Chapter 264 : Disagreement
Qingyu knew Zhu Baiyi wasn't one to speak falsehoods, and this kind of matter couldn't be fabricated anyway. Upon meeting, a simple blood verification spell would clearly reveal whether Yun Qingyue was related to her or not.
Even so, her feelings were extremely complicated.
Zhu Baiyi reached out to hold her hand, continuing to explain the entire matter: "At that time, I acted hastily, and the secret technique wasn't guaranteed to succeed, so I never told you about it. Later, after we parted, I had even less opportunity to tell you. Until the child was born, I discovered she resembled you somewhat and even had the same innate ice spiritual root as you..."
Qingyu pulled her hand away, her expression somewhere between anger and resentment, not at all mollified by the explanation: "No matter what you say, she... she originally had no relation to me. Was it just because she had an ice spiritual root that you abandoned her to me?!"
In truth, after they separated, Qingyu had returned to Xuanqing Sect and gone into seclusion. By the time she had achieved success in her cultivation and taken over Mount Mingxia, she had rarely left the sect. Zhu Baiyi, though wanting to see her, didn't dare visit rashly, fearing her demonic identity would cause trouble for Qingyu. Finally, when the child was born with the same ice spiritual root as her beloved, she had selfishly sent the baby to her.
At that time, she had sealed Yun Qingyue's demonic bloodline while still in swaddling clothes and personally placed her outside Xuanqing Sect's gates. She had watched as the duty disciple called for Qingyu, and then as Qingyu personally took the child away.
This was supposed to be a secret, known only to her, but somehow the Nine Abyss Sect had obtained some information...
Her thoughts strayed briefly before quickly returning to the present. Now, facing Qingyu's questioning, she sighed and said: "She has an ice spiritual root. I'm from the demonic path—she's better off with you than with me."
Hearing this, Qingyu nearly laughed from anger. A daughter born inexplicably, becoming master and disciple inexplicably, everything manipulated by others—it gave her a sense of being fooled, making her furious. She laughed bitterly, her eyes fixed on Zhu Baiyi, and asked: "Is that all? At this point, you'd better not lie to me anymore!"
Hearing this, Zhu Baiyi immediately revealed a bitter smile: "Yes, I had selfish motives. I wanted her to be with you."
Qingyu scoffed coldly, complex emotions churning within her, no longer wanting to see Zhu Baiyi. Disregarding her severe injuries and the darkness outside, she struggled to her feet and walked out.
She didn't know where to go, nor how to face Yun Qingyue if they met again, but she needed to leave first.
Seeing this, Zhu Baiyi's expression changed, and she quickly moved to follow.
But after just two steps, she heard Qingyu coldly command: "Don't follow me!"
Zhu Baiyi halted. In the past, she had been in the wrong, and now she was even more so, thus not daring to defy Qingyu's wishes. But the current situation was different—Qingyu was injured and completely powerless, in an entirely unfamiliar place, with unknown dangers lurking in the darkness outside. She couldn't just watch her walk into danger. After much hesitation, she still quietly followed.
Qingyu had indeed been drained of spiritual energy, but her physical constitution as a Fusion stage cultivator remained unchanged. Though Zhu Baiyi's footsteps behind her were extremely light, she still heard them. But what of it? She had no energy now to argue with her.
She needed time to calm down, to think carefully about her relationship with Qingyue, and to consider how to face her in the future.
As for Zhu Baiyi... they had no relationship three hundred years ago!
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The island was vast. Cultivators might quickly traverse it on flying swords, but for the current group who had fallen to the state of "mortals," exploring the entire island would not be accomplished in a single night.
Of course, those who had just arrived on the island didn't have time to explore so much anyway.
The night gradually deepened, and the entire merperson island sank into silence, with only the faint, continuous sound of ocean waves.
In the rock cave not far from the shore, firelight flickered dimly. The three people by the fire had long since filled their stomachs. Zhong Heng, as agreed, guarded the entrance, his eyes neither fully closed nor open, repeatedly attempting to circulate his cultivation technique despite being unable to absorb spiritual energy. Behind him in the cave, Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo had already lain down to rest, planning to switch with him for the second half of the night.
Suddenly, a wolf's howl echoed from the distance. The spirit beast's cry traveled far in the night, filling listeners with an inexplicable chill.
Zhong Heng immediately opened his eyes, peering toward the direction of the howl. Simultaneously, the two resting in the cave were startled—having maintained sufficient vigilance in the unfamiliar environment, they both sat up quickly.
Yun Qingyue was the first to speak: "What is it?"
Zhong Heng had already been observing from the entrance for a while. Hearing her, he shook his head: "I don't know yet, but something about that sound seems odd."
Hearing this, both Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo rose and walked outside. They saw the deep night sky, with only a silver moon casting faint moonlight, revealing the vague outline of the merperson island below. Fortunately, the three of them had relatively high cultivation levels, and even without spiritual energy support, their senses remained exceptionally acute. They could faintly hear the sound of group footsteps in the distance.
Those were clearly not human footsteps, but those of some beast. Combined with the wolf howl heard earlier, it wasn't difficult to guess that some wolf-type spirit beasts were moving through the night.
Zhong Heng's expression became extremely serious, and he instinctively reached for the hilt of the heavy sword on his back—he always carried his heavy sword this way, and thanks to this habit, he still had a weapon to use, though wielding it without spiritual energy would be tiring.
Seeing this, Yun Qingyue restrained him and listened for another moment before saying: "They're not coming for us."
Her cultivation was higher than Zhong Heng's, allowing her to discern this. Jiang Mo heard even more clearly, adding: "They're heading for the beach." More cultivators were staying near the shore, making it naturally more attractive if the spirit beasts were hunting.
Hearing this, Zhong Heng first sighed in relief, then frowned with some unease. Looking at the two, he asked: "Should we go help? There are quite a few cultivators from righteous sects at the beach, and I know several..." Here he paused, suddenly remembering that his senior sister was the daughter of the Crimson Blood Sect leader, making her half a member of the demonic path.
Besides, he wasn't clear about Jiang Mo's identity or stance either.
While Zhong Heng was still pondering the distinction between righteous and demonic paths, Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo remained clear-headed. Without even exchanging glances, they said in unison: "We can't. Let's observe the situation first."
Only after speaking did the two exchange a glance, sharing a silent understanding—going to rescue people now was indeed impossible. Having lost their spiritual energy support, they could hardly exert their full strength. If they encountered powerful spirit beasts, they would be offering themselves up rather than rescuing others. Moreover, those who had boarded the ghost ship were no ordinary individuals. Would those people really be unable to save themselves without their help?
Zhong Heng's suggestion had elicited opposition from both, but fortunately, he wasn't stubborn. Seeing this, he didn't insist. However, after this incident, rest was impossible, so the three stayed at the cave entrance, waiting for developments.
Soon, the beach became lively, with shouts and fighting sounds breaking the night's tranquility.
Human cries, beast howls, occasional metallic clashes, and sporadic flashes of spiritual light... Though everyone had lost their spiritual energy, they clearly still had trump cards for survival. Not everyone had stored their magical implements and talismans in their storage spaces.
Zhong Heng watched, clicking his tongue, and muttered: "Looks like they don't need our help after all."
Shortly after he spoke, the cultivators on the beach were routed—or perhaps "routed" isn't quite accurate; "retreated" or "fled" would be more precise. After all, without spiritual energy to sustain them, both magical implements and talismans were merely consumables, decreasing with each use. This was only their first day on the island, and the Silver-Backed Wolves they encountered weren't particularly formidable, so there was no need to exhaust resources fighting them.
So after being scattered by the assault, everyone tacitly retreated toward the inner jungle. Most people dispersed in various directions, but by coincidence, three to five were heading directly toward Jiang Mo and her companions.
The three exchanged glances, knowing these people had their own methods and no longer thinking about rescuing them.
Zhong Heng looked around and noticed two huge trees not far from the cave. Given the hot climate of the southern deep sea, even in winter the trees wouldn't wither, let alone in mid-spring. The branches and leaves were now luxuriant, making anyone hiding within difficult to detect. He gestured, suggesting the three temporarily hide in the trees.
Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo nodded in agreement.
Zhong Heng had intended to go with his senior sister, since Jiang Mo appeared stronger than both of them and could handle danger alone. However, as soon as he turned around, Jiang Mo had already pulled Yun Qingyue toward another tree.
Yun Qingyue didn't object. Despite having lost her spiritual energy, her movements remained agile. After a running start, her toes lightly touched the trunk a few times, effortlessly climbing to a high branch. Then, with another exertion of her arms, she easily lifted herself up. In total, it took only a breath or two before she was securely seated in the tree.
Zhong Heng's speed wasn't slow either. After landing on a tree fork, he looked back and saw his senior sister had already climbed the opposite tree. His eyes immediately widened, and his fingers gestured back and forth between them, unable to believe that he and his senior sister could be so out of sync.
Jiang Mo, seeing this from below, nearly laughed, her eyes curving in a smile beneath her mask.
Yun Qingyue ignored her shocked junior brother and looked down.
Jiang Mo met her gaze, smiling with her eyes and making a "no problem" gesture before quickly climbing the tree as Yun Qingyue had done. The only regret was that the branch where her senior sister sat wasn't sturdy enough—adding her weight would certainly cause it to shake, creating unwanted noise. So she had to settle for the next best option, landing on another branch nearby.
All three moved quickly, returning to silence after completing these actions. The cultivators fleeing with spirit beasts in pursuit hadn't yet arrived. A moment later, several figures finally pushed aside blocking branches and emerged, looking somewhat disheveled.
The fire in the cave hadn't yet extinguished. Seeing the light, their eyes immediately brightened, and they ran toward the cave while calling for help.
Zhong Heng frowned at this, somewhat regretting the oversight. Just as he was considering whether to give a warning, four or five Silver-Backed Wolves, taller than humans, leaped out from the forest, their sharp fangs seeming to gleam coldly in the moonlight...