“Why is this Ten-Thousand-Year Heavenly Spirit Elixir hot?”
“The weather’s getting cold. Warm drinks are better for your stomach.”
“Then why is it so thick?”
“The cold makes the water evaporate, so it gets thicker, naturally.”
“Then…”
“Stop asking! Just one question—are you going to drink it or not? If not, then I’ll drink it myself.” Xue Ji was clearly getting annoyed by the barrage of questions, and made as if to snatch the cup filled with the milky white liquid from Su Bai’s hand on the bed.
Seeing this, Su Bai didn’t say another word. He quickly downed the liquid in one gulp, then even smacked his lips as if he hadn’t had enough.
This stuff tasted a bit like Anmuxi, but better, and after drinking it, his whole body felt warm, his mind clear and refreshed—utterly comfortable.
Seeing Su Bai enjoying himself so much, Xue Ji couldn’t help but look a bit puzzled. She’d been drinking this stuff for nearly ten years now, but still had no idea what it actually was. Or maybe she did know, but just liked the taste?
But she kept her doubts to herself. If it was the former, and her main body found out the truth, she’d definitely get her ass beaten—so much so that even A Xuan couldn’t stop it. If it was the latter, her main body cared most about face. If Xue Ji exposed her, she’d also be pinned to the bed for a thrashing.
Xue Ji chose silence.
Seeing her like that, Su Bai took the initiative to change the topic. He asked, “How’s your cultivation going with the Ruthless True Lord lately?”
“Not bad. I sleep like a baby whenever she lectures on the Dao. Feels a bit disrespectful, though.” Xue Ji scratched her head, looking embarrassed.
“If you enjoy it, go listen more often.” Su Bai got out of bed, walked to the window, pushed open the shutters, and stretched his hand outside. The bright moonlight poured onto his palm.
“Xue Ji.”
“Mm?”
“The weather’s getting colder. Go out more often these days, buy some good food and bring it back.”
“Alright.”
A gentle night breeze brushed across his palm. At the window, the beauty’s lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
The wind has risen.
It’s time.
At the same moment.
That night, somewhere in Central State, in a secluded courtyard.
A cold crescent moon cast its silvery light, bathing the courtyard in a mysterious glow. A tall, aloof female cultivator was polishing her sword by moonlight.
She had a slender figure, dressed in flowing moon-white palace robes, her sleeves billowing like a fairy’s. Her silvery hair cascaded like a waterfall, tied up with nothing but a mutton-fat jade hairpin, with a few loose strands falling by her fair neck.
Her features were as cold and distant as a lone star on a wintry night, her eyes deep and unfathomable as a still pool, tranquil and unperturbed, exuding the unique detachment of a Ruthless Law cultivator.
Behind her stood a young girl who looked almost identical—nine parts alike—her white hair betraying her anxiety as she fidgeted.
“How much longer must we wait?” Gong Qianxue didn’t turn her head, her hands never pausing as she polished her sword, as if using the motion to hone her heart in the Ruthless Dao.
“I don’t know.” The girl gently shook her head.
“I want to kill him. More and more each day.”
As she spoke, Gong Qianxue placed the polished sword at her side and lightly ran her thumb along the blade.
With the faintest touch, the razor edge drew a crimson line on her finger.
A stark, bloody red.
“Grace for saving my life, affection for raising me, a chance to achieve the Dao—yet the unfilial child betrayed us. This hatred, this enmity, I will never forget!”
“I understand, but we must be patient. Now is not the time. Under the [Celestial Emperor Spirit-Sealing Array], we have only one shot. Succeed, and there’s hope. Fail, and we’ll never rise again.”
“Now we must wait for her…”
Suddenly, both their bodies froze, a subtle light flashing in their eyes. In the next instant, Gong Qianxue rose swiftly, sheathing her treasured sword, her posture valiant and upright.
She lifted her chin to the moon, red lips curling into a cold, elegant arc.
A breeze caught a few of her snow-white strands.
The wind has risen.
The time has come.
Eastern Sea, Flower Pavilion.
“Keep dancing, keep playing, don’t stop! The longer you dance, the more tips I’ll hand out!”
“I’ve been looking at men for a year—tonight, I must feast my eyes on some beautiful girls!”
“Tonight, all expenses are covered by Young Lord Bai… uh, by this Young Lord Wu here!”
After leaving the [Sun Extinguishing] headquarters, Bai Changsheng dragged Wu Ji to the Flower Pavilion brothel for music and company. After living together for a year and building a deep camaraderie, of course, joys should be shared.
At this moment, the place was packed with charming women, their melodious voices echoing, while dancers wove through the crowd, their fragrance wafting everywhere.
Bai Changsheng and Wu Ji lounged in their chairs, sipping premium wine worth thousands of spirit stones a jug, chatting about recent events.
“What was that courtesan’s name? Right, it’s… let me think, Lin Shiyin. Yes, Lin Shiyin!”
“Wu Bro, let me tell you, her pipa skills are absolutely top-notch. If she had any cultivation talent, her achievements in the Dao of Sound wouldn’t be any less than mine.”
“And rumor has it she’s still untouched, you know~ Wu Bro, you interested…”
Pfft!
Wu Ji spat out his wine. “Cough, cough.”
He looked up and met Bai Changsheng’s teasing gaze. Although her face wasn’t a world-shattering beauty, it was exceptionally exquisite. But the mischievous smile at her lips left Wu Ji feeling helpless.
“With the great cause unfinished, how can one talk of settling down?” Wu Ji replied dryly.
“Brother Wu, you really are a man of principle. Fine, I won’t push you. Such a pity—if not for that damn Celestial True Lord, I’d have gone myself.” Bai Changsheng sounded quite regretful.
“Think about it, after hundreds of years of cultivation, I’m still a virgin… a maiden, never even held a girl’s hand. Whenever I think about that, I…”
Just then, a sudden voice echoed in his mind.
“I have a task for you.”
“At any cost, destroy this [Celestial Emperor Spirit-Sealing Array].”
In an instant, Bai Changsheng shot to her feet.
Then, as if remembering something, she looked at Wu Ji, beaming. “Wu Bro, how’s your injury?”
For some reason, Wu Ji suddenly had a bad feeling.
The last time she smiled like that, she’d convinced him to poke a hornet’s nest.
“It’s seventy percent healed,” he finally admitted.
“Then help me out. If it works, I’ll owe you a big favor.” Bai Changsheng blinked her big eyes, her tone full of persuasion.
“What is it?” Wu Ji could only relent; the last time he refused to go hunting, Bai Changsheng had nagged him for more than forty days.
“We’re going to Central State together to destroy a certain [Celestial Emperor Spirit-Sealing Array].”
“What?!”
The night breeze swept through the Flower Pavilion, stirring up ripples. The man’s shock was reflected in the girl’s determined eyes.
At the border of black and white, in an illusory space, within a primeval, ancient formation, a white phantom’s finger moved slightly.
[In the wilds north of the Desolate Mountains dwells a beast that devours tigers and leopards, its cry like drums and music. It travels with a candle atop its head. All who pray to it have their wishes foretold. It is called the Candle-Horned Beast.]
[One-Time Simulation Consumption Card: Candle-Horned Beast—Note: wishes cannot be granted out of nothing, nor conjured from thin air, and certainly not beyond one’s capacity. Who will act, who will accomplish, who will fulfill it—all must be within reason.]
“I wish…”
“For the [Celestial Emperor Spirit-Sealing Array] somewhere in the Azure Emperor Divine Palace to be destroyed, thereby affecting the entire grand array for three quarters of an hour, forcing Xuanyuan Heavenly Venerable Zhou Xuan to leave the Azure Emperor Divine Palace. Let Bai Changsheng and Wu Ji accomplish it.”
The next morning, Su Bai woke up well-rested, ready to meditate, when Xue Ji brought news.
Last night, the Celestial Emperor Spirit-Sealing Array somewhere in Central State—destroyed!
Two mysterious True Lords had broken the array. By chance, it affected all the formations in Central State, forcing Zhou Xuan to leave the Azure Emperor Divine Palace and take charge of the situation.