Chapter Eleven: Deception

The place Lin Yaoxing found was far less spacious than the one where the woman in red had danced. Here, the wild grass and scattered stones were more abundant, and the flat area could barely accommodate a few people.

“There’s so much grass and so many rocks here, and the ground’s full of pits and bumps. How is Sister Qu supposed to dance?” Luo Yingying complained, hands on her hips.

Lin Yaoxing could only reply helplessly, “We can’t very well have Sister Qu and He Yuman dance together, can we? If the evil spirit appears, who gets the credit?”

Luo Yingying frowned. “Can’t we find a better spot? Or maybe level this one out a bit?”

As the two argued about whether to flatten the place, Qu Yiqiu spoke up timidly.

“Do I have to dance? I don’t know how...”

Seriously? Was this trip going to be for nothing? Chi Yushu hadn’t said anything about dancing when they set out.

The argument between Luo Yingying and Lin Yaoxing ceased abruptly, and the two turned to stare at her with wide eyes.

“There’s no need for dancing. We’ll leave and let Sister Qu stay here alone; she can do whatever she wants,” Chi Yushu said as he and Wu Qiu arrived.

Luo Yingying and Lin Yaoxing exchanged puzzled glances and looked at Chi Yushu. “Will that really work?”

Chi Yushu nodded decisively. “We can’t waste any more time. Let’s clear the area at once!”

As the team leader, Chi Yushu’s words carried weight. The three hesitated not a moment before withdrawing, leaving Qu Yiqiu standing there, bewildered.

What did he mean by “do whatever she wants”?

She hadn’t even had a chance to ask what she was supposed to do, and they’d all left her behind?

Their cultivation was all higher than hers, and she had no idea where they were hiding. Listening to the cicadas chirp all around, Qu Yiqiu tugged helplessly at the corner of her mouth.

What on earth could she do that wouldn’t leave her standing there like a wooden post, awkward and out of place?

Thinking back to her usual self, she bent down and picked up a dead branch, then began to practice martial moves in the little open space.

Others danced; all she could do was train.

Qu Yiqiu tried her best to ignore the awkwardness in her heart, opening herself up and immersing in the moment.

Golden sunlight filtered through the branches, warming her as she gradually found her rhythm, lost in her own world of solo training.

A rustling sound drifted by...

A gentle breeze stirred the leaves, sending yellow ones drifting down.

Qu Yiqiu tensed, and with a swift motion, thrust the dead branch into the gap between two stones to her upper right.

The branch, carrying a hint of spiritual energy, pierced a black snake right at its vulnerable spot.

Frowning, Qu Yiqiu stepped closer to inspect. As her foot struck a stone with a crisp sound, a cloud of black mist erupted from the snake’s corpse.

It all happened so swiftly that she had no time to react—the black mist enveloped her in an instant and she was snatched away.

Chi Yushu, trailing after her as a blur, emerged just a moment too late.

“When did that evil spirit appear?” Wu Qiu leapt from the undergrowth, landing beside Chi Yushu in shock.

“I’m afraid we overlooked something,” Chi Yushu said, frustration etched on his face. “Now we’ll have to ask the sect to send reinforcements!”

Luo Yingying and Lin Yaoxing, who had just caught up, were startled by his words.

To request aid from the sect meant Tianyan Sect had admitted defeat.

“Maybe—maybe it’s not so bad!” Lin Yaoxing protested, unwilling to concede. Instead, he felt this was an opportunity.

“We should try to enter the ancient demonic formation ourselves. The evil spirit has been drawn to Sister Qu and won’t have time to control the array!” Lin Yaoxing clenched his fist, as if rallying everyone’s spirits.

Chi Yushu lowered his hand from his chest. “I’ve already crushed the mission token. I brought Sister Qu here; I can’t risk her life.”

Lin Yaoxing let his hand fall, the unwillingness in his eyes fading.

Luo Yingying and Wu Qiu bowed their heads in silence—they all knew the consequences of crushing the mission token.

With that, Tianyan Sect had conceded. The sect would send their own experts to resolve the matter.

Chi Yushu gazed into the depths of the cavern and spoke again, “You all go back. I’ll go inside alone and take a look.”

“Senior Brother!” Luo Yingying and Wu Qiu cried out in unison.

“I’m going in too!” Lin Yaoxing declared. He wouldn’t admit defeat until the very end, determined to follow.

Chi Yushu blocked his path with his sword, his voice stern. “None of you are to go. When the sect arrives, you’ll need to greet them. All of you, return to the ancient temple at once!”

Wu Qiu, knowing Chi Yushu’s temperament best, grabbed Lin Yaoxing. “I’ll take them back to the temple. Senior Brother Chi, you must return safely!”

Chi Yushu sheathed his Azure Lament Sword, nodded, and turned resolutely into the darkness of the cave.

Wu Qiu’s expression grew solemn as he led Lin Yaoxing and Luo Yingying away.

...

Qu Yiqiu’s beautiful eyes followed the sharp little knife tracing her face, her thick lashes fluttering with unease.

Damn it, could this ghostly cultivator not leave her face alone?

“Hmph, I thought you’d be a high-grade spiritual root, but you’re nothing more than a useless fake one. What a waste of my yin energy!” the wild-haired woman said carelessly, putting away her knife and spitting on the ground.

“Such bad luck. Truly unlucky!”

Qu Yiqiu could only sigh in exasperation.

A female ghost complaining about bad luck right in front of her—what kind of situation was this?

Yao Zhimei’s willow brows arched in annoyance as she grabbed the severed black snake from the ground and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing noisily while fixing her gaze on Qu Yiqiu.

Watching her puffed cheeks, Qu Yiqiu found the scene funny, though she kept her composure. “I know where you can find a better body. If you let me go, I’ll bring someone for you.”

Yao Zhimei paused mid-chew, swallowed the snake in one gulp, and licked her fingers. “Do you know why I became a ghost cultivator?”

Qu Yiqiu blinked. “Because you died?”

“Wrong!” Yao Zhimei sneered, wagging a finger. “It’s because I foolishly believed the lies of humans. That’s how I became a ghost cultivator!”

Qu Yiqiu eyed her needle-like nails, recalling novels from Blue Star where ancient women often became vengeful spirits after being betrayed by scoundrels. Maybe this woman had the same fate.

She burst into tears, sobbing, “Sister, were you betrayed by a man too? I don’t trust humans either. Male cultivators are all pigs! Filthy men!”

Yao Zhimei seemed startled by her sudden tears, jumping back and eyeing her strangely. “What’s this about pigs, what’s this about filthy men? With a face like yours, how could you be deceived?”

Qu Yiqiu allowed her true nature to surface, wiping tears all over with her sleeve, trying to make herself look as ugly as possible, weeping miserably. “It’s because of this face that the man I loved most deceived me. He tricked me into helping him complete his mission, but really he wanted to offer me up to an evil spirit, never caring for my safety!”

She sobbed bitterly.

Watching Qu Yiqiu rolling on the ground in tears, Yao Zhimei hesitated, stepping closer. “My mother always said women shouldn’t make things hard for each other. If you’ve been betrayed by your lover, you surely can’t still love him.”

Qu Yiqiu, still crying, peeked at her approaching footsteps. It was working!

“All right, all right, stop crying. I’ll find you a reliable man myself!” Yao Zhimei said briskly, pulling her into a rough embrace and stroking her black hair.

Qu Yiqiu sniffled, asking, “W-what kind of reliable man?” Oh no, had she just made things worse?

Yao Zhimei grinned wickedly. “A man who’ll definitely satisfy you!”