Chapter 7

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Chapter 7

Gong Wu was enveloped in the sleeve, startled at first, then cautiously asked, "Senior Brother?"

Ji Yang replied calmly, "Who else could it be?"

"I can’t see…"

The young man shook his sleeve, allowing her spherical divine consciousness to glimpse the distant scene.

At that moment, the battle was fierce, but the tide had turned against them.

Master Ancestor had indeed ascended to immortality, quickly drawing talismans to summon heavenly thunder to subdue demons, turning the tide and driving the enemies back with his disciples.

Ji Yang stood at the edge of the battlefield, holding his sword in one hand and cradling Gong Wu in the other. He focused and asked, "Where is your real body hiding? Are you safe?"

Gong Wu stared wide-eyed at her Master Ancestor, who was striking down foes, and after a moment, recounted her recent experiences in detail to Ji Yang.

At that point, she suddenly realized something.

"So, you didn’t know I was here?"

Then why did you capture me the moment I poked my head out?

Ji Yang gave a soft hum, subtly wiping the blood from his other hand.

He had just been fighting alongside the higher-ranking disciples of Liu Jia Palace to repel the enemy, and when he turned, he saw a faint red divine consciousness floating in the blue sky and white clouds, like an unguarded bird.

Most people were still engaged in combat and shouting, with no one paying attention to that small corner.

But before he realized it, he had already flown over, fearing she might be captured by someone else.

Words lingered on his lips, but he smiled faintly and concealed the reason.

"Just passing by."

Gong Wu smiled, remarking that this truly was fate, as he gently tapped her head with his fingertip.

"I’ll take you back first; once the storm subsides, I’ll come to get you."

The battle had lasted for about four or five hours, and by the time the black armored soldiers retreated, they had taken many items.

Before fully withdrawing, they discovered that most of the items weren’t valuable, so they carelessly tossed things aside as they dispersed.

"Are the elixir sellers really this poor?"

"Next time, let’s target a major sect for their longevity gifts!"

"What will we bring back to report?"

Twenty to thirty disciples were injured or killed, while hundreds of black armored soldiers were defeated, and before leaving, they uprooted the Red Spirit Beads from the Ancient Pagoda.

When Cheng Ji and Gong Wu emerged from the underground tunnel, it was already midnight outside.

As they walked out, they saw people helping each other as they made their way back, engaged in discussions all around.

They heard that the band of raiders who came today was from the south of the Demon Realm, a place known as the Bone Abyss, the most chaotic and deep-seated area in the world; the Abyss Master was an old man over seven hundred years old.

When the old man was in a good mood, he would celebrate his birthday every three to five years; when he was in a bad mood, he could celebrate his birthday over a dozen times in a year, allowing his subordinates to have fun by rampaging outside, truly running amok without any constraints.

"My cousin went to the Central Plains to the Bao Pu Mansion and said such chaos happens there every year—we’re lucky to be in a remote area; this is the only time we’ve encountered it!"

"Pah! I hope we never run into it again!"

"Will they come back for revenge? I’m so scared."

"Our Master Ancestor didn’t rest a few days ago; today, he forced himself to fight against them again. I’m worried he might be seriously injured…"

Gong Wu’s heart was heavy with worry, concerned that her master might get caught up in the chaos.

At that moment, a paper crane flapped its wings and flew over, landing in Cheng Ji’s palm and unfolding into a note sent by the highest-ranking master of Liu Jia Palace.

"Master Ancestor is in seclusion for healing. Before he left, he instructed to bring Xuxin back."

Cheng Ji instantly broke into a smile, thinking of going to the tower to bring people back, but stumbled as she walked.

The disciples of Liu Jia Palace felt sorry for her, and Gong Wu quickly urged her to rest, and together with her senior brother, they took the note back to bring someone back.

The night was thick with fog, and Ji Yang quickly walked ahead, holding a lantern to light the way; the two had never walked this quickly before.

Gong Wu was afraid of the dark; she had been bitten by a wild snake when she was young, and out of habit, she instinctively wanted to hold her senior brother’s sleeve while hurrying along.

As her hand reached out, she caught the edge of his clothes but then hesitated and let it drop.

…Be a bit bolder! You can perform sword flight now; you can’t be so timid!

Just as she lowered her hand, a voice came from in front of her.

"What are you hesitating about?"

Gong Wu forced a smile. "No, it’s nothing."

She nervously hid her hands in her sleeves, and Ji Yang unexpectedly stopped, turning back to look at her.

"Aren’t you afraid of snakes today?"

Gong Wu froze and didn’t respond. Ji Yang bent down and took her hand, guiding her forward.

The moonlight was dim, and the secluded road had no lights; it was so dark that one could not see their hand in front of their face, only the warm light of the lantern in his hand.

"You died again today; it must have hurt a lot."

"Actually, dying just hurts for a moment," Gong Wu said softly as she let him lead her, "It’s coming back to life that hurts for a long time."

Keeping this secret was somewhat difficult for her, but fortunately, she could share everything with him.

The buzzing sound when her five senses returned, the itching, piercing pain as her muscles healed, and the strange sensation of hearing her bones crack.

Her voice was very soft, as if she were discussing something unimportant.

Ji Yang listened for a long time, and as they approached the bare-topped Spirit Lock Tower, he stopped and handed Gong Wu a butterfly candy.

It had been years since Gong Wu had tasted this candy. Her eyes brightened as she took it and enjoyed the sweet taste, narrowing her eyes in delight.

"How come you suddenly have candy?"

Because I care about you.

Ji Yang didn’t say anything and patiently waited for her to finish before continuing their walk.

Gong Wu, her eyes sparkling with joy from the sweetness, half-joked, called out, "Brother Jiang Jiang."

Ji Yang raised an eyebrow, pretending to poke her on the head. The two burst into laughter.

That was still a little childhood joke.

When Gong Wu was little, she spoke slowly; she called her master "Shifu Hu Hu" and referred to her senior brother as "Jiang Jiang."

When Ji Yang rushed through his name, Tu Xuixin would laugh at his sour face and toss a big piece of ginger root to Ji Yang as a joke.

Ji Yang, when he was young, held onto grudges; Gong Wu called him Jiang Jiang, and in turn, he called her Gugu.

Sometimes, the two children would playfully scratch each other’s faces, and when they annoyed their master, he would secretly give Ji Yang two pieces of butterfly candy to help him cheer up his Junior Sister.

Later, when Ji Yang had his own meager portion, he would occasionally use it to buy candy.

Everyone lived simply; eating meat and fish depended on whether those seeking herbs would spend generously, making life sometimes good and sometimes bad.

As they reminisced, they missed their master, who had long become family.

The gatekeeper received the note, and only then did he open the heavy copper beast gate to let them in.

As the gate swung open, Gong Wu pressed against the door to look inside and called out, "Master—"

"Are you starved?" Ji Yang peeked in as well. "Where is he?"

Gong Wu was about to shout again when Tu Xuixin floated out, dressed in plain clothes that were covered in dirt.

"You finally made it," he said sorrowfully. "I was stuck in the jail, halfway through, watching the jewels from the tower get pried away, unsure if I should come out or stay in."

As they walked back, even though the overgrown grass still lined the small path and the night remained pitch black, the three of them walked together, and nothing seemed frightening anymore.

They shared with him about today’s battle in the valley, and their master listened intently.

"No wonder they came to get me out."

"Eh?"

"They probably think my brother isn’t dead but has gone to the Demon Realm."

Tu Xuixin glanced at the murky clouds in the sky and then turned to Gong Wu.

"In the valley, there are rules. Disciples can only go out for training after ascending to the Yaoguang realm. I don’t often talk to you about this."

"You know about the major sects in the mortal world, but in the hidden dark places, there are also the Demon Realm and the Monster Realm."

Different territories have different secret keys and techniques, making it hard for righteous people to coordinate an attack.

Gong Wu listened with curiosity. "Has Master ever been to the Demon Realm?"

Tu Xuixin paused for a few seconds, honestly admitting, "I went with my brother."

"That’s not the point—" he waved his hand and continued, "According to rumors, the Demon Realm has two main forces, one in the south and one in the north."

"In the south, there’s Bone Abyss, and in the north, there’s Soul Cliff. They follow completely different paths."

"The one in the south is like a band of mountain bandits, behaving arrogantly and sometimes buzzing around like flies looking for meat."

"The one in the north…" Tu Xuixin said seriously, "is very low-key, so low-key that it seems almost nonexistent."

Ji Yang, who rarely got involved in gossip, became interested. "Since both sides have demon lords, won’t they fight over territory?"

Tu Xuixin decisively shook his head. "No."

"The demons in the south often come to the mortal realm to drink and have fun, but they are very wary when it comes to the north."

"As for what they are afraid of, that’s hard to say."

At this point, he stretched widely.

"You all must be exhausted today. Go back, boil some water for baths, and sleep well."

Gong Wu paused for a moment, feeling guilty. "I still need to go to the kitchen."

The master and disciple stopped simultaneously, "…?"

"Many senior brothers and sisters are still on duty, brewing medicine. I promised Xiao Zhu I’d bring them supper tonight."

Ji Yang listened and thought it made sense.

"I’ll go with you. Let’s go."

Tu Xuixin’s smile faded. "What? You’re all leaving me to go back alone?"

"Then should I give you the lantern?" the senior brother asked back. "Is Master afraid of snakes on the night road?"

Tu Xuixin held his chest and frowned. "It’s really lonely to go back by myself!"

After some playful banter, the three individuals went their separate ways.

Gong Wu went to the kitchen to help her classmates knead dough and prepare fillings for soup dumplings, while several junior brothers brewed medicinal fish soup for healing.

In the fragrant atmosphere, Ji Yang bent down to adjust the fire, occasionally helping to pass ceramic bowls and trays.

In a crowd of lower-ranking disciples dressed in light white or watery green robes, his dark blue robe seemed somewhat out of place.

Gong Wu yawned, handing over the tenth tray of dumplings to a senior brother from the other palace who came to grab supper, then she had herself a bowl of dumpling soup.

Just as she was about to ask Ji Yang if he was hungry, a senior brother from Yuncang Palace laughed and said, "Is Subei staying here because she wants to learn how to cook?"

Ji Yang brushed the ash off the stove and replied lightly, "I’m just keeping her company for a while."

"You guys from Tianhua Palace have such a good relationship," the senior brother said enviously. "In our palace, with dozens of disciples, I can hardly talk to Master alone for a few words in a year."

The others in the kitchen heard this and also sighed in agreement.

Gong Wu, being shy, served Ji Yang a few dumplings and sat beside him to rest for a little while.

"Don’t worry about me in the future," she gathered her courage and said. "I’m doing well now, and getting bitten by a snake is no big deal."

Even if I die, I can come back! And I’ll be even stronger!

Ji Yang had just taken a bite of dumpling when he glanced at her upon hearing her words.

Gong Wu thought she might have said something wrong and fell silent.

After finishing a bowl of dumplings at a steady pace, Ji Yang smiled lightly and placed another piece of butterfly candy in her palm before heading straight to wash the dishes.

It felt like a small token of gratitude or a kind of silent approval.

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