Su Zhuyi had lost consciousness.

When she awoke, she found the cave empty. Beside her was a bonfire that illuminated the entire cave brightly, tree branches crackling as they burned. Around the fire was a circle of faint gray lines, drawn to prevent the flames from spreading outward.

The Broken Sword still stood thrust into the ground not far in front of her. Under the firelight’s reflection, even that half-length blade seemed to stand much more upright, looking very reassuring. She struggled to sit up, first carefully examining her body. Finding nothing amiss, she relaxed slightly, then looked around. Neither Miaoshe Shiqi nor Su Qingxun was in the cave—she didn’t know where they had gone.

Taking out her communication talisman, Su Zhuyi discovered it still showed no response. She didn’t know how long she’d slept or why Qinghe hadn’t replied to her.

Su Zhuyi was very concerned about Qinghe’s situation. After thinking for a moment, she took out the communication talisman the sect master had given her. The sect master responded immediately. When Su Zhuyi inquired, she learned that Qinghe wasn’t at Luoxue Peak, and Luoxue Peak had also sealed the mountain. However, the sect master could still enter—he would visit Luo Ying from time to time. These past few days, Luo Ying remained the same. No matter how many pills she consumed, there was no improvement, which was truly worrying.

“By the way, that portrait you created—who is that person exactly?” The sect master’s tone was helpless. “Now, many disciples throughout the sect are worshipping it. When people ask me who they’re worshipping, I don’t even know.”

If I said it was Yunxiao Sect’s Sword Venerable, would you slap me?

“Just a swordsmanship expert.” Su Zhuyi chuckled to herself, her eyes narrowing with a crafty expression. “Worshipping him helps with enlightenment. Sect Master, I’m telling you my swordsmanship cultivation has improved again.”

The sect master didn’t believe Su Zhuyi’s nonsensical chatter—what did she mean by “worshipping helps with enlightenment”? However, hearing that her swordsmanship cultivation had improved, the sect master was still very pleased and praised her repeatedly. “When you return for the sect competition, you’ll overwhelm all rivals!”

“Don’t be like last time at Yunxiao Sect, not even drawing your sword. This is sparring between fellow disciples. Since your swordsmanship is superb, if you have time, give them some guidance.”

“Worshipping the Sword God works well,” Su Zhuyi said smoothly.

“You…” The sect master scolded her a few more times.

Su Zhuyi had originally just wanted to ask about Qinghe and Luo Ying, but who knew the sect master would be so talkative, chattering with her for quite a while. Su Zhuyi simply mentioned to the sect master that she’d encountered Elder Hua from Yunxiao Sect and that they had attacked her. “I used a shadow-recording talisman to document the situation at the time.”

Su Zhuyi added another sentence after finishing.

She had been thoroughly prepared for this trip. Since she was doing good deeds to leave a heroic reputation, she’d brought plenty of portrait talismans and spells. When she saw the Yunxiao Sect cultivators, she’d already activated her shadow-recording talisman.

“Good! When you return, we’ll go to the Yunxiao Sect to demand justice. Are you safe now? I’ll send someone to pick you up!” Sect Master Duan Linshu said angrily, “I’ll come personally!” Su Zhuyi was currently Gujian Sect’s best prospect—Yunxiao Sect was simply going too far!

“You should still watch over Master—she can’t be left alone.” Su Zhuyi said, “I’m temporarily safe. I plan to contact Senior Brother.” As for sending others, if the sect master sent those elders over, she wouldn’t trust them instead.

After ending communication with the sect master, Su Zhuyi noticed there was already someone in the shadows.

Her divine sense was somewhat fatigued—she hadn’t even noticed when Miaoshe Shiqi returned.

“Finished talking?”

Miaoshe Shiqi emerged from the shadows and sat across from Su Zhuyi’s bonfire, then glanced at her coldly and said: “Sit up straight.”

Su Zhuyi was startled. Due to fatigue, she wasn’t sitting properly at the moment, just leaning sideways against the stone wall with her body slumped.

Before she could react, she felt a tree branch snap and strike her shoulder. Miaoshe Shiqi said indifferently, “Sit up straight. I’m going to draw away the Netherworld Gu.”

Su Zhuyi had thought she’d still need to beg him, negotiate with him, or figure out why she knew his secrets before he’d remove the gu. She hadn’t expected him to actively remove the gu for her.

“How about waiting two days?” Until her primordial spirit recovered!

“Wait two days? You’ve already been unconscious for seven days. Wait two more days, and the gu insects will mature in your body and bear fruit.”

She’d slept for seven days!

In that case, there was no time to delay.

Su Zhuyi immediately sat up straight, staring intently at Miaoshe Shiqi.

She had to concentrate completely because she was afraid that while removing the gu, Miaoshe Shiqi might plant a new gu in her.

“Heh!” Miaoshe Shiqi snorted, turning his wrist as a small pinch of black ash appeared at his fingertips. He lightly ground his fingers, and the black ash fell from his fingertips into the bonfire. The originally bright yellow flames instantly turned pale purple, purple mist swirling as a light, clear fragrance wafted over. Su Zhuyi’s gaze was as sharp as lightning as she sat upright and straight in that hazy purple mist, like the broken sword before her.

Her bright face was veiled in purple gauze, her black hair like raven feathers, her skin like jade and snow, sitting formally with distant coldness. Having grown accustomed to her improper smiles, seeing her with such a keep-others-at-arm’s-length appearance, Miaoshe Shiqi let out a soft chuckle from his lips. He took out the ocarina for controlling gu and brought it to his lips to play. After he blew the stone ocarina, Su Zhuyi saw that wrinkled, dark Longevity Gu drill out from his ear, then fly into the purple smoke, circle twice, and land on the Broken Sword.

Broken Sword: “…”

It wriggled on the Broken Sword, its old bark-like skin peeling away layer by layer. As it molted, it made continuous cicada calls, its abdomen repeatedly swelling and contracting, the calls growing louder and louder.

Su Zhuyi’s body trembled slightly.

She felt it.

She felt something inside her body.

That colorless, formless, shadowless Netherworld Gu was drilling around inside her body, running beneath her skin. Su Zhuyi felt something slippery move from her head down to her wrist. Her divine sense followed it—she’d just captured the gu insect, but in the blink of an eye, it disappeared again. Then she felt Miaoshe Shiqi’s cold gaze shooting toward her. Su Zhuyi immediately understood that now she could only use the Longevity Gu to lure it out, otherwise, she couldn’t catch it at all. She absolutely couldn’t be impatient.

The ocarina’s sound was more cheerful than before, giving one a feeling of spring’s vitality.

The bark-like Longevity Gu on the Broken Sword molted layer by layer. Though it was clearly a very small gu insect, like peeling an onion it became smaller and smaller as layers were peeled away, shedding layer after layer of withered skin. Its calls became increasingly shrill, but that sound made Su Zhuyi feel restless and agitated.

She was a demonic path enchantress and was very familiar with such bodily reactions. Her eyes had already widened, and now she stared intently at Miaoshe Shiqi while directly biting her tongue tip, slowly stirring the tip in her mouth until the metallic taste filled her entire mouth. At the same time, she sent a strand of divine sense into the Liuguang Mirror and called out to Qin Jianglan: “Old Dog Qin, I miss you.”

“I miss you so much, I feel empty. Why don’t you recite a Heart-Clearing Mantra for me to hear?” Her body was heating up, unbearably itchy, and her mind involuntarily recalled six hundred years ago on the Wangtian Tree, when her legs wrapped around his waist and abdomen, her hands gripping his back.

Her body burned as if even her divine sense had caught fire. The divine sense Su Zhuyi sent into the Liuguang Mirror clung to Qin Jianglan, pressed against his body, lightly brushing over his form, rubbing against his skin like a length of red silk that wrapped him tightly from head to toe. The red silk covered his face, obscuring his eyes and covering his heart, making his gaze waver.

Qin Jianglan steadied himself slightly, then coughed softly and began reciting the Heart-Clearing Mantra.

That voice was calm and clear, like a cool breeze blowing through her divine sense, brushing her skin and comforting her heart.

Hearing his voice, the restless and agitating cicada calls gradually receded. In Su Zhuyi’s ears, it was as if she could no longer hear any other sounds. Her body seemed to sink into ice and snow, yet she didn’t feel cold at all—like a green pine under accumulated snow that wasn’t broken by the snow’s weight but appeared even more verdant.

Her heart finally slowly calmed, and her entire being was like a pearl soaked in water, its luminous halo becoming even more pure and brilliant.

Miaoshe Shiqi, who was playing the ocarina, lifted his eyelids slightly, his gaze flickering.

She sat there as if glowing.

He lowered his eyes, his gaze gradually deepening.

At that very moment, the Longevity Gu shed all its dead skin, and a pure white butterfly flew out from the Broken Sword.

The butterfly flapped its wings, causing the Netherworld Gu in her body to manifest again. Su Zhuyi felt a sharp pain in her arm, then saw an almost transparent light streak toward the white butterfly in the air.

These two gu insects merged into one in midair.