Chapter 011

Ji Xueshou arrived in front of the large mansion.

It was a mansion much bigger than he had imagined.

The sky above the entire estate was shrouded in dark clouds, completely different from the clear skies elsewhere. Wisps of black mist seeped out from within the mansion, wrapping around it like a tightly sealed cocoon, emanating an ominous aura from every corner.

“This is…”

“A barrier.”

A cultivator in green robes stepped in front of him. Shen Zhaoyang looked tense, her brows furrowed, with a trace of fatigue and anxiety in her eyes. The moment she heard the news last night, she began making urgent preparations. Now, the mansion was surrounded by the Shen family’s guards, and several formation cultivators were studying this strange barrier.

“I remember today is the entrance selection for the Hidden Sword Sect,” Zhaoyang looked at him. “Did you already finish it, or did you not go?”

“I didn’t go.”

Ji Xueshou replied, but his eyes never left the mansion before him. The cultivators were almost helpless against the demonic energy-infused formation—only a few were still trying their best.

And Zhaoxue… was trapped alone inside such a terrifying formation barrier.

“You’re just like that girl Zhaolan.”

Zhaoyang turned her head. “Looks like we weren’t fated to become fellow disciples after all.”

She looked at the scene before her and gave a bitter smile. “It’s definitely a tricky formation, but we should be able to find a way to break it soon.”

“What way?”

“In the demon-cleansing route designated by the Heavenly Star Sect, Yucheng is one of their rest stops. Among the disciples traveling with them, there are people from the Lu family of Xuecheng.”

“The Lu family of Xuecheng?”

Even though Ji Xueshou had no interest in worldly fame or prestige, he had still heard of this illustrious family.

It was a top-tier clan that even the Three Sects and Sixteen Schools would show deference to. Renowned across the Three Realms and Nine Provinces for their mastery of formations, they were considered a powerful aristocratic family with unmatched resources.

The elder of the Lu family twins had recently emerged as a rising star among sword cultivators, already known in the community as the “Little Sword Immortal.” It wouldn’t be long before the title of “Number One Sword Immortal in the World” might fall to him. As for the younger twin, he had fully inherited the family’s legacy—already a famous formation master at a young age. Not only was he naturally gifted, but the abundant resources of his family had propelled his cultivation far beyond his peers. So much so that even cultivators hundreds of years old openly admitted they couldn’t compare.

“They probably… won’t agree so easily.”

Ji Xueshou lowered his lashes. A prestigious family like that had no ties with the Shen family, and Yucheng wasn’t even within their jurisdiction. They had no reason to get involved.

“Ordinarily, they wouldn’t. But Senior Brother agreed to help—he said he’d go speak to them in person.”

“The Sword Sovereign… he…”

Ji Xueshou was a little surprised, but at the same time, he felt a wave of relief. With Jiang Lingfeng going in person, even if it was just for the sake of giving him face, they wouldn’t refuse.

“Yes. Senior Brother may dislike dealing with these kinds of matters, but he knows very well how important this is. No matter who’s trapped inside that mansion, he would step forward. Not to mention… it’s not just Zhaoxue who’s trapped in there.”

Zhaoyang glanced down at him—his expression revealed everything. She handed him a stack of papers. “These are the missing person notices that have been posted all over Yucheng these past few days. Yucheng is enormous, and missing person cases aren’t uncommon, so no one linked them together—until this formation appeared last night…”

Ji Xueshou flipped through a few pages carelessly, not showing much concern.

“Let’s check out the back of the mansion,” he said.

“Alright. If you see Zhaolan, remind her to be careful and not act recklessly.”

Those words were for Zhaolan—but also for Ji Xueshou.

Ji Xueshou had run away from the sect selection to come here. This would surely cause friction between the Shen and Ji families, making things difficult for his mother’s side. If anything else were to happen…

Zhaoyang sighed.

Ji Xueshou still had the ability to protect himself—for now, her greater concern had to be Zhaoxue.

Zhaoxue…

Zhaoyang’s heart clenched tightly. She closed her eyes and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

Please… don’t let anything happen to you.

—

At the break of dawn, Zhaoxue sensed that the spell concealing her presence was about to wear off.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the morning sun was slowly rising. Fortunately, she had already finished what she needed to do.

During this time, though the demon had relentlessly searched for her, it was never able to find her. She was like a wisp of smoke, silently blending into the air within the vast mansion.

Zhaoxue wiped the ink from her hands, stacked the papers on the table neatly, and placed them into her pocket along with a rusted piece of iron. Inside was also a slender white porcelain vial—a pill her eldest sister had given her. She had taken two of the pills, with one remaining. Without them, she surely wouldn’t have been able to stay awake and so highly focused all night.

Once everything was secured, she retraced her steps and returned to a large room she had chosen beforehand. After glancing around cautiously, she opened the heavy wardrobe doors and hid inside.

She had found this room during a half-hour search of the mansion. In addition to the original four floors, she had discovered that there were underground chambers as well.

She had followed the demon when it activated a mechanism and slipped in right behind it. The room was dark and damp, with sparse furniture covered in thick layers of dust, clearly rarely visited. The demon had only meditated there briefly before leaving. There wasn’t anything valuable stored inside either. It looked more like a lair than a treasure vault.

Zhaoxue hugged her knees in the darkness, trying her best to calm her nerves.

Morning had come. Surely the family had noticed her absence by now? How long would it take them to realize she was here? And how much longer could she stay hidden?

Zhaoxue took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. To keep herself from overthinking, she started playing a game of chess against herself in her mind, calling out the moves for her left and right hands. She played two full games this way.

Her left hand was Ji Xueshou—he was left-handed. Her right hand was herself. Zhaoxue let the left hand win one round, and the right hand win the other.

“Best two out of three,”

Zhaoxue said to her left hand, “You idiot, can’t you at least beat me once in a while?”

Please… just win against her once.

“Don’t let all the pain she’s endured be in vain.”

Zhaoxue clenched her left hand tightly and closed her eyes.

Just then, a deafening explosion thundered nearby like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky!

“Boom—!”

—

Not long after Ji Xueshou noticed the newcomers arrive, the seemingly impenetrable barrier suddenly cracked open like a fragile eggshell.

Everyone covered their ears, bracing themselves as the explosive sound echoed.

At the front, Zhaoyang’s expression immediately turned serious.

Gripping the hilt of her sword, she furrowed her brows and commanded, “Everyone, stay alert!!”

The thick smoke had yet to clear when a horde of black demonic crows surged forward like a tide. They were enormous in size, with crimson eyes, and beneath their beaks were even sharp fangs—monstrous in appearance.

The Lu family’s group didn’t linger. Having finished what they came to do, they left first.

Despite the overwhelming numbers, these were all low-level demonic beasts. For Zhaoyang, who had led the Shen family’s guards to eliminate demons, handling them was still relatively easy.

Ji Xueshou didn’t want to waste any more time there. He turned his head and rushed into the mansion, disappearing into the thick smoke.

While searching for Zhaoxue, he ran into Zhaolan—who clearly had the same idea as him.

“This place is full of smoke, visibility is poor, and the layout of the mansion is extremely complicated. It’s easy to get lost, and backtracking is almost guaranteed. Not to mention, there’s more than one type of demonic beast here.”

As Zhaolan spoke, she wiped the soot off her dirty face, her expression grave. “On my way here, I saw swarms of venomous snakes and hyenas—all corrupted beasts. No matter how large this mansion is, how could it possibly house so many demons? And more importantly…”

She lowered her head, her heart pounding. “I’m afraid… the owner of this mansion is no ordinary person. If that’s the case, then Zhaoxue…”

She had stumbled and rushed all the way here, already covered in multiple wounds, her face gray with dust—utterly disheveled. Ji Xueshou didn’t look much better.

He tilted his head and coughed up a mouthful of blood, impatiently wiping it away with a frown. His mind was a mess, and the hand holding his sword was clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

“Too slow.” he said.

Off to the side, Zhaolan couldn’t hold back her tears anymore:

“On my way here, I ran into Eldest Sister. She told me this place is extremely dangerous and told me to leave quickly… Even someone like Eldest Sister thinks it’s dangerous—then could Second Sister possibly…”

Ji Xueshou’s fingers trembled slightly, and panic surged in his heart—but only for a moment. He quickly shook his head and snapped coldly:

“Shut up.”

He closed his eyes. The pad of his finger touched the center of his forehead—where the cross-shaped mark was still clearly etched into his skin, a shallow indentation in his flesh that seemed to still carry the coolness of her fingertips.

—”You want to win that badly? Still playing tricks like this in front of me—aren’t you ashamed?” The girl had raised her brows at him, tossing the game piece he had tried to hide up and down in her plain, slender hand. Her bright eyes were as clear as a full moon hanging on a snowy tree branch.

A faint sting came from his forehead. She had suddenly stood up from her seat, leaning in so close that if he raised his head, he could have brushed her chin.

Her nail pressed into his brow, and the warmth of her fingertip skimmed across his skin—his heartbeat immediately went off rhythm.

After pinching a cross mark into the center of his forehead, Zhaoxue finally drew back, studied it for a moment, and smiled with satisfaction:

“That’s your little punishment, Ji Xueshou. Next time, win against me with your real skill!”

—

At that time, Ji Xueshou had really wanted to win—

Because he so badly wanted to see what her expression would be like if she lost.

Would she look sad? Or unwilling to accept it? Or would she angrily curse at him?

Now, Ji Xueshou also wanted to win.

Because he couldn’t afford to lose.

“We’ll split up and search,” he seized the moment after the smoke had cleared and said to Zhaolan,

“Let’s agree to meet back here in a quarter of an hour. Mark the places and rooms you’ve already checked with your own symbol.”

…Yes.

That kind of symbol.

A quarter of an hour later, when Ji Xueshou, who had fallen into the dust, accidentally brushed his palm against the cross mark on the corner wall,
his heart trembled for the first time.

The hope that had nearly vanished suddenly reignited.

“What’s wrong? Do you need me to help you up?”

Zhaolan, pacing in circles and drenched in sweat, came forward. She had just raised her hand when she saw the young man kneeling on the ground, his shoulders faintly shaking, fingertips clenched so tightly they’d gone pale. His long hair fell forward, hiding his face.

“I’m fine.”

he said, though even his voice was slightly trembling.

“Go tell Zhaoyang and the others. Bring people. I know where Zhaoxue is.”

Zhaolan froze for only half a second—then, as if set on fire, sprang three feet high and dashed off without asking another word.

Ji Xueshou gently brushed the faint and clumsy little mark with his dusty fingertip, sniffled, and couldn’t help but smile.

…What the hell.

She still went easy on him this time, didn’t she?