Chapter 43: “No Matter What Happens, I’ll Be With You”
It was true; a change in perspective could broaden one’s horizons and lift one’s spirits!
Now that she had a clear goal, she needed to understand the reason for the little protagonist’s latest blackening value increase.
Li Yu took two deep breaths, composed herself, and turned to her little disciple with a smile.
As expected, Mu Tao, who had been practicing her cultivation techniques, was now looking at her thoughtfully.
“What’s wrong?” Li Yu asked softly, walking over to Mu Tao and gently helping her up. “Didn’t you want to rest today? Why are you cultivating again?”
“I’ve finished building the snowman,” Mu Tao said softly, standing up with Li Yu’s help, a smile in her eyes. “If I kept playing, your courtyard would be filled with snowmen.”
“That would be quite lively,” Li Yu said casually, leading Mu Tao to the table and pouring her a cup of hot tea.
Mu Tao drank the tea in one gulp, then held the empty cup, her gaze lowered, her eyelashes fluttering, lost in thought.
Seeing her distraction, Li Yu couldn’t help but ask, “Is something on your mind?”
“…N, no,” Mu Tao quickly shook her head, not daring to look up.
The next second, Li Yu gently flicked her forehead, making her jump.
Li Yu: “Still saying no? It’s written all over your face.”
Mu Tao: “…”
Li Yu: “All grown up now, keeping secrets from Master?”
Mu Tao: “No, really, there’s nothing.”
Li Yu just smiled and stared at her nervous little disciple.
She watched as Mu Tao’s cheeks flushed, her fingers fidgeting with the teacup, her gaze darting around.
Although she didn’t know what the girl was so nervous about, this timid, anxious appearance was so adorable she couldn’t resist teasing her a little.
“Master, I just… I…” Mu Tao stammered, avoiding eye contact, then finally looked at Li Yu and said, “I just saw that Master seemed troubled!”
“Oh?”
“Master is troubled.” Mu Tao said firmly, then muttered, “Ever since you saw Qingxuan Revered One’s butterfly message, you haven’t been happy…”
Li Yu was momentarily speechless, then chuckled wryly.
So, that little increase in blackening value was because of Si Qinglan again?
Forget it, the reason didn’t matter; it was going to reach 100% eventually anyway.
Li Yu sighed and gently stroked Mu Tao’s hair. “I’m not unhappy.”
Mu Tao: “You are.”
Li Yu: “Even if I am, it’s not important.”
Mu Tao looked up, blinked, and didn’t say anything more.
Silence filled the room.
Li Yu suddenly smiled and asked softly, “Since you’re not playing anymore, do you want to learn something new?”
“Mm!” Mu Tao nodded vigorously.
She moved her stool closer to Li Yu.
Her warm eyes reflected the faint light emanating from Li Yu’s fingertips.
No matter how soft, she could always hear the chiming of the silver bells on her master’s wrist, accompanying every spell, stirring her heart.
But she loved this feeling, just like she loved being close to her master.
The more restless she felt, the happier she was.
Her master had asked if she was troubled.
How could she reveal her true feelings?
Her master was already so good to her, yet it wasn’t enough, she couldn’t explain why, but she still craved more.
If only they could be closer.
Closer than now…
Perhaps then it would be enough.
The snow on Mount Chao Yao always fell heavily, as if once it started, it wouldn’t stop until spring.
Following the system’s advice, Li Yu didn’t tell Si Qinglan about the impending demon attack.
It felt like a sword hanging over her head, not enough to kill her, but still painful.
As she anxiously waited for the metaphorical sword to fall, Si Qinglan visited Chaoxi Pond.
As usual, she first sent Mu Tao outside, then erected a soundproof barrier, and launched into a tirade of complaints, nitpicking about everything, seemingly displeased with the entire world.
The only difference from before was that, with winter arriving, she thoughtfully gave Mu Tao a small, exquisite hand warmer to protect her from the cold.
Perhaps because of this small gift, Mu Tao’s blackening value, surprisingly, didn’t increase.
Si Qinglan chattered and drank tea, seemingly venting endless frustrations.
Li Yu listened quietly, thinking that if the Heavenly Demon was ever revived, Qingxuan Revered One should be given some credit.
After complaining for a while, Si Qinglan finally seemed to tire, sighing listlessly as she rested her chin on her hands.
“Li Yu,” she said, “Have you sensed anything…off lately?”
Li Yu nodded. “You’ve been acting very off lately.”
Si Qinglan didn’t argue, just sighed again. “My heart has been restless… My eye keeps twitching, like something is about to happen.”
“Which eye?”
“This one, this one.” Si Qinglan pointed to her right eye.
Oh, right eye twitching meant good fortune. As expected of a fairy, even her eyelids were prophetic.
“Left eye twitching means trouble, right eye twitching means good fortune,” Li Yu lied. “You’re about to come into some money.”
“Really?” Si Qinglan asked suspiciously. “I thought it was the other way around.”
“Really,” Li Yu said calmly. “You haven’t been to the human realm in ages. I just returned, so I remember better than you.”
“That’s true.” Si Qinglan rubbed her right eye, pouted, then frowned. “But this constant anxiety isn’t normal either!”
Li Yu: “It’s because you’re weak. I’ve also been feeling anxious lately.”
Si Qinglan: “…”
Li Yu: “Just relax.”
Si Qinglan: “Ever since Weisheng went into hibernation, I’ve been feeling uneasy.”
Li Yu chuckled. “You sound like you have a crush on him.”
“Ugh, no way!” Si Qinglan rolled her eyes. “Why would I have a crush on an iceberg who has a crush on you?”
“Don’t mention him, it gives me a headache,” Li Yu said, pressing her hand to her forehead.
“I have a headache too,” Si Qinglan said, sighing heavily again.
She fell silent, staring blankly out the window.
Li Yu followed her gaze and saw Mu Tao, holding the hand warmer, crouching in the courtyard, trying to manipulate the thick snow with her spiritual energy.
Si Qinglan: “You’ve started teaching her spells.”
Li Yu: “Mm.”
Si Qinglan was silent for a moment, then smiled. “Actually, back when you were so wary of this girl, I always thought this day would come.”
Li Yu: “Why?”
“I can’t explain it, just a feeling.” Si Qinglan looked away from Mu Tao. “Sometimes I admire you, being able to do so much for someone.”
“I haven’t done much for her.”
“Sure, much more than I’ve done for my disciples.”
Li Yu chuckled. “That’s because you have too many disciples.”
“Too many?” Si Qinglan retorted. “Not really, just a hundred or so…”
Just a hundred or so!
Wasn’t that a lot? She only had Mu Tao, and she already felt overwhelmed.
Li Yu: “By the way, I almost forgot, how is Qin Yuan doing?”
Si Qinglan: “Good aptitude, hardworking, but her foundation is a bit weak from her time in the human realm.”
Li Yu: “Human cultivators can’t compare to you, of course.”
This compliment pleased Si Qinglan, her energy returning as she continued talking about aptitude.
She said that very few of her disciples had good aptitude, and those who did often lacked the right temperament. Someone like Qin Yuan, with both good aptitude and temperament, was rare.
She also said that when Weisheng Xuanzhu brought Mo Yichu back three hundred years ago, she had asked if she could teach him, since she was the one who saved him.
But he was a rare talent; why would Weisheng Xuanzhu give him up? He refused without hesitation.
Thinking of this, Si Qinglan couldn’t help but complain, “I was the one who saved him, he was the one who got to be his master, and then, after he grows up, he brings back a soul fragment, claiming it’s his long-lost mother, and asks me to save her! He gets all the credit, and I get all the trouble!”
Li Yu couldn’t help but laugh.
“And you! What are you laughing at?” Si Qinglan slammed the table. “I’m so weak now, and it’s all your fault!”
Her colleague’s temper flared up again.
To appease her, Li Yu summoned the patience of a kindergarten teacher.
When Si Qinglan left Chaoxi Pond, she was in a much better mood.
Li Yu walked her to the door, watching the green light disappear into the distance.
Mu Tao, holding the hand warmer, ran over to her and asked, looking up, “Master, did Qingxuan Revered One have business with you today?”
Li Yu shook her head. “No.”
No business today, but the next time they met, it would probably be about serious matters.
Li Yu sighed and returned to her room.
Not being able to reveal the future she knew made her feel guilty.
But she knew that some things were better left unsaid.
As the system had said, with Mount Chao Yao’s current strength, directly confronting the demons might lead to a worse outcome.
So, she waited.
On the tenth day of continuous snowfall, a deafening boom echoed from below.
Li Yu’s heart skipped a beat. After a moment, she walked to the door and looked in the direction of the sound.
Mu Tao had already reached the door, her hands gripping the frame, her eyes wide with shock.
“Master, the mountain gate is broken!”
To the south of Mount Chao Yao, the once invisible barrier was now visible.
The massive, shimmering dome had shattered, and countless demonic lights, carrying a wave of resentment, surged into the mountain.
Flashes of light tried to mend the barrier, but they were quickly swallowed by the resentment.
Even from afar, the intensity of the battle was palpable.
Another boom echoed.
Mu Tao looked towards the sound and shouted, “Master! That’s the direction of Suiqiong Cave!”
Indeed, it was.
Another part of the protective dome shattered; that direction was clearly unguarded.
A flock of birds, like a swarm of insects, carrying a wave of demonic energy, flew towards Suiqiong Cave.
The commotion was too great to ignore.
Should she go and put on a show?
But what if her presence hindered their efforts to break the seal?
Li Yu’s mind raced, but before she could decide, the birds stopped in midair.
They scattered, circling and weaving, forming a formation in the sky.
As the formation activated, the sky within the demonic circle instantly turned into night.
Stars appeared in the sudden darkness.
It was like looking into the vast cosmos through a black hole.
The power of the stars rained down.
Li Yu froze for a moment, then heard a sound like the earth splitting apart.
The darkness and the stars vanished, and the birds flew away, escaping through the broken mountain gate, disappearing into the gray clouds before anyone could react.
The demonic energy to the south also gradually dissipated.
She had been overthinking it. This formation, like a UFO abducting children, had accomplished its task swiftly and efficiently.
That seal had been created by the original Li Yu and Weisheng Xuanzhu! For it to be broken so easily was a bit absurd!
And she recognized that power!
“Master!” Mu Tao grabbed Li Yu’s sleeve. “That was…that was the spiritual energy of the person in the City of the Undying!”
“Let’s go and see.” Li Yu summoned a crane and flew towards Suiqiong Cave with Mu Tao.
The crane flew quickly, and soon they arrived.
The scene was exactly as described in the novel.
Suiqiong Cave had collapsed, the entrance buried under a mountain of rubble. A massive crack, as if cleaved by a powerful force, split the cave ceiling.
Looking down into the chasm, besides the chilling cold, only faint remnants of the seal’s spiritual light remained, flickering amidst the ruins of ice and snow.
—The Upper Spirit Lamp was gone.
Si Qinglan arrived shortly after, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
Her face was pale, her lips white; she looked incredibly weak.
“Are you alright?” Li Yu instinctively stepped forward to support her.
“We’ve been tricked! Their target was the Upper Spirit Lamp!” Si Qinglan gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with fury.
Li Yu frowned slightly, not daring to speak.
“We can’t lose the Upper Spirit Lamp! We have to get it back!” Si Qinglan closed her eyes and formed an unfamiliar hand seal.
A pale green light emanated from her forehead, spreading outwards like wisps of smoke.
The light split into countless threads, like a net, extending beyond the broken dome, covering the entire sky.
Li Yu followed the light with her gaze.
What kind of spell was this?
She no longer underestimated Si Qinglan’s power; this looked incredibly powerful!
As Li Yu was mesmerized by the spectacle, a white light flashed beside her.
The light dissipated, revealing Mo Yichu.
He looked at Si Qinglan with concern, seemingly wanting to stop her but hesitant to interfere. “Master Qinglan, using the Soul Searching Technique on such a large scale is like burning your life force! Your body won’t be able to handle it!”
—Burning her life force?!
Li Yu snapped back to reality, gathered spiritual energy in her palm, and pulled Si Qinglan back.
The Soul Searching Technique was instantly interrupted, and Si Qinglan stumbled, leaning weakly against Li Yu.
“Si Qinglan, are you crazy?!” Li Yu couldn’t help but scold her.
The countless threads of light in the sky dissipated like smoke.
She didn’t understand these complicated spells, didn’t know their consequences, but she couldn’t just let Si Qinglan do something so reckless!
“You know what’s sealed inside!” Si Qinglan gritted her teeth and grabbed Li Yu’s wrist. “We have to retrieve the Upper Spirit Lamp, or the entire immortal world will hold us accountable!”
“…”
“We have to…we have to get it back…”
The current Mount Chao Yao couldn’t bear the responsibility of losing the Upper Spirit Lamp.
Mo Yichu: “I’ll go and find it, Master Li Yu!”
Si Qinglan: “You…”
【Host, time to accept the mission!】
【If only the male protagonist goes, the female protagonist won’t follow!】
Li Yu hesitated, then said firmly, “I’ll go, I will personally retrieve the Upper Spirit Lamp.”
Si Qinglan: “I’ll go with you…”
Li Yu: “You need to rest. I can handle this alone.”
Si Qinglan straightened up, as if trying to prove she was fine. “Li Yu, this is suspicious. Those demons choosing this moment to attack, creating a diversion, their target so clear, I’m afraid…”
“Don’t worry!” Li Yu interrupted without hesitation, turning to look at Mo Yichu. “You stay here and look after Qingxuan Revered One. Don’t let her do anything reckless.”
Mo Yichu: “Yes!”
【Host, aren’t you taking the male protagonist with you?】
The mountain gate was broken; anyone could enter.
Si Qinglan was incredibly weak; she needed someone reliable to look after her.
She had unlocked so many spells and improved her control over spiritual energy. If the male protagonist could do this alone in the original story, surely she could do it with the system’s assistance.
【Boohoo!】
What was it crying about now?
【The system is touched by the host’s trust! The system is happy!】
…Glad to hear it.
Li Yu took a deep breath, wondering how to justify taking Mu Tao along without sounding strange, when Mu Tao grabbed her sleeve, her grip tight, as if afraid of being left behind.
Mu Tao: “Master, I’ll go with you!”
Si Qinglan: “What use would you be?!”
【Protagonist Blackening Value +2%!】
【Current Protagonist Blackening Value: 48%!】
“Master!” Mu Tao’s eyes reddened; she refused to let go of Li Yu’s sleeve.
Li Yu: “Mu Tao just…doesn’t want to leave my side.”
Si Qinglan: “But…”
Li Yu: “I will take care of her.”
Si Qinglan: “Absolutely not!”
She grabbed Mu Tao’s wrist. “Li Yu, it’s too dangerous!”
Mu Tao looked at her, terrified.
Mo Yichu: “Master Li Yu, Disciple Mu Tao is now…”
Si Qinglan: “You stay out of this!”
Mo Yichu: “…”
Mu Tao: “…”
Si Qinglan’s outburst silenced both juniors.
Mu Tao looked at Li Yu pleadingly.
Li Yu knew Si Qinglan’s concerns.
Mu Tao’s Demon Bone resonated with the demonic soul sealed within the Upper Spirit Lamp. In the original story, it was the Heavenly Demon Soul Seed’s influence that caused Mu Tao’s Demon Bone to be exposed.
Bringing Mu Tao near the Upper Spirit Lamp before it was resealed was undoubtedly dangerous.
But in the novel, the protagonist and the male protagonist went together.
Why did Si Qinglan and “Li Yu” in the original story allow this?
If she could understand that, she could justify taking Mu Tao with her.
【Host, the answer is right there in the question.】
The answer was in the question…?
She seemed to understand.
In the original story, after Mu Tao’s Demon Bone was exposed, the male protagonist suppressed her demonic energy and hid her, but “Li Yu” still found them.
If she had to guess, the original Li Yu must have been following them all along.
She must have known that to find the Upper Spirit Lamp, Mu Tao had to take this risk.
Whether she liked it or not, the Upper Spirit Lamp was far more important than Mu Tao.
“Si Qinglan, I know how to find the Upper Spirit Lamp better than you do,” Li Yu said in a low voice.
Si Qinglan opened her mouth as if to say something, then fell silent.
For a moment, she looked at Li Yu with an unfamiliar expression, then chuckled softly.
She released Mu Tao’s wrist and lowered her gaze.
Mu Tao quickly hid behind Li Yu, rubbing her wrist.
Li Yu sighed, summoned the crane, and pulled Mu Tao up.
The crane soared into the sky, beyond the broken mountain gate, everything below shrinking and receding.
In the silence, the system began listing the rules for using divine power in the human realm.
Li Yu listened absently, summarizing it as: avoid humans, don’t affect mortals unless absolutely necessary, or risk triggering Heavenly Tribulation.
The system helpfully recommended a basic invisibility spell and an unlocked barrier formation.
This barrier formation could create a separate space, isolating it from the outside world.
【If there’s an unavoidable fight, using this barrier will be much safer!】
But it seemed to consume a lot of energy.
【Better than triggering Heavenly Tribulation!】
You were right.
The system’s eagerness made her suspect a difficult battle lay ahead…
As Li Yu was lost in thought, Mu Tao hugged her from behind, her cold cheek pressed against her back.
“Qingxuan Revered One was so fierce…” Mu Tao muttered.
“She was just worried about you,” Li Yu replied softly.
“I know.” Mu Tao tightened her embrace. “I’m not afraid, Master will protect me.”
Li Yu felt a momentary pang of guilt.
She would protect Mu Tao.
Even knowing that some harm was unavoidable, she would do her best to shield her from the rest.
“No matter what happens, I’ll be with you,” she whispered, her voice almost drowned out by the wind.
A moment later, Mu Tao softly replied, “Mm.”
【Protagonist Blackening Value +2%!】
【Current Protagonist Blackening Value: 50%!】
It increased again…
She didn’t understand, but it no longer mattered.
—She had made up her mind.