Yun Mu was still tied up midair, unable to see, hear, or speak, only feeling a growing confusion in his heart.
A long time passed, and yet he was still alive.
In the water, Eleven leisurely leaned against the edge of the Spring Water pool, the only difference being a white-robed girl who had just experienced the “Out of Water Lotus” emergence standing before her.
“Calmed down now?”
“Mm… yes, thank you. Otherwise, I might have hurt Xiao Mu again.”
Shangguan Xunyi was wrapped in a layer of Xuanyuan Power, her clothes not even slightly damp, and her Crimson Eyes had returned to their normal color.
She obediently sat in the Spring Water, bowing her head like a child who had made a mistake, completely unlike the hungry tiger she had appeared moments ago.
“I remember Li Changyi should have told you not to approach him until you fully refine the Blood of the Little Blind One and the star power, right? Did you just lose control, or…”
“Is that little guy inside you pushing you to do this?”
[!!!]
Those words instantly made Sha Qianmo, who was watching the scene unfold, tense up.
She had never imagined that this Masked woman—whom even Li Changyi and the Empress had not seen through—had perceived her secret ability: the dual soul within her body that she had always been proud of.
“Xunyi… maybe we should leave now? Judging from the pressure we just felt, this woman isn’t someone to be trifled with.”
Sha Qianmo felt a bit cowardly and had already thought of leaving, but Shangguan Xunyi was gradually calming the turmoil in her heart.
She raised her eyes to look at the trapped youth and, seeing he was unharmed, let out a long breath.
“It’s fine. We don’t need to leave. Senior Eleven means no harm. Didn’t you notice that our primitive bloodthirsty urge has been suppressed since the start?”
“Bloodthirsty urge… Hey! You’re right. I was so focused on the drama that I forgot about this. Look at this mess—turns out she’s a good person, haha.] Sha Qianmo felt inexplicably embarrassed.”
“Uh… you should come out and greet Senior Eleven. Since she has seen through us, hiding it now would only make things worse.”
“
Alright then.”
Sha Qianmo, through Shangguan Xunyi’s eyes, looked toward the misty figure in the water and finally resigned herself to emerging from within.
Now, before this Eleven stood two well-behaved little girls.
“Hm… seems like a good kid, just a bit moody. But that’s no problem.”
Eleven casually commented, summoning a layer of gray Xuanyuan Power to envelop Sha Qianmo as well.
“I’ll speak with the Little Blind One. If you want to listen, you can stay; if not, I’ll escort you out now. How about that?”
“If you don’t mind, the two of us will naturally stay.”
“Right, that’s what I was thinking too.”
Sha Qianmo inexplicably changed her tune.
Upon hearing this, Eleven didn’t reply but looked up at the tail she had conjured from her power, which was coiling around Yun Mu suspended in midair.
With a gentle flick, the boy fell into the Spring Water.
“Cough, cough… although I can’t see myself, I’m probably drenched.”
Yun Mu coughed up water several times before standing up in the pool.
Behind him, Shangguan Xunyi and Sha Qianmo stared at the close-fitting azure robe on his skin, their faces slightly flushed.
“Sha Qianmo, didn’t you say that one soul took away Xiao Mu’s power? How is it that after a few days, he looks much better built?”
“Uh… I don’t know either.”
“You don’t know? What do we do then? Could it be a Rebirth Flash?”
“Maybe we should check sometime.”
“Sounds good.”
As they talked, the two women quickly came to an agreement.
Unfortunately, Yun Mu didn’t perceive the goodwill behind them and kept talking to himself:
“Um, Senior Eleven, is this the punishment? But… if I dirty the Spring Water like this, is it really okay?”
Feeling the Spring Water filling his shoes and thinking of the mud on his feet, Yun Mu felt uneasy.
Though he hadn’t seen the water, just by tasting it, he knew it was incredibly pure—sweet and refreshing, with a lingering sweetness.
He didn’t want to be the one who dirtied it with sand and soil that shouldn’t be there.
“Don’t worry. Whether the Spring Water is dirty or not isn’t your concern. As for the punishment, there was originally one, but since you’ve kept bringing it up, how about this… you just answer two of my questions.”
“Alright… ask away, I’ll do my best to answer.”
“First question: why did you enter this Peach Blossom Grove?”
“Why did I enter the Peach Blossom Grove? Well… to be honest, I felt a familiar aura from those peach trees.”
“Familiar aura?”
“Yes, for some reason, the peach trees here resemble the one my master planted in my childhood. They make me feel at ease. Unfortunately, that tree withered recently, and I didn’t get to see it one last time.”
“So you unknowingly wandered in?”
“Mm… as for what happened afterward, you probably know.”
“So it’s like that?”
Eleven whispered softly, recalling the peach blossoms Tu Shan Yunxi had given her earlier.
She now roughly understood the source but couldn’t figure it out completely.
She had no memory of planting seeds from this type of peach tree elsewhere.
“Forget it, thinking about it now is useless,” she finally gave up.
“Now, Yun Mu, as an exchange, you can ask me one question, alright?”
“Me?”
“Yes, an equal exchange.”
“Uh… I do have a question. May I ask… do you know a white-haired woman named Lin Xizhi?”
At these words, Shangguan Xunyi, who had been quietly listening, was slightly stunned.
She stared at the misty figure of the boy and trembled slightly.
Eleven, after thinking for a long while, shook her head.
“Sorry, I’ve never met this person you mentioned, but…”
“But?”
“Is she really still alive?”
“I’m not sure, but she should be.”
“So you’re planning to find her?”
“Yes, that’s one of the few reasons I have left to live.”
“With your human body?”
Seeing Yun Mu remain silent, Eleven pressed on.
“Don’t you know that at your current age and state, you can no longer connect with the stars?”
“I didn’t know.”
“Then what makes you think you can do such an almost impossible thing within your limited lifespan?”
“I…”
He paused, straightening his back and growing serious.
“Senior Eleven, I don’t expect to definitely find her, but at least, I want to live without regrets.”
“No one can say with absolute certainty that something will succeed. Natural disasters and human calamities can be obstacles, but everyone can have a goal and work toward it.”
“Work toward it, huh…”
Inside the Spring Water, beneath the Mask, Eleven’s icy expression rarely softened into a smile.
She lazily raised her arm and, after a long “Hmm,” continued.
“You’re quite likable, Little Blind One… Yun Mu. If I told you I could teach you cultivation, help you do what you want, and even… not restrict your freedom—would you learn or not?”
“Let me think about it.”
“You don’t hesitate? Interesting… then I’ll wait for your answer. Any other questions?”
“No, it’s a one-question-for-one-answer deal. I won’t be pushy.”
“Really no questions?”
“Yes, really.”
“Good. Then there’s nothing more to talk about now. I’ll see you out of here.”
Suddenly, Yun Mu felt something snake-like coil around his waist.
When he regained his senses, he was no longer in the Spring Water but back at the Yuqiu Pavilion steps on Qingqiu Main Peak.
In his arms lay the crooked tree branch quietly, and in his hand appeared an inexplicably flawless, jade-like Scale.
As Yun Mu left the Peach Blossom Grove, the mist that had filled the air gradually dissipated.
The previously blurry figure of Eleven slowly became clear before Shangguan Xunyi.
Her skin was like jade—fair and flawless, her presence turbulent and magnificent.
These were the words that flashed through the girl’s mind in an instant.
But the next second, she stood up as if struck by lightning and pointed at the senior in a flustered mess of words.
“You, you were just naked like that!?”
“Of course. Isn’t it strange to be fully clothed while soaking in a hot spring?”
“That’s not the issue! Xiao Mu was there just now! He’s a boy, isn’t he!?”
“Don’t worry, the Little Blind One can’t see, and even if his eyes were fine, he wouldn’t dare look at me.”
“Then, uh… why do you still wear a Mask?”
The powerless girl could only point at the only thing left on the woman’s face and complain.
“Habit.”
The short and serious answer left Shangguan Xunyi momentarily at a loss for words.
“Alright, don’t waste your time here either. Learn to digest the Little Blind One’s power soon. Once you can control it anytime, anywhere, you can do whatever you want, right?”
Seeing the girl showed no sign of leaving, Eleven directly gave her the order to leave and, without waiting for a reaction, lifted her up like she did with Yun Mu.
When the girl awoke again, she was back in the small hut on Zhuhe Mountain.
As for how she was lying—face down in the mud, without a trace of the usual ladylike demeanor.
“No! That Eleven is too much! We’re both girls; doesn’t she know how important appearances are to us?”
“Uh, it’s okay, just wipe it off. After all, we barged in first, didn’t we?”
“But!”
“Well, anyway, we couldn’t beat her, right?”
……True enough…