Li Fei fell silent for a moment before speaking softly, "Knowing the truth is better than being kept in the dark. At least I understand his motives and whom he intends to kill, so I can prepare in advance."
"What preparations?" Lei Xiuyuan's smile turned even more mocking. "Like me, constantly on guard day and night, unable to sleep or eat, only to end up falling into the Restricted Area with you?"
She had no retort. The disparity in strength was too vast—no preparation would make a difference.
"Don’t even think about revealing the truth to the other masters at the Academy, not even Zuoqiu Xiansheng. They won’t interfere in personal grudges. Once the Academy gets involved, it becomes a conflict between sects. Those in their positions have far more considerations than we do. Besides, the Nine-tailed Fox Demon is an immense temptation. The more people who know, the greater the danger to you. Do you really believe any Celestial could remain indifferent to the Nine-tailed Fox Demon?"
His words made it sound as though he was certain she was hiding Ri Yan. Li Fei stiffened and replied coldly, "I have no idea where the Nine-tailed Fox Demon is! It’s just Zhen Yunzi’s baseless suspicion!"
Lei Xiuyuan let out a soft "Oh," smiling without another word. Li Fei was thoroughly annoyed. "What’s with the 'Oh'? You were sent by Zhen Yunzi to spy on me. If he’s coming after me, it must be because you lied to him!"
He merely chuckled softly. "Why would I need to tell him anything? Your aptitude was clearly abysmal, yet you’ve shone brilliantly since entering the Academy. Even if others don’t know the reason, what do you think Zhen Yunzi would assume?"
Li Fei eyed him skeptically. "So you’re saying you told him nothing?"
Lei Xiuyuan replied indifferently, "I’m just tired of it all. Whether you have the Nine-tailed Fox or some unheard-of Demon, what does it matter to me? We were never meant to be anything but strangers."
There it was again—that expression. The same one he’d worn when he abruptly left her before, claiming he was bored, yet his demeanor suggested he was weary of everything and wanted to escape far away.
Li Fei studied him quietly. A lingering question about him, unrelated to Zhen Yunzi or Ri Yan, remained in her heart.
"Lei Xiuyuan, you had plenty of chances to get me expelled from the Academy. Even if Chang Yue suspected you, it wouldn’t have been a big deal—you could’ve just denied it. Why did you let go so cleanly in the end? Why leave without a word?"
He smiled faintly. "Yes, why indeed?"
After a pause, Li Fei spoke again, softer this time. "Why do you work for Zhen Yunzi? You’re... not like him."
Lei Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What kind of person am I, then?"
"I don’t know. You said everything you told us before was a lie. But you’re different from Zhen Yunzi. I can’t pinpoint how, but you are."
Lei Xiuyuan seemed lost in thought for a long moment before finally saying, "Zhen Yunzi is... something like a half-Master to me."
A Master? Half-Master? What did that mean? Li Fei stared at him in confusion.
"I’m not the biological son of Vice Minister of Rites Lei of Gaul," he said calmly. "Around the age of six, I was adopted. I have no memories of anything before that. I was taken in because I had a Spirit Root—much like how young nobles have cultivation companions. Back then, I was adopted to serve as a study companion for the Third Prince, Ye Ye.""...Then you've met Ye Ye before?" Li Fei was somewhat surprised. No wonder Ye Ye and Chang Yue suspected he might be the child of Lord Lei from Gaul—they must have seen him previously.
"I have, including the Baili Sisters. But back then, Ye Ye was the noble Third Prince, and the Baili Sisters were daughters of aristocracy. Who would remember a mere study companion like me? After Gaul fell, Lord Lei had me impersonate the Third Prince to be handed over to Wugou, hoping to preserve the royal bloodline. In Wugou's camp, surrounded by many immortal cultivation disciples, I was powerless to resist and nearly executed on the spot—until Brother Lu saved me."
Brother Lu? Li Fei was stunned again. Didn't he say Brother Lu's story was fabricated?
Lei Xiuyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, lost in memory: "Brother Lu was a disciple of Star Rectitude Hall. He happened to pass by, noticed my exceptional talent, and couldn't bear to see me die. So he secretly rescued me. Wugou somehow got wind that I was an impostor, leading to Lord Lei's exposure and the extermination of his family. The hunt for me gradually eased. After my rescue, despite his busy cultivation schedule, Brother Lu often found time to care for me and even taught me fist and sword techniques. He often lamented his low cultivation level and lack of standing in the sect, which prevented him from recommending me to Star Rectitude Hall. He was a good man, but good men often don't live long. During a demon-hunting expedition to forge a Mystical Treasure, he was gravely injured by a monstrous creature. Before dying, he entrusted my affairs to his master, Zhen Yunzi, who, impressed by my talent, intended to take me as his disciple and formally bring me into Star Rectitude Hall."
"However, just then, he suddenly obtained concrete information about the Nine-tailed Fox and had to set my matter aside. I waited at the foot of Star Rectitude Hall's mountain for nearly half a year until he finally returned, but with a face full of frustration. The Nine-tailed Fox had suddenly vanished, and he suspected a young girl was involved. But that girl had been sent by Dongyang Zhenren to the preliminary selection at Young Phoenix Academy, leaving him no opportunity to act. Coincidentally, I wasn't yet a Star Rectitude Hall disciple and was young enough, so he asked me to help by entering the academy to observe and track the girl."
"Zhen Yunzi was Brother Lu's master and might have become mine in the future. Besides, I had nothing better to do, so I agreed. I considered countless ways to approach you, but with Ye Ye and the others by your side, they might eventually uncover my true identity. After much deliberation, I decided to disguise myself as a beggar and feed you a mix of truth and lies about my background. I originally planned to make my move in Huaguang County, but the academy had secretly assigned protectors to the selected disciples, leaving me no opening. So I had to let you enter the academy. Afterward, Zhen Yunzi waited nearby, and we communicated via messenger birds—always on that floating isle full of red flowers—until Baili Changyue noticed my slip. That's the whole story."
Li Fei was dumbfounded once more. So this was the full context behind everything. No wonder she kept running into Lei Xiuyuan on that island, and no wonder he fell victim to the Word Spirit Nightmare Art. With the academy's treacherous terrain making communication impossible and Zhen Yunzi unwilling to risk his reputation by infiltrating the academy, they had resorted to messenger birds.
Still, given Zhen Yunzi's cautious nature, it was hard to imagine he would divulge the entire plan to Lei Xiuyuan, who was neither a trusted confidant nor more than an unfamiliar child to him.As if sensing her confusion, Lei Xiuyuan said, "He didn't tell me everything, just parts of it. I know he's been trying to track down a Great Demon all these years, and I only happened to learn it was the Nine-tailed Fox. That his cultivation has hit a bottleneck is no secret, and as for Dongyang Zhenren and the Fox Demon's disappearance—you were the one who mentioned that. I just pieced together these fragments to make an educated guess, though it's probably not far from the truth."
To deduce so much from scattered clues—what he said was essentially the complete truth. Li Fei secretly admired him; this child was truly clever. She wondered what kind of remarkable person he would grow into.
"Anything else you want to ask?" Lei Xiuyuan looked at her.
After a long pause, Li Fei suddenly asked, "Did that Zhen Yunzi ever teach you anything about cultivation?"
This seemed to catch him off guard. He blinked. "Not yet. I'm not officially his disciple."
"Then how can you call it a 'half-teacher's kindness'? Don't you know—a master is a master! There's no such thing as half! Teaching you life principles, cultivation methods, taking care of you—that's what makes a master! He used you and then tried to kill you—what kind of master is that? Even Brother Lu was more deserving of being called your master!"
Lei Xiuyuan suddenly smiled. Gazing at her, he said softly, "Perhaps you're right. I wanted to repay Brother Lu's kindness, but in the end, I became someone detestable. Now that he's gone, there's no way to repay him anymore."
From the moment she'd met him until now, this child had hardly ever spoken the truth. She didn't know if he was being genuine this time, but she didn't want to think he was lying. Words could deceive, but eyes couldn't. Though his tone was indifferent when mentioning Brother Lu, his gaze had never been so gentle before.
Maybe Ri Yan was right—his heart wasn't truly wicked.
"Why did you suddenly stop? You knew Zhen Yunzi would silence you. Why defy him?" she repeated the same question.
Lei Xiuyuan replied softly, "Why do you keep asking this?"
Li Fei hesitated. "I don't know. I just did."
He tilted his head and smiled. "I don't know why either. I just did."
Such a typical Lei Xiuyuan-style evasive answer. Li Fei shook her head, but the resentment in her heart toward him began to fade.
"Do you hate Ye Ye and the others?" she asked quietly.
After being adopted by Lord Lei, he was sent to die in Ye Ye's place within a year. From Lord Lei's perspective—loyalty to the throne, preserving royal bloodline—it was morally justified. But from a human standpoint, it was utterly heartless, as if he'd been adopted solely to die. With Lei Xiuyuan's talents, he could have thrived without adoption—any Immortal Sect would have fought to take him in.
He shook his head. "Hate is too intense an emotion. It usually stems from deep emotional investment followed by betrayal. I have nothing to hate. Gaul has fallen. It's all in the past now."
Li Fei fell silent. Suddenly, Lei Xiuyuan added, "After everything I've told you—now that you know the whole truth, all you've gained is trouble and hopelessness. Do you regret it?"She drifted into thought for a moment before murmuring, "I don't know either, but being kept in the dark is never good. At least now I know Zhen Yunzi is behind this and understand his motives. I won't remain forever as just an entry-level disciple at the Academy. One day, I'll grow strong enough to guard against him and protect my friends."
Lei Xiuyuan said indifferently, "The Academy will likely deduce about eighty percent of what happened this time. To avoid conflict between sects, they'll certainly choose to suppress the matter. However, they'll definitely strengthen their defenses within the year. It won't be so easy for Zhen Yunzi to send messages or enter again."
"Are you saying the danger will only begin a year later when we join an Immortal Sect?"
He neither confirmed nor denied, merely stating impassively, "You'll have a long time—perhaps even a lifetime—of feeling like you're sitting on pins and needles. He might not move against you, but you'll start seeing shadows as ghosts. Even if he finds other monsters to refine his Mystical Treasure, he won't forget you might have a Nine-tailed Fox. As long as he lives, you'll never know peace."
Li Fei bit her lip and remained silent. After a long while, she whispered, "I'm not afraid."
"What about your friends? Baili Changyue's silencing is only a matter of time."
"And what about you?" she countered.
After a moment's silence, he replied, "Killing me won't be so easy."
And he accused her of speaking pompously—wasn't he just the same? What did he mean by "killing me won't be so easy"? Who was it that nearly fell off a cliff after being hit by Nightmare Art? And who was it that fell during sword flying this time? If not for the thick, viscous miasma here, all three of them would have been smashed to pulp by now, with no chance to discuss the truth. Truly, as Master said, no matter how peculiar a man's personality might be, the universal flaw was their love for saving face and playing the hero.
"It's too early to think about this now, and it's useless anyway. We should focus on cultivating well during this year. I'll tell Changyue everything—she's always been clever, and Ye Ye is resourceful. They won't die so easily," Li Fei said.
Lei Xiuyuan seemed unwilling to continue the topic. He took out a water pouch and some dry rations from his robe, sharing them with her. "After eating, I'll go look for water."
Li Fei was starving and ate while speaking, "Let me go instead. I'm not afraid of this miasma."
"Is it because of the Nine-tailed Fox?" Lei Xiuyuan's sudden question made her cough violently, just like Ji Tongzhou earlier.
"D-don't spout nonsense!" Li Fei's neck turned red from coughing. "What Nine-tailed Fox! If I had such a powerful demon, why would I still be at the Academy?"
He gave a soft "oh" and smiled without another word. Li Fei found his smile irritating and stuffed the remaining rations into her mouth before clapping her hands clean and walking out of the cave.
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