“Wait.” A figure in white robes emerged from behind the ancient pines and strange rocks, walking into the moonlight, following Song Qian Ji.

“Fairy Miao Yan?!” Yuan Qing Shi was shocked, then angrily said, “Has this man abducted you?”

Everyone had known someone was behind the rocks, and from the voice, it was a young female cultivator, but they hadn’t expected it to be Miao Yan.

Regardless of what had happened, she shouldn’t have been here, together with Song Qian Ji.

Song Qian Ji kept walking, showing no intention of turning back or waiting.

“I abducted him,” Miao Yan said coldly. “Make way.”

The Huawei Sect crowd was unsure and bewildered, exchanging glances.

Was this Miao Yan?

How could the perfect and noble Miao Yan speak like this?

Chen Hong Zhu was stunned. The world had turned upside down, and even Miao Yan had changed.

If the sect insisted on sticking to old ways and maintaining its arrogance, it would surely pay the price.

Yuan Qing Shi looked at Song Qian Ji’s retreating figure and gritted his teeth: “He’s arrogant and disrespectful, not knowing how to cherish. Fairy, as the world’s most beautiful woman, why follow such a person?”

Miao Yan raised her eyebrows, softly sneering: “The most beautiful woman? If you covet the title, you go be it.”

Her cold glance was the last straw. Yuan Qing Shi’s face stung, his blood surging upward, and he shouted:

“Song Qian Ji! Don’t be smug. My master has broken through to half-step Divine Transformation, and all the major sects and families of the Western Continent will wage all-out war against Thousand Channels.”

Chen Hong Zhu’s heart sank. She had obtained the “Huawei Seal,” securing her rightful position as orthodox, no longer needing to worry about being removed from the sect, thereby being forced to break her oath and suffer the backlash.

But if her father had already made up his mind, how could she stop him?

Then she heard Song Qian Ji say: “You think I’m afraid?”

Contrary to his usual manner, he smiled at the moon.

Tonight had been exceptionally long. Song Qian Ji had first dealt with the spirit creatures, pursued Master Wuxiang’s avatar, and then suppressed the chaos. Already wounded and battered, he had also been taken away by Miao Yan using the Crosscut Comb.

Things hadn’t ended there; he had listened to people discussing how to kill him behind his back, then bid farewell to the laboring souls in the wheat field.

With a heavy breath pressing on his heart, he had to laugh out loud.

“Let him come!” Song Qian Ji swept his sleeve, saying loudly, “I’ll be waiting!”

His tattered robes fluttered as his figure quickly disappeared into the distance.

Mountain echoes resounded repeatedly, and cold winds moaned as if sword energy crisscrossed back and forth.

The young disciples of the “Little Huawei Sect” looked on with admiration. Someone murmured:

“If a war breaks out, still carrying the Huawei Sect name, which side should we help?”

“Of course, we help King Song. King Song has great spirit and courage. Meeting such a hero tonight makes our journey through the secret realm worthwhile.”

“Ah, if I were like him, commanding Thousand Channels with a myriad responding to my call, I wouldn’t be afraid either.”

Hearing this, Chen Hong Zhu felt mixed emotions but lightly smiled:

“You’ve got the order wrong. First, you must not be afraid, then you can possess Thousand Channels.”

When Song Qian Ji was not yet the King of Thousand Channels, just a small outer disciple of the Huawei Sect, he was already fearless.

……

The long night was ending, the moon’s shadow sinking.

Dawn’s faint light spilled across the horizon, forming a band of golden-red interwoven light, spreading at the edge of the wilderness.

Under a sky that was mostly deep blue with a small portion of intoxicating red, five people wielding magical artifacts faced off.

They stood amidst lush wild grass that reached half their height. It seemed like four people were blocking one, yet among those four, there were two factions.

Each pair stood three zhang apart, close enough to hear voices and see expressions, and also close enough to attack each other at any moment.

“Why are you alone?” He Qing Qing asked coldly.

Two golden caterpillar moths fluttered their wings, circling Miao Yan without leaving, like two dancing golden bells.

“You’ve caught up quickly.” Miao Yan glanced at He Qing Qing’s guiding moths. “When I gave you the ‘Immortal Sound Command,’ you had already left ‘Soul-Tracking Powder’ on me? My desire to retreat was genuine then; why did you have to be so extreme in everything?”

“Just a precaution, having a backup plan. If you hadn’t caused trouble tonight, I would never have used these moths.” He Qing Qing asked: “Where is he?”

“I won’t tell you,” Miao Yan said fearlessly.

Her beautiful face was gilded with an orange-gold hue by the rising sun. She curved her lips into a smile, radiant and dazzling.

“What evil magic have you used? Where have you hidden Senior Brother?” Meng He Ze demanded.

Miao Yan smiled without answering, refusing to cooperate.

Meng He Ze was furious but was held back by a hand.

Wei Zhen Yu said: “She can’t harm Song Qian Ji. And with Song Qian Ji’s speed and agility, if he truly wanted to leave, she couldn’t keep up and could only chase behind.”

He first calmed Meng He Ze and He Qing Qing then turned to Miao Yan with a pleasant expression:

“Fairy Miao Yan, when we intercepted you, you were in a hurry with a clear direction, so it seems you were also chasing someone. Please lead us to where Song Qian Ji has gone.”

Wei Zhen Yu didn’t know what had happened between He Qing Qing and Miao Yan in the secret realm, nor what had occurred between Song Qian Ji (disguised as Song Xun) and Miao Yan.

But he was skilled at reading expressions and could infer the unknown from subtle clues, completing the puzzle.

If He Qing Qing could produce guiding moths and Soul-Tracking Powder, Miao Yan, as her fellow sect member, likely had similar methods.

Miao Yan’s smile faded: “I’ve heard of the Northern Desert Wei King’s fearsome reputation. If I’m unwilling to lead you there, will the Wei King kill me?”

“The cultivation world is full of rumors; Fairy has misunderstood me.” Wei Zhen Yu moved his feet lightly. His handsome features, combined with his gentle smile and attentive gaze, were highly deceptive. “I’m not with them; you and I can cooperate.”

Meng He Ze was shocked, turning his sword handle: “Wei Ping, have you gone mad?!”

Ji Chen rushed forward: “Calm down! He’s not called Wei Ping anymore!”

“Stop right there!” Miao Yan, however, was extremely vigilant and threatened Wei Zhen Yu: “Otherwise, I’ll crush my moths, and none of you will be able to find him!”

Wei Zhen Yu immediately stopped, indicating he meant no harm: “I guess you didn’t take Song Qian Ji away with harmful intentions. On the contrary, you wanted to follow him, right? But your current identity before him is compromised, and you can’t gain his favor.”

As he spoke, he observed the changes in Miao Yan’s eyes, continuing his bewitching words, “I have a small cloud shuttle. The two of us can shake off these people, and you can lead me to him. Leave the rest to me, and I’ll ensure Fairy gets what she wishes.”

“Oh? Why should I believe you have such great abilities?” Miao Yan asked.

Wei Zhen Yu’s expression was sincere: “When I first met Song Qian Ji, I was an assassin sent to kill him. But with my performance in singing, reciting, acting, and fighting, even though he knew my assassin identity, he still kept me as his housekeeper, taking care of his daily needs. Fairy, however bad your identity was before him, it can’t be worse than an assassin, right? Later, when I left Thousand Channels, Song Qian Ji even disguised himself as Song Xun to help me… See, I’m familiar with this, with successful experience. I’m your best partner.”

Meng He Ze’s expression could no longer be described as shocked. He looked as if he had swallowed ten thousand pots of noodles cooked by Song Qian Ji before his cooking improved.

Did Wei Zhen Yu have any shame left?

Ji Chen felt dizzy.

How could the same events, told differently by Wei Zhen Yu, completely change in meaning?

Suddenly, He Qing Qing said softly: “Be careful, Junior Sister Miao Yan. He’s not helping you out of kindness; he just doesn’t want Song Qian Ji to see me first.”

Wei Zhen Yu didn’t deny it: “Fairy He is perceptive.”

He Qing Qing knew Meng He Ze and Ji Chen previously and had some friendships with them. Normally, these two wouldn’t leave He Qing Qing behind.

But Wei Zhen Yu didn’t want that.

With his purpose exposed, turning hidden schemes into open strategies, he simply laid it out:

“I’m not like Song Qian Ji, only caring about my small plot of land. At this critical juncture, you’re rushing to find him, undoubtedly to persuade him to join forces with you, borrowing Thousand Channels’ power to help you rise again. Am I right?”

He Qing Qing said coldly: “Wei King has extensive spies and numerous informants. The conflicts in the Immortal Sound Sect weren’t small and naturally couldn’t escape your notice. But I’m not trying to use him; I just want to join forces. If the cultivation world must face a war, who can remain uninvolved? Who doesn’t need allies?”

Wei Zhen Yu chuckled softly: “I’ve been in the secret realm, so my outside news isn’t as current. But after Fairy Miao Yan saw you, her first mention of the ‘Immortal Sound Command’ and ‘retreat’ confirmed my suspicion that you and Fairy Jiang Yun were defeated in the Immortal Sound Sect incident.”

He looked at He Qing Qing sympathetically: “Fairy He, you’ve misunderstood Song Qian Ji. He has no desire to compete for victory, let alone stake Thousand Channels as a wager to help others win.”

He Qing Qing smiled: “Then do you know who gave me my first zither and my first song? Who helped me become what I am today?”

Wei Zhen Yu sighed.

The moment his sigh fell to the ground, the morning sun leaped up from the horizon, elongating his shadow.

Standing against the light, his expression was obscured:

“He was good to you before simply because he’s a good person. He has always been one to save everyone he meets, save a pair when he sees two. Everyone thinks they’re special to him, but what’s so special about that…”

He Qing Qing’s face had already changed: “Stop!”

But Wei Zhen Yu continued: “Look at Song Manor’s garden, every plant thriving. It’s just from his temporary care. A fairy as intelligent as you shouldn’t misinterpret his intentions and delude yourself.”

“You!” He Qing Qing raised her hand in extreme anger, a sharp light flashing from her fingertips.

Wei Zhen Yu smiled faintly, not evading, as if he couldn’t dodge in time.

He Qing Qing’s hand stopped in mid-air, then suddenly dropped. She laughed in extreme anger:

“You’re deliberately provoking me? You want me to hurt you, so you can play the victim before him. If you meet him injured, he’ll surely soften toward you and despise me for my vicious attack. The mighty Northern Desert Wei King, using the tactics of a harem woman?!”

Hearing this, Meng He Ze inexplicably felt invigorated.

This familiar flavor—the scent of green tea from Wei Ping had returned!

He didn’t even use telepathy, directly discussing with Ji Chen:

“Wei Ping is used to scheming, always trying to curry favor with Senior Brother. Neither He Qing Qing nor Miao Yan are easy to deal with. What are they competing for?”

“For precedence,” Ji Chen replied with a double meaning.

Meng He Ze thought for a moment: “Right, they all have guilty consciences before Song Brother. The current situation is simple: whoever sees Senior Brother Song first can ‘report’ first. They can freely smear others and whitewash themselves. Senior Brother has always been soft-hearted and kind, so he might be deceived by them. Only the two of us have clear consciences…”

Ji Chen suddenly said: “That’s not right! Our identities aren’t good either. Setting up a formation against Wei Zhen Yu on the Red River, and the torture of Zhao Ren—Senior Brother saw all that with his own eyes!”

Their personas as righteous heroes and innocent youths had completely collapsed.

Meng He Ze let out a long hiss, immediately turning his head:

“Fairy Miao Yan, this Wei Ping is vicious, suspicious, and skilled in betrayal after use. If you go with him, he’ll only snatch your guiding moths and push you off the cloud shuttle. You’d be better off cooperating with us!”

Miao Yan glanced over: “Editor Ji, you’re the only honest one here. Why don’t you come forward? I’ll only tell you alone. Set up a confinement formation to block these people!”

Ji Chen: “Ha, do you think I’m the most foolish? If I come forward, you’ll only mouth words without making a sound. You’re trying to sow discord between me and Brother Meng! Unless you give me the moths first, as a show of sincerity.”

Miao Yan: “Wei King, your sword is the fastest here. Why don’t you kill He Qing Qing first? Then I’ll trust you, and we can go together!”

Wei Zhen Yu: “Fairy is joking. If I strike, you’ll be the first to report me once we’re before Song Qian Ji!”

He Qing Qing: “Meng He Ze, Ji Chen! Our journey here was smooth until the Wei King’s instigation. Why don’t we join forces to subdue Wei Zhen Yu first?”

Wei Zhen Yu: “Ji Chen, what did you promise me before we came? Have you forgotten?”

Ji Chen: “Aren’t you all tired of thinking so fast? Is there no trust at all between people?!”

The five people spoke increasingly rapidly, like thousands of arrows being fired continuously.

Suddenly, they all fell silent, looking up at the sky:

“Song Qian Ji!”

“Senior Brother Song!”

“Brother Song!”

A familiar silhouette streaked across the sky like a meteor.