The azure-robed man remained silent for a long time, while the other person beside him stared with predatory intent.
Yan Zhao tried to shuffle her feet a little.
Bai Jin glanced at Tushan Yu beside her. The man’s brow was furrowed, lost in thought.
This moment of hesitation was enough to miss the window to stop Yan Zhao.
Watching Yan Zhao’s figure disappear into the distance, Bai Jin was furious with Tushan Yu. “Cousin! Since when did you become so tongue-tied?!”
Tushan Yu didn’t answer. His expression was dim, as if heartbroken.
Bai Jin pursed her lips, thinking to herself: He couldn’t talk properly when she was right in front of him, and now he’s all upset after getting the cold shoulder. He totally deserves it!
Tushan Yu sighed and returned empty-handed.
On the way back, Bai Jin could feel Tushan Yu’s dejection.
Although she felt the man had brought this on himself, he was still her cousin. Seeing him in this state, Bai Jin found the whole situation rather depressing.
Not wanting to bring up what had just happened, she changed the subject. “Tomorrow, come with me to Mount Yuliang.”
“Mount Yuliang?” Tushan Yu snapped back to attention, looking puzzled. “The place rumored to be where an Immortal’s ruins have appeared?”
Bai Jin nodded. “Yes. Even we have heard the name of Immortal Venerable Yuanqing. Since this opportunity has come about, I’m quite interested in seeing if the place an Immortal lived is any different from our Fox Clan’s sacred mountain.”
Tushan Yu didn’t object.
The one clue he had painstakingly found had come to nothing again, leaving Tushan Yu feeling both heartache and helplessness.
Getting away to have a look was fine. He could treat it as a change of scenery.
The moment the two of them left, a streak of sky-blue light flashed through the Plum Grove.
A green shadow shifted, landing on the ground and transforming into a Spirit Fox. It bolted with incredible speed towards a particular plum tree in the woods.
But when it arrived, the person who should have been soundly sleeping in the tree was gone.
The little fox carefully checked the markers she had left behind before leaving, then darted up to a branch, found the spot where Yan Zhao had been sleeping, and twitched her nose.
A faint trace of Yan Zhao’s scent still lingered among the plum blossoms on the branch. Yan Zhao hadn’t been gone long.
But the array around the tree was untouched, meaning Yan Zhao had woken up and left on her own.
Logically, Yan Zhao shouldn’t have woken up so quickly. To ensure she slept soundly, she had even left a little fox substitute behind.
But something unexpected must have happened to make Yan Zhao wake up early.
Waking up and not seeing her—just imagining it was enough to guess that Yan Zhao would probably throw a tantrum again.
The fox’s tiny paw wearily pressed against her forehead.
What a headache.
—
High in a pavilion, incense burned within the room.
Beside a guqin sat a jade carving of a black dragon holding a candle in its mouth.
At this moment, a mist swirled, and dark purple smoke drifted from the jade carving, coalescing into a phantom figure before the table.
Devil Lord Nangong Yin lightly plucked a qin string with one hand. Her voice was cool and clear, restrained.
“Is that so?”
As her words fell, a gentle wind blew in from outside, rustling the bamboo blinds around the pavilion.
The sleeve hanging on the other side of Nangong Yin’s body swayed with the breeze.
There was no support beneath the cuff; it was completely empty.
“Yes.” Left Protector Jiang Ying’s voice came from the phantom. “The news has spread throughout the Three Realms. Whether it’s true or not, there will always be people who believe it.”
The water in the teapot beside the table boiled. Nangong Yin stopped playing the qin and lifted the pot to brew tea.
The phantom flickered in and out of view amid the swirling steam. Jiang Ying continued her report. “In addition, this subordinate has also found out that the Demon Race Crown Prince is currently in Tianchen. The timing is far too suspicious. This matter is certainly not simple.”
“How complicated could it be?” Nangong Yin lightly tapped her fingertip against the rim of her cup, watching the faint ripples spreading across the tea’s surface.
She pursed her lips, her voice lazy. “It’s simply that some people can’t sit still anymore. They’ve set bait, hoping to lure This Seat out.”
Jiang Ying understood, her voice seething with indignation. “Fuyun Sect is going too far!”
Back when the Devil Lord was severely wounded and had lost an arm, she went into seclusion to recover for three hundred years. Yet those sanctimonious Immortals were still biting at her heels like mad dogs.
Nangong Yin wasn’t angered, however. Recalling the past only brought a sense of nostalgia.
“Very well, since a confrontation is unavoidable either way, This Seat will grant them their wish and go see for myself.”
Jiang Ying was shocked. “Devil Lord!”
Nangong Yin’s mind was made up. She didn’t continue the topic, instead saying, “It seems Lei Shuang is in Tianchen as well. She naturally wouldn’t miss such a lively event. I wonder if she’s made even the slightest improvement over all these years?”
“…” Jiang Ying had just been feeling helpless, but her expression turned strange the moment she heard Lei Shuang’s name. “Not necessarily,” she replied.
Right then, far away at the Bandit Stronghold in Zhuangan Village, Lei Shuang sneezed violently.
“Who’s talking behind my back?!” Lei Shuang tore off a silk handkerchief to wipe her nose.
In that short span of time, she had sneezed over ten times, rubbing her nose until it was red.
Feng Jin mercilessly doused her with cold water. “It must be because you’ve done so many evil deeds that people think of you this way.”
Lei Shuang cried out in protest. “How is that possible?! I’m a law-abiding citizen!”
Feng Jin exposed her without any hesitation. “A law-abiding citizen who, three hundred years ago, was surrounded alone by the Fuyun Sect’s Taixu Sword Array, yet caused the array’s eight masters to lose nearly half their number?”
“Heh.” Lei Shuang cracked melon seeds loudly between her teeth. “Confess honestly, you secretly admire this Protector, don’t you? You may not say it aloud and always keep that cold face, but you remember this Protector’s heroic deeds from so long ago!”
Feng Jin offered a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I suggest Protector Lei simply chop off your nose. Then you won’t sneeze anymore.”
“Hiss!” Lei Shuang sucked in a sharp breath, cupping her hands protectively over her red nose. “You woman are so cruel-hearted!”
Feng Jin ignored Lei Shuang from then on. After pondering for a long time, she finally made up her mind.
She picked up her brush and left a few more words at the end of the letter: I depart today without bidding farewell, and for this I deeply apologize. I wish you a life of joy and freedom from worry.
Finally, she wrote on the envelope: For Ah Ling’s eyes only.
Setting the brush aside, she turned her head to find Lei Shuang still muttering to herself while cracking melon seeds.
Mumbling something like, “Who could it be? Could it be last time…”
“Last time what?” Feng Jin asked casually.
Deep in thought, Lei Shuang answered without thinking. “You know, that time I went to Cold Pool to fish and actually ran into that woman Jiang Ying taking a bath! Fine, she was bathing, what’s there to see between women anyway? But get this—she chased me three thousand miles for it! Good thing I’m a fast runner, otherwise you’d be burning incense for me upon your return to Fog Devil Ravine.”
Feng Jin sneered. “If Jiang Ying had killed you, I would bring ten jars of Tushan’s peach blossom wine to your grave and celebrate properly.”
Lei Shuang: “… Tch.”
Feng Jin carefully sealed the envelope, weighing it down with a paperweight on the table to make sure Ah Ling would see it.
Then she rose and headed for the door.
Lei Shuang tossed aside her melon seeds. “Where are you going?”
Feng Jin: “Mount Yuliang.”
—
After helping Ling Jiancheng resolve the case of the devilish haunting in Zhuangan Village, Bi Lan felt her compass had suffered some wear and tear; its accuracy had declined, and she needed an Artifact Refiner to tune it.
She rode her sword north for most of a day, arriving at the Wuyou Immortal Market marked on her map.
Wuyou Immortal Market was one of the larger markets near Fuyun Sect, with many disciples from artifact refining families stationed there permanently.
Bi Lan flew on her sword to a building, looked up at the towering signboard above, which read: Treasure Pavilion.
This was a specialized trading post established by the Immortal Alliance in every Immortal Market. The building had seven floors total: the lower four sold ordinary supplies, and the upper three were reserved VIP areas for custom Magical Artifacts.
As soon as Bi Lan stepped into the building, an Immortal Sect Disciple in charge of the area came forward to receive her.
“Is this a Junior Sister from Fuyun Sect?” The disciple recognized the style of Bi Lan’s robes and said with a smile, “A new batch of talismans and equipment arrived in our pavilion just yesterday. Is there something Junior Sister would like to buy?”
Bi Lan pulled a dark-gold Waist Token from her sleeve.
The moment the disciple saw the pattern on the token, his face paled dramatically. “Xuan…”
Before he could finish the word, Bi Lan cut him off. “Take me to the upper three floors.”
The Immortal Sect Disciple’s expression became deeply respectful. He even cupped his fist and bowed to Bi Lan. “Please follow me.”
Bi Lan followed behind him as they ascended the building. On the way, she asked, “What is the highest grade of the Artifact Refiner currently in residence today?”
The disciple answered respectfully, “It is a disciple of Master Sikong Xuan of the Sikong Clan. A Sixth-Grade Artifact Refiner, named Mu Yunqing.”
“What category of crafting does this man specialize in?”
“Earth-attribute and Metal-attribute weapons, armor, and various types of auxiliary Magical Artifacts.”
Bi Lan nodded. “Then this Senior Brother Mu will do.”
The Immortal Sect Disciple led Bi Lan up to the fifth floor. Just reaching the stairwell, they could already hear the sounds of clanking and hammering drifting out.
In the hall of the fifth floor, three smelting furnaces had been set up. Before each furnace stood several wooden racks displaying a variety of tools and materials.
The clanking sounds were made by two refining apprentices working under their Senior Brother’s guidance.
“Senior Brother Mu.” The Immortal Sect Disciple halted at the entrance of the hall and waved towards a man in black work clothes standing in the middle. “A guest is looking for you.”
Mu Yunqing gestured for his disciples to continue, then led Bi Lan into an Elegant Room.
“Junior Sister has a Magical Artifact that needs repairing?”
“Yes.” Bi Lan confirmed, taking out her compass and placing it on the table.
Seeing the item on the table, Mu Yunqing was stunned for a moment, and then a light sparked in his eyes. “Could this be a compass of the Xuanyuan Clan?”
Bi Lan lowered her gaze and answered, “It is.”
Mu Yunqing’s face showed obvious fascination. “This is no ordinary item. For Junior Sister to entrust it to me for repair, I am deeply honored. I’ll only charge you half the price. What do you say?”
Bi Lan didn’t object, only asking, “How long will it take?”
Mu Yunqing replied, “Half a day will suffice.”
After handing the compass to Mu Yunqing, Bi Lan wandered the lower floors to replenish some consumables. By chance, she overheard other patrons discussing the Immortal ruins.
The Cave Abode of Fuyun Sect’s Immortal Venerable Yuanqing.
Half a day passed in a flash. When the appointed time came, Mu Yunqing brought the repaired compass back to Bi Lan.
Bi Lan paid the Spirit Stones, transaction complete.
She took her compass and left the Treasure Pavilion. But before she had gone far, Bi Lan suddenly stopped in her tracks.
As luck would have it, she ran into a familiar face.
Yan Zhao had been searching for the little fox for half a day with no success. She had drifted aimlessly back to the Immortal Market and unexpectedly came face-to-face with Bi Lan.
“Junior Sister Yan.” Bi Lan initiated a greeting. “I thought you would be staying a few more days at the stronghold. I didn’t expect we’d meet again so soon. It seems fate binds us after all, Junior Sister.”
Yan Zhao ignored her long-winded remarks, but her eyes did land on the compass in Bi Lan’s hand.
She asked, “Can you find things?”
Bi Lan: “?”
Yan Zhao elaborated. “My fox is gone.”
Bi Lan suddenly understood. “You’re looking for a fox?”
Yan Zhao nodded her admission.
“I can help you find it.” Bi Lan readily agreed. “Do you have anything the fox left behind? Fur, or something like that.”
Fur?
Yan Zhao shook her head. “No.”
Her fox didn’t seem to shed.
After a pause, she added, “But I have something else.”
“Anything will do,” Bi Lan replied. “As long as it’s something your fox left behind and has some trace of its aura.”
So Yan Zhao pulled something out.
A tiny fox woven from straw, with a pair of beady mung-bean eyes, looking not particularly bright.
Bi Lan found herself staring into the straw fox’s little beady eyes.
“…Huh?”
