Chapter 230

"Sister, do you think Yuan Daoist is pretending to be weak?" Wang Yu frowned and asked.

"I'm not entirely sure."

"I've known him since childhood, even had a marriage pact with him, but I've never been able to understand him—I'm even a little afraid of him."

"Years ago, I realized that whenever my fiancé wants something, no matter how he achieves it, he always gets it—but those caught up in his schemes are nine out of ten times ruined." Ximen Mei finally turned her head, gazing at Wang Yu slowly, her expression grave.

"Afraid? With your abilities, that shouldn't be possible—and if you already know Yuan Daoist isn't ordinary, why were you so rude to him earlier?" Wang Yu frowned in confusion.

"Precisely because I know he's dangerous, I'm putting on this act for him—and he likely knows I'm aware of his true nature, and may even be playing along with me." Ximen Mei fell silent for a moment, then spoke calmly.

After hearing this, Wang Yu scratched his head, thinking for a long while before finally understanding her meaning, then let out a bitter laugh:

"I understand your meaning, Sister—you're deeply wary of your fiancé, and even dislike him."

"If that's the case, why not ask the Ancestor to dissolve the betrothal? Then neither of you would have to keep performing for others."

"How do you know I haven't tried to break the betrothal? My ancestral grandfather outright refused—especially now, after the Great Xiang Sect's great calamity, when we've all relocated here to the Thousand Bamboo Sect, and must maintain good relations with their Golden Core Ancestor."

"It's said that the Thousand Bamboo Sect agreed to let our Four Symbols Sect relocate here solely because Yuan Huatian's grandfather pushed for it."

"Now this betrothal isn't just my personal matter—it's tied to the relationship between the Four Symbols Sect and the Thousand Bamboo Sect." Ximen Mei's face darkened, utterly helpless.

"Tied to two sects' relations? That's indeed complicated. But why tell me this now?" Wang Yu, after listening, felt a pang of sympathy for this Ximen Sister.

If nothing unexpected happens, this woman, no matter how unwilling, will still end up marrying Yuan Huatian.

"What else? Of course, to warn you—to keep your distance from Yuan Huatian, so you don't get sold out without realizing it. After all, you've drawn his attention largely because of me." Ximen Mei shot Wang Yu a glance, her tone sharp.

"Wait, Sister—I never provoked him! I just saved his life!"

"That's exactly why I say I can't understand him—you never know what he's thinking, and he holds grudges tightly, with a petty heart."

"From what I know of him, if he noticed you didn't help him when you passed by, and later found out, he'd surely be deeply offended—and if he gets the chance, he'll repay you in kind."

"But even if you did help him, he probably doesn't think you saved him—he might think you meddled unnecessarily."

"So be extra careful with his seemingly joking words—because when he says things like that, they're often his true thoughts." Ximen Mei sighed.

"Joking words? You mean… does your fiancé really think there's something between me and you?" Wang Yu froze for a moment, then realized, his expression turning strange.

"From what I know of him, he's already taken a dislike to you—otherwise why would I play the villain and tell you all this?" Ximen Mei, still a young woman, spat lightly, her cheeks flushing.

"So this Yuan Daoist is capricious? I understand—thank you for the warning." Wang Yu looked utterly exasperated; being saddled with such a burden was truly unjust.

"I know you've suffered an undeserved misfortune. Fortunately, you're not from the Thousand Bamboo Sect, and you rarely leave the sect grounds—so even if Yuan Huatian has some tricks, he won't come to the Four Symbols Sect to bother you. In two or three years, he might forget this entirely." Ximen Mei's blush faded considerably as she comforted Wang Yu.

"I hope so," Wang Yu replied listlessly.

"Don't worry, Brother—I'll do my best to ask my ancestral grandfather for a registered disciple status for you after this mission. That'll make Yuan Huatian think twice." Ximen Mei blinked her beautiful eyes, then suddenly said this.

"Really? Thank you, Sister!"

Hearing this, Wang Yu's face lit up with joy.

Seeing this, Ximen Mei smiled faintly.

…

More than half a day later.

After evading another group of Black Soul Sect disciples, the two finally slipped quietly into the central region of the mountain range.

Whether it was the true power of the Xiao Mi Yun Banner's treasure or because other demonic disciples were occupied elsewhere, the rest of their journey was surprisingly smooth—no further incidents occurred.

After spending nearly another day, they easily found the location marked on the map.

Now standing above a valley, they held the

"Yes, this is it. The surrounding terrain and the shape and position of this valley are identical." Xi Men Mei held the scroll in one hand and the jade pendant in the other, comparing them several times before declaring with full certainty, her face glowing with excitement.

Clearly, finding the place so easily had exceeded her expectations.

"Since we're certain, let's go down—but we must keep the Xiao Mi Yun Flag active. Otherwise, with my current blood aura signature, I'd attract a swarm of demonic sect disciples the moment we leave this talisman artifact." Wang Yu gripped the faint blue-green flag in his hand, speaking with solemnity.

Earlier, before entering the depths of the mountain range, he had tested whether his blood aura marker could still be detected by the positioning crystal ball under the Mi Yun Flag's coverage.

As expected, although the positioning crystal ball was powerful, it was still a special-grade entry-level magical instrument and could not penetrate the power of a third-rank talisman artifact.

Within the blue-green aura, the positioning crystal ball immediately lost its tracking effect.

Yet since entering the mountain range's depths, Wang Yu dared not attempt any method to split his blood aura.

Otherwise, with so many glowing dots scattering wildly through the mountain's interior, and if demonic sect disciples captured those flying birds, anyone would know a powerful intruder had slipped in.

At this moment, the two retracted their flying vessel and, enveloped together in the blue-green aura, their bodies wrapped in Bai Yun, used a levitation technique to drift down into the valley.

Although they had found the location, the entrance itself would still require searching within the valley.