36 - The Cannon Fodder is Prepared to Divorce

Within a few days, Chen Ning and his party had reached the frigid northern lands, having just entered the Tibetan Snow Peaks. Palace Master Yuan Jiu had gone ahead, seemingly to discuss some urgent matters within the hidden Snow Realm, but Chen Ning had yet to arrive and thus remained uninformed about the situation. Ji Wu Nian had been lingering by the seashore for some time... "Hmm?" Jiu Yi, serving dutifully as a system, reported to Yue Bai, "It seems Ji Wu Nian has moved, heading out to sea." Judging by the direction, she was making her way to Wujigong. "Let's go check it out in a bit," Yue Bai replied, strolling through the plaza of Five Peaks. Some disciples greeted her, and she responded in turn before heading toward a more secluded area. It was still morning. It seemed that Liu Li had some matters to discuss with the head, so he probably wouldn't come for her. "Peeking skill is really handy..." Jiu Yi commented lazily, having lost the will to complain about Yue Bai's information-gathering capabilities. Yue Bai reached the western line of Luye, set up a teleportation formation, pinpointing its endpoint near the coast where Ji Wu Nian had been. In a blink, Yue Bai appeared on a cliff overlooking the sea. From this elevated vantage point, she could see the horizon where the sky met the ocean, and a small fishing village at the foot of the cliff. The village had no more than a dozen households, each equipped with fishing nets, and a narrow path winding into the green mountains. If Yue Bai's memory of the map served her right, there should be a small town a bit further away. In the early morning, the waves were constant, but not a single fishing boat was out at sea. The village itself seemed eerily deserted. Ji Wu Nian had already flown deep into the horizon, and Yue Bai, after some contemplation, drew her sword to follow. The blue peak flashed, a beam of light streaking across the sky. As she hurried hundreds of miles, the waves beneath Yue Bai's feet grew increasingly turbulent, roaring ferociously. Looking toward Ji Wu Nian's direction, she saw dark clouds spreading like ink, lightning flashing like blades, and what seemed to be golden dragons wildly dancing in the sky, disturbing the elements. Wujigong was rumored to be situated in the Far East Sea, hidden amidst thunderstorms. Jiu Yi dryly cautioned, "...Be careful not to get struck by lightning…" "This is a formation," Yue Bai stood against the wind, her clothes unmoving, the rain parting from around her, and the lightning only illuminating her face. She observed for a moment, then looked towards the sea, "The entrance is in the water." "Whatever you say," Jiu Yi had no grounds to argue on such matters, knowing that the expert must be right. Hearing his tone, Yue Bai felt an unexplainable urge to laugh. She ended by only shaking her head, like the countless raindrops, diving into the sea. The currents churned, occasionally brightened by light from above. Yue Bai moved steadily, her blue peak sword carried by the currents, leading her from the tumultuous waves into shimmering waters. Soon, the light above became stable, the surrounding waters warmed. Small fish drifted close, curious but then swam away from her. Yue Bai concealed her form and slowly surfaced. The weather above was clear, the waves calm, the sky dotted with white clouds, faint silhouettes of sword-wielders visible high above. "You did great, Yue Bai," Jiu Yi applauded. His tone was too dry, as this was considered a routine operation. Yue Bai scanned her surroundings, seeing nothing but endless ocean blue. "Where did Ji Wu Nian head earlier?" "Ah?" Jiu Yi recalled his memory, replaying it for Yue Bai in her mind, "See for yourself." Yue Bai observed the figures in the air, comparing it to Chen Ning's usual path, "That seems not the usual way to enter Wujigong." "She's here to steal something," Jiu Yi said, "She wouldn't take the obvious route…" But how did she know of another way? Yue Bai had no answers, so she followed Jiu Yi's recollection, flying in the opposite direction of the airborne disciples. The journey was peaceful, with the wind and sun, seemingly endless. Yue Bai remained patient, uncertain how long she had flown before spotting a small gray dot in her view. As it drew nearer, it revealed itself to be a floating stone monument. Its corners were rounded by waves, yet its carved text remained sharp and deeply etched. The eternal sky, a moment of moon and wind. "Hmm?" Jiu Yi was puzzled, "Isn't that a Buddhist scripture? Why would cultivators worship this?" "Buddhism and Taoism are but paths to enlightenment," Yue Bai gently pressed her fingertip to the monument, tracing the sharp text, "…I wonder who inscribed these words…" The handwriting seemed oddly familiar to her. "Probably some old man," Jiu Yi said dismissively, "Could be they've long since passed away." Yue Bai smiled slightly, looking at the bright water beneath. The water rippled, sparkling. With a leap, the blue peak sword remained motionless in the sky. In a flash, Yue Bai's feet touched solid ground. The scenery around her shifted, and Yue Bai once again touched the stone monument. The monument stood rooted in the soil, encircled by a forest of pine trees. Ocean transformed into forest. "Wow," Jiu Yi marveled, "Such an impressive illusion." Yue Bai looked up. The blue sky was still the same but dappled with shadows from the trees. There was only one path ahead, behind her an endless forest. "Wujigong has such mechanisms, yet it still falls short of the Three Pure Ones…" Yue Bai walked forward slowly, unhurried to find Ji Wu Nian, having come to see first, "These mechanisms are meant to make entry difficult, not necessarily provide an escape." Sensing a philosophical debate brewing, Jiu Yi showed little interest and reminded her, "Ji Wu Nian seems close…” “Ding.” “‘Assist Ji Wu Nian in stealing the Cold Sword’ mission completed… completed???????” Jiu Yi was filled with disbelief, “We haven’t done anything!!?????? It’s already completed???????” The pine forest was silent and serene. Without Jiu Yi’s exclamation and the surge of demonic energy ahead, Yue Bai might’ve paused to enjoy it longer. Drawing her blue peak sword, Yue Bai’s swift movement through the forest stirred a flurry of rustling noises. *** “Boom!” A ray of rainbow light descended from the sky, collapsing everything it passed, yet the woman in red remained unharmed. In her hand, white light shimmered, transforming immense force into mysterious ice, solidifying then shattering. On the ground, many disciples activated their formations, turning ice back into water, creating a rain-like mist. "Elder Su Nu, be mindful of your strength," the woman in red ascended into the air, spinning her cold sword, snow crystals orbiting her, reflecting her dark red demonic aura, "It's one thing not to hurt me, but it's troublesome if you injure your own disciples." Her hood and mask obscured her face, but not the mocking arch at her lips. The one addressed as Su Nu wore a light-colored Taoist robe, continuously waving her horsetail whisk, another light beam shooting forward. The woman in red smiled, her mocking expression deepening, raising her cold sword horizontally in front of her. As the light beam approached, she seemed poised to freeze it. Suddenly, a strong wind arose. The moisture in the air formed blades, scattering around, the blades converging to tightly envelop the sword-wielder. "Yue Bai!" Jiu Yi exclaimed. With her blue peak sword tight in hand, Yue Bai nearly reached out with her other hand. “Swish!” The sword’s momentum abruptly changed, a white light cut a straight angle downward, shooting like an arrow heading straight down. "Clang!" The cold sword’s blade struck a folding fan, emitting a series of fine cracking sounds as the coldness spread downward, forcing the wielder to release their weapon. The woman in red smirked, the folding fan radiating coldness under her foot, enveloped in a dark red glow. "Elder Chang Xia, it’s winter, be mindful of the cold." Chang Xia stepped back, not only was his folding fan frozen, but even the woman's eyes glowed with an intense red light. "Who are you really!" Su Nu charged down, yet the woman in red evaded just before the whisk touched her. Demonic energy surged, cold radiance sharp. In the air, the woman was a master of both ice and fire, domineering. “Demon cultivator Ling Zhou, greetings to the esteemed Immortals.” The woman, identifying herself as Ling Zhou, played with the sword’s blade, seemingly admiring its cold gleam, “Recently, our demon clan has many significant matters, so I came to borrow the Cold Sword. Thank you for your generosity, esteemed Immortals.” The more polite, the more sarcastic. Su Nu gritted her teeth, her whisk shooting out rapidly, barely grazing a residual shadow. If not for the Palace Master’s absence, how could such a demon cultivator have her way… “No need for haste, esteemed Immortals," Ling Zhou rode the wind, turning to smile, "We shall all be colleagues in the future, no need for such deadly enmity now.” “Nonsense!” White light flashed, the rainbow light condensed again, but Ling Zhou had vanished into the vast sea. From the edge of the forest, Yue Bai leaned against a pine tree, quietly watching as the streams of rainbow light shot towards the sea in fury. Sword shadows flickered past, numerous figures diving into the water in pursuit. "...No progress accounted for," Jiu Yi hesitantly said, "Though it feels like you don’t need much help…” Yue Bai exhaled, turned around, retracing her steps. “Didn’t, didn’t expect her to be so capable…” Jiu Yi, for some unknown reason, felt awkward, considering the mission was issued… without really needing the host’s involvement. “Hmm.” Yue Bai’s response was so detached, it quelled Jiu Yi’s urge to speak further. Thus, the pine forest remained silent, the gentle breeze undisturbed, and Yue Bai slowly walked back, lacking the urgency from before. As she approached the stone monument, faint dark red mists drifted forward, snowflakes gently falling. A woman, propped on her sword, knelt, her other hand’s fingers dug into the ground, staining the soil red. Hearing footsteps, she lifted her eyes, fierce flames burning within. "Enthusiastically writing, shaking Five Sacred Mountains, poetry completed, laughing proudly at Ling Cangzhou." Yue Bai slowly kneeled in front of her, prying her hands away from the cold sword. The slender hands had frost from the cold, making them stiff. Gently guiding her, Yue Bai led the hand to wrap around her back, allowing the person before her to naturally fall into her embrace. "Quite the strong words," she remarked. The dark red demonic energy enveloped them momentarily but was slowly drawn back. A golden core flickered indistinctly between clarity and murkiness, eventually settling into clarity after some manipulation. The tense body finally relaxed for a moment, only to tighten again in the next. Ling Zhou coughed up a mouthful of dark blood, staining Yue Bai's back a deep red. "..." Yue Bai pursed her lips; she disliked the feeling of her back being wet. "…Why… are you here?" Ling Zhou gasped, her chest heaving, making speech difficult. Yue Bai stroked her back, helping her breathe easier, and found a certain pleasure in seeing her in such a pitiful state, "If you can be here, why can't I?" "…," Ling Zhou was at a loss for words, instead offering a smile, "Your timing… is impeccable…" She had been waiting by the shore for so long without any sign of her, yet the moment she succeeded, Yue Bai appeared. Jiu Yi commented, "…That's called the protagonist's halo—can't be helped…" Yue Bai repeated, "That's called the protagonist's halo. Can't be helped." Ling Zhou was momentarily taken aback, then burst into laughter, a laughter shared only between her and Yue Bai amidst the stillness of the breeze and the sparseness of their laughter. Yue Bai gently pushed her away, but in doing so, saw a pair of reddened eyes behind the mask. Sadness, gratitude, resentment, joy. Yue Bai couldn't fathom why she had such an abundance of emotions, but she flipped her hand to produce a pill, offering it to her. Leaning back against the stone monument, Ling Zhou's gaze remained fixated on Yue Bai. A faint smile played at her blood-stained lips, "Yue Bai, what brings you here? And how did you know about this place?" This was a secret path, scarcely known even within Wujigong. Yue Bai ignored the questioning look in her eyes and gently lifted her chin, pressing the pill against her bloodstained lips, "Same question to you. Will you answer?" The pill's bitterness was potent. Even before it entered her blood-soaked mouth, it made Ling Zhou cringe with nausea. She barely swallowed it, her brows furrowed tightly, "So bitter." Yue Bai helped her sit upright, "Chosen especially to teach you a lesson." She remembered how Ye Er was made to drink that bitter medicine soup back then—Yue Bai had a good memory for these things. Jiu Yi remarked dryly, "…Didn’t expect you to be this kind of person, Yue Bai…" Leaning against the monument, warmth spread from Ling Zhou's core, easing most of her recent discomfort. She chuckled, "Quite stingy." Feeling good, Yue Bai initially didn't want to respond. However, when a hand reached out and precisely grabbed her collar, pulling her close, the person in her arms gave her a taste of her own bitter medicine with a kiss laced with the taste of blood and fervor. When they pulled apart, Ling Zhou wiped the blood from Yue Bai's lips, smiling contentedly, "It's a bit less bitter now." "..." Jiu Yi was too exasperated to comment, "Yue Bai, punch her, maybe?" "...Killing her would be troublesome," Yue Bai tasted the bitterness on her tongue, but the person before her was still weak. Frowning, she asked, "Where to?" Ling Zhou tilted her head, speaking lightly, "Let's rest for a while first..." Yue Bai picked her up in her arms, "Where to?" "...There's a fishing village southwest from here outside this place." It was where she had stayed earlier. Yue Bai's blue peak sword unsheathed, and with Ling Zhou, she leapt into the air. Her toes touched the sword’s body, and the land beneath them rippled away like water waves. The verdant forest turned into a whirlpool, except for a corner-rounded stone monument, turning into a tiny dot behind her. Ling Zhou clung to Yue Bai’s shoulder, witnessing those eight characters fade into the distance. Slightly raising her head, she saw Yue Bai flying with nonchalance, unbothered by being in someone else's domain. Probing outward, she noted they cast no shadow on the sea beneath them, and the Wuji disciples searching high above them failed to notice their presence. Ling Zhou chuckled aloud. Yue Bai glanced down to see her smile—a smile hiding beneath a mask and hood with a hint of mockery, akin to when she had faced the elders of Wuji Sect. Yue Bai ignored it, merely avoiding all eyes as she casually exited Wuji Sect's perimeter of wind and thunder, returning them to shore. Ling Zhou guided Yue Bai to a secluded path. From the fishing village, a hill path led to a small courtyard in the mountains, the perfect hideaway, barely touched by people—even the fishing village was deserted—an ideal place to recover. Yue Bai surveyed the surroundings, "A well-prepared setup." Leaning against the bed’s edge, Ling Zhou removed her crimson mask, revealing her lovely, sunny smile, "I am, after all, of royal blood, and I still command a loyal shadow guard." Jiu Yi remarked, "Where’s the 'untouched by mortal affairs' spirit in that?" Thinking of Ji He Guang and Ji Zhan Hong, and all the troubles with disaster relief, Yue Bai kept silent. The usually playful person still appeared weak, her fragility adding to her gentleness, "Would you like to meet them?" Yue Bai looked out the window. The sun had already passed its zenith, showing signs of setting. "No," Yue Bai turned, "I'm leaving." "Yue Bai." Yue Bai paused but only slightly turned her head. "Will you come tomorrow?" "..." Yue Bai turned a bit more, her brows slightly furrowed, "Depends on my mood." "Drop by if you have time?" Ling Zhou donned an innocent expression, "It’s not like you have much else to do…" …She had to deal with Liu Li, and had to avoid drawing too much attention… Clearly, all this trouble was Ji Wu Nian's doing, yet she dared to claim that Yue Bai had nothing better to do??? "Where's her shame…?" Even Jiu Yi felt the obligation to comment. Not wanting to engage further, Yue Bai turned and left.