Chapter 41:Lin Xiaoxi
Chapter 34
The sun dipped low over White Stone Town, casting golden rays across the freshly cleared streets, where townsfolk bustled with renewed hope after the rogue cultivators’ departure. Cheng Mo, still cloaked in her “Yue Shu” persona, leaned against her small courtyard’s gate, watching Lin Xiaoxi skip away after delivering a basket of wild herbs. The girl’s bright smile lingered in her mind, stirring a warmth Cheng Mo hadn’t felt since fleeing Jinghong Peak. She trusts me… like Qing Wan once did. The thought stung, but she shoved it down, her resolve to stay hidden firm. No attachments. Just survive.
Her divine sense, carefully restrained to avoid detection, swept the town’s perimeter. The rogue cultivators were gone, their spirit-dampening concoction ensuring they wouldn’t return soon. But the tracker’s aura she’d sensed in the forest gnawed at her. Someone’s hunting me—Wan Qing, or worse? Her Golden Core cultivation, suppressed to refining qi late stage, ached from constant restraint, but exposure wasn’t an option. I’ve bought time for the town. Now I need to disappear deeper.
At Canglan Sword Sect, Jinghong Peak teetered on the edge of chaos. Qing Wan’s council session had ended with a fragile truce—her sword intent had silenced doubters, but Liu Qingxu’s rumors kept the elders wary. In her courtyard, Qing Wan honed her Silent Annihilation Sword Intent, her movements sharper, colder. I don’t need her. I don’t need anyone. The discarded jade pendant and Ten Thousand Year Stalactite Milk mocked her resolve, whispering Shu Yue’s words: You’re everything to me. She slashed a practice dummy to splinters, her dao heart trembling but unyielding.
Chu Yi paced outside her courtyard, his messages unanswered. Sunny Sister’s shutting everyone out. Liu Qingxu’s lackeys had been rebuffed, but their taunts lingered, and the council’s scrutiny tightened. He sent a jade slip to Elder Qingxu, pleading for guidance. Master, why did you leave us like this? A disciple approached, whispering, “Liu Qingxu’s pushing for a peak inspection. They’re targeting Sunny Sister’s resources.” Chu Yi’s fists clenched. I have to protect her, but how?
In Miaoyin Pavilion’s guest quarters, Wan Qing packed a small satchel, her zither secured at her side. Her tracker’s latest message confirmed: White Stone Town, confirmed Golden Core trace. Her lips curved, a mix of anticipation and resolve. Elder Luyue, you can’t outrun your heart. She slipped out of Canglan, her lotus-pink robes blending into the dawn mist, heading for the Qingyun Mountains. I’ll find you, and I’ll make you see me. But Qing Wan’s growing strength weighed on her. If Sunny Sister becomes a threat, I’ll handle her.
In White Stone Town, Cheng Mo knelt in her courtyard, tending to her modest vegetable patch, her thoughts drifting. Lin Xiaoxi’s like a spark—brave, reckless. The girl’s trust was a double-edged sword, warming her but risking attachment. I can’t stay long. The tracker’s too close. She planned to leave for Yunxi Market, a trading outpost deeper in the mountains, to gather supplies and vanish again. But as she stood, a faint tremor in the earth stopped her—a familiar aura, sharp and predatory, closing in.
Lin Xiaoxi burst into the courtyard, breathless. “Yue Aunt! Strangers in town—cultivators, not like the last ones! They’re asking about a woman, someone strong, hiding!” Her eyes were wide, trusting but scared. Cheng Mo’s heart sank. The tracker. She forced a calm smile. “Don’t worry, Xiaoxi. Probably just passing through. Stay close to the town head, okay?” The girl nodded, but her gaze lingered, sensing Yue Aunt’s unease.
Cheng Mo slipped into the forest, her concealment technique at its limit, tracking the new aura. She found him—a lean rogue cultivator, Foundation Building peak, his eyes scanning the town from a ridge. Wan Qing’s man. Her sword hand twitched, but fighting would expose her. Instead, she planted another false trail—a broken talisman, laced with faint spiritual residue, pointing toward a distant valley. Buy time, keep moving.
Back at Canglan, Liu Qingxu met her cloaked contact in a shadowed grove. “Qing Wan’s isolated, but her strength grows,” she hissed. “Push harder—sabotage her missions, drain her resources.” The contact nodded, slipping away. Liu Qingxu’s smile was cold. Without Luyue, Jinghong Peak is mine to break.
In the Qingyun Mountains, Wan Qing’s zither hummed softly as she neared White Stone Town, her tracker’s signal strong. You’re close, Elder. Her heart raced, not just with pursuit but with the thrill of unraveling Shu Yue’s secrets. What makes you run? I’ll find out.
Cheng Mo returned to her courtyard, packing her meager belongings. Time to go. But as she stepped toward the gate, Lin Xiaoxi’s voice called out, “Yue Aunt, wait! The town head’s calling everyone—something about a new threat!” Cheng Mo froze, her escape plan crumbling. The plot’s catching up, and I’m running out of plac
es to hide.