"Audacious!" "Yi Bu" bellowed angrily, sweeping his long sleeve to entangle Crow's longsword.
Crow snorted coldly, twisting his sword sharply to shred Yi Bu's sleeve into pieces: "Still pretending?"
Yi Bu tapped his foot and retreated ten paces away. His eyes shifted, revealing a strangely coquettish smile as his voice returned to its original feminine tone: "How did you discover me?"
Crow sneered: "The Sect Leader once made an agreement with me—even he cannot enter the Shadow Prison. If he absolutely had to enter now, he would certainly mention this agreement to me. Yet when you arrived just now, you acted as if this agreement never existed. Naturally, you're an imposter."
"Yi Bu" covered her mouth with a laugh: "Who would have thought that Yi Bu could be clever sometimes."
"The Water Official and Heaven Official just got turned away, and now you appear." Crow slowly raised his hand. "It seems..."
"You're quite intelligent." A water column shot toward Crow, who swiftly retreated. The Water Official appeared beside Crow and seized his wrist. Crow winced in pain as the token arrow in his hand fell to the ground.
"Traitor!" Crow growled.
"Mu Ying!" The Water Official called to "Yi Bu."
With a wave of her hand, "Yi Bu" transformed back into the alluring woman. She leaped through the crowd, attempting to force her way into the Shadow Prison.
"Stop her!" Crow roared.
The other six immediately formed an array, forcibly repelling Mu Ying. Seizing the opportunity, Crow gripped his sword with his left hand and drove the Water Official back with a single strike. The Water Official flicked his left sleeve, slowly forming a water sword in his hand as he attacked Crow. Crow raised his sword to meet it, but when the blades clashed, the Water Official's water sword passed straight through Crow's iron blade. Startled, Crow hastily retreated, but the water sword suddenly dispersed, splashing across his chest.
The Water Official smiled faintly, twirling another water sword at his fingertips.
Crow lowered his head slightly—fortunately, he had retreated in time to avoid most of the attack, though a single drop had landed on his left abdomen, leaving a bloody mark.
"I don't know what Yi Bu was thinking. The Dark River's strength has long surpassed that of the Shadow Sect, yet he still clings to outdated traditions to control it." The Water Official chuckled. "Unlike my two foolish companions, I only side with the strong."
"You want to save Su Muyu?" Crow stepped back, sword in hand, as the other six moved forward to stand beside him.
Mu Ying arched an eyebrow. "This formation is..."
"The Big Dipper Formation," the Water Official said solemnly. "Its killing power is mediocre, but when it comes to trapping people, it's undoubtedly among the best in the world."
"Try breaking it if you dare," Crow sneered.
Mu Ying pondered for a moment before shaking her head. "With just the two of us, we won't be able to break this formation anytime soon. And if we fight here, even if they don't fire a signal arrow, the commotion will surely alert the rest of the Shadow Sect."
After a long silence, the Water Official finally flicked his fingers, sending his water sword flying outward.
Outside the walls of the Grand Preceptor's estate.
"Little Divine Physician, I never thought we'd meet again." Mu Yumo smiled, extending a finger on which perched a luminous white spider.Bai Hehuai smiled as she took out a medicine bottle from her bosom and poured a drop of crystal-clear liquid, resembling dew, onto the spider: "Seeing the beautiful Mu again brings me great joy as well."
The spider opened its mouth and swallowed the entire drop of medicine.
"Will this little one be able to find Su Muyu?" Bai Hehuai asked.
"Don't worry. This spider was specially bred from the start to track Su Muyu. I've raised dozens of the same kind." Mu Yumo placed her finger on the ground, and the spider immediately scurried away.
Bai Hehuai looked puzzled. "There are actually spiders like this?"
"We prepared them during a few missions we undertook together in the past. Don't overthink it, Miracle Healer," Mu Yumo said with a laugh.
"The beautiful Mu has learned bad habits from your Head and started teasing me too," Bai Hehuai said, pressing a hand to her forehead. "It's not what you think, you know."
"Of course, we're all friends, just good friends!" Mu Yumo declared cheerfully.
Su Muyu lay in the Shadow Prison, faintly hearing the sounds of fighting outside. He stood up and tried to circulate his energy, but it was still useless. That day, to avoid arousing Yi Bu's suspicion, he had truly been given the Drunken Dream Gu by the Water Official. But if the Water Official couldn't enter, the gu couldn't be dispelled, and he wouldn't be able to break out of the Shadow Prison's cell door. Just as he was pondering his next move, a faint rustling sound reached his feet. He looked down and saw the white spider.
"Yumo's tracking spider?" Su Muyu's spirits lifted as he bent down to pick it up.
"Do you think Su Muyu will understand our plan?" Bai Hehuai asked Mu Yumo outside the courtyard wall.
Mu Yumo thought for a moment. "He wouldn't possibly think I sent a spider in just to amuse him, would he?"
"True," Bai Hehuai nodded.
Su Muyu examined the white spider, hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "This is a bit disgusting." With that, he opened his mouth and tossed the spider straight in.
"What do you think it tastes like?" Bai Hehuai asked Mu Yumo again.
"Crunchy, tastes like chicken. I've eaten them before," Mu Yumo said proudly.
Of course, Su Muyu didn't chew—he swallowed it whole. Moments later, he realized his guess had been correct. The spider indeed contained the antidote to the Drunken Dream Gu. His internal energy gradually returned, and as the Water Official had previously mentioned, the energy after the gu's initial dispelling was even more abundant than before he'd been afflicted. He reached out and lightly twisted the iron bars, effortlessly pulling the cell door open.
Outside the Shadow Prison, the Water Official and Mu Ying had launched over a dozen attacks, but each time they were repelled by the seven defenders, who stood firm, seemingly determined to drag things out to the end.
Until the Shadow Prison's gate suddenly opened, and Su Muyu stepped out slowly.
"Hahahaha!" the Water Official laughed heartily. "You really are full of surprises."
Crow was also startled and muttered, "Damn it. We should've bound him with the Dragon Shackles from the start."
"What 'start' are you talking about?" Su Muyu gently pushed out a palm strike from behind, instantly shattering the Seven Stars Formation.The seven men suddenly fell to the ground. Su Muyu leaped up and snatched the long sword from Crow's possession. He weighed it lightly in his hand and said, "This will have to do for now."
"You go do what you need to do. Leave this place to us," the Water Official said with a smile.
"Thank you," Su Muyu replied with a slight bow.
"It's my honor to witness some changes," the Water Official said, tilting his head slightly upward.
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