Fang Jixue didn’t press further. He stepped out of the Hall of Law Enforcement, paused briefly at the foot of the stairs, and quickly pieced together all the anomalies of the night. In an instant, he pivoted and strode toward the courtyard where Brahma Heaven Palace was resting.
She had been here!
Even if it was just a wisp of a remnant soul clinging to a peachwood charm, he could sense it—it must have been her!
Before Fang Jixue could enter the courtyard, Feng Xi, with his bristling mane and round, pudgy form, stood blocking the gate, his single eye glaring and snorting through his nose.
“I wish to see A Liang.”
Fang Jixue disdained to argue with a pig. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back before the moon gate.
Wen Shubai drifted down gracefully from a tree. “Female disciples of Brahma Heaven Palace do not receive male visitors late at night. Sect Leader Fang, please return.”
Without another word, Fang Jixue remained motionless, but his spiritual sense swept swiftly across the entire courtyard.
Before he could locate Chu Weiliang’s traces, an overwhelming sword intent sliced through the air, forcing him to withdraw his probing senses abruptly.
It was the first true confrontation between two masters at the peak of cultivation, yet the pig caught between them remained blissfully unaware, its expression foolishly innocent.
Fang Jixue’s hair stirred slightly. “Her reappearance today is undoubtedly linked to the incident at the Demon Suppression Tower. If she avoids facing this, she will inevitably be suspected of fleeing to escape guilt when the matter is investigated later.”
His inner demon stirred repeatedly, aggravating his injuries, leaving him unable to contend with Wen Shubai’s pure sword intent.
However, that brief sweep had already confirmed that A Liang was not in this courtyard.
Wen Shubai replied displeased, “Escape? She’s just out having fun. Even if she did flee, I alone will take responsibility. Brahma Heaven Palace has always protected its own, unlike Thousand Machines Sect, which so readily executes its disciples.”
But despite his words, his brow furrowed slightly.
Why hasn’t that little liar returned yet?
Where has she run off to now, flirting around?
He then called out clearly, “Mian’er, wake up. Your mother is missing. Let’s go look for her.”
Fang Jixue: “…”
Within Thousand Machines Sect, a lotus pond.
The wind rustled the lotus leaves, creating rippling waves under the moonlight, the surface shimmering with undulating light.
Once the patrolling Yu Yaonu had moved away, two heads emerged from the center of the pond, rustling the lotus leaves.
Chu Weiliang, drenched and dripping, was held with one hand gripping her neck and the other covering her mouth.
The man behind her had long, flowing blue hair drifting in the water, his magnificent blue fish tail shimmering with scales like a blooming dark blue peony, swaying beneath the surface.
“Liar!”
He hissed venomously into her ear.
Chu Weiliang: ???
Why did everyone call her a liar?
She pried the icy hand from her mouth and turned her head.
A face with enchanting features, ambiguously androgynous, met her gaze.
Earlier, while handling some minor matters by the water’s edge, she had been vigilant against threats on land but was caught off guard by a fish emerging from the water to abduct her.
“Who are you? Don’t you know Thousand Machines Sect is a place for slaying demons and subduing monsters?”
“The ones slain and subdued are merely minor demons and petty monsters.” The Fish Demon stared at her with captivating, alluring eyes, as if harboring deep hatred.
Chu Weiliang raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I see. You’re one who escaped from the tower in the chaos earlier!”
The Fish Demon curled his cold, elegant lips. “Thanks to you.”
He dragged her, pulling her ashore.
His massive fish tail transformed into the wide hem of a robe the moment it touched the ground, swirling like a blossoming flower as he turned.
“Come with me.”
The Fish Demon’s hand remained firmly around Chu Weiliang’s neck, the pressure perfectly measured—neither enough to strangle her nor allow her to slip away.
Not only was his cultivation profound, but his demonic power concealed a terrifying Demonic Power, as if he could descend into madness at any moment.
And Chu Weiliang’s current cultivation was only ten to twenty percent of what it once had been. Faced with a Monster of this level, direct confrontation was no match at all, so she could only obediently follow along.
“Hey, fish, where are you dragging me off to like this?”
“I have a name.” The Fish Demon was enchantingly beautiful yet cold as an iceberg.
“But if you don’t tell me, how am I supposed to know what your name is…?”
“…” The Fish Demon stopped walking and glared at her.
Clearly, he had no intention of telling her his name.
He paused for a moment, then suddenly said, “Guess.”
Chu Weiliang: “…”
In her previous life, the Monster enemies she had provoked numbered in the thousands if not tens of thousands—too many to count. How was she supposed to guess?
What kind of game was he playing?
“Hey, pretty big fish, could you give me a hint? I remember I wasn’t particularly fond of eating fish before!”
“Hmm? You don’t like fish???” The Fish Demon stopped again, his glare as if he wanted to strangle a heartless scoundrel.
Chu Weiliang was even more confused.
She was certain she hadn’t provoked any fish in her previous life.
She didn’t like fish.
They were cold, slippery, and always dripping wet.
She only liked fluffy creatures.
“Well… it’s not that I don’t like them… it’s just… hey, could you please stop gripping my neck?”
“Afraid you’ll run away.” The fish said coldly, with a mix of resentment and melancholy.
His voice was somewhat hoarse, as if he had endured immense suffering.
Still, he released his grip.
Chu Weiliang could finally walk without being choked, and she took a proper breath.
“See, isn’t it better to talk like this? Such a beautiful fish, why be so fierce?”
The fish seemed somewhat satisfied with this remark.
“Not like you could escape anyway.”
“Why are you capturing me?”
“Guess.”
“…”
Chu Weiliang was exasperated and had to try a different approach.
“Hey, big fish, my Master is the current Sword Sovereign Wen Shubai, and he dotes on me dearly. If he finds out someone has taken his precious disciple, he’ll turn the entire Northern Xuan upside down to rescue me!”
“Wen Shubai? Never heard of him.”
The fish formed a transparent invisibility barrier from water mist and led her past the Thousand Machines Sect guards, heading outward.
“But you said the same thing back then. And what happened afterward?”
Chu Weiliang was taken aback, “Just who are you?”
Fish: “Guess.”
“…”
Chu Weiliang was taken by the Fish Demon from the inner courtyard of the Thousand Machines Sect in Yue City to a deep pool beneath a waterfall outside the city, and no one noticed along the way.
She estimated that this fish before her had at least a thousand years of cultivation, and his aura was extremely complex, far more unpredictable than ordinary Monsters.
All demons in the world, regardless of their cultivation path, are divided into nine tiers, with the highest being called Emperor. Because they do not follow the righteous path and cannot ascend, their suppressed cultivation over time often makes them more troublesome to deal with than the great demons of the Demon Realm.
Could this fish be an Emperor-level great demon?
The fish glared at her, “Guess my name. If you guess right, I’ll let you go back.”
“And if I guess wrong?” Chu Weiliang blinked.
The corner of the fish’s mouth lifted, and a length of gold and red intertwined rope appeared in his hand out of nowhere as he began to tie her up.
Chu Weiliang sensed danger, “Hey, what are you doing? Don’t do anything reckless! Hey…! Gurgle gurgle…”
The rope in the fish’s hand was of unknown length—it bound her, tied a large stone to her feet, bound her hands, and then tossed her into the deep pool.
Chu Weiliang’s current body was made of wood, so she wasn’t afraid of water, but what was the point of being toyed with like this?
“Hey, you fish, what exactly are you trying to do? Glug glug glug…”
The fish tugged the rope and pulled her out of the water: “I already told you, guess my name. If you guess right, I’ll pull you up. If you guess wrong, you stay soaking in the water. Soak for a thousand years, and you might just turn into Agarwood.”
“Zhang, Wang, Li, Zhao.”
“Wrong.”
Glug glug…
Pulled up again.
“Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li!”
The fish’s slender fingers released, and Chu Weiliang went glug glug again…
“There are so many names in the Hundred Family Surnames, how am I supposed to know what you’re called! Glug glug…”
She got angry and gave up.
“You stinky salted fish, a scholar would rather die than be humiliated! Just keep soaking me then! When my Master comes looking, he’ll chop you into fish paste! Glug glug…”
The fish watched with amusement, letting her curse as he pulled her up and down dozens of times. Suddenly, he noticed the person on the other end of the rope had stopped cursing and struggling.
His expression shifted slightly.
Had he played her to death?