Chapter 387 : Going Separate Ways
When Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue returned to Qingyu and Zhu Baiyi, the entire tiger was dejected.
Zhu Baiyi looked at the two curiously, lingering particularly on Jiang Mo's drooping head, then spoke first: "What happened? What secrets were you two discussing in the forest?"
Yun Qingyue had no intention of bringing up their private matters and responded coolly: "Nothing, just discussing some personal affairs."
Jiang Mo didn't make a sound but did glance up at Yun Qingyue when she spoke, her gaze complex and somewhat resentful. Seeing that the other party remained unmoved, she immediately drooped her head again, recalling what had happened earlier...
A moment ago, deep in the forest.
Faced with Senior Sister's sudden demand, Jiang Mo initially refused, not having forgotten her embarrassing situation with her tiger fur not fully regrown. Though she didn't know why Senior Sister wanted her to transform back to her original form at this time, her instincts told her nothing good would come of it.
However, Yun Qingyue had no intention of letting her off, pressing aggressively: "If you don't listen to me, don't follow me anymore."
When Jiang Mo heard this, she immediately panicked. She had been hoping that their two years of intimate companionship would win Senior Sister's heart. How could she allow herself to be sidelined over a few retention stones? Considering her future happiness, Jiang Mo agreed without hesitation: "No, no, no, I'll listen. Senior Sister, don't be angry. I really didn't have any ill intentions."
As she spoke, she transformed back to her original form—a massive White Tiger obediently prostrating on the ground, even covering her head with her two front paws. She hadn't forgotten how vengeful Little Swan Goose could be, seizing any opportunity to pluck fox fur. Now that she had offended Senior Sister, would she want to pluck her tiger fur too? Although she was already balding, she didn't want to become even more so!
However, after anxiously waiting for a while, the White Tiger felt no pain, and none of her fur was plucked. So she became slightly reassured and secretly moved her paws to look up, only to discover that Senior Sister was recording her with a retention stone!
The White Tiger was shocked and instinctively looked back at herself, seeing that new fur had grown where she had recently applied medicine. However, she hadn't been using the medicine for long, and the hair-growth powder didn't have immediate miraculous effects, so the originally bald areas were still noticeable, and her tiger fur was growing unevenly. Simply put, she looked both balding and as if she had been gnawed on by a dog—even more embarrassing than the awkward phase.
This wouldn't do. How could such an unsightly appearance be recorded, especially by her beloved? What if Senior Sister, having recovered her memories but still retaining her love for beauty, one day while looking at these images actually found her ugly and rejected her?!
Almost instinctively, the White Tiger pounced forward, wanting to snatch back the retention stone.
However, how could the phoenix's speed be slower than hers? Moreover, Yun Qingyue was prepared; as soon as she saw the White Tiger move, she immediately flew to a higher place with a flap of her wings. Not only did she avoid the White Tiger's pounce, but she also warned: "Behave yourself, or I won't acknowledge you anymore."
Having failed in her first attempt, the White Tiger had already lost her earlier courage. Hearing Senior Sister's warning, she immediately deflated. Her furry paws pawed at the ground, the entire tiger showing signs of uneasiness as she mumbled: "Why record me looking so ugly? If you really want to record, can't it wait until my fur grows back?"
How could Yun Qingyue listen to her? In the pile of retention stones earlier, there were plenty of images of her looking awkward and embarrassed. Why should she only record the other party looking good when it was her turn? She was determined to record the other's embarrassment—she couldn't be the only one with black history!
So the balding tiger's miserable appearance was fully recorded in the retention stone. What's more, Yun Qingyue destroyed her own black history right in front of Jiang Mo but openly collected Jiang Mo's black history. Even if these embarrassing records would never be seen by outsiders, having her beloved record such an unsightly appearance still made Jiang Mo feel that her entire tiger-self was falling apart.
After securing this retention stone, Yun Qingyue didn't bother checking if there were any that Jiang Mo had missed, fairly promptly putting the matter behind them. Then without further delay, she led Jiang Mo, who had transformed back into human form, to return.
In any case, with the other's black history in hand, she wasn't the only embarrassed one anymore.
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Neither Jiang Mo nor Yun Qingyue mentioned what happened after they left, and since Yun Qingyue had said it was a private matter, Qingyu and Zhu Baiyi naturally didn't probe further. Setting aside the awkwardness of Yun Qingyue recovering her memories, now that they had left the ruins, the group needed to make plans for the future.
Zhu Baiyi spoke first: "I need to return to the Crimson Blood Sect for a while."
As the leader of a sect, Zhu Baiyi had been missing for two years. Although it was common for cultivators to enter closed-door cultivation for decades or even centuries, that would be under the premise of having arranged everything beforehand. Zhu Baiyi's disappearance was clearly an accident. With her sudden silence, combined with the demonic nature of the Crimson Blood Sect, these two years likely hadn't been peaceful within the sect. If she didn't show herself to intimidate them soon, unrest might break out.
Of course, Zhu Baiyi hadn't forgotten her previous grand aspiration—the Nine Abyss Sect had caused trouble for her, and whether intentional or not, she intended to retaliate. This was the perfect opportunity to gather her forces and find fault with the Nine Abyss Sect!
Hearing this, the others weren't surprised. Qingyu had also been away from the sect for two and a half years, so she said: "I'll also return to the sect for a while."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Baiyi's gaze immediately turned to her, her beautiful eyes seemingly filled with countless words—she was terrified of Qingyu returning to her sect, because this person was too ruthless, capable of severing even the deepest feelings without hesitation. She feared that once Qingyu returned, she would remember the distinction between their righteous and demonic paths, then use closed-door cultivation as an excuse to hide in the sect for centuries without emerging, leaving her with nowhere to cry.
In the instant their eyes met, Qingyu understood Zhu Baiyi's concerns, but she said nothing. Zhu Baiyi, unwilling to give up, tugged at her sleeve and boldly invited her: "Why don't you just send a message back to report your safety, and then come stay at the Crimson Blood Sect with me for a while?"
"That won't be necessary. I won't be going," Qingyu rejected firmly, giving Zhu Baiyi an incredulous look, not understanding what she was thinking. As a Peak Master of the righteous Xuanqing Sect, how could someone of her status go to a demonic sect? Even though she was no longer so concerned about Zhu Baiyi's identity, she didn't want to be accused of colluding with a demonic sect and thereby implicating her sect.
Seeing her so decisive, Zhu Baiyi's face lost color, and the mighty Great Achievement cultivator revealed a hint of anxiety.
Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue, the two juniors witnessing this, didn't know what to say. In her heart, Jiang Mo hoped the two could be together, since she was pursuing Senior Sister and wanted a successful precedent before her eyes. For Yun Qingyue, the feelings were even more complex; rationally, she didn't think it was good for her Master to be involved with a demonic sect leader, but both of them were essentially her mothers.
The two exchanged glances, and Jiang Mo cleared her throat, taking the initiative to break the silence: "Although Senior Sister has recovered her memories, her cultivation is still insufficient to transform back into human form. I don't plan to return to the sect for now and would like to travel and explore a bit more."
While she called it traveling, it was really about seeking treasures to earn money to raise the phoenix. She didn't want Senior Sister to owe others for her nirvana—though the Xuanqing Sect was wealthy, and whether as Yun Qingyue, the head disciple of Mount Mingxia, or as a phoenix, she would likely not lack resources for growth upon returning to the sect. But the debt of gratitude would be too great, and Jiang Mo didn't want to add more shackles to her.
As for owing Jiang Mo? When they became dao companions in the future, what would it matter who owed whom?!
Jiang Mo's calculations were clear, and everyone present was perceptive; how could they not understand her little scheme? But even Yun Qingyue herself showed no intention of abandoning her for the sect.
Perhaps deep down, Yun Qingyue didn't distinguish her relationship with Jiang Mo so clearly—in the past, she might have been concerned with how much she owed Jiang Mo, constantly remembering that she had accepted Jiang Mo's Ice Soul Condensation Pearl. But since Jiang Mo had expressed her feelings, even though she hadn't accepted them, her mindset had subtly changed.
Moreover, her nirvana had relied entirely on Jiang Mo's care. Now she owed her so much that she wouldn't even know where to begin repaying.
Qingyu's gaze swept over the two. As a Peak Master of the Xuanqing Sect, she shouldn't allow Jianbing to continue wandering outside. But she had some personal bias toward Yun Qingyue and thus didn't refute anything, merely nodding slightly: "Very well."
With matters simply decided, parting was imminent.
Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue had nothing to fret about. After receiving another batch of resources from Qingyu, they prepared to set out—though Master's gifts were substantial, raising a phoenix was truly expensive. It was time for Jiang Mo to sell the "junk" she had been collecting in the ruins at an auction house to exchange for spirit stones.
The two with clear plans said their goodbyes first, continuing their struggle for daily provisions. Qingyu and Zhu Baiyi, who also needed to part, didn't separate immediately. Initially, Zhu Baiyi used the excuse of traveling the same route, but after contacting people from the Crimson Blood Sect on the way, she simply latched onto Qingyu, unwilling to leave, even escorting her all the way to the outskirts of the Xuanqing Sect.
Only when a message came from the Crimson Blood Sect seeking the Sect Leader did Zhu Baiyi reluctantly return to the Crimson Blood Sect.