Chapter 96: Ah Chou…
The Zither Witch had only played a few notes. If she had truly intervened… it would have caused even more trouble.
However…
Recalling what happened today, a complicated expression appeared on the Zither Witch’s face.
She took out the withered, gray strand of hair again, sensed the aura within, compared it to the fleeting glimpse she had caught earlier, and sighed.
“This Peerless Summit Sect disciple… what is her connection to the Holy Maiden’s inheritance, the Lunar Phoenix Descent Scripture…”
Very similar, yet very different.
No matter what, she should inform the Holy Maiden first.
The Zither Witch calmed herself, set up a barrier around her, blocking all prying eyes from the outside.
With her strength, even the Mystic Dark Eyes of the Shangguan clan couldn’t penetrate it, unless their cultivation reached Nascent Soul or above.
Finally, the Zither Witch took out a broken dagger—this was the Holy Maiden’s token. She didn’t know why the Holy Maiden had chosen such a strange object as a token.
After injecting spiritual power, a screen of light appeared on the broken dagger.
A moment later, a beautiful, petite figure appeared on the screen, her face cold and indifferent, like ice that couldn’t melt even after ten thousand years.
This was the current Holy Maiden of the Temple of the Nether Spirit, second only to the Holy Master, the first successor to the throne.
—Su Yiyao.
“What is it, Sister Qin?”
Su Yiyao asked faintly, her expression as indifferent as ever, her cold eyes devoid of any emotion.
Just like when the Zither Witch first met her.
This Holy Maiden didn’t seem to have any emotions…
No one could tell what she liked, what she disliked, what she wanted, what she didn’t want.
She seemed to have no desires, yet she had an inexplicable obsession.
Because of this, no one knew how to please her, and the unpredictable Holy Maiden was gradually rumored to be a cruel and ruthless girl.
For example, the massacre of the Holy Son lineage. In reality, Su Yiyao had only killed a few who had plotted against her, including the Holy Son.
The rest of the Holy Son lineage were killed by the Holy Son’s enemies in her name.
The Zither Witch, who knew all of this, understood that the Holy Maiden was completely different from the rumors. She had simply chosen to close off her heart.
The Zither Witch sighed inwardly, took out the gray hair, and said,
“Holy Maiden, the person you asked me to find before…”
“You found her?”
Before the Zither Witch could finish, the Holy Maiden’s urgent voice came from the screen.
The Zither Witch looked up at the screen, her expression stunned.
Heavens, what did she see…
The usually cold and indifferent Holy Maiden, who always had an impassive expression no matter what, was now showing anxiety after hearing only half of the news.
The ten-thousand-year-old profound ice seemed to be melting, a faint light flickering in her eyes.
“Well… sort of,” the Zither Witch hesitated. “It’s a disciple of the Peerless Summit Sect, her cultivation around the Innate Realm.”
“She still carries the aura of the Peerless Summit Sect, so she should have left not long ago—You should have seen her at the Peerless Summit Sect a few days ago, right?”
“An Innate Realm disciple? I… I don’t think I saw her, did I miss her…”
Su Yiyao’s anxious expression was like an ant on a hot pan. She finally showed some emotion that matched her appearance. This was a side of the Holy Maiden that the Zither Witch had never seen before.
It seemed that this person was truly important to the Holy Maiden…
The Zither Witch’s heart sank.
She finally understood what the seemingly desireless Holy Maiden was obsessed with.
This was good.
But… it was also bad.
Once there was desire, there was a weakness to be exploited. For some, this was a good thing.
But for the Holy Maiden, it was a bad thing.
The Zither Witch hesitated, but she rarely hesitated like this.
“Where is she now?”
Su Yiyao asked urgently.
Looking at the light flickering in Su Yiyao’s eyes, the Zither Witch felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
“Holy Maiden, please calm down.” The Zither Witch said, “She… has already left, probably towards the Demon Abyss. I don’t know where she went.”
She couldn’t say, at least not now.
Revealing the girl’s existence now wouldn’t be good for the Holy Maiden, for the girl, or even for the Temple of the Nether Spirit.
“I’m going to find her.”
Su Yiyao said, then was about to close the light screen.
“Wait a moment, Holy Maiden,” the Zither Witch said in a low voice, “What do you think you can do after you find her?”
“Be with her. I came out to find her.”
Su Yiyao’s eyes were filled with determination.
Everything she had done was to find Ah Chou, whether it was leaving the Blood Sea or joining the Temple of the Nether Spirit and becoming the Holy Maiden, it was all to find Ah Chou.
Even though everyone told her that it was impossible to find this person.
But…
Ah Chou’s last smile before the swamp was forever etched in her heart, unforgettable.
Su Yiyao couldn’t imagine a life without Ah Chou. Every day she spent in the Blood Sea felt like a lifetime.
The endless torment she suffered finally made Phoenix Venerable decide to let her go.
Now… there was finally a sliver of hope, even if it was faint, even if it was just a possibility.
“But doing so, Holy Maiden, might harm her.” The Zither Witch said faintly.
Su Yiyao’s expression froze.
“Why…”
“Although I don’t know what the person you’re looking for means to you,” the Zither Witch continued, “but she must be very important, important enough for you to be willing to give your life for her.”
Su Yiyao’s expression gradually softened, and she nodded slowly, her face grave.
The Zither Witch’s words made Su Yiyao understand… why her protector was stopping her from searching for Ah Chou.
She was the Holy Maiden of the Temple of the Nether Spirit, and countless people were watching her, wanting to control her.
But no one knew what she wanted. A person without desires was the most terrifying because they couldn’t be used by anyone.
If Ah Chou’s existence was exposed, and everyone knew how important this girl was to the Holy Maiden, even more important than her life, what would happen?
—Controlling this girl would be equivalent to controlling the Holy Maiden, who was second only to the Holy Master.
Using Ah Chou’s life to threaten her, or persuading Ah Chou to join a certain faction, forcing the Holy Maiden to make a choice… etc.
There would be many methods.
All of these would undoubtedly harm Ah Chou.
Su Yiyao didn’t care about herself, but she cared about Ah Chou.
“I hope the Holy Maiden will think carefully. No matter what, do not reveal her existence.” Seeing Su Yiyao’s silence, the Zither Witch lowered her head and said, “If you have any decisions, just instruct me.”
“Okay, thank you, Sister Qin.”
Su Yiyao nodded, the urgency on her face finally disappearing, replaced by an indifferent mask.
But the difference was that there was finally some color in her eyes, no longer dull and lifeless.
…
After closing the light screen, the surrounding restrictions also dissipated.
With Su Yiyao’s current cultivation, she couldn’t create restrictions that could block a Nascent Soul cultivator, so these restrictions were transmitted by the Zither Witch through the token.
After ending the conversation with her protector, Su Yiyao’s heart couldn’t calm down.
She looked at herself in the mirror and suddenly felt a little nervous.
“Could Ah Chou have reincarnated? I wonder if she still recognizes me…”
She stared at her beautiful face in the mirror and frowned slightly.
“No, that’s not right. The Ah Chou I knew wouldn’t have seen me like this…”
She looked around, but couldn’t find what she was looking for, so she casually picked up a spirit stone and gently squeezed it.
The high-grade spirit stone, worth at least two Mystic-rank Qi Condensation Pills, instantly turned to dust, releasing a rich spiritual energy.
But Su Yiyao ignored the dissipating spiritual energy and carefully gathered the remaining dust and debris.
Then, she lowered her head and rubbed her face in the dust.
When she looked up again, the little face in the mirror was covered in dust.
Just like back then.
Su Yiyao suddenly giggled, then tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Ah Chou…”
“This time, don’t lie to me…”
“Okay?”
She lowered her head and closed her eyes.
She wanted to see the current Ah Chou so much, but she couldn’t…
She couldn’t put Ah Chou in danger.
Wait!
As if realizing something, Su Yiyao looked up.
Sister Qin seemed to have said that Ah Chou had just left the Peerless Summit Sect not long ago and was a disciple at the Innate Realm, but she hadn’t sensed her at the time.
Su Yiyao was certain that she was very sensitive to Ah Chou’s aura. Even the slightest similarity wouldn’t escape her notice.
Therefore…
There were two possibilities.
First, the news Sister Qin brought might be a mistake.
Second, she had missed Ah Chou among the Peerless Summit Sect disciples.
Su Yiyao desperately wanted to go back in time, to that day, and carefully search for Ah Chou’s traces.
Unfortunately… she couldn’t.
No, there was still a way!
Su Yiyao suddenly remembered that she seemed to have taken a recording stone from the maids that day. They hadn’t dared to ask for it back, so she had kept it.
Thinking of this, Su Yiyao immediately got up and walked towards her coffin. She kept all her belongings in the coffin, including the recording stone.
Opening the coffin lid, Su Yiyao saw the sculpture of Ah Chou again, but this time, her expression wasn’t filled with sorrow, but with a hint of hope.
“This is that recording stone…”
Su Yiyao picked up the recording stone, her heart suddenly filled with anxiety.
As long as she activated the recording stone, she might be able to see the current Ah Chou.
But what if she couldn’t?
Wouldn’t that mean that Sister Qin… had found the wrong person?
But the hesitation didn’t last long. The desire to see Ah Chou overcame her anxiety, and Su Yiyao immediately activated the recording stone.
As scene after scene flashed by, Su Yiyao stared intently at every frame, at every Peerless Summit Sect disciple in the image, but she still couldn’t find her Ah Chou.
Just as the recording was nearing its end, and Su Yiyao’s eyes were dimming with disappointment, a figure suddenly appeared.
A silver-haired girl, resolute and alone.
“Luo Xue, disciple of Falling Flower Peak, Peerless Summit Sect,” the girl’s voice was still childish. “Body Forging stage of the Innate Realm, I seek a challenge!”
“Ah Chou…”
Tears streamed down Su Yiyao’s face.
…
In Ghost Demon Pass.
When Luo Xue and the others returned to the small inn in the remote area of the Medicine Gang’s territory, they were surprised to find the inn’s door half-open.
“Someone’s here!”
Luo Xue’s pupils constricted, and the Sha sisters beside her became nervous again.
Nangong Mengxiang, however, didn’t seem to notice. She walked straight over and pushed the door open.
She looked back at Luo Xue and the others with confusion and asked,
“Why aren’t you coming in?”
“Inside…”
Luo Xue opened her mouth, but before she could finish, a familiar, gentle voice rang out.
“Ladies, I have been waiting here for a long time.”
“Who?”
Nangong Mengxiang immediately tensed up, looking warily into the room.
As a body cultivator, Nangong Mengxiang’s spiritual sense was weak. She was only sensitive to killing intent.
As long as the person inside didn’t have any killing intent, she wouldn’t be able to detect them in advance.
And the person in the inn now was…
Dressed in familiar gray robes, with a simple bag on his shoulder, it was Master Wumu, the prodigy of the Silent Temple.
Master Wumu put his palms together and bowed to Luo Xue and the others.
“Miss Luo Xue, I’ve caused some trouble and had to seek refuge here, while waiting for your return.”
“You know him?”
Nangong Mengxiang turned and asked.
“I know him, but…”
Luo Xue’s expression was a bit complicated.
Logically, her recent troubles were caused by Master Wumu, but he had only helped her at the city gate and hadn’t done anything else, not even revealing her true identity after seeing through her disguise.
It was all those two prodigies of the Demonic Ghost City overthinking things.
“Oh.”
Nangong Mengxiang nodded and didn’t ask further, entering the room directly.
The Sha sisters, having heard of Master Wumu’s reputation, were also relieved.
At least, according to the rumors, Master Wumu was kind and rarely resorted to violence.
Luo Xue also entered, sat down at the table beside Master Wumu, and asked,
“Why did you specifically seek me out, Master? It shouldn’t be to collect the entrance fee from the city gate, right?”
“Having caused Miss Luo Xue so much trouble, how could I ask for the entrance fee?” Master Wumu’s face wore a constant, benevolent smile. “I should be the one apologizing.”
Luo Xue was silent for a moment, then said,
“Did you know these things would happen?”
She recalled Master Wumu’s voice transmission at the city gate.
An inescapable disaster, irreversible…
“I didn’t know.” Master Wumu shook his head. “These unexpected troubles were all caused by me. It is my fault.”
Master Wumu paused, then continued,
“Therefore, to apologize to Miss Luo Xue, I went through some trouble to obtain an artifact for you, as a token of my apology.”
With that, Master Wumu took out a magical treasure and handed it to Luo Xue with both hands.
It was a golden weapon, both ends shaped like hollow lanterns, emitting a dignified aura.
However, within the hollow lanterns at both ends, there was a living bead that resembled an eyeball, rolling around, maliciously peering at the world.
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