Chapter 38: Koi Division

Lin Ci’s tone was neither agitated nor angry; instead, he spoke calmly and steadily, with an irrefutable certainty, as if recounting an undeniable fact.

The golden light flickering in Bu Liuguyue’s eyes suddenly began to brighten and dim, her gaze shifting for the first time:

“In front of me, you’re the first to say such words—and say them so absolutely.”

“So what?”

“I want to test you.”

“Fine. Although I have reasons to hide my identity, now that it’s come to this, I suppose there’s no turning back… Make your move.”

Lin Ci spoke, yet made no actual move. Instead, he looked through the brim of his hat directly into Bu Liuguyue’s eyes.

This was the first time the two locked eyes…

The tension thickened.

Yet Bu Liuguyue showed no signs of striking.

Ruan Huoying clenched her dress nervously on the sidelines, more anxious than anyone else. She couldn’t understand why Li Feiyu had said that, nor why Yueyue hesitated.

Time seemed to stand still; she felt as if a very long time passed before dawn broke faintly.

The two remained locked in silence.

The air between their gazes seemed capable of melting a thousand-year-old glacier.

Finally, Bu Liuguyue was the first to purse her lips into a smile, the golden light in her eyes vanishing instantly without a trace.

“This is interesting…”

“Thank you.”

Lin Ci lowered the brim of his hat and cupped his hands in salute.

“Hey! Hey?!”

Ruan Huoying was stunned. She glanced between the two, utterly confused by the situation.

Why was she the only one who understood nothing?

“Feiyu, there’s no time to waste. I want to return to my room to rest and tally the mortal casualties to report to the Sect. We’ll set out again at dawn. How about that?”

“Sure, of course. I’ll take care of disposing of the Devil Cultivators’ bodies. Let’s meet at the town gate later.”

They saluted each other with mutual respect and harmonious tones.

Then each went about their business.

Only Ruan Huoying remained puzzled. She caught up to Lin Ci and looked at him with a mixture of doubt and uncertainty:

“You… can I still call you Li Feiyu?”

“Yes, you can only call me that.”

“Li Feiyu, what’s going on? I don’t understand anything right now.”

Although happy the two had reconciled, Ruan Huoying still asked worriedly, “Why did Yueyue stop? What’s going on between you two?”

“That… you’ll have to ask her.”

Lin Ci shrugged.

In truth, when they faced off earlier, he had mentally prepared himself to fight Bu Liuguyue.

As for the outcome, having seen her strength, he wasn’t as confident as he sounded.

Thankfully, his acting held up and he didn’t show weakness.

As for why Bu Liuguyue stopped fighting—he truly had no idea.

“I’ll settle accounts with you later!”

Ruan Huoying made a face at him, then dashed off to find Bu Liuguyue.

Back at the inn, she grabbed Bu Liuguyue and began questioning her.

“Yueyue, what’s going on? You knew Li Feiyu wasn’t an undercover from the start?”

Bu Liuguyue smiled softly, her voice gentle:

“At first, I did suspect him, which is why I suggested bringing him on the mission. But when I pointed my sword at him, and you stepped up to defend him, I believed in his innocence.”

“After all, Xiao Ying is so smart—if she trusts someone, how could she be wrong?”

Hearing this, Ruan Huoying felt touched, though her tone turned reproachful:

“Then why did you keep interrogating him? You even fooled me!”

Bu Liuguyue gave a sly smile:

“If I didn’t keep pressing him, how could you defend him? How else would he remember your kindness?”

“Huh? Why would he need to remember my kindness?”

“Of course, it’s so he’d be moved by Xiao Ying’s love!”

“Waaah! Don’t say such things, Yueyue!”

Ruan Huoying’s cheeks instantly flushed red, and she hurriedly tried to cover Bu Liuguyue’s mouth. “Li Feiyu and I are just friends! Friends! There’s nothing messy between us!”

“Alright, alright, then there isn’t…”

Bu Liuguyue chuckled.

Ruan Huoying sighed, a bit melancholy.

“That guy… seems completely ungrateful toward me!”

“Hmm? Not really.”

Bu Liuguyue said, “Look, he pushed you away twice and chose to face me himself—that means he cares about you and doesn’t want to put you in a difficult position.”

“Really?”

“Of course. The man you like is not only thoughtful but also responsible. You’re lucky to have him!”

“Who… who likes him? I said we’re just friends!”

Ruan Huoying blushed again, immediately denying it and forbidding Yueyue from teasing her further.

But seeing Yueyue’s amused gaze, she stomped her foot in frustration.

“Yueyue, are you making fun of me?”

“Oh? You make jokes about Lin Ci and me every day, but when I laugh at you, suddenly it’s a problem. You’re so strict with others but lenient with yourself…”

“I’m sorry, Yueyue. I won’t say anything anymore, promise…”

“Go ahead, say whatever you want about me and I’ll say it about you. Fair’s fair.”

“Yueyue, stop it, ouch~”

“Hehe… just teasing you. But seriously, we still have four or five days before reaching White Pine Town. During this time, I’ll do my best to matchmake you two!”

“That guy’s a blockhead, what’s there to matchmake…”

Ruan Huoying crossed her arms and snorted, then asked, “By the way, Yueyue, what did Li Feiyu mean by those last words? He really seemed ready to fight you!”

At this, Bu Liuguyue became serious:

“That’s right, he really did…”

“Really?”

Ruan Huoying’s face showed surprise. “He can really beat you?”

“They didn’t fight, so how would I know?”

“I mean… where did he get such confidence to say that?”

‘I could kill you all by myself…’

“Honestly, I didn’t believe it at first…”

Bu Liuguyue began recalling, “But then I looked into his eyes and had the faint feeling he might really have some trump card. Eyes don’t lie!”

Ruan Huoying thought this sounded familiar.

“So that’s why you stopped?”

“It’s not that I think I can’t beat him, but that there’s no need to fight…”

Bu Liuguyue shook her head, then smiled meaningfully as if remembering something.

“He and I are probably the same kind of person.”

“Huh?”

Ruan Huoying was stunned. Wasn’t that—Yueyue?

Bu Liuguyue’s expression remained calm, as if this statement was perfectly reasonable.

“Besides, since he’s not an undercover but hides his name and has a hidden card, he’s probably on some important mission.”

“Important mission?”

Ruan Huoying asked immediately.

“Hm, the only possibility I can think of…”

Bu Liuguyue answered slowly,

“Few people know about this, but today I’m telling you—don’t let it fall into others’ ears…”

“The world believes the Great Void Sect dominates the Central State as the foremost righteous Sect.”

“But that’s just the surface. Beneath the surface, the Sect’s schemes run far deeper.”

“As far as I know, the Sect secretly supports a hidden branch responsible for executing those dark deeds that can’t be exposed and must never fail.”

“The disciples of this branch live ordinary lives like us and show no special traits. Only during missions do they conceal their identities to investigate or assassinate.”

“Even though I oversee the Disciples Roster, I have no way of knowing who these branch disciples are—it’s just by chance I overheard whispers.”

“This discreet branch that controls life and death in the shadows has an unremarkable name—the Jinli Division.”

“Li Feiyu is a member of the Jinli Division.”