Wu Bei was at a loss.
She had held many women before, either out of pure happiness, or because they wanted something from her.
No one had ever hugged her and cried.
Anxiously, she stretched out her hand, hugging the person in front of her back. She even patted their back for show: “I don’t blame you, Elder Sister…”
“Did they do anything to you?” Yun Lingyue wiped away her tears, cupped Wu Bei’s face, and asked worriedly, “Are you injured, or does anything hurt?”
Wu Bei said, “Not really,” while turning back to signal the two people, signaling desperately.
Be smart, don’t let it slip!
“I’ve had enough of this.”
The Evil Envoy was the first who couldn’t stand it. She furrowed her brows, lifted her small face, and said, “Hurry and come with us. If we drag this on any longer, will the matter ever be done?”
The Benevolent Envoy added, “Wu Ju has been waiting for a long time.”
Of course, Wu Bei wanted to hurry. She had promised Yue Jin she would restore Qingyuan Palace’s reputation.
But.
Yun Lingyue is still here. This person can’t be brushed off!
“Where do you think you’re taking her?” Although they were each talking about different things, they had coincidentally reached the same point. Yun Lingyue grabbed Wu Bei’s hand, pulling her behind her. Her eyes held no warmth, cold as ice, her inner rage at its peak.
“It has nothing to do with you. This is between us.” The Benevolent Envoy’s arrow was still nocked, not yet lowered.
“Hmph, demonic cultivators,” Yun Lingyue formed a hand seal with one hand, her sword splitting into pairs, pointing directly at the two of them. “If you want to take her, you’ll have to pass through the gates of hell first!”
The Evil Envoy reacted quickly. Her Soul-Guarding Bell jingled, halting the opponent’s movements for a moment. The Benevolent Envoy immediately drew the bowstring to the full draw and let go of the arrow.
Yun Lingyue pushed Wu Bei away with one hand, getting her away from danger. She herself flipped over onto the ground, stabilizing her stance.
She then directed the two swords, splitting them into four, attacking from different angles in the same direction.
Wu Bei watched from the side, so anxious she was sweating.
She couldn’t make a move, and didn’t know how to stop the three of them. Stopping anyone felt wrong, stopping anyone wouldn’t work.
The Evil Envoy’s robes fluttered gracefully. She leaped back, her Soul-Guarding Bell swaying and vibrating with her hand movements, ringing like gold and jade. With the Benevolent Envoy, they attacked from front and back, their coordination relaxed and effortless.
Yun Lingyue gradually lost ground.
Her abilities were already insufficient, let alone facing these two in a duel.
The Benevolent Envoy and the Evil Envoy were the Demon Lord’s strongest followers, specially promoted, so naturally they were extraordinary.
Moreover, Qingyuan Palace’s cultivation method was completely different from Chongxiang Sword Sect ‘s. It was too free-spirited, making it easier for its disciples’ power to greatly increase and break through.
“Ah!” An arrow pierced through the air, wounding Yun Lingyue’s calf, causing her to cry out. She half-knelt on the ground, holding her sword.
The Benevolent Envoy re-nocked an arrow: “Nothing special, yet you dare speak so boldly.”
The Evil Envoy put down her bell and laughed again, her playful mood rising: “Do you want us to spare your life? Then choose: do you want to keep your left hand, or your right?”
“Xiao Bei, go!” Unexpectedly, Yun Lingyue didn’t reply, instead biting her lower lip and shouting at Wu Bei from the side, “Don’t mind me, you leave first!”
Wu Bei’s emotions were very complex. She looked silently for a long time, staring at the person on the ground.
Then, she walked forward.
The Benevolent Envoy grabbed her: “Where are you going?”
The four swords in the air all changed direction simultaneously, rushing straight towards the Benevolent Envoy, forcing her to quickly let go and dodge sideways to avoid them.
“Don’t touch her.”
“Hahaha… Benevolent Envoy, you got what’s coming to you today…” The Evil Envoy, instead, gloated. She laughed bent over, completely undisguised.
The Benevolent Envoy was truly angry. She shot the Evil Envoy a glare, drew her bow and arrow, and placed three Cloud Chasing Arrows on it. Their tails blazed with fierce flames, aimed at Yun Lingyue.
This wouldn’t do.
Wu Bei only thought for a moment before rushing over and colliding with the Evil Envoy. The Evil Envoy hadn’t noticed for a moment and was knocked off balance by the collision. She seized the opportunity to shake the Soul-Guarding Bell. Its sound disrupted the Benevolent Envoy’s aim, and the arrow grazed past Yun Lingyue’s ear, cutting off a few strands of hair.
“What are you doing, Wu Bei,” the Evil Envoy stopped laughing instantly. She frowned, very unhappy, “Not careful at all.”
Seeing this, the Benevolent Envoy re-nocked her arrow. This time, Wu Bei directly snatched the Soul-Guarding Bell and ran in the opposite direction. Both of them had looks of shock on their faces, and Yun Lingyue was even more astonished: “Xiao Bei, no!”
The Evil Envoy abandoned this side and followed. The Benevolent Envoy was affected by the bell’s sound and couldn’t control herself, so she had to give up the fight, retrieve her Cloud Chasing Arrows, and chase after the two people in the direction they had left.
Just as Yun Lingyue was about to get up, the pain in her leg suddenly felt like thousands of ants biting, spreading to her entire side.
Just being struck by the arrow was this unbearable.
If those three arrows had hit her simultaneously just now…
The outcome would have been unimaginable.
Yun Lingyue’s spirits dimmed. Her emotional pain was greater than her physical pain.
Xiao Bei used herself as bait to lure away the demonic cultivators for her sake.
With almost no cultivation, what kind of treatment would she receive? What would her end be?
Yun Lingyue didn’t dare imagine.
She took a Life-Preserving Pill from her storage pouch and swallowed it.
This pill could sustain her life, restore her stamina, and block her pain.
She had to go and rescue Xiao Bei, no matter if it was to the ends of the earth.
“Wu Bei, give it back!” The Evil Envoy couldn’t match Wu Bei’s speed and could only chase behind, glaring helplessly. “Are you a child? Why steal my magic artifact? The Lord gave that to me! Give it back!”
“Is that woman your new prey? I’m telling you, we don’t care what you do outside, but don’t carelessly ruin Qingyuan Palace’s reputation. Who said they would make you into a furnace? Although we bully the strong and the weak, we never do such despicable things.” The Benevolent Envoy hurried to catch up, her voice cold as she spoke a long passage.
Seeing they had run far enough and was sure Yun Lingyue couldn’t catch up, Wu Bei finally stopped, turned around, and tossed the Soul-Guarding Bell to the Evil Envoy.
“The followers all say you two can’t think straight. I didn’t believe it at first.”
She huffed in annoyance, causing the stray hairs on her forehead to flutter aside.
“It was so obvious, couldn’t you tell? My eyes were practically spasming from winking. You two almost exposed Yue Jin and me.”
As soon as they heard Yue Jin’s name, the two of them quieted down. Those who were planning to get angry didn’t dare to anymore.
The Evil Envoy curved her lips, her signature smile returning: “Elder Wu Bei, please continue. What did we do wrong? The Lord, what happened to the Lord?”
Wu Bei rolled her eyes. She skirted the main point, not saying too much, only stating that the two of them were lurking in Chongxiang Sword Sect , seeking out important missions.
She also didn’t mention Yue Jin losing all her cultivation.
“Why should the Lord handle such things herself? We can go. Our last mission just finished. Tell the Lord to return to Qingyuan Palace, I’ll go in her place.”
“What are you rushing for? Can’t you be patient? This is Yue Jin’s own idea. Are you not even going to listen to her words?” Wu Bei persuaded the Evil Envoy, who was about to leave. After a moment of thought, she continued, “Regarding Qingyuan Palace… did Wu Ju not reveal anything to you?”
The Benevolent Envoy and the Evil Envoy exchanged glances, then simultaneously asked her.
“What matter?” / “What?”
Wu Bei sighed. She had actually always buried the scene she witnessed that day deep in her heart, not wanting to talk about it.
“Qingyuan Palace was swallowed by immortal flames over a month ago, leaving behind only a pile of ashes.”
Yue Jin had been feeling completely off these past few days.
She didn’t know where this feeling came from. Maybe it was after Wu Bei left, or maybe it was after Fu Lingyi rescued her from the Disciplinary Hall.
But life was as usual. Without Yun Lingyue to bicker with, she still spent her time on the mountain teasing birds, catching fish, and lying on a stone slab basking in the sun.
Fu Lingyi still went to the main peak every day to deal with sect affairs, leaving in the morning and returning at night. Only the door to the main courtyard would occasionally sound in the middle of the night, signaling her return.
No difference really.
But still, something felt wrong.
Thinking carefully, some things were still different from before.
For example, Yue Jin was now unrestricted. Chongxiang Sword Sect ‘s restrictions no longer applied to her, and she could go down the mountain freely, unsupervised.
For example, Fu Lingyi gave her a large bag of spirit stones, reminding her that even if she got tired of the dining hall food, she could change her palate.
For example, occasionally, sometimes she would wake up in the morning to find a bowl of hot porridge on her table.
It wasn’t poisoned, and it tasted very good.
Yue Jin suspected this was another one of Fu Lingyi’s testing tricks. So she deliberately went down the mountain during the day, buying all sorts of random things everywhere and sweeping through restaurants for delicious food, only returning after dark.
But the entire day, no one looked for her.
Not even the nearby junior disciples knew she was gone, since Fu Lingyi hadn’t given orders to supervise her.
This gave her a sense of frustration.
Moreover, she deeply felt that Fu Lingyi seemed to be perhaps avoiding her.
There was still no news from Wu Bei, and Yue Jin was equally anxious. So, on the third day of Fu Lingyi’s late return, she extinguished the candlelight and lay in wait inside her room.
The main house door was pushed open, and damp cold air rushed in from outside.
Yue Jin slipped out from her own room, walked to her courtyard gate, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.
The person inside seemed not to have expected someone to come at this hour. After a slight pause, she said, “Please come in.”
She cautiously entered the door and immediately spotted Fu Lingyi sitting by the table. The frost on her shoulders hadn’t completely melted. She was just sitting there, neither cultivating nor meditating, not even drinking tea.
“Looking for me?” The person spoke first.
Yue Jin acted as though she had just realized something. She took out an oiled paper packet, unwrapped it, and placed it before Fu Lingyi.
For some reason, she felt the excitement of presenting a treasure.
“What is this, food?” Fu Lingyi lifted the oiled paper. Inside were neatly arranged mung bean cakes, sprinkled with osmanthus powder. Her hand, which had held a sword for years, had a faint callus on her palm, making her slender fingers appear strong. Although she could remove it with magic, she kept it. “I’ve already entered inedia, and have no desire for food. You eat it.”
Yue Jin felt that ‘wrong’ atmosphere again. She quickly stated her purpose for coming: “I bought these when I went down the mountain today. I heard your junior sisters say this place’s mung bean cakes are absolutely superb, so I brought them for you to try. Just taste them.”
“You went down the mountain?” Fu Lingyi keenly caught this point, asking casually.
Yue Jin was secretly pleased. This is it, ask me quickly, keep asking.
Quickly ask me what I did down the mountain, quickly suspect if I was trying to run away.
That way, she could take out proof of going to various places down the mountain and clear her suspicion just like before.
That feeling of ‘wrongness’ could definitely be eliminated.
“Yes, the dining hall has too much vegetarian food, I wanted to eat something else.”
Fu Lingyi nodded. She picked up a mung bean cake, brought it to her mouth, took a small bite, and put the rest back.
Yue Jin was waiting.
Waiting for her next question.
But after a long time passed, the person finished chewing, raised her eyes, and looked at her with a puzzled expression: “Is there anything else?”
That wasn’t the question she wanted.
Why isn’t she asking?
She went down the mountain! Doesn’t she care even a little bit about what she did?
No?
Good chapter