Moonlight Mystique

Chapter Forty-Seven

"Daoist Bai, what are you all doing here?"

Bai Shuo was already dizzy from Hua Da Tie's wailing when Mingxin suddenly rushed over from the street corner with several Yunxiao disciples in tow.

At the same time, two powerful surges of spiritual energy were rapidly approaching.

Oh no! They absolutely must not discover Fan Yue's condition. Bai Shuo glanced at the blood-covered Fan Yue and urgently tugged at his sleeve. "Mu Mu! Hide quickly!"

Fan Yue gripped Bai Shuo's hand, refusing to let go.

"Listen to me!"

Seeing Bai Shuo's urgency, a flash of inspiration struck Fan Yue, and with great reluctance, he transformed into a small vine, curling around Bai Shuo's wrist.

Hua Da Tie gasped in amazement, but Bai Shuo swiftly covered her mouth. "Little sister, don't mention Mu Mu is here."

Hua Da Tie nodded repeatedly.

"What's going on?"

Two streaks of light flashed, and Nan Wan and Bei Chen appeared simultaneously in the street. The two had been meditating in the inn earlier when the spiritual energy fluctuations in the street alerted them.

Bei Chen's expression was cold, while Nan Wan's face darkened when he saw Bai Shuo and Hua Hong were the ones causing the commotion. He narrowed his eyes at Bai Shuo.

Wasn't this Daoist supposed to be resting in her room? Why was she here? Had she already deduced the location of the Yiren Tomb and been lying to him earlier?

One look at Nan Wan's face told Bai Shuo that this guy definitely thought she had sneaked out to search for the Yiren Tomb.

What a colossal misunderstanding!

"Your Highness, you came just in time! There was a monster! Thank goodness you arrived—it scared the thing away!" Bai Shuo, her face pale, hurriedly stepped forward to explain.

"A monster?" Nan Wan was puzzled. "What kind of monster?"

"Human body, four claws, a tail—utterly hideous!" Bai Shuo gestured wildly with her hands and feet.

What kind of abomination was that?

"To my knowledge, no demonic entity has such a form," Bei Chen remarked coolly.

Nan Wan also eyed Bai Shuo skeptically, unconvinced.

"It's true!" Bai Shuo insisted frantically. "If you don't believe me, ask Hua Little Sister—she saw it too! That thing almost ate me!"

Nan Wan turned to Hua Hong, and Hua Da Tie nodded vigorously.

"That monster was covered in sinister energy—it must have been an evil spirit!"

"Nonsense. Yicheng has the Spirit-Sealing Barrier left by the former Heavenly Emperor Mu Guang. How could there be evil spirits in the city?" Nan Wan interrupted sharply. "Besides, there's no trace of evil energy here."

"I'm not lying! Just now, that evil spirit was even..."

Before Bai Shuo could finish, Bei Chen raised his palm, summoning a ball of immortal light that illuminated the street. The dim alley instantly became as bright as day—not only was there no trace of evil energy, but even the severed claw and bloodstains from earlier had completely vanished.

Bai Shuo's words caught in her throat. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief.

This was downright supernatural!

Bai Shuo and Hua Little Sister exchanged bewildered glances, momentarily speechless.

It was true—Yicheng had the Spirit-Sealing Barrier laid down by the former Heavenly Emperor Mu Guang. Not only would evil spirits be impossible, but even Nan Wan and Bei Chen's spiritual powers were suppressed within the city. If an evil spirit had appeared, the barrier would surely have reacted. But if that thing wasn't an evil spirit, then what was it?

"What happened just now? Why did the Daoist stop speaking?" Bei Chen asked impassively.

"N-nothing. Maybe I was mistaken," Bai Shuo muttered. Hua Da Tie opened her mouth to speak, but Bai Shuo subtly tugged her sleeve to stop her.

Aside from the three of them, no one else had seen the monster. These immortal sect disciples wouldn't believe her. If a sinister entity had appeared in Yicheng, and even Bei Chen and Nan Wan had sensed the spiritual disturbance and rushed over, yet the Yiren Palace remained silent—something strange was definitely going on in this city.As a mere half-immortal, she couldn't afford to wade into these troubled waters. As long as A-Zhao was safe, she just needed to endure these two days and return to South Sea City early with Hua Da Tie and Fan Yue.

"Must have been mistaken?" Bei Chen frowned. He had clearly sensed two surges of spiritual energy moments ago, yet upon arriving, found nothing but these two half-immortals, Bai Shuo and the others.

"At such a late hour, why would the Daoist not be resting at the inn but appearing here instead?" He turned to Nan Wan with pointed implication. "It seems the Cloud Sky Sect has already obtained the Spiritual Artifact."

Nan Wan's expression darkened, silently cursing Bai Shuo for drawing Bei Chen's suspicion through her recklessness. He was about to speak and take Bai Shuo back when—

Bai Shuo abruptly pulled Hua Da Tie forward, her fake mustache quivering as she feigned bashfulness. "Lord Bei Chen misunderstands. This humble Daoist merely admired the moonlit night and took my little sister out for a stroll."

Having been caught sneaking out by Nan Wan tonight, if she also attracted Bei Chen's attention, she'd surely face Nan Wan's wrath upon returning.

Hua Da Tie played along perfectly, batting her lashes coquettishly. "Indeed, Immortal Bei Chen! I accompanied Baibai for moon viewing. Would you care to join us...?"

As she spoke, Hua Da Tie lunged toward Bei Chen, her thick makeup powder shaking loose. Bei Chen stiffened, hastily retreating several steps.

"Unnecessary. Since all is well, you may carry on." With that, Bei Chen vanished in a flash of spiritual light without another word.

With Bei Chen gone, only the Cloud Sky members remained on the street. Nan Wan glanced at Bai Shuo. "The moonlight remains splendid. Does the Daoist still wish to admire it?"

Bai Shuo hastily waved her hands, yawning exaggeratedly. "Too late, far too late! Another night, another night! My lord, let us retire."

"A Daoist not born of an immortal sect may not know—top-tier Spiritual Artifacts only obey their masters. In others' hands, they're mere scrap metal." Nan Wan's tone was mild, but Bai Shuo pretended not to grasp his warning, nodding earnestly. "I'm enlightened. This humble Daoist shall remember."

"See that you do." Nan Wan snorted lightly before vanishing in similar fashion.

The Cloud Sky disciples promptly surrounded Bai Shuo and Hua Da Tie, politely escorting them back to the inn.

Inside, Hua Da Tie tried following Bai Shuo into her room, only to be unceremoniously shut out. Leaning against the door with her hammer, the old woman wiped her makeup-streaked face and rolled her eyes. "Tsk tsk, what a pair of bridge-burning ancestors."

The moment Bai Shuo entered, Fan Yue transformed into human form. She immediately pulled him close, inspecting him anxiously. "Mu Mu! Let Master see—where are you hurt?!"

Fan Yue shook his head, wordlessly removing his blood-soaked shirt. "Master, this isn't my blood."

Bai Shuo gaped. "Not yours? Then whose?"

"Someone stopped me outside the inn."

"Who? Did they have four claws and a big tail too?"

Fan Yue shook his head. "No, he looked human. Too dark to see clearly, but whatever blocked me seemed mindless, with weak spiritual power."

"Where is it now?" Bai Shuo pressed.

"Gone."

"Gone? It escaped?"

Fan Yue pouted. "I got worried about you and used too much strength. One slap and it... disappeared."

No wonder Fan Yue was drenched in blood—had he literally smacked it into a bloody pulp?Bai Shuo's throat tightened. If Fan Yue hadn't still been wearing that silly, obedient expression, she would have thought this great demon had long regained his memories and was just toying with her!

"Forget it, as long as you're fine. This Strange City is bizarre. Once these two days pass and your Senior Martial Uncle leaves safely, we'll return to South Sea City immediately." Bai Shuo muttered as she flopped onto the bed, drowsily closing her eyes. "I'm going to sleep. I'm exhausted."

"Master, you sleep. I'll guard you."

Fan Yue moved a small wooden stool to sit vigil by Bai Shuo's bedside.

"Good disciple..."

After a night of turmoil, Bai Shuo had no energy left. Mumbling these words, she fell into deep sleep, truly untroubled by worldly concerns.

As for why Hua Da Tie could smash that monster's claw with a single hammer strike—Bai Shuo couldn't be bothered to ask.

Whether it was innate divine power or extraordinary bravery, she had little silver to her name and nothing worth scheming over. Why these demons and spirits had come here or what they wanted to do was beyond her control.

Judging by her demeanor, she wasn't an ordinary half-immortal—who knew if she was fairy or demon—but she seemed well-intentioned. As long as they weren't after her life, the rest had nothing to do with her.

Hua Da Tie heard every word of the conversation between master and disciple inside the room. She lightly tapped two fingers against her iron staff, her expression distant.

The Strange King's Palace was utterly silent when a figure suddenly appeared. The newcomer seemed intimately familiar with the palace, heading straight for the deepest chamber—the Strange King's Hall.

The moment she stepped inside, a saber's gleam flashed, forcing her back outside.

"Who goes there?!" Wu Zhao held his long saber, authority radiating even without anger. When he recognized the visitor, his expression faltered. He quickly sheathed his weapon and bowed, his stern face showing unexpected joy.

"Your Highness, is it you?! You've returned!"

But the newcomer spoke coldly, "Uncle Wu Zhao, when I left years ago, I said the Strange City and I were no longer connected. There's no need to call me 'Your Highness' anymore."

Wu Zhao's expression dimmed. "Your Highness..."

"Why are there evil spirits in the Strange City? Didn't you notice?"

"Evil spirits?" Wu Zhao was stunned. "Impossible. Under the Spirit Lock Seal, the Strange City could never have evil spirits."

The newcomer looked at Wu Zhao, her eyes cold. With a wave of her hand, a severed claw appeared on the ground.

Wu Zhao paled, avoiding her gaze.

"I am no longer of the Strange City, so its affairs are none of my concern. Fairy and Demon Disciples have gathered here. I don't know why he agreed to Jin Yao's request to hold the Wutong Martial Banquet here. Whatever you're planning, whatever schemes you have, the Strange City cannot withstand retaliation from both the immortal and demon realms. You're on your own!"

Without another word, she turned to leave.

"Your Highness! Won't you see His Majesty?"

The newcomer paused but didn't turn back, departing alone.

Wu Zhao picked up the severed claw, his expression shifting several times, before disappearing beyond the hall.

Deep beneath the Strange King's Palace, in a secluded chamber, the Strange King sat cross-legged on the floor.

The moment Wu Zhao appeared, he opened his eyes.

"What is it?"

"Your Majesty, Your Highness has returned."

The Strange King stilled but said nothing.

"Your Highness discovered this."

Wu Zhao raised the severed claw. The Strange King's expression changed, his brow furrowing.

"Your Majesty, this is too risky. Since Your Highness has returned, perhaps we should—"

Wu Zhao began, but the Strange King's cold glance silenced him."The outcasts have been abandoned by the Three Realms for a thousand years, Wu Zhao. This is our only chance... and Yong Er's only chance."

The Outcast King turned his head, gazing at the figure sleeping in the blood pool nearby, then closed his eyes.

In the blood pool lay a monstrous creature with a human body and serpent's tail, bearing four claws—one of which was missing a segment.

It was already high noon when Bai Shuo finally woke up, refreshed and full of energy.

Just as she was about to take Fan Yue downstairs to find some food, she found Nan Wan waiting coldly at her door.