Baili stood beneath a grove of pear trees with a dazed expression, not knowing why his feet felt as though they had taken root, while his entire being stood dazed and muddled on the spot, unwilling to leave.
A delicate and elegant floral fragrance drifted into his nostrils, and a sense of absolute purity permeated his surroundings as that murmuring whisper shifted from illusory to real. Petals fluttered down continuously, landing upon his shoulders and upon the patch of ground where he stood.
“My child, you have finally returned.” A gentle breeze brushed past his cheeks, resembling a mother’s hand softly stroking his face.
Baili’s complexion turned greenish-black as he rapidly formed incantations: “Audacious! What kind of demonic entity are you, why don’t you show your true form?”
He was a human, a cultivator; how dare this demonic entity lure him here, and what did the other party intend to do?
Pear blossoms covered this entire area; perhaps this place was already surrounded by a pear blossom demon. Thinking of this, Baili’s heart sank—surely, Qiongming could not be underestimated. Even on the outer periphery of Qiongming, he could not afford to let down his guard.
How on earth had he come here? Amidst that delicate floral fragrance, Lu Qing had fallen asleep, while he had been lured here by this murmuring whisper.
If she truly was a demon, then all these years in the Lingyao Sect, why had she never been discovered?
The demonic entity had dared to deceive him!
A wave of anger surged within Baili as spiritual power transformed into blades to shatter the surrounding pear blossoms, which fluttered down in a chaotic flurry.
A resentful voice sounded, and immediately afterward, a woman in white materialized from the void, solidifying into reality: “Child, do you no longer want your mother?” She stood upon a pear tree in the distance, maintaining an elegant posture with her hands crossed over her lower abdomen.
Lifting his gaze to look, Baili raised his sword, leaped into the air, and charged toward the pear blossom demon: “Nonsense, cease your wild arrogance!”
Just as the longsword was about to pierce the pear blossom demon’s chest, it was blocked by a burst of force half an inch away. With a wave of the pear blossom demon’s hand, Baili was sent flying backward through the air.
“He actually didn’t tell you anything, and even raised you to become a cultivator.” The pear blossom demon let out a desolate laugh, shifting her form to appear right before Baili: “One hundred and twenty years, Li Heng has never set foot in Qiongming, and I bitterly waited for him here for a full century. Child, why won’t you acknowledge me?”
Baili’s pupils contracted sharply. Li Heng was none other than his master. And it had only been a short while ago that he last communicated with his master via voice transmission.
The pear blossom demon before his eyes possessed formidable demonic power, and he was no match for her.
“Child, my name is Bai Qing.” Bai Qing half-squatted on the ground, a hint of coldness flashing through the depths of her eyes. She raised a hand as if to touch Baili’s face, but Baili turned his head to dodge, leaving her hand suspended stiffly in mid-air.
“What is your name?” With a calm expression, Bai Qing withdrew her hand, her clear eyes staring fixedly at him: “When you arrived here, I sensed the aura upon your body, which shares the exact same origin as mine. How have you been all these years? Has anyone bullied you? Li Heng, he…”
“Get lost!” With wide eyes and a look of terror, Baili stepped back hurriedly: “I am not a demon, I am a human! You’re lying to me, you’re lying to me!”
How could he possibly be a demon? He had grown up in the Lingyao Sect since childhood; it was his master who had taught him how to become a person, and it was his master who had raised him.
Yet… yet if what this pear blossom demon said was false, how could she possibly know his master’s name?
“You’re lying to me!” Turning his head, Baili picked up the longsword from the ground and attacked Bai Qing, only to be easily and lightly evaded by her.
Rustling sounds echoed from all around, the ground split open, and countless vines burst forth from beneath the earth, encircling and constricting from all directions to bind Baili’s limbs, waist, and abdomen.
Bai Qing curved her lips into a smile, a trace of madness surfacing on her face: “He will come to see me, he will definitely come to see me. If he refuses to come see me, you will never be able to leave this place. Now, I’m going to go meet that ‘good senior brother’ of yours.”
With that, Bai Qing strolled leisurely toward Lu Qing’s direction, her posture elegant and her pace steady, as though she were waiting for someone to speak.
Sure enough, flames flared in Baili’s eyes as he gritted his teeth: “He is a mortal, he has nothing to do with this matter! What do you want to know? I’ll tell you.”
Bai Qing paused her steps, transforming her expression upon turning around into one of weeping bitterness as clear tears slipped down her cheeks.
Her expression churned with intense emotion as she laughed and cried simultaneously: “Hahaha… You look very much like him. Tell me, what is your name?”
Averting his gaze, Baili spoke in a cold, rigid voice: “My name is Baili.”
“Baili, Baili… He really did love me after all!” Bai Qing burst into laughter, opening her arms like a madwoman as she paced back and forth across the pear grove.
The wind stirred the pear blossoms to fall, and Baili’s heart sank. Although he refused to admit it aloud in speech, through the pear blossom demon’s explanations and his own given name, he had already caught a glimpse of the twists, turns, love, and bitter hatred woven within.
“How did you and mas… how did he meet?” Trapped in a dilemma, Baili felt awkward addressing him as either master or father.
Bai Qing laughed for a long time before finally stopping, carrying an expression that was simultaneously sweet and heavily burdensome: “One hundred and twenty years ago, not long after I finished taking on human form, I ran into him. He had been framed by others, his meridians shattered inch by inch, and his spiritual root gouged out. He fell into Qiongming, and it was I who saved him.”
Demons adored the spiritual power and spiritual roots of cultivators, yet at that time Li Heng possessed nothing at all, and she had not harmed Li Heng either. She had likely just finished taking on human form and wished to visit the mortal world, which was why she woke Li Heng up to inquire about conditions outside.
Li Heng was a dull and rigid person, yet possessed a heart of ultimate benevolence. She had just taken on human form, cultivated within Qiongming, and had never stained her hands with human lives. Therefore, when she interacted with Li Heng, things were extremely peaceful—there was no slaughter or killing, only moral guidance and personal example.
Every single time, Li Heng would frown and warn her sternly that she must never harm human beings, or else the heavenly dao would not tolerate it, causing her to perish when undergoing heavenly tribulations in the future. Yet she simply scoffed, for the demons deep within Qiongming had hands stained with countless wronged souls, yet suffered no major issues during their tribulations either.
She would always smile without committing to an answer, too lazy to argue with Li Heng. Everyone possessed their own stance, and cultivators naturally harbored murderous intent and vigilance toward demons; a fool like Li Heng only appeared once in several centuries.
Later on, as Li Heng healed from his injuries and they spent days together day after day, nobody knew who had fallen in love first. A single glance, a single gesture, seemed to unfold right under the other’s watchful eyes. The shyness and heart-fluttering palpitations of first discovering romantic love were shattered the very moment their child arrived.
Baili had been born directly in human form. When the heavenly tribulation approached, Li Heng sealed Bai Qing away and fled alone with the child. More than a hundred years had passed, and she knew neither whether her child was still alive nor whether Li Heng still remembered her.
Passing through Qiongming, she had sensed that trace of identically-derived aura, and before she could even act, the Withered-Green Demon had struck first. Perhaps it was decreed by fate that the person who descended was her child.
Having heard the whole story, Baili fell silent, his emotions thoroughly disordered. Discovering his true identity overnight left his path forward shrouded in complete bewilderment.
No wonder his master had always instructed him to wear the Ruyi Ring properly no matter the time or place. The Ruyi Ring concealed one’s aura; it turned out his master had never wanted anyone to discover his identity.
“Although the information you’ve stated matches up, I will not stay behind, nor will I remain in this dark, damp place.” With a cold, rigid voice, Baili stared straight at Bai Qing: “I like the Lingyao Sect, I like the Shifang Realm, and I also like my master, as well as my senior and junior brothers. I will not stay.”
He raised his voice, as if warning himself, and simultaneously warning Bai Qing not to waste her efforts.
Bai Qing let out a sigh. Meeting his gaze, she frowned and said: “Do you know that if your identity is discovered, no one will be able to protect you.”
Baili fell silent. He didn’t know what to do; demons were enslaved and forced to sign life-and-death contracts.
If his identity were found out by others, he might not even be granted the choice of death.
“I know,” he lowered his head and muttered gloomily.
“So Baili is a pear blossom demon?” With a look of astonishment, Lu Qing muttered under his breath upon hearing the system’s prompt.
[Does the host have any thoughts?] the system asked.
Lu Qing yawned and arched an eyebrow: “What plans could I possibly have? Neither Baili nor Bai Qing has harmed me. Didn’t you hear what Bai Qing said? She has never harmed anyone.”
“However…” He glanced toward the scattered pear blossoms on the ground, curiosity stirring in his heart: “Can humans and demons really combine to give birth to a child?”
[Why is your focus so bizarre?] The system sounded somewhat perplexed as it explained: [Demons and humans, demons and demons, humans and demons can all combine. However, because their bloodlines differ, the children born from such unions possess poor aptitude and might even turn into monsters.]
“Is that so?” Lu Qing let out a sigh of admiration, getting up to stretch his limbs: “I wonder if that Elder Li Heng will come to Qiongming; this place feels rather uncomfortable to stay in, and I want to return as soon as possible.”
With accidents happening one after another, joining the Lingyao Sect had been delayed repeatedly, leaving him somewhat lacking in patience.
“Junior Brother! Baili! Where did you go?” Lu Qing searched all around, raising his voice to shout with a hint of fear woven into his tone.
The system didn’t understand his operation, remaining silent for a moment before asking: [Host, what are you doing?]
Lu Qing smiled slightly: “Pear blossoms are so white and pretty; Baili staying here is simply like starlight falling from the firmament. I’m saving him.” If Bai Qing harbored the intention of dragging Baili down with her, there was nothing he could do either.
It was simply rather regrettable regrettable that Baili, this pear tree, was destined to wither prematurely. This world was truly… strange and bizarre.
With withered branches, fallen leaves, and the stench of decay drilling into his nostrils, Lu Qing raised a hand to block his lips and nose with a furrowed brow. He greatly disliked this sort of aura, as decay represented death.
When Baili reappeared, Lu Qing had already collected his emotions, maintaining a blank expression devoid of any further sentiment: “Crying out and shouting in a place like this, do you have a death wish? What if you attract a demonic entity—we’ll both die here!”
“Junior Brother, where did you go?” Lu Qing breathed a sigh of relief, hurrying over to jog up to him: “You weren’t there when I woke up, and I was so scared. What did you go off to do?”
Baili’s body stiffened slightly, allowing Lu Qing to grip his arm tightly as he offered a stiff explanation: “You’re a mortal, so your stomach must be hungry. I wanted to go look for some food.” He led Lu Qing back to sit beside the campfire, his tone filled with regret: “Regrettably, there isn’t even a bird in this place, so I didn’t find any food.”
Patting his arm, Lu Qing sat down beside him, lowering his gaze slightly to murmur softly: “It’s alright, after all it was me who dragged you down.”
Shifting the topic abruptly, he asked: “Inside the Lingyao Sect, what kind of people are there? Are they very formidable? Are they all cultivators of immortality? Are they truly as everyone says, possessing mighty strength and viewing the weak as mere ants?”
Baili knitted his brows, seemingly unfamiliar with the notion that cultivators of immortality were perceived by mortals in such an image: “Who told you these things? That’s sheer nonsense. Cultivators of immortality place great emphasis on cause and effect, and even exterminating demons is reserved for those who have committed heinous crimes; it’s impossible for us to view the weak as mere ants the way you described. If that were truly the case, we wouldn’t establish sects in the mortal world specifically dedicated to handling these matters.”
Lu Qing gathered some more useful information and wore a look of guilt: “Apologies, earlier today on the flying boat, someone shoved another person to die in their place. I assumed all cultivators of immortality were such dark-hearted individuals.”
“Who was it?” Anger surged within Baili’s chest: “Such a person is completely unworthy of cultivation! If one were to entrust their back to someone like that, wouldn’t they simply become a stepping stone for him?”
He never expected that among this group of people, there would actually be someone of such degraded character. If that person were allowed to achieve success in cultivation one day, wouldn’t it result in devastating destruction to all living beings?
Pondering carefully with a troubled expression, Lu Qing said: “Apologies, the situation was extremely critical at the time, and I didn’t pay too close attention. But that person looked rather unlikable.”
Since Baili had interacted with everyone, at Lu Qing’s prompt, a single individual immediately floated into his mind. After all, people with good aptitude were scarce; adding them all up to a hundred people yielded a total of only five.
A cold chuckle escaped him as disgust flashed through his eyes: “So it was Li Feng.”
Averting his gaze from Baili’s face, Lu Qing looked toward the distance. A white dot upon the gloomy, dark firmament stood out exceptionally clearly.
Blinking his eyes, he stared fixedly at the white dot in the sky: “What is that? Why is it so bright?”
“What?” Lifting his head to look, Baili saw that the point of light was eye-catching against the dark sky and very easy to spot. Frowning as he stared at it for a long while, he shook his head: “I don’t know.”
He, too, felt puzzled internally how could there be a point of light in the sky, and why was that point of light growing brighter and turning into a mass?
Wait, growing brighter and brighter?
“Hurry and leave this place!” Baili’s expression shifted drastically as he sprang to his feet, grabbing Lu Qing’s hand and running.
Lu Qing was yanked along clumsily, almost dragged right off his feet by the other person.
No matter how fast their speed was, it couldn’t match the descent speed of the ball of light. With a thunderous boom, a lightning bolt struck flat ground, sending ears ringing and leaving the field of vision pure white when it exploded.
Two figures dressed in cyan Taoist robes stood upon the firmament above, their expressions icy cold as they gazed down from on high.
A deep voice rang out, stirring a massive uproar across Qiongming: “Audacious pear blossom demon, how dare you abduct a disciple of the Lingyao Sect! Today I shall act on behalf of the heavens and execute you right here.”
With those words spoken, the two dropped straight downward, riding upon a gentle breeze carrying a murderous chill.
The wind stirred the pear blossoms to rise, and a single white figure suspended herself in mid-air. Surrounded by dancing pear blossoms, Bai Qing wore an icy expression: “Li Heng, you actually want to kill me.”
Pear blossoms danced, vines wound upward, and murderous intent arose.
Consumed by fierce anger, hatred born from evil took root within Bai Qing as her tone turned glacial: “Li Heng, today I shall kill you, this ungrateful wretch!”