Three days later, early morning.
Hundreds of disciples stood in formation before Yuqing Hall on Qingyun Mountain.
The sun had just risen, its golden rays spilling across the white marble steps and stretching everyone's shadows long.
The morning breeze stirred their robes with a soft rustle.
Daoxuan Zhenren stood atop the high steps, with the leaders of the various peaks behind him. He wore a purple Taoist robe. His beard and hair were entirely white, and his face was both stern and kindly.
"Today, you will head to the Southern Border."
His voice was not loud, yet it reached every person clearly.
"The Beast God is about to emerge, and the world will fall into chaos. This journey will be perilous. Some of you may not return."
The disciples looked solemn, but not one of them faltered.
"But—" Daoxuan Zhenren changed tack. "It is precisely because the journey is perilous that you must go.
"The Qingyun Sect has stood for a thousand years. We have never relied on shutting ourselves away from the world, but on generation after generation of disciples stepping forward."
"On this journey to the Southern Border, I ask nothing of you but to come back alive."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the hundreds of young faces below.
"Go."
There were no more stirring words or reminders. Those two simple words were enough to send them on their way.
The disciples from each peak began descending the mountain in order.
Among the Xiaozhu Peak group, Lu Jiuyuan, Lu Xueqi, and Wen Min stood together.
Wen Min stood there in a moon-white Taoist robe, gentle and lovely.
Lu Xueqi wore her usual white robes, Tianya Sword strapped to her back, her expression cool and detached.
Lu Jiuyuan stood calmly in a moon-white Taoist robe, Chengying Sword hanging at his waist.
Only those who knew him well realized that this seemingly ordinary young man was the second person in the Qingyun Sect to reach the Taiqing Realm.
At the edge of the crowd, Shuiyue stood quietly.
She did not come forward. She only watched the three of them from afar.
Lu Jiuyuan sensed her gaze and turned to smile at her.
Shuiyue gave a slight start, then looked away.
That outer robe was still at the very bottom of her wardrobe.
She had not returned it to him.
Lu Jiuyuan had not asked for it back, either.
She had kept it hidden away, as if it were some secret she could not let anyone discover.
"Master!"
Wen Min ran over and threw her arms around Shuiyue.
"Master, we'll miss you!"
Shuiyue was caught off guard by the embrace, then helplessly patted her back.
"You're all grown up, yet you still act like a child."
"I'll always be a child when I'm with you, Master." Wen Min let go and said with a grin.
Shuiyue shook her head and looked at Lu Xueqi as she approached.
Lu Xueqi stopped before her. After a moment's silence, she said softly, "Master, take care."
Shuiyue looked at the disciple she had raised since childhood, her gaze softening.
"You, too."
She reached out and straightened Lu Xueqi's collar, which the wind had tousled.
"Take good care of yourself on the road."
"Mm."
At last, Lu Jiuyuan came over.
He stopped in front of Shuiyue, his eyes clear and his smile gentle.
"Master, we're leaving."
Shuiyue looked at him, at a loss for words.
Memories of that night surfaced again—the moonlight in the back hills, the warmth at her shoulder, and that drowsy plea: "Stay with me."
Shuiyue gazed tenderly at the young man before her and said softly, "Be careful on the road."
"I will, Master." Lu Jiuyuan paused, then suddenly lowered his voice. "If you like that outer robe, you can keep it."
Shuiyue's head snapped up.
But Lu Jiuyuan had already turned around and was calling to Lu Xueqi and Wen Min as they headed down the mountain.
Sunlight fell across his back, edging him in a faint golden glow.
Shuiyue stood where she was, watching him walk farther and farther away until he disappeared into the morning mist.
It was a long while before she finally muttered under her breath,
"That brat's getting more and more shameless!"
Yet her alluring red lips curled up slightly despite herself.
After flying for an entire day, the group stopped to rest in a valley.
The disciples from each peak found places to sit and took out food and water to replenish their strength.
Lu Jiuyuan leaned against a tree and closed his eyes to rest.
Then he sensed a trace of an aura.
Faint and distant, barely there.
But it was real.
And... somewhat familiar.
He opened his eyes and scanned the distant woods.
There was nothing to see.
But he knew someone was hidden there.
Jin Ping'er of the Hehuan Sect.
Lu Jiuyuan's eyes flickered as he wondered, Strange. What is she doing here?
At that moment, the familiar aura was coming from the distant woods.
Jin Ping'er was waiting for him.
Lu Jiuyuan opened his eyes and glanced around.
The disciples from each peak were resting. No one was paying attention to him.
He stood up and went over to Lu Xueqi and Wen Min.
"Get up."
Lu Xueqi looked up at him. "What's wrong?"
"Come with me."
Wen Min looked at him in confusion. "Senior Brother, where are we going?"
"To see a friend." Lu Jiuyuan paused. "A friend from the Demon Sect."
Wen Min's eyes widened, her face filled with shock.
Lu Xueqi looked at him. There was no surprise in her gaze, only a question.
"Do you trust me?" Lu Jiuyuan asked, looking steadily at Lu Xueqi.
After a moment's silence, Lu Xueqi nodded.
"Then come with me."
The three of them slipped away from the rest area and into the woods nearby without a sound.
The woods were quiet, broken only by the occasional birdcall.
Lu Jiuyuan walked ahead, his stride steady and his direction clear.
Lu Xueqi and Wen Min followed behind him, one silent, the other full of curiosity.
"Senior Brother, who is your friend from the Demon Sect?" Wen Min couldn't help asking.
"Jin Ping'er of the Hehuan Sect," Lu Jiuyuan replied evenly.
Wen Min sucked in a breath. "Jin Ping'er?! The Demon Sect's Miao Gongzi?!"
Lu Jiuyuan gave a soft "Mm."
"She... she's a member of the Demon Sect!" Wen Min stammered.
"I know." Lu Jiuyuan nodded.
"Then how can you be friends?" Wen Min asked, puzzled.
Lu Jiuyuan paused and glanced back at her.
"Wen Min, there aren't only two kinds of people in this world: the righteous and the Demon Sect." His tone was calm and even. "Some people are born into the Demon Sect, but that doesn't necessarily make them evil. Some are born into the righteous path, but that doesn't necessarily make them good."
Wen Min was stunned.
Lu Xueqi glanced at him, her gaze flickering slightly.
As Lu Jiuyuan continued walking, he told them how he had met Jin Ping'er.
Lu Xueqi listened quietly without saying a word.
They passed through a dense stretch of woods, and the view suddenly opened up before them.
A mountain stream lay ahead, its water crystal clear, wildflowers growing all around.
A stunning woman sat on a green stone by the stream.
She wore a pale yellow dress, her long black hair flowing like a waterfall. Her beautiful face held a hint of lazy amusement.
She held a wildflower in her hand, idly plucking at its petals.
Hearing footsteps, she lifted her head.
Her gaze fell on Lu Jiuyuan. Her lazy smile froze for a moment, then grew even wider.
"Master Lu, you finally made it."
Jin Ping'er stood up and brushed the grass from her skirt, her gaze passing over Lu Xueqi and Wen Min behind him.
"Well now, Master Lu, why have you brought two pretty young ladies along?"
Jin Ping'er licked her alluring red lips, then turned her gaze back to Lu Jiuyuan.
"What, were you afraid I'd eat you?"
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