Ming Li listened to their gossip about the Bei Dou Pilgrim until midnight, only returning to her dormitory room after everyone had grown tired and dispersed.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, she found it all laughable, even chuckling out loud, though her eyes held no mirth.

At this point, trying to trace who had spread these rumors was futile. Many southerners believed them to be true, which explained their poor attitude toward Bei Dou. No wonder no one said anything when Nan Que openly bullied Bei Dou.

In the eyes of some onlookers, they might even think Nan Que was avenging Ming Li.

Ming Li lay down, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Had her junior sister died? Her senior brother had witnessed it with his own eyes and then lost his memory due to severe injuries. Where was her junior brother now? And was her elder brother, who loved to wander outside, safe and well?

She folded her arms over her eyes, frowning with regret. Why hadn’t she been more careful in the Bei Jing Gui Yuan? Why wasn’t she strong enough?

Why had she failed?

If she hadn’t died, she certainly wouldn’t have allowed her junior sister to die in the Ghostly Plains, wouldn’t have let her senior brother be injured so badly, wouldn’t have let the sect’s treasure be stolen and the seven academy directors killed, and wouldn’t have… let her junior brother’s whereabouts become unknown.

Perhaps no news was good news, but times without news were also the most worrying.

Ming Li fell into light sleep amid self-blame, yet her consciousness felt heavy, experiencing a sense of falling through endless darkness. In her ears was the howling wind, while her nostrils filled with the smell of fierce fires burning vegetation in the Northern Ghostly Plains. Faintly intermixed was the sound of iron chains colliding.

This sound was familiar to her—the chains that bound her junior brother, heard in numerous nightmares.

The raging fire dispersed the darkness like devouring a scroll, revealing the surroundings.

Ming Li tried to remember everything before her—stone steps, fragments, bloodstains… yet it differed from the previous dream. The person who had been bound by iron chains at the center of the stone platform was gone, and the platform had been stained a deep color by thick blood. Dry bones and shattered flesh piled layer upon layer, forming a small mountain.

Floating black mist shadows resembled distorted human forms. They wailed or roared with the wind. Ming Li seemed to become one of them, yet unlike their frenzy, she quietly circled the stone platform, searching.

Ming Li had recently improved her cultivation of the Yin Meridian, allowing her to maintain self-awareness in dreams, splitting the dreaming “her” into an independent “me.”

She morphed into a mist shadow, trying to find her junior brother, who had been bound in the dream.

In such a hellish scene, she heard the sound of iron chains coming from behind, accompanied by a man’s mocking voice: “Looking for me?”

Ming Li had just begun to turn when she was jolted awake.

She abruptly sat up in her bed and looked toward the door. It was Fang Hui knocking.

Ming Li frowned, adjusted her mindset, and went to open the door. Fang Hui got straight to the point: “The formation has been broken.”

Their carefully coordinated Mirage Sea formation, sufficient to trap Jiang Wuyue and others for ten days, had been broken after just one day.

Even if Jiang clan members came looking for Jiang Wuyue, they wouldn’t know she was trapped in the Mirage Sea. Unless an academy director-level person from Nan Que Seven Sects happened to pass by, no one would notice anything amiss.

Ming Li also didn’t believe that anyone trapped inside could break out of the formation in such a short time.

Fang Hui’s eyelid twitched, and he added: “Qian Li is also missing.”

This was the real reason he had come knocking in the middle of the night.

“The Jiang clan?” Ming Li asked.

Fang Hui immediately understood her meaning and shook his head: “I’m not clear about the Jiang clan’s battle capability, I don’t know if they have anyone who could break the formation from outside.”

Ming Li: “Was Qian Li rooming with you?”

Fang Hui nodded, “I was asleep. I only woke up because the formation was broken. I didn’t see him.”

This meant the Mirage Sea had just been broken.

But why would Qian Li…

Ming Li and Fang Hui searched around separately but didn’t find him. When they tried to leave the Ghost Mansion’s new quarters, they were told they couldn’t exit without a passage token.

Fang Hui said with a grave face: “Perhaps they used an Eight Meridians formation to take him away.”

Only someone from Nan Que could use an Eight Meridians formation to silently transport someone away within Nan Que.

Ming Li couldn’t help but recall how Jiang Ying had specifically glanced at Qian Li when leaving the Ghost Mansion gate yesterday.

Qian Li was Qing Ying’s only clan member; Ming Li wouldn’t allow him to be captured by the Jiang clan.

Even if they used an Eight Meridians formation to transport someone out of Nan Que, they could only transport them out of Nan Que, not directly to the Jiang family.

Fang Hui said, “We need to find a way to bypass the mountain gate supervision to get out…”

Before he could finish, Ming Li had already leaped swiftly to the second floor, following the smell of alcohol to find Qiu Hong’s room. She raised her hand to knock on the door, calling: “Qiu Hong.”

Qiu Hong, who opened the door, was bleary-eyed, wearing a triangular sleeping cap on his head. After barely making out who was before him, he asked: “What’s wrong?”

Ming Li said, “Let’s fight.”

“Huh?” Qiu Hong rubbed his eyes, looking confused, but his reaction was quick. “Alright.”

Qiu Hong instantly became alert at the mention of fighting, leaning back to avoid Ming Li’s straight Qi incantation, only to see a cluster of fire ignite behind him. Surprise flashed across his face—he hadn’t expected Ming Li to set fires.

And—and it was burning!

But Ming Li showed no intention of stopping. Her attacks came fast, forcing Qiu Hong to constantly react and dodge, while her fire incantations were thrown everywhere.

The first to catch fire was Qiu Hong’s room.

Dou Lanmin was still sound asleep inside when he was suddenly awakened by the heat. With a cry of surprise, he jumped out of bed and rushed outside: “Qiu Hong, you…”

He came barefoot into the corridor to find Qiu Hong and Ming Li exchanging blows. Under Qiu Hong’s powerful punch, filled with star power, Ming Li’s fire formation, deployed using the Eight Meridians formation, exploded directly, sending star-like sparks flying everywhere, quickly spreading throughout the entire new quarters.

Next door, Cheng Jingbai tumbled out of the burning room wearing only his upper garment, cursing: “Damn!”

“If you two want to murder everyone, be more subtle about it!”

“Holy crap, holy crap, how did it catch fire!?”

“Don’t sleep, wake up! There’s a fire! Your hair is almost burnt off—get up!”

“Stop watching them fight and run!”

“Does no one want to sleep? Then let’s all stay awake!”

Some hot-tempered fellows joined the fray, cursing and swearing. As chaos spread, many people began fighting. No one knew who had started it; they only knew they’d been hit and needed to hit back, regardless of who had hit them. Whoever they could hit became their target.

The Ghost Mansion Mountain’s new quarters caught fire. Mountain guard disciples rushed over to put it out, expecting these newcomers to actively help extinguish the fire. But when they arrived and saw the newcomers fighting in a jumbled mess, they nearly fainted.

This even alarmed the Ghost Mansion Director. The old man looked at the new quarters building, half-consumed by fire, with pain and indignation. He drove all the newcomers who were still fighting during the fire to go down the mountain to sleep on the ground.

He specifically ordered those who had been fighting during the fire to go down the mountain, his words stern and his demeanor imposing. As a result, all the newcomers went.

Ghost Mansion Director: “…”

Not a single one of them was well-behaved!

The newcomers, still arguing, cursing, and grumbling after being driven out, arrived at the notice board area at the foot of the mountain under the supervision of the mountain guard disciples. They happened to meet Li Yansi, who was about to return. She stopped to inquire what had happened. After learning the details, she laughed heartily, pointing at Ming Li, who was hiding at the back: “Who did you fight?”

Ming Li pointed to Qiu Hong beside her.

Qiu Hong wiped his face and said, “We haven’t determined a winner yet!”

Ming Li responded with an “oh” and generously said, “You win.”

Li Yansi shook her head: “A battle must have a beginning and an end. You shouldn’t concede easily. But don’t fight tonight—there will be plenty of opportunities for you all to…”

She suddenly stopped speaking and looked toward the mountain path behind, her brows furrowing as her relaxed demeanor changed to seriousness.

Everyone noticed the unusual atmosphere at the foot of the mountain.

Even the youths who had been lying out bedding on both sides of the path felt something was wrong. The mixed sounds of people talking and night insects ceased in that instant. All was silent, except for the delicate jingling of the gold ornaments swaying atop the black-robed woman’s head in the moonlight.

“This is…” Someone drew in a sharp breath, unable to resist covering their mouth, eyes filled with shock as they gazed at the black-clad woman walking on the mountain path.

She had a beautiful face, but her phoenix eyes were exceptionally sharp and domineering. Every gesture exuded natural arrogance. Walking among the crowded mountain path like a beast surveying its territory, the aura of dominance and composure radiating from the black-clad woman excited many people.

How fortunate they were tonight to see our Nan Que Pilgrim!

The newcomers, who had been noisy just moments ago, were now all captivated by Cui Yaocen. Under her powerful presence, they instinctively fell silent and held their breath. Some who were particularly excited covered their mouths with their hands, or simply buried their heads on their companions’ shoulders.

Unlike these excited youths, Ming Li retreated behind Qiu Hong when she discovered Cui Yaocen appearing at the foot of the mountain, using his tall figure to block the view from the front.

Qiu Hong remained calm, his expression curious as he looked at this supreme powerhouse.

Ming Li was afraid he might directly wave and call out to Cui Yaocen, “Let’s have a fight!”

She lowered her head, blinking once. Cui Yaocen returning from outside at this time made Ming Li almost certain that she was the one who had broken the Mirage Sea.

Li Yansi bowed her head to Cui Yaocen, who had walked up beside her: “You’ve returned.”

Cui Yaocen continued walking without stopping, merely responding lazily. She didn’t pay attention to either the youths who had come to challenge the mountain or the newcomers who had already entered the mountain.

In her eyes, she would never notice such humble and weak people.

After Cui Yaocen and Li Yansi disappeared from everyone’s view, the quiet mountain path became lively again. Everyone couldn’t help but share their thoughts about seeing the Pilgrim.

However, Ming Li and Fang Hui quietly slipped away amid the excitement.

*

In the middle of the night, mist surrounded the courtyard but dared not enter. Even the insects chirping in the flower beds had ceased their sounds. Yet the Well Mansion Director Yumei hadn’t moved from her position, still brewing tea under the eaves. Due to her weak constitution, she occasionally covered her mouth to cough.

The tea she had brewed earlier hadn’t satisfied her at all, so she kept trying again amid this disappointment.

The brewed tea hadn’t gone to waste; it had all been fed to the disciple standing guard for her at night.

The disciple, rubbing his round belly, said with a wry smile: “Master, I really can’t drink anymore.”

Yumei smiled and looked toward the door: “The person should have arrived by now. You may go.”

The night guard disciple hastily thanked her and withdrew. Just as he reached the entrance, he saw a dark figure leap past him and enter.

Cui Yaocen gracefully took a seat opposite Yumei, hearing her pick up the teapot and say: “The new tea isn’t ready yet.”

“When will you ever change that picky temperament of yours?” Cui Yaocen said indifferently. “What urgent matter made you call me back?”

Yumei coughed lightly, drawing her large coat closer. She lifted the teapot to pour water into the cup, watching the tiny tea leaf tips twirl with the water flow. The rising steam hit her cold nose tip, bringing warmth.

“It concerns the Young Master,” Yumei said. “The Zhao family’s child passed the mountain challenge today, but the Young Master transferred him from Ghost Mansion Mountain to Vermilion Bird State. From his words, it seems he considers the Jiang clan’s family grudge more important than Nan Que’s reputation.”

Cui Yaocen frowned.

Yumei said in a gentle, soft voice: “This marriage hasn’t been finalized yet, but he’s already so considerate of the Jiang clan. Perhaps he’s being a bit too hasty.”

Cui Yaocen rose wordlessly.

Yumei said, “The tea isn’t ready. Stay and drink before you go.”

“Tomorrow,” Cui Yaocen said.

Yumei raised the teacup to her lips and took a sip, sighing softly. Then she poured the tea back into the pot, her expression calm: “Tomorrow, there won’t be such good tea.”

*

After hearing Yumei’s words, Cui Yaocen went to find her brother, but couldn’t find him at his residence. Remembering a certain place, her anger intensified.

That mountaintop was forbidden ground, where others dared not tread. The winding mountain path had complex formations, perpetually shrouded in thick fog. The formation at the summit was different, assisted by high-grade spirit weapons to set the array, which could only be opened with Cui Yuan Xi’s blood as a guide.

Otherwise, not even a Pilgrim could forcibly break through.

Cui Yaocen grew angry every time she saw this formation. She flashed down at the formation’s edge and said sternly: “Come out.”

Cui Yuan Xi, standing at the doorway, had already sensed her presence. He walked over silently. As soon as he reached the edge of the formation, Cui Yaocen raised her hand and slapped him.

“For a woman, you’ve been living more and more foolishly these past years!” Cui Yaocen looked at him with frustration. As Cui Yuan Xi raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth and stood straight, she slapped him again. “Since you want to marry Jiang Ying, completely bury the woman in the room!”

Cui Yuan Xi’s gaze turned cold: “No.”

Cui Yaocen laughed coldly: “Cui Yuan Xi, don’t tell me you’ve fallen in love with a puppet without consciousness?”

Cui Yuan Xi lowered his head and said, “I keep her in case Ying’s body has problems again and needs her.”

“I don’t care who you like, but I won’t allow you to damage Nan Que’s reputation and interests for outsiders. Wake up and recognize your identity.” Cui Yaocen said severely. “You are the Young Master of Nan Que. What is the Jiang clan? In the entire South, you and I are supreme, not the Jiang clan.”

Cui Yuan Xi was silent for a moment, then said softly: “I was wrong.”

Only then did Cui Yaocen relax her oppressive aura somewhat. Her gaze moved past him to look at the small house behind, her expression disgusted: “You’d better deal with this woman soon. If that protective old fox from Bei Dou finds out you’ve turned his disciple into such a neither-human-nor-ghost state, I’d like to see how you explain yourself!”

Cui Yuan Xi’s expression darkened, but he said nothing, his fingers tightly clenched into a fist inside his sleeve.

Cui Yaocen delivered her final ultimatum: “You’d better take action within three days. Don’t force me to do it myself.”

Cui Yuan Xi lowered his head and said: “Sister, you can order me to do anything, except this one thing.”

*

After leaving Ghost Mansion Mountain and entering Vermilion Bird State City, Ming Li and Fang Hui separated to search for people.

Instead of finding Qian Li, Ming Li unexpectedly ran into Jiang Wuyue, who had escaped from the Mirage Sea, on a deserted street.

Jiang Wuyue wasn’t accompanied by Snake Skull; only two ordinary servants. When she saw Ming Li, her face changed slightly. Inwardly cursing her bad luck, she outwardly feigned composure: “This is inside Vermilion Bird State, right under Nan Que Mountain. I’ll be magnanimous and let you off tonight. Why don’t you hurry along?”

“Leave?” Ming Li laughed, strolling closer to Jiang Wuyue. “I think you’re the one who wants to leave.”

Seeing this, Jiang Wuyue kept backing away. Just as fear was rising in her heart, she suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind: “Wuyue.”

Her eyes brightened immediately, and she turned to call out: “Sister!”

Ming Li stopped in her tracks, her eyes flickering. She saw Jiang Ying emerge from the street shadows.

Jiang Ying wore a black cloak and slowly removed her hood. Her gaze was gentle as she looked at Ming Li ahead, saying meaningfully, “Zhou Li, my younger sister Wuyue has mentioned you before.”

Ming Li glanced at Jiang Wuyue, who had become arrogant now that she had backup. “I didn’t expect she would be Senior Sister Jiang’s sister.”

“Sister, this ugly freak actually…” Just as Jiang Wuyue was about to show off, Jiang Ying sealed her mouth with a Qi word incantation. She continued looking at Ming Li: “If you’ve secretly left the mountain at night to find Zhao Qianli, you might as well give up.”

Ming Li: “What if I don’t give up?”

Jiang Ying smiled: “Master likes you very much. I hope you won’t disappoint her.”

She gestured for Jiang Wuyue to leave. Jiang Wuyue glared hatefully at Ming Li before reluctantly following Jiang Ying.

Jiang Ying dared to speak this way because, with her cooperation, Qian Li had already been controlled by the Jiang clan’s people.

Although Qian Li had been transported out of Nan Que while still sound asleep, his alertness was strong. He woke up almost as soon as he landed, detecting that something was wrong. In an unknown dark street corner of Vermilion Bird State city, Jiang clan people were positioned all around, on and below the walls.

Even a Jiang clan Elder had been dispatched—one of those elderly, seemingly gaunt old men who were important figures guarding the Jiang clan.

When Qian Li’s eyes reflected these familiar yet strange figures, his pupils contracted. Before he could mobilize his star power, iron chains flew out from all sides, piercing his flesh and locking his limbs. The chain that pierced his chest sent him flying against the wall, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

The blood line connected as he was about to deploy Heaven’s Net Myriad Phenomena, but was sealed by Grey Scorpion’s Eight Eyes Demonic Gaze, which sealed his star meridian power.

The opponents cooperated seamlessly, clearly well-prepared.

The chain that had pierced his chest wrapped around his neck, forcing his head up like a dog on a leash, making his neck emit a cracking sound. The intense pain caused Qian Li to cry out in agony.

The Jiang clan Grand Elder looked on coldly, snorting: “Just such a young lad, yet you wasted so much time, even needing Nan Que’s help.”

The others’ faces showed embarrassment at these words, especially Snake Skull and Grey Scorpion, who had been counter-killed by Ming Li before and looked the most uncomfortable.

Qian Li lost consciousness amid the excruciating pain, unable to see the specks of light dispersing from his chest. Amid the clanging of chains, the sound of the Seven Star Token he had kept on his chest breaking was so small.

Equally small light motes called to the full sky of stars, invisible star power sweeping across heaven and earth.

In a weapons shop doing brisk business in Vermilion Bird State city, a shopkeeper fanning himself and eating melon seeds while watching customers haggle suddenly exclaimed “Holy shit!” and sat up from his reclining chair, then hurriedly turned to the back room.

Someone quietly digging for herbs in the dark wilderness suddenly exclaimed, “Wow!” and disappeared from beneath the tree without even taking his small knife or basket.

A famous large restaurant that never closed, bustling with customers even at midnight, had a waiter rushing to the kitchen shouting: “Table Three wants stir-fried pork with green peppers, stir-fried pork with potatoes, stir-fried pork with bamboo strips, note that they don’t want green onions in the egg soup… Hey! Where’s the cook? He was just here!”

Some carefully extricated themselves from the arms of courtesans.

Fu Yuan, who had just lain down in a restaurant in Vermilion Bird State after busy days, murmured drowsily: “There’s an outpost nearby, they don’t need me.”

After a moment of silence, he suddenly sat up: “Damn! Zhou Zixi!”

In the blink of an eye, he vanished.

Far away on the Nan Que mountaintop in a dark room, the gray mist in the eyes of the beauty sitting quietly by the bed dispersed noticeably.

Ming Li, who had been contemplating whether to attack while watching the Jiang sisters leave, suddenly turned her head, her eyes trembling.

*

Under that pitch-dark street wall, Qian Li lay covered in blood, with only faint breathing left. His hands hung powerless, the chains wrapped around his wrists striking the wall with a crisp sound. His entire body collapsed to the ground, signaling he was at others’ mercy.

The Jiang clan Elder raised his hand indifferently: “Take him away.”

Grey Scorpion stepped forward to pick up the iron chain that had pierced Qian Li’s chest. Just as he picked it up, it was severed by a fierce sword wind. The chain fell heavily to the ground with a loud noise, startling him to look up. Before he could make out the figure, a blade had already wounded both his eyes.

The Jiang clan Elder turned in surprise upon hearing Grey Scorpion’s scream, only to see that Qian Li’s front and the street wall behind now had strangers wearing black and white fox masks. His men had been dispatched in the brief moment he had turned his head—their throats cut cleanly and silently, their bodies falling noiselessly.

The remaining Jiang clan members gathered around the Elder, their nerves taut, staring without blinking at the five Bei Dou disciples opposite them.

An invisible pressure spread from the street wall.

The Jiang clan Elder involuntarily swallowed. The blade was slowly raised, and as its owner aimed the sword at him, a drop of sweat slid down the Elder’s temple.

“Old man,” the young man wearing the white fox mask and holding the sword said coldly, “Was it you who led these people to injure my junior brother like this?”