Bai Heng naturally did not go far.
She circled northward along the mountain ridge, avoiding any route Qin Yun might use to track her, and found a suitable shelter on a shaded cliff on the back mountain behind Qingxi Village.
It was a naturally formed rock crevice. The entrance was narrow, just wide enough for her to squeeze through alone. Inside, however, it was quite spacious, roughly one zhang square. The ground was dry and covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves and bird feathers, as if some wild beast had once hibernated there.
Bai Heng lay down at the entrance, concealing her aura with the Heavenly Fox Concealment. She then took out the bone fragment Mu Xuejun had given her and placed it deep inside the crevice. The fourth-tier great demon aura from the bone fragment slowly spread out, enough to intimidate ordinary mountain spirits and wild beasts and keep them from approaching.
Only after doing all this did she relax. She rested her head on her front paws and gazed at the dappled sunlight outside the cave.
It was already noon.
Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, casting countless tiny spots of light across the mountain. In the distance, the faint sounds of chickens crowing and dogs barking could be heard from the direction of Qingxi Village.
The boy was probably still hunting in the mountains right now.
Bai Heng lay there quietly, but the scene from the forest earlier kept replaying in her mind.
The boy’s posture as he nocked and drew his bow—vigilant yet skilled. Those bright eyes, that handsome face slightly flushed from the mountain wind, and the pride and innocence in his voice when he said, “My name is Qin Yun.”
Yun Qing’s face at the moment of his death surfaced in her mind once again.
Pale and weary, yet with a final spark burning in his eyes. She still remembered clearly the deep pain and helplessness he had shown when he spoke haltingly of his son’s fate.
She should have handed over the ring.
But she hadn’t.
The hesitation in that moment had come because she did not know how to begin.
How was she supposed to explain such heavy truths to an amnesiac boy who had never cultivated—a mortal? That his Heavenly Spiritual Root had been stolen, that his parents had sacrificed everything to save him, that he had once possessed a destined immortal path?
She was afraid of frightening him.
But thinking about it now, that hesitation had also contained an instinctive wariness and caution.
Bai Heng slowly sat up, carefully organizing her thoughts.
There was indeed a seal deep within Qin Yun’s sea of consciousness. The sealing technique was quite sophisticated. With her current knowledge, she could only vaguely sense its existence but could not discern its exact structure or origin.
Had Yun Qing and his wife placed it?
Yet Yun Qing had never mentioned it before his death.
Sealing their own son’s memories was such an important matter. If they had truly done it, Yun Qing would not have omitted it. When entrusting her with the ring, he had been so thorough—explaining everything in the storage pouch, from the medical texts to the sword arts—yet he had said nothing about this most critical seal?
Unless the seal had not been placed by them.
Bai Heng’s gaze grew slightly focused.
She recalled the final voice transmission Yun Qing had left her. He had said that all four of his personal disciples had been carefully nurtured over many years and should have been the most reliable. Yet their secret plan had still been ambushed with precise timing.
It was difficult to know a person’s heart even if you knew their face.
“If in the future, Daoist friend encounters anyone claiming to be a personal disciple of mine or Lin Wan’s, please be extra cautious and do not trust them lightly.”
The grief and vigilance in that voice rang especially clear in Bai Heng’s mind now.
If someone knew that Yun Qing and his wife had a son, and knew where the child had been placed—
Might they have found Yun Zhuo even earlier?
Why seal his memories? To hide something? Or to wait for something?
Bai Heng’s tail swept lightly across the ground, stirring a few dry leaves.
Yun Qing had mentioned that their harvest in the secret realm had been substantial.
Ancient techniques, magical tools, treasures, demon cores, as well as pill recipes and spiritual herbs capable of repairing spiritual roots. These things were enough to tempt even Golden Core cultivators into giving chase for thousands of miles.
To escape with his life, Yun Qing had thrown out those gains as bait along the way. He said the pursuers had been blinded by greed, fighting and killing each other over the treasures, which bought him a slim chance of survival.
Bai Heng slowly pieced her thoughts together.
Yun Qing had been a Golden Core cultivator after all. Those capable of hunting him down would naturally also be at Golden Core level or higher. For them to covet the harvest so fiercely, the treasures within that secret realm must have been extraordinary.
Such news could not remain hidden forever.
Those who had benefited might keep silent, but those who had lost out in the struggle would certainly not let the matter rest.
Moreover, the fight had been chaotic with many participants. The information would spread sooner or later.
It was even possible that the secret realm was already under the control of a major sect or powerful clan.
As for smaller sects, families, or rogue cultivators still hoping to get a share, the most direct method would be to go after Yun Qing.
But Yun Qing was already dead.
Bai Heng knew this, but others did not.
In their eyes, Yun Qing was the only person who had emerged alive from the secret realm. It was highly likely that he still carried the most valuable core treasures from it.
What was the simplest way to find Yun Qing?
Bai Heng’s thoughts gradually settled.
Yun Qing and his wife had held decent status in Qingxu Sect. There were bound to be people who knew they had a son. Even if they had hidden Yun Zhuo well, those close to them—especially the so-called “personal disciples”—would likely have some clues.
What about the Feng Clan?
Would the Feng Clan, who had stolen Yun Zhuo’s Heavenly Spiritual Root, not pay attention to the child’s whereabouts? Although they had taken the root, they might not allow the child to grow up freely. If one day Yun Zhuo encountered an opportunity and stepped back onto the path of cultivation, the matter of stealing his root would become a cause and effect.
While Yun Qing and Lin Wan were still alive, they might have maintained some basic decency.
But after Lin Wan detonated her Golden Core and Yun Qing disappeared, given the Feng Clan’s style of doing things, they most likely…
The thought made a slight chill run down Bai Heng’s spine.
She felt fortunate that she had hesitated that day.
Although the hesitation had initially stemmed from not knowing how to explain things, it had coincidentally helped her avoid a potential trap.
Thinking about it now, the boy Qin Yun might no longer be the simple Yun Zhuo he appeared to be.
Or rather, he was simple because someone wanted him to be simple—he knew nothing. But who had arranged for him to know nothing? And what exactly were they waiting for?
Bai Heng lowered her head further, closing her eyes and allowing her thoughts to calm.
The sunlight gradually shifted westward as the light and shadows outside the cave slowly moved.
She did not rush to any conclusions.
She simply decided to settle down here for now.
She would stay in this rock cave on the back mountain. From afar, quietly, she would observe the boy and the village.
She would watch to see if anyone was secretly spying, if there were any unusual movements, and note the boy’s daily routines, the people he interacted with, and every word he spoke.
She was in no hurry anyway.
She had already waited three thousand years. What were a few more days?
Birdsong drifted in from outside the cave—clear and pleasant. The mountain wind blew gently, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees along with the faint smell of cooking smoke from the village below.
Bai Heng settled down once more, resting her chin on her crossed front paws and half-closing her eyes.
The rock cave was quiet, filled only with her long, steady breathing.
As dusk deepened, she suddenly opened her eyes.
From outside the cave, in the distance, came light, quick footsteps accompanied by a boy humming a little tune. The sound drew closer, but stopped roughly thirty zhang away from the cave.
Bai Heng extended her divine sense quietly.
The boy Qin Yun was squatting under a pine tree not far away, digging at something with his hunting knife. A moment later, he unearthed a medicinal herb, carefully shook the soil from its roots, and tucked it gently into his clothes.
He lifted his head and glanced in the direction of the cave.
Bai Heng remained motionless.
The boy could not see anything. The cave entrance was covered by vines and shrubs, and her aura was completely concealed. Even if someone stood right at the entrance, they would only see an ordinary rock face.
After a casual glance, the boy withdrew his gaze, stood up, brushed the dirt from his knees, and continued humming his tune as he carried his catch down the mountain.
His figure gradually merged into the twilight, disappearing at the end of the mountain path.
Bai Heng gazed quietly in that direction for a long time before closing her eyes once more.
The night wind grew cooler.
In the village at the foot of the mountain, scattered lights began to flicker on.