Thick white fog obscured her vision, and the figures of those who had been beside her seemed to have vanished suddenly.
Li Fei instinctively cast two layers of the Bronze Wall Technique, scanning her surroundings as she called out, "Xiu Yuan? Ge Lin? Are you there?"
Only the ethereal, illusory singing answered her. A faint fragrance wafted through the air as many half-naked women swayed gracefully in dance. Li Fei reached out to push or grab at them, but her hands passed through—despite their apparent closeness and the lingering scent, they were mere illusions.
Li Fei suddenly found it amusing. She wasn’t a man, after all, so these naked women held no allure for her. This Ferocious Beast that sought to bewitch hearts wasn’t so frightening! With a flick of her sleeve, she unleashed the Li Fire Art. Flames blazed forth, and in an instant, the half-naked women vanished, along with the illusory singing of women.
The fog seemed to thin slightly. Li Fei quickened her pace, calling out her companions' names loudly. Ge Lin, like her, probably wouldn’t be swayed by naked women, but the rest of their group were men. Ye Ye was devoted to Chang Yue, so he’d likely be fine; Lu Li appeared stern and proper—she could only hope he was unharmed; Ji Tongzhou, as a noble and esteemed prince, must have seen countless beauties, so those faceless women shouldn’t unsettle him; Lei Xiuyuan...
At the thought of Lei Xiuyuan, something inside her sank, and she couldn’t help but stop in her tracks.
He was someone who always held himself aloof, never showing the slightest interest in other women. Surely... surely he wouldn’t be tempted by those half-dressed figures? Rationally, Li Fei knew exactly what kind of person Lei Xiuyuan was, but when her emotions tangled with thoughts of him, everything became a mess.
The thick fog finally dissipated completely, revealing the setting sun and weary birds returning to the forest. The icy wind of late autumn brushed against her face, and the mountains were awash with crimson maple leaves, their peaks a tapestry of scarlet and aged gold, like a brocade of dazzling hues.
Li Fei was both bewildered and horrified. She frantically looked around—this was Green Mound?! The simple, humble little courtyard where she and her Master had lived?! How had she returned here?!
Her eyes fixed on the tightly shut wooden gate. If she opened it now, would she see her Master? As if under a spell, she couldn’t stop herself from slowly approaching the gate. Inside, candlelight flickered—someone was there. Could it really be her Master?
Just as her hand touched the gate, it was suddenly opened from within. Unexpectedly, standing before her was Lei Xiuyuan. He wore plain cloth robes, his long hair loose, and his eyes—misty yet tender—smiled at her. He reached out and grasped her arm gently, murmuring, "Where have you been? You’re back so late."
Li Fei felt dazed, as if she had indeed been living here with him at Green Mound all along. She clutched his sleeve tightly, staring up at him in a daze—his thick, ink-black hair, his straight nose, his refined yet gaunt face, and those moist eyes. His expression always carried a hint of arrogance, an air of keeping others at a distance, like a solitary crane.
Unconsciously, she whispered his name, "Xiu Yuan."
With a smile, he pulled her inside. The wooden gate closed quietly behind them, leaving only the soft glow of candlelight in the room. The table was already set with dishes—all her favorite vegetarian fare.
"Were you waiting for Master again?" Lei Xiuyuan picked up a piece of bamboo shoot and placed it in her bowl. "He won’t be back for a few more days. Don’t worry."Yes... Master had gone out to handle some business and wouldn't be back for a few more days. He had specifically instructed her and Xiu Yuan to take good care of the house. Li Fei's confused and chaotic heart gradually settled as she took small bites of her meal. Lei Xiuyuan piled her bowl high with vegetables and said plainly, "Eat more. You're ridiculously short."
Li Fei also served him many dishes, sneering, "You're the one who needs to eat more and grow stronger!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, they felt strangely familiar. Had she said this somewhere before? Deep in her consciousness, she felt as though she had forgotten something. After finishing her meal slowly, she watched as Lei Xiuyuan took a jar of salt and sprinkled it outside the house, forming a circle of strange patterns with the white grains. She remembered this was an Arcane art for warding off Monsters. When Master was home, he would do this every night to ensure they wouldn't be secretly eaten by Monsters in their sleep.
Li Fei asked curiously, "Why are you warding off Demons? With me here, no Monstrous creatures would dare cause trouble."
Lei Xiuyuan looked at her with amusement. "What nonsense are you spouting, little girl who can't even master Arcane arts?"
Her heart skipped a beat—that's right, she wasn't special at all. Her aptitude was poor, and at sixteen, she still didn't know how to channel Spiritual energy into her body. Master scolded her all day for being useless. Fortunately, he had taken in Lei Xiuyuan, a prodigy, or else the Arcane arts would have no successor. The thought that she was just an ordinary person filled her with inexplicable relief and comfort.
Night enveloped the small courtyard. Lei Xiuyuan gently embraced her from behind and whispered, "Time to sleep."
What was wrong with her today? She felt restless. This beautiful, peaceful life felt like a dream, filling the invisible cracks in her heart with warmth—yet it frightened her. Li Fei looked up at Lei Xiuyuan again. He raised an eyebrow. "What? Not ready to sleep?"
A fearful question rose from the depths of her heart, almost at her lips. Li Fei murmured softly, "Xiu Yuan... do you... like me?"
He smiled slightly, turning her to face him with both hands. "Of course I like you. I do."
It felt as though she had waited an eternity for these words, even to the point of exhaustion. Now that they had finally left his lips, she couldn't stop trembling all over. Her eyes burned, and she quickly covered them.
Her hand was gently held as Li Fei stared at him, entranced. His face drew closer, his warm lips lightly pressing against her forehead. The unfamiliar kiss—his lips didn't feel like they should. They ought to be fiercer, hotter, as if they could scorch her skin. Instinctively, she flinched away.
Lei Xiuyuan looked surprised. "What's wrong with you today? Are you feeling unwell?"
Li Fei slowly pushed him away, her heart in turmoil. She forced a smile. "I'm going to sleep."
She turned to push open her door, but Lei Xiuyuan grabbed her arm. "That's the storage room."
Storage room? Li Fei peered into the dim space. The room was empty except for a small wooden bed beneath the window—brand new, freshly varnished, gleaming silver under the moonlight.
So familiar. Where had she seen this before?
Breaking free from Lei Xiuyuan's grip, she walked step by step toward the bed. Clean cotton bedding covered it, but atop it lay only a bloodstained jade-colored swaddling cloth—nothing else.In a flash, a vision flickered through her mind as a hoarse yet haughty voice, both familiar and strange, suddenly rang out from outside the window: "Fool! Fool! What use is brilliance and talent? In the end, you're still entangled by these burdens! You're courting death! Hiding it for a day, a year, even a hundred years—how can you hide it for a lifetime?"
Another voice, aged and solemn, let out a sighing laugh before suddenly erupting into a long cry, half-chant, half-song: "Alas, my years grow old and my strength wanes, time slips away never to return! Though I seek immortality and eternal transcendence, better to return to my homeland!"
Li Fei felt as if struck by lightning, nearly leaping to her feet. She turned urgently to Lei Xiuyuan beside her, only to see his gentle smile fade as his body dissolved like sand, vanishing before her eyes. The house, the courtyard, everything in Green Mound—all crumbled into dust and disappeared in an instant.
A soft white glow enveloped her body, the same Source Spiritual Qi that had erupted in Chestnut Blaze Valley now radiating uncontrollably from her. Panicked, Li Fei glanced around, desperate to find somewhere to hide. She didn’t want anyone to see her like this.
But the thick mist had already dispersed, revealing all those who had been swallowed by it moments ago. Everyone was staring at her, her secret laid bare under their collective gaze. Overwhelmed with terror, Li Fei found no place to hide. Her deepest fear, the thing she had tried so hard to conceal, had finally come to pass. They were all watching her—Ge Lin, Ji Tongzhou, Ye Ye, Chang Yue… Their eyes were so unfamiliar, as if she were an outsider who didn’t belong.
Her throat tightened as if gripped by an invisible force, her vision blurring. She staggered backward until her back collided with someone. That person suddenly opened their arms and embraced her gently.
"Don’t be afraid," he whispered into her ear, his warm breath brushing against her skin. "I’m here."
Li Fei turned her head, dazed, to see Lei Xiuyuan gazing at her with a smile. It was as if she had grabbed onto a lifeline in the midst of a raging storm, clinging to him in fear and dependence.
"Help me, Xiu Yuan!" she pleaded.
But Lei Xiuyuan gently pushed her away. His tender smile twisted into something mocking and sharp as he murmured, "You freak—how could I ever truly like you?"
Li Fei stared at him in shock. Around her, countless voices—mocking, cursing, filled with hatred—rose like a tidal wave, threatening to drown and suffocate her.
Then, a scorching hand pressed against her forehead before slapping her hard across the face. The pain jolted her awake, and in an instant, the absurd illusions vanished like receding waves. Gasping for air, Li Fei felt herself being roughly lifted. She looked up in terror, meeting Lei Xiuyuan’s anxious eyes. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead, and when he saw she was awake, a flicker of relief crossed his face.
"That was the Ferocious Beast Mirage Dragon—it spews mist to create illusions and feeds on people’s essence," Lei Xiuyuan whispered urgently into her ear, his hot breath sending a shiver down her spine. Li Fei instinctively flinched away.
Still shaken, she glanced around and saw countless disciples lying motionless in the mist as if in deep slumber. The wispy tendrils of fog seemed alive, seeping into the orifices of each disciple.A lush green island floated overhead, just a few zhang above, with faint wisps of thick white mist continuously drifting down from it.
She could no longer distinguish what was real and what was illusion. Lowering her head, she examined her body—no white light enveloped her. She wanted to stand, to ride the clouds and leave this place, but her limbs had no strength left. With great effort, Li Fei struggled free from Lei Xiuyuan's embrace and crawled forward a few inches.
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