Chapter 68, Teacher Hu Zhongren.

Ji Yinxiu led Xia Zhu to a room on the east side, which faced the large lake outside Xuanyuan Hill. Opening the window, one could see vines hanging from the roof, blooming with small, bell-shaped purple flowers. A fresh breeze blew across the lake, the shimmering water reflecting the last rays of the setting sun, which appeared blood-red, and occasionally, the ethereal calls of birds could be heard.

This room is so nice; compared to the one Ji Yinxiu stayed in, it's so vibrant and has such beautiful scenery. He said it was prepared in advance for the guests.

Xia Zhu declined, saying she was already satisfied with getting the scabbard; she was about to start school again and had to return early the next morning, so there was no need to be so polite. Ji Yinxiu, however, shook his head and silently brought out several dishes of home-cooked food he had prepared from the kitchen, inviting Xia Zhu to have dinner together in the main hall.

When I passed by the courtyard, Ji Buzhao was no longer there.

The front hall was also dilapidated and empty, with only an eight-immortal table and a few chairs. Although it was neither warm nor luxurious, Ji Yinxiu had tidied it up to be clean and bright.

"I only know how to cook some simple home-style dishes, I don't know if you'll be able to eat them."

The food was steaming hot and fragrant, filling the empty room with warmth. The steam rose shakily and eventually climbed onto the beams.

"It's delicious." Xia Zhu took a bite. Although it didn't reach Feng Mian's level, it tasted like home and reminded her of her grandfather.

Her home in Dongshan was even more dilapidated than Ji Yinxiu's. The roof beam that sheltered her and her grandfather from the wind and rain hung high and lonely overhead. The grandfather and granddaughter always ate under the eaves, watching the distant green mountains, while the yellow dog wagged its tail and ran between the fields. When summer came, it often rained, and the roof tiles would clang and clatter. The dark rain would burst into tiny flowers on the cement ground, and the summer heat would rise up with the smell of actinomycetes.

Xia Zhu looked up. "Aren't you coming to eat, Auntie?"

"Don't worry, I've already taken it to her room. My mother never eats with me." Ji Yinxiu didn't look at Xia Zhu, and picked up the vegetables in front of him.

After dinner, I was going to take Xia Zhu for a walk somewhere else, but the spring rain came suddenly and started to fall in a fine, dense downpour. Ji Yinxiu went back to her room to practice her swordsmanship, and Xia Zhu didn't want to disturb her.

The spring rain is as soft as butter, falling quietly, like mist.

She pushed open all the bamboo windows in the room, and a refreshing breeze carrying the damp scent of rain rushed towards her face. The lush, verdant scent, so familiar it stirred her thoughts and made her feel dreamy.

Xia Zhu sat by the window, took down her small sword and began to wipe it clean, her fingers tracing the tiny, hazy comet. In the damp air, she couldn't help but think of Ying Huo.

In fact, she had long suspected that Ying Huo's identity was suspicious. The Ying family said that he was not a descendant of Shao Hao at all, and that turning stones into gold was clearly the work of the Chi You clan. Since the loser is always the villain, history is usually written by the victor. Therefore, someone who was likely a traitorous illegitimate child could only secure a place in the family by spending money like water.

His secret surveillance of Xia Zhu and his subsequent public appearance to question her identity were all too obvious; Ying Huo must know something.

However, Xia Zhu never chose to talk to him about this directly because she always had an awkward premonition, a strange worry, that the person Ying Huo suspected was not actually her.

As for why she was worried, and what if it wasn't her, Xia Zhu chose not to think about it too much, because even if she did, she wouldn't be able to figure it out.

As the night deepened, the rain showed no sign of stopping. Amidst the gloomy clouds, flashes of lightning could be faintly seen. Xia Zhu prepared to go to sleep, closing only one window, when spring thunder rumbled in.

She pulled the blanket down to below her mouth; the bed had a herbal scent, which perhaps had a calming effect, and Xia Zhu quickly fell asleep.

Outside the window, the vast lake beyond Xuanyuan Hill churned with waves in the wind and rain, its deep, dark waters seemingly concealing something eerie. Tree-like lightning bolts struck the lake's surface, their silvery light illuminating the tips of the waves like a pool of flickering stardust.

In the dimly lit room, the brown talisman beside Xia Zhu's ear lit up without warning, flickered a few times, and then went out again, falling silent. Mist and moisture poured into the room through the only open window, forming a blurry and hazy barrier.

Xia Zhu opened her eyes on the bed, but couldn't tell where she was.

She got out of bed and stepped onto the floor, feeling a soft texture different from the floor itself. She tried to take a few steps and realized that the boundaries of the room seemed to disappear in the fog, leaving it empty.

It's hard to say whether this place is still the home of Ji Yinxiu.

But she wasn't afraid. It was as if the body she was using to think and act wasn't herself, or just a puppet manipulated based on herself. She preferred to watch herself groping in the fog from a third-person perspective.

The thought had barely formed when, like the candlelight in the damp, oxygen-deprived cave, it was immediately extinguished by the steam.

Lightning struck the tree outside the window, and a flash of white light illuminated the room, instantly revealing a figure hidden in the mist. It was a woman, kneeling naked on the ground with her back to Xia Zhu.

Her long, black hair cascaded down her back to the ground, like lustrous silk partially concealing her body. Her skin did not have the texture of a human; instead, it possessed a jade-like sheen.

Another bolt of lightning struck, and Xia Zhu could see that her bare, powerful legs were covered with silver scales resembling moon shells, extending all the way to her tailbone, which was hidden by her black hair, emitting a soft silver glow through the heavy fog.

Unconsciously, Xia Zhu dragged his legs, trying to get closer to her.

"who?"

The woman noticed the uninvited guest behind her and whirled around, revealing a slender and beautiful face, so perfect that one might think only a celestial being could possess it, or some kind of artificial creation. She instinctively wrinkled her pretty nose like an animal, grinned to reveal two rapidly growing canine teeth, and even the skin on her forehead contracted rapidly, revealing a pair of silver, coral-like horns emerging from beneath her flesh and bone.

Their eyes met unexpectedly. Xia Zhu stared at that face, a strange ache rising in her chest, and even her eyes began to ache.

The moment the strange woman saw Xia Zhu clearly, her expression changed from wariness to a childlike bewilderment.

"Who are you?" The woman retracted her sharp teeth, tilted her head, and stared at Xia Zhu with a puzzled expression, like a tiger cub she had encountered by chance in the forest.

Xia Zhu tried to speak, but found that she couldn't make a sound no matter what she did.

Suddenly, the sound of water droplets falling onto a smooth stone surface rang out in the deathly silence of the thick fog.

Xia Zhu saw the woman's golden eyes suddenly widen, and her round black pupils instantly turn into vertical lines.

"It's you!" she exclaimed. The scales on her legs exploded instantly, densely wrapping around her neck. Her legs transformed into a tail, her muscles contracting like a drawn bowstring, and she pounced on Xia Zhu in the next second.

Xia Zhu reached out to block the fog, but the fog seemed to be blown away by a gust of wind, and the figure of that person was also swept away.

She suddenly opened her eyes.

She was still lying on Ji Yinxiu's bed. The rain outside the window hadn't stopped, and the air was fresh and clear of fog. Her consciousness returned, and Xia Zhu touched the talisman beside her ear.

Did I just enter a dream?

She tried to sit up, and when she touched her arm, she found her skin covered in tiny water droplets. Recalling what had just happened, she wondered if she was dreaming; the sensations felt real, as if she were at the bottom of a lake.

She recalled the woman's last words. Could it be that she knew her?

Judging from the horns on her head and the trailing tail beneath her, she might be a demon god.

There are such beautiful demon gods? Xia Zhu couldn't help but imagine what those jewel-like scales would feel like to touch.

She lay back down on the bed, but tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. So she sprang up, got dressed, and started practicing boxing in the room.

To build a strong and healthy body, she needs to develop a body of steel and iron, so that if she encounters a similar situation again, she will definitely react quickly and grab the hand of the suspicious person.

*

The next morning, Ji Yinxiu came to wake Xia Zhu up for breakfast and found her looking energetic, doing calisthenics in the corridor with bright eyes.

"It seems you slept well last night."

Xia Zhu was startled when Ji Yinxiu suddenly appeared behind him. Now he not only had to train his physical fitness, but also had to be more vigilant.

"Is there anything on my face?" She noticed Ji Yinxiu staring at her, then silently raised her finger and rubbed the corner of her eye to check for any stray eye boogers.

"Perhaps, if you're interested, you can practice swordsmanship with me." He had seen Xia Zhu fight before. Although he was brave and agile, he lacked discipline. He was only good at dealing with nascent demons. If it really came down to capturing demons, his chances of winning would be almost zero.

"Will you teach me swordsmanship?"

Ji Yinxiu shook her head.

"I am not qualified to teach. If you have time in the future, you can come to Xuanyuan Hill again and learn from my teacher."

"Your teacher?"

"The Demon Goddess Yinglong is the most powerful martial arts master in the world."

The image of silver horns and a beautiful tail immediately flashed through Xia Zhu's mind.

"Perhaps your teacher lives at the bottom of the lake?"

Ji Yinxiu was somewhat surprised, "You've seen her before?"

"Does seeing someone in a dream count?" Xia Zhu scratched his head.

She told Ji Yinxiu about her dream from the previous night. After some thought, Ji Yinxiu suggested that he could introduce Xia Zhu to Yinglong, who might be able to tell her about her background.

But with only four days left before the start of the semester, Xia Zhu really didn't want to rush to meet a senior who might know her. Also, perhaps it was a sense of trepidation about returning home, but she didn't want to learn the truth so soon, and she had a bad feeling about it.

Ji Yinxiu escorted Xia Zhu to the foot of Mount Kongtong, agreeing that the unnamed team 1 would notify him in advance if they were to go out on any missions.

After thinking about it for a long time last night, she still sent a text message to Ji Wuchou, asking her to help tell Feng Feng and Aunt Feng Ye that time was tight and there was no time to go back to Shushan Town to say goodbye. She had to set off directly back to school.

Tiansun Mountain is farther from Xia Zhu's home, so instead of taking the Chasing Wind Road, she chose to go directly down the mountain and take a car back.

After a day and a night of travel, the scenery outside the window became more and more familiar, but Xia Zhu's body felt lighter and lighter.

Seeing the familiar school gate and entering the familiar dormitory, she felt a sense of alienation, as if she had been transported to another world. The people around her were no longer geniuses with extraordinary abilities, but ordinary human beings just like herself. She found it hard to admit that she was more accustomed to the world of the unknown.

The disparity and disorientation made her feel as if it were all a dream.

She woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat as if she were soaked in water, thinking she was still in her hospital bed at the Fourth Hospital of Dongshan. Feeling uneasy, she got out of bed and walked to the window by the moonlight. She opened the drawer under the desk and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her little sword lying quietly inside.

Xia Zhu looked down at the small sword, staring at the comet above. His dark pupils let in no light, and in the night, the edges of his pupils looked like ink stains.

She opened her mouth slightly, and her distorted voice echoed in the empty room.

"Chiyou Banner".

"Mars guards the heart."

My hand unconsciously reached for the small sword, grasped the cold hilt, and drew it from its sheath. The icy blade could easily slice through the skin of my palm.

The gushing blood flowed back into his body in the next second, and his skin and flesh were so smooth that it was as if they had never been broken.

Xia Zhu let out a long sigh in the darkness.