At the foot of Green Mountain, Chu Mingwei pointed his Qinglin Sword. The blade shot forward like lightning, piercing a rock by the path. As the sword moved in and out of the stone, a small, milky-white, diamond-shaped crystal was dislodged and fell into Chu Mingwei’s palm.
Admiring the crystal’s radiant glow under the sunlight, Chu Mingwei couldn’t help but glance approvingly at Zhu Yurun.
Since joining Xiao Lingyu, Zhu Yurun had mostly been scolded or had points deducted, so being praised this time made him overjoyed. He wagged his tail furiously at Chu Mingwei.
Chu Mingwei chuckled and shook his head, slipping the spirit crystal into a storage bag. He naturally lowered his gaze, securing the bag on Xiao Lingyu.
Xiao Lingyu watched as Chu Mingwei fastened the bag and adjusted her robes. Her cheeks flushed. When their eyes met and they shared a smile, a quiet joy bloomed in her heart.
Zhu Yurun noticed Xiao Lingyu’s good mood and seized the moment to make requests.
“Little monster, little pig is hungry, wants some snacks.”
“All right!”
“Little monster, little pig wants a hug.”
Chu Mingwei smiled as Zhu Yurun tried to curry favor with the junior disciple. Xiao Lingyu happily lifted him. Unexpectedly, Zhu Yurun, blushing, looked toward her shyly: “Little pig wants the soft, fragrant hug from before… can little monster make that happen?”
The words froze Xiao Lingyu’s smile.
“Pfft!” Old Ghost Head laughed in Chu Mingwei’s mind again. Chu Mingwei, puzzled, looked at the junior disciple, and after connecting the dots, understood Zhu Yurun’s meaning. He could barely hold back his laughter. Seeing the junior disciple about to blow up in anger, he quickly spoke:
“Zhu Yurun, three days’ snacks are deducted. Lingyu, is that acceptable?”
Xiao Lingyu forced a stiff smile. “Three days is too little. From today, no snacks for three months.”
“Aaah!” Under Xiao Lingyu’s words, Zhu Yurun collapsed dramatically. Chu Mingwei chuckled at the little white pig pretending to die, then leaned over and planted a kiss on the junior disciple’s cheek. Seeing the instant blush, his heart melted.
Old Ghost Head, amused, reminded them: “Xiao Yuzi, if one day your feelings overflow, remember to tell me in advance—I won’t watch.”
“Shut up!”
Chu Mingwei noticed Xiao Lingyu’s sudden blush again. His gaze softened with charm as he looked at her. Feeling a surge of affection, he took her hand. Just as he was about to speak, a series of cracking sounds came from above. They looked up to see the sun itself splitting in two, the sky following suit. Through the fissure, a faint grey mist seeped in.
“Void energy?” Xiao Lingyu’s heart jolted.
Old Ghost Head suddenly asked, “Xiao Yuzi, you already have three spirit crystals, right?”
Xiao Lingyu hesitated, then nodded. “You mean taking the array-eye crystals broke the illusionary array?”
Old Ghost Head said cautiously, “Just a guess. This ancient Demon Clan site is made of multiple arrays. Three crystals shouldn’t be enough to break it… could there be others?”
Before Xiao Lingyu could answer, Chu Mingwei gently pulled her close. “Lingyu, it seems the array is partially broken.”
She nodded. “We found three array-eye crystals. It was only a matter of time before the illusion was disrupted. But are there others?”
Worry flickered across Chu Mingwei’s face, but he quickly reassured her, “Even if there are, our goal is the same—to break the array. Don’t worry. As for the grey mist, avoid it. Its danger is unknown.”
Xiao Lingyu lowered her head, hiding a fleeting troubled expression, then looked up, squeezing Chu Mingwei’s hand. “Master Brother, you be careful too.”
Matters of the ancients, the void, the heavenly Dao, and Leng Hanyuan had never concerned Xiao Lingyu. But now, with Chu Mingwei by her side, she realized she could no longer keep secrets. She didn’t want to, either. She liked Chu Mingwei and wanted to walk the path of longevity together with him. She wanted their hearts to be united, truly together.
Old Ghost Head interrupted her thoughts: “When do you plan to tell him?”
Xiao Lingyu blinked. “These matters are complex… must wait for the right moment.”
“Even your rebirth?”
Xiao Lingyu paused. “No. My rebirth will remain a secret forever.”
Resolved, she looked up at Chu Mingwei, tightening her grip on his hand. She would find the moment to reveal everything and leave the shadows of her past behind. Feeling her action, Chu Mingwei bent down, gently kissing her forehead. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
As he spoke, the sky above halted its split. Countless void energies gathered at the opening, forming a dark cloud-like mass.
Chu Mingwei’s expression hardened. He suspected they were no longer in the outer world but had been drawn into a space fissure with Green Mountain. The sect’s texts mentioned such fissures, but nothing about what lay inside. He glanced at Xiao Lingyu, deciding not to alarm her—he would protect his junior disciple at all costs.
Xiao Lingyu held the trembling Zhu Yurun, who no longer asked for the soft hug and burrowed into her chest. Chu Mingwei, noticing Zhu Yurun trying to crawl further into Xiao Lingyu’s robes, calmly lifted him instead. “Danger ahead. I’ll hold Zhu Yurun. Lingyu, stay safe.”
Xiao Lingyu readily agreed. Zhu Yurun pouted, thinking the hug from the little monster was better than nothing. But Chu Mingwei’s embrace was firm and strong.
Guided by Zhu Yurun’s nose for scents, they moved cautiously in another direction. With half the array destroyed, their senses faced fewer restrictions. Chu Mingwei scouted ahead, skillfully avoiding monsters. When encounters occurred, his lightning techniques suppressed the dark creatures, keeping Xiao Lingyu safely behind him.
Throughout the journey, they didn’t meet a single human cultivator. Looking at the mountaintop, glimpses of pavilions and towers appeared among the peaks. Occasionally, a black mountain pierced the scene. Chu Mingwei identified it as Green Mountain itself, but Old Ghost Head insisted it was another illusion. Xiao Lingyu instinctively believed him.
Focused on collecting the spirit crystals, they didn’t climb to the mountaintop as before. Recalling how others had been unable to reach the summit, Xiao Lingyu grew certain the black peak was an illusion.
Glancing at Chu Mingwei, she was about to share her thoughts when he suddenly paused, noticing something.
Ahead, Xu Xuan gripped his sword, tense, surrounded by several human cultivators.
A green-clad female cultivator sized him up, giggling: “Little brother, you’re handsome. I can’t bear to hurt you. Come with us into the barrier ahead. We’ll take the items inside and release you.”
Xu Xuan sneered. “I’m a disciple of Yun Tian Sect. You dare seize me? Don’t fear your sect causing trouble?”
The woman laughed, fluttering gracefully. “This place is far from Yun Tian Sect. Even if you died here, they wouldn’t know. But we don’t want conflict with the sect. Just accompany us, retrieve the items, and you’re free. Though I’m a wandering cultivator, I have a certain reputation. I never lie.”
Xu Xuan snorted. “Reputation? A wandering cultivator who can’t even serve tea to his own seniors, yet claims fame?”
She ignored him, smiling: “Your sect’s Senior Brother, Chu Mingwei, entered the Dan Realm before twenty-five. A prodigy. I wouldn’t dare compare. I heard the youngest disciple, Xiao Lingyu, only sixteen, already in the Xu Realm. Could that be you?”
Her words provoked laughter among her companions. The young cultivator’s strength barely reached the Lian Realm, far below Xu Realm. Liu Haoxue deliberately teased in retaliation.
Xu Xuan’s face burned red with anger. Liu Haoxue, smirking, was testing his arrogance. If not for the sect barrier ahead, they wouldn’t treat a Lian Realm disciple so deferentially.
She continued smiling: “Oh? You’re not that prodigy, Xiao Lingyu? Tell me your name, little brother.”
Laughter erupted again. An impatient old man muttered, “Why waste time? Just take him. At this weak level, he’s no core disciple. Yun Tian Sect won’t bother over one inconsequential disciple.”
Liu Haoxue smiled at the old man. “Right, Yun Elder. My concern was needless.”
Before anyone could react, a green shadow flashed—Xu Xuan had immobilized Liu Haoxue.
She laughed, lifting him by the collar single-handedly, leading the way to the barrier. Xu Xuan’s face flushed, a flicker of resentment crossing him.
Chu Mingwei had already relayed everything to Xiao Lingyu and now followed closely behind.
“Lingyu, I suspect this barrier involves Master Wu?”
Xiao Lingyu paused. Chu Mingwei patiently explained, “The green-clad woman, Liu Haoxue, though a wandering cultivator, is highly accomplished. The barrier requires a sect disciple. Xu Xuan’s weak, but if they acted recklessly inside, trouble could arise.”
Xiao Lingyu quickly understood. “Sect secret technique?”
Chu Mingwei nodded. “The sect uses a secret technique to enforce the barrier. Only disciples of the sect may enter. External force attempting to break it would destroy the contents inside.”
Seeing Xiao Lingyu’s surprised expression, Chu Mingwei laughed, ruffling her hair. “You’re young. Master Wu didn’t tell you, naturally. Besides, only Dan Realm or higher can use it.”
Xiao Lingyu swatted away his hand, glaring, but Chu Mingwei cheekily kissed her forehead, pulling her along.
Her fleeting worries about Master Wu’s secrecy vanished. She reflected that in her past life, she had spent little time on Yilan Peak, making it difficult for her master to reach her anyway. Resolving to serve her master diligently upon returning to the sect, she felt at peace—unaware of the troubles Chu Mingwei would face there afterward.