Chapter 64: Master and Disciple Meet

A faint, dark purple mark emerged across Fang Xiaoyu’s entire body, shielding her from the oncoming flames.

It lasted only a moment, but Blue Ling’er saw it clearly.

‘That is…’

Recognizing the source of the mark, Blue Ling’er’s eyes widened in shock.

Fang Xiaoyu stood before Chi Ming, and in front of the massive Fire Phoenix Avatar with its wings spread wide behind Chi Ming, she was like a tiny fish in a pond—small and insignificant.

Yet, there was no fear on her face.

Fang Xiaoyu didn’t look up at the furious Fire Phoenix above her. Instead, her gaze met Chi Ming’s directly.

‘The new clothes I bought you haven’t even lasted a day before being burned. What a waste.’

She looked at Chi Ming’s scorched, flame-wrapped figure and gave a bitter smile.

‘And I even borrowed money from the seniors to buy them for you, you brat. You should learn to cherish things more, you know.’

Such casual words somehow softened Chi Ming’s twisted expression.

A trace of light returned to her hollow eyes. Upon seeing Fang Xiaoyu before her, Chi Ming turned her head aside in pain, unable to face her any longer.

‘…I’m sorry.’

She whispered to Fang Xiaoyu.

‘Hmph, so you admit your mistake?’

‘If you know you’re wrong, then from now on you’ll come work at the restaurant with me, carrying plates to pay back the money for those clothes. If I don’t repay the little brothers soon, they won’t drink with me anymore, and I’ll be bored to death.’

Fang Xiaoyu laughed heartily.

‘By the way, can you cook? If you can be a beautiful chef for a day, maybe we can make a fortune!’

Chi Ming stared blankly at Fang Xiaoyu’s words.

‘I… I wasn’t talking about that.’

‘I—’

‘Hmm? You mean you’re apologizing because you lied to me or hid something from me?’

‘Yes… I didn’t tell you that I am actually a Demonic Cultivator.’

‘You heard it just now as well. That so-called Lady Demon is my Master.’

‘So what?’

‘Eh?’

‘You’re my friend. What does your identity as a Demonic Cultivator have to do with that?’

Fang Xiaoyu smiled.

‘I like being friends with you. Your background doesn’t matter.’

‘But I still lied to you…’

‘Even about your parents…’

‘Oh, why are you always so stubborn?’

‘The killer may have been a Demonic Cultivator, but it wasn’t you.’

Fang Xiaoyu grew a bit agitated.

‘And I know why they died.’

‘…What?’

‘In the Jianghu, people are often powerless.’

Fang Xiaoyu sighed.

‘My parents betrayed those who helped them because they were threatened. That was their powerlessness.’

‘The Demonic Cultivator who helped them ended up in mortal danger, and so considered my parents enemies. That, too, was powerlessness.’

‘You also had things you couldn’t say, so you hid them from me. That’s another kind of powerlessness.’

‘Powerless…’

Chi Ming fell into thought.

‘I hid things from Xiaoyu because I had my reasons. If that’s true, did Master also have reasons for hiding the truth from me?’

‘Chi Ming, don’t overthink it.’

Fang Xiaoyu took a step forward, unafraid of the flames around Chi Ming, and firmly grasped her hand.

‘We’re friends. That’s a fact no one can change.’

‘So you don’t need to feel burdened or pressured. In fact, I should thank you. If not for you, I might be dead by now~’

Strangely, at that moment, the Fire Phoenix Avatar behind Chi Ming seemed to retract its violent aura, becoming gentle.

Even the flames surrounding Fang Xiaoyu softened to a warm, comfortable temperature.

One soared in the sky—a Fire Phoenix.

The other swam freely in the water—a little fish.

Two beings so different, yet they became friends.

Such a scene could only be called a miracle.

As the Fire Phoenix Avatar behind Chi Ming began to fade, a sudden gust swept through the area.

Chi Ming and Fang Xiaoyu instinctively looked up.

At the edge of the sky, a flying litter surrounded by wind drifted into view.

This time, Chi Ming didn’t doubt her eyes.

It was the ‘Fengshen Litter’ her Fourth Senior Sister had left in Caiyunjian!

And atop the Fengshen Litter was only one person.

Chi Ming subconsciously tightened her grip on Fang Xiaoyu’s hand, wanting to flee together.

But then, remembering the phrase ‘in the Jianghu, people are often powerless’, the urge to run faded away.

Yu Yi descended slowly from the Fengshen Litter, her white dress billowing like a celestial maiden.

She landed gracefully before the two.

Yu Yi looked at Chi Ming, who, as usual, turned her head aside in silence.

Yu Yi didn’t mind.

Instead, she turned to Fang Xiaoyu and smiled.

‘Are you Chi Ming’s friend? Thank you for looking after her these past days.’

Fang Xiaoyu stared at Yu Yi, her gaze so intense that her face stiffened, like a puppet controlled by someone else.

She snapped back to reality, and after meeting Yu Yi’s eyes, blushed and nodded.

‘Y-yes… No, I mean, I wasn’t the only one looking after her…’

Fang Xiaoyu had never seen such a beautiful woman in her life.

Though her black hair and eyes were common, this woman’s beauty was like that of an exiled immortal—not something ordinary mortals could possess.

After marveling at Yu Yi’s beauty, another question arose in Fang Xiaoyu’s mind.

Who was this beautiful elder sister to Chi Ming?

From her tone, she seemed like an elder from Chi Ming’s family.

‘Wait, an elder? Don’t tell me she’s—’

The thought sent a shiver through Fang Xiaoyu.

‘Miss, what’s your name?’

Yu Yi asked with a gentle smile.

‘F-Fang Xiaoyu.’

Fang Xiaoyu answered quickly, not daring to hesitate.

Before Yu Yi could respond, a cry came from the other side.

‘You’re Fang Xiaoyu!?’

A second familiar voice rang out, making Chi Ming raise her head.

Blue Ling’er took off her bamboo hat, letting her dazzling ice-blue hair fall freely.

She bowed to Yu Yi, shame-faced.

‘Master, I… I failed my mission again.’

She had been searching for Fang Xiaoyu all this time, only to find her right in front of her.

‘The situation was urgent. It’s understandable you had no time to search.’

Yu Yi said calmly.

Fang Xiaoyu was now more confused than ever.

Aside from the Lady Demon, there was another disciple present?

And from their tone, were they here for her?

As curiosity filled Fang Xiaoyu, Chi Ming finally spoke.

‘Why are you here? Did you come for Xiaoyu? What do you want with her?’

‘Little junior sister.’

Blue Ling’er folded her arms and sighed.

‘Don’t be so tense. Master wouldn’t harm your friend.’

‘She’s been worried about you. She came to Yunzhou City to see you.’

Chi Ming glanced at Yu Yi, her complicated eyes filled with surprise and emotion.

Yu Yi merely smiled.

It was true.

She had come to Yunzhou to find Fang Xiaoyu and, if lucky, to meet Chi Ming.

Because she had sealed Chi Ming’s cultivation before, leaving a trace of her aura inside her, Yu Yi sensed Chi Ming entering the city not long after herself.

It was her first time realizing that sealing someone’s cultivation and leaving an aura could be used as a tracking mark.

Everything happened just as Blue Ling’er guessed.

Though Yu Yi was lucky to find Chi Ming, before understanding the situation between her and Chi Ming, she dared not approach rashly, for fear of worsening misunderstandings.

Only after learning the truth did Yu Yi decide to meet Chi Ming, and only moments ago did she execute Lidaitian without hesitation.

‘Indeed, there are old debts between myself and Miss Fang that need to be settled.’

Yu Yi spoke calmly.

‘But that’s a different matter. Miss Fang needn’t worry.’

‘Similarly, Chi Ming, there are things I wish to say to you.’

After reassuring Fang Xiaoyu not to be afraid, Yu Yi turned to Chi Ming.

‘Some things—’

‘It’s time you learned the truth.’