The Mask Game

Jiang Wang had secretly slipped back into the High Heaven Pavilion.

The whole thing had been done in utmost secrecy.

He wore a mask and was wrapped up so thoroughly that not an inch of skin showed.

If he hadn't written to Ye Qingyu beforehand, the High Heaven Pavilion's protective forces would have thrown him out the door. There'd have been no chance of sneaking into the secret realm.

Of course, Ye Qingyu had given him a rare cold shoulder. She'd kept a frosty expression the entire way as she led him into the High Heaven Secret Realm.

Jiang Wang had no idea that Ye Qingyu had once thought he was dead.

But he knew that when someone disappeared without a word, their family and friends couldn't help worrying.

He wasn't the sort of person who thought only of himself, and he wouldn't assume that surviving by the skin of his teeth entitled him to endless patience from his loved ones. Especially when he hadn't told anyone what he was doing, from beginning to end.

"Hey, um..."

Jiang Wang tried to lighten the mood. His voice sounded a little muffled through the mask. "The scenery's really beautiful!"

Ye Qingyu led the way without answering.

There wasn't much she could say in response.

She'd grown up here. She knew every blade of grass and every tree like the back of her hand. Did she need Jiang Wang to tell her what the scenery was like?

"Fellow Daoist, watch your step. The stairs ahead are steep!" Jiang Wang offered helpfully.

Ye Qingyu: ...

They were both Supernatural Inner Palace cultivators. Did he really think she couldn't manage a flight of stairs?

She said irritably, "You'd better think about how you're going to explain yourself to An'an later. She's been crying for days!"