Chapter 171 An Uneasy Alliance
I turned to him. “Why are you taking his side too?”
Mu Cangli lifted his gaze toward the forests deep within North Ridge. His eyes seemed to hold an endless winter.
“The Prince of the Eight Regions isn't here merely to search for something. If he's acting under an imperial secret decree... then this is the opening move of a full-scale purge.”
Lian looked at him. “You know something?”
Mu Cangli arched a brow.
“I only know this: if the Blood Lotus Sect truly becomes entangled in this matter, no one standing here will escape unscathed.”
Feng Yu let out a cold snort.
“You've suddenly become quite the righteous man.”
Mu Cangli didn't miss a beat.
“At least I didn't spend years hiding who I was, only to reappear pretending to care.”
Feng Yu's expression darkened.
“You—”
“Enough, enough, enough!”
I threw myself between them with both arms spread wide.
“Again? We just stopped you two! If you start another fight, I'm going to die from frustration before the poison even gets a chance to kill me!”
Lian pinched the bridge of his nose with quiet resignation.
“You two... are you determined to make today as difficult as possible for me?”
Neither of them answered.
Instead, they simultaneously looked away, as though they had reached a silent agreement.
I let out a long breath before turning back to Lian.
“Let's wait for Hua before deciding anything. If the Prince's forces aren't breathing down our necks yet, then we should find the herbs first, all right? Staying alive comes before everything else. We'll have to deal with the imperial court sooner or later—but we need to survive if we're going to fight them.”
Lian fell silent.
Mu Cangli watched him, unusually free of his usual flippancy.
Even Feng Yu kept his eyes fixed on Lian, his expression unexpectedly serious.
After a long pause, Lian finally nodded.
“All right. We'll wait for Hua.”
The knot in my chest finally loosened.
“Then let's—”
“But.”
Lian interrupted me, his voice as steady as ever.
“If we run into the Prince's men on the way, we'll need to be prepared.”
I stared at him.
“...”
Feng Yu said nothing, though his hand tightened almost imperceptibly inside his sleeve.
Just then the leaves overhead rustled.
A brisk but cautious set of footsteps came racing up the mountain path.
“Prepared for what? I don't think you'll have to wait.”
The familiar voice carried an easy confidence.
A moment later, Hua pushed aside a curtain of branches and stepped from the shadows.
Before he'd even come to a full stop, a gust of mountain wind swept through his sleeves.
“The Prince's camp already knows the formation has collapsed.”
Every one of us stiffened.
Hua swept a quick glance over the group.
“They're heading this way.”
He paused before looking directly at Lian.
“And judging by their route... they're probably heading somewhere not far from where we'll be searching for the Three-Leaved Youvine and Daily Evergreen.”
My eyes widened.
“That fast? Did they grow wings?”
Hua ignored me entirely.
Instead, his attention settled on Feng Yu, studying him with careful restraint.
“Hua Xiang.”
He spoke calmly.
“Now that the formation is gone, there's nowhere left for you to hide on this mountain.”
One of Feng Yu's brows lifted.
“You're getting at something.”
Hua brushed the dust from his sleeve with deliberate calm.
“Simple. You were once the Left Protector of the Blood Lotus Sect. No one here knows North Ridge—or the paths behind the mountain—better than you.”
He paused before continuing.
“You grew up alongside the Sect Leader. Whether you still acknowledge the Blood Lotus Sect or not doesn't matter. Right now, finding an antidote for him is the most urgent priority.”
A faint flicker crossed Feng Yu's eyes, though he remained silent.
Hua stepped closer until they stood face to face.
“We're searching for medicinal herbs, while the Prince's troops are closing in. If we split up, they'll pick us off one by one.”
His voice lowered.
“If you come with us, we'll have a better chance of staying ahead of the imperial forces. If you don't... wandering North Ridge alone won't keep you off their radar.”
Only then did he finish, almost casually.
“So... join us.”
Mu Cangli gave a quiet scoff.
“You make it sound awfully easy. He's hardly someone you can simply recruit.”
Feng Yu didn't reject the idea immediately.
Instead, he narrowed his eyes with a faint, unreadable smile.
“So that's it.
“You want to use me.”
“Hey, don't put it like that!”
I jumped in immediately.
“This isn't about who's using whom! We're all on the verge of dying! If you don't join us, then when the Prince's men catch up, we won't die separately—we'll die together!”
Feng Yu shot me a look that plainly said Would you please shut up?
I pretended not to notice.
Only then did Lian speak.
“Hua Xiang.”
He looked directly at him.
“If you travel with us, I'll see that you stay alive.”
“If you'd rather refuse... we won't force you.”
Feng Yu didn't answer right away.
His gaze moved slowly from me...
...to Mu Cangli...
...to Hua...
...before finally resting on Lian.
Lian's complexion remained pale beneath the poison creeping through his veins, yet his expression stayed calm and composed.
Something shifted in Feng Yu's eyes.
As though an old memory had quietly surfaced.
He frowned.
Then, unexpectedly, he let out a soft laugh.
“...Fine.”
He flicked his sleeve dismissively.
“I don't particularly feel like getting cornered halfway up the mountain by the Prince's men.”
My eyes lit up.
“So that's a yes? You're joining us?”
Feng Yu shot me another sidelong glance.
“When did I say I was joining you?”
He paused.
“Our destinations just happen to overlap.”
Hua raised an eyebrow.
“What a remarkable coincidence.”
Lian, however, didn't smile.
“If we travel together,” he said quietly, “then from this point on, we stand together.”
Mu Cangli snorted.
Whether he was mocking Feng Yu—or the ragtag company we'd somehow become—I couldn't tell.
Hua surveyed everyone before giving his conclusion.
“Then there's nothing more to discuss. The Prince's forces could appear at any moment. We leave now.”
I muttered under my breath.
“Finally... we're actually going to look for the herbs.”
Lian raised a hand.
“Not directly.”
We all turned toward him.
His gaze rested on distant figures moving through the forest—the glint of gold armor visible between the trees.
“They're closing in.”
He spoke evenly.
“If the Prince's men reach the area before we do, we won't even catch sight of the herbs.”
Feng Yu nodded faintly.
“If we're taking a detour, I know a few routes. I'm familiar with the back valley of North Ridge.”
The deeper we ventured into North Ridge, the sharper the wind became, cutting across our faces like blades.
We picked our way over loose stones.
Lian and Hua led the way together.
One stood straight and steady as an ancient pine.
The other strolled along with infuriating ease, as though this were nothing more than a leisurely outing.
Mu Cangli, as expected, brought up the rear, keeping constant watch behind us.
I behaved myself for perhaps five minutes.
Then, inevitably, I drifted over beside Feng Yu.
“Hey.”
I lowered my voice.
“So... should I call you Feng Yu, or Hua Xiang?”
He didn't even look at me.
“Does it matter?”
That answer left me speechless for a moment.
Then I nodded.
“Yes.”
At last he turned toward me.
“Why?”
I took a slow breath.
“Because it depends on how you see your own past.”
“If you think everything that happened to you—the injustice, the suffering—all of it belongs in the past and you want to sever it completely... then you're Feng Yu.”
I paused before continuing.
“But if you believe those experiences, no matter how painful or terrible they were, are still part of who you are... then there's no need to abandon your old name.”
“The past never abandoned you.”
“So why should you abandon it?”
Even I was momentarily surprised by what had just come out of my mouth.
Well.
Apparently people become philosophers when they're close to dying.
For once, Feng Yu didn't answer immediately.
The corners of his lips curved ever so slightly.
It might have been a smile.
If it was, there was more bitterness than amusement in it.
“Call me whatever you like.”
He looked ahead again.
“It makes little difference to me.”
Something tightened painfully in my chest.
Without thinking, I reached over and clapped him on the shoulder.
Honestly, someone as kind as me was a rare treasure.
“Then Hua Xiang it is.”
I gave his shoulder another pat before adding with a grin,
“A flower that isn't a flower, a mist that isn't mist... And Xiang means form. A name like Hua Xiang suits you perfectly.”
He shot me a glare that practically screamed, Shut up.
I chuckled inwardly.
There he was.
The real Hua Xiang.
That cold, expressionless Feng Yu act had never suited him anyway.
At that exact moment, Hua clicked his tongue somewhere up ahead.
His voice drifted back lazily.
“Dear Gong, just make sure you don't accidentally start mixing up my name too.”
I immediately exploded.
“Hua, are you seriously that bored? My brain isn't that broken!”
He didn't answer.
Hands clasped behind his back, he continued strolling forward as though he were sightseeing.
Grinding my teeth, I hurried after him.
After several futile attempts to catch up, all I managed was a resentful,
“Hmph!”