Chapter 11
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Chapter 11: Title
\"So it was her.\" Ye Qingshang dispersed her concealment charm and stepped into view.
The maid in the room gasped. \"Who are you?!\"
Ye Qingshang stayed silent, gathering spiritual power into a long sword aimed at Zhou Yuanyi’s throat.
Zhou Yuanyi stammered, \"You… you’re—\"
Her words cut off as the sword plunged unexpectedly toward her heart.
The maid cried, \"Miss!\"
Mu Huaiyun’s expression darkened. \"Watch out!\"
A piercing shriek ripped through the room. A violent force burst from Zhou Yuanyi’s chest, nearly blasting Ye Qingshang backward.
Mu Huaiyun reacted swiftly. Together, they blocked the impact, barely keeping their footing.
Zhou Yuanyi’s form melted away, leaving only a skeleton. The surroundings warped—Zhou Mansion vanished, replaced by a desolate plain littered with scattered bones.
Zhou Yuanyi—no, the skeleton—rose.
Its jawbones clacked. \"Little girl, I underestimated you. Finding the core of my illusion so quickly? Impressive.\"
Ye Qingshang shot back, \"Flame Beast, you’re nothing special. Too cowardly to show your true form, hiding behind bones. I’d be ashamed to call myself a demon!\"
The skeleton retorted, \"Bold words. Remember, this is *my* realm. Provoking me here brings no advantage.\"
Ye Qingshang sneered, \"Ever heard the phrase? Villains die from talking too much.\"
\"You! Very well…\"
The skeleton’s bones rattled. It raised its right hand, fingers splayed. Invisible energy surged, and bones on the ground snapped together, forming humanoid shapes.
Ye Qingshang’s sword hummed under the pressure. She glanced at Mu Huaiyun: *End this fast.*
After that, the two leaped up, using the barrier beneath their feet to soar into the sky.
\"You wanted to command the bones in battle, didn\’t you? Then let me… give you a taste of being struck down from above!\"
Mu Huaiyun understood. He gathered his spiritual power and channeled it all into Ye Qingshang\’s longsword. Instantly, the sword glowed, shifting between white and blue, illuminating their surroundings brightly.
As fierce winds howled, Ye Qingshang cast a spell. The longsword plummeted straight down, aimed directly at the skeleton below.
Meanwhile, she pulled Mu Huaiyun closer and urged the barrier upward, taking them farther from the ground.
The sword struck the skeleton. The clash of spiritual powers erupted, its force spreading across the earth within moments. The bones shattered into dust under its impact.
With that, the illusion shattered completely.
Ye Qingshang had hoped breaking the illusion would free them from the bone spell and help them evade the Flame Beasts.
Yet halfway up, their heads hit what felt like solid wood, trapping them. The collision left her seeing stars. Unsteady, she fell.
Ye Qingshang and Mu Huaiyun: …
Failing to fly higher and falling was bad enough. Worse, their barrier vanished mid-fall. They crashed onto the ground, landing flat on their backs, covered in dirt—utterly humiliating.
Ye Qingshang wished the earth would swallow her.
Even trading her skill for a carrot earlier felt less embarrassing than this!
But the worst was yet to come.
The Flame Beast\’s familiar voice rang out: \"Little girl, long time no see.\"
Ye Qingshang gave him a look, refusing to answer: They’d just faced each other in the illusion!
The woods echoed with familiar laughter and sobs again—only this time, the Flame Beast’s companions materialized beside him.
All wore identical Taoist robes, men and women alike. Ye Qingshang quickly counted them: ten. Ten of them!
She and Mu Huaiyun exchanged a glance. The same word screamed in both their eyes: despair.
Against one Flame Beast, they’d barely driven it to retreat. Against ten? Fighting was pointless.
\"What\’s wrong, little girl? Cat got your tongue? Scared?\"
\"Weren\’t you impressive when shattering the illusion?\"
\"Fancy that—a mighty cultivator, reduced to a coward.\"
\"If this gets out…\"
\"…we’d be utterly humiliated!\"
\"Hahaha…\"
The ten Flame Beasts jabbered on, making Ye Qingshang’s head throb. \"Enough!\"
Ye Qingshang demanded, \"Why do you all wear Taoist robes?\"
Huh?
The question stunned not just the Flame Beasts, but Mu Huaiyun too. Such an abrupt topic shift—what was she playing at?
Ye Qingshang pressed, \"Well? Why?\"
She wasn’t asking randomly. Someone had just crossed her mind.
And this person might be able to save them.
Though Ye Qingshang had no desire to see him.
The Flame Beast had asked, “Why do you ask this?”
Ye Qingshang had replied, “I’m about to die—what’s strange about my question? After all, a dying person\’s words are kind. Answer my questions so I may die with clarity, and I won’t resist. Isn’t solving others’ troubles part of your… enjoyment?”
Mu Huaiyun had questioned, “Ye Qingshang, what are you doing?”
Ye Qingshang shook her head. *Sorry, Mu Huaiyun—I have to involve you to buy time.*
So she said, “This man beside me is too noisy. Silence him.”
The Flame Beast roared with laughter and flicked a silencing spell at Mu Huaiyun.
Mu Huaiyun’s eyes widened: …
“Little girl, you amuse me. I’ll tell you: mortals crave things. They worship gods and Buddhas, so they worship Taoists too. We despise gods and Buddhas, but Taoists… we tolerate mimicking.”
Ye Qingshang countered, “If you dislike it, why not pose as wealthy merchants like Mr. Zhou? Or officials? Wouldn’t that be simpler?”
“Impossible. Too many—”
“Wait.” The Flame Beast narrowed its eyes. “Girl, this sudden babbling… are you stalling for rescue?”
Ye Qingshang scoffed, “Afraid? We came alone. No allies. Where would rescue come from? And if intruders entered your territory… wouldn’t you sense them?”
The Flame Beast snorted, “Prove it. Sever your arm, and I’ll believe you.”
“Truly?”
“We keep our word—unlike mortals.”
“Fine. But…” Ye Qingshang extended her right arm. “I injured this hand breaking your illusion. You’ll have to cut it.”
“You…” The Flame Beast hesitated. “You mean it?”
“Scared?” Ye Qingshang hid her left hand behind her back, tracing a sound transmission talisman. She curled her lips in imitation, her frosty face softening with a ghost of a smile. “Delay any longer… and you’ll lose your chance.”
The Flame Beast growled, “What did you—”
*Boom!* A brilliant firework burst through the forest.
