Ye Anping had already recognized Feng Yudie, who approached them for conversation, as the main protagonist of “Heavenly Sword Chronicles.” He had even noticed her the moment she entered the inn.

Her silver hair, reminiscent of a fairy, was hard to miss.

However, Ye Anping still had a question in his mind.

What was that golden figure, like an emergency ration, floating near Feng Yudie’s head?

There was no such thing in the game.

And it seemed that Pei Lengxue couldn’t see that lump of golden thing that looks like a certain emergency ration in the game Genshin Impact. Otherwise, she would surely be curious and ask Feng Yudie about it.

In other words, was he the only one who could see it?

Ye Anping continued to eat his meal absentmindedly, while his mind started to recall what Feng Yudie carried during this period in the game.

She should only possess an Immortal-Class Magical Tool called the “Heavenly Dao Scriptures” at the moment.

In the game, the “Heavenly Dao Scriptures” had no physical form. The storyline only mentioned that Feng Yudie held it, recording the events of the Myriad Years in the Celestial Realm. It was described like a walking encyclopedia that update real time.

Could it be that this Paimon-expy thing was the spirit of the “Heavenly Dao Scriptures”?

It was quite a unique little entity.

However, why could he see it as well?

At this moment, Pei Lengxue, who sat beside him, noticed that he had been mainly eating rice without picking up any dishes. She proactively picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and handed it to him.

“Senior Brother, eat some meat. You need to be full of energy for a fight later.”

“…Mm.”

Ye Anping snapped back to reality and nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing Pei Lengxue’s words, Feng Yudie immediately seized the opportunity to join the conversation. She chimed in, “Are you two going to fight later? What kind of fight? Can I help?”

As she spoke, Feng Yudie glanced at Pei Lengxue, and the more she looked, the more she found her appearance to be cute.

Pei Lengxue furrowed her brows and looked at her. “Um, why?”

“We are all fellow cultivators of the Dao, and it’s only natural for us to help each other in times of difficulty,” Feng Yudie replied with a smile, tilting her head coquettishly. “Moreover, it feels like we’ve met somewhere before, as if we’re old friends.”

“Huh? Have you seen me before? Where?” Pei Lengxue asked in confusion.

Feng Yudie averted her gaze and playfully said, “Maybe in a dream. Have you ever dreamed of someone like me?”

Pei Lengxue blinked in confusion, “Um, I don’t think so. Fellow Daoist Feng, your silver hair is quite distinctive.”

“That’s just how I am.” Feng Yudie laughed and flipped her ponytail, extending her arm towards Pei Lengxue. “Do you want to touch it?”

At that moment, a sharp “clank” resounded as Ye Anping forcefully tapped his chopsticks on his bowl. Without looking at Feng Yudie, he turned to Pei Lengxue and asked, “Junior sister, are you done eating?”

“Ah.” Pei Lengxue quickly stuffed a few pieces of braised meat into her mouth and nodded. “Done!”

“Then let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Ye Anping wiped his mouth, took out a small piece of silver from his sleeve, placed it on the table, bowed to Feng Yudie, and then left the inn with Pei Lengxue.

Once they were outside the inn, he glanced at Pei Lengxue, who was excitedly sharpening her sword behind him, and let out a sigh.

From the looks of it, Pei Lengxue hadn’t realized that Feng Yudie was flirting with her just now.

Feng Yudie’s cheesy pick-up lines were truly something. Talking about dreams and whatnot…

He had heard those lines countless times while playing the game.

However, being recognized by Feng Yudie could also indicate that his junior sister had indeed grown into quite a beautiful woman.

Ye Anping couldn’t help but look at Pei Lengxue’s face again.

Perhaps because he had watched her grow up, while he acknowledged her beauty, it wasn’t the kind that stirred his heart.

“Senior Brother, what’s wrong? Why are you staring at me?”

“Nothing.” Ye Anping shook his head, changing the subject. “Do you remember what we need to do next? Recap.”

“Yes, while we’re hiding in the woods, once that demonic cultivator enters the forest, you’ll attract his attention, and I’ll seize the opportunity to ambush him.”

“And then?”

“After that, you’ll use a formation to trap him with me. He’ll likely release his insect gu first, without using his Magical Tool. When the time comes, I’ll pretend to be hit, and as he gets closer, I’ll use a sword to pierce him through!”

Ye Anping nodded. “What else?”

“More? What else is there?”

“Hmm?” Ye Anping’s eyebrows furrowed, and he stared intently at her. “You forgot?”

“Oh!” Realization dawned upon Pei Lengxue as she saw his expression. “I know now, follow-up attack!! I won’t stop until he’s completely dismembered.”

“Exactly. Don’t forget that. His vitality is quite strong. You need to cut him into pieces and set them on fire. Don’t hesitate to use fire-type talismans. I gave you fifty of them this morning, use them all on him.”

“Got it! No problem!”

Ye Anping nodded and led Pei Lengxue into the forest behind the town. At the same time, he mentally reviewed his plan once more.

The current situation wasn’t unexpected for him. The only uncertainty was the presence of that golden Paimon-like figure following Feng Yudie. However, as it appeared, it didn’t seem like it would interfere with his plan.

If the appearance of that golden figure could prompt Feng Yudie to deal with “Wu You” directly, it would make things even easier for him and Pei Lengxue.

… …

Watching Pei Lengxue follow Ye Anping without a second thought, Feng Yudie felt somewhat puzzled.

She had just begun to engage, so why did he suddenly leave?

“Ah~~ miscalculation, miscalculation.”

『Miscalculation, my foot!』 Xiaotian, floating above her head, couldn’t hold back and kicked her lightly on the back of her head. 『I’ve lived for so many years, and I’ve never seen a girl like you! Is this proper behavior of a girl? Is it?』

“…”

『Approaching a girl just because she looks somewhat attractive…』 Xiaotian gave her a disdainful look. 『If you were a man, I wouldn’t even dare to imagine how low you would go.』

Feng Yudie shrugged her shoulders, indicating that she didn’t want to engage in this conversation. She waited for the roasted chicken she ordered to arrive, then immediately devoured it, leaving only a chicken bone.

After finishing lunch, she had intended to stroll around the town and see if she could encounter the girl named Pei Lengxue again. However, Xiaotian kept tugging at her hair, urging her to find a place to practice swordplay.

Thus, Feng Yudie reluctantly headed to a bamboo grove outside of Martial Creek Town. She picked up a spirit sword and, under Xiaotian’s supervision, began practicing her sword techniques.

Sounds of slicing through the air echoed within the bamboo forest.

After a good while, Feng Yudie finally sheathed her sword and sat down against a bamboo stem, somewhat fatigued. She looked at Xiaotian, who had been overseeing her sword dance, and asked, “How was that?”

『Mmm, not bad.』

“Just ‘not bad’?”

『…』 Xiaotian gave her a glance. 『Alright, to be honest, you’re truly impressive. You’ve only been practicing the “Nine Heavens Sword Art” for less than half a year, and you’ve already reached the ninth level.』

“Hehe.” Feng Yudie chuckled, stretched lazily, and then said, “Well, what can I say? I’m an unparalleled genius, after all.”

Xiaotian crossed its arms and spoke seriously, 『Don’t get too conceited. Your spiritual roots and talent are indeed exceptional, and you think quickly, but you’re still only at the Qi Refining stage. You might be able to handle Foundation Establishment cultivators, but what about Core Formation cultivators?』

“I’m not an idiot.” Feng Yudie shrugged. “Why would I not run away? Besides, what kind of Core Formation cultivator would be so free as to pick a fight with a Qi Refining cultivator like me?”

『What if you encounter a demonic cultivator?』

“This is the region controlled by the righteous path cultivators. Where would a demonic cultivator come from?”

Crack—

The sound of breaking branches came from behind.

Feng Yudie instantly became alert, turning her head to look.

“Who’s there?!”

Xiaotian, on the other hand, remained completely unaware. Only because of Feng Yudie’s exclamation did it hurriedly turn its head to follow her gaze.

『Yudie, is someone there?』

Feng Yudie hesitated for a moment and then stood up quickly, drawing the sword from the ground and gripping it in her right hand.

“Young cultivator, no need to be nervous. I happened to pass by and heard the melodious sounds of sword dance. I couldn’t help but be curious to witness who could dance with a sword so masterfully.”

A voice devoid of gender emerged, followed by a figure appearing amidst the thicket of weeds that Feng Yudie was staring at – a young man with purple eyes.

Feng Yudie stared at the purple-eyed young man’s eyes for a couple of breaths and immediately sensed the suppressed sinister aura within them. She quickly signaled Xiaotian with her eyes.

Xiaotian understood her signal and swiftly flew over to the young man’s waist pouch. It peeked inside, but what it saw instantly filled it with panic. Xiaotian quickly retreated and yelled, 『Yudie, run!! This person is the Grand Elder of the Poison Gu Sect!』

“What? Poison Gu Sect?”

Feng Yudie was taken aback by this revelation, and her voice trembled.

Upon hearing Feng Yudie mention “Poison Gu Sect,” the young man also looked slightly surprised. He then stopped concealing his aura entirely.

A surge of evil aura emanated from him, enveloping a large portion of the bamboo forest in an instant.

The once lush green bamboo leaves turned yellow and decayed upon contact with the aura, falling from the branches.

“Oh, you know this old bone?”