Chapter 10

The dark red, sticky, writhing mass transformed into tentacle-like vines as thick as a child’s arm. Two of these vines even grew fingers. One on the left and one on the right, they gently lifted the bridal veil from “Lin Dan.”

The face was the same as the one he had seen before, but when Changsun Ce met his eyes, he felt a chill run through his entire body. This “chill” was different from the one brought by the Unfeeling Daoist; it felt like something cold and slippery was crawling up his body, making his scalp tingle and his skin erupt in goosebumps.

“Lin Dan” looked at Changsun Ce, and after shedding his disguise, his first words were, “Hun Tian Dao Academy.”

Changsun Ce’s brows furrowed: “Why are you bringing up my academy?”

“Lin Dan” slowly grasped the long spear at his chest, as if amused, and began to insert it into his own chest bit by bit: “Those two Unfeeling Daoists didn’t come with you?”

Changsun Ce found that the spear was slipping from his grasp uncontrollably. He let go and sneered, “It’s pointless to have your eyes on too many things at once.”

With that, Changsun Ce took a large step back, randomly selecting a guest from the crowd and pulling out two daggers from their waist.

As soon as he got hold of the daggers, they seemed to come alive, emitting a brilliant golden light. Together with their new master, they charged at “Lin Dan” with overwhelming force, splitting him in half from top to bottom!

Zhu Ruo Shang’s eyes reflected the tall yet agile figure of the short-haired youth, finally feeling the true prowess of Changsun Ce, the top disciple of the current generation of Hun Tian Dao.

Changsun Ce never claimed to specialize in any particular weapon because he was skilled with any weapon. Mastery of a hundred weapons was something even the three Unfeeling Daoists might not achieve.

Unfortunately, the result of the daggers was no better than the long spear from before.

After “Lin Dan” was split in two, the dark red viscous liquid gushed out like a flood, catching Changsun Ce off guard. He didn’t even have time to cast a protective spell and hurriedly dodged to the side.

In his effort to avoid the repulsive substance, Changsun Ce’s movements were quite clumsy, causing him to nearly fall heavily to the ground. Even so, two drops of the liquid managed to fly straight towards his forehead!

At the critical moment, a silver light flew by, hitting the two drops of liquid precisely.

The drops landed on the ground, sizzling and leaving two charred marks. Then they wriggled and reformed into the shape of “Lin Dan.”

Changsun Ce looked up to see two pure white figures streaking across the night sky like twin shooting stars, one following the other, stepping on stars and the moon as they arrived.

Changsun Ce’s eyes lit up: “Helan Xi, Song Xuanji! You finally came back!”

Helan Xi landed lightly on the eaves with Song Xuanji. He didn’t know why it had to be the eaves; perhaps it gave off a more aloof and cold aura, fitting with the Unfeeling Dao.

Helan Xi glanced at Changsun Ce from above and said, “Useless.”

Changsun Ce spat out the dust from his mouth, unwilling to back down: “Fine, you’re so great! If you’re so capable, then you go!”

Before Helan Xi could move, Zhu Ruo Shang reacted first, suddenly drawing his long sword and unleashing a frosty arc that slashed across “Lin Dan’s” neck.

“Hmm?” “Lin Dan’s” head wobbled on his shoulders but managed to squint at Zhu Ruo Shang: “So heartless?”

Zhu Ruo Shang’s handsome face was as cold as ice: “People of the Unfeeling Dao have never had a heart.”

“Is that so?” “Lin Dan” smiled sweetly, “Then let’s see if you’ll be sad if your only two fellow disciples die.”

Zhu Ruo Shang’s expression changed slightly: “You…”

Helan Xi peeked from behind Song Xuanji’s shoulder to observe the battle.

Despite exhausting his spiritual energy, Zhu Ruo Shang’s strike seemed to have no real effect on “Lin Dan.” Once again, “Lin Dan” dissolved, his viscous form seeping into the ground and disappearing without a trace.

Helan Xi fairly and justly commented, “Hmm? Truly a formidable opponent.”

With that, an angry roar echoed through the sky.

“Helan Xi—you bastard!” Changsun Ce was so infuriated by Helan Xi’s double standards that he nearly spat blood. “Take back what you said about me being useless and apologize!”

Helan Xi was straightforward: “Sorry.”

Changsun Ce: “…” Strange, why did he still feel insulted?

Zhu Ruo Shang furrowed his brows and stepped forward, about to speak, when he suddenly noticed something: “Watch out!”

Changsun Ce quickly looked around, his head almost a blur: “Watch out for what?”

Helan Xi’s sharp ears caught the sound of liquid churning. He abruptly turned around and indeed saw the ground behind Song Xuanji undulating strangely, as if something was about to burst forth.

Helan Xi called out, “Song Xuanji!”

Despite the warnings from his comrades, Song Xuanji remained motionless, only slightly turning his gaze.

“Lin Dan” once again took human form, attempting to catch Song Xuanji off guard with a surprise attack. However, just as he was about to strike with all his might, the scene suddenly quieted.

Snow and ice rose from nowhere, sweeping across the land in a blink of an eye. The ground was covered in a thick layer of frost, and the breath seemed to solidify into ice crystals, reflecting the moonlight with a breathtaking beauty.

Silent snow fell, the cold penetrating to the bone, and for the first time in centuries, the scorching West Continent experienced winter.

Song Xuanji glanced down at the disheveled Changsun Ce, his indifferent gaze silently mocking him as “useless.”

Changsun Ce’s face turned bright red, opening and closing his mouth, but in the end, he remained silent.

Looking at “Lin Dan,” who was now frozen in place, holding a ridiculous posture, Helan Xi felt regret. He should have said “Song Xuanji” calmly instead of yelling.

Song Xuanji turned to “Lin Dan”: “Ghost Aspect Language?”

The shivering Changsun Ce finally found a chance to speak: “You need to ‘defrost’ his mouth, or how can he talk?”

Song Xuanji gave “Lin Dan” a chance to speak. The ice on “Lin Dan’s” face shattered, and his gaze swept over Helan Xi, Song Xuanji, and Changsun Ce before suddenly letting out a laugh.

“The proud disciple of the Heartless Dao Academy… Heh.” “Lin Dan’s” face twisted as if countless thin snakes were wriggling under his skin: “You so-called favored ones of heaven really have the same detestable appearance for thousands of years.”

Helan Xi subtly raised an eyebrow behind Song Xuanji.

Finally, “Lin Dan’s” gaze landed on Zhu Ruo Shuang, and he even curled his lips into a smile: “Beauty, next time, let me marry you.”

After saying that, “Lin Dan” closed his eyes, and his body quickly transformed into a pile of slime in front of everyone.

Unlike before, this slime no longer wriggled and rolled but instead spread out slowly like water, eventually ceasing to move. In the center of the slime lay a broken dark red dragon horn.

The sky began to brighten, and the east grew pale. The Lin family mansion, which had originally been lively and full of joy, was now empty, with nothing left but a mess on the ground.

Changsun Ce still didn’t return home and followed the three beauties of the Heartless Dao back to the inn where they had stayed before.

Under the morning sun, the long street was desolate. Helan Xi walked in the middle, with Song Xuanji on his left and Zhu Ruo Shuang on his right, while Changsun Ce walked ahead. The three of them from the Heartless Dao remained silent as usual. Changsun Ce, in front of them, loudly used transmission symbols to communicate with the leader of the Hunyuan Dao, fully demonstrating to the Heartless Dao members what a normal teacher-student relationship should look like—

“The matter was resolved very smoothly, and the Ghost Reflection Speech wasn’t lost. Song Xun is keeping it safe. The leader can rest assured, everything is under my control… Yes, yes, I played a very big role in this… What? You ask whose contribution is bigger, mine or the Heartless Dao’s? It depends on the perspective. For example, if I hadn’t reminded Song Xuanji to have the evil spirit speak, we might have lost an important clue…”

Helan Xi could no longer listen and abruptly paused: “Zhu Ruo Shuang.”

Song Xuanji and Zhu Ruo Shuang both stopped at the same time and looked toward him.

Helan Xi said, “Come to my room, I have something to discuss.”

Zhu Ruo Shuang hesitated for a moment and nodded.

Helan Xi then turned to Song Xuanji: “You should explain this matter to Leader Jiang.”

Hurry up and go, don’t let Changsun Ce take all the credit!

Helan Xi thought he would just get an “Hmm” in response, but to his surprise, Song Xuanji said four words in one breath: “No need for you to teach.”

Zhu Ruo Shuang followed Helan Xi back to the room, and before Helan Xi could ask, he spoke: “You and Song Xuanji should already know the details of what happened.”

“Mm,” Helan Xi cautiously cast a soundproof spell in the room and said, “Except for a few details.”

“Details…” Zhu Ruo Shuang turned his head and softly said, “There’s nothing much to say.”

Helan Xi indeed wanted to ask more about how Zhu Ruo Shuang encountered “Lin Dan” and how they spent three years together in a dreamlike experience, but it was clear that Zhu Ruo Shuang didn’t want to talk about it, so he wouldn’t force it.

“Alright, let’s talk about something else.” Helan Xi had been holding it in and felt like he might explode: “Don’t you think you’ve been talking a lot today?”

“Oh, you’re asking about this.” Zhu Ruo Shuang’s gaze shifted slightly, seemingly a bit guilty: “Changsun Jinglüe’s words were like extra spicy chili water, I borrowed it for use.”

“Stop lying!” Helan Xi stared at Zhu Ruo Shuang, refusing to let him show any emotion: “I’ve checked, there was no such thing as ‘extra spicy chili water.’ It was just regular chili water. Changsun Ce bought fake medicine!”

Zhu Ruo Shuang froze slightly: “How could this be?” He quickly realized something was off: “But your words also…”

Helan Xi decisively interrupted him: “Now, I’m the one asking you.”

Zhu Ruo Shuang’s lips parted, wanting to say something, but he repeatedly stopped himself before finally letting out a light sigh: “Alright.”

Helan Xi had a vague premonition. Zhu Ruo Shuang looked at him with a slightly ashamed smile: “Actually, I’m not like you and Song Xuanji, really silent and sparing with words. I just had to act like this to focus on my cultivation.”

Helan Xi: “…”

“Anyway, after this matter, the Heartless Dao Academy will no longer accept me. After I report back to Taihua Sect with you, I should… ” Zhu Ruo Shuang lowered his long eyelashes and smiled bitterly: “Now that I think about it, it wouldn’t be bad to spend the last few days with you in my true form. But you can rest assured, I know you and Song Xuanji prefer peace. If it’s not necessary, I won’t disturb you.”

Helan Xi: “…………”

Zhu Ruo Shuang, seeing Helan Xi’s face turn red then pale and then red again, thought that his sudden confession had scared him, and he asked with concern: “Helan Xi? Are you alright?”

Helan Xi pressed his hand to his chest, nearly coughing up blood, unable to say anything clearly: “You… I… We… Zhu Yun, why didn’t you say this earlier!!!”