Chapter 65: That Awful Cultist Burned Down My Tent!

“Pfft— Ridiculous!” Jiang Jinyue scoffed, rolling her eyes dramatically. “Why would I have anything to feel guilty about~? Honestly.”

“First, you suspect me of wanting to save He Yimo… fine, whatever, at least he’s actually got some value,” she purred, flicking her wrist dismissively. “But now you’re gonna suspect I’ve fallen for… Chen Jianxin?! That I couldn’t bear to kill him?! Seriously~?!” She let out a cold, mocking laugh, instantly dispelling her illusionary aura and shrugging nonchalantly.

A heavy silence fell, punctuated only by the whistling wind. Mu Yanran stared intently at the fox girl, feeling nothing but profound confusion. As a low-level operative within the Organization, Mu Yanran knew jack-squat about the inner workings of the Prophecy or the real reasons behind the Mission. She didn’t give a damn what heavenly crime Chen Jianxin had supposedly committed that marked him for death. All Mu Yanran wanted was to finish this godsforsaken mission quickly, collect her reward, and finally get some peace and quiet. Ugh.

But as the plan unfolded… things just kept getting messier and messier. He Yimo… Jiang Jinyue… Mo Yuyan… Chen Jianxin… What the hell were these people scheming?! Why was every single one of them acting so damn weird?! Their logic made no sense!

She couldn’t figure it out. She really, truly couldn’t.

“But… Last night, back in Snow Village… I did lure Mo Yuyan away for you,” Mu Yanran insisted, her voice tight with frustration. “During that time… you absolutely had the chance to kill Chen Jianxin. You could have done it.”

Hearing this, the fox girl narrowed her enchanting eyes, a flicker of guilt – quickly masked – flashing within them. After a long pause, she forced another light, dismissive laugh. “Oh, that~? I didn’t kill him simply because… the time wasn’t right~♡” she explained airily, changing tack.

“Time wasn’t right?!” Mu Yanran repeated incredulously, feeling a surge of exasperated laughter. “Are you kidding me?! The Miyue cultists contacted me, offered their cooperation, created that perfect chaotic massacre scene…! Wasn’t that the absolute best time to kill Chen Jianxin?! WHAT MORE DID YOU NEED?!”

“Tch!” Jiang Jinyue rolled her eyes again, planting her hands on her hips. “That was your plan, sweetie, not mine~♡ Why should I risk everything for your little scheme? Besides! You never explicitly ordered me to kill him myself. My job was just to lead them to the hot spring base camp, remember~?” Flick flick. Her tails swished indignantly. “And anyway! Not only was Chen Jianxin totally berserk at that point, but he was surrounded by tons of people! If I’d killed him then, I’d have exposed my Demoness identity! How could I possibly keep blending in at Wuji Sect after that?! Use your brain, darling~!”

“You’re a fox demon from the Western Territories!” Mu Yanran countered sharply, dropping all pretense of politeness. “Why do you even care so much about your ‘identity’ in a human sect?! Just kill Chen Jianxin, I’ll help you escape back West, and boom! Clean break, mission accomplished! Easy!”

That pushed Jiang Jinyue’s buttons. “EXCUSE ME?!” she screeched, her voice suddenly sharp. “Hilarious! You expect me to blow my cover and do your dirty work?! Why should I sacrifice my interests?! Just because you’ve been playing ‘righteous Kensei’ in Wuji Sect for so long, you actually think you’re superior now?! Like you’re not some gutter rat yourself?!” Jiang Jinyue sneered viciously. The implication was clear: Mu Yanran saw her as disposable, someone whose cover didn’t matter.

The air crackled with hostility. They glared at each other, deadlocked, neither willing to back down.

Another tense silence stretched.

Finally, Mu Yanran took a deep breath, her voice regaining its icy calm. “Alright, fine. If my plan wasn’t good enough for you… then pray tell, what brilliant plan do you have in mind?”

“My plan is simple~” Jiang Jinyue replied smugly, lifting her chin and fluffing her tails. “Let Gu Wanglan kill Chen Jianxin. That way, neither of our identities gets exposed. Neat, tidy, efficient~♡” Hmph! She turned her head away haughtily.

“Gu Wanglan?!” Mu Yanran scoffed, turning away as well, her eyes filled with utter contempt at the mention of that incompetent failure. “His Mountain God Temple already got robbed! It’s only a matter of time before his cover is blown! Besides! His planned sacrifice ritual isn’t until the full moon! That’s at least half a month away! And you still trust that idiot?!”

“Heeheehee~♡” A sly, triumphant smile spread across Jiang Jinyue’s face. “Aren’t you curious, darling~…? Curious about who, exactly, robbed Gu Wanglan’s little temple~?”

“…?” Silence descended again. Mu Yanran’s eyes narrowed, piecing it together. “…It was you?”

“And~” Jiang Jinyue continued silkily, ignoring the question, “Who do you think Gu Wanglan suspects robbed him~? In his little paranoid mind~?”

This time, Mu Yanran didn’t have an answer.

“Chen Jianxin~♡” Jiang Jinyue supplied sweetly.

“…Why?” Mu Yanran asked, confused.

“Oh, just giving Gu Wanglan a little… nudge~♡ Making him feel a bit more… urgency… to speed up his plans for sacrificing Chen Jianxin, that’s all~”

“So… this… this was your real plan all along?” Mu Yanran’s cold eyes widened slightly as she reassessed the fox girl. Maybe Jiang Jinyue wasn’t completely erratic. Maybe she did possess some degree of cunning and foresight after all.

Seeing Mu Yanran was finally convinced, Jiang Jinyue beamed, her smile radiating pure, sweet confidence. “See~? I told you! Just trust me! Once Chen Jianxin gets back to Wuji Sect after this little trip… he’s practically guaranteed to die! Easy peasy~♡”

“…Are you sure this will work?” Mu Yanran asked, still hesitant.

“Oooof course~!” Jiang Jinyue waved a dismissive hand. “Do I have any reason to want Chen Jianxin to live? Hmmmm~?”

Mu Yanran stared at her, wanting to argue, wanting to find fault… but ultimately, she couldn’t poke any holes in Jiang Jinyue’s twisted logic. Sigh… Fine.

(Back at the devastated hot spring base camp…)

Flickering firelight cast long, dancing shadows over the carnage. Since the battle ended and the Kenseis left, the area was a wreck—bloodstained snow, scattered debris, and grimly covered bodies. The surviving Wuji Sect disciples had grimly collected their fallen comrades, then relocated to a cleaner patch of snow deeper in the woods to set up a new camp. Tents started popping up amidst the weary bustle.

He Yimo was helping Yun Jin salvage her camping gear, much of which had been wrecked by the cultists. As he carried a bundle, he happened to pass by Chen Jianxin, who was sullenly trying to set up his own tent nearby.

“Hey, Brother Cheeeen~” He Yimo called out casually, stopping beside him. “Sooo~…? You still wanna learn those sword techniques laaaater~? I can teach you! For free, even~! Just sayin’~” His tone was light, his expression seemingly innocent, but the words landed like precisely aimed darts.

Twitch. Chen Jianxin froze, his already gloomy expression instantly shattering. He whipped his head around, his eyes blazing with humiliation and raw hatred. A thick wave of killing intent rolled off him, making the nearby disciples flinch and scramble to intervene.

“H-Hey! Chen-ge! Calm down, calm down!”

“Yeah, man! Young Master He was just being nice! Right, Young Master He?!”

“C’mon, Chen-ge! We aaaall know you’re a genius! If you don’t wanna be taught, just say no! We’re all sect brothers here, no need to get so worked up! Re-laaaax!”

“Seriously, Chen-ge, stop it! Look, the sky’s getting light already! We haven’t slept all night!”

“Yeah, man! Just let us get some sleep, okay?! Please? Don’t start another fight…”

Unlike before, this time, almost everyone was trying to placate Chen Jianxin, implicitly siding with He Yimo. In their eyes, He Yimo had just made a kind offer (albeit… maybe a little tactlessly?), while Chen Jianxin was being petty and overreacting again. Even if he was a genius, his arrogance and grudge-holding attitude were seriously unlikeable. No one felt any warmth towards him anymore.

“He… Yi… Mo…!” Chen Jianxin ground out through clenched teeth after a long, tense silence, glaring daggers at He Yimo. “I swear… I will find your weakness… Sooner or later!” Finally, giving in to the peer pressure, he spun around and stalked off alone without another word.

He Yimo watched him go, tempted to add another teasing remark, but a soft tug on his sleeve stopped him.

“Young Master He~…” Yun Jin murmured, looking up at him from behind a massive, soot-stained quilt she was hugging tightly—a quilt almost taller than she was. “D-Don’t bother with that… that petty guy…” Her face was smudged with ash, making her look endearingly pitiful, yet her cheeks were puffed out slightly in annoyance at Chen Jianxin, creating a fiercely cute expression.

Pout pout.

Just looking at Yun Jin’s dirty little face instantly dispelled He Yimo’s urge to tease further. He chuckled lightly, waving a dismissive hand. “Eh, Senior Sister Yun is right. World’s full of idiots. Better to just… be zen about it, y’know? Live happier that way.” He recalled certain plot points from the original story, a cold, knowing glint flickering briefly in his eyes. Heh.

“Um… Young Master He…? Actually…” Yun Jin shifted her weight, struggling slightly with the bulky quilt. “There’s… There’s something… a little thing… I was hoping… maybe I could ask you…?” She trailed off shyly, following him as he started walking towards the new campsite area. Since the hot spring was now a biohazard zone, they had to find a fresh spot.

But now… Yun Jin realized she had a major problem…

“Hmm? What’s up?” He Yimo paused, looking back at the quilt-buried ahoge girl.

“W-Well… um… it’s like this…” Yun Jin mumbled, her voice muffled by the bedding. “I-It sounds kinda crazy, I know… but… when those Miyue cultists attacked earlier… they didn’t really mess with anyone else’s tents… B-But… my tent… the one I set up… Th-That horrible cultist… he… he specifically set mine on fire…!” Sniffle.

The more she thought about it, the more upset she got. Clutching the half-burnt, filthy quilt, her face smeared with grey ash, her big, round eyes started welling up with tears. She looked utterly miserable, like a tiny, soot-covered kitten about to cry. “Waaaaah…”

Hearing this, He Yimo’s lips twitched. A certain memory… involving a hood… and carelessly tossed torches… flashed through his mind. “Uh… Yeah…? Wow… That’s… That’s really unlucky…?” he managed, trying to sound sympathetic while internally sweating bullets.

“It wasn’t luck!” Yun Jin suddenly exclaimed, puffing her cheeks out again. “Young Master He, you didn’t see! Th-That cultist was sooo~ mean! I saw him! He grabbed a bunch of torches from the bonfire, right? First, he shouted ‘Chen Jianxin!’ or something, and threw one torch at him…”

“A-And then! And then he just… just casually tossed ALL the rest of the burning sticks right into MY tent! He burned my quilt AND my tent! Everything ruined!” Recalling the hooded culprit filled Yun Jin with righteous fury, but since the ‘culprit’ was long gone (or so she thought), all she could do was stand there, hugging her ruined bedding, looking utterly lost and forlorn. Sniffle sniffle…

A bead of sweat trickled down He Yimo’s temple. He nodded gravely. “Ah… I see… Well… that guy definitely doesn’t care about the environment… Burning down Senior Sister Yun’s tent like that… Shameful…” Cough.

“Soooooo~…” Yun Jin continued, her voice trembling slightly. “Young Master He… you see…? My tent… and my quilt… they’re… they’re all burned up because of that… that meanie…” Her lower lip wobbled dangerously. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she looked up at He Yimo, her entire expression radiating pathetic hope. “N-Now… Yun Jin… doesn’t have anywhere to sleep tonight…” Sob.

“S-So… do you think… C-Could Yun Jin maybe… just for tonight… borrow Young Master He’s tent…? T-To sleep in…?”

“Ah! B-But!” she added quickly, blushing furiously. “I-I don’t mean anything weird by it! N-Not at all! If… If Young Master He minds… then… then Yun Jin can maybe go ask Miss Jiang…? Or… or maybe just sleep outside…? It’s… it’s okay…”