guard down. Watch out for stray arrows.” Lu Xiangyu crouched down into the shadow of the pine tree.
I need to do something to stay awake…
Patting her cheeks, she picked up a twig from the fallen leaves and drew a somewhat lopsided circle on the ground.
“…Lu Xiangyu, how much of your memory is actually left?”
“…”
“Master, your disciple requests an audience.” Song Shenshi stood in the courtyard before a door, bowing deeply with her hands clasped.
A sharp, gusty wind swept past. Song Shenshi remained motionless; even as her hair fluttered in the breeze, she didn’t look the least bit disheveled.
The door before her swung open, revealing the dim interior of the room.
“Dispense with these useless formalities.” Xiao Yu sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, meditating. His stern, middle-aged face slowly revealed wolf-like eyes, his sharp gaze locking onto Song Shenshi.
Song Shenshi remained silent, entering the room and performing another bow.
Xiao Yu scrutinized her for a long time. When Song Shenshi looked up, she saw her normally humorless Master suddenly break into a hideous, predatory grin.
“Hahahaha… Good! My good disciple!” Xiao Yu laughed uproariously. “How did it feel to storm into the Demon Realm alone? To prevent your immortal essence from leaking, you chose to release it all at once within the Demon Realm! Hahahaha!”
Song Shenshi allowed a smile to touch her lips. Her Master had seen through it instantly.
“It’s as if the Demon Realm itself is merely something in my disciple’s pocket. Let those demons tremble before your power! My disciple takes what she wants and kills whom she pleases! Those villains, those demonic cultivators—they were born to regret ever being demons!”
“Master flutters me,” Song Shenshi replied with rare modesty.
Xiao Yu clutched the twitching corner of his mouth; it seemed he hadn’t laughed in centuries, and his face was cramping from the effort.
“…Indeed. Disciple, you must not become overconfident.” A gray light flickered in Xiao Yu’s eyes as he used the Spirit-Sensing Mirror to probe Song Shenshi’s current state.
“Not bad, Disciple. Though that Canon of Secret Peering was a fragment, since you cracked it and used its secret methods to enter the Sui Mountain Hidden Realm… Rumor has it that the realm is like a paradise where a single day equates to months in the mortal world. The world only knows that you forged an Immortal Body in ten-odd days, but they do not know how many years you actually spent in that hidden realm… Regardless, your current achievements stem from this. How do you feel now?”
“…” Song Shenshi frowned for a moment before answering honestly, “Initially, when I used Immortal Stones to temper my body, I felt an excess of spiritual energy. I feel much better now; I no longer have such a strong urge to kill.”
“Hahahaha!” Hearing this, Xiao Yu slapped his thigh heavily, laughing like a demonic cultivator. “Those demons are truly unlucky!”
“Yes.” Song Shenshi lowered her head.
Xiao Yu’s expression turned solemn. “Since the Immortal Body is complete, you may recuperate within the sect for a few days. Once your form is stable, you shall go seek the Immortal Bone. I believe that with your strength, even the mightiest True Dragon in the world would be nothing more than a stepping stone on your path to immortality, even if you had to strip its tendons and break its bones.”
He suddenly remembered something.
“Disciple, to ensure this went smoothly, I specifically assigned you the mission to investigate the Blue Wolf Array. That person who went with you… he is…”
Song Shenshi answered truthfully, “Bai Xun is still in that hidden realm.”
Xiao Yu nodded. “Since you have abandoned him, there is no need to worry. I will personally explain things to Sect Leader Bai.”
“Thank you, Master.” Song Shenshi frowned slightly. “Master, I… still have one matter to attend to.”
At that moment, Xiao Yu’s eyes sharpened, turning into those of a wolf king waiting for the hunt.
“Are you referring to that outer-sect disciple outside the door?”
“Yes. She is the Junior Sister I brought back to the sect…”
“Hmph!” Xiao Yu let out a cold snort, turning his head away from Song Shenshi and slapping his left thigh hard.
He was furious that Song Shenshi could abandon the Sect Leader’s disciple without a second thought, yet showed such deep concern for a woman of unknown origin outside his door.
“…” Song Shenshi remained silent.
Her Master was very much like Elder Lou; though they looked different, both were founding Elders of the Haiqian Sect. However, her Master had successfully cultivated both an Immortal Body and an Immortal Bone. He had once been a dominant force in the cultivation world, and his sword had provided much protection during the sect’s early days. Perhaps it was because of his deep attachment to the sect that he had not chosen that path.
Song Shenshi closed her eyes. “Master, your unworthy disciple did not do this intentionally…”
“Song Shenshi, you really are something!” Xiao Yu pointed at her, trembling with rage. “You would do this for that woman? For that—”
“…” Her Master had never been this enraged. Before coming here, Song Shenshi had harbored a sliver of hope that she could deceive him just as she had Elder Lou. But now, within her chest, that heart forged of stone was thumping uncontrollably. She could actually sense a trace of fear.
…As well as a persistence she could not abandon.
【Please, let us go…】
Those people had knelt on the ground, praying.
Humans are like duckweed, and so are demons, she thought.
Thump, thump…
“Your disciple…” Song Shenshi swept aside her Daoist robes and knelt straight-backed upon the freezing Precept Wood. “…finds it difficult to obey.”
She did not dare look at her Master again.
Xiao Yu was driven to the brink of madness. He stood up from his prayer mat and began pacing in erratic circles. He alternated between pointing at his rebellious disciple and looking toward the outer courtyard. Beyond the darkening window frames, there seemed to be something that terrified this hundred-year-old half-immortal to his core.
“Are you not afraid? Those supreme beings… they could destroy us both in an instant, let alone that demonic cultivator!” Xiao Yu spread his arms wide in an exaggerated gesture. Even Song Shenshi, kneeling in penance, noticed it—a ghostly wind was howling into the room from outside.
Demonic cultivator.
Those words seemed to trigger a switch.
In an instant—the world underwent a cataclysmic change. Clouds shifted and scattered in terror; even the brilliant sun seemed to dissolve into nothingness under the weight of this power.
Song Shenshi narrowed her eyes, her gentle and beautiful face framed by stray strands of hair whipped by the wind. She looked up at the sky. A terrifying power was surging from a distant, alternate world.
She remained kneeling, gazing at the source of that horrific power, yet her heart slowly began to calm.
She whispered softly, needing the entire world to hear her clearly:
“My immortal soul shall rise because of her.”
“…What am I supposed to do…”
Outside, Lu Xiangyu was doodling circles in the dirt when a sudden chill wind rushed into her clothes. She fell back onto her buttocks in fright, her skin breaking out in goosebumps.
She saw the sky turn dark with impossible speed, moving like a film on fast-forward. In the blink of an eye, the world flickered between light and shadow. Her backside still stung from the fall.
“What’s going on?” Lu Xiangyu blinked her eyes in confusion, her round face looking innocent and bewildered. “The Immortal Ancestors… are watching this place.”
But why?