The night was silent as the silver moon hung high in the sky.
In the City Lord's Office , Xiao Yunluo was telling Elder Cao, the City Lord, and the others about how they killed the demonic cultivator.
Ye Anping left his seat early, taking his sister with him. He went to a small pavilion behind the City Lord's Office alone and hung Ah Gu's right hand on a tree branch to tease the ornamental koi in the pond.
The five-colored koi lightly touched its fingertips, thinking that it was here to feed them, causing the veins on Gu Mingxin's hand to pop out one by one.
"So, they discovered a secret cave infested by poisonous insects beneath a restaurant in the city and set fire to the Toxic parasite cultivator?"
"Yes!" Xiao Tian folded her arms and nodded. "I heard from Miss Xiao that she has been walking around the streets these days and found a lot of places that seem to be Formation knots. She deduced the location of the demonic cultivators from the arrangement of the Formation knots, and they went there. Then..."
Xiao Tian recounted what she had seen and heard during the past two hours when she followed Feng Yu Die and Xiao Yunluo. Ye Anping teased the koi while listening carefully to her description and filling in the story in his mind.
The Magical Poison Sect's "Head Insect" was completely different from Jiang Mojiao they met in the Northern Region . That was a true Nascent Soul Grand Master. Although he did not have the strongest ability among Magical Poison Sect Grand Masters, once his self-created parasite formation was set, he could deal with several Nascent Soul cultivators alone.
Even though Feng Yu Die and Xiao Yunluo had the Holy Emperor Dragon Body and the Black Dragon Spirit, which could suppress the toxic parasites, it was not easy to completely annihilate him.
Moreover, after Xiao Tian found Feng Yu Die and Xiao Yunluo, he did not notice any big movement in the city during the hour spent in the City Lord's Office .
Ye Anping now roughly understood what was going on.
"Head Insect" must have known that there were three Nascent Soul cultivators in the City of Dreams , so he knew that before his formation was set, once City Lord and the other two Nascent Soul cultivators came to him, he would not have a chance of winning.
It just so happened that after Xiao Yunluo turned into a dragon, she was extremely sensitive to the aura of Toxic parasite cultivators. After wandering around the city for so many days, she and Feng Yu Die discovered his hiding place and set it on fire.
Therefore, after the girls started the fire, "Head Insect" thought that he had been exposed to the city guards. He decisively left his storage bag behind and created the illusion that he had died in their hands. Then, he fled.
At this moment, "Head Insect" was probably already a hundred miles away somewhere.
"If that "Head Insect"'s formation had been completed, they would have suffered a lot when they rushed into his cave."
"Ah..."
Ye Anping shook his head slightly and turned to look at Xiao Tian. Like an old father reprimanding his child, he questioned seriously, "When I asked you to go find them, I told you to bring them over to the City Lord's Office . Why didn't you come and tell me first?"
Xiao Tian fiddled with her small fingers and lowered her head, whispering, "Anping, I went to help them explore the hidden cave..."
"...Well, anyway, I guess I should really thank them this time."
Ye Anping hung the tree branch on the railing and let the koi play with Gu Mingxin's hand. He sat back on the stone bench in the pavilion and took a sip of the teacup.
Although he knew how to deal with the "Head Insect"'s formation, he didn't know that he was hiding in the City of Dreams until the two girls arrived at the City Lord's Office .
Previously, he had planned to wait for the Grand Elder of the Bright Star Sect to arrive before dealing with that demonic cultivator.
Now that he thought about it, if this matter had gone according to his plan, he and his sister would have been fine, but the cultivators in the City of Dreams would have suffered a lot.
It could be said that the slightly risky actions of Feng Yu Die and Xiao Yunluo saved the lives of the casual cultivators in this city.
"...That's pretty good too."
Just like what Li Longling said previously in the Northern Region : As cultivation partners, they would naturally help him fill in the gaps in his plan.
Ye Anping admitted that this incident was indeed his negligence.
But Yunluo and Yu Die came after him and helped him make up for it.
He felt that he had to reward the two of them later.
As for how to reward them?
For Feng Yu Die, a few roasted chickens would do.
As for Yunluo...
Plop plop plop---
The fish in the pond beside the pavilion suddenly seemed to be frightened, fluttering and scattering from Gu Mingxin's fingertips.
A girl with long black hair skipped onto the water before jumping into the pavilion from the other side of the pond. She landed behind Ye Anping and smiled as if she was playing a prank.
"Hey, Master Ye..."
Ye Anping turned around and saw that Feng Yu Die's face was still covered in blood and dirt. There were still some insect body fluids on her clothes, and he looked at her in disgust.
"Can you take a bath and change clothes before coming over?"
"I'll go in a while." Feng Yu Die blinked her eyes as if hinting at something. "Hmm~"
"I'll make you roasted chicken later."
"And what else?"
"What else..."
Feng Yu Die walked to the opposite side of the stone table and sat down. She propped up her cheeks and looked at Ye Anping with narrowed eyes. "Praise me? I finished off a demonic cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage without you around."
"Are you a kid, why do you still need praise?"
"My master always praised me for everything I did well."
Feng Yu Die pursed her lips, then brushed her long black hair to her shoulders. "Young Master Ye, Sister Xiao and I have been asking around for news these past few days in the city, afraid that you might have encountered something on the way... Look, I even dyed my hair so as not to expose my identity. I know you have to be very low-key..."
Ye Anping looked at Feng Yu Die's black hair and shook his head slightly. She had indeed improved a lot compared to before.
Looking at her dirty face, he took out a piece of cloth from his storage bag and dipped it in the pond beside him with his spiritual energy. Then, he raised his hand and pressed it on her face to help her wipe it off.
"Alright, alright. You've improved. That's amazing. That's great."
Feng Yu Die's face was rubbed by Ye Anping with a handkerchief, and she didn't know if it was because of too much force or what, but a faint blush suddenly appeared on her cheeks.
"Hehe..."
"What about Yunluo and the others?"
"The City Lord asked the servants in the residence to bring Sister Xiao to change and wash her face. Sister Pei accompanied her. Sister Xiao's horns can't be seen by others. I'll wait for her to change before washing..."
"Then, why did you come here to pester me?"
"Well... there's also the roasted chicken."
"I'll make it for you later. It'll be done by the time you change your clothes."
"Hmm..."
Ye Anping wiped the blood and mud on her face clean, threw the handkerchief onto the table, and suddenly realized that Feng Yu Die was staring at his face. For a moment, he froze before lifting his hand to touch his face. "Why are you staring at me?"
Feng Yu Die quickly shifted her gaze, pursing her lips and smiling. "I haven't seen you in a long time..."
"Didn't I tell you and Yunluo to stay in the Black Star Sect? Why did you follow me?"
"I was a little worried about you."
"Worried about me?"
"Well, Mr. Qi said you can't form a Nascent Soul ..."
"Didn't we talk about this before?"
"But I'm still worried..."
"..."
The two of them instantly fell silent. Ye Anping noticed that Xiao Tian, who was still beside him just now, was quiet. He turned around and saw her floating outside the pavilion, secretly watching him and Feng Yu Die with a maternal smile on her face. He immediately guessed what she was thinking.
He rolled his eyes, then reminded Yu Die. "Remember, Feng Yunluo ."
"Yes! I know. When you told the City Lord and the others just now, I understood..."
"You will follow me to the Bright Star Sect in a few days, Elder Cao should arrange accommodation for you. You don't need to do anything after that, just stay there and wait for me to finish talking with Zu Yuan. Then, we will return to Black Star Sect."
Feng Yu Die looked into Ye Anping's eyes and nodded. "Okay."
Seeing Feng Yu Die staring at him in a trance, Ye Anping felt she was strange, but he also thought it was much more pleasing to the eye than usual.
He looked back at the hand splashing water in the pond and sighed. "I'll make you roasted chicken. Come over and eat after you change your clothes."
Then, he walked over, fished out Gu Mingxin's hand, tied it to his belt, and prepared to go to the City Lord's Office to borrow a kitchen and roast a chicken for Feng Yu Die.
However, just as he hung Gu Mingxin's hand on his belt, her index finger directly pinched his thigh.
"..."
Ye Anping hesitated, then held her hand, but Gu Mingxin seemed to want to say something as it tightly grasped his left index finger.
Ye Anping wrote a few words on her palm with his finger: ---Done?
Gu Mingxin clenched her fists tightly, indicating that it was done!
Feng Yu Die, who was standing by, watched him and Gu Mingxin interacting with each other's hands. "What happened?"
"The leaders of the Hedonistic Sect and Magical Poison Sect have already arrived near the Sword Gate Pass ."
Feng Yu Die didn't quite understand. "Eh?"
"It's just a backup plan I've prepared."
Ye Anping gently stroked the back of Gu Mingxin's hand, and then walked toward the back kitchen of the City Lord's Office .
Feng Yu Die sat on the stone bench, watching Ye Anping walk to the end of the corridor, then lowered her eyes slightly and gently stroked her chest, relaxing.
Under the stone table, her legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles.
A slight blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Hehe..."
Xiao Tian, who had taken the initiative to keep the distance, saw Ye Anping leave and floated back. Looking at Yu Die's lovestruck appearance, a smile appeared on her face.
"Yu Die, hehe... what's wrong?"
Feng Yu Die quickly suppressed her smile and replied, "Well... nothing."
"Is it really nothing? Yu Die, you just said you were worried about Anping, right? What happened during this time?"
"..."
Feng Yu Die ignored Xiao Tian and stood up to head toward the side pavilion of the City Lord's Office . The City Lord had already asked his servants to prepare a room for her to bathe and change clothes.
Seeing that she was ignored, Xiao Tian quickly went forward and pulled her hair.
"Oh! Yu Die, tell me..."
Feng Yu Die's scalp hurt from being pulled, and she was quite surprised for a moment. "Ouch... how did you become so strong..."
Xiao Tian raised her head and stood on top of her head. "I am also exercising!! And I also have both you and Anping!"
...
Xiao Tian, who had been sidetracked by Feng Yu Die, proudly bragged about her workout.
Feng Yu Die also pretended to listen with great interest as she went to the side pavilion of the City Lord's Office . With the help of several maids, Feng Yu Die washed off the dirt on her body and changed into clean clothes.
By the time she returned to the small pavilion by the pond, a plate of steaming roasted chicken was already placed on the stone table.
However, there was no sign of Ye Anping in the pavilion. He must have put the roasted chicken here and left.
Feng Yu Die didn't think too much about it. She walked into the pavilion, sat down, and started to eat.
Xiao Tian kept talking about Anping in her ear, and she only responded from time to time, treating it as a side dish to eating chicken and listening silently.
By the pond, the cicadas chirped noisily, and the night breeze was slightly chilly.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard approaching. Feng Yu Die thought it was Ye Anping and looked up happily, but saw that it was the Bright Star Sect girl who was in the main pavilion earlier.
Zu Lingzhi passed by with a depressed expression. When she saw Feng Yu Die sitting alone in the pavilion eating roasted chicken, she was stunned for a moment, and then she quickly walked over and cupped her hands.
"Miss Feng, I forgot to introduce myself just now. I am Zu Lingzhi, the main disciple of the Bright Star Sect. I carry the surname of Zu Yuan, the sect Patriarch, and I am the great-niece of the Great Immortal Tianyun..."
"Oh, Feng... Yunluo."
"You have already said it just now, I remember it." Zu Lingzhi smiled and sat across from her at the table. She asked curiously, "Miss Feng, you and Miss Xiao killed a demonic cultivator in the middle stage of the Nascent Soul . How did you do it? Can you teach me?"
"I'm eating chicken."
Zu Lingzhi hesitated, then said stiffly, "I see you haven't started fasting yet. If you don't mind, can I try it? I haven't had roasted chicken for a long time."
Feng Yu Die replied immediately. "No."
"..."
Then, she frowned, picked up the roast chicken, and held it in front of her, very protective. "Young Master Ye made it for me."
"Ah... Young Master Ye..." Zu Lingzhi hesitated for a while. "Speaking of which, you, Sister Pei, and Miss Xiao are all his cultivation partners. How did you know each other?"
"..."
Feng Yu Die lowered her eyes and thought for a while, then answered, "He saved me several times."
"So, you promised yourself to him? What's so good about him..."
"Young Master Ye is pretty good."
"What's so good?"
"His roasted chicken is delicious."
"Then, can I taste it..."
"No."
...
Somewhere in the Eastern Region --
Black clouds pressed down on the mountains, over a nameless blood-red forest.
A lonely courtyard stood in the shadow of the bizarre and mysterious Magic Stone Mountain .
A black-haired woman, who was meditating in the courtyard, felt the fingers of her right hand touch the cool water ten thousand miles away. She also felt the touch of a fish's mouth gently biting. Opening her eyes, she raised her right arm, shook out her long sleeves, and looked down at her broken wrist, her eyes twitching slightly.
Swoosh---
The sound of air breaking could be heard not far away.
Xue'e stood next to her, holding a wooden stick cut from a broken branch in the nearby forest, dancing with the sound of the wind.
"Hah--!"
Ta--!
The branch hit the mud in front of her with force, splashing mud and water and leaving a small pit.
"Hoo..."
Xue'e held the wooden stick in her hand upright by her side and turned to look at Gu Mingxin, who was condensing her energy. Seeing her solemn expression, she asked, "Mingxin, Ye Anping is fishing with your hand again?"
"..."
Gu Mingxin didn't want to answer, so she simply ignored her.
The next moment, the creaking of a wheelchair came from behind them.
"Little sister."
A cold voice followed.
Gu Mingxin quickly stood up, turned around, and cupped her hands. "Sister Mo."
"There is no need to salute me. You and I have no status, we are just sisters who are in the same boat."
In the wheelchair was a woman covered in bandages. Her messy black hair looked like it hadn't been cut in years and was scattered across her body like the roots of a tree.
Mo Chi Ling narrowed her eyes at Gu Mingxin. "I have already taken care of the matters that Ye Anping asked you to entrust me with. The two leaders of the Hedonistic and the Magical Poison Sect are now at the border of the Southern Region , intending to attack the Bright Star Sect."
"Yes, thank you, Sister Mo."
"It's not a big deal. Besides, this is just a trade. I helped you do something, so you'll also help me do something."
Mo Chi Ling said calmly. Then, the wheelchair turned half a circle on the spot and headed toward the house behind her without any assistance.
Gu Mingxin controlled her right hand and pinched Ye Anping hard. Then, a warm touch came from her palm: ---Done?
She slightly clenched her fist in response.
Seeing Mo Chi Ling go back, Gu Mingxin slightly frowned, and said, "Well... Sister Mo, I want to go to the Bright Star Sect."
"Little Sister, you don't have to ask for my approval on everything. You can go wherever you want, I have never intended to imprison you in this blood forest. However, if you go to the Bright Star Sect, you can get some Bright Star Spiritual Nectar for me on the way. It's delicious."
Squeak---
The door of the hut closed slowly.
The yard returned to silence, and Mo Chi Ling's aura disappeared completely as if she had fled thousands of miles away.
As Gu Mingxin and Xue'e had been snooping around, the last time they happened to pass by this forest, Mo Chi Ling suddenly came to her, as if she knew she wanted to find her.
After that, Mo Chi Ling let her stay in the forest and recuperate, saying that neither her master nor He Buqun could find her while she ensured her safety.
At first, Xue'e was quite wary of Mo Chi Ling and told her to be careful. However, after staying here for a few months, it was indeed as Mo Chi Ling said. No one had entered this forest at all, and there was not even an insect in the forest.
About a month ago, Ye Anping wrote on the palm of her right hand: ---Please ask Mo Chi Ling to instigate theMagical PoisonSect andHedonisticSect to attack theBright StarSect .
Then, she passed the message to Mo Chi Ling, and unexpectedly, she agreed without hesitation.
"What a strange person..."
Gu Mingxin turned around to look in the southwest direction. "Xue'e, let's go."
"Mingxin, why don't we just stay here? Why go to theBright StarSect?"
Gu Mingxin recalled the strange feelings she had felt on her right hand over the past few months and smiled stiffly. "I miss him."