Chapter 7

Even though her Senior Brother, Jiang Xingjing, had brought her to the Sword Training Field once before, Yu Tao still got a little lost and took a quarter of an hour to find the place.

However, when she entered, she realized she had gone to the wrong location and ended up at the neighboring Void Sword Training Field.

Yu Tao frowned and slapped her forehead in frustration. From a distance, she could hear a commotion, as though something was happening.

It seemed to be coming from the Twin Star Sword Training Field?

Just as she was about to turn around and leave, she suddenly heard a voice in the midst of the noise. It deliberately lowered its tone, and the gender was unclear, but it was faint.

“Just enjoy it… the thrill of being torn apart by the demonic beast.”

Yu Tao’s body stiffened, sensing something was wrong. She quickly walked towards the source of the sound.

Through the crack of a slightly open door, she saw a figure in a veil hat pulling a sword out of a young girl in a blue dress, who had been stabbed in the back. The figure then pushed her forward with force.

The girl in the blue dress fell limply, as though dropping, into the changing waters of the mirror.

Yu Tao’s pupils constricted in that instant. She never imagined she would witness such a scene within the sect. But after only a second, she calmed down, quickly assessing the situation and holding her breath, hiding out of sight.

She concealed herself in the shadows, her gaze fixed on the figure.

The person withdrew a note from under the teacup, burned it, and, after wiping the blood off the sword, left with leisurely steps.

The figure wasn’t very tall, about the same height as Zhu Mingyu. They were slender, and a floral fragrance seemed to linger around them.

Once she confirmed the person had left, Yu Tao hurried into the room. The scent inside the room was even stronger than outside.

Yu Tao realized as soon as she inhaled that the fragrance was likely problematic, so she quickly held her breath.

Originally, Elder Gu Yu should be in charge of the entrance to Water Mirror, but now he’s nowhere to be found.

Yu Tao pondered for a moment.

Zhu Mingyu had suffered such serious injuries, and entering the Void Realm, where demonic beasts roamed freely, meant she would never survive long enough for Yu Tao to run and find an elder to save her.

Yu Tao supported herself against the Water Mirror’s frame, covered in spiritual inscriptions, hesitating for a moment. She then turned, tossed her jade token aside, and left a message with her spiritual energy before entering the Water Mirror alone.

As soon as she stepped in, the person who had previously left returned, appearing again in the room. His gaze was icy as he stared at the now calmed Water Mirror.

“I thought I’d met someone smart, but it turns out she’s just as foolish—thinking a mere Qi Refining stage could save someone. All this trouble just to get herself killed.”

He had originally intended to silence her while she went to fetch help, but now, seeing her head into the Void Realm on her own to die, it saved him the trouble.

The figure raised his hand, picking up the jade token left by Yu Tao, and crushed it into powder.

Then, he casually condensed a mass of black spiritual energy to destroy the spiritual message she had left, finally leaving the place.

The room fell silent once more.

The shattered white spiritual energy suddenly began to change, slowly reassembling into a milky, solid ball, which absorbed the remaining black spiritual energy, fusing it into the sphere.

—

The moment Yu Tao entered, she shivered uncontrollably, her body trembling.

So cold.

She looked around, seeing a vast snowy land covered in thick snow. Beneath the heavy snow, the mysterious ice stretched endlessly into the unseen distance, blending into the white sky, making it hard to distinguish anything.

There was no sign of Zhu Mingyu nearby, and no footprints in the snow. Yu Tao could only assume they hadn’t entered together, perhaps being transported to different places.

The Void Realm was a special space, and the map here was said to have no boundaries. Some disciples had tried to find the end of it, but after flying on a sword for ten days and nights, they still hadn’t found it.

With no other options and her hands and feet frozen stiff, Yu Tao could only look around cautiously, carefully searching the snowy area.

But strangely, the farther she walked, the more exhausted she felt. Every step became difficult, and in her heart, she silently prayed that Zhu Mingyu was nearby.

Perhaps heaven heard her plea. After walking for about two or three miles, she saw red dots scattered on the snow and a trail of footprints.

Yu Tao quickly followed the footprints and finally saw Zhu Mingyu, half-collapsed in the snow, weak and barely conscious.

“Classmate Zhu, are you okay?!” Yu Tao crouched in front of her, anxious.

Zhu Mingyu, whose eyes were half-closed, opened them when she heard the voice. She stared blankly at Yu Tao for a moment.

“How did you get here…?”

“I happened to see you being pushed in because of some circumstances, but it’s not the time to talk about that. How do you feel?” Yu Tao asked, her worry evident.

Zhu Mingyu looked at her worried expression. After a pause, she turned her gaze away, “…I’m fine.”

Yu Tao tried to help her up, but her hand felt damp and cold. Her back was already soaked in blood, and it was still flowing.

This was far from ‘fine.’

“I’ll help you stop the bleeding first.”

Yu Tao had her lie face down on a rock, then deftly sliced open the blood-soaked fabric stuck to the wound with her sword. She pulled out a bottle of medicinal pills from her pocket, crushed them in her palm.

“This might sting a lot, the medicine really burns,” Yu Tao said, offering her arm. “If you can’t bear it, you can bite on this.”

Zhu Mingyu brushed her hand aside. “No need. It can’t hurt that much—I’m not that fragile…”

“Mm!”

In an instant, Zhu Mingyu’s eyes welled up with tears as she bit down on her own arm, swallowing every sound of pain that threatened to escape.

There’s no way she would cry out in front of Yu Tao!

After treating the wound, Yu Tao tore strips from the clean inner lining of her skirt. “I don’t have white cloth, so this will have to do for now, okay?”

Zhu Mingyu released her arm and sniffed, “I’m not that delicate.”

After bandaging the wound, Yu Tao buried the blood-stained cloth strips deep into the snow, then calmly said, “Classmate Zhu, demonic beasts will be drawn to the scent of blood. We need to get away from here.”

She slung Zhu Mingyu’s arm over her shoulder and helped her onto her back. “Hold on, I’ll find a safe place for us.”

The girl was slender, her back slight. Yu Tao could feel the sharpness of her bones but walked steadily, without any shaking.

Zhu Mingyu, holding onto her neck, blinked and asked, “So now you can tell me—how did you end up here?”

Yu Tao carefully scanned their surroundings, making markers as she went, recounting everything that had happened. “That’s what happened. I was worried about you, so I came in first. Do you know who that person might be?”

“I don’t know exactly who he is, but I do know he’s a demonic cultivator.”

“A demonic cultivator?”

“Yes, his cultivation level is far higher than mine. It’s a good thing you didn’t act impulsively and confront him head-on.”

“He used a type of miasma incense. Just one breath will numb your muscles and bones, leaving you weak and unable to use any spiritual power. I got careless and fell into his trap.”

If she hadn’t gone days without sleep, her body wouldn’t have been so sluggish.

In addition, being within the sect made her lower her guard, she didn’t expect any enemies inside.

Zhu Mingyu was somewhat surprised by Yu Tao’s calm and collected actions. Despite usually appearing a bit wooden, she handled everything—from applying medicine to stopping the bleeding—with steady composure and clear thinking. If their roles had been reversed, Zhu Mingyu knew her first instinct would’ve been to charge in and confront the person head-on.

“The teleportation jade I had was fake. You don’t have any teleportation jade on you either, do you?” Zhu Mingyu asked.

Yu Tao nodded.

The pain in her wound made Zhu Mingyu frown constantly. She exhaled lightly, “Besides the teleportation jade, there’s an exit array in the Void Realm. It requires spiritual energy to activate, and it’s about three hundred miles from here.”

“I’m completely out of strength, you’re the only one who can move.”

“Got it.”

Yu Tao nodded, then paused a moment before asking, “Classmate Zhu, the miasma incense you mentioned—is it a sweet, flowery scent?”

Zhu Mingyu nodded. “Yes, how did you know?”

Yu Tao gave a shy smile. “Because I accidentally inhaled a bit of it before I came in here.”

Zhu Mingyu: “…”

Yu Tao continued, “Right now, I can’t use any spiritual power. Even if we reach the formation, we won’t be able to activate it. Plus, we have no idea what kinds of beasts we’ll encounter over those three hundred miles. In our current state, we definitely wouldn’t stand a chance, so…”

Saying this, Yu Tao led Zhu Mingyu into a small cave on a snowy mountain. She carefully put Zhu Mingyu down, propping her up against the stone wall, and then sat nearby, rubbing her cold arms.

“Classmate Zhu, let’s wait here. I left a message, the elders will come to rescue us.”

Zhu Mingyu let out a breath of relief. “That’s good.”

The miasma incense Zhu Mingyu mentioned was indeed powerful. Just from accidentally inhaling a bit, Yu Tao had quickly become weak after entering the Void Realm. She’d barely managed to carry Zhu Mingyu to the cave and now even her eyelids were heavy, so tired she felt like she could fall asleep right there.

Yu Tao pinched her arm to keep herself awake. She blocked the cave entrance with snow and, upon looking back, she saw Zhu Mingyu already starting to doze off, and breathing slowly.

Zhu Mingyu was in worse condition, having inhaled more of the incense and suffering from severe injuries. Yu Tao gently shook her arm. “Classmate Zhu, don’t fall asleep just yet.”

Sleeping out here in the freezing cold wasn’t wise, at such low temperatures, falling asleep could mean never waking up.

Zhu Mingyu realized this too and forced herself to stay alert.

After walking in the snow for so long in thin spring clothes, Yu Tao’s hands and feet were stiff from the cold. She sat on a rock, breathing onto her hands and rubbing them for warmth.

She asked Zhu Mingyu, “That person had a premeditated plan—a fake teleportation jade, plus making sure Shishu Gu Yu was out of the way. His target was obviously you. Do you have any enemies or have you offended anyone recently?”

Zhu Mingyu leaned against the stone wall, gazing quietly at the snowstorm outside the cave, then closed her eyes with a relaxed tone. “There are plenty of people who hate me. If I had to keep track of each one, I’d be exhausted.”

Yu Tao was puzzled. “Is your reputation really that bad?”

Zhu Mingyu replied, “You’ve been in the sect for a while. Have you ever seen me with anyone?”

Yu Tao thought about it—and realized she hadn’t.

She often saw Zhu Mingyu alone, with the other disciples always keeping their distance from her. However, since Yu Tao was often alone as well, receiving similar treatment, she hadn’t really noticed anything unusual about it.

“Why did you save me?”

Yu Tao found the question strange and asked in confusion, “Huh? Why wouldn’t I save you?”

Zhu Mingyu opened her eyes. “You could have just ignored this and pretended it never happened. No one would have found out, and the people you dislike would have unknowingly died…”

Yu Tao quickly reached out and slapped her forehead.

It was so hot—Zhu Mingyu definitely had a fever.

“You’re talking nonsense because you’re burning up.” Yu Tao furrowed her brows. Without any medicine or supplies, she could only physically help cool her down by holding her hand against her skin. “Why would I dislike you? You haven’t done anything to me.”

Of course, there were many reasons she might dislike her. Just like how Zhu Mingyu herself disliked Yu Tao, who didn’t need to try hard at all—just by resembling that person a little, she could become Xuan Yuzi’s disciple.

But at this moment, as Zhu Mingyu looked into Yu Tao clear, pure eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. She fell silent for a long while before finally saying, “…Hmm, you’re actually pretty good like this.”

Now, Zhu Mingyu finally realized that Yu Tao wasn’t pretending to be indifferent, but that she was simply a pure-hearted fool.

Zhu Mingyu had overthought things, always assuming she was like those others, pretending with hidden schemes.

Yu Tao took a red fruit from her bag, wiped it off, and handed it to Zhu Mingyu. “Here, eat something.”

Zhu Mingyu wasn’t being overly polite. She needed to regain her strength, so she took it and bit into it. The fruit, though bright red, wasn’t very sweet, but it was juicy and tasted good.

As fatigue began to take over, Zhu Mingyu tried to stay awake by chatting with Yu Tao. “What kind of fruit is this?”

Yu Tao yawned. “I’m not sure. I picked it on the back mountain of Yunjing Peak. There’s an entire orchard there.”

Zhu Mingyu paused. “Yunjing Peak?”

“Yes, I usually cultivate there,” Yu Tao said, pinching her arm again. “Do you like it? I can pick more for you next time.”

“There’s no need for that,” Zhu Mingyu replied.

She sighed. “Yunjing Peak is Senior Brother Yu Li’s residence. Disciples aren’t allowed to enter, so I never expected you to be cultivating there.”

Yu Tao was surprised. Yunjing Peak was where the little senior brother lived? No wonder no one had entered there for so long.

Thinking about it, she realized that although he had been back to the sect for over half a month, she had never seen him at Yunjing Peak.

Yu Tao thought: Given his distant and aloof personality, he must have avoided her, thinking it would cause trouble if they met.

The two girls chatted to stay awake. Yu Tao even mentioned that she had encountered a cold, aloof black cat at Yunjing Peak that wouldn’t let her pet it.

Yu Tao sighed. “It doesn’t have an owner. I wanted to take it home with me, but given the current situation, it probably won’t agree.”

Zhu Mingyu, who usually acted decisively, couldn’t stand Yu Tao’s hesitation and said bluntly, “What are you afraid of? Just pick it up and take it home. It’s just a cat. What can it do?”

“That cat stays with you while you cultivate, so it must like you. Like you said, it’s a bit of a temperamental cat, and not letting you pet it might just be because it’s shy.”

“If you two keep acting this way, one being stubborn and the other hesitant, in a few months, you still won’t be able to touch it.”

Although Yu Tao felt the suggestion was a bit simple and rough, and not very feasible, she realized there was some truth in it. If she kept hesitating like this, she’d never make progress and probably wouldn’t even get close to the cat, let alone bring it home.

Yu Tao nodded seriously. “Got it. I’ll think about it more carefully.”

—

A faint floral fragrance lingered in the air. Anyone else might have mistaken it for just a pleasant scent, but Hua Lian, who had worked with herbs for years and was particularly sensitive to smells, immediately recognized it.

“It’s a kind of miasma that makes one lose the ability to move.”

Gu Yu led them to the water mirror. “Yu Tao left a message here.”

Yu Li’s fingers brushed the edge of the water mirror, and a subtle surge of spiritual power carefully concealed itself beneath the spiritual patterns. His brow furrowed as the message displayed.

【There’s danger, save someone, enter the mirror, Yu Tao.】

“This person used a trick to lead me away. If Yu Tao hadn’t left a message, I wouldn’t have known what he did. Clearly, he’s been planning this for a long time. To avoid alarming the enemy, I’ve only called you two here. Don’t let this matter spread.”

“I was just curious,” Hua Lian said, “That person carefully erased all traces of information. How did Junior Sister leave a message?”

Hua Lian, squatting on the ground, picked up the black-and-white spirit orb. “A diversion tactic. Junior Sister is clever.”

Gu Yu pondered for a moment. “This is… the Spirit Summoning Technique?”

Hua Lian flashed a brilliant smile. “Yes, the most basic cultivation technique, used to summon Qi into the body—the Spirit Summoning Technique.”

“You didn’t think of it, but naturally, that person didn’t expect Junior Sister to use this trick to bait him. And he took the bait.”

He shook the orb, which sealed a demonic spirit inside. “Look at this, the ‘fish’ is a demon cultivator at the sixth level of the Golden Core.”

—

Word Count: 2,961