Chapter 34

Yu Tao withdrew her gaze from the sea and gently squeezed the paw of the black cat in her arms. “Lili, we’ve arrived.”

Over the past two days, the cat had been unusually quiet and didn’t resist her touches like it usually did, instead staying obediently in her arms.

Yu Tao didn’t think too much about it, assuming it was just the cat not quite adjusting to its first long journey.

“I heard from Second Senior Brother that we need to take a boat. Are you looking forward to it, Lili?”

According to the disciple of Alchemy Master Song, who had inquired about this secret realm, it was quite special. The entrance seemed to be somewhere in the sea, and they had discovered it by chance while investigating the poisonous mist. They hadn’t entered cautiously, so no one knew what the secret realm was like.

The black cat’s tail gently swayed and brushed past her fingertips, as if responding.

Yu Tao smiled. “The fish in the sea are delicious, especially fresh. When we get on the boat, I’ll catch some fish for you to eat.”

The sword light cut through the night, and they landed near a town by the Xuanyue Sea. Yu Tao stood up from the sword light, her legs a little sore after sitting for two days.

She had previously thought that sword flight meant standing directly on the sword, wondering how she and her Junior Brother would both stand on such a long, thin sword. However, it turned out that a beam of sword light supported them, and they could even sit cross-legged on it.

For the past two days, she had been sitting in front, with about two fist-lengths of distance between her and Yu Li. There had been no physical contact, nor much conversation, as neither of them were the type to start a conversation. Everything had become quiet.

Yu Tao, initially tense, slowly relaxed, able to chat with the cat and play with it.

The sword light stabilized, and the young man dismounted first, standing on the ground. He extended a hand toward Yu Tao in mid-air, his voice calm.

“Come down.”

Yu Tao, who had been ready to jump down carelessly, paused when she saw the white sleeve in front of her, her heart stirring unexpectedly.

“Thank you, Little Senior Brother.” She answered softly, placing her hand in his palm.

Once she had steadied herself, Yu Tao was about to withdraw her hand, but noticed that the young man didn’t release it. Instead, his warm fingers slightly tightened.

She looked up, confused. “Little Senior Brother?”

Yu Li made a hand gesture, and the glowing sword light disappeared, with the long sword automatically flying back into its sheath.

His tone remained calm. “After nightfall, the fog near Xuanyue Sea becomes very thick and it’s easy to get lost. There’s also poisonous mist mixed in, so stay close to me and don’t wander off.”

Yu Tao glanced around at the misty night, noticing that there seemed to be something around the young man, shielding him from the fog.

So that’s what it was. She nodded seriously. “I’ll stay close to you, Little Senior Brother.”

The young man gave a soft hum and led her towards the town.

It was already nighttime. To avoid disturbing the people in the town, the sword light stopped at a distance from the town.

Yu Tao followed him and blinked, asking, “Aren’t we waiting for Second Senior Brother and the others?”

The moonlight above was faintly cold. The young man’s pale golden eyes were as bright as the moon, his tone light and indifferent. “They’ll arrive tomorrow. We’ll rest in the town tonight.”

Yu Li was at the God Transformation stage, while the others were at the Nascent Soul stage, so there was a natural speed difference.

He hadn’t intentionally slowed down too much to wait for them but had simply controlled the timing, so they could rest properly before setting out to sea the next day.

Yu Tao gently murmured an “Oh,” lowering her gaze to their hands intertwined.

Little Senior Brother’s hands were beautiful—clear knuckles, long fingers, and pale skin with a faint pink tint at the bones, looking so delicate it seemed like they would redden with just a slight touch.

Unlike her own hands, which were often cold and never quite warm, his hands were warm, with the pads of his fingers soft and dry.

They didn’t seem like the hands of someone who practiced swordsmanship, but more like those of a scholarly young man who held a pen to write his ambitions. If it weren’t for the thin callus on his thumb, which gave a slight itch when rubbed, she might have thought so too.

Yu Tao tried her best to suppress the smile tugging at her lips.

Although it was due to special circumstances, this was still holding hands! Something she never would have dared to imagine before.

‘Hehe, so happy~ ‘

Above the town, a faint spiritual barrier enveloped it, blocking out the thick white mist as the two entered.

The town was called Yongning Town, the closest to the Xuanyue Sea, and also the most affected by the poisonous mist.

The Wuchang Sect had sent disciples a month ago to deal with the mist, clearing it several times, but even now, the poisonous mist is still mixed with the white mist in the area. The disciples could only temporarily shield the people in the town from harm in this way.

However, this meant that the townspeople had to stay inside the town and couldn’t leave, which affected those who relied on fishing for a living. It was fine for a short time, but in the long run, it would become unsustainable.

As long as the source wasn’t eradicated, the poisonous mist wouldn’t be completely removed, so the secret realm had to be explored.

Yu Tao observed Yongning Town, which was filled with buildings, red walls, and white roofs. The streets were well-connected, and in the courtyards of each household, various types of fishing gear were stored.

Though called a town, it looked more like a city. Yu Tao felt that this town was about the same size as her hometown, Haicheng.

They had barely walked a few steps into the town when several townspeople came to greet them. At the forefront was an older man, followed by a few younger men.

The middle-aged man performed a courteous bow, saying politely, “You two are also here to solve the problem of the poisonous mist, right? I am Miao Ke, the town chief of Yongning Town. Please come in, we have already prepared accommodations for you in the town.”

“Also?”

This meant that someone had arrived before them.

“Yu Li.”

Yu Li nodded and gave his name, then asked, “Town Chief Miao, where is Song Hong?”

Song Hong was the son of Master Song, an alchemy cultivator. He had come with a few disciples to deal with the poisonous mist, and it was through him that the sect mission was assigned.

Miao Ke replied, “Master Song went out to sea during the day to trace the source of the poisonous mist. A few other cultivators who just arrived today are with him.”

“But only Master Song went with them. The other cultivators stayed in the town. I’ll take you to them now.”

Yu Li responded lightly, “Thank you.”

Yu Tao followed him, glancing at their still-intertwined hands. She secretly lifted her gaze to look at him. They had already entered the town, and there was no more poisonous mist—had he forgotten to let go?

Miao Ke observed the two of them without making it obvious. Though they both looked very young, it was said that cultivators could live for hundreds of years and still look the same, so he didn’t regard them as ordinary youths.

Seeing their hands still held together, he smiled and said, “Master Yu, your relationship with your Dao companion is really good.”

Hm…??

Yu Tao’s ears instantly turned bright red, and she hurriedly waved her hands.

“No, no, Town Chief Miao, you misunderstood. I’m not his Dao companion.”

Miao Ke blinked in confusion. “Then what are you two?”

Yu Tao moved her fingers, pulling her hand back from the young man’s, her face flushing as she hurriedly explained, “We are senior brother and junior sister. This is just because my cultivation is lower, and Senior Brother is worried that I might be affected by the poisonous mist on the way.”

Yu Li glanced at her seemingly nonchalantly, his eyes dimming slightly.

Miao Ke’s gaze shifted between the two of them, and in an instant, he understood.

So, they were an affectionate couple who hadn’t yet confessed their feelings.

He smiled. “It seems I over-thought it. Apologies.”

Yu Tao awkwardly responded, “It’s fine.”

Fortunately, she explained quickly, so Senior Brother Yu Li wouldn’t be bothered or upset by this misunderstanding.

Miao Ke led the two of them to their accommodations. Several alchemy cultivator disciples were grinding herbs in the room. Upon seeing Yu Li, they were momentarily stunned. They hadn’t expected that Senior Brother Yu Li would come for such a small secret realm.

The disciples greeted them.

Yu Li asked in a calm voice, “Has the exact location of this secret realm been marked on a map?”

The disciples shook their heads. “The mist over Xuanyue Sea is too dense at night. We only stumbled upon it by chance after a storm. We don’t know the exact location. We can only hope for luck while out at sea.”

“Senior Brother Song Hong’s idea was for us, who still have some recollection of the area, to follow the ships of our sect’s disciples and guide the way. He went out to sea early this morning with one of the ships.”

After the conversation, the two of them returned to the room arranged by Miao Ke.

It happened to be next door. Yu Tao hugged the black cat, bid the young man goodnight, and sat back on her bed.

She placed the cat on the other pillow and spoke softly, “Lili, there’s no cat bed here, so you’ll have to sleep with me for now.”

The black cat, with its light golden eyes, glanced at her briefly before resting its head back on its paws without any further reaction.

That meant it had no objections.

“Such a good cat.”

Yu Tao smiled as she rubbed the cat’s head, then got up and went behind the screen. As she undressed in the warm air, she tied up her hair and quickly took a shower.

The sound of water droplets falling echoed. The black cat, who had turned its head when Yu Tao entered the screen, felt its ears grow hot and its inner ear slightly redden.

After a brief pause, it raised a paw to cover its ears.

Yu Tao changed into a light nightgown and came out, wiping her slightly damp hair and letting it fall loosely behind her.

The white wooden hairpin was placed on the table as she pulled back the covers and lay down on the bed.

She hadn’t slept much during the two-day journey, only occasionally dozing off, but waking up quickly. It wasn’t that Senior Brother Yu Li wouldn’t let her sleep, it was just that she’d never flown with a sword before, and she always felt like she might fall off it while asleep. High in the air, a fall would be fatal, and thinking about it made her nervous.

Yu Tao stroked the cat’s head, her voice soft. “Goodnight, Lili.”

The girl seemed extremely tired and fell asleep quickly, her breathing steady and gentle.

The black cat lifted its head and stared at the girl’s sleeping face. After a while, it turned its gaze away, grabbed the blanket that the girl had tossed aside, and covered her up.

Just as it was about to get off the bed and go next door, two delicate white arms suddenly stretched out from under the blanket, pulling the cat back into the bed and hugging it.

Black cat:?!

“Stop running around, just sleep properly.”

The girl, snuggling into the cat, was unsure if she had fallen asleep yet. She mumbled softly, “Lili, you’re so soft and warm. Hehe, little cat is here to warm the bed again.”

The cat’s ears were burning unbearably: “…”

Wen Ming was tall, and Hua Lian was not short either. The two of them sharing a small flying sword felt especially cramped. After two days and nights of flying, neither of them felt comfortable.

By the time they arrived, it was already morning. The sky was turning pale with the first light of dawn. Hua Lian jumped off the flying sword, feeling sore all over, his stomach a little queasy.

“Wen Ming, your sword flight skills aren’t that great. You almost made me throw up.”

Wen Ming, looking haggard, retrieved the sword. “Senior Brother Hua Lian, is it possible that it’s the sword’s fault?”

Hua Lian was speechless. “You’re blaming the sword for your bad technique…”

Before he could finish, the sword in Wen Ming’s hand suddenly slipped out, and the hilt gave him a sharp knock on the head.

As if in retaliation, the sword quickly swung back and hit him in the stomach.

Hua Lian suddenly remembered something. “Could it be because you said on the way here that ‘Junior Sister’s sword is so pretty’?”

Wen Ming was silent. “Yeah, I haven’t used a sword in so long. I forgot about that.”

“Hmph, this sword is pretty small, though…”

The word “angry” was still on his lips when the flying sword shot towards him.

Hua Lian immediately changed his tone, speaking seriously. “This is your fault, Junior Brother Wen. You already have your own sword, yet you’re praising someone else’s sword for being pretty. Typical ‘^[1]“looking at the pot while eating from the bowl” (吃着碗里看着锅里) is a Chinese idiom that means someone is being ungrateful or discontent with what they already have, while … Continue readinglooking at the pot while eating from the bowl’—a scumbag!”

Wen Ming: ?

All scumbags (dog emoji).