Chapter 13

“Master? What should we do with her?”

Who? What should we do with whom?

“Shall we execute her?”

Kill who? Me? No! I still want to be immortal…

“She can awaken Long Yi, and she has the aura of Long Er. Keeping her alive could be useful.”
Yes, yes, I am useful, I am very useful. A hero should spare my life… Eh? What are Long Yi and Long Er?

Amidst a splitting headache, Bai Shuo struggled to open her eyes. She saw a blurry figure standing against the light. Reaching out towards the light, the person slowly turned around, but before she could see clearly, she fell back into darkness.

In an inn in Weicheng, Fu Ling slowly opened her eyes. A voice sounded by her ear.
“You’re awake?”
Fu Ling’s eyes turned cold. A pistil with sharp thorns emerged from her palm, shooting towards the forehead of the person by her bed. The pistil was reflected in Chong Zhao’s eyes, rendering him immobile.

At that moment, a scene from last night’s fire flashed in Fu Ling’s mind. She abruptly withdrew the pistil, and the backlash of her demonic energy caused her to spit out a mouthful of blood.
“You… you…” Chong Zhao’s face turned pale, pointing at Fu Ling with fear in his eyes.

“Demon… demon… come…” Before he could call out, Fu Ling immobilized him with a demonic light.
Fu Ling looked at the carefully bandaged wound on her shoulder, her cold expression softening slightly.
“You’re just a mortal. Since you saved me, I’ll spare your life.”
The pistil in Fu Ling’s palm slowly flew towards Chong Zhao, releasing a red aura.

Chong Zhao’s eyes gradually turned dazed. Fu Ling retracted the pistil and coughed while leaning on the bed, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
Chong Zhao’s gaze gradually cleared. Seeing Fu Ling awake, he hurriedly supported her.

“Miss, you’re awake?”

Clearly, he had no recollection of what just happened.

Fu Ling nodded lightly, trying to get up.

“Thank you for saving me; farewell.”

“Wait, miss!”

Chong Zhao quickly held her back and stepped away.

“Miss, please don’t rush. The innkeeper’s wife bandaged your wounds last night. I did not act inappropriately. The physician said you were seriously injured and needed to rest. I found a hundred-year-old ginseng to help you recover.”

As he spoke, Chong Zhao brought a steaming bowl of ginseng soup from the table and handed it to Fu Ling. Despite his fussiness, his eyes were filled with genuine concern.
Having been mocked in the immortal realm since childhood and focused solely on cultivation in the Cold Spring Palace, Fu Ling had never been cared for by anyone.

Although this mortal youth was annoying, his actions warmed her heart slightly, evoking a rare sense of compassion.

Fu Ling lowered her eyes, took the ginseng soup, and sipped it.

“Thank you.”

Then she looked up, her voice cold.

“What do you want? Just say it.”

Chong Zhao was taken aback, then smiled.

“Miss, you misunderstand. Saving a life is more rewarding than building a seven-story pagoda. Meeting you last night was fate…”

“Speak plainly.”

Fu Ling interrupted coldly, glaring at him.

Chong Zhao, unafraid of the demon’s glare, quickly said, “I have already informed the innkeeper. You can stay here until you recover.”

“No need. I will leave tomorrow. You may go now.”

“Miss…” Chong Zhao hesitated, noting Fu Ling’s impatience.

“Speak quickly.” Fu Ling snapped.

“Miss, did you see my younger sister on that road last night?”

Chong Zhao asked, quickly taking out a portrait of Bai Shuo dressed as a boy.

“My sister likes to wear men’s clothes. Perhaps she was dressed as a young man… Did you…”

“No.” Fu Ling glanced at the portrait impatiently and interrupted coldly.

Chong Zhao’s hope was dashed, his face showing disappointment. He then asked, “Why were you injured and lying on the roadside last night?”

Fu Ling’s eyes turned cold, a flash of cold light in her gaze.

However, Chong Zhao continued, “Did you encounter bandits? I heard there are bandits near Muxiao Mountain.”

Fu Ling’s expression softened slightly, and she nodded.

“I don’t want to talk about last night.”

Chong Zhao wanted to ask more, but seeing Fu Ling’s reluctance, he decided against it.

“Then please rest well, miss.”

Worried about Bai Shuo, Chong Zhao left the room.

Once alone, Fu Ling sat cross-legged, focusing on her healing.

Surrounded by a demonic red aura, her face gradually regained some color. She slowly opened her eyes.

“Come out,” she said coldly.

A figure in purple appeared by her bed, kneeling. “Greetings, Second Palace Lord.”
“Have you found the whereabouts of the Haoyue Palace Lord?”

The purple-clad person trembled. “We’ve searched all around Muxiao Mountain but haven’t found any trace of him.”

Fu Ling frowned, her gaze turning cold.

In the demon realm, only Cold Spring Palace and the Fox Clan of Jingyou Mountain were powerful.

Seven years ago, a beast named Taotie, sealed in the extreme north, broke free and caused havoc.

A mysterious demon lord emerged, battled Taotie for three days, annihilated the Taotie clan, and shocked the three realms.

That person was Fan Yue. No one knew his origin, and few had seen his true form. He was known for his icy demeanor and immense demonic energy. In seven years, he established the Haoyue in the extreme north, leveraging the natural barriers to gather demon lords.

In recent years, the Haoyue has grown stronger than Cold Spring Palace and Jingyou Mountain.

Three years later, the demon realm’s emperor position would be contested. The current emperor, Hong Yi, decreed that any semi-god demon could compete. If Fan Yue reached semi-god status in three years, he would become a major rival to Yan Yu and Chang Mei. The Fox Clan had long been reclusive, living in Jingyou Mountain, while Yan Yu viewed Fan Yue as a thorn in his side.

Unfortunately, Fan Yue never left the extreme cold, and other demons’ powers were suppressed there, so Cold Spring Palace had never found an opportunity to strike against the Haoyue Palace.

After Fu Ling joined Cold Spring Palace, she tempered her demon bones with Yan Yu’s help and repeatedly achieved battle merits. Now, she is the Second Palace Lord of Cold Spring Palace and is highly valued by Yan Yu. Three months ago, Yan Yu entered closed-door cultivation, leaving Fu Ling in charge of Cold Spring Palace.

Three days ago, Fu Ling received news that Fan Yue had left the extreme north and come to the human world. She secretly led Cold Spring Palace’s experts to pursue him, but to her surprise, Fan Yue, a demon lord, managed to escape unscathed despite the ambush by the palace’s top experts.

If Fan Yue isn’t eliminated, he will become a significant threat to Cold Spring Palace in the future!

“What about Muxiao Mountain? He was seriously injured and couldn’t have escaped far.”

Fu Ling thought that the fatal blow she landed before losing consciousness must have severely injured Fan Yue; he couldn’t have vanished without a trace.

“That’s exactly what’s puzzling, Second Palace Lord. That mountain is peculiar,” the masked person in purple said solemnly.

“Peculiar? How so?”

“There is a spiritual force within the mountain. It has formed a barrier that envelops the entire mountain. No matter what methods we use, we can only circle the outskirts and cannot enter the true Muxiao Mountain.”

“Are you saying the mountain has its own spiritual energy?” Fu Ling was surprised. “No, if the mountain had developed spiritual energy, I would have sensed it last night. Unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless the spiritual energy comes from a treasure nurtured by the natural spiritual energy of heaven and earth, not from the mountain itself,” Fu Ling’s eyes lit up. “The Lord of Haoyue Palace coming to the human world must have a purpose. If he’s here personally, that treasure must be extraordinary. He might already be in Muxiao Mountain. We must not let him obtain it.”

The masked man in purple looked troubled. “But we can’t break through that barrier. Even if we suspect the Lord of Haoyue Palace is hiding there…”

Fu Ling smiled cunningly. “We can’t break it, but something else can.”

“Second Palace Lord, you mean…?”

“Blood. A treasure full of spiritual energy from heaven and earth cannot be penetrated by immortal or demonic power, but human blood is the most potent yang force in the human world. By using the pure yang blood of five hundred men and forming a Bagua formation around Muxiao Mountain, the treasure’s spiritual energy will be disrupted, and the barrier will naturally dissipate.”

The purple-clad man frowned. “The human world is under the jurisdiction of the immortal realm. If we cause such a commotion, we might alert the Heavenly Palace before breaking through Muxiao Mountain.”

“Demon slaughtering in the human world is indeed prohibited, but if humans kill each other, the Heavenly Palace cannot interfere in mundane matters.”

Fu Ling sneered. “Go investigate Chong Zhao’s background.”

“Yes, Second Palace Lord.”

The masked man in purple disappeared from the room.

Fu Ling lowered her head, her gaze falling on the bowl of cold ginseng soup by the bed, a rare smile forming on her lips.

“Fool, since you saved me, I will give you another opportunity. If this succeeds, Cold Spring Palace will bless your family with wealth and prosperity.”

“Ah, ah, ah, I’m useful, I’m useful, don’t eat me!” Bai Shuo suddenly opened her eyes, waving her hands and shouting.

A blinding beam of sunlight shot in.

Bai Shuo touched her face and then pinched herself hard.

“Ouch, it hurts! I’m still alive!” Bai Shuo was overjoyed and finally looked around. It was already dawn, and she was lying in a cave. Her arm injury had been treated with herbs that were cool and soothing.

Where am I? Bai Shuo frowned, her eyes filled with confusion. A voice sounded.

“You’re awake?” The clear voice of a young man rang out. Bai Shuo turned her head and saw the young man from last night, half-naked, walking in from outside the cave with some wild fruits wrapped in lotus leaves, smiling brightly.

Bai Shuo stared at him, somewhat dazed.

The young man handed her the wild fruits with a warm smile. “You must be hungry. Here are some wild fruits for you.”

Bai Shuo blankly accepted the wild fruits. “You…? How did we get here?”

“I was about to ask you. I was captured by bandits and brought to their stronghold. When I woke up, I found us both lying outside this cave…”

“I saved you!” Bai Shuo finally came to her senses and quickly said, “I was captured by the bandits outside the mountain just like you. Last night, I took advantage of their lax guard and escaped with you while you were unconscious.”

“I see.”

The young man looked at her with gratitude.

“Thank you for saving my life, brother. I, Mu Fan, am deeply grateful.”

“No need to thank me. We met by chance, so I…” Bai Shuo waved her hand, and an object flew out of her sleeve, rolling on the ground before stopping. The young man looked down at the wooden pig token on the ground, stunned.

“I, I…” Bai Shuo stared blankly at the adorable pig token, meeting the young man’s puzzled gaze, and blurted out, “You were unconscious last night and carrying this heavy thing. I was afraid it would tire you out, so I kept it for you temporarily.”

“Oh.” The young man’s eyes curled with a pure and clear expression. “I see. This thing is just something I picked up at the market. I don’t have much to give, so I’ll just offer it to you…”

The young man picked up the wooden pig token and handed it to Bai Shuo. “By the way, I don’t even know your name yet, little brother. What should I call you?”

“My name is Bai, Bai…” Bai Shuo paused, forcibly swallowing the last character of her name.

As the eldest daughter of a high-ranking general, her identity could easily be discovered by anyone who cared to investigate. Besides, she was currently a runaway bride from the prime minister’s residence.

“Bai Bai?” The young man blinks, smiling gently and kindly. “What a strange name. I’ll call you Xiao Bai from now on.”