Vol. 1 - Ch. 44 - Keeping the Appointment

Shuangxia Yanpo refers to Yanwei Slope in Shuangxia Valley, about four or five miles from Chixiu Palace. Ji Yaoge left late and had to quicken her pace, traversing through the night. The cold night wind, mixed with frost, stung her cheeks slightly. She rubbed her face as she flew low, thinking about the wooden girl.

When she left Yuan Huan, the wooden girl was leaning dejectedly on the stone railing of the outer cave, her gaze listless, only brightening slightly when she saw Ji Yaoge. Ji Yaoge knew what the wooden girl was thinking, but she didn't tell her where she was going, which made her feel a bit guilty. But now was not the time to confess to Gu Xingzhi.

Even if she were to tell him, she needed to prepare a foolproof escape route first. She wasn't as optimistic as the wooden girl. She came to this appointment to confirm whether the three sects had indeed intervened in the Linghai matter. If so, Gu Xingzhi must be here to inquire about Yuan Huan's whereabouts.

As the shadows of the trees passed by, she quickly arrived at Yanwei Slope. The frost moon had just emerged from the clouds. Today was the sixteenth, and the moon was still very round. The person sitting on the rock had his back to the moon, looking like a silhouette—a straight posture, a frozen figure, with only his hair and clothes fluttering.

Ji Yaoge didn't know how long Gu Xingzhi had been waiting here, or if he had been here all day. She removed her hood under the rock and cupped her fists. "Daoist Gu, I apologize for being late."

The figure on the rock flickered and silently flew down, landing five steps away from Ji Yaoge.

"It was presumptuous of me to invite you to meet at night. I'm already grateful that you came, so there's no need to apologize."

The light was dim, but Ji Yaoge could still see Gu Xingzhi clearly. He cupped his fists and bowed, his manners impeccable. His voice and expression were cold but polite, showing no sign of neglect due to their difference in status. However, the five steps between them were his way of maintaining distance, with all his pride and aloofness hidden in his eyes.

Only those familiar with him could discern a hint of pity in his brows.

Unlike the compassion of deities for all beings, it was the kind of emotion one has when looking down from a high place at someone insignificant—perhaps he didn't even realize it himself, but Ji Yaoge knew this expression well. It was the same one her master, Xie Lengyue, often wore.

"What important matter does Daoist Gu have to discuss with me?" Both of them tacitly avoided mentioning the conflict from earlier in the day, and Ji Yaoge didn't waste words.

"I wish to inquire about someone."

"The person on Shigong Ridge?"

"You're very perceptive," Gu Xingzhi praised, though his tone lacked sincerity.

"I was merely following my sect's orders to deliver herbs to a friend of the Tiyu Mountain Lord on Shigong Ridge. I know very little about the matters there, so I'm afraid I can't help you, Daoist Gu," Ji Yaoge said regretfully.

Gu Xingzhi thought she was being evasive. "Let's be frank. I've inquired about Tiyu State, and in the past fifty years, no one who went to Shigong Ridge stayed for more than two days. But you stayed for over a month." He softened his tone, "You may have your reasons, and I don't want to make things difficult for you. I just want to know if there are any peculiar taboos about the senior on Shigong Ridge, so I can avoid them when I visit. Also, is this senior an old man with one eye?"

He was indeed looking for Yuan Huan.

Ji Yaoge recalled Yuan Huan's various forms—from a baby to a teenager, to a young man, to an old man. If she shook her head, it wouldn't be a lie.

Seeing her silence, Gu Xingzhi thought she was hesitating. He turned his palm to reveal a piece of scale armor, emitting a faint purple glow. Ji Yaoge's pupils contracted as she stared at the armor: a close-fitting armor covered in thin purple scales, reflecting beautiful light in the moonlight.

This armor was made from the scales of the Purple Dragon Carp on Wanren Mountain, capable of withstanding a full-strength attack from a Core Formation cultivator. It took fifty years for the Wu Xiang Sword Sect to refine one piece, usually reserved for the elders. As disciples, they could only obtain it by placing second in the centennial Wu Xiang Sword Trial.

The one in his hand was from the year she was released from Miao Zong Peak. They participated in the sword trial together, and she narrowly won by one move, taking the first prize. From that year on, she became the well-known senior sister of the Wu Xiang Sword Sect, while he took second place and received this Dragon Carp Armor. It was their first real confrontation, and although she gave it her all, he held back, taking the first second place of his life.

Recalling the past, Ji Yaoge couldn't help but feel soft-hearted. Even without love, those two hundred years of companionship mattered. Sometimes, what binds people isn't just love but the stories accumulated over long years.

"If Miss Ji is willing to help me, this Dragon Carp Armor will be yours," Gu Xingzhi said, observing her reaction. He guessed she would be tempted, as this armor was a rare treasure for a cultivator of her level.

Ji Yaoge closed the distance between them, approaching him and gently touching the purple scale armor. Her voice softened, "This armor is precious. It's not worth exchanging for just a few pieces of information."

"Whether it's worth it is for me to decide," Gu Xingzhi said, looking down at her. The distance between them had unknowingly shortened, and he couldn't gauge the proper distance. Her face, illuminated by the faint purple light, was soft and her eyes alluring. He quickly looked away, feeling a chill in his heart.

People from the seductive sects indeed had a natural charm.

"Why is Daoist Gu so eager to inquire about the senior on Shigong Ridge? Could you tell me a bit more?" Ji Yaoge took the armor into her hands, gently stroking it, feeling the spiritual energy of Wanren Mountain flowing through it.

"This is a sect secret, and I cannot divulge it. Please forgive me," he refused without hesitation. "But rest assured, if the senior is indeed the person I'm looking for, he must have some connection with my sect. I won't offend him, nor will I make things difficult for you."

Ji Yaoge smiled, her eyes clear as she looked into his eyes. "The senior does have a peculiar temperament but is not difficult to get along with. Unfortunately, it's too late. Even if you know, it won't help. The senior has already left Shigong Ridge."

"What?" Gu Xingzhi was shocked, his brows furrowing.

"When I descended the mountain, they also left. Now, Shigong Ridge is empty. If you don't believe me, you can go and see for yourself. I'm sorry, I can't help you." She handed the armor back to him.

Gu Xingzhi didn't take it. "Do you know where he went?"

Ji Yaoge shook her head. "The senior's whereabouts are beyond the reach of someone with my low cultivation. Take the armor back."

Gu Xingzhi was silent for a moment, seemingly accepting her words. He didn't intend to take back the armor and said solemnly, "No need. Keep it. You lost a protective magical item because of me today. Consider this my compensation."

He was so generous and courteous that Ji Yaoge had no reason to refuse. She smiled and thanked him, then tucked the armor into her cloak. The tightly wrapped cloak moved slightly as she put on the armor right in front of him—an intimate item she had just taken from his hand. Gu Xingzhi's face suddenly felt warm.

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave." Ji Yaoge cupped her fists in farewell.

Gu Xingzhi nodded, becoming more silent and cold. Ji Yaoge didn't linger, putting on her hood and turning to leave. Suddenly, her wrist was grabbed. She was startled and turned to ask, but he made a gesture for silence and said, "Someone's coming." He pulled her under the rock.

As soon as he spoke, Ji Yaoge sensed the restless spiritual energy in the air. The pressure quickly reached their location. If Gu Xingzhi hadn't noticed earlier, they would have been exposed to the intruder's perception.

His wide gray cloak opened with one hand, and they huddled together under its cover. Ji Yaoge recognized the cloak; it was his protective treasure, capable of concealing their presence and disguising their location. Once opened, it gradually became transparent. They could see clearly, but to outsiders, it looked like just a rock.

The wind carried the sound of rustling grass and leaves. Two black shadows, a man and a woman, landed on Yanwei Slope, their cultivation at the mid to late Core Formation stage. The woman's cultivation was near the peak of Core Formation, higher than Gu Xingzhi's.

Their fight was silent, with only the wind carrying a deadly pressure, causing sand and stones to fly on Yanwei Slope. They didn't use spells or magical items, only engaging in close combat. Their movements were so fast that Ji Yaoge could only see two afterimages intertwining in the moonlight, with the occasional flash of weapon light like meteors. Although the woman's cultivation was higher, the man's skills were not weak, and there was no clear advantage.

Gu Xingzhi and Ji Yaoge held their breath to avoid detection—whether friend or foe, being discovered would be troublesome.

In just a few moments, they exchanged over a hundred moves. Finally, with a light "ding," their fight stopped. The woman tightly gripped the man's throat with her weapon, a set of sharp claws on her fingers. Five claws pressed against his neck, the tips embedded in his flesh. The man slightly raised his chin, no longer struggling, squinting at the woman who was much shorter than him.

Ji Yaoge's eyes widened in shock—she knew both of them.

Lady Ying Shuang and her senior disciple, Yan Xun.

"Yan Xun, don't force me!" Lady Ying Shuang, still dressed simply, her lips tightly pressed, her seductive eyes filled with anger, her voice trembling slightly, making her threat seem less firm.

Yan Xun sighed deeply—the senior brother Ji Yaoge had only seen twice. In appearance, he looked much older than Lady Ying Shuang, tall and thin, with a sickly pale face, his brows covered in dust, like a weary traveler. In temperament, he was also more mature than Lady Ying Shuang. Standing together, they looked like siblings, not master and disciple.

"Ying Shuang, it's always been you forcing me. If you want to kill me, do it now. I won't resist," Yan Xun's voice was low and resolute. "But my feelings won't change. A thousand years ago, they were like this, and a thousand years later, they still are."

"Shut up, don't call me by my name!" Lady Ying Shuang was furious, her cheeks flushing. "I... I am your master's wife!"

"..." Ji Yaoge, hiding under the cloak, couldn't help but exchange a glance with Gu Xingzhi.

Gu Xingzhi was initially shocked. People from the seductive sects were indeed unrestrained, disregarding ethics and morals. When he met Ji Yaoge's eyes, he realized the distance he had carefully maintained was almost gone, just like their current close proximity. He even slightly bent his back to accommodate her height under the cloak.

"Because you were my master's wife, I endured a thousand years of exile, the pain of seeing you only once every hundred years. But I've had enough... Ying Shuang, look at me and tell me you have no feelings for me," Yan Xun caressed her cheek, "If you truly have no feelings, why were you so distressed when you heard I was gravely injured?"

"I wasn't!" Lady Ying Shuang released her grip on him and pushed his hand away. "You are my master's senior disciple, a child I watched grow up. My concern for you is only because I am your master's wife!"

"I don't believe you!" Yan Xun was unmoved, pressing closer. "Ying Shuang, our master has been gone for over a thousand years. You've waited for him long enough. Can't you think about yourself?"

"He will come back. He promised me!" Lady Ying Shuang's lips trembled, her eyes red.

Yan Xun smiled bitterly. "Wake up. He won't come back. He's already dead..."

"Shut up!" Lady Ying Shuang scolded him. "He's just missing, not dead, not!"

Ji Yaoge was extremely surprised—missing, not dead?

"We've searched for him for over a thousand years. Why can't you accept reality? If he were alive, why hasn't he appeared? He loved you so much, he wouldn't let you suffer like this." Yan Xun was also agitated, his skin even paler, wanting to shake her awake.

Lady Ying Shuang just shook her head, no longer calm. "That's because we haven't searched enough, haven't tried hard enough..."

"Are you accusing me of not trying hard enough?" Yan Xun's smile grew more bitter. "Do you know I want our master to return more than anyone, even more than you, because only then can I let go completely. Do you think I haven't struggled, haven't had conflicts? I put in a hundred times the effort to find our master, to make you happy, to let me give up." Admitting he loved the woman he had called "master's wife" since childhood, the moral guilt, the ethical shame, and the silent reproach of their master invading his dreams...

The torment he endured was bone-deep, driving him to search for the missing person with a hundred times the effort, only to be doubted by her now.

Lady Ying Shuang was silent, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You think I'm incompetent, unable to find our master, so you set up this scheme, leaked the information, attracted Xiao Wuheng, involved Yuan Huan, and let more and more people get involved in the Linghai secret, right?" Yan Xun pressed her, his eyes gradually turning red.

"No, it's not that you're incompetent. I just hope more people, stronger cultivators, will help us find him. That way, the chances are greater..." Lady Ying Shuang wiped her tears and turned her back to him. She couldn't bear to look at his eyes.

"Don't you remember our master's last words, never to reveal the Linghai secret, never to let anyone know Chixiu Palace is involved? Don't you understand that revealing anything will bring disaster to Chixiu Palace and you?"

Gu Xingzhi frowned deeply—his sect leader had long instructed him that the Linghai matter was the top priority. Finding Yuan Huan was not only for Bai Yun but also to investigate the Linghai matter. He hadn't expected...

As he pondered, his sleeve was gently tugged. He instinctively looked at Ji Yaoge, who was close enough to touch. She mouthed the words.

Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't transmit sound through divine sense, and she didn't dare speak aloud. They could only communicate through lip-reading, but Gu Xingzhi should understand.

Her pale pink lips moved.

Help me.

— She said.

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