Late at night, Arden found it hard to fall asleep.
He got up and went for a walk in the courtyard to clear his mind, and beneath the bright moonlight, he saw a graceful silhouette standing there.
It was Yixuan Shifu—still in her sleepwear—and she seemed to be… staring blankly at an ancient tree?
So beautiful…
Arden wasn't unfamiliar with Yixuan in her pajamas. After all, this rebellious disciple often barged into her room to do this or that, but the scene of an ancient tree, moonlit shadows, quiet serenity, and her deep contemplation was something he had never seen before.
More importantly, that thin layer of sleepwear could hardly conceal Yixuan Shifu's striking figure.
Arden forcefully suppressed the ripples in his heart, or else he really wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
"Shifu, can't you sleep either?"
Arden called out softly.
Hearing his voice, Yixuan snapped back to her senses and turned to look at him.
"Arden, it's you!"
"Good evening, Yixuan Shifu. You're…?"
Arden glanced at the ancient tree, then at Yixuan, before letting his gaze return to the tree. "Don't tell me this tree is about to become a spirit?"
At Arden's nonsense, Yixuan let out a laugh that blossomed with a hundred charms. "It can't become a spirit, but I'm talking to it."
This time, it was Arden who was left speechless.
"Talking… to a tree?"
"That's right, talking to this tree."
Yixuan's smooth, pale hand rested on the rough bark. "It says the weather is nice tonight and it's in a good mood."
"But recently it's been watered a bit too often, so it's feeling a little too full. It hopes we'll water it a bit less from now on."
Yixuan said seriously, "And lately there have been little birds singing on its branches—it's very happy."
"Really?"
Arden just couldn't bring himself to believe it.
"Of course it's true. When has your Shifu ever lied to you? How about… you try it yourself?"
"Uh… fine."
Since Yixuan Shifu said so, Arden stepped forward and stood beside her, a faint fragrance drifting into his nose.
Medicinal herbs, sandalwood, and… a subtle fragrance.
This blended scent was already familiar to Arden—it came from Yixuan Shifu.
Arden placed his hand against the tree trunk and slowly closed his eyes, carefully sensing it as he tried to communicate with the ancient tree.
However, after a while, he didn't sense anything at all.
"Pfft—hehe!"
Only when Yixuan's cheerful laughter reached his ears did Arden finally realize that he had been tricked by his Shifu.
You're always teasing your Shifu—this time let this rebellious disciple taste it himself.
Arden opened his eyes and looked at Yixuan, who was clearly delighted at having regained the upper hand, his lips twitching uncontrollably.
Is this really the cold and aloof Shifu I know? How did she turn into a mischievous girl like this!?
It seemed Arden's "guidance" over the past year had been quite effective! (False)
Or rather, Yixuan's change was forced by this rebellious disciple—constantly doing outrageous things and dancing back and forth on the "red line." If she didn't fight back, she might end up letting Arden be the Shifu instead.
"I should have known!"
A disgruntled Arden slapped his own forehead. "For Yixuan Shifu to patiently say so much, something was definitely off!"
"Hmph! From now on you'd better think things through properly…"
After the joke, Yixuan returned to a serious tone. "So, are you feeling any better?"
In truth, Yixuan standing in the courtyard late at night staring at an ancient tree wasn't because she could hear its thoughts. She was simply feeling restless and unable to sleep, so she came out for a walk.
She had only been meditating just now, trying to calm herself.
Arden's arrival made her realize that he was experiencing something similar, so she cracked a joke to ease the tension.
She really did care that much!
"Could it be… Shifu too?"
Arden immediately realized the gravity of the situation.
If only he felt uneasy, it might just be overwork or something similar—but if Yixuan Shifu also felt unsettled… You had to know that Yixuan and Arden were the two most highly cultivated people in Yunkui Summit. If both were uneasy at the same time, it likely meant something big was about to happen.
So, it's finally coming…
"Hm?"
Just as Arden sensed something, a faint tremor spread through the ground.
Rumble rumble~~
The shaking quickly grew more intense, even reaching the level of an earthquake.
But it came as quickly as it went.
The ground soon returned to calm, yet the deep, filtered glow lighting up the southern sky made it clear that the tremor had been no illusion.
"So, in the end, it can't be avoided."
"Fate is hard to defy. What is meant to come will always come."
Arden and Yixuan gazed at the light rising over Waifei Peninsula, a sign that Hollow activity was rapidly intensifying. Their expressions were graver than ever before.
"Shifu!"
"Brother Arden!"
"Senior Brother Xu!"
"That is…?"
"This is bad!"
The disciples, awakened by the tremor, rushed into the courtyard and were immediately stunned by the raging Hollow light on the horizon.
"All disciples, heed my command—head to Suibian Temple at once!"
"Yes!"
As the people of Yunkui Summit hurried toward Suibian Temple, over at Lemnian Hollow, the site of the large Porcelume mine…
Ms. Laurent was personally overseeing matters, supervising the progress at the final—and most critical—stage of the groundbreaking ceremony.
"Heh heh… the Porcelume mine is mine, Porcelumex is mine, and TOPS Alliance… is mine too!"
Late at night in her room, Ms. Laurent seemed to be having a sweet dream.
"Ah!!!"
"Help!!"
"Don't!!"
"…"
Rumble rumble…
"!!"
The sudden loud noises outside, along with a violent tremor, jolted the sleeping Ms. Laurent awake.
"Guards! What's going on out there!? Someone, answer me!"
She shouted loudly, but no response came.
Creaaak~~!
She pushed open the door and looked down the corridor—there were no security personnel standing guard as they should have been. Instead, she saw a group of people in white robes, wearing strange masks, with symbols embroidered on their clothing that resembled 'Ouroboros'—that is, a Möbius strip.
"The Exaltists? How did you get in here?"
Ms. Laurent exclaimed in shock, recognizing who they were.
She knew that within TOPS Alliance, and even among Porcelumex's upper management, there were tangled connections with the cult-like organization known as the Exaltists—but she could swear she had nothing to do with them.
And she certainly didn't remember giving any order allowing Exaltists to enter the mine!
There's a traitor…
Thud!
Before Ms. Laurent could figure out what was happening, a sharp pain exploded at the back of her head.
"Sorry about this, Ms. Laurent!"
A short, chubby figure with a smiling face appeared in her fading vision.
Unlike the familiar Yunkui Summit Daoist robes, Bu Lü was now dressed in the Exaltists' ritual attire.
Ms. Laurent's consciousness quickly sank into the darkness.
===BREAK===
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