Chapter 56: Am I Just Missing Him Too Much?

He Yimo sensed something was seriously wrong with his current situation.

He’d promised Yun Jin he was just stepping out to “relieve himself” and wouldn’t be long. He knew the Life Mother God’s sacrifice ritual was simple, taking only a few minutes. His plan was straightforward: confirm the ritual worked, convert his stockpiled “materials” into a power boost, and then head back to the hot spring for a relaxing night. Easy peasy.

Except… things had gone slightly off script.

He Yimo definitely didn’t remember any Miyue cultists infiltrating Northfall Snow Mountain during the 【Snow Village Mission】 in the original story!

Setting aside how these cultists bypassed the Immortal Alliance barrier, the more bizarre problem now was that because he’d just finished the sacrifice, he reeked of the Life Mother God’s aura. As a result, the newly arrived cultists had zero doubts about him. They’d immediately welcomed him as a fellow “brother” and started chatting like old pals.

They were all sitting casually around the altar now, with He Yimo awkwardly sandwiched in the middle. They were cheerfully discussing how best to sacrifice the Wuji Sect disciples later, even turning to him constantly, asking for tips on sacrificial techniques!

Seriously, dudes?!

What the actual FUCK is happening right now?!

Okay, they were all wearing black hoods, making it hard to tell anyone apart, but He Yimo got the distinct impression this bunch of Miyue goons really seemed to… admire him? Why else would they keep pestering him for sacrifice tips? They were calling him “brother,” being super polite, their eager eyes practically screaming “I REALLY WANT TO IMPROVE!” written across their foreheads.

Well, crap. They outnumbered him, and He Yimo was genuinely afraid they’d shank him if he refused to “teach.” So, dredging up memories of sacrifice mechanics from his past life’s game, he reluctantly shared a few pointers.

And gotta say… these country bumpkin cultists were surprisingly studious! Some even whipped out little notebooks and started jotting things down!

“Oooh, I see! The Life Mother God got bored of the same old prayers! So the Western Territories now prefer these nursery-rhyme style sacrificial chants!”

“No wonder! The moment I walked in, I could smell the thick Motherly Love on the altar!”

“Yeah, yeah! Me too! I noticed this little brother here is practically radiating the Life Mother God’s gaze! He must have some special technique to attract so much of the Mother’s attention and blessing!”

They buzzed with discussion. Honestly, if you ignored the topic, their dedication to learning wasn’t that different from the disciples in righteous sects. Still, He Yimo never imagined he’d one day be teaching evil cultists how to perform sacrifices.

Back in the game, players could choose the evil path. It was way more grueling than the righteous one, but as a completionist grinder, He Yimo had spent countless nights mastering it. He’d sought out the Life Offering Altar tonight specifically to test if the sacrifice strats from the game still worked. He hadn’t really expected them to, let alone expected his off-the-cuff “past life believer” line to actually pass the Mother God’s verification on his first try, earning her deep trust!

But now, the new problem was… Yun Jin was still waiting back at the hot spring. How the hell was he supposed to get back to her with this cultist welcoming committee surrounding him?

“So, uh… brothers…” He Yimo began casually, sensing the chatty atmosphere. “Whose order was it, exactly, for us to come up here in the middle of the night and wipe out all the Wuji Sect disciples?”

His logic was simple: If he couldn’t leave, might as well pump them for more info. After all, there were zero cultists involved in the Snow Village mission in the original story! This was completely off-script, forcing him to improvise.

“Uh, I’m not too sure about the specifics…” one cultist muttered.

“But! I do know a little inside scoop!” another, taller cultist suddenly leaned in conspiratorially.

Gotta admit, even evil cultists love gossip. In seconds, all the other cultists crowded around him, eyes wide with curiosity.

“Last night, right? I went out to take a leak… and I think I saw a mysterious masked fairy meeting privately with our Boss!”

“A mysterious fairy?!” Eyes widened all around.

Hearing the keyword, He Yimo quickly craned his neck, ears pricked. Just as he thought he was about to hear something crucial, the gossiping cultist suddenly chuckled sheepishly, scratching his head. “Yo, but was the fairy hot? Like, pretty?”

“Heh! Dude, let me tell ya,” the tall cultist boasted, “Even though she was all covered up, I could only really see her silhouette… but just from those curves? She’s gotta be an absolute stunner back in whatever righteous sect she’s from! Totally top-tier!”

“Whoa! Damn, the Miyue Sect is moving up in the world! Hooking up with righteous fairies now?”

“No way! Are they gonna start handing out fairies as rewards?”

“Whoa! Fairy?! Fairy, please step on me!”

The group got heated, eyes gleaming red with excitement.

`Idiots! What the hell are they talking about?! Can’t they say something USEFUL…?` He Yimo mentally cursed, frowning deeply. He took a breath and steered the conversion back on track.

“So… the Boss talked with this fairy for a bit, and then decided we should come up here tonight and kill all the Wuji Sect disciples?”

“Yeah, gotta be!” the tall cultist reasoned seriously. “Otherwise, how could our Boss, with his kinda shaky skills, manage to temporarily disable the barrier around the entire Northfall Snow Mountain? That fairy beauty must have pulled some strings last night!”

“Damn. Looks like that fairy holds a high position in the righteous path too! But she’s ruthless enough to kill her own junior sect members!” He Yimo narrowed his eyes. Just a moment’s thought brought several suspicious female characters from the original story to mind.

The group continued chattering away, time slipping by.

Suddenly, the sound of light footsteps echoed from the cave entrance. The lounging cultists instantly snapped to attention, scrambling to their feet.

“Quick! Quick, tidy up!”
“That footstep… must be the Distinguished Person the Boss told us would meet us up here!”
“Heard this one’s bad news! Same level as our Holy Maiden!” whispered a smaller, shrewder-looking cultist near the entrance, acting as lookout.

He Yimo raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing, just pulling his hood lower and melting silently into the back of the cultist group. Peeking between their shoulders, he cautiously eyed the cave entrance.

And then… a figure in a fiery red evening gown, unmistakably a fox demon, came into view. He Yimo felt a vein throb in his temple. Damn it, he cursed internally, should have guessed. Any lingering hope he had died right there.

“Milady!” As the girl appeared, the cultists immediately dropped to one knee, performing the formal Western Territory Knightly Salute in unison.

He Yimo naturally followed suit, keeping his head bowed low, hiding at the back, barely daring to breathe.

“Ugh, disgusting…” The fox girl entered, immediately pinching her nose with a look of utter disgust. “Don’t you Miyue cultists ever think the smell of ‘life force’ clinging to you is absolutely foul?” she sneered caustically. She elegantly used her wide, soft fox tails as a cushion, floating mid-air. Beneath her blood-red gown, her delicately kicking, white-silk-clad feet were just as alluringly dangerous as her contemptuous gaze.

The cultists kept their heads bowed, none daring to sneak a peek.

“The Wuji Sect disciples have been led to the hot spring up near the Snow Village summit to rest. You can head up and deal with them shortly…” the fox girl stated nonchalantly. Having finished the important business, she narrowed her enchanting eyes, scanning the group. “However… I do have one more question,” she added sternly.

“Please ask, Milady…” the lead cultist mumbled.

“When you gathered here… did any of you encounter a Wuji Sect disciple on the way?”

“A Wuji Sect disciple? Haha! Impossible!” the lead cultist scoffed. “Who else besides us Miyue cultists could possibly find this Life Offering Altar?”

“Think carefully,” Jiang Jinyue pressed, trying to describe him. “He’s quite handsome… refined features, Han Chinese descent…”

But before she could finish, the lead cultist chuckled confidently. “Impossible! Absolutely impossible!” He gestured behind them. “Milady, look, this is the Life Offering Altar! If any Wuji Sect disciple dared come looking for death here, we would have sacrificed him on the spot! Would we really keep him around for you to question?”

“Haha! What kind of idiot walks right into a trap like that?” The more they thought about it, the funnier it seemed.

At the back of the group, the tall cultist laughed heartily, clapping He Yimo on the shoulder. He Yimo broke out in a cold sweat but forced an awkward chuckle, playing along.

“Hmph. True enough,” the fox girl conceded, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Unless… he’d already left before you arrived…” She nodded to herself after a moment’s thought, then waved her hand dismissively.

“Fine. Whatever.”

“Go deal with the people at the hot spring first. Remember, leave no survivors. Especially that little idiot who loves showing off the most… you can give him some… extra attention… although you probably won’t be able to kill him anyway.”

“Can’t kill him? He’s just some Qi Refinement kid! Milady, you must be joking!” The cultists exchanged amused glances, as if hearing the funniest thing ever. They chuckled, licked their lips eagerly, and stood up, heading out of the cave.

He Yimo kept his head bowed, silently shuffling along with the group.

“Heh. Fools…” Jiang Jinyue muttered contemptuously, not bothering to waste more words on these single-minded, blood-reeking cultists.

However… as the crowd filed out, just as a black-clad youth with his hood pulled low, smelling conspicuously clean and unlike the others, brushed past her… the girl’s previously indifferent, scornful gaze suddenly snapped into sharp focus.

—?!!

Jiang Jinyue whipped her head around, staring after the departing group, but the youth’s figure was already lost in the crowd.

Once everyone had left, Jiang Jinyue remained frozen in the empty cave, her face pale, cold sweat trickling down her temples.

“Was that… an illusion?” she whispered, trembling slightly.

“How could it be…”

“Unless… Am I missing him so much… that I’m starting to see things?”

(Back at the hot spring base camp…)

Chen Jianxin stood with his arms spread wide, blocking the path of the anxious-looking white-haired girl. “Senior Sister, I can’t let you go down the mountain alone!” he pleaded worriedly. “It’s the middle of the night, the path is steep, there’s a blizzard! It’s too dangerous!”

“Even if you’re really worried about that He fellow, please, at least wait until morning! I’ll escort you down the mountain myself to look for him!” Numerous other young disciples gathered around, echoing Chen Jianxin’s concerns, trying to dissuade her.

“But… but…” Yun Jin stood before them, clutching the jade pendant at her chest, tears welling in her eyes. She wanted to yell at Chen Jianxin to mind his own business, but He Yimo’s parting words echoed in her mind—Stay right here! Don’t move!

“…” A single tear finally escaped, tracing a path down her cold cheek.

Just as the atmosphere reached peak tension, the disciple posted as a lookout on a higher slope suddenly cried out in alarm—

“Trouble! I see lots of figures in black coming from all sides!”

PSSSSHH!

Before the disciple could finish his warning, a blood-red scythe burst through his chest from behind. Several tall Miyue cultists stepped out from behind the fallen youth, casually tossing his body down the slope like garbage.

“Brothers!” one of the cultists yelled down to the group below, a predatory grin spreading across his face. “Remember the sacrifice tips that senior little brother shared earlier?!”

“Tonight, we’ve got plenty of fresh young meat to practice on!”