Chapter 91
Wei Ren flipped through the earlier messages and discovered that so much time had already passed, which scared him so badly that he tumbled off his bed. The Ghost Armor Sky Spider that had been hanging and swaying at the bedside also froze, as if it couldn't understand why he was suddenly so agitated.
"You came out of Dragon Slaying Cave?" Wei Ren asked.
Yu Sui: "No."
Then how did you send messages?
Can you actually break the academy's communication array?
This thought flashed through his mind, and Wei Ren found the messages on the Wind-Listening Ruler even more intriguing.
Wei Ren's expression grew complex. He raised his hand to wipe his face, once again feeling remorseful about how he had nearly gotten Yu Sui killed after passing information to Lu Haiye back then. If he had properly talked things through with Yu Sui, their relationship wouldn't have become what it was now.
It would probably stay this way for the rest of their lives.
Wei Ren consoled himself by thinking positively: she was so capable and kept herself so well hidden, completely different from the weak and foolish person others saw her as. So whether facing the Agricultural School organization or Lady Su, they had excellent chances of winning.
Wei Ren, who had no idea that Yu Sui possessed Strange Fire, felt that cooperating with her promised a bright future.
Only after Wei Ren realized there was still enough time did he climb up from the floor to pack his things. After washing up, he walked to the window to check the sky.
The night was dark as ink, looking like a bad day for travel.
Wei Ren contacted Yu Sui to understand the situation and learned they needed to snatch something called the Floating Pagoda from Princess Shangyang of the Yin-Yang School.
He asked: "What use is this thing to you?"
Yu Sui: "It can lift the Non-War Pact between the six kingdoms."
Wei Ren very calmly read through this message and calmly tapped the fill-character grid: "Which kingdom are you planning to attack?"
Yu Sui replied carelessly: "Whichever kingdom wants to kill me."
Wei Ren thought this was truly worthy of Nangong Sui, indeed very ambitious. Perhaps this was the Nangong family's talent, they all had hearts set on unifying the world.
He began giving Yu Sui detailed explanations about the differences between the six kingdoms, sending messages full of his lengthy dissertations, with dense text filling the entire screen.
There were too many words. Yu Sui didn't read them, only staring at the constantly scrolling Wind-Listening Ruler surface. She coldly thought "sick" and closed the message interface.
Wei Ren spent some time getting insect parasites from the Agricultural School as backup, then brought his Ghost Armor Sky Spider and entered Dragon Slaying Cave from the dragon's tail at dawn.
Wei Ren was still quite curious about Yu Sui's ability to send messages in a place that restricted Wind-Listening Rulers. After entering Dragon Slaying Cave and seeing no one around, he hid before sending Yu Sui a message to report his status.
"No need to hide and secretly play with the Wind-Listening Ruler," Yu Sui replied. "There are quite a few disciples inside who also use it as a record book."
Wei Ren: "Can you see what I'm doing?"
Yu Sui: "Can't see, but I can guess."
Wei Ren: "......"
He looked around and walked out from the shadows, holding his Wind-Listening Ruler and openly playing with it as he walked. For a moment, he felt like a country bumpkin who had just come from the countryside to the city.
Wei Ren asked Yu Sui excitedly: "Your hacked Wind-Listening Ruler, besides working in Dragon Slaying Cave, where else can it work?"
Hacking Dragon Slaying Cave's Number Mountains communication array was not at the same level as hacking all of Taiyi's Number Mountains communication arrays.
Yu Sui: "The matter isn't done yet, but you want to know more?"
Though it was just cold text, the killing intent was quite obvious.
Wei Ren quickly switched away from Yu Sui's message interface and followed the route map she had given him to find Princess Shangyang.
……
On the other side, Xue Mushi, who was staying with Yu Sui, was also having a hard time.
He was still obsessed with drawing Floating Pagoda fragments for Yu Sui. After returning, even without paper and brush, he would break off tree branches to draw on relatively damp ground, or pick up stones and grind them into sharp points to draw on cave walls.
After Xue Mushi finished drawing, he would have Yu Sui come look.
Every time Xue Mushi swore confidently that this time he would definitely draw it well, Yu Sui believed him and followed him to look at the drawing on the damp ground, studying it carefully for a moment before asking: "What did you draw?"
Then Xue Mushi knew he had failed again.
When he drew on the cave wall, Yu Sui sat at the cave entrance, watching him complete his masterpiece stroke by stroke throughout the entire process, but only smiled: "Pretty good."
Xue Mushi was overjoyed, then heard her say: "No need to erase it, people passing by won't be able to tell what it is anyway."
Most of the time Yu Sui was very calm and gentle. She would sit at the transmission array cave entrance, leaning against the cold mountain wall playing with her Wind-Listening Ruler, her lively eyebrows still soft, occasionally letting her gaze drift lazily over your existence without saying a word.
When the two discussed Strange Fire or cultivation-related topics, the girl's voice was also clear, sweet, and soft, speaking at an unhurried pace with clear enunciation.
Unless she found you very unreasonable or you made her unhappy, then her words would become deeply barbed, sharp auras like poisonous thorns stabbing mercilessly into your heart.
Xue Mushi looked at the drawing on the cave wall. In his eyes, this drawing had clear, orderly lines arranged quite reasonably. Looking back at Yu Sui, he asked weakly: "Did I draw it very ugly?"
Yu Sui, who was playing with her Wind-Listening Ruler, didn't even look up: "Are you drawing Floating Pagoda fragments?"
Xue Mushi nodded: "Yes."
Yu Sui's eyes held playful amusement: "Then the Floating Pagoda is very ugly."
Xue Mushi: "......"
The Floating Pagoda being ugly, this kind of explanation wasn't unacceptable.
He slowly came to the cave entrance, looked up at the clear sky and spaced out for a while, then looked back at Yu Sui: "If it really won't work, should we just go steal it first?"
"Are you confident?" Yu Sui asked.
Xue Mushi turned his little brain and suggested: "Since it's inside Dragon Slaying Cave, a real secret realm swallowed by Dragon Corpse Cloud Roaming, even if we 'accidentally break into' Inverted Moon Cave, we won't be punished or maliciously suspected."
"True, we won't be, but we won't be able to get the Floating Pagoda either. Setting aside that I can't use Number Mountains to alter terrain in there, Brother Gu must wait until the 15th day to go, very likely because only that day can the Floating Pagoda be found." Yu Sui said, "He's bringing quite a few people. If his strength allowed, he'd prefer to go alone."
Xue Mushi scratched his head and sat down against the cold mountain wall like her, puzzled: "Since he knows you came to help find Floating Pagoda fragments, why doesn't Brother Gu take you along?"
Yu Sui looked up at him: "Why do you have to ask such an obvious question?"
Xue Mushi was silenced by her cool glance and silently raised his hand: "I really don't understand, really."
"I'm only First Realm. What use would I be to him? Lookout?" Yu Sui looked back at the Wind-Listening Ruler in her hand, speaking neither lightly nor heavily. "I wouldn't take me either. Too weak, completely useless, and would create friction with others in the team."
Xue Mushi was still somewhat puzzled: "When you first came to the academy, you saved him, right? Otherwise he would have been expelled from Taiyi. You're also childhood friends who grew up together. Not taking you to Inverted Moon Cave is because of the risks, but now he's already gone to challenge Dragon Throat Mountain, obviously for Heavenly Mechanism Arts. Why doesn't he take you for this either?"
Brother Gu's group had already gone to Dragon Throat Mountain, and their climbing speed wasn't slow. It looked like they felt they had enough time, so they'd go to Ye Pool first, then to Inverted Moon Cave.
Yu Sui's finger paused in tapping the fill-character grid. She looked up to leisurely survey Xue Mushi, her eyes bright as autumn water, her face smiling, but there was no real smile in her eyes: "Not all childhood friends in this world are like you and the Saint Maiden."
"There are also childhood friends like me and Brother Gu who use each other. Our feelings aren't good enough for him to bring a First Realm me to challenge Ye Pool for Heavenly Mechanism Arts."
Brother Gu had too many pretty girls around him who needed his care.
After hearing this, Xue Mushi stared with disbelief: "But didn't your Senior Brother take you?"
Yu Sui propped up her cheek with one hand, seeming to think for a moment before smiling: "So he's a good Senior Brother."
To Yu Sui, Brother Gu was a bad childhood friend, Mei Liangyu was a good Senior Brother, that was all.
"I'd heard before that your Senior Brother was a very cold and strange person, but after watching these past two days, I don't think that's the case," Xue Mushi said.
Yu Sui seemed to nod in agreement, saying slowly: "Because in Senior Brother's eyes, I'm very pitiful, and I'm pretty and weak, and we get along without conflict in daily life. Since I'm weak, pretty, and pitiful, he sympathizes with me and protecting me to Ye Pool isn't difficult for him. Helping within his capabilities, he's willing to do."
Xue Mushi was shocked by her logic, staying stunned for a while before saying: "You're indirectly praising your own looks, aren't you?"
Yu Sui looked up at him: "Yes."
Having traveled this path, Xue Mushi had a good impression of Mei Liangyu and continued discussing this topic: "You're his only Junior Sister, so you must be somewhat different to him."
"What's different?" Yu Sui sounded confused.
Xue Mushi frowned, trying to describe that feeling: "It's just... details, compared to how he treats me versus you, his tone toward you is much better."
"Senior Brother does treat girls and boys differently. He can be mysteriously polite sometimes, but he's not particularly different with me. Senior Brother has other female friends too, and I see them getting along very naturally." Yu Sui said, "I don't even dare compare myself to friends he's known for years. You've only known him for a few days, how do you dare compare yourself to me?"
There was simply no comparison.
Xue Mushi sighed: "I just think your Senior Brother is very smart and capable. If someone like that became an enemy, that would be terrible."
Yu Sui lightly tapped her Wind-Listening Ruler, smiling somewhat helplessly: "I don't want to be enemies with Senior Brother either."
Her impression of Mei Liangyu had only gradually deepened during this time in Dragon Slaying Cave. Before, it was all vague and inconsequential.
"It's okay, he doesn't know you have Strange Fire. We're not enemies yet," Xue Mushi comforted her.
Yu Sui glanced at him with a half-smile.
"If my Senior Brother knew I had Strange Fire, what do you think he would do?" Yu Sui asked.
This question stumped Xue Mushi. Remembering that his master was Saint Chang Gen, he hesitated before answering: "He'd probably tell Saint Chang Gen."
As a fellow World Destroyer, Xue Mushi also knew how threatening Strange Fire could be.
Yu Sui's gaze turned toward the deep forest, quiet and still.
Xue Mushi waited quite a while before daring to ask: "Did I make you sad by saying that?"
"Hm?" Yu Sui's peripheral vision swept over him. "I was just thinking about how to spend my next life."
Xue Mushi said fearfully: "Why think about next life for no reason?"
"Planning ahead. I've already experienced Strange Fire Death Resonance three times. World Destroyers whose identities are exposed all die without exception. Xuangu Continent hasn't been destroyed yet, which means World Destroyers will all be eliminated." Yu Sui said, "Haven't you thought about next life?"
Xue Mushi shook his head: "I haven't even finished this life yet."
"Once it's finished, there won't be a chance to think about it." Yu Sui rubbed her eyes, watching the light and tree shadows move and change. "Strange Fire burns too fast. When the time comes, I won't even have time to think about next life."
Xue Mushi said again: "You might not be burned to death by Strange Fire."
Yu Sui propped up her head with one hand, her expression relaxed, speaking leisurely: "Then would it be my mother digging back half a piece of Breath Soil to die?"
"Or being caught and killed by my father's enemies."
She seemed to be seriously considering this question.
"Your Nangong family does have quite a few enemies," Xue Mushi agreed. "Being killed by enemies is more likely."
She was Nangong Ming's designated heir. Among so many children, they would also prioritize killing Yu Sui.
Yu Sui carefully counted the enemies she knew of, rattling off a string of names that left Xue Mushi stunned.
The two chatted from day to night, with topics ranging from Nangong Manor to Strange Fire, Floating Pagoda, and then to Taiyi. Most of the time it was Yu Sui talking and Xue Mushi listening.
During the day it was still back and forth conversation, but at night it was almost entirely Yu Sui speaking while Xue Mushi listened carefully.
Because Xue Mushi also possessed Strange Fire, Yu Sui could have fewer worries, not having to constantly weigh what should and shouldn't be said, and could directly ask what she wanted to know without beating around the bush.
This was the day she had talked the most since coming to this world.
Even though she was on good terms with Zhongli Que, most of their communication was actually through Wind-Listening Ruler messages. In these two years, due to Nangong Ming's orders, they could count on their fingers the number of times they'd spoken face to face.
Usually no one would chat and talk with her like this.
When Yu Sui was at Qingyang Manor, she was either in her room fiddling with Five Elements Light Cores alone, or sitting in the courtyard spacing out by herself. Once she left the manor, she'd be followed by many invisible shadow guards, but staying in her own courtyard at the manor, no one supervised her.
Having talked so much today, Yu Sui actually felt very happy. For the first time, she discovered that talking could be so pleasant.
Xue Mushi also felt that the more she talked, the more she had to say. Even when he didn't respond, Yu Sui could naturally continue speaking, or perhaps it was because he looked like he was listening carefully that allowed Yu Sui to keep talking.
Yu Sui had so much she wanted to say, but had never had anyone she could say it to.
Xue Mushi had once been told by Tu Miaoyi that he looked weak on the outside but was as stubborn and hard as a stone inside. At this moment, he felt Nangong Sui was also lonely and cold as a stone.
She was like an oddly-shaped stone that couldn't blend into a pile of rocks, and other stones didn't like playing with her either, so she could only actively try to mix in. So she fell into water to be washed, fell into mud to be stained with color, hung high up to be eroded and polished by wind and sand, finally becoming like an ordinary stone that could mix into the stone pile. But only she knew she was out of place.
With Yu Sui's situation as comparison, Xue Mushi realized how precious Tu Miaoyi was to him.
Believing that someone in this world would unconditionally accept a World Destroyer was too naive.
But if one could meet such a person, it would be too fortunate.
Seeing Xue Mushi yawn several times and grow drowsy, Yu Sui finally stopped talking, letting him go rest. She raised her hand to wipe the thin sweat from her forehead, gazing at the night sky in a daze.
It seemed she had once vaguely anticipated the day her identity would be exposed.
Because this power was the most unique and strongest in the world, releasing such powerful force, burning away all Nine Schools Arts in the world, the pleasure of being unstoppable was also enticingly thrilling.
Yu Sui had tasted that feeling when she first released Strange Fire: the sensation of supreme existence, power that crushed everything, this itself was easily addictive.
With a first time comes a second time, a third time. Using absolutely dominant power becomes addictive.
Yu Sui stared at that cluster of flames deep in her consciousness.
Perhaps these two years, it wasn't Strange Fire tempting her.
But her moving closer to Strange Fire.
Yu Sui sometimes wondered how long she could hold on.
Next year, or tomorrow?
……
While Yu Sui and Xue Mushi's side only needed to wait, appearing peaceful and quiet, Brother Gu's challenge of Dragon Throat Mountain was thrilling and dangerous when it came to the crunch.
Brother Gu had entered Dragon Head Ye Pool last year and obtained Legalist Heavenly Mechanism Arts, so he was very familiar with Dragon Slaying Cave challenges and coordinated well with his companions. Relying on his Divine Mechanism Arts, Brother Gu wasn't afraid of losing Five Elements Energy on Dragon Throat Mountain, and could even be a step faster than others, so he was confident he could go to Ye Pool first, then to Inverted Moon Cave.
At a distance close to the mountaintop, he unfortunately encountered Mei Liangyu's group.
Zhongli Shan had already entered Dragon Head Ye Pool. Mei Liangyu's group didn't plan to set up arrays to block people anymore, as that would offend too many Class A Students.
But they hadn't expected to see Brother Gu trying to reach the dragon head at this time.
This was truly enemies meeting on a narrow path.
Brother Gu's heart trembled, but Nian Qiuyan and the others thought his arrival was perfect timing.
The two groups inevitably fell into battle. With more people involved, Brother Gu couldn't use Divine Mechanism Arts recklessly, but the mountaintop was close at hand. Brother Gu fought to protect Xiang Feifei's advance, drawing fire.
Unfortunately, Mei Liangyu's group's target was only him, completely ignoring Xiang Feifei and focusing entirely on attacking Brother Gu.
Seeing Brother Gu in crisis, Xiang Feifei turned back to help but was instead bitten by poisonous insects released by Cang Shu.
Without Five Elements Energy, Agricultural School and Medical School disciples' advantages became greater, and Military School disciples' physical arts and swordsmanship also counted as advantages.
Technical Arts School disciples could also avoid many risks and block some attacks with their Divine Wood Signs.
Because Yu Sui needed to keep watch on Mei Liangyu, when the Five Elements Light Cores were about to disappear, she preemptively sent new light cores over there. Now seeing Brother Gu fighting with Senior Brother's group, she couldn't help but frown.
She watched patiently, seeing Brother Gu eliminated under the combined assault of Kong Yiyi, Mei Liangyu, and Cang Shu.
The moment Brother Gu's Mechanism Exquisite Heart shattered, he was transmitted out.
This scene made Yu Sui laugh.
So there was someone even more unlucky than her.
Xiang Feifei and Huo Xiao couldn't believe they were watching Brother Gu get eliminated, but soon the assault that had targeted Brother Gu turned toward them.
Li Jin Shuang didn't even have time to release her Sword Spirit before being suppressed by Kong Yiyi's swordsmanship and retreating repeatedly.
Watching Brother Gu's team members eliminated one after another until they were completely wiped out, Yu Sui stood up and woke Xue Mushi.
Xue Mushi instantly became alert, asking: "What happened?"
"Brother Gu was eliminated," Yu Sui said without much inflection in her voice.
"How did he get eliminated?" Xue Mushi couldn't believe it.
"Too overconfident," Yu Sui said casually. "You're both men, maybe you should learn to be confident like Brother Gu."
Xue Mushi was stunned for a moment before standing up: "Wasn't he just overconfident? I had a bad feeling when he wanted to challenge Dragon Head Ye Pool first, afraid he'd be eliminated."
Yu Sui nodded: "That's worthy of Divine Calculator Xue indeed."
Xue Mushi felt somewhat disappointed in Brother Gu: "What do we do now that he's eliminated?"
Plans really couldn't keep up with changes.
"Either we wait outside, he won't be willing to just lose this opportunity like this," Yu Sui's mind had already thought of many possibilities. "Or we go."
"Do we know where in Inverted Moon Cave the Floating Pagoda fragments are?" Xue Mushi asked.
Yu Sui looked at him with a smile, saying nothing.
Xue Mushi sighed and began muttering about how disappointing Brother Gu was.