Chapter 64 Part 1

Looking at the blackish mess in the takeout box, Bai Ze had completely lost her appetite. She was a divine being, after all; “eating” was merely to maintain a sense of ritual. She decisively put down her chopsticks, reached out, and scooped up the meowing Ah He into her arms, giving her a vigorous stroke.

It was fate, in a way. After a chance encounter in the small alley, they could reunite at the Jiang residence. Bai Ze lowered her head, pressing one finger against Ah He’s head, and said with a grin, “Auspicious beasts like me are innately divine, capable of warding off all evils. If it weren’t for me, you’d have been invaded by baleful energy while staying in that area. So, little one, you should be thanking me.”

Ah He glared at Bai Ze with humiliation, struggling and crying out miserably, hoping to attract Jiang Yiguang’s attention.

Bai Ze’s true form was fluffy too. Why did she have to torment her?

Jiang Yiguang’s question remained unanswered. She sighed, bit by bit clearing the oppressive, cloud-like emotions weighing on her heart. She glanced at Ah He, one-paw suppressed by Bai Ze, and gave a helpless look. Picking up her chopsticks, she lifted some food. It tasted like chewing wax—utterly terrible. Jiang Yiguang spat it out, pulled out her phone, and blacklisted that takeout shop.

At that precise moment, Zhao Sujie sent a photo of a dining table.

Jiang Yiguang swept her gaze over it. A rough count—at least ten dishes. Zhao Sujie might not know, but when had Fu Juan become so extravagant and wasteful? This thought abruptly surfaced in Jiang Yiguang’s mind. She frowned and messaged Zhao Sujie: “Can you finish all that?”

Zhao Sujie replied with a “listless” emoji and added, “There are ten of us!” After a pause, she added, “After you left, Fu Juan and I went to the Mountains and Seas Rift area to help. Today’s lunch is Fu Juan’s treat.”

So that was it… Jiang Yiguang’s brow immediately smoothed. Her expression became relaxed. Her fingertips tapped on the screen, replying, “Enjoy your lunch then,” before putting her phone away. The perplexity that had lingered in her heart suddenly found its answer, making even that abysmal takeout before her seem more palatable.

In the restaurant.

The Xuanzhen Dao Court cultivators sat in a loose circle, chatting idly in twos and threes. Fu Juan sat apart by herself, radiating an air of aloofness that kept others at bay. Though the Dao Court cultivators were curious about her, they were ultimately defeated by her coldness and abandoned any thought of befriending her. It was Zhao Sujie, somewhat listless after sending her message, whose gaze shifted slightly. She overcame her slight fear of Fu Juan and scooted closer, lowering her voice with a wistful sigh: “Yiguang could have actually brought the cat over.”

Fu Juan responded coolly, “Ah He doesn’t like human cultivators.”

“You and Yiguang both know it. Did you meet it during a mission together before?” Zhao Sujie asked again, her tone filled with irrepressible curiosity. She glanced at Fu Juan, who was sitting upright, and suddenly felt her own posture, slouched in the soft chair, was too slovenly. She quickly propped up her spine. Under Fu Juan’s chillingly cold gaze, she continued fearlessly, “They all say your relationship with Jiang Yiguang isn’t very good.”

Fu Juan was silent for a moment, then countered: “Who says?”

Zhao Sujie answered without thinking: “Wang Xuanming, also members of the Noble Clans, the Dao Court.” The past Jiang Yiguang was a laughingstock. After all, with a background like theirs, someone whose spiritual apertures never opened was truly rare. Coupled with Jiang Yiguang’s series of crazy and self-degrading actions, people’s impression of her plummeted to rock bottom.

“Before, there were also rumors that you and Wang Xuanming were a couple, that you did missions together. But now Wang Xuanming, he— ” “Gossip” gradually lifted Zhao Sujie’s spirits. She wished she could crack sunflower seeds while chatting away. But when a chill crept up her neck, she suddenly jolted awake: the person quietly listening before her was one of the protagonists of the story. Zhao Sujie’s words abruptly ceased. Her face flushed slightly, like a chicken seized by the neck.

Fu Juan was drinking tea, the smoke from the cup curling upwards. The cold severity in her brows and eyes made her seem utterly unapproachable. “You’re very interested in Jiang Yiguang?” Fu Juan suddenly asked.

Zhao Sujie recovered, hurriedly tossing the matter of Wang Xuanming to the back of her mind. She raised an eyebrow and followed Fu Juan’s lead: “Yeah, I hit it off with Yiguang the moment we met. Why didn’t we have the chance to know each other before! Other people’s assessments carry too many subjective biases. It’s hard to say it wasn’t envy towards that important figure from the Jiang family, so they viciously slandered her only daughter.” Zhao Sujie, with her wild imagination, spontaneously filled in the missing logic and plot of the story.

Fu Juan “mm”ed and said slowly, “I grew up with Jiang Yiguang. Our relationship isn’t as bad as outsiders describe.”

Zhao Sujie had a look of sudden understanding. Given their seamless teamwork against the Eight-Headed Giant Serpent, it was hard to say they “detested each other.” But for some reason, when they stood together, they always gave her a sense of “awkwardness” she couldn’t quite describe. Of course, this “awkwardness” couldn’t be intruded upon by outsiders. After pondering a moment, Zhao Sujie asked tentatively, “You’re friends, right?”

Fu Juan’s silence stretched even longer.

Jiang Yiguang was near, then far. If keeping distance was her instinct, then what was drawing closer for? The need to repay kindness? Not wanting any further ties? Or because of Aunt Jiang? Long ago, she thought she utterly despised Jiang Yiguang. But later, she realized that wasn’t the case. Toward people she truly loathed, she showed an indifferent coldness. But toward Jiang Yiguang… there was annoyance, a frustration that she failed to live up to expectations, a confusion at being unable to grasp her true feelings… She was like a small boat immersed in a sea of emotion, unable to find a destination or a way back in the vast fog.

Zhao Sujie looked at Fu Juan, puzzled. She noticed the person before her suddenly seemed more vivid. Those lonely, emotionless eyes no longer held that unfathomable, even heart-stopping, coldness. As if a moment had passed, or a long stretch of time, Zhao Sujie heard Fu Juan’s answer: “For now, friends.”

The clamor around her seemed to instantly drain away, leaving only Fu Juan’s words echoing. Zhao Sujie felt increasingly confused. For now, so what about later? Could it upgrade to girlfriends? The moment this thought arose, Zhao Sujie’s mind suddenly cleared, as if her governing and conception meridians had been unblocked. She stared intently at Fu Juan and exclaimed with sudden enlightenment, “I understand! I’ll keep my distance from now on.” No wonder Fu Juan’s gaze sometimes felt like cold knives; she was asserting dominance!

Fu Juan’s indifferent gaze swept over Zhao Sujie. She didn’t understand what Zhao Sujie had figured out. She simply lacked significant curiosity about others. Lowering her eyelids, she looked at the ripples in her cup and continued pondering the Mountains and Seas, Heavenly Maiden Ba, and the Return to the Void.

After the meal, the Dao Court cultivators continued working to seal the rift and clear the baleful energy.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yiguang, who had found lunch utterly tasteless, sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, the Dao Solitude Sword laid across her knees.

After being injured, she finally had a legitimate excuse to be a salted fish. Yet in these few short months, her habits had been completely changed. Slacking off always brought a sense of urgency, guilt, and self-reproach. She could no longer be a waste without any burden. After an afternoon of quiet cultivation, Jiang Yiguang’s spiritual platform was exceptionally clear. Scenes from the past flickered in her mind, but ultimately she wiped them away one by one, leaving only the three words: “Heavenly Maiden Ba.” To learn the situation in North of the Red River, besides asking the gossip expert Bai Ze, she could only find Tushan Yi.

The communication jade slip flickered with faint spiritual light. Tushan Yi’s lazy silhouette soon appeared in view. Her nine fluffy, furry tails swayed, smooth and sleek—clearly recovering very well—if only they weren’t bickering and fighting amidst the swaying, it would be perfect.

“I heard Jiuying fled back to the Mountains and Seas to recover from her injuries. You didn’t choose to pursue and strike, which was very well done.” Tushan Yi narrowed her long, fox-like eyes, which held a faint golden divine light.

Only a fool would pursue into the Mountains and Seas, Jiang Yiguang grumbled inwardly, then asked, “How is the situation at Azure Hill?”

“Same old.” Tushan Yi answered casually. She glanced at Jiang Yiguang and gave a half-smile, “You need something again?”

Jiang Yiguang pressed her lips together and didn’t beat around the bush with Tushan Yi: “Bai Ze has also left the Mountains and Seas. She’s at my place now.”

Tushan Yi abruptly straightened up, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes. She snorted coldly: “That public enemy of the Mountains and Seas—no surprise she’d sneak away. What has she been goading you to do?”

Jiang Yiguang said, “North of the Red River, to find Heavenly Maiden Ba’s source land.”

Tushan Yi frowned and said ruthlessly, “With your current strength, there’s simply no way to traverse the Mountains and Seas. Going to Western Kunlun is delusional. Reaching North of the Red River is also a pipe dream. My Azure Hill has special circumstances; there are no warriors to accompany you into the Great Wilderness.”

Jiang Yiguang sighed. How could she not know her own weakness? She added, “Bai Ze also urged us to enter the Mountains and Seas Realm to train.” Compared to the Mountains and Seas Realm, the Mortal Realm was indeed like a greenhouse. Unless encountering ferocious monsters from the Mountains and Seas, life rarely fell into life-or-death situations. Moreover, the spiritual energy in the Mountains and Seas Realm was abundant, a hundred times better than the Mortal Realm. To rapidly increase strength, one had to enter the Mountains and Seas.

“I heard foreign divinity is usurping the concepts and authority of the strange beasts of the Mountains and Seas?” Tushan Yi suddenly changed the subject. She propped her chin on one hand. The smiling eyes held a chillingly sharp, cold intent. Her right hand pinched a straw. She took a sip of Happy Water, squinting contentedly before continuing, “That foreign species with eight heads and eight tails, it once tried to devour Bashe, didn’t it?”

Jiang Yiguang nodded: “Yes.”

Tushan Yi asked again, “Then what do you think the Eight-Headed Giant Serpent would become after assimilating Bashe’s Authority?”

Jiang Yiguang hesitated, then said uncertainly, “Replace Bashe?”

Tushan Yi shook her head and smiled sweetly: “Wrong.”

Jiang Yiguang frowned, puzzled: “Then what was it for?”