This chunk of meat is big enough to roast for ten days or half a month.

When things get tangled up with that "Ice Soul," it was bound to get tricky. Bai Ke still vividly remembered the thousands of desolate spirits swirling above the "Ice Soul," not to mention the fragment of Ho Junxiao's soul that was lost within it.

Judging from the tone of the Hengtian Sect's leader and the elders, it seemed they had been using some method to suppress and harness this "Ice Soul" for many years, cycling through periods of control every few centuries. But recently, something had disrupted the rhythm, making it difficult for them to maintain control.

Bai Ke didn’t dare to imagine what would happen if they lost control of the "Ice Soul." Though he hadn’t experienced it firsthand, he could still glimpse a fraction of the devastation from years ago through the scattered words of Junxiao and the others.

However, compared to the Ice Soul, Junxiao and Yu Xian, who had just finished their fight, seemed more concerned about another issue—

"Hengtian Sect's Wangtian Cliff still exists?" Yu Xian raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"It seems the rumors from back then were just a smokescreen," Junxiao said slowly. "If Wangtian Cliff wasn’t destroyed, then the person on that cliff—"

"Is still alive!" Yu Xian’s face lit up with joy, though it quickly turned to a wry smile, as he sighed full of emotion. "No wonder we couldn’t find any trace of him after a thousand years of searching since we emerged from seclusion. It seems he’s still lost in madness…"

"Back then, he willingly trapped himself within layers of prohibitions, but now, based on what the Hengtian Sect’s people were saying, it sounds more like he’s been forcibly confined there," Junxiao remarked. "On the day I joined the Hengtian Sect, I overheard their leader and the elders discussing a plan. They mentioned raising two medicinal herbs to test their potency before sending them to a certain someone, and they stressed that they only had one chance… In hindsight, nine times out of ten, they were referring to him."

"Oh?" Yu Xian glanced at Bai Ke, then sneered, "So the medicine they're cultivating from this stuffy fool is for him? Ha—"

He paused, as though recalling something, then shook his head and said, "Whether the medicine helps or harms him, the Hengtian Sect is playing a very dangerous game. If he ever regains clarity and finds out who was used to refine that medicine… haha."

Bai Ke: "..." Is it really okay to talk so cryptically about the person being used for medicine right in front of him?

However, none of this was the main concern for Bai Ke. What he cared about most was the safety of the Peach Blossom Area.

After seeing Junxiao and Yu Xian quickly discussing their plans to search for Wangtian Cliff’s current location, Bai Ke hurriedly tugged on Junxiao’s sleeve. "Wait!"

Junxiao glanced at the sleeve being tugged, pausing for a moment. "What’s wrong?"

"Can you do me a favor?" Bai Ke pointed to the ink-washing Pool, which was akin to a surveillance camera. "Can you check the situation around Peach Blossom Village?"

Yu Xian twitched his lips. "Stuffy fool, do you think this thing works like some camera you can just point wherever you want?"

Bai Ke froze, suddenly recalling that the reason they could see what was happening in the Hengtian Hall through the ink-washing Pool was because, on the day they arrived, Junxiao had left a small talisman in a hidden corner of the hall. It would take the Hengtian Sect's leader some time to discover it.

Peach Blossom Village was a pretty remote place, and Bai Ke had never mentioned it before. Obviously, Junxiao wouldn't have had any reason to go drop a talisman on someone's doorstep.

Besides, before all this started, Aunt Pang had told Bai Ke that she and the others had to return to their hometown for some business. She mentioned they'd be gone for about ten days. It had been less than ten days since they left, so they likely haven't returned yet, meaning they might not run into Hongxian when he stirred up trouble near Peach Blossom Village.

But Bai Ke was still worried.

Although he hadn't noticed anything particularly unusual about Aunt Fatty and the others during all these years of living together, their unusually distinct features had always left Bai Ke feeling suspicious. He had a nagging feeling that the Hengtian Sect's actions this time might somehow involve Aunt Pang and her group.

Junxiao noticed Bai Ke’s expression of hesitation and unease, so he patted Bai Ke’s hand, which was still holding onto his sleeve, and said, “I’ll go check around that area.”

“…Do you even recognize Aunt Pang and the others?” Bai Ke asked.

“If there’s anyone around who looks like a Hengtian Sect disciple, isn’t it enough to just grab them all,” Yu Xian said with a flick of his sleeve.

Lin Jie twitched at the corner of his mouth. “...What if you mistakenly grab some innocent people?”

“Don’t question your ancestor’s ability to identify people so casually.” With that final remark, Yu Xian had already disappeared.

Lin Jie brushed off his sleeves. “Alright, alright—”

Bai Ke: “…”

“If there’s nothing else for the next couple of days, just stay in this realm. Even if something unexpected happens within Hengtian Sect, it won’t affect this place for the time being. Shizu (NT: refers to a master or teacher who is also an ancestor in lineage) and I will be back soon.” Junxiao left these instructions and then followed Yu Xian, leaving the secret realm.

As soon as the two powerful figures left, a large creature swooped down from the sky. In a burst of playful energy entirely at odds with its imposing and majestic size, Peanut pounced directly on Bai Ke.

“Ugh—” Bai Ke, unable to dodge, was nearly crushed under the giant creature. He struggled a bit before he helplessly brushed away the fur covering his face and said with difficulty, “What have you been eating lately? Why are you even heavier now…?”

Lin Jie lifted one of Peanut’s hind legs onto his shoulder and, using all his strength, managed to drag it off Bai Ke just enough to allow him to escape from beneath the giant beast.

Normally so particular about appearances, Bai Ke always ended up looking completely disheveled whenever he dealt with this oversized pet, to the point where his temper had nearly worn away completely.

Quickly standing up, Bai Ke took a deep breath, then with a blank expression, he dusted off the dirt on his clothes and turned toward the house behind him. “Weren’t you saying you wanted some roast meat?”

With a creak, Bai Zixu opened the door, his face lighting up with excitement. “What? What kind of meat are we roasting?”

Bai Ke pointed at Peanut, his face expressionless. “This chunk of meat is big enough to roast for ten days or half a month.”

Bai Zixu frowned. “Too much fur. It’d be a hassle to deal with. Not worth roasting.” Then he closed the door with an air of disdain and went back to reading in a muffled voice. .

Peanut froze mid-pounce for a few seconds, then dramatically collapsed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust that ended up choking Lin Jie, who was closest to it, leaving him covered in dirt.

Lin Jie: “...” Why does it always end up being me?

As he spat out the dust from his mouth, a humming sound came from the mirror hanging in the corner of the room.

“It’s probably Senior Brother Qin He,” Lin Jie said. Recalling the scene they had just witnessed in the ink-washing pool, he quickly brushed the dust off himself and followed Bai Ke through the misty bamboo grove, heading back to their small courtyard.

Sure enough, as soon as they arrived, there was a knock on the door, and the visitor turned out to be none other than Qin He.

“Hey—why is it that every time I come looking for you two, you’re always nested in this same house?” Qin He looked back and forth between  Bai Ke and Lin Jie a few times , his gaze lingering then on a book and a handwritten copy lying on the table. His expression became somewhat suspicious.

“What’s wrong, Senior Brother?” Lin Jie felt a bit baffled by that look, unsure of what he or Bai Ke had done to set off their picky senior brother this time.

As usual, Bai Ke maintained his pretense of being blind in Qin He’s presence, keeping silent whenever possible.

“Why have your cultivation levels suddenly improved so much? Yesterday, there was nothing… Hmm—” As Qin He spoke, his gaze went blank for a moment, as if he’d forgotten what he was going to say, and he stared vacantly at Lin Jie and Bai Ke.

Bai Ke: “…” What’s with this bad habit of stopping mid-sentence?

“Why do I feel like I can’t quite remember… Yesterday… When I came to take you both to the Sanqing Pool, you clearly didn’t have this level of cultivation. Was I just not paying attention? It was night, sure, but that still shouldn’t be the case…” Qin He muttered to himself, frowning and looking confused.

Hearing these fragmented words, Bai Ke started to piece together the situation—

Apart from their first visit to the Sanqing Pool, which had been in person, every other night before the hour of midnight, Yu Xian had come out to block Qin He on their behalf. So, in fact, this was only Bai Ke’s second time meeting Qin He. Bai Ke didn’t know exactly what method Yu Xian had used to deal with Qin He, but from Qin He’s current reaction, it seemed likely that Yu Xian had been using some kind of illusion to impersonate Bai Ke and Lin Jie, fooling Qin He all along.

Given Yu Xian's usual leisurely demeanor, he probably thought that Qin He, despite his arrogant attitude, was actually somewhat naive and easy to fool. As a result, the fake Bai Ke and fake Lin Jie that Yu Xian conjured weren't very convincing. At least in terms of their cultivation levels, they hadn’t kept up with the real Bai Ke and Lin Jie. This left Qin He with the impression that Bai Ke and Lin Jie had still been weak and unimpressive yesterday, only to suddenly experience a massive improvement in their abilities today, which astonished him.

However, judging by Qin He’s current confusion, Yu Xian likely tampered with his memory a bit as well. This caused Qin He to be left in a fog, unsure when trying to piece together past events.

Lin Jie, no fool himself, shared almost the same thoughts as Bai Ke. Nervously, he kept a close eye on Qin He, worried that he might suddenly recall some particularly odd detail.

But to their surprise, Qin He, after muttering a few things to himself, simply brushed it off. He shook his head and snorted, “Forget it, wasting my time worrying about you two is pointless. Given how you two just hole yourselves up with your scrolls and don’t put in real effort to practice, it would be laughable if you ever managed to achieve any serious cultivation. You’re so lazy your bones might as well be falling apart. Don’t come crying to me when you embarrass yourselves at next month’s trial. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Lin Jie nodded. “We won’t. Thanks for the reminder, Senior Brother.” He thought to himself, If you keep circling around topics, you might even forget why you came in the first place.

“I didn’t come for anything special,” Qin He said, lifting his chin towards Bai Ke. “Just passing along a message from the sect master: Starting today, you don’t need to go to the Sanqing Pool anymore. As for your eyes, just leave them as they are for now. Don’t get any ideas about sneaking over there on your own. Breaking the rules will get you killed a dozen times over. The Sanqing Pool may be a sacred place, but the surrounding area is full of dangerous restrictions, and the legends about it have persisted for a century. I’m not making this up—just a few months ago, an inner disciple wandered into that area by mistake and never came back. Think carefully before you act.”

As Qin He said this, Bai Ke’s mind suddenly flashed with a faint, almost imperceptible cry for help—“Save me!”—a distant and ghostly voice. It was a memory from the time he was on top of that block of “Ice Soul” in the Sanqing Pool, when he had been tormented by pain and confusion. The voice was so vague it was hard to tell whether it had been real or just an illusion.

 

Translator : DarNan