025 A Bow Tie.
The four accessories were playing rock-paper-scissors.
But since Tang Shaoling always cheated, they had already escalated from best-of-three to best-of-eleven. If they hadn’t heard the words “dinner’s ready,” the four of them would probably have been playing rock-paper-scissors in the courtyard all night.
Tonight, a lone moon hung high in the sky. On the hillside stood a courtyard filled with the warmth of life, where three young men and two young women were seated.
They lit a bonfire in the yard, took cured meat from the eaves, ransacked the vegetable garden for fruits and greens, and dug out the famous delicacy Mount Lingluo Cake from a chest. As they chatted and enjoyed their barbecue, the atmosphere was harmonious and cozy.
Of course, one had to ignore the Array Cultivator tied up like an earthworm, wriggling nearby.
The Array Cultivator was so angry his eyes turned red. He raged helplessly, “Why? Why did my arrays have no effect on you? That terrifying girl aside, how did all the rest of you see through the flaws?”
The terrifying girl, Nan Yao, said, “If you keep insulting me, I’ll have Xie Diao cut out your tongue!”
The accessories fell silent for a moment.
Did you really think ordering Xie Diao to cut out his tongue instead of doing it yourself would make you seem less like a villain?
Tang Shaoling, holding a grilled sausage and standing with his arms akimbo in front of the Array Cultivator, said arrogantly, “Did you really think this young master couldn’t see through anything? We stayed by the Soul-Igniting Lanterns for so long, and those dead souls were all gentle in nature. These spirits are innocent people who died unjustly here. They were waiting for us to light the soul lanterns and guide them into reincarnation.”
“When the Two-Faced Demon was lured here, they seemed to be in a frenzy, but they were actually using their own bodies to create a barrier for us, blocking the Two-Faced Demon’s line of sight. But you deliberately stepped out of the barrier, pretending to flee, when you were actually trying to draw the Giant Demon’s attack toward us.” Tang Shaoling snorted coldly. “Did you really think such a petty trick could fool this young master? Hah, foolish man.”
Tang Shaoling wasn’t actually that observant, but having grown up in the Immortal Realm, he had heard stories of many seniors who had mysteriously disappeared in the Soul Summoning Forest years ago. Not long after, the forest became haunted by dead souls and gradually evolved into a secret realm.
At the time, he thought it was because the dead souls’ resentment was too deep, trapping them there and preventing reincarnation.
But his senior brother had said, “That’s not necessarily true. Our master said that to judge people, you must use your heart, not your eyes. Someone with two legs may not be human, someone with two pairs of eyes may not be human, but those who shelter you in times of danger or lend you a light in the darkness—they are truly human. Those dead souls are likely seniors who left the Immortal Realm to save others from suffering. It’s also possible they remain there to prevent innocent people from stumbling into danger again.”
Tang Shaoling might slack off in his studies, but his rare quality was his righteous heart. That’s why he believed that even in death, those seniors would not lose their sincere and noble intentions.
Hearing this, the Array Cultivator quieted down for a moment. He let out a cold laugh and looked at the others. “Is that what you all thought too?”
Yu Chichi took a big bite of Mount Lingluo Cake and mumbled with her mouth full, “Shame on oo.”
Array Cultivator: “?” What was that?
Qi Guyuan explained on her behalf: “You’re so dense. What she means is that it’s highly suspicious for Xie Diao and Nan Yao to let you travel with them without charging you any money. This indicates you probably won’t live much longer. In conclusion, you must be a terrible villain.”
“…” The Array Cultivator suddenly lost his fighting spirit. He stiffly turned to look at Liu Zhiyai, who was eating and drinking heartily and appeared the most foolish. “What about you? How did you figure it out?”
Liu Zhiyai burped and patted his stomach. “Xie Diao’s acting is so terrible, yet you watched with such relish. Based on my experience, you’re either his fan or not normal. Since you don’t seem to know him, I deduced through process of elimination that you’re not normal.”
Array Cultivator: Are all of you people monsters?!
“But this doesn’t make sense. As long as you willingly entered this place, my array couldn’t possibly fail. So why…”
“There’s still someone who hasn’t entered,” Nan Yao reminded him.
The Array Cultivator frowned. “You mean that young man? Impossible. Without my guidance, he could never find this house…”
“Besides him, there’s one more.” Nan Yao smiled sweetly at him, even mercifully offering him a quick death. “Care to guess? If you get it right, I’ll reward you by not having Xie Diao cut out your tongue later.”
Though Nan Yao’s smile was sweet, the Array Cultivator felt a chill in his heart. He bit his tongue and actually began nervously guessing. After much thought, he suddenly had an epiphany: “That little squirrel that looks utterly useless except for being cute!”
Meanwhile, outside the courtyard, Xiao Huang—who was desperately digging to destroy the array buried underground—sneezed. Tired from digging, it hugged its fluffy tail and rested for a moment before continuing to paw at the dirt pit, mentally cursing: “Damn, actually making the system do manual labor! Damn!”
Just as it was huffing and puffing away, it suddenly heard footsteps approaching.
Xiao Huang turned its head to see Xie Diao standing behind it. He tilted his head slightly, observing Xiao Huang. The usual casual smile was absent from his face tonight. Standing against the light, the sharp angles of his figure were illuminated by the moonlight, radiating coldness. It was as if the carefree youth who always appeared unruly in front of others had shed his disguise, chilling one to the core.
Xiao Huang froze mid-dig.
How could this be?
Had he discovered that Nan Yao had been staying close to him only to find a way to kill him?
Xie Diao bent down, and Xiao Huang covered its eyes in terror.
But he merely picked up a random twig from the ground, frowned slightly, and drove the branch into the soil with a sharp gust of wind.
Instantly, golden array patterns emerged around the courtyard, though incomplete—missing one small corner.
This missing corner was the result of Xiao Huang’s hard work all night.
Before Xiao Huang could admire its labor results, the array shattered into pieces. Stones flew up amid clouds of dust, and countless Cultivator skeletons buried beneath the courtyard to maintain the array were unearthed, finally seeing the light of day.
After completing this, Xie Diao straightened up and discarded the twig, dusting off his hands.
He looked down… Xiao Huang blinked its large eyes pitifully at him, its sparkling pupils filled with gratitude toward the Savior.
Xie Diao: “…” What.
Xiao Huang: “……” Sob. So strong. I don’t have to dig all night. So touching. But why am I, as a system, feeling such gratitude toward the Evil Seed? But still, so touching.
The moment he saw the array destroyed, the Array Cultivator thrashed about like a dying fish, making his final struggle.
Decades.
He had been on the verge of success—just six more Cultivator corpses, and he could have absorbed their power to break through and become a wraith. But now… everything was ruined.
Xie Diao walked in.
With Xiao Huang clinging stubbornly to his hair on his shoulder.
Xiao Huang sobbed, “Brother Xie Diao, please don’t go off alone again. I really can’t manage without you.”
Nan Yao looked at this spineless little squirrel, a question mark seeming to slowly form above her head.
Wasn’t it just asking you to dig a few holes? How are you even less capable than a Charm Cultivator?
Xie Diao stopped by the campfire, glanced at the group of hangers-on with their greasy, shiny mouths from eating, frowned in disgust, then bent down and drew the sword from Qi Guyuan’s waist.
He then turned, crouched beside the Array Cultivator, and without a word, decisively plunged the sword into his abdomen.
Array Cultivator: “Wait, I haven’t—!” According to convention, as a villain, shouldn’t he get to finish his monologue about his evil deeds and tragic childhood before dying?
White blade in, red blade out.
Seeing that he still seemed to have something to say, Xie Diao impatiently stabbed him again.
After seven more stabs, the Array Cultivator finally went limp and collapsed to the ground with a thud. He hadn’t managed to finish a single sentence, only his eyes emitted a strange, dead-fish-like glow.
Having done all this, Xie Diao tossed the sword back to Qi Guyuan, sat down beside Nan Yao, and held out his arm.
Nan Yao didn’t understand his meaning.
But after some careful thought, she had a sudden realization. She tore a piece of cloth from Liu Zhiyai’s hem, dampened it with water, then turned and meticulously wiped Xie Diao’s hands.
After wiping his hands, she noticed a small cut on Xie Diao’s index finger, probably scraped and bleeding from something. So she turned around again—
Liu Zhiyai covered his clothes and shifted away, then silently tore off another piece of fabric and handed it to her under Nan Yao’s gaze.
Nan Yao turned back and wrapped the cloth strip around Xie Diao’s index finger, layer by layer. But her technique was clearly not great; in no time, she had wrapped his index finger into a colorful, carrot-like bundle. Finally, she thoughtfully tied it into a bow.
Nan Yao looked at her masterpiece, quite satisfied, and pushed his hand back: “All done!”
Xie Diao silently stared at his carrot-wrapped index finger: “Nan Yao.”
“No need to thank me.” Nan Yao scratched her head sheepishly. “Helping each other is what companions do.”
“Nan Yao, what I meant was for you to take this squirrel that’s stubbornly clinging to my shoulder and won’t let go.” Xie Diao said. “Not for you to tie a knot on my hand that I can’t undo.”
Nan Yao fell silent for a moment.
Xiao Huang also fell silent for a moment, then quietly climbed down from Xie Diao’s shoulder and slowly made his way up to Nan Yao’s shoulder.
“That’s not a knot that can’t be undone.” Nan Yao’s voice grew softer, as if she too felt she was in the wrong. “It’s a bow, you know.”
In front of the God-Peering Mirror, Ye Yin frowned, examining his own hand, then gripped the Soul Cutting Blade at his waist, as if eager to try something.
Ye Yin: A bow.
Ye Yin: Girly-style bow.
Ye Yin: I need one too, and I need at least three.
Xuanxu Zhanglao pounced forward to grab his arm: “Demon Lord! Please reconsider!”
[Spirit Fighting Competition Bulletin—
Xiao Wuji of the Immortal Realm single-handedly repelled two Giant Demons, protecting several cultivator disciples from vicious beasts. However, he was unexpectedly severely injured and has fallen unconscious, fortunately rescued by Yun Wen Yue. Yun Wen Yue is now evading pursuit by Giant Demons with him. With such an unfortunate start, could they be forced to withdraw from the competition on the very first night—]
[Spirit Fighting Competition Bulletin—
Nan Yao tied a bow on Xie Diao lol hurry and look it’s really huge!]
[Spirit Fighting Competition Bulletin—
How could this happen? The Giant Demons pursued relentlessly, actually driving them all the way to Soul Summoning Slope? Seeing Xiao Wuji’s critical condition, if he doesn’t receive treatment soon it may truly endanger his life. Trapped in this dire situation, where should they go? Can Yun Wen Yue successfully find a path to survival while carrying Xiao Wuji?]
[Spirit Fighting Competition Bulletin—
Nan Yao claims it’s a bow but she actually accidentally tied it into a dead knot. She’s now tearfully clinging to Xie Diao’s hand trying to undo it. Will she manage to untie the dead knot tonight? Let’s wait and see!]
But not all sorrow and joy in the world remain disconnected.
These two completely different scenes began to converge as Yun Wen Yue’s escape route gradually approached the small courtyard on Soul Summoning Slope.
Finally, the concerned cultivators who had been switching between watching the “life-or-death escape” and “flowers and youth” scenes on the God-Peering Mirror no longer needed to toggle between views.
Because Yun Wen Yue appeared on Soul Summoning Slope, carrying the battered Xiao Wuji, merely hundreds of meters away from the courtyard. Above them, a Blazing Scarlet Bird that had chased them from Nether Valley spread its wings, blocking the faint moonlight while emitting piercing shrieks.
Its breathing grew increasingly labored, flames gathering at its beak, chest heaving rhythmically. It seemed poised to spew crimson fire at any moment – fire that would undoubtedly reduce this courtyard to ashes in an instant.
Liu Zhiyai let out a heartfelt scream: “Dame!!”
Nan Yao was still laboriously working on the dead knot. She wiped her forehead of sweat, only noticing the air around them seemed to be growing hotter. Hearing Liu Zhiyai’s scream, she looked up and met the furious eyes of the Crimson Flame Bird that seemed ready to erupt at any moment.
No!
The courtyard!
The bed!
The vegetables!
The cured meat!
And the Mount Lingluo Cake!
So Nan Yao immediately released Xie Diao’s hand, drawing her sword: “How dare you—”
But before she could finish, Xie Diao took the sword from her.
Without even looking up, Xie Diao flicked his wrist and threw the sword backwards. The blade cut through the wind, heading straight for the Crimson Flame Bird, and pierced clean through its neck.
Crimson Flame Bird: Damn it.
Crimson Flame Bird: I didn’t even get a physical description.
The Crimson Flame Bird crashed to the ground, creating a massive crater on Soul Summoning Slope.
Xie Diao looked at Nan Yao, raising his index finger: “Continue.”
“…Okay.” Nan Yao squatted back down, resigned to continue untangling the dead knot.
Author’s Note: My apologies to everyone. Because I’m quite particular about maintaining narrative flow and writing style, my writing speed has been rather slow these past few days.
I’ve written over a thousand words for the second update, but I feel like I might need to rewrite it, so I’m planning to post it at 9:00 AM this morning instead.
This will also help me establish a consistent daily update schedule at 9:00 AM. Otherwise, I feel my writing pace is quite unstable. Without having an extra day’s buffer to prepare chapters in advance, it’s easy to become uncertain about update times, which creates a poor reading experience for followers and leads to inconsistent update quality.
I’m truly sorry! I promised double updates yesterday but couldn’t deliver today!
The next chapter will be scheduled for 9:00 AM, and I’ll do my best to maintain this update time daily!
I’ll be sending red envelopes in the comment section for this chapter – my sincere apologies!!
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solutions between 2022-01-12 00:57:36~2022-01-13 00:22:00~
Special thanks to:
Wonder for the hand grenade (1);
Jiheyao (4), Ctong_gX (2), Anzhongyaofankanshuo, Gaolingzhihua Xiansheng, Biecuilezaixuene, Yuqing, Feifeizi, 44476237, 46650674, Yiwei Xiaoyu, Guozhiruantang, Zanshi Leniai Se, Aleng (1 each) for the landmines;
And to all nutrient solution providers:
Zuoge Ouhuang (48 bottles), Rightcute (40 bottles), Xiaohude Feiyuanlian (30 bottles), Yanwenziaihaozhe (29 bottles), Yuzijiang, Momokanken, Aojigulu, Woaishuxue (20 bottles), Xiangning (19 bottles), Huaxi, Guozhiruantang (15 bottles), Qiuyuebai (13 bottles), Aixiaodemao, Xuankulanmeita, Asimio, Moran Yunxia, Xiaoyu, Jiheyao, Guoguo, Banyu Jiang (10 bottles), Shijiuchennianhua, Lizhiweide Cha (8 bottles), 20852952, Xiaohuitianxiadiyi (7 bottles), Lida Jio (6 bottles), Yijinran, Zhizhishizhizhi, Yigou, Sumo, Youbelongwithme, Guigui (5 bottles), Meicuowoshinidemajia, Feifeizi (3 bottles), Leyou, Désolée de larmes, Helanuofubalabingbala, Cuihuahua, Shanen, Jiu, Boyueyaoqudushulayinianhou, Youzhatangyuan, Ningmeng (1 bottle each).
Thank you all so much for your support – I’ll keep working hard!