“Thankfully, it seems this secret art Yun Yao mentioned probably can’t lock onto an exact location; otherwise, it would have found me already.”
But being able to lock onto a region was already an impressive secret art.
Still, one thing worried Jiu Baiyun.
Why would the Grand Harmony Sect give Yun Yao such a secret art…
This question obviously wasn’t one he could get an answer to just by asking.
Jiu Baiyun had no intention of making things worse for himself, so he gave up on that line of thought and instead turned to confirm with Yun Yao.
“Anyway, let’s drop that. What are you planning to do? Come with us, or…?”
Yun Yao fell silent again.
She stared at the jade token in her hands, not uttering a word for a long time.
Seeing her clam up whenever she faced a difficult question, Jiu Baiyun felt a headache coming on.
He didn’t need to guess—Yun Yao was definitely still thinking about that Little White Sister.
Letting out a sigh, Jiu Baiyun hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, “Why are you so determined to find Little White Sister?”
Hearing that, Yun Yao immediately grew a bit embarrassed at being caught thinking about Little White Sister again.
But she quickly curled her lips and bared her teeth in a furious expression.
“To find her, of course, and bite her to death!!!”
“I want her to wish she were dead! Then I’ll stab her every single day and listen to her scream!!!”
“She did something so horrible—she’s not getting away!!!”
Seeing her like this, Jiu Baiyun’s heart skipped a beat. A chill ran down his spine.
‘She hates me that much…’
‘What I did… maybe? Probably? Possibly? At least? Perhaps it wasn’t that bad?’
‘Emm…’
‘Okay, maybe it was a bit bad.’
After a few seconds of silence, Jiu Baiyun silently took a step back, afraid Yun Yao would set her sights on him… though in a sense, she already had.
“Um… I think getting out of this area is more urgent. Have you made your decision?”
Watching Yun Yao’s expression grow grimmer by the second, and the way the bedsheet was nearly twisted into a knot in her hands, Jiu Baiyun quickly spoke.
At the same time, he silently resolved in his heart: he absolutely could not let Yun Yao find out that the Little White Sister she was talking about was him!
He would really die!
Hearing Jiu Baiyun’s words, Yun Yao snapped out of her vengeful rage.
She suddenly realized the almost ferocious expression on her face and the violent way she had been twisting the bedsheet.
She abruptly let go.
Her eyes landed on the crumpled, nearly torn fabric, and a flash of embarrassment and annoyance crossed her face.
She quickly composed herself, took a deep breath to suppress the surging anger, and gave Jiu Baiyun an apologetic smile.
“Sorry… I got a little worked up just now.”
She raised a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
Her azure-blue eyes dropped, avoiding Jiu Baiyun’s probing gaze, as if the savage expression that had been set on “biting someone to death” had never existed.
But deep in her eyes, a stubborn, complex emotion lingered.
After a moment of thought, Yun Yao lifted her head again.
Her gaze was clear and resolute.
“I want to find her.”
She paused, glancing out the window.
“You two go on ahead.”
Yun Yao’s words caught Jiu Baiyun off guard.
He let out a helpless smile.
“What about your injuries?”
Yun Yao paused as well, then looked at the medicine bottle on the table.
“Much better. I should be fine by tomorrow.”
Tomorrow, huh?
Hearing that, Jiu Baiyun clicked his tongue in amazement.
He had to admit, Yun Yao’s constitution was incredible.
For someone to recover from such serious wounds in about a day…
No wonder she was chosen as a Saintess.
But whether the position of Saintess was just that of a future expendable material, no one could say…
Lost in thought, Jiu Baiyun sighed deeply.
“You must have a backup plan, right?”
After all, as a Saintess of the Grand Harmony Sect, they wouldn’t let Yun Yao leave empty-handed.
They must have given her plenty of life-saving items.
Yun Yao neither confirmed nor denied it.
She simply turned her head slightly and said nothing.
Jiu Baiyun understood her intention.
He didn’t press further, instead turning and walking out, closing the door behind him.
Since Yun Yao had her own ideas, there was no point in him trying to persuade her.
Besides, she was probably even stronger than him now…
He shook his head, casting those thoughts aside, and looked around left and right.
There was nothing useful left for him in this courtyard.
He’d just lived here a little longer and grown attached.
He’d been through plenty of situations like this, so it was just a mild pang of nostalgia.
“Baiyun-gege!”
Just as he pushed open the main gate and was about to step out and head toward the back mountain, a crisp voice called out, making Jiu Baiyun freeze.
He turned in the direction of the voice and couldn’t help but smile.
It was Xiao Mu.
Xiao Mu was the only child in the village who still came to see him despite her family’s warnings.
Telling her stories and chatting with her were among the few fond memories he had of this village.
“Xiao Mu, what are you doing here?”
Xiao Mu didn’t answer right away.
She ran up to Jiu Baiyun, lips trembling as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t.
And that was when Jiu Baiyun noticed a bruise on Xiao Mu’s arm.
The instant he saw that bruise, Jiu Baiyun’s brow furrowed, and his tone turned serious.
“Did something happen? It’s okay, take it easy. I’m here. Just say it.”
“Baiyun-gege… Can you take me in? I… I…”
She struggled for a long time but couldn’t force the words out.
Her eyes were brimming with tears, on the verge of crying.
Even though Xiao Mu looked ready to cry, Jiu Baiyun felt at a loss.
For one thing, he was about to run away.
And taking someone in?
The village was hostile enough to him—could he really take in a child?
Besides, Xiao Mu had a family…
But seeing her on the verge of tears, Jiu Baiyun found himself torn.
He took a deep breath, then asked in a low voice, “Xiao Mu, tell me exactly what happened first. If you don’t tell me anything and just ask me to take you in… that’s tough for me too…”
Xiao Mu hesitated again, then stammered, “Father said… an immortal elder… has taken a liking to me… But… he’s going to cut off my arms and legs…”
“I… I… I…”
Seeing the tears already streaming down her face, Jiu Baiyun instantly understood.
That so-called “immortal elder” was probably some evil spirit disguised as one, and it had fooled Xiao Mu’s father.
“Didn’t you tell your father… you don’t want this immortal fate?”
As if those words triggered her emotions, Xiao Mu burst into tears.
Between sobs, she spoke in terror.
“I did. But Father said I was bought, so what right do I have to be picky? He said being chosen by an immortal elder is my blessing…”
“But… but… I don’t want this immortal fate…”
“I told Uncle Wang and Aunt Zhang, but they drove me back home… My father even hit me for it…”
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