Chapter 457 By the Pond, In the Blood Forest.
The night was quiet, and the silver moon hung high in the sky.
Inside the Tian Ge of Nanke Immortal City, Xiao Yunluo, omitting certain details, recounted their experience of annihilating the demonic cultivator to Elder Cao, the City Lord of Nanke, and others.
Ye Anping, having excused himself earlier, left them with his junior sister and went alone to a small pavilion built beside a pond behind the City Lord’s mansion. He dangled Agu’s right hand from a tree branch, teasing the ornamental koi in the pond.
The colorful koi lightly brushed his fingertips, mistaking him for someone offering food, but this caused the veins on Gu Mingxin’s right hand to bulge one by one.
“So, the two of them discovered a hidden cave dwelling, burrowed out underground in a restaurant within the city, and then set it on fire to kill the Gu cultivator?”
“Yes!” Xiao Tian nodded with her arms crossed. “According to Xiao Girl, she’d been wandering around the streets these past few days and found several suspicious formation cores. By inferring the location of the demonic cultivator from the arrangement of the formation cores, she went to find him. Then…”
Xiao Tian recounted what she had seen and heard during the nearly hour she followed Feng Yu Die and Xiao Yunluo. Ye Anping, while teasing the koi, listened carefully to her description and imagined the events unfolding.
The “Bug Head” of the Gu Poison Sect was completely different from Jiang Mojiao, whom they had encountered in the Northern Region. He was a genuine Nascent Soul Grand Tutor. While his direct combat strength wasn’t the strongest among the Gu Poison Sect’s Grand Tutors, once his self-created Gu formation took shape, he could deal with several Nascent Soul cultivators by himself.
Even with Feng Yu Die and Xiao Yunluo possessing the Saint Emperor Dragon Body and the Black Dragon Spirit, which greatly countered Gu insects, completely eradicating him would not be easy.
Moreover, after Xiao Tian found Feng Yu Die and the others, during this hour, she hadn’t detected any significant commotion in the city from within the City Lord’s mansion.
Ye Anping thought for a moment and roughly understood what had happened.
The “Bug Head” surely knew that there were three Nascent Soul cultivators stationed in Nanke Immortal City. Therefore, he understood that before his Gu formation could take shape, he would have no chance of winning if the City Lord and the other two Nascent Soul cultivators attacked him.
Coincidentally, after Xiao Yunluo transformed into a dragon, she became extremely sensitive to the aura of Gu cultivators. After wandering in the city for so many days, she and Feng Yu Die detected his hiding place and went there to set fire.
So, after Feng Yu Die and Xiao Yunluo set the fire, the “Bug Head,” believing he had been exposed to the Nanke Immortal City’s guards, decisively left his storage bag, created the illusion of his death at the hands of Feng Yu Die and Xiao Yunluo, and then fled.
At this moment, the “Bug Head” was probably already miles away.
“If the Bug Head’s Gu formation had already been completed, they would have been in great danger when the two of them rushed into his cave dwelling.”
“Ah…”
Ye Anping shook his head slightly and turned to look at Xiao Tian, like a father scolding his child, and asked sternly, “I asked you to find them and have them rendezvous at the City Lord’s mansion first. Why didn’t you come and tell me first?”
Xiao Tian fiddled with her small hands, lowered her head, and replied softly, “Anping, I was helping them scout the cave dwelling…”
“…However, we are indeed indebted to them this time.”
Ye Anping placed the tree branch on the railing, letting Gu Mingxin play with the koi, and sat back down on the stone bench in the pavilion, taking a sip of tea.
Although he knew how to deal with the Bug Head’s Gu formation, he hadn’t known that the one hiding in Nanke Immortal City was the “Bug Head” until Feng Yu Die and the others arrived at the City Lord’s mansion.
Before that, he had planned to wait for the Grand Elder of the Taibai Sect to arrive before dealing with that demonic cultivator.
Thinking about it now, if things had proceeded according to his plan, he and his junior sister would have been fine, but the rogue cultivators in Nanke Immortal City would have suffered greatly.
It could be said that the slightly risky actions of Feng Yu Die and Xiao Yunluo saved the lives of the rogue cultivators in Nanke Immortal City.
“…It’s quite good too.”
Just like what Li Longling had said in the Northern Region:
The imperfect parts of his plan were naturally to be rectified and supplemented by them as cultivation partners.
Ye Anping admitted that the incident in Nanke Immortal City was indeed his oversight.
But Yunluo had followed him to make up for it.
He felt that he should reward them later.
As for how to reward them?
Feng Yu Die would bake a few roasted chickens for her.
As for Yunluo…
Splash splash—
The fish in the pond by the pavilion suddenly seemed startled, scattering from Gu Mingxin’s fingertips.
The black-haired girl, treading on water, leaped from the other side of the pond into the pavilion, landing behind Ye Anping, and smiled with narrowed eyes as if playing a prank:
“Hehe, Young Master Ye…”
Ye Anping turned his head at the sound. Seeing Feng Yu Die’s face still smeared with blood as rouge and her clothes still stained with some Gu insect fluid, he was filled with disgust:
“Can you change your clothes and take a bath before coming over?”
“I’ll go soon,” Feng Yu Die blinked, as if hinting at something, “Mmm~”
“I’ll make you roasted chicken soon.”
“And more, and more?”
“What else…”
Feng Yu Die sat down opposite the stone table, propped her cheeks with her hands, and looked at Ye Anping, her eyes narrowed:
“Praise me? You weren’t here, and I buried a Nascent Soul demonic cultivator!”
“You’re already so old, and you still want praise?”
“When I did well before, my Master always praised me.”
Feng Yu Die pouted slightly, pushed her darkened long hair to her shoulder, and said, “Young Master Ye, my Senior Sister Xiao and I have been inquiring for news all over the city these past few days, for fear you’d encounter something on the road… Look, I even dyed my hair, so as not to expose our identities. I know you value being low-key…”
Ye Anping looked at Feng Yu Die’s black hair and shook his head slightly. She had indeed improved a lot.
But seeing Feng Yu Die’s dirty face, he took out a cloth from his storage bag, infused it with spiritual energy, dipped it in the nearby pond, and then pressed it against her face, wiping it for her:
“Alright, alright, you’ve improved, you’re really amazing, wonderful.”
Feng Yu Die’s face was being rubbed by Ye Anping’s handkerchief, making a “puyo puyo” sound. Whether it was due to his strength or something else, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks:
“Hee hee…”
“Where are Yunluo and the others?”
“The City Lord has instructed the servants in the mansion to take Senior Sister Xiao to change her clothes and wash her face. Junior Sister Pei is accompanying her. Senior Sister Xiao’s horns cannot be seen by others, so we’ll wait for Senior Sister Xiao and the others to change before washing…”
“And you ran over to bother me?”
“Well… there’s roasted chicken.”
“I’ll make it for you soon. It’ll be ready by the time you change.”
“Mmm…”
Ye Anping wiped the bloodstains and muddy water from her face, threw the handkerchief on the edge of the table, and suddenly noticed Feng Yu Die staring intently at his face. He was stunned for a moment and touched his own face:
“Why are you staring at me?”
Hearing this, Feng Yu Die quickly averted her gaze, pursed her lips, and smiled:
“It’s been a while…”
“Didn’t I tell you and Yunluo to stay at the Xuan Xing Sect? Why did you follow me?”
“I was a little worried about you.”
“Worried about me?”
“Mmm, Mr. Qi said you couldn’t reach the Nascent Soul stage…”
“Didn’t we talk about this before?”
“Still worried…”
“…”
Silence fell between them for a moment. Ye Anping noticed that Xiao Tian, who had been by his side, had gone quiet. He turned to look and saw Xiao Tian with a look of maternal amusement, watching him and Feng Yu Die from outside the pavilion. He immediately guessed what she was thinking.
He rolled his eyes at Xiao Tian and reminded her:
“Remember, Feng Yunluo.”
“Yes! I know. When you were talking to the City Lord and the others just now, I understood…”
“We’ll be going to the Taibai Sect in a few days. You’ll follow along. Elder Cao should arrange accommodation for you. There’s no need for you to get involved in future matters; just stay put. After I finish talking with Zu Yuan, we’ll return to the Xuan Xing Sect.”
Feng Yu Die tucked her chin, looked into Ye Anping’s eyes, and nodded slightly:
“Okay.”
Looking at Feng Yu Die staring at his face as if lost in thought, Ye Anping felt strangely uneasy, yet he found her more pleasing to the eye than usual.
He looked back at the “hand” splashing and swimming in the pond and sighed:
“I’ll go make you roasted chicken. Come here to eat after you change.”
He then walked over, took Gu Mingxin’s hand out, tied it to his belt, and prepared to borrow a kitchen from the City Lord’s mansion to make roasted chicken for Feng Yu Die.
However, as Gu Mingxin’s hand hung from his belt, her index finger directly pinched his thigh.
“…”
Ye Anping hesitated for a moment, held her hand, and Gu Mingxin, as if wanting to say something, tightly gripped his left index finger.
Ye Anping hesitated for a moment, then wrote a few words on her palm:
—Done?
Gu Mingxin clenched her fist tightly in response: Done!
Feng Yu Die, who was watching him interact intimately with Gu Mingxin’s hand, pouted slightly and asked:
“What’s wrong?”
“The Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect and the Sect Master of the Gu Poison Sect have already reached the vicinity of Jianmen Pass.”
Feng Yu Die was slightly stunned and half-understanding:
“Mmm?”
“It’s just a contingency I prepared.”
Ye Anping gently stroked Gu Mingxin’s hand, then walked through the adjacent corridor towards the City Lord’s mansion kitchen.
Feng Yu Die sat on the stone bench, watching Ye Anping disappear at the end of the corridor. She then lowered her eyes slightly and touched her chest, relaxing.
Her legs straightened under the stone table, crossed and folded on the ground.
A slight blush appeared on her cheeks.
“Hee hee…”
Xiao Tian, who had deliberately moved away earlier, floated back after Ye Anping left. Seeing her Feather Butterfly’s lovesick appearance, she had a teasing smile on her face:
“Feather Butterfly, hehe… What’s wrong?”
Feng Yu Die quickly suppressed her smile and replied:
“Mmm… it’s nothing.”
“Really nothing? Feather Butterfly, you said you were worried about Anping just now? Did something happen during this time?”
“…”
Feng Yu Die simply ignored Xiao Tian, stood up, and headed towards the side pavilion of the City Lord’s mansion. The City Lord had already instructed a servant to prepare a room for her to bathe and change.
Seeing that she was ignoring her, Xiao Tian quickly grabbed her hair:
“Hey! Feather Butterfly, tell me…”
Feng Yu Die felt a dull ache in her scalp and was quite surprised:
“Ouch, ouch, ouch… How did you get so strong…”
Xiao Tian stood on her head, hands on her hips:
“I’m also training!! I’ve already touched you and Anping!”
…
Having her topic changed by Feng Yu Die, Xiao Tian proudly spoke of her training.
Feng Yu Die also pretended to be very interested, listening as she went to the side pavilion of the City Lord’s mansion. With the help of a few maidservants in the mansion, Feng Yu Die changed her clothes, washed away the dirt, and put on a clean outfit.
When she returned to the small pavilion by the pond, a plate of steaming roasted chicken was already placed on the stone table below the pavilion.
However, Ye Anping was nowhere to be seen in the pavilion. He probably left after placing the roasted chicken here.
Feng Yu Die didn’t think too much of it. She walked into the pavilion, sat down, and began to devour the chicken.
Xiao Tian chattered incessantly in her ear about Anping, to which she only responded occasionally, treating it as a side dish to her meal, listening silently.
By the pond, cicadas chirped incessantly, and the night wind was slightly chilly.
Suddenly, footsteps approached. Feng Yu Die thought it was Ye Anping and looked up with joy, but saw the Taibai Sect girl from the main pavilion.
Zu Lingzhi, looking dejected, passed by. Seeing Feng Yu Die sitting alone under the pavilion eating roasted chicken, she was taken aback and quickly walked over, cupping her hands:
“Fairy Feng, I forgot to introduce myself earlier. My name is Zu Lingzhi, the chief disciple of the Taibai Sect. I share the same surname as Sect Master Zu Yuan and am the grand-nephew of Heavenly Rhinoceros Daoist Immortal…”
Feng Yu Die was stunned, sized up Zu Lingzhi, and nodded:
“Oh, Feng… Yunluo.”
“Fairy, you’ve already reported your name. I remember,” Zu Lingzhi smiled and sat directly opposite her at the table, asking curiously, “Fairy Feng, you and Fairy Xiao annihilated a mid-stage Nascent Soul demonic cultivator. How did you do it? May I learn from you?”
“I’m eating chicken.”
Zu Lingzhi hesitated for a moment and forced a conversation:
“Fairy Feng hasn’t achieved辟谷 (abstinence from grains) yet? If Fairy Feng doesn’t mind, may I try some? I haven’t had roasted chicken in a long time.”
Feng Yu Die replied immediately: “No.”
“…”
Then, she twisted her eyebrows, picked up the roasted chicken, and shielded it:
“Young Master Ye made this for me.”
“Ah… Young Master Ye…” Zu Lingzhi hesitated for a moment, “Speaking of which, you, Sister Pei, and Fairy Xiao are his cultivation partners. How did you meet?”
“…”
Hearing this, Feng Yu Die lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment, then replied:
“He saved me several times.”
“So, you pledged yourself to him? What’s so great about him…”
“Young Master Ye is quite good.”
“How so?”
“His roasted chicken is delicious.”
“Then can I try…”
“No.”
…
—
Somewhere in the Eastern Domain—
Black clouds pressed down on the mountains, in an unnamed blood-colored forest.
A solitary small courtyard stood within the shadows beneath the strange and grotesque Chimei Mountain’s demonic stones.
The black-haired woman, meditating with her legs crossed in the courtyard, sensed the icy water touching her right index finger thousands of miles away, and the sensation of a fish’s mouth nibbling. Her eyes slightly opened, she raised her right arm, unfurled her long cloud-sleeved robe, and looked down at her severed wrist, her eyes twitching slightly.
Swish swish—
A sound of breaking wind came from not far away.
Xue E now stood beside her, holding a wooden stick whittled from a tree branch broken in the nearby forest, wielding it with whistling sounds.
“Drink!”
Tap—!
The tree branch struck the mud ground in front of her, splashing mud and water, leaving a small pit.
“Phew…”
Xue E held the wooden stick vertically beside her, turned to look at Gu Mingxin, who was cultivating, and seeing her solemn expression, quickly asked:
“Mingxin, is Ye Anping fishing with your hand again?”
“…”
Gu Mingxin did not want to answer and simply ignored it.
The next moment, the sound of a creaking wheelchair came from behind.
“Junior Sister.”
A cold voice followed closely.
Hearing this, Gu Mingxin quickly stood up, turned around, and cupped her hands in response:
“Senior Sister Mo.”
“There’s no need to bow to me. We have no difference in status; we are simply fellow disciples who share the same boat and help each other.”
On the wheelchair sat a woman wrapped entirely in bandages, her disheveled black hair spread over her body as if it hadn’t been trimmed in years, like the gnarled roots of a tree.
Mo Chi Ling narrowed her eyes and looked at Gu Mingxin, saying:
“The matter Ye Anping asked you to convey to me has also been handled. The Sect Masters of the Hehuan Sect and the Gu Poison Sect are now at the border of the Southern Domain, intending to attack the Taibai Sect.”
“Yes, thank you, Senior Sister Mo.”
“It’s no big deal, and besides, this is just a transaction. I helped you with something, and you need to help me with something.”
Mo Chi Ling said in a flat tone, then rotated the wheelchair halfway without any external force, heading into the house behind her.
Upon hearing this, Gu Mingxin quickly controlled her right hand and squeezed Ye Anping forcefully. Then, she felt a warm touch from his fingertips in her palm:
—Done?
She clenched her fist slightly in response.
Seeing Mo Chi Ling return, Gu Mingxin twisted her eyebrows slightly and cupped her hands again:
“Mmm… Senior Sister Mo, I want to go to the Taibai Sect.”
“Junior Sister, you don’t need to ask my permission for everything. Go wherever you wish. I never intended to imprisoning you in this blood forest, but if you are going to the Taibai Sect, please help me collect some Taibai Spiritual Dew on your way. It’s quite delicious.”
Creak—
The door of the small house slowly closed.
Instantly, the courtyard returned to silence, and Mo Chi Ling’s aura completely vanished, as if she had fled thousands of miles away.
Since the last incident, Gu Mingxin and Xue E had been inquiring everywhere. When they accidentally passed through this forest, Mo Chi Ling suddenly appeared before her, as if she knew she would come to find her.
Afterward, Mo Chi Ling kept her in this forest to recuperate, saying that neither her Master nor He Buqun could find her and that she would guarantee her safety.
Initially, Xue E was quite wary of Mo Chi Ling and told her to be careful, but after staying here for several months, it was indeed as Mo Chi Ling said; no one had entered this forest, and there wasn’t even a single insect.
About a month ago, Ye Anping wrote on her right palm:
—Ask Mo Chi Ling to instigate the Gu Poison Sect and Hehuan Sect to attack the Taibai Sect.
Then, she relayed the message to Mo Chi Ling verbatim, but to her surprise, Mo Chi Ling nodded without hesitation.
“What a strange person…”
Gu Mingxin pouted slightly, then looked towards the southwest and said:
“Xue E, let’s go.”
“Mingxin, let’s just stay here. Why are we going to the Taibai Sect?”
Gu Mingxin recalled the strange sensations she had felt in her right hand over the past few months and showed a stiff smile:
“I miss him.”
…
Request for Leave
Requesting one day off!
I’ve been writing all day, but I don’t think it’s good enough.
The next part, the Taibai Sect’s plot, is the first major climax of this volume.
I need to reorganize it.
