Zhan Lixue glanced at the large crowd of Greenmei behind her, then turned her eyes to No. 1, revealing a gentle smile.
“Go on, let your brothers and sisters use their abilities together. If you do it well, I’ll go easy on you.”
“Y-Yes, but, Lord Zhan Lixue, they… actually, they’re all my younger clan brothers and sisters. I’m the eldest…”
“Hmm? What exactly are you trying to say?”
“Okay, I—I’ll go right away.”
Before she could finish, No. 1, terrified, hurriedly flitted to the cage and relayed the beautiful woman’s instructions.
Before long, the “Qingdeng,” which already glimmered with a green light, began to glow an even deeper shade of green.
If they were hovering above some common household right now, and if it were midnight, and by chance during the Middle Yuan Festival, it’s likely many people would be scared out of their wits, thinking they’d somehow wandered into the Underworld.
“All right, that’s enough. Xiao Yunmu, now do as I say.”
Sensing the aura released by the Greenmei, Zhan Lixue’s face briefly turned cold before returning to normal.
She placed her hand on the boy’s shoulder, emerald ripples undulating in her eyes.
“Release your senses, clear away all other thoughts, and then start to imagine, until the person or thing you fear the most that you’ve ever seen appears in your mind.”
“Okay.”
He replied and did as instructed.
His perception, intensely focused, enveloped the nearby Greenmei.
Then, before he could even consciously begin thinking, the power released by the Greenmei forcibly dragged his mind into association.
One image, two images, three images…
Scenes surged into his mind like a tide—all at once.
The snowy night when his parents died, the cliff where Lin Xizhi fell in his childhood, all the vivid yet unreal nightmares he had experienced—
One after another they came, and then faded like mist, replaced by the faces of those who had once demonstrated overwhelming power before him.
Still, they appeared like panels in a picture book—flashing by, pausing, then vanishing.
Until at last, each face shattered like a mirror, and everything finally settled into utter calm.
When he came to his senses again, he saw the Yuqiu Pavilion’s stone steps soaring skyward for ninety thousand li, and he instinctively began to climb.
One step forward, the Peach Blossom Grove bloomed bright on the mountain.
Two steps, and the setting moon filled the sky with countless stars.
Three steps, four steps…
All things live, all things perish, mountains and rivers stretch for ten thousand miles, the stars wheel and time shifts.
Finally, upon reaching the mountain’s summit, he saw an even higher road paved by clouds and magpies, and on either side, figures standing, laughing and chatting, their faces indistinct.
He paused for a moment, but continued forward, until the road disappeared and he arrived at a round platform.
Sitting directly opposite him was a woman, seated upright, wearing a mask and resting with her eyes closed.
As he gazed at the woman, he noticed behind her a massive, shadowy form coiled like a serpent, so vast it blotted out the sky—somehow, it felt strangely familiar.
And behind that shadow stood a figure at an angle, face obscured, but whose silhouette was strikingly familiar—almost as if… it was himself.
“Shiyi Master?”
He murmured unconsciously, stepping forward.
Suddenly, a chill flashed between his brows and he snapped awake; all was calm once more.
Then, urgent cries filled his ears, growing louder.
“Xiao Yunmu, wake up! Don’t scare your big sister!”
Zhan Lixue was shaking him forcefully.
“Xiao Yunmu! Xiao Yun—”
“I—I’m all right, Sister Zhan, stop shaking me, I’m a little dizzy.”
“Ah, good, as long as you’re fine—thank goodness, you really scared me.”
Hearing his answer, the beautiful woman finally let go of his shoulders and let out a long sigh of relief.
She glanced at the pile of fainted Greenmei and the wavering No. 1 not far away, her expression turning serious.
She’d never encountered such a situation before:
“These little ones have only been born for half a year, but just drawing out Xiao Yunmu’s deepest fears shouldn’t have cost so much power. And that chilling, inexplicable aura just now… Forget it…”
Thinking this, her face returned to its usual calm.
Looking down at the frowning youth rubbing his forehead, she tapped his brow and softly said:
“In short, the Ability of Qingmei feels like this. Do you understand?”
“I… sort of understand, I guess?”
He answered softly, but was still confused.
Did he really experience it firsthand?
To be honest, not really, since he couldn’t directly feel fear in his current state.
He could only judge afterward, by whether something posed a threat to him.
But obviously, in that moment, he gained only a vague understanding of Greenmei’s power—drawing out the person or thing one fears most, increasing the weight of that fear in an opponent’s heart, so as to reach the point of a bluff.
Simply put, it was an empty threat—a paper tiger.
However, at first, I could feel the aura from this group of little ones, but later on…
“Ah, we’re here. Sister’s not coming down with you.”
“Ah, all right, thank you, Sister Zhan.”
Before he could think further, he was interrupted.
The human and the demon had already arrived at the training valley.
Zhan Lixue looked down and saw Tu Shan Huaizhi waving from below.
Suddenly she thought of something, grinned mischievously, then pulled Yunmu into her embrace without a word and whispered in his ear.
“Then, see you next time.”
After speaking, she hugged him even tighter before using vines to wrap around his waist, preparing to lower him down.
“Wait, Sister Zhan, I have another question for you.”
“Oh? What is it?”
She drew even closer.
“I’ve read a lot about pine trees in books. They say pines usually like sunshine, but you seem different. You seem to dislike it. Why is that?”
“Eh? You’re interested in this sort of thing?”
“Well, it’s just so I can know you a little better, Sister.”
“Aiya, such a sweet mouth—you really make me happy,” she pinched his cheek with a soft laugh.
“But, all I can tell you is, not all sunlight is worth basking in. The kind that’s too intense isn’t good for the skin.”
As she spoke, she gave a gentle tug at his waist.
Before Yunmu could react, he began to drop rapidly, and it wasn’t until the little fox demon caught him below that a phrase lingered in his ears.
“As for other reasons, your sister won’t tell you so easily.”
***
Up in the sky, Zhan Lixue stretched lazily, then looked over at the recovering Greenmei.
She pulled the leader, No. 1, over with a vine, her expression gentle.
“Little one, you probably know that in the Ancient Nation of Baiyao, there’s a saying: ‘Good and evil will be repaid; the Dao of Heaven turns in cycles,’ right?”
“Of course I don’t—d-do, I do!”
“Good. Since you know, then… now that you’ve sown the seeds of trouble today, shouldn’t you taste the fruit yourselves?”
“Lord Zhan Lixue, I—I’ll take all the punishment alone, please spare my younger clan brothers and sisters.”
Saying this, the already weak No. 1 spread her wings and stood protectively in front of Zhan Lixue, trembling all over—truth was, she feared pain the most.
Behind her, the other little Greenmei instantly burst into an uproar.
“Sis, I can accept the punishment, it’s not just your fault!”
“That’s right, big sis. I take responsibility for what I did, I don’t need you to carry the blame.”
“No. 1, you don’t need to act tough about this. None of us are that greedy for life or afraid of death.”
“Yeah, big sis. For the Greenmei clan, we share honor and disgrace alike.”
“E-everyone, I…”
“Enough, shut up. Don’t go putting on these melodramatic acts in front of me, okay? I’m not some vicious monster, am I?”
Seeing things take a strange turn, Zhan Lixue quickly put a stop to the scene, rubbing her forehead and forcing a wry smile as she explained her earlier words:
“In short… I’m not really going to do anything to you. I just need you all to do something for me.”
“Do something? Whatever it is—no matter if it’s going up a mountain of blades or down into a sea of fire—we’ll do our best!”
“It’s not that dangerous.”
“R-really!?”
They breathed a sigh of relief.
“But it’s not that safe either.”
“Uh… Okay,” the relief faded instantly.
“Please, go ahead.”
“In a few days, Xiao Yunmu will enter the Jiebai Trial. You know there’s a special level inside, don’t you?”
“You mean… that level?”
“That’s right. Just help out when the time comes, understand?”
“B-but if we do this without permission and get caught, we’ll be punished, right?”
“No idea. All I know is, if you refuse, I’ll punish you now. Maybe… you won’t die, but you’ll lose a few layers of skin.”
“U-understood! Lord Zhan Lixue, we promise to do our best!”
No. 1 instantly changed her tune.
“That’s right, we promise!”
The other Greenmei quickly echoed.
“Very good. If you do well, I’ll give you a proper reward.”
“A reward!? There’s actually a reward? Oh my, Lord Zhan Lixue…”
Apparently, these little ones hadn’t expected it—after all, they were in the wrong, picking a fight with Yunmu for no reason.
But now, Zhan Lixue was telling them that if they made up for their mistake, there would be rewards?
It was a pleasant surprise, and immediately they forgot their pain and started chattering away in excitement.
“Of course, if you don’t do well, I’ll punish you twice as hard. You’ll lose two layers of skin then.”
At those words, everything fell silent again—their faces turned ashen.
Losing two layers of skin, for the pain-fearing Greenmei, was worse than death.
Suddenly, the mood turned deathly grim.
Having finished dousing them with cold water, Zhan Lixue smiled with satisfaction.
Then, she glanced at Qingqiu in the distance, pondered for a moment, and disappeared like a phantom, leaving only a lingering green afterimage in midair, which took a long time to fade.