Chapter 134: Parting

Shen Lingyue's brows knotted tight at once, and she spat low, impatient: "Is he a dog? His nose is so sharp! How did he get here so fast?"

He glanced at Lingxiao, unconscious and weak-breathing on the jade bed, then at Shi Ran, whose state was clearly off and prone to misunderstanding, and a flash of resolve crossed his eyes.

He pointed to Lu Changfeng and Wei Yuzhu, "You two come with me to meet that inspector. As for this junior..." He said to Shi Ran, voice urgent, "Stay here and focus on looking after Senior Brother Lingxiao. No matter what you hear outside, remember: do not come out at random! And do not let anyone sense your aura!"

Shi Ran's unease rose to the extreme, her heart pounding like a drum, but seeing her master pallid and life-or-death uncertain on the jade bed, she still nodded firmly, forcing down all fear and panic.

Shen Lingyue took a deep breath, straightened her robes, and led the solemn Lu Changfeng and still indignant Wei Yuzhu out of the quiet room, pulling the door shut behind her.

No sooner had the door closed than muffled voices drifted in from outside. At first one could hear Shen Lingyue's gentle explanation and Lu Changfeng's calm statement, seeming fairly peaceful. But soon a somewhat sharp voice, full of official tone and unquestionable meaning, rose sharply, drowning out the others:

"... Elder Shen! It's not that I lack compassion, nor do I distrust your words! But the abnormal activation of the ancient formation is a major matter, concerning the stability of the two-realm passage! Just now, the residual fluctuations of the formation clearly showed a strong lingering demonic aura, and moreover... a kind of never-before-recorded, extremely profound and obscure unknown energy response! This concerns not only the peace of the human-demon border, but also the diplomatic relations between Bi Yun's End and the Fan Yin Realm—how could we let it go on just your one-sided account? Everyone brought back by that ancient formation, especially the female cultivator bearing a strong 'Abyss' aura, must immediately undergo a full inspection by the Inspection Office! Otherwise, if spies are let in or a greater disaster ensues, who will bear the responsibility?"

Shi Ran's heart sank suddenly, as if plunging into an ice cellar! They really noticed! It was because she, forced to the brink, had used Red Silk power to block that terrifying ice arrow of Piniao, leaking a wisp of demonic qi…

The arguing voices outside grew ever fiercer; Zhenren Zixi's tone was pushy, unwilling to yield an inch. Although one could hear Lu Changfeng's calm, reasoned rebuttal and Wei Yuzhu's indignant counter, it was clear that the inspector held high rank and his attitude was extremely stern.

Shi Ran's palms turned icy cold; looking at her master, breath faint and life hanging by a thread on the jade bed, the Red Silk on her wrist flared hot again—a mix of great fear, unwilling anger, and desperation from being driven to desperation churned wildly in her heart.

She must not be caught! Absolutely not! The "inspection" Zhenren Zixi spoke of sounded nothing like mere questioning! Once she was taken away, her master would be severely injured and comatose, her senior brothers and sisters few and weak—who would protect her? If her secret were fully exposed, what would await her? She dare not imagine! Moreover, she absolutely could not, at this moment, bring tremendous trouble upon her master and the Fumeng Sect!

What should she do? What should she do?! Just as she burned with anxiety, nearly about to have her reason devoured by the restlessness and allure emanating from the Red Silk—

"Crack—"

At one side of the quiet room, the originally tightly shut carved wooden window suddenly emitted an extremely faint sound, pushed open from outside by a narrow gap.

Immediately after, a small head probed in cautiously. It was a little daoist child who looked about seven or eight, with two round buns and eyes extremely large and bright.

The child blinked at her quickly, raised a chubby finger to his lips in a "shh" gesture, then lowered his voice and spoke extremely fast: "Sister, don't be scared! Are you the disciple of Wanshan Jun Zhenren Lingxiao? Uncle Lingyue sent me to come secretly! He told me to tell you, that old Zhenren Zixi outside is wicked—anyone anomalous who falls into his hands comes to no good end! Come with me quickly, this way—I'll first take you to a safe place to hide! Hurry!"

Shi Ran froze entirely; a surge of hope from despair rose instantly in her heart, but her long-held caution and the strangeness of the situation immediately sparked strong vigilance. This child's appearance was too sudden, too coincidental!

The little daoist was sharp; he seemed to see her doubt at a glance, anxiously wrinkling his small face, waving his hands repeatedly, his voice dropping to a near whisper: "It's true! Sis, believe me! Uncle Lingyue said your aura is very special, absolutely must not fall into the inspector's people's hands! Otherwise the border will be unsettled, a major disaster will occur! If we don't go now, we'll really be too late! Look at this! This is what Uncle secretly slipped to me just now!"

Saying that, he strained to push through the window crack a small, warm-to-the-touch jade tablet. The tablet was of excellent quality, clearly engraved on its face with the Fuxian Sword Sect's distinctive cloud-pattern mark, and on the back a soaring dragon and phoenix "Qing" character.

This was probably a token of Qinghe Jun, but Shi Ran did not recognize it; she stared blankly for a moment.

Just then, footsteps outside rushed closer, and Zhenren Zixi's sharp voice sounded almost right outside the door: "... Since Elder Shen insists on blocking, don't blame me for enforcing the law impartially! Men, go in and search! Be sure to find that female cultivator bearing an abnormal aura!"

"You dare!" This was Lu Changfeng's furious shout.

"Boom!" A muffled sound of clashing spiritual power seemed to come through!

No time to hesitate any longer!

Shi Ran snapped her head back, took one last look at the unconscious Lingxiao on the jade bed, her eyes flashing with struggle and guilt, but ultimately turning to resolve. She could not become a burden, nor let her master, who had fought to the death to protect her, fall into danger like this!

She carefully and swiftly placed Lingxiao's cold hand gently back by his side, then tucked in his blanket corners carefully, as if this would make him a bit more comfortable.

Then she resolutely turned and rushed to the window at top speed. Seeing this, the little daoist's face lit up with delight, and he quickly reached out to help.

Shi Ran was naturally agile; even with her spiritual power unsmooth, leaping over a window was no effort. With the little daoist's help, she slipped out the window silently and landed in a narrow, secluded blue-stone alley behind the hall.

Flanking the alley were high palace walls that blocked most of the sunset's light, making it somewhat dim.

"This way! Sis, come quickly!" The child grabbed her hand in one grip; that small hand was surprisingly strong and steady. Knowing the way well, he led her swiftly through the maze-like narrow lanes, his steps so light they were almost soundless.

Shi Ran followed him, practically stumbling as she sprinted, her heart pounding nonstop in her chest, as if it would burst out any second. The Red Silk on her wrist heated in waves with her rapid heartbeat and running motion, the hot feeling even beginning to carry a slight sting, as if urging something, yet also warning something.

She couldn't help but look back, seeing the outline of the majestic palace behind her, in the sunset's afterglow, casting a huge, twisted shadow like a giant beast slowly awakening, ready to pick and devour.

And just in the area they had just left, several powerful streams of divine sense and aura, imbued with inspection and search intent, were rapidly rising and spreading, clearly advancing toward their direction!

A new flight began, right here in this completely unfamiliar border of another world, sudden and unprepared. The icy fear and unknown road ahead intertwined, almost making her suffocate.

The little daoist led Shi Ran through the winding alleys, trying to shake off pursuit. However, the inspector Zhenren Zixi had many capable subordinates, and soon they locked onto their position via some technique.

In the chase, Shi Ran was forced to use Red Silk power again to repel an interceptor, but this caused the Red Silk backlash to worsen, her consciousness nearly devoured by a bloodlust urge. At the critical moment, the little daoist triggered a life-saving talisman given by Shen Lingyue, temporarily concealing their whereabouts and bringing Shi Ran into an underground chamber.

The underground chamber was dark and damp; only a moonstone set into the wall in the corner emitted a faint glow, barely lighting the small space.

Shi Ran curled up against the cold stone wall, her whole body trembling violently. The Red Silk on her wrist writhed like a living thing, waves of burning pain surging higher and higher, fiercely assaulting her divine sense. Bloody, slaughterous visions flashed before her eyes, a voracious, all-consuming violent desire roared in the depths of her heart, nearly tearing her reason to shreds.

"Sister! Sis, hang on!" the little daoist cried anxiously nearby, wanting to approach but daring not to, his chubby little face full of worry and helplessness.

Seeing Shi Ran's painful struggle, her nails almost digging into the stone wall, he spun around in panic, "Uncle Lingyue's Clearing Heart Talisman? Right, the Clearing Heart Talisman!" He fumbled in his bosom and pulled out another pale-yellow talisman, trying to stick it on Shi Ran's forehead.

But before he could get close, Shi Ran flung out a hand; an invisible force shoved him away. A flash of frightening red gleamed in the depths of her eyes, her voice hoarse and distorted: "Don't… don't come near! I can't control it!"

The little daoist was shoved, staggered, and fell to the ground, but he quickly scrambled up, shouting with a sobbing tone: "Sister, you must hold on! Think of your master! Zhenren Lingxiao is still waiting for you to get better!"

"Master..." Those two words were like ice water poured over her head, granting her muddled awareness a brief moment of clarity. She bit hard on her tongue tip; the sharp pain and bloody-sweet taste let her temporarily suppress that mad bloodlust. She gasped heavily, cold sweat soaking her clothes, her whole body like someone just pulled from water.

The burning sensation of the Red Silk gradually ebbed like a tide, but the threat, like a bone-deep ulcer, still lingered. Shi Ran leaned weakly against the wall, her face as white as paper, her eyes filled with lingering dread and fear.

Seeing Shi Ran seemed to have steadied a little, the little daoist cautiously stepped closer a few paces, placed the Clearing Heart Talisman beside her, and said softly: "Sister, hold this; if you feel off, grip it—it will help a bit." He paused, looking at her disheveled state, and sighed like a little adult,

"Uncle Lingyue told me to tell you, you must hold on. He will quickly stabilize the situation on his end. Zhenren Lingxiao's injuries are grave; ordinary pills won't save him, Uncle has already pulled strings, urgently purchasing a spiritual medicine from the Fan Yin Realm, but it takes time."

"Master… will he come to harm?" Shi Ran's voice was weak and hoarse, full of anxiety.

"Uncle Lingyue said he will spare no effort to preserve Zhenren Lingxiao's life, so you need not worry overly; the urgent priority is to protect yourself." The little daoist faithfully conveyed Shen Lingyue's words, "Uncle also assures you that your two senior brothers and sisters, he will try to maneuver, find a pretext to let them leave the Demon Suppression Pass first, so the Inspection Office can't detain them on a pretext. Once you are safely away from here, he will arrange for you to regroup."

Shi Ran's heart eased a little, but then tightened again: "Then… how should I leave? Outside is surely crawling with the Inspection Office's spies."

"Uncle already made arrangements." The little daoist lowered his voice, leaning in: "The Demon Suppression Pass has a long history; underground lie many abandoned old passages. One hidden exit leads outside to a forest called the Mist Forest. The terrain there is complex, miasma lingers year-round, greatly interfering with divine-sense scouting—it's the best route to evade pursuit. Uncle has prepared a route map and aura-concealing magical device; when the sky grows darker and the Inspection Office's shift change eases slightly, I'll bring you out through there."

He pointed to a narrow mouth on the opposite side of the chamber, almost hidden in shadow: "That's the place. However, the passage is long, and due to long neglect, some parts may be tough to traverse."

Shi Ran followed his finger and saw the mouth pitch black, like a beast's throat, exhaling an unknown dangerous aura. But she understood—this was currently the sole road to life.

Just then, the little daoist's ear twitched, his face changing: "Shh! There's movement above!"

The two immediately held their breath and focused. Sure enough, faint footsteps and talk seeped down through the thick earth layer; though muffled, one could tell it was the characteristic cold tone of Inspection Office cultivators.

"... Search carefully! Lord Zixi has ordered: no suspicious corner may be overlooked! That demoness must surely be hiding somewhere inside the pass!"

"There seem to be traces of lingering spiritual power here…"

The voices gradually drew near, then faded away, obviously having not discovered this extremely concealed entrance.

Shi Ran and the little daoist exchanged a glance, both seeing tension in the other's eyes. The Inspection Office's search was stricter and longer-lasting than imagined.

Time trickled by in the oppressive wait. Shi Ran gripped the Clearing Heart Talisman tightly, striving to counter the Red Silk's occasional agitation. The little daoist, meanwhile, nervously cocked his ear to listen to movements above, calculating the time.

Finally, his eyes lit up and he whispered: "Sister, the time is about right; the Inspection Office's main force should have been sent to reinforce the west entrance, where something seems to have gone awry—likely a diversion arranged by Uncle Lingyue. Let's go!"

He took the lead in drilling into the narrow opening, and extended his hand toward Shi Ran.

Shi Ran took a deep breath, finally glanced toward the entrance of the secret chamber, as if she could see through the earth to the unconscious master in the distant hall; determination flashed in her eyes, she no longer hesitated, gripped the little Daoist boy's hand tightly, bent down, and entered that dark, unknown ancient passage that bore the sole hope.

Behind him lay the heavenly net and earthly trap of Zhenyao Pass; ahead lay the mist‑shrouded path of escape. The red thread on his wrist warmed slightly, as if foreshadowing the perils ahead and the uncertain fate.

Her flight had entered a deeper, more inscrutable stage.