Chapter 111 Dust and mud billowed high...

Dust and sand billowed high, blocking out the bright sunlight. The lanterns overhead swayed violently, their thin, colorful lights flickering on and off. Explosions rang out continuously, interspersed with the clattering of roof tiles being trampled underfoot.

The shops on both sides seemed to be used to this scene. A faint fluorescent dome lit up outside the shops, keeping out the flying spiritual energy and wood chips.

The streets, which were once filled with a few people, were suddenly deserted except for those who jumped off the rooftops. Only two teenagers, who had never seen the fighting and killing common in the cultivation world, had not yet evacuated.

Xie Baoqiong casually pulled out a magical artifact from her sleeve, infused it with spiritual power, and used it to protect him and the panicked Qi Gui from the indiscriminate attacks on the street, allowing them to hide in a nearby shop.

"They've started fighting again..."

As soon as you enter the shop, the voice of a middle-aged man comes from behind the counter.

Following the sound, a middle-aged man fiddled with an abacus, glancing outside occasionally. Seeing them enter, his eyes darted over the protective magic artifact Xie Baoqiong had taken out, then he put on a smiling expression and walked around the counter.

"Fellow Daoists, what do you need? My shop has everything, from spiritual herbs and magical artifacts to talisman materials."

“We snuck out without bringing any spirit stones.” Xie Baoqiong held Qi Gui’s cold hand and stood at the doorway, not going any further inside. Although Chisong had given him a lot of things, most of them were magical artifacts, with only a few spirit stones mixed in.

But the innkeeper glanced at the magical artifact in his hand, assuming the two had run away from some noble family, and chuckled as he ordered the waiter to bring tea.

"It's alright. We can't go out outside for the time being, but you two can take a look inside the shop."

The shopkeeper walked back behind the counter and sat down again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the two people peeking out at the fight outside the door, along with his own waiter. He shook his head. Young people, indeed…

The sound of abacuses clicking echoed once again in the shop.

The streets were shrouded in smoke and dust, with only occasional glimpses of clothing visible. The figures of the fighters were reduced to afterimages in the naked eye, with three black figures chasing after a shadow ahead. A blade formed from spiritual energy left a deep mark on the paving stones of the long street, which slowly healed after a flash of clothing.

"Isn't fighting prohibited in the market?"

A dazzling burst of spiritual energy shot out and struck the spiritual energy shield at the doorway. Qi Gui gripped Xie Baoqiong's hand tightly, puzzled.

"These two aren't from Fenghai City, are they?" The waiter, who had stayed behind to watch the fight outside with them after serving the tea, suddenly spoke up.

"How do you know?" Xie Baoqiong was a little puzzled. They were indeed newcomers, but how could everyone tell they were outsiders just by looking at them, even though they were speaking Mandarin?

"Sir, you may not know this, but Fenghai is different from other towns in Dasheng. It is not under the jurisdiction of the Anti-Evil Division, nor does it have any branches. The duties of the Anti-Evil Division are performed by the Yu'an Guard, which was specially set up by the city lord."

As the waiter spoke, he gestured for them to look outside: "Look at those three people dressed in black, that's what Yu Anwei wears when they're on duty."

The fighting outside had stopped at some point, and the fluorescent shield went out, disappearing into the air.

The three figures still standing on the long street were all dressed in black, with patterns of bird feathers and leaves of unknown trees embroidered on the sleeves. The black embroidery thread reflected a faint silver light like raven feathers in the sunlight. All three wore the same dark bamboo hats, which were pulled down low, revealing only the lower half of their smooth-lined faces.

Xie Baoqiong frowned almost imperceptibly, the small red mole between his brows twitching slightly. He had seen similar attire before, except those people's clothes didn't have embroidery. Was he just being paranoid...?

His gaze shifted to the white figure being chased by the three men, and his once calm expression was suddenly broken by surprise.

"Arjun, that's...!"

Two men in black approached the white figure that had been smashed into the paving stones. They roughly lifted the figure up, and the long white hair that had turned black cascaded down like a waterfall, no longer reflecting the light like it did under the lanterns. Bright red blood dripped from the ends of the hair onto the feathered robe and the paving stones. The face stained with dust and blood that was revealed as the men in black moved was Bai Dongyi, whom they had not long separated from.

His subordinate's arm trembled slightly, and Qi Gui gripped his arm tightly with his other hand: "Ah Qiong, what's going on?"

Perhaps their gazes were too unobtrusive, for the man in black who had been directing the other two put away the token he had pulled out, looked over, and lifted the brim of his dark hat to reveal an ordinary yet unfamiliar face:

"Shuangmu?"

The shockwave from the fight had ruffled Xie Baoqiong's hair, completely obscuring the red mole between his eyebrows, making his face indistinguishable from Shuangmu's.

Xie Baoqiong shifted her gaze from the token peeking out from the man's belt, grabbed Qi Gui's hand, pressed down on the inside of the latter's wrist, and then released Qi Gui's hand and walked towards the man in black.

The waiter glanced at Xie Baoqiong, whom he had mistaken for an out-of-towner, with surprise, and whispered to Qi Gui, "So you're locals after all. I was mistaken."

The voices seemed to come through a thin membrane, the fabric in his hands slipped away like water, and Qi Gui rubbed his empty fingers, a sudden panic rising in his heart. The vanished spiritual energy shield seemed to reappear, separating him and Xie Baoqiong into two different worlds.

His gaze lingered on the ever-growing pool of blood on the ground and on the boy in front of him, until it returned to the white figure. There, he met a pair of bright eyes smeared with blood. His shadow was reflected in the crimson, and a resolute glint flashed in those bright eyes.

In the crimson light, his shadow seemed to transform into the boy before him. Just as a migratory bird is acutely aware of the chill, Qi Gui keenly sensed the danger. He stepped over the threshold and ran forward, reaching out to try and grasp that butterfly-wing-like hem of clothing:

"Arjun, watch out!!"

The vibrant world before him was suddenly replaced by a blinding white light. His body, which had just taken a step, was violently thrown backward. The crimson color blurred his vision, and the white world turned red. In the moment before his eyes closed, he still couldn't find the boy's shadow...

—

When he opened his eyes again, he saw unfamiliar bed curtains layered upon each other. Xie Baoqiong sat up, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. He shook his head and blinked hard.

As the world before him gradually overlapped and the ringing in his ears subsided, he got up from the bed and looked around. The room was spacious, and the bed he was sitting on was made of the finest wood and craftsmanship. An incense burner beside the bed was burning an unfamiliar fragrance, and the beaded curtains hanging from the bed curtains exuded a faint spiritual aura.

He turned his gaze away and looked at the scene outside the half-open window. The lush greenery covering the mountains and fields came into view, dotted with pale flowers. Had he slept into spring again?

No, he wasn't at Sishui Mountain before he fell unconscious; he was with Qi Gui at the time...

Where is Qi Gui?!

Xie Baoqiong jumped out of bed and searched the room, but found no trace of the other person.

After searching around, he calmed down and carefully recalled what had happened.

Someone mistook him for Shuangmu. When he walked toward that person, Bai Dongyi, who had been suppressed, suddenly went berserk and attacked the three men in black with all his spiritual power. He was caught in the crossfire and fainted. When he woke up, he was here.

Xie Baoqiong took out the communication jade token given to her by Su Xiaochun and sent Su Xiaochun the details of what had happened and her location.

However, Su Xiaochun did not reply in time, probably because he had not yet come out of the secret realm.

He twirled the jade pendant in his hand, then remembered the token with only a corner showing; the patterns on it seemed vaguely familiar…

"My lord, Yu'an Guard evacuated Shuangmu in time. She must have been affected by the aftershocks, which caused her to fall into a coma. As for Shuangmu... she should wake up today."

The sound outside suddenly grew closer. The moment Xie Baoqiong heard Shuangmu's name, she immediately understood why she was here. This was probably Shuangmu's sect, and those people had rescued her, mistaking her for Shuangmu.

In order not to give herself away immediately, Xie Baoqiong lay back down on the bed and pretended to be still unconscious.

The door was pushed open, and the footsteps entering the room turned into a single sound:

"Go down."

A somewhat familiar voice reached Xie Baoqiong's ears through the screen.

The door clicked shut, and soon after, the light that had been somewhat bright through her eyelids suddenly cast a shadow. The person stood by the bed for a while, and Xie Baoqiong could feel the tangible gaze upon him.

"How long are you going to pretend to be asleep?"

A cold voice and the strong incense emanating from the person drew near.

Xie Baoqiong, who had been wanting to find an opportunity to open her eyes, readily agreed and made eye contact with the person beside the bed.

The angle of the backlighting caused the person's face to be half-hidden in shadow, with only the side facing the window illuminated by sunlight, creating a line of light and shadow on his face.

Xie Baoqiong, who was searching for Shuangmu's way of addressing their master, suddenly froze, staring blankly at the face in front of her, her mouth opening and closing silently.

The person in the fine clothes before him seemed to see through his thoughts; their dark brown pupils shone brightly in the light.

"Haven't decided what to call me yet?"

He leaned closer to the boy, his face completely obscured by the bed curtains, and reached out a hand, his long, slender fingers brushing aside the boy's scalp:

"Should I call you Xiaobao or Shuangmu?"

"You... how did you get here?" After thinking for a long time without figuring out how to address the person in front of her, Xie Baoqiong simply referred to her as "you".

The young man sat down by the bed, his flowing robes cascading down his back. "Is this how Xie Zhuo taught you? No manners at all." A hint of impatience flickered in his eyes as he withdrew his hand from the boy's bangs. "This is my fiefdom. Is it strange that I'm here?"

"Shuangmu is you..."

"He's my disciple." The man answered the boy's unfinished question first, then brushed a strand of hair from the side of the boy's face with his finger: "Whose hair do you take after? I've never seen your parents' hair all frizzy like this..."

"But you..."

The person before him had such clear eyes that it seemed they could see right through his skin to his heart, effortlessly guessing the many doubts in his mind:

"But I'm just a mortal?"

A strand of hair was tucked behind his ear, and fingers, cooler than his skin, brushed against his neck, pulling out the jade pendant hidden beneath his clothes.

"So you're allowed to have a magical artifact to conceal your presence?"

The young man was very close, his breath colder than that of an ordinary human, just like his icy fingertips. The cold breath sprayed on his face along with one rhetorical question after another.

Xie Baoqiong rubbed her cheeks, about to speak, but the young man's brows furrowed even more:

"You have a lot of questions."

Having said that, he got up to leave, but Xie Baoqiong quickly grabbed the sleeve that was still close to his hand:

"Wait, where's Qi Gui? Where's the person who was with me?"