Bi Lan grabbed Yan Zhao by the shoulders and shook her violently. “Do you have a death wish?! Spit out that snake meat!”
Yan Zhao was shaken dizzy. Without any politeness, she shoved her away.
Bi Lan hadn’t expected Yan Zhao’s scrawny little frame to pack quite a bit of strength. She stumbled several steps back before steadying herself.
Yan Zhao ignored her, silently packing up the pot and bowl, extinguishing the fire, and turning to head deeper into the jungle alone.
“Yan Zhao!” Bi Lan became anxious and chased after her in quick strides.
Her wrist was seized, forcing Yan Zhao to stop.
“What happened before was my fault, but you’ve just ingested something lethally poisonous! I can’t just stand by and watch you die!” Bi Lan spoke rapidly, and as she finished, she tried to drag Yan Zhao back. “Come with me quickly to see the Acting Peak Lord and ask him to purge the poison!”
Yan Zhao only found this baffling.
She forcefully shook off Bi Lan’s hand. Impatience was written plainly on her face. “Whether I live or die, what does it have to do with you?”
Bi Lan was at a loss for words. By the time she gathered herself, Yan Zhao was already far away.
“That’s bad!” Bi Lan remembered her original reason for being there; she hadn’t finished what she needed to say.
As things stood, Yan Zhao was on bad terms with her, and she herself was the one who started it. Without any better ideas, Bi Lan could only go to Yingxian Residence and report this matter to Yuan Yi.
She hadn’t expected that Yuan Yi, upon hearing her out, would simply wave his hand dismissively. “It’s nothing. Just a small snake, couldn’t poison her to death.”
Bi Lan was utterly dumbfounded.
A Golden Core Stage cultivator bitten by a Five Venom Snake King might not survive without immediate treatment, and Yan Zhao’s internal spiritual qi was thin and weak; it was clear she hadn’t even reached Foundation Establishment!
Yuan Yi, however, was thinking about something else. He rubbed his brow in consternation, muttering to himself, “That girl Qingyue has gone off to who-knows-where these last few days. Went to the Main Peak and never came back. Could she have been stopped by that brat Jiancheng under the pretext of a sparring match?”
He lifted the lid of his incense burner and added some powder. Finally, he added, “Looks like I still have to make the trip myself tomorrow.”
The next day, Yan Zhao woke up to find herself floating in mid-air, grasped in someone’s hand like a little chick.
This time, the person carrying her was a Daoist priest. His dark-blue robe was washed pale, and he pretended to hold a horsetail whisk. Judging by his attire alone, there was a touch of otherworldly grace about him.
However, the man was pale-faced and beardless, with a male body but a feminine countenance. Because his appearance was so exceptionally striking, the Daoist robe looked somewhat incongruous on him.
It wasn’t the first time she’d been treated this way. Yan Zhao was used to it.
The Daoist priest, however, couldn’t sit still and even initiated conversation with her. “Aren’t you curious where we’re going?”
Yan Zhao: “…”
“Didn’t you always hate life in the sect?” The priest didn’t mind her silence, keeping up the conversation by himself. “So I thought of a way to send you down the mountain.”
Yan Zhao: “…”
“Oh, you don’t need to thank me. Just consider it my doing a good deed and accumulating virtue. If, by chance, you survive, you can offer me a bit more incense later on.”
Yan Zhao: “…”
She lifted her eyes slightly.
From this angle, she couldn’t see the expression on the priest’s face, but his tone alone conveyed undisguised smugness.
Yan Zhao thought to herself: Finally able to get rid of a huge burden like me; it’s only right he’s happy.
In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the Main Peak. They ascended the stone steps, climbing directly to the summit.
A square white jade platform came into view. Next to the entrance stood a jade stele, inscribed with the words: Star Observation Platform.
Several Elders were gathered around the platform, exchanging insights. Behind each Elder stood a line of respectful Disciples.
For Yan Zhao, this was a completely unfamiliar place. She hadn’t left Tianzhu Peak in three hundred years, let alone visited a place like the Main Peak Star Observation Platform, which even Direct Disciples couldn’t enter freely.
However, Yan Zhao soon spotted a few familiar faces in the crowd.
Among them was that female Disciple who liked to meddle in other people’s business.
Yuan Yi brought Yan Zhao to the Tianzhu Peak group, swaggering openly without any attempt to avoid others’ gazes.
“So she’s Yan Zhao, I’ve heard Master mention her too. A piece of trash, three hundred years of cultivation and still can’t reach Foundation Establishment. She’s disgraced our entire Fuyun Sect!”
“Tianzhu Peak’s quota is going unused anyway. Immortal Venerable Yuan Yi probably wants to get rid of this bad omen, so he’s sending her down the mountain for training.”
“With that level of cultivation, going down the mountain is a death sentence.”
“Hard to say. Calamities live a thousand years. Someone like her… dying might be better, actually.”
Yan Zhao’s cultivation base wasn’t high, but her ears were very sharp. They thought they were speaking quietly, but she heard every single word.
The Daoist priest beside her naturally heard them too. In fact, every Elder present could hear the disciples’ whispered gossip perfectly clearly.
But not a single person stepped forward to stop it.
So Yan Zhao also remained silent, wooden-faced, acting like she was invisible.
But she kept an extra eye out, calmly observing her surroundings.
Leading those gossiping behind her back was Luo Qi, the Direct Disciple under Tianzhu Peak’s Grand Elder.
She didn’t recognize the other several people, but judging by their clothes, they came from Diling Peak and Xuanjing Peak respectively.
In a corner of the Star Observation Platform, a few Disciples from Huangyin Peak stood quietly, indifferent to the matter.
There was only one exception.
The new female Disciple had been ostracized by Luo Qi and his cronies and wasn’t familiar with the Huangyin Peak Disciples either. She stood there, completely alone.
Yuan Yi casually tossed Yan Zhao down beside the platform, and Bi Lan immediately came over to greet her. “Junior Sister Yan!”
She was so enthusiastic, it was as if the friction between them had never existed.
Yan Zhao walked right past her without a sideways glance. Bi Lan was completely snubbed.
Still, she was inwardly surprised. Yesterday she had personally witnessed Yan Zhao eating the deadly snake meat. When Yuan Yi said it was fine, she was skeptical. But now, seeing Yan Zhao’s complexion rosy and healthy, with the snake poison having no effect on her whatsoever, she had no choice but to admit she’d been making a fuss over nothing.
Truly, Tianzhu Peak was full of strange individuals. This Junior Sister Yan was definitely not as incompetent as Senior Brother Luo and the others claimed.
The Disciples going down the mountain for training this time would ultimately participate in the Immortal Sect Disciple Assembly. The Sect’s upper echelons placed great importance on this and specially organized this farewell ceremony.
The leaders took turns giving speeches. After the Elders finished, the Sect Master spoke again, blabbering on for two hours, from early morning until the midday sun blazed directly overhead. Yan Zhao fell asleep standing up twice, and they still seemed to have more to say.
Down below, the Elders were resting with their eyes closed, while the Disciples behind them constantly wiped sweat. Only then did Bu Donghou get to the point.
“To participate in the Immortal Sect Disciple Assembly, a special Token is required. The Yunding Immortal Alliance has arranged in advance for numerous masters to hide among the mortal world. Simply find them, challenge them, and defeat them to obtain the Assembly Token.”
Here he paused slightly. “This Seat naturally hopes that the Disciples of Fuyun Sect will all rank highly at the Immortal Sect Disciple Assembly. However, I also have a duty to remind everyone: the martial world is treacherous, blades and swords show no mercy. At all times, know your limits, and do not let a moment of hot-blooded courage cloud your judgment. Understood?”
The Disciples shouted in unison: “Understood!”
Yan Zhao rolled her eyes dismissively.
Before officially descending the mountain, the Sect Master had the Peak Lords distribute maps, Compasses, several Sound Transmission Talismans, and some cultivation resources to the Disciples.
These entry-level Magical Artifacts were beneath the notice of high-cultivation Disciples, but those with too low a cultivation base couldn’t use them either. They were just right for several new Disciples at the Foundation Establishment Stage, like Bi Lan’s group.
But Yan Zhao accepted whatever was offered. She didn’t care about trash; once it was in her hands, it was her stuff.
The farewell ceremony ended. The Disciples from each peak still had to go through the motions of saying goodbye, wishing each other a smooth journey on their training paths.
Yan Zhao had no attachments. She was the first to head down the mountain.
Her figure disappeared onto the winding mountain path. Immortal Venerable Daoling glanced at Yuan Yi. “Are you truly willing to part with her? She is your own niece.”
Yuan Yi’s usual amiability vanished. His brows were as cold as a knife’s edge. “If not for Yan Zhao, Yuanqing would not be dead. We of the Immortal Sects should have a far-reaching vision, not rejoicing over external gains or grieving over personal losses. I, Yuan Yi, will absolutely not follow in Yuanqing’s footsteps because of selfish interests.”
These words reached Bu Donghou’s ears. The man sighed deeply. “Sir, your righteousness is great. Had Immortal Venerable Yuanqing possessed even half of your broad-mindedness, she would not have come to such an end.”
On the way down the mountain, someone followed Yan Zhao at a leisurely pace, keeping a distance of about ten meters.
Yan Zhao suddenly stopped. The footsteps behind her also halted.
Turning her head, sure enough, it was that Disciple who was isolated from the rest.
Yan Zhao’s expression was hostile. Though she hadn’t spoken, her face clearly showed her dislike.
Bi Lan felt uncomfortable under her cold, detached stare, yet she still spoke with a sliver of hope. “The mountains below are infested with Demon Beasts, fraught with danger and unpredictability. I was thinking of joining you, Junior Sister Yan, traveling together. We could look out for each other.”
Yan Zhao found this person utterly baffling.
Repeatedly trying to get close, of everyone she could choose, why form a group with her? What was she after?
Moreover, she had no intention of participating in any Immortal Sect Disciple Assembly. Once she left Fuyun Sect today, she would never return.
So she spoke exactly what was on her mind. “I don’t need companions.”
Bi Lan wanted to persuade her further. “But…”
Yan Zhao had already turned around, tossing a cold remark over her shoulder. “Don’t follow me anymore.”
Having shaken off the tail behind her, Yan Zhao finally made it smoothly down the mountain.
At the foot of Fuyun Sect’s mountain was a lush Bamboo Grove. It was said this grove was laid out by the Sect’s Ancestral Master according to the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams. Leaving was easy, but entering was not.
Later, when the training Disciples returned, they would need an Elder familiar with the array to come out and guide them into this forest.
Yan Zhao couldn’t care less about this.
She continued walking towards the forest’s edge. Suddenly, the tips of her ears twitched slightly, catching a strange rustling sound from the vegetation.
Soon after, a white shadow darted out of the bushes and shot past her eyes like lightning.
A moment later, Yan Zhao got a clear look. It was a Spirit Fox.
A very rare Silver Fox, born incredibly beautiful. Its gleaming silver fur shimmered with a faint golden halo in the sunlight.
But the fur on its belly was stained with blood. Its steps were hurried, panicked, and without direction, as if someone were chasing it.
Yan Zhao raised her eyes, sensing several powerful auras rapidly closing in from all directions.
Were they stronger Fierce Beasts, or humans?
Yan Zhao felt that humans were more likely.
After all, it was such a beautiful little fox. Only humans would be ruthless enough to hunt it.
The Spirit Fox hadn’t run far when it suddenly slammed into an invisible wall of air. It rebounded backward, even tumbling into a somersault.
Yan Zhao stopped to watch the show.
Its path forward blocked by an invisible force, the nimble Spirit Fox sprang up. Without a moment’s hesitation, it swiftly doubled back.
This time, it charged straight towards Yan Zhao.
The Spirit Fox’s speed was extraordinary. Yan Zhao’s eyes could track it, but her body couldn’t react in time. She only felt her shoulder dip as the fox whoosh—burrowed into her collar and hid itself against her chest.
Several dark shadows in the jungle were about to reveal themselves when they instantly vanished without a trace.
Yan Zhao waited for a while, but no one came.
She curled her lip, lowered her head, and reached out to grab a handful of fluff.
“Little fox, your tail is still sticking out.”
