Chapter 69: He Yimo, Why Won’t You Just Take the Hint?!

Chen Jianxin stomped off, fuming after Jiang Jinyue thoroughly pressed his buttons. He threw out his bold declaration and didn’t look back.

Jiang Jinyue, meanwhile, remained crouched by the shrine entrance, cradling the battered bronze Nine-Colored Compass. She watched Chen Jianxin’s retreating back, not feeling angry at all despite his harsh words. Instead, a smug little smile played on her lips, the look of someone who’d successfully stirred up some delicious drama. Heehee~♡

She glanced down the mountain towards the Heavenly Ladder path, spotting He Yimo and Yun Jin slowly making their way up. Not wanting to reveal herself just yet, Jiang Jinyue quickly ducked behind the other disciples milling about, planning a little surprise for He Yimo.

Buuut… the moment He Yimo set foot onto the summit near the Divine Deer Shrine, his eyes were already warily scanning the surroundings. It took him barely a second to spot a certain sneaky fox girl hiding behind the crowd.

Hmph. He Yimo let out a soft scoff, a knowing smirk touching his lips. No surprise there.

—He totally saw that coming!

In He Yimo’s experience, Jiang Jinyue was like Schrödinger’s Fox: if you suddenly noticed she hadn’t been around for a while, you absolutely had to assume she was lurking in every blind spot, plotting something mischievous. After spending so much time together, He Yimo was resigned to his fate of being haunted by her unpredictable appearances.

When he woke up around noon, He Yimo had already been planning his day. He needed to get to the Divine Deer Shrine on the summit; according to his past life’s strategy guides, the ruins contained secret treasures and herbs essential for restoring the Nine-Colored Deer’s vitality. The problem? Jiang Jinyue would definitely be waiting for him there. If he brought Yun Jin along, Jiang Jinyue would likely manipulate her, nudging her down the original plot path towards the Wuji Sect’s rear mountain… where Gu Wanglan would inevitably stab her… Ugh.

But if he didn’t bring Yun Jin… he couldn’t just abandon the poor girl alone in the snowy wilderness, could he? Especially after last night’s cultist attack, Yun Jin had become incredibly clingy, wanting to stick to his side no matter where he went. Sigh. It put He Yimo in a tough spot.

Northfall Snow Mountain wasn’t that big. Besides the secret room in the shrine, most other places had been ransacked by the cultists; nothing else of value remained. So, his options were:

1. Prioritize Yun Jin’s safety, ditch the Nine-Colored Deer materials, and just chill out on the mountain until the mission ended.

2. Go for the materials, bring Yun Jin along, and risk falling back into the original tragic storyline.

After weighing the options, He Yimo decided to gamble. Going to the shrine guaranteed he’d get the materials for his Deer. Yun Jin’s death, however, wasn’t a 100% certainty. There was still plenty of room to maneuver before the end of the original story’s first volume! Plus, with his cultivation boosted from last night’s ‘sacrifice’, He Yimo wasn’t nearly as afraid of Jiang Jinyue anymore. He felt confident he could protect Yun Jin from her destined demise!

“Senior Sister Jiang,” He Yimo called out loudly as he reached the shrine entrance, ignoring the curious stares of the other disciples and directly addressing the fox girl hiding out of sight. “Find something interesting again~?”

Behind the crowd, the addressed girl flinched, her small body trembling slightly. More than frustration at being discovered, Jiang Jinyue was genuinely surprised. This time, before she could even say anything, He Yimo had already seen right through her little scheme!

“Hmph! H-How did you know I found lots of clues~?” Jiang Jinyue pouted, stepping out with her hands clasped behind her back, trying to look innocent but clearly displeased. If she were in her fox form right now, her tail would undoubtedly be twitching guiltily!

He Yimo, already knowing exactly how this scene would play out, remained unfazed. “Because it’s written all over your face,” he stated flatly.

“My face…?” Jiang Jinyue blinked her enchanting peach-blossom eyes, playfully pinching her own cheek. “Whaaaat? No it isn’t~!”

“Every time you’re planning some mischief,” He Yimo continued mercilessly, “Your eyes squint just like that,” he pointed, “And you habitually lick that little fang with the tip of your tongue. You might as well just write ‘I’m gonna cause trouble!’ right on your forehead…” He exposed her tells without hesitation once again.

Instantly, Jiang Jinyue puffed out her cheeks like an angry hamster, glaring resentfully at He Yimo. “Grrrr…”

“See?” He Yimo smirked coldly, his gaze sharp, as if piercing right through her. “You’re definitely plotting something right now.” His directness made Jiang Jinyue squirm uncomfortably.

Previously, He Yimo had often played dumb around Jiang Jinyue, wanting to avoid attracting too much of her attention. But now? He realized playing dumb was useless. She clung to him regardless. Besides, she’d already witnessed his true strength when he slaughtered those cultists last night. Rather than continue this charade, He Yimo decided it was time to be blunt.

And the more direct he was, the more uncomfortable she became. For a demoness who reveled in pranks and manipulation, having her schemes seen through so easily was almost worse than death!

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Jiang Jinyue retorted, crossing her arms defensively and turning her head away with a little stomp of her foot. “I wasn’t thinking anything baaaad~!” Though she was still trying to act cute, the sweetness had vanished from her expression. She brought the compass out from behind her back, forcing a bright, albeit slightly strained, smile.

“Junior Brother Yimoooo~♡ Lookie lookie! Isn’t this thing amaaaazing~? I found this compass buried under the shrine ruins just now—”

“Not interested.” He Yimo recognized the Nine-Colored Compass instantly from the game. Recalling the tragic events it led to for Yun Jin, he decisively looked away, refusing to engage. He grabbed Yun Jin’s hand and started walking straight into the shrine without a second glance.

“Um… Th-That…” Yun Jin’s ahoge twitched. Her eyes were glued to the compass in Jiang Jinyue’s hands, and she looked reluctant to be pulled away. But before she could say anything, He Yimo clapped a hand over her eyes.

“Don’t listen to her nonsense. It’s just a broken toy. Let’s go, Yun Jin.”

“Oh… okay…” Yun Jin pouted slightly. While still curious about the compass, after being sternly scolded by He Yimo that morning, she was much more obedient now. Like a little chick, she just instinctively followed behind him without complaint.

“He Yimoooo! I’m telling you! Everyone’s been trying to figure this thing out all morning, but nobody can unlock its secrets—” Jiang Jinyue began confidently, launching into her prepared background story for the compass, nose held high. Halfway through, another disciple whispered something to her, making her realize He Yimo had already dragged Yun Jin away and wasn’t even listening.

“Hey! YOU—?!” Jiang Jinyue choked, stamping her foot in fury. More than anger at being ignored, she felt a surge of panic. She quickly chased after them, grabbing He Yimo’s arm. Standing on her tiptoes, she thrust the compass right in his face again.

“Aiyaaa~! He Yimo, just take one little peek! Pweeeeease~?!”

“No.” He Yimo’s voice was ice.

“Tch! Fine! Don’t look then!” Jiang Jinyue made a face at him, then immediately turned to Yun Jin with a beaming smile. “How about you, Senior Sister Yun Jin~? Wanna help everyone take a look~?”

“Iiii~ don’t~ wanna~ look~ either~” He Yimo replied instantly, perfectly mimicking Yun Jin’s slightly higher-pitched voice.

“Eh? Huh? Senior Sister Yun Jin doesn’t want to look either?” Jiang Jinyue blinked, genuinely confused now. She’d expected He Yimo to refuse, but Yun Jin turning her down so flatly? That was unexpected. As she stared, puzzled, she noticed Yun Jin herself looking up at He Yimo with a surprised expression.

“He Yimoooo!” Jiang Jinyue screeched, finally catching on. “That was you just now! Imitating Yun Jin’s voice! You jerk!” She stomped forward again, practically shoving the compass into Yun Jin’s arms, her eyes wide with pleading expectation. “I heard Senior Sister Yun Jin’s hometown is right here at the foot of Northfall Mountain! You grew up hearing all the local legends! I’m sure Senior Sister Yun Jin will have some unique insight into this amazing compass!”

“Right, everyone?!” Jiang Jinyue added, turning to rally the onlookers, who all nodded eagerly, gazing hopefully at Yun Jin.

Suddenly the center of attention, Yun Jin clutched the compass, feeling the weight of expectation but also completely flustered. She glanced worriedly at He Yimo, torn. She wanted to use her knowledge to help everyone… but she was scared of making He Yimo angry again… scared he might actually take his pants off if she didn’t listen…

“Tsk. Fine. Go ahead and look,” He Yimo sighed, giving in with a small, resigned smile. He knew this was coming. Since he’d chosen to come to the shrine anyway, he figured he might as well see if he could somehow dodge Jiang Jinyue’s manipulation. But the moment she chased after them, insisting he look at the compass, he knew it was pointless. This plot point was happening whether he liked it or not. It really was just like his past life playing the game. No matter how many shortcuts you tried to take, you couldn’t skip the damn key story quests…

`Gods fucking dammit.` Just like real life, apparently. No skipping allowed.

“Th-There’s a little deer symbol on this compass…” Yun Jin murmured, studying it closely after He Yimo gave his permission. “It must be related to the guardian deity of Snow Village, the Nine-Colored Divine Deer…”

“And these ancient characters…” she continued thoughtfully, tracing the symbols. “I think… this is the original language of the Snow Village natives… If I’m right, these symbols are probably used in conjunction with the angle of sunlight at different times… to determine coordinates…”

He Yimo felt a headache coming on. This was exactly the original plot, down to Yun Jin’s lines. It was getting harder to distinguish game from reality. `Couldn’t skip cutscenes then, can’t skip life now.` He resigned himself to standing there and enduring the exposition dump.

“…I suspect,” Yun Jin concluded after several long minutes of examination, “that this compass works by infusing spiritual energy… then aligning different directions and coordinate axes… to locate something specific within a certain circular area…”

“…But,” she added, furrowing her brow, “…I don’t know what exactly it’s supposed to locate.”

As Yun Jin finished, Jiang Jinyue looked up, her gaze sharp and calculating as she turned to He Yimo. “Soooo~? Young Master He? Any ideas now~?”

“Nope. Sounds too complicated,” He Yimo shrugged dismissively, still refusing to play along.

“You don’t understand?!” Jiang Jinyue’s eyes narrowed, clearly annoyed by his deliberate obtuseness. “This is a compass related to the Nine-Colored Deer! Don’t play dumb!” She remembered Chen Jianxin’s bet! She wanted to see him jump off a cliff! And He Yimo, as the Deer’s current host, didn’t need Yun Jin’s analysis! He should have instantly recognized the compass’s purpose! Why was he still pretending ignorance?! This was the perfect chance to show off, to completely shut down Chen Jianxin! Jiang Jinyue was practically gift-wrapping the opportunity for him! Why wouldn’t he take the hint?!

“He Yimoooo!” she insisted, snatching the compass back from Yun Jin and thrusting it at him again urgently. “Look closer! Don’t you think the needle’s direction seems… fishy~?”

He Yimo took the compass. As he did, he subtly slipped a single strand of fox hair he’d plucked earlier (likely from Jiang Jinyue herself without her noticing) underneath the compass housing. Then, his eyes widened in mock surprise. “Whoa! Hey! I think I do see something weird now!”

“Really?! What? What is it?!” Jiang Jinyue leaned in eagerly, nodding repeatedly, waiting for him to reveal the ‘answer’.

“—Isn’t it pointing straight at you?” He Yimo declared, sounding puzzled. “Maybe… maybe the villagers used this to hunt snow foxes in the mountains?” He offered the analysis with a perfectly straight face.

Jiang Jinyue instantly sputtered. “H-Hunt?! HUNTING?! He Yimo, what nonsense are you spouting now?! THAT’S RIDICULOUS!”

“I’m not talking nonsense! Look!” He Yimo adjusted the compass slightly. “See? The needle really is pointing right at you!”

Confused, Jiang Jinyue looked down. The needle of the Nine-Colored Compass, which should have been pointing back towards Wuji Sect (where the Deer was located), was indeed aimed directly at her. “Wh-How is that possible…?” she stammered, blinking rapidly. For a second, she wondered if she was hallucinating. She glanced suspiciously at He Yimo, then back at the compass, shifting her position slightly. But no matter where she moved, the needle seemed to track her precisely.

“N-No… wait…” she murmured, bewildered. “Why would a compass found in the Divine Deer Shrine… point at me?”

“Could it be…” He Yimo leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper only she could hear, “…that the compass points to whoever… is the real culprit behind Snow Village’s destruction?”

Instantly, all the color drained from Jiang Jinyue’s face. She looked up at He Yimo, her eyes wide with panic, shaking her head slightly. This wasn’t funny! While she wasn’t the direct killer, she was a mole involved in the scheme! If He Yimo said that any louder… she’d never be able to talk her way out of this!

“Kidding!” He Yimo suddenly grinned, smoothly removing the hidden fox hair from beneath the compass. “Actually, it looks like this thing just points randomly.” He infused a bit of spiritual energy again, spinning the compass. This time, the needle didn’t track Jiang Jinyue at all, just wobbled aimlessly in different directions.

“Wh-Wha…??” Jiang Jinyue stared, completely baffled now, leaning close to He Yimo’s hand, examining the compass like she was trying to figure out a magic trick. After studying it for a long moment, she had to admit… He Yimo seemed right. It was just spinning randomly now!

“Sooo~? Looks like I cleared your name, huh? Cleared you of being a suspicious fox demon, at least~” He Yimo murmured, his voice low again, a meaningful smirk playing on his lips. “Guess Senior Sister Jiang owes me another favor now~♡”

Seeing his confident expression, Jiang Jinyue felt strangely intimidated and didn’t dare argue. She just nodded numbly, instinctively giving him a grateful look, even though she had no idea why the compass had been tracking her moments before. She, who usually controlled the script, suddenly felt like she was trapped within it, completely unnerved.

“B-But…” she stammered, still clutching the now-useless compass, shaking it slightly. “I swear I saw it pointing steadily in one direction earlier…! How did it suddenly break like this…?” She tried infusing her own spiritual energy, but the needle just spun more erratically, reflecting the growing panic and confusion on her face. If the compass was broken… how could she possibly fulfill her promise to Mu Yanran and guide Chen Jianxin?

“You probably just imagined it, ” He Yimo shrugged nonchalantly. “This compass was broken from the start.”

“He Yimo, YOU!” Jiang Jinyue finally snapped, seeing a flicker of cold calculation in his eyes. “You definitely did something to it just now!” Realization dawned. “Why…? Why would you break it?! You… You know everything, don’t you…? YOU KNEW!” She bit her lip, glaring at him, feeling a mixture of shame, anger, and helplessness.

Honestly, she didn’t understand why He Yimo was being so antagonistic today. From her hiding spot surprise, to eagerly presenting him with the compass… Jiang Jinyue felt like she hadn’t done anything malicious, yet he’d repeatedly shut her down, met her enthusiasm with cold indifference!

Why was he playing dumb?! Back at the Mountain God Temple, she’d personally witnessed him trick the legendary Nine-Colored Deer into becoming his ‘friend’! Now, here they were, in the Deer’s homeland, with a giant Nine-Colored Compass practically screaming its connection with deer symbols… and He Yimo still pretended not to understand?!

Besides…! Wasn’t He Yimo curious at all about why Snow Village was destroyed? Didn’t he want to investigate why the Nine-Colored Deer was imprisoned in a dungeon beneath Wuji Sect’s rear mountain?! Jiang Jinyue just couldn’t comprehend it! She had practically handed him all the clues on a silver platter!

All he had to do was nod, accept the information, publicly humiliate Chen Jianxin, and lead everyone straight to the rear mountain to uncover the truth! That would expose Gu Wanglan, save Chen Jianxin from the Organization’s death sentence, and make He Yimo a sect hero! It would completely derail the Organization’s plans! It was so simple! Why wouldn’t he cooperate?!

`He Yimo! Are you REALLY going to keep playing dumb at a critical moment like this?!` she screamed internally. `Fine! Don’t accept my help! But why did you have to BREAK MY COMPASS?!`

Staring at the malfunctioning device, feeling utterly defeated, Jiang Jinyue’s eyes started to burn with unshed tears of frustration. She tried again and again, but the compass remained useless. Despair washed over her. Glaring at He Yimo, she bit her lip so hard it nearly bled. Deep within her enchanting eyes, unprecedentedly dark, complex patterns began to swirl—the mark of her forbidden Abyss Illusions .

`He Yimo… You forced my hand!` Jiang Jinyue rarely resorted to Abyss Illusions; they were her ultimate trump card. But He Yimo had gone too far today. If the Nine-Colored Compass was well and truly broken, her carefully laid plans would completely collapse. Therefore, even if it meant using her forbidden techniques… Jiang Jinyue had to figure out what was wrong with the compass and somehow force the plot back onto the rails! This was her true method: subtly guiding events away from the Prophecy’s path. And if things deviated too far from her desired outcome? She wasn’t above using… unconventional methods… like mass brainwashing via illusions… to wrench the timeline back onto her designed track!

Just as the ominous black sigils in Jiang Jinyue’s eyes began to glow with power, a loud, smug laugh echoed from behind the group—Chen Jianxin had returned!

“Hunting snow foxes?! Seriously?! That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard! Hahahaha!” he crowed, strutting back towards them.

“Senior Sister Jiang, just give it up! Stop bothering Young Master He!” Chen Jianxin declared condescendingly. “I TOLD you! How could some pampered young master from the Central Plains possibly understand the secrets of Snow Village?!”

“All eyes on ME! Look here! LOOK HERE!” he announced grandly, puffing out his chest.

“While you guys were messing around… I managed to piece together those broken murals over there! And I’ve figured out the true meaning of this amazing Nine-Colored Compass!”

“According to legend!” Chen Jianxin proclaimed, beaming with self-importance, “The Nine-Colored Divine Deer was playful and rebellious by nature! Especially during important sacrificial ceremonies, the Deer loved to cause mischief! It would use the cover of blizzards to sneak down the mountain and play hide-and-seek with the villagers searching for it!”

“This became a tradition during festivals—the Divine Deer playing hide-and-seek, much to the villagers’ frustration!”

“So! They created this magical Nine-Colored Compass! By grinding up the antlers the Deer shed naturally each year into powder… and sprinkling that powder onto the compass’s sensor… the device could track the Nine-Colored Deer’s specific aura! This allowed the villagers, during important holidays, to send out teams with the compass a few days early to find the hiding Divine Deer!”

“THAT—” Chen Jianxin declared triumphantly, “—is the true way to use the Nine-Colored Compass!”