Darkness Flower

Xiao Bai and Mu Yun hurried back to the mountain.

Their swords landed at the Pill Pavilion.

The disciples on Bluestone Plaza had seen the two fighting to the death three days ago, only to now see them flying around together on swords. They could not help admiring Xiao Bai's skill at wooing girls.

He had not only won over an elder, but even the elder's disciple had not escaped his clutches...

Beast!

The disciples dared to rage but not speak.

The male disciples' heads tilted crooked with envy.

The female disciples' curiosity about Xiao Bai, however, skyrocketed in a straight line.

After landing, Mu Yun felt a slight numbness in her ankles.

Though she had enjoyed the queenly sensation of standing above Martial Granduncle, she still felt as though she had somehow gotten the short end of the stick.

"This must be reported to the Discipline Hall. I'll go find Second Senior Brother first, so I won't be going up the mountain with you. Go find Master and seek a little comfort yourself."

What did she mean, go seek comfort from the elder?

His spirits were perfectly fine. Why would he need comforting?

Fine, he did need a little comfort.

Xiao Bai understood at once.

"See you later."

As Xiao Bai's figure vanished beyond the horizon, the proud light in Mu Yun's eyes gradually cooled.

With a flash of her figure, she sped northwest.

Back at the mountaintop.

Xiao Bai made a trip to Bamboo Forest Hot Spring, washing away sweat and bloodstains. He then returned to the study in the Bamboo Hut, opened the bookcase, and followed the fragrant path straight into the Pill Room.

The Pill Room had no defenses.

The elder was not, as usual, drinking tea before the pill furnace, meditating quietly, and tending to the pills within.

Instead, she was dissecting a snake on the stone table...

A dark-red venomous snake as thick as a wrist!

Its eyes were like a woman's alluring gaze, its scales fine and soft, slick with mucus, its delicate tail coiled together.

So disgusting...

I'll take another look.

For some reason, Xiao Ran actually felt his hormones surging.

That was a snake!

Even more absurdly, the red snake being cut open by a short blade displayed an expression of pleasure.

Too strange.

Hearing footsteps, Yuhu, who was dissecting the red snake, picked up the blood-red Peach Petal Tea at the edge of the table without turning her head.

"I thought the one returning would be the Spine Gu Worm."

"..."

Xiao Bai recounted the entire course of events in detail, playing up how perilous the situation had been and how badly he had been beaten.

On careful thought, the battle had indeed been fraught with danger. He had not been far from returning as a Spine Gu Worm.

And all the danger he had encountered seemed to have been within the elder's expectations.

"Does Elder have some important identity that has drawn the attention of many people? So some villains want to get rid of me, the piece you placed by your side?"

Only then did Master Yuhu slowly turn around, her jade-white hand leisurely wiping the blood from her face.

After wiping away the blood, her hand was still white.

Her picturesque features remained as cool and distant as ever, save for a ripple of spring water in her eyes.

"So you are not a chess piece?"

What happened to trust between husband and wife?

Even without feelings, we were old comrades who had shared warmth for days. Was there not even this much trust between us?

"Listen to what you're saying. At most, I'm a chessboard to be trampled at will. Of course, the chess players are limited to fairies."

Master Yuhu smiled sweetly, took a sip of tea, and said,

"So... Mu Yun bullied you too?"

Another life-or-death question!

Without a moment's thought, Xiao Bai said,

"No. Senior Sister and I treat each other with the respect due to honored guests. There is absolutely no such possibility!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Xiao Bai knew he had caused trouble.

"Wait, not treat each other with the respect due to honored guests... What I mean is... Elder, listen to my expla—"

The cold tea had somehow begun to emit a red mist.

Master Yuhu pointed at Xiao Bai's hand.

"You have the scent of bamboo fibers on your hand."

"Pfft—"

Xiao Bai had no way to defend himself. Even if he jumped into the Yellow River, he would never wash himself clean now.

Master Yuhu's gaze rippled, and her tone suddenly turned gentle as she pointed to the cup beside her, wreathed in red mist.

"You must be tired. Have a cup of tea."

In his daze, Xiao Bai seemed to hear a voice say: Dalang...

"Wife, you misunderstand. Senior Sister flew too fast, and I had nowhere to grab, so—"

"Drink the tea."

Snow Flame Sect, northwestern mountain range.

In a bamboo forest buffeted by wind and snow, two middle-aged men dressed in disciples' robes were making their way forward at a measured pace.

One was at Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

The other was at the peak of Foundation Establishment.

In the Tian Yuan Era, it was extremely difficult for cultivators to form a Core Formation. Foundation Establishment cultivators were the backbone of the Cultivation World, capable of serving as mid-level instructors in any sect.

Yet these two still wore disciples' robes. Rather than flying on swords, they trudged through the forest.

Judging by the way they walked, they had sharpness to spare but lacked grace. They did not seem like sect disciples.

As they walked, the two spoke in low voices, doing their utmost to conceal their auras and lower their volume.

"You failed even when told to kill a mortal?"

"Though this boy is only at Fetal Breath Cultivation, his Butcher's Sword Technique has reached consummate mastery, and his physique is far from ordinary. He is very likely Master Yuhu's experimental subject."

"A demon... or a devil?"

"For now, he still appears to be human."

"If he is human, Zhao Hanwu's failure is understandable. Even with you beside him, you still could not kill him?"

"A third party was secretly protecting him. This person is stronger than I am and hid their tracks exceptionally well. If their tracking methods had not been a little lacking, I might not have made it back."

"It seems the two of us must act together... If we do not finish this task, we cannot return to report."

The moment his words fell!

A woman's icy voice echoed endlessly from above the bamboo canopy, its direction impossible to discern.

"Then don't go back."

"Who goes there?!"

The two drew their swords warily.

A black vine suddenly burrowed up from beneath their feet and entered their bodies.

The vines coiled around their dantians. In an instant, the two lost all power to resist, and their swords fell to the ground.

"Fellow Daoist, don't act rashly!"

"We are merely errand runners. Spare our lives, and we will tell you who is behind this!"

In a daze, a pair of slender legs tightly wrapped in black silk flashed through the forest, leaving behind a graceful breeze.

"Who cares?"

"Help—"

The two opened their mouths to speak, but clutched their throats and could no longer utter a word.

A Darkness Flower bloomed from within their mouths.

"I only want Snow Flame Sect reduced to ashes."