After Su Zhan agreed to stay, Li Xingyue’s eyes curved into smiles.
She said with a grin that she needed to make some preparations.
When Su Zhan asked, Li Xingyue only replied that she was going to reinforce the array.
Su Zhan didn’t think much of it and watched her leave.
She found a wooden basin, filled it with water, and tidied up the room.
Then she carried the bedding out to the courtyard.
Although Li Xingyue cleaned regularly, it was only on the surface.
A thin layer of dust covered the bedding.
Since she was only staying temporarily, Su Zhan decided it was best to wash it herself rather than trouble others.
Fortunately, it was nearly noon and the previously gloomy weather had cleared up, with the sun shining through.
Su Zhan hung the bedding out to dry and worked up a light sweat in the process.
She found a piece of coarse cloth, soaked and wrung it out, loosened her collar slightly, and wiped herself down simply.
After resting for a while, Li Xingyue finally returned.
Li Xingyue had apparently gone out somewhere.
She was carrying two plump grass carp in her hands.
Su Zhan handed her a cup of warmed tea.
Li Xingyue accepted it and smiled at her. “Junior Sister, I’m back,” she said, only drinking the tea after Su Zhan responded.
“Are you hungry, Junior Sister? I caught the fish you like. I’ll cook it for you later.”
“Huh? I don’t like fish,” Su Zhan blinked. Moreover, she had never eaten in front of Li Xingyue before.
Li Xingyue’s smile stiffened.
After a few seconds of daze, she corrected herself.
“…It’s fine. Once you eat it, you’ll like it.”
“Then thank you for your kind intentions, Senior Sister.”
Su Zhan nodded.
She suddenly realized that the one who liked fish wasn’t her, but the other person.
Li Xingyue had simply said it subconsciously because of how much she resembled her.
Not wanting to reopen old wounds, Su Zhan tacitly changed the subject.
She took the fish from Li Xingyue’s hands and offered to help scale and cook them together.
Li Xingyue didn’t refuse. She took Su Zhan’s hand and led her to the kitchen.
The kitchen was small—a little stone cave with limited space.
Some seasonings were placed around, the firewood pile was empty, and the stove looked like it hadn’t been used in a long time.
“Yan’er was always lazy when practicing. Every time she was caught, Master would punish her by not letting her eat.So she and I would often sneak here to cook something.”
Li Xingyue explained to Su Zhan, “She didn’t like fish at first either, but since I only knew how to grill fish, she ended up liking it after eating it many times.”
“Because it was made by Senior Sister,” Su Zhan said softly.
“Yes, that’s what Yan’er said too.”
After Li Xingyue spoke, Su Zhan didn’t continue the conversation. Or rather, she didn’t know what to say.
In the silence, the two quickly grilled the fish. To be honest, the appearance wasn’t great, but Li Xingyue ate with great relish, practically wolfing it down.
Su Zhan had only eaten half a fish when Li Xingyue had already devoured most of the meat.
Su Zhan didn’t have much appetite.
She really didn’t like fish.
Li Xingyue watched her slowly chewing, resting her cheek on her hand, her gaze lowered.
“About the Heart-Devouring Pill… Senior Sister, when do you plan to scatter it into the array?”
Feeling a bit uncomfortable being stared at, Su Zhan brought up the topic.
“What Heart-Devouring Pill?”
Li Xingyue raised an eyebrow, her tone casual. She tilted her head and thought for a few seconds before letting out an “Oh.”
“Junior Sister is talking about the pill you brought yesterday. It’s already been ground into powder. I can scatter it anytime, so there’s no rush.”
“She?” Su Zhan looked confused.
“I misspoke for a moment. Don’t mind me, Junior Sister.” Li Xingyue’s lips curved into a light smile. “If you’re worried, I’ll take care of it properly later.”
“Mm. Since it concerns the tens of thousands of citizens in Fangcheng, why don’t we do it now?”
Su Zhan didn’t pay too much attention to the oddity in Li Xingyue’s words. She stopped eating the fish and pondered her own thoughts.
It would be best to eliminate the hidden danger as soon as possible so the junior sisters wouldn’t have to stay cooped up.
After all, if one or two stubborn girls threw away their life-saving brocade pouches just to sneak out and have fun, things could go very wrong.
Keeping them confined for too long would only breed rebellion anyway.
Plus, this way, Junior Sister Xia could worry a little less.
***
“You bunch of rotten girls really never stop giving me headaches!”
Inside a room on the second floor of Tang Pavilion, Xia Liu slammed her hand on the table in annoyance.
“I told you all to listen to your senior sisters when you’re away from the sect. Look at the mess you’ve caused now!”
More than ten girls were gathered here, all hanging their heads as they were scolded.
The one with her head lowered the most, receiving the brunt of the lecture, was wearing a bright red robe as vivid as maple leaves.
It was Ji Xing.
After Su Zhan left, Xia Liu had knocked on each of the junior sisters’ doors one by one and called them for breakfast.
But when she checked, she nearly exploded with anger.
These girls had taken advantage of the time she was talking with Su Zhan to sneak out.
Every single one of the dozen or so girls had gone.
Damn it. She had repeatedly warned them not to run around or go out, but these dead girls just wouldn’t listen.
It made her chest feel tight with rage.
Fortunately, the girls had gone out together and were all gathered at the market, lingering in front of snacks and cheap handmade jewelry.
So she had bought up everything from the vendors in one go, then led them back to Tang Pavilion with a dark face.
Still, some girls were defiant.
After all, up until now Xia Liu had only forbidden them from going out without explaining why.
Just as Xia Liu was about to speak with a cold face, Ji Xing burst in like a whirlwind, shouting that something terrible had happened and that Senior Sister was in danger.
Seeing the white cat in Ji Xing’s arms, Xia Liu immediately panicked.
She thought Su Zhan had clashed with that old poison cultivator because of Ji Xing. She urgently asked Ji Xing to explain everything from start to finish.
But to her surprise, Ji Xing didn’t mention the poison cultivator at all.
Instead, she insisted that Senior Sister Su had been bewitched by a female ghost and trapped in an illusion.
To let her escape, Su Zhan had stayed behind to hold the ghost off.
Then, trembling, Ji Xing recounted how she had sneaked up the mountain alone and encountered a ghost, how she had run into a ghost wall, and nearly lost her life.
She described how terrifying and powerful the female ghost was.
After listening with a frown, Xia Liu was furious.
This was exactly what she had been most afraid of.
In a fit of anger, she spilled everything.
She told them about the man-eating demon commission, the demonic beasts that could go on a rampage at any time, and the poison cultivator living in seclusion in Fangcheng.
The girls who had been somewhat resentful immediately fell silent.
They weren’t stupid. They knew how serious these matters were. Any one of them could cost them their lives.
Once she finished speaking, Xia Liu told the restless junior sisters to stay in their rooms and not go out. Then she took the white cat and left to find Su Zhan.
However, when she reached the middle of the mountain, she could no longer advance even half a step. The entire mountain path was blocked by an invisible barrier—a massive array.
The other party’s cultivation was higher than hers, and she had no means to deal with array cultivators.
She could only wait anxiously at the foot of the mountain for a long time before finally giving up and returning to the girls. In her frustration, she vented her anger.
Normally in this situation, she should have immediately sent a distress signal to the sect. But the leader’s jade token used to contact the sect was with Su Zhan.
After all, Su Zhan was the one with the strongest self-preservation ability among them.
But now… she was the one in danger, and no one could save her.