Jiu Baiyun peered through the gap in the bushes, his heart leaping into his throat.
How did Yun Yao find this place?
She couldn’t possibly be looking for him, could she?
But… he hadn’t noticed yesterday.
Why did she seem injured now?
Whatever!
Her injuries had nothing to do with him!
“You’d better pray they’re just here to pay respects to the Fox Immortal.”
Just as Jiu Baiyun was speculating in his mind about Yun Yao’s purpose for coming, the Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s voice suddenly chimed in, startling him.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“What else could I mean! There are two Second Profound stage auras and one Third Profound stage aura outside, all following that girl.”
The Yao Fox Demon Venerable said irritably, then added.
“I suspect she might be trying to lead the trouble to this shrine. You’d better prepare for the worst.”
!??
Jiu Baiyun was slightly stunned, then an extremely grave expression appeared on his face.
He still needed to confirm…
Having made up his mind, Jiu Baiyun quickly extended his own perception outward.
Sure enough, the moment his perception stretched beyond the fence, he could sense three extremely distinct auras.
The instant he sensed them, before the other party could detect him, Jiu Baiyun immediately withdrew his perception and said in a low voice.
“My perception isn’t as sharp as yours. Can you tell which faction these three belong to? The Taihe Sect or…”
He thought the Yao Fox Demon Venerable could provide an answer, but the venerable just sighed, indicating he didn’t know.
“It’s an unfamiliar faction… at least, you haven’t had contact with them before.”
Hearing the Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s reply, Jiu Baiyun’s mouth twitched involuntarily.
What on earth had Yun Yao done after he left?
Leaving that aside, the hostility those three auras held toward Yun Yao was extremely obvious.
Even without the Yao Fox Demon Venerable saying it, Jiu Baiyun could sense it himself.
Fortunately, the other party didn’t seem to have any intention of entering the shrine.
If they had intended to come in, he would have had to go through a lot of trouble again.
And he had only just recovered to the Third Profound stage.
Even if he could win, it would come at a cost.
Thinking this, Jiu Baiyun immediately formed a hand seal, concealing his form, and stealthily slipped into the shrine without attracting anyone’s attention.
At that moment, Yun Yao had already arrived in front of A Ran.
She gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, her posture elegant but unable to hide the weariness and a trace of pain between her brows.
The maid beside her, meanwhile, puffed out her cheeks as if in a sulk, her expression unfriendly while her eyes warily scanned the surroundings, especially the interior of the shrine.
Seeing the two women dressed in luxurious clothes with an ethereal, refined air, A Ran immediately understood their status was likely quite noble.
She hurriedly put down the rag in her hand, somewhat awkwardly wiping her hands on her skirt, then bowed respectfully, her voice carrying a note of caution and nervousness.
“Greetings, honored ladies. May I ask… what brings you to the Fox Immortal Shrine?”
Yun Yao forced a gentle, faint smile, trying to ease A Ran’s nervousness, and spoke softly.
“There’s no need for such formality. We are merely… passing through. We heard the Fox Immortal enshrined here is very efficacious, so we came specially to offer incense and pray for peace.”
The maid stood half a step behind Yun Yao.
She seemed to want to say something, but under Yun Yao’s meaningful glance, she held her tongue.
Instead, she simply continued to scan the interior of the shrine, as if searching for something.
She didn’t speak, but her clearly displeased expression made the already reverent A Ran feel even more pressure.
A Ran quickly stepped aside to clear the path to the offering table and said respectfully, “Please, honored lady, feel free.”
The surrounding villagers understood the situation well.
They all voluntarily left the shrine and gathered outside.
No one dared to gossip.
Yun Yao gave A Ran a slight nod, then took two steps forward.
Her gaze fell upon the simple Fox Immortal statue on the offering table.
A flicker of disappointment passed through her jade-blue eyes.
‘It’s not… I thought there might be a clue about you here…’
The Fox Immortal statue was just an ordinary clay figurine of a fox, made from a mud base.
Although the curled-up sleeping posture appeared both sacred and cute, it ultimately wasn’t what she was looking for…
‘Oh well… since I’m here, it’s fate…’
She extended her slender, pale fingers and took the lit incense sticks from her maid’s hand.
Her movements were slightly sluggish, and her breathing was a little labored.
But just as she prepared to bow in reverence, a sudden, violent fit of coughing made her body sway violently.
The incense sticks in her hand nearly fell.
She instinctively covered her chest, her delicate brows furrowed tightly, her face instantly turning even paler than before.
“Young Miss!”
The maid exclaimed in alarm, immediately stepping forward to support Yun Yao’s arm, her face full of anxiety and unconcealed worry.
A Ran was also startled by this sudden turn of events.
She looked at the pained, frowning Yun Yao, somewhat at a loss.
“Honored lady! Are you… are you alright? Would you like to sit and rest? We have some clean water here…”
Yun Yao suppressed her coughs with effort, waved her hand to stop her maid from supporting her, and also declined A Ran’s suggestion.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, her voice carrying a slight tremor.
“It’s nothing… my health has been like this since childhood. We’ll leave after offering the incense…”
Having said that, Yun Yao no longer attempted the full ritual bow.
She simply inserted the three incense sticks into the censer as steadily as she could.
Thin wisps of blue smoke rose, blurring her pale face and the deep, indescribable sense of loss and weariness in her eyes.
‘If only you were here…’
Yun Yao silently prayed in her heart, a trace of entreaty on her face.
Unfortunately, within the shrine, there was only the faint crackling sound of the burning incense and the slightly heavy breathing of her maid, tense behind her.
The maid’s gaze remained vigilant, scanning every corner of the shrine.
It lingered for a moment on the simple clay Fox Immortal statue, her eyes filled with confusion and a hint of disdain.
Her young miss’s status was so noble.
Why did she insist on coming to this place?
More than these questions, she was worried about her young miss’s health.
She could feel the tightly wound string within her young miss had reached its limit.
A Ran stood to the side, her hands nervously clasped together.
Watching Yun Yao’s constantly swaying figure, she wanted to step forward to support her but didn’t dare.
Finally, the incense was securely placed.
Yun Yao seemed to have exhausted the last of her strength, her body swaying slightly once more.
“Young Miss!”
The maid immediately stepped forward again, this time firmly supporting Yun Yao’s arm without asking for permission.
“Young Miss… the incense is offered. We should go.”
Yun Yao didn’t resist this time.
Giving her maid a slight nod, she walked step by step out of the shrine’s fence, supported by the maid.
That elegant, simple color soon disappeared around the bend of the winding mountain path, leaving behind only a faint, almost imperceptible trace of cold fragrance.
Inside and outside the shrine, after a brief silence, the low hum of discussion started up again.
“That honored lady… she didn’t look very well…”
“Shh, don’t gossip about nobles!”
“Sigh, it was painful to watch…”
A Ran let out a sigh of relief, her tense shoulders relaxing slightly.
She instinctively looked toward the corner of the fence where Jiu Baiyun had been leaning and dozing earlier.
It was empty.
“Brother Jiu?”
She called out softly, her gaze sweeping the surroundings, but there was no sign of him.