Leaving the Danta

The moment Xuanyi heard those words, an indescribable surge of joy washed over her like a warm current, instantly sweeping away all her tension, anticipation, and unease, filling every part of her being.

A dazzlingly radiant, blissful smile immediately bloomed across her face, yet tears spilled uncontrollably from her eyes and rolled down her flushed cheeks.

"Y-you idiot! You blockhead!"

Xuanyi cried and laughed at once, her voice choked with endless grievance and the joy of finally being relieved. "You finally... finally said it to me! Do you know... do you know how long I've waited to hear those words?"

"You made me wait so painfully long... Su Baichen!"

As she spoke, Xuanyi could not help rising to her feet and stumbling toward Su Baichen.

Su Baichen had long since been moved as well. He opened his arms and held the person he had waited for and missed for far too long tightly, tightly against his chest.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you how I felt sooner. I was too cowardly—it was my fault. I made you wait for so long."

As he spoke, Su Baichen wiped the tears from the corners of Xuanyi's eyes, then kissed her gently on the forehead.

"Hmph, yes, it's all your fault."

As she spoke, Xuanyi kept pounding Su Baichen's chest with her little fists.

But Xuanyi like this was also the final straw that shattered Su Baichen's remaining reason.

The wine jar rolled to the floor with a crisp sound, but neither of them paid it any heed. Amid the fragrance of wine filling the room, only their racing heartbeats and sobs of tearful joy remained.

Moonlight spilled down softly, stretching out their embracing shadows. Tonight was destined to be sleepless.

The following afternoon, Su Baichen, dressed in white, brought Cao Ying to the inner hall where Xuankongzi usually cultivated in seclusion.

Xuankongzi was forming hand seals before a furnace of pills that had yet to fully condense. When he saw the two of them enter—especially Cao Ying behind Su Baichen—he understood their purpose.

He slowly dispersed the Dou Qi in his hands, and the furnace flame steadied. Turning around, he smiled. "Leaving in such a hurry? Won't you stay a few more days?"

"No. My concerns have been settled. It's time to set out." Su Baichen smiled in reply.

Xuankongzi stroked his beard, his gaze sweeping over Su Baichen. With a teasing glint in his eyes, he lowered his voice and asked, "Baichen, you really aren't waiting for Xuanyi?"

"You're just leaving like this, without even saying goodbye. Aren't you afraid that once she finds out, she'll find some excuse to give you a thorough 'lesson'? You know her temper better than anyone."

At those words, the corner of Su Baichen's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. The image of Xuanyi that morning flashed through his mind: she had been languidly sprawled beneath the cloudlike covers, so weak she could barely raise even a finger. Her resentful yet helpless look seemed to still be before his eyes.

He quickly coughed to conceal the flicker of smugness and guilt in his eyes, then waved a hand as though unconcerned. "Uh, don't worry. It'll be fine. Xuanyi... understands the bigger picture."

"Mm, that's true enough."

Without suspecting anything, Xuankongzi nodded. "Given Xuanyi's nature, at most she'll grab you and nag you for a few words. It'll pass eventually. Still, it is rather strange..."

His tone shifted, and confusion appeared on his face as he looked around. "She knew yesterday that you were leaving this afternoon. Logically, she should have come to see you off no matter what. This really isn't like her."

Su Baichen felt his face heat slightly. The image of their "fierce battle" became increasingly vivid in his mind. The sight of Xuanyi at the end, when even her pleas for mercy had been as faint as a mosquito's buzz, stirred his heart before an even greater sense of guilt forced it down.

He forcibly steadied himself and explained in an even more "sincere" tone, "Perhaps... perhaps something urgent came up and delayed her. It's fine. The thought is what counts."

Since Su Baichen had put it that way, Xuankongzi, though he still found it somewhat odd, did not press the matter. He looked at Su Baichen, his expression turning solemn as he raised a hand and patted his shoulder. "Baichen, be careful out there. The Danta will always be your home. Come back and visit whenever you have time."

"Mm, I understand." Su Baichen nodded solemnly. "Senior, take care. We're leaving!"

Before his words had even faded, he held two fingers together like a sword and lightly slashed through the air before him.

Space tore apart soundlessly like brocade, revealing a deep, shadowy rift.

Without further delay, he took Cao Ying's hand and stepped into it. Their figures were instantly swallowed by darkness, and the rift swiftly closed behind them, as though it had never existed.

The inner hall returned to silence, leaving only the faint crackling of the flames in the pill furnace.

Xuankongzi stared at the spot where Su Baichen had vanished, but his brows slowly furrowed. Even the hand stroking his beard came to a halt as he muttered, "Something's off. It still feels like something is wrong... That brat's expression just now—why did he seem a little... guilty? And he ran off far too quickly, as though he was afraid of being caught by something."

He carefully recalled every word and every look Su Baichen had given, yet could not make sense of it no matter how hard he tried. In the end, he could only shake his head and laugh helplessly. "Forget it, forget it. Young people have their own way of getting along. This old man won't overthink it."

Meanwhile, above a remote valley thousands of miles from the Danta, space rippled, and a fissure quietly appeared.

Su Baichen stepped out of it with Cao Ying and landed steadily upon the grass.

A mountain breeze drifted past, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees, but he had no time to appreciate it. His brows knit slightly as his sharp gaze swept across the surroundings. Powerful Soul Power spread outward like a tide, sensing for any possible watchers.

"Master, what's wrong?" Cao Ying softly asked, noticing his vigilance.

Su Baichen withdrew his probing gaze, looked at Cao Ying, and spoke directly. "Disciple, give me a few drops of your blood."

Though Cao Ying was puzzled, she trusted Su Baichen absolutely and unhesitatingly extended a slender finger. Su Baichen lightly cut her fingertip, taking several bright-red drops of blood that floated above his palm.

At the same time, he flipped his other hand, and several palm-sized paper puppets, exquisitely cut, appeared in it.

He carefully infused several of the puppets with his own blood and Cao Ying's blood respectively.

The moment the blood touched the paper, it seeped into it like a living thing, swiftly tracing faint blood-colored patterns across the puppets' surfaces.

"Go!"

Su Baichen gave a low shout and waved his hand. The paper puppets instantly seemed to be infused with life. A faint glow lit in their eyes as they nimbly rose into the air and shot in different directions—east, west, south, north, southeast, northeast, and more—like startled sparrows, vanishing beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Each puppet carried a trace of the unique aura fluctuations belonging to him and Cao Ying, enough to pass for the real thing.

Only after doing all this did Su Baichen let out a breath of relief. Turning to Cao Ying, he said in a low voice, "All right, we'll hide for now. This journey may not be peaceful. There's no harm in being cautious."

With that, he swept his sleeve, and a gentle force wrapped around them. Their auras instantly concealed themselves to the utmost, their figures becoming indistinct before they vanished from where they stood and silently entered the space within this place.

The valley returned to tranquility. Only the rustling of wind through the leaves remained, as though no one had ever come.