Bi Yao

The group followed the sound and looked over. At the next table sat a young woman dressed in green.

She looked about sixteen or seventeen, with skin fair as snow, bright eyes, pearly teeth, and a charming face.

A smile played at the corners of her mouth as she sized up Zhang Xiaofan with a pair of big, interested eyes. Her gaze was teasing.

Beside her sat a stern old man and a tall, middle-aged man. Both kept their auras concealed, clearly expert fighters.

"Young man, you're quite interesting."

The girl in green covered her mouth and giggled, her voice clear and bright.

"You come to the Mountain Sea Pavilion, but instead of ordering delicacies from land and sea, you ask for a plate of greens and tofu. Are all you Qingyun Sect people this frugal?"

Her voice carried just far enough for the people at several nearby tables to hear.

Quite a few people looked over, amusement in their eyes.

Zhang Xiaofan's face flushed red, and he was so embarrassed he wanted the ground to swallow him up.

He was never good with words, and now that a beautiful young woman was teasing him in front of everyone, he was even too nervous to speak.

Qi Hao wore a smug, delighted expression.

He would have loved to see someone from Big Bamboo Peak make a fool of himself. It would indirectly strike a blow against Li Xiaoyu, too.

Lu Xueqi frowned, displeasure flashing in her eyes.

Though Zhang Xiaofan's dullness irked her, he was still a fellow disciple. Seeing him publicly humiliated made her unhappy.

Just as Zhang Xiaofan stood there helplessly, Li Xiaoyu spoke.

He didn't get angry or snap back. He simply smiled at the girl in green.

"Miss, there's something you don't know."

His voice was gentle.

"Greens and tofu may seem ordinary, but they're the true test of a chef's skill. It's much the same with cultivation: the more basic a technique, the more clearly it reveals one's true ability."

"My junior brother didn't order a dish. He ordered the Dao."

His words were effortless, yet full of hidden meaning.

Not only did he get Zhang Xiaofan out of trouble, he also steered the conversation toward the great Dao of cultivation, instantly lifting it to a higher level.

The teasing smile on the girl in green's face faltered.

A flicker of surprise crossed her wide eyes.

She hadn't expected this amiable Qingyun Disciple to be so eloquent.

The girl in green blinked. Rather than backing down, she seemed even more intrigued.

"Oh? That's an interesting way to put it."

She rose and walked over to Li Xiaoyu and the others' table.

A faint, sweet fragrance followed her.

"This little woman is You Ji. Greetings to the honored immortals of the Qingyun Sect."

She gave them a graceful bow and introduced herself as You Ji.

But Li Xiaoyu caught the old man beside her twitching the corner of his mouth at the name.

Clearly, it was an alias.

Li Xiaoyu understood, but didn't expose her. He returned her greeting with a smile. "Qingyun Sect, Li Xiaoyu."

"So you're Young Master Li."

The girl in green looked Li Xiaoyu over, then turned her gaze back to Zhang Xiaofan.

"Hey, you silly boy, what's your name?"

"I... I'm Zhang Xiaofan."

"Zhang Xiaofan, is it? According to your senior brother, you've got quite a name. Ordinary, yet extraordinary. And it's the Dao, too, right?"

Zhang Xiaofan's face turned even redder.

"I..."

"Since your senior brother has made these greens and tofu sound so mysterious, this little woman would like to contemplate your Dao as well."

She turned to the waiter nearby. "Waiter, bring this young man your most famous steamed Sleep Fish, and serve him every vegetarian dish on the menu, too!"

"Well..." The waiter looked troubled.

The Mountain Sea Pavilion's steamed Sleep Fish was available in limited quantities each day, and it had all been reserved already.

"What? Are you afraid we can't afford it?"

The girl in green raised an eyebrow, pulled a gold ingot from her robe, and tossed it onto the table.

"Will this be enough?"

The waiter's eyes went wide at the sight of the gold ingot. He hurriedly bowed and nodded. "Yes, more than enough! Please wait, miss. I'll arrange it right away!"

With that, he ran off.

Zhang Xiaofan stared at the turn of events, dumbfounded.

He'd only wanted to order an inexpensive dish. How had that drawn the attention of such a free-spending and willful young woman?

"Miss, you really shouldn't have."

He stammered.

"Why not?"

The girl in green smiled at Zhang Xiaofan, unconcerned. "Just think of it as my treat. But you have to tell me some interesting stories about Green Cloud Mountain."

As she spoke, she sat down in the empty seat beside Zhang Xiaofan. Her big eyes studied him with curiosity, as if she'd found an amusing toy.

This time, not only Zhang Xiaofan but even Li Xiaoyu and Qi Hao were stunned.

This girl's way of doing things was utterly unpredictable.

Lu Xueqi's frown deepened.

She could sense Spiritual Energy around the girl in green.

That Spiritual Energy was soft and sinister, utterly unlike the techniques of the righteous sects.

A fiend from the Demon Sect!

Wariness and killing intent flashed in Lu Xueqi's eyes.

The Tianya Divine Sword in her hand began to hum softly.

Li Xiaoyu sensed the change in Lu Xueqi's mood. Under the table, he took her hand and shook his head.

The Qingyun Sect had all kinds of information about the Demon Sect.

He'd naturally seen through the girl's origins, too.

The Ghost King Sect of the Demon Sect.

In all the world, who else could this girl be, with such bearing and protected by such experts, but Bi Yao, the only daughter of Wan Renwang, leader of the Ghost King Sect?

But why had she appeared here?

And why had she taken an interest in Zhang Xiaofan?

Li Xiaoyu's mind was full of questions.

But he knew this was no time to make a move.

This was Heyang City, crowded with people and eyes. If they fought, it would inevitably cause a commotion.

Besides, the two guards accompanying her had unfathomable strength. If a fight broke out, the winner was anyone's guess.

Just as the atmosphere turned delicate again, footsteps sounded from the staircase.

Faxiang of the Heavenly Sound Temple and Li Xun and Yan Hong of Incense Burning Valley had finally arrived.

When they saw that a charming young woman in green had joined Li Xiaoyu's table, they were taken aback, too.

Li Xun especially was dazzled by Bi Yao's beauty.

The moment Faxiang saw Bi Yao, his brows drew together. He then pressed his palms together and softly recited a Buddhist invocation.

"Amitabha. It seems we've arrived at an inopportune moment and interrupted your gathering."

Faxiang spoke with a smile, his gaze passing over Bi Yao.

Bi Yao sensed everyone's eyes on her, but didn't care.

She remained seated beside Zhang Xiaofan, grinning as if she were in her own home.

Li Xiaoyu rose and nodded to Faxiang and Li Xun.

"Not at all. We've only just arrived ourselves."

"Ahem."

"Miss You Ji, we still have matters to discuss. Could I ask you to leave for now?"

"Hmph, as if I care."

Bi Yao gave a cold snort, then left.

"Now that everyone is here, let's discuss the matter at hand."

Li Xiaoyu's gaze swept over the group, his voice stern.

The next morning, disciples from the three sects left Heyang City and flew east on their swords, heading straight for Kongsang Mountain.

Bi Yao and her two guards followed at a distance, neither too close nor too far, maintaining a carefully judged gap.

Kongsang Mountain lay in eastern Zhongtu, a stretch of barren mountains extending for a hundred li.

The terrain was steep and rugged, studded with jagged rocks. Gray miasma shrouded it year-round, lending the place a gloomy, eerie air.

Legend had it that this was one of the battlefields of an ancient war between the righteous and demonic factions. Countless cultivators had perished here, their resentment soaring to the heavens and giving rise to countless evil creatures.

Before they even drew near, the group could feel a cold, decaying stench sweeping toward them.