Chapter 91: I Believe Senior Brother Gu Will Be Equally Blessed!

“I’m fine, no more crying!” The White-Robed Kensei sat up, wincing slightly, her jade-like hands pinching He Yimo’s lips together. Her cold eyes held a mixture of reproach and gentleness as she stared at him. Within three seconds, the tears in the boy’s eyes stopped.

His sudden composure, however, left Mo Yuyan somewhat disoriented. She had half-expected him to burst into tears of joy upon seeing her unharmed and hug her tightly. But since he was obeying her command to stop crying, she couldn’t say anything about it.

“Can I speak now, Senior Sister?” He Yimo asked, his lips still pinched, looking earnestly at the frowning immortal before him.

His question reminded Mo Yuyan of her actions, and she quickly withdrew her hands. “Alright, but now isn’t the time to relax.” She sighed, trying to stand up, using the ground for support. However, a sharp pain shot through her inner thigh, and the internal injuries from the earlier blast nearly made her collapse.

Fortunately, He Yimo caught her by the waist. “Senior Sister, you should rest.” He pulled her close, letting her lean against him, his eyes filled with genuine concern.

But He Yimo’s worry wasn’t solely for Mo Yuyan; it was also about whether Gu Wanglan could escape tonight. It was good that Mo Yuyan couldn’t stand now; if she actually caught Gu Wanglan, it would complicate things for He Yimo. After all, letting Gu Wanglan live had its benefits—he could take the fall for everything. If Gu Wanglan’s corpse were found in the shrine, and some soul-inspecting elder discovered he didn’t have Chen Jianxin’s Innate Sword Saint Physique, how would He Yimo explain that? The physique mysteriously disappeared after the sacrifice?

So, for He Yimo, Gu Wanglan’s greatest remaining value was being the scapegoat. Ideally, He Yimo would have sacrificed Gu Wanglan too, leaving no trace, and then claimed Gu Wanglan had escaped. But Mo Yuyan was lying near the shrine. If He Yimo tried to sacrifice Gu Wanglan, she would witness it.

Besides, without sacrificing him, He Yimo had no good way to dispose of the body. Killing him would leave traces, and if He Yimo didn’t clean up properly, the Wuji Sect elders would find evidence and question him. So, considering his current Foundation Establishment-level strength, He Yimo opted to let the tiger return to the mountains. Let Gu Wanglan run wherever he wanted; he just couldn’t die in Wuji Sect!

“But…” Mo Yuyan’s voice was weak. “Gu Wanglan is at his limit. If we don’t pursue him now, when he escapes back to the Waning Moon Cult, it will spell endless trouble.”

She leaned against He Yimo’s chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat. Despite her serious tone, a blush crept onto her cheeks. This was the first time in her twenty-plus years of cultivation that she’d been pressed so intimately against a man’s chest. She tried to pull away, but the slightest movement sent a cramping pain through her thigh. Her arms and shoulders, held by He Yimo, had no strength, leaving her limp in his arms.

But Mo Yuyan wasn’t worried that He Yimo would take advantage of her. From their time together, she knew He Yimo was just young and impulsive, not truly lascivious, and wouldn’t do something so despicable.

She just felt that tonight was incredibly embarrassing. She was He Yimo’s most admired senior sister, yet when he crushed the jade pendant in Wuji Sect’s territory, she was late to save him. Worse, she couldn’t even defeat Gu Wanglan, her former subordinate, and was instead severely injured, becoming a burden to He Yimo!

At this thought, Mo Yuyan’s eyes lowered, biting her lip, a mix of guilt and self-reproach on her face. She hated her past arrogant, heaven-blessed self. She thought she could easily defeat Gu Wanglan and bring He Yimo back to Soot-Stained Peak in triumph!

Given the current situation, Mo Yuyan couldn’t take He Yimo home; he’d have to carry her back to Soot-Stained Peak.

“If Senior Sister is really worried, maybe I should chase Gu Wanglan.” He Yimo spoke up suddenly, glancing toward the forest depths, his cold eyes flashing with a hint of malice.

But Mo Yimo grabbed his arm. “Forget it. You’re only at Foundation Establishment. It’s too dangerous… And the battle earlier must have alerted the sect elders. Wuji Sect cultivators will soon seal off the back mountain.”

“But Gu Wanglan is exhausted! Even if I’m only Foundation Establishment, I can at least finish him off!” He Yimo clenched his teeth, unwilling to give up. His eyes held a vengeful glint, though only partly for Mo Yuyan; mostly, he was worried Gu Wanglan wouldn’t run far enough. Realizing that Wuji Sect elders would arrive soon, He Yimo regretted not carrying Gu Wanglan out of the back mountain earlier to ensure his escape before returning to check on Mo Yimo’s injuries.

“Alright, don’t get worked up over a dying man…” Seeing the murderous intent in He Yimo’s eyes, Mo Yuyan sighed softly, trying to comfort him.

Logically, she agreed with He Yimo’s idea of finishing off Gu Wanglan. But emotionally, Mo Yuyan had already experienced the fear of He Yimo disappearing. Now that they were finally reunited, she was worried he might get hurt again if he went off alone. So, she couldn’t help but tightly grip He Yimo’s arm.

“He Yimo, stay and take care of your injured senior sister… Okay?” As she spoke, Mo Yimo smiled tenderly at him.

She had already noticed her own softness. Looking into his determined eyes, she saw a glimpse of her younger self, full of hatred and intent on avenging her clan. But now, that girl had grown up. She had become the senior sister that He Yimo cared deeply for…

“Senior Sister is right. What if Gu Wanglan circles back and takes advantage of you while you’re injured?”

“Sorry, Senior Sister, I didn’t think this through.” He Yimo took a deep breath, clicking his tongue. His tone still held resentment, but not because he was actually worried about Gu Wanglan ambushing Mo Yuyan. He was concerned that Gu Wanglan, crippled as he was, might get caught by the Wuji Sect elders!

“…” Meanwhile, Mo Yuyan watched He Yimo’s resentful, uneasy gaze and heard his considerate words. Her chest rose and fell slightly faster. She’d only asked him to stay and care for her, not expecting that Gu Wanglan might circle back and ambush her. Clearly, He Yimo was thinking more thoroughly than she was.

If He Yimo hadn’t been there, and Gu Wanglan had appeared, she might not have been able to resist in her current state.

“Senior Sister, don’t worry. Even if Gu Wanglan escapes tonight, once I grow stronger, I’ll hunt him down in the Waning Moon Cult and avenge you!”

As he finished, He Yimo’s cold eyes were resolute, and he held the immortal in his arms even tighter. Of course, it wasn’t entirely for her sake. If tonight’s plan went smoothly, Gu Wanglan would be confirmed as the thief of the Sword Saint Physique. Then He Yimo could legally hunt him down and silence him under the guise of justice!

But the more He Yimo spoke with killing intent, the more uneasy Mo Yuyan became in his arms.

“Alright… I believe you…” She raised her burned hand, gently stroking his face. While moved by his determination, she didn’t want her junior brother to bear the burden of revenge at such a young age. Mo Yuyan knew how it felt—lonely and unpleasant. Moreover, she was still alive; He Yimo didn’t need to carry such hatred for her…

“Senior Sister, let me treat your wounds.” Unexpectedly, He Yimo took her hand and pressed it to his chest. In the shrine’s firelight, he could see the gruesome burns on her arm.

Of course, He Yimo knew that with Mo Yuyan’s Frost-Resistant Saint Physique, burns of this degree wouldn’t scar. But as a past-life gamer, he knew. But as a reborn, Foundation Establishment junior brother, he couldn’t possibly know that!

He’d already bought the ointments and oils. If he didn’t use them on Senior Sister now, would he use them on himself?

“You know how to treat wounds?” Mo Yimo blinked in surprise, her hand held by He Yimo. Then, she thought of the intimacy involved, her blush deepening.

“I know a bit of medicine. My Little Aunt taught me.” He Yimo replied casually.

Since Mo Yuyan was leaning against him, he could simply twist open the ointment and apply it to her hand while holding her.

“Let’s apply this first. It might sting, but with the ointment and Wangxue’s natural energy, your wounds will heal faster… Healing the burns quickly will minimize scarring. I don’t want your body covered in marks.”

He Yimo coated his palm with a faint aura of spiritual energy and gently rubbed the ointment onto Mo Yimo’s arm, speaking softly to reassure her.

Mo Yimo listened obediently, her eyes fixed on He Yimo’s ointment-coated hand. A strange, tickling sensation spread from her skin to her heart. Actually, Mo Yimo had always known she was a heaven-blessed child. She’d practiced the sword since childhood, and despite being a girl, loved roaming the mountains to catch spirit beasts, so she’d accumulated many wounds over the years. But she’d never needed ointments; her wounds healed quickly without scarring. She didn’t speak up now because she wanted to see how good He Yimo’s medical skills were. Or perhaps she just wanted to see how gentle he could be…

This feeling of being cherished was something she hadn’t experienced since her clan was annihilated and her parents died when she was nine.

“Senior Sister…”

“Senior Sister…”

“Senior Sister…?” As the soothing coolness of the ointment spread, Mo Yimo felt her vision blur, her consciousness drifting to memories of her mother scolding her while brushing her hair in childhood. She heard voices calling her “Senior Sister” and blinked, jolted back to reality.

“Senior Sister, look!” He Yimo held up her hand, showing the nearly healed burn on her forearm.

Mo Yimo was stunned for a moment, then rubbed her eyes. It wasn’t a dream. In just a few minutes of He Yimo applying the ointment, the burn had almost healed!

“See? No pain, no scars, right?” He Yimo gently stroked her arm. Under the moonlight, her skin was still smooth and soft, with only a faint redness where the burn had been. Mo Yimo wasn’t even sure if the redness was from the burn or from He Yimo’s touch making her blush.

“Th-thank you…” Mo Yimo murmured, entranced. Since her clan’s destruction, no one had treated her wounds. Besides a simple “thank you,” she didn’t know what else to say. Moreover, her attention was now completely captivated by He Yimo’s hands. She didn’t know if it was the ointment or her sensitive skin, but after that brief moment of confusion, she felt half her arm tingling under He Yimo’s touch, every sensation amplified, the contact between their skin incredibly delicate.

“Senior Sister…” He Yimo’s gaze drifted to the blood-red burn peeking through the holes in Mo Yimo’s black stockings. “Your leg is burned too.”

“Mm, can you help me with that too…” Mo Yimo was still dazed. She nodded instinctively, but then remembered something. She snapped back to reality and sprang up from He Yimo’s arms.

“Senior Sister?” Under the moonlight, He Yimo’s cold eyes held tenderness as he tilted his head, curiously watching the suddenly upright White-Robed Kensei.

Mo Yimo trembled slightly, gasping for breath. Her hair was disheveled, her flawless face a mix of panic and blush. She didn’t understand what had just happened. He Yimo’s ointment application was so soothing that she felt herself drifting off in his arms, almost falling asleep. When he mentioned the wound on her leg, she nodded automatically, wanting him to apply more ointment.

But could she let him apply it to her inner thigh? If she continued indulging in this comfort, wouldn’t he end up touching her everywhere? That’s why she had stood up abruptly. Now, awake from her dream, recalling the near-accident, Mo Yimo felt a lingering fear, her heart racing.

“My leg… I’ll handle it myself!” Her tone was no longer gentle, returning to her usual cold refusal.

At the same time, she realized her overly intimate contact with He Yimo and bit her lip, struggling to sit up. But she’d forgotten the injury to her inner thigh, causing a cramp that made her legs spasm, nearly losing her balance.

At the critical moment, He Yimo caught her again. But unlike before, when Mo Yimo’s cold face showed shame, He Yimo’s eyes under the moonlight were no longer tender but coldly indifferent.

“Senior Sister, you’re injured and can’t walk. I know men and women shouldn’t touch, and you’re wary of too much contact with me, but at least let Wangxue carry you.” Without waiting for Mo Yimo’s consent, he bent down, one arm around her waist, the other under her black-stockinged legs, and effortlessly lifted her in a princess carry.

–?! Mo Yimo didn’t have time to react. But He Yimo didn’t hold her for long. Soon, the weak-bodied immortal was placed on the back of the Nine-Colored Deer beside them. By the time Mo Yimo regained her senses, she was riding the deer toward the exit of the Secret Realm.

“?” Mo Yimo felt like everything was prearranged, a disorienting rush. A moment ago, she’d been peacefully dozing in He Yimo’s arms, but when she realized the inappropriate intimacy between them and tried to break free, He Yimo didn’t resist or seem disappointed. He’d simply followed her wishes and transferred her to the deer.

So… was that it? Being abruptly abandoned left Mo Yimo feeling uncomfortable, her body chilled by the night breeze, and she missed the sense of security she’d felt in He Yimo’s arms. Now, without He Yimo nearby, Mo Yimo thought of the earlier problem: what if Gu Wanglan circled back and ambushed her?

“Wait.” At some point, Mo Yimo realized the source of her unease. She had ridden the deer quite far when she looked back and saw that He Yimo was still standing where he’d been.

“He Yimo?” She couldn’t help but call out. Watching He Yimo’s figure recede, her eyes widened, and her blush of intimacy turned to a reluctant parting.

“Senior Sister! You should go back with Wangxue and rest! I just saw many of our sect’s cultivators arriving. I want to help and see if we can track down Gu Wanglan together!” Under the moonlight, He Yimo deliberately avoided mentioning revenge, smiling gently and waving to her. But he didn’t respond to her call by rushing over.

“He Yimo! You can’t go! I told you not to go earlier!” Mo Yimo bit her lip, clenching her fists, her voice petulant. But as she spoke, He Yimo just tiredly lowered his gaze. He smiled faintly, turned, and walked toward the shrine ruins.

Instantly, Mo Yimo’s blushing face froze. “He Yimo! Come back! The back mountain is dangerous!”

“He Yimo! Stop this! Senior Sister orders you to return–!!!” Mo Yimo grew frantic, her face flushed with anger, but her eyes betrayed fear of loss. She reached out toward his retreating figure, fingers spread, trying to pull him back, but her weakened body couldn’t even walk, let alone catch up to him.

When He Yimo’s figure was out of sight, tears streamed down Mo Yimo’s face. “If something happens to you again, Senior Sister won’t be able to protect you…”

Meanwhile…

Under the moon, Gu Wanglan staggered down the steep slope alone. Since fleeing the shrine, he’d run for his life, and now he was near the barrier enclosing Wuji Sect’s back mountain. But the effects of his drug had worn off, and overwhelming fatigue washed over him. The once-sprinting Gu Wanglan fell to the ground, reduced to crawling.

“Damn it… The sect’s cultivators are closing in… The barrier will be sealed soon!” Gu Wanglan propped himself up with his last reserves of willpower, pulling out a sword to use as a crutch, and limped toward the barrier. But just as his will was at its weakest, he heard footsteps behind him.

“–?!” Gu Wanglan whirled around and saw, high in the forest, a boy with black-red eyes and a greedy, murderous gaze.

Instantly, adrenaline surged through Gu Wanglan, and he sprinted away, no longer feeling tired. He ran until he was gasping for air. Fortunately, his Nascent Soul physique kept him from passing out.

But as Gu Wanglan knelt to rest, he heard leisurely footsteps behind him again.

–!!!!!! Gu Wanglan’s pupils shook as he looked back. Indeed, the eerie boy was still there, watching him.

“Damn it! Why won’t you leave me alone?!” Gu Wanglan ran again. Eventually, he reached the border of Wuji Sect’s back mountain. Seeing his token had been deactivated by the sect, sealing the barrier, Gu Wanglan lost all hope of survival and fell to his knees before the boy.

“What do you want from me?!” Gu Wanglan roared in frustration. “You won’t kill me or capture me! Why are you following me?!”

Under Gu Wanglan’s incredulous gaze, the boy sneered and stepped forward, using his own token to bypass the barrier for Gu Wanglan.

???????? Gu Wanglan was dumbfounded, looking at the boy as if he were a ghost. In his long life, he’d never encountered someone so bizarre.

“Why? Why?” Gu Wanglan blinked, kneeling and looking up at He Yimo. “Did you follow me all this way just to unlock the barrier with your token?”

“Of course not. I followed you because you were too slow.” The boy’s tone was lazy.

He looked back at the kneeling Gu Wanglan, clicked his tongue in disgust at the waste, and grabbed Gu Wanglan’s remaining left arm, dragging him through the barrier. Once outside, before Gu Wanglan could react, he found himself at the edge of a cliff.

“Since you’re out, get lost. If you died in the back mountain, no one would inherit Chen Jianxin’s Sword Saint Physique.” Behind Gu Wanglan, the boy spoke coldly, his gaze as if looking at a corpse. Rather than hatred or anger, he seemed more annoyed, as if cleaning up trash.

Hearing this, Gu Wanglan suddenly understood, all the puzzling details clicking into place. No wonder He Yimo hadn’t finished him off! He’d stolen Gu Wanglan’s sacrificial gains twice and still wasn’t satisfied. He even wanted Gu Wanglan to take the fall for everything!

For a moment, Gu Wanglan felt suffocated. He’d never paid attention to He Yimo, not considering him a threat, but from a god’s-eye view, He Yimo had outplayed him at every turn. Gu Wanglan was utterly defeated. In fact, from the moment Gu Wanglan destroyed Snow Village and captured the Nine-Colored Deer, he’d become a pawn in He Yimo’s scheme.

“You… you…” Gu Wanglan stammered. “Who are you?”

To be outwitted to this extent, Gu Wanglan was thoroughly defeated. There was no more hatred, only fear of an inhuman monster. The boy remained silent, just staring coldly.

“Wait!” Gu Wanglan stood shakily and glanced at the abyss before him. The terrifying height made him step back. “You said you’d let me go! Why did you bring me here? Where am I supposed to go?!”

He seemed to realize something, kneeling, his face a mix of fear and confusion. When he looked back, the boy, who’d been expressionless, finally showed a sinister, inhuman smile.

“Don’t worry, there must be good things down there! I read a great cultivation novel in my past life. The protagonist was pushed into an abyss by villains and was lucky enough to land in an ancient temple, where he was saved by a stunning phoenix spirit master. They fell in love and lived happily ever after…” The boy looked up at the moon, reminiscing about a story Gu Wanglan couldn’t understand.

Under the blood-red moonlight, the boy’s cold eyes narrowed, revealing a crazed longing. “Apparently, they had a happy ending! The Phoenix Spirit Master laid nine eggs for the protagonist!”

He spoke with relish, pressing his hand onto Gu Wanglan’s head. “Hehe… I believe that if Senior Brother Gu, who defies fate, falls into the abyss, he’ll surely find similar fortune!”

After pushing the last witness into the abyss, He Yimo finally clapped his hands in satisfaction. He glanced at the moon, then at the lights dotting the mountains, and sighed inwardly, knowing he had a lot of cleanup work to do. He took out a broom and a small bottle from his storage ring, applied a liquid that erased traces to his shoes, and carefully removed all his footprints from the cliff edge. But he only erased his footprints up to the barrier; inside, he left them, planning to explain to the Wuji Sect elders that he’d followed Gu Wanglan’s trail to the barrier, where Gu Wanglan had jumped into the abyss to escape.

“Reasonable, very reasonable… But it still feels like something’s missing.” Under the moonlight, He Yimo clapped to himself, a cunning gleam in his eyes. He seemed to have an idea, took a few fox hairs from his sleeve, and scattered them near Gu Wanglan’s footprints. With that done, he returned inside the barrier, satisfied. “I knew something was missing. With the Demoness of Delight’s touch, everything makes perfect sense now!”

As he spoke, He Yimo saw it was getting late and hurried back toward Wuji Sect. He strolled leisurely, checking his gains for the night. “Innate Sword Saint Physique…? Heh, I grabbed it, refined it instantly! My reversal of fate starts tonight!”

“Oh, and when Gu Wanglan was running, he seemed to throw away his sword… My shabby Xuan Iron Sword is due for an upgrade!” He Yimo was in a good mood and started talking to himself. He found Gu Wanglan’s discarded sword by the roadside and put it away, planning to say he found it. Surely, the Wuji Sect elders wouldn’t make him hand it over.

“Strange… Am I lost in the back mountain?” At some point, He Yimo felt something was off. He frowned, carved a mark on a nearby ancient tree, and continued walking based on his memory of the game’s map. But minutes later, he returned to the same marked tree.

“–?” He Yimo fell silent. His leisurely self-talk turned to unease. He narrowed his eyes, surveying his surroundings, and realized the lights of the Wuji Sect cultivators searching the mountain were gone.

“This…” The eerie familiarity made a cold sweat break out on He Yimo’s face. Suddenly, he recalled a pair of blood-red kaleidoscopic eyes. A sixth sense made him whirl around.

“Oh?” On the branch of the marked tree sat a fox demoness in a blood-red evening gown, her bare feet adorned with red tattoos swaying playfully. She leaned forward, hands cupping her face, her blood-red kaleidoscopic eyes squinting with delight as she smiled sweetly at the stunned boy below.

“As expected of Young Master He! A master of hide-and-seek! Even under my illusion, you found me within half an incense stick’s time! With such a telepathic connection, I doubt I could find another man in the world as compatible with me as you are!”

The fox demoness spoke happily, jumping down from the tree. She strolled leisurely toward He Yimo, who was sweating profusely, instinctively hiding Gu Wanglan’s sword behind his back and backing away as she approached.

At some point, in He Yimo’s vision, the girl’s enchanting eyes reflected a blood-red peach blossom. He blinked, trying to see reality, but in that instant, the girl had vanished.

Swoosh! When He Yimo smelled her sweet, alluring fragrance again, she was already behind him, tiptoeing, twirling a blood-red dagger, and playfully wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Young Master He, we truly are destined to be together–!” Her lips curved into a smile. Through the reflection in the dagger and the moonlight, He Yimo had never seen the little fox so radiant.

In the Western Region’s Demon Abyss, within the Waning Moon Forest.

A towering ancient tree with lush foliage supported a simple yet elegant treehouse palace. Inside, a stunning girl in a Western-style evening gown stood by the window. Her dress was primarily red but strangely adorned with gray-white carnations, the red sea blooming with white flowers. Combined with her pale, bandaged skin, it gave a sense of desolation and rebirth.

Below the treehouse’s large window, the girl gazed at an ancient Life Altar where Waning Moon Cult members conducted their daily prayers.

“It seems Chen Jianxin’s destiny has been absorbed by the Mother Goddess, along with some other sacrificial offerings… This time, Gu Wanglan has somewhat made up for his mistakes.” The girl spoke softly, her tone approving, but her blood-red moonlit eyes couldn’t hide a touch of sorrow.

She thought of a certain little fox who had been causing trouble for years and gave a scornful laugh, her eyes mocking. “What can a little fox do against the tide of destiny–”

She raised her wine glass, sighing to the moon as she drank alone. But just as the red grape juice touched her lips, a hurried voice came from outside the treehouse.

“Lady Saintess!” The door burst open, and a female cultist, also bandaged, knelt behind the girl by the window.

Ruan Liuli blinked, holding the grape juice in her mouth, and looked back.

“Lady Saintess, there’s a big problem! Just now, Gu Wanglan’s life thread snapped! The fruit on the Waning Moon Tree representing him has rotted!” The female cultist said nervously.

Ruan Liuli’s moonlit eyes widened. She blinked, as if doubting what she saw, and looked back through the window at the Waning Moon Tree’s growth cycle.

“–? But the Mother Goddess received Chen Jianxin’s nourishment.” Ruan Liuli raised an eyebrow.

The female cultist was equally puzzled. “Right, that’s the strange part! Gu Wanglan and Chen Jianxin are both dead. So who harvested the Mother Goddess’s gift?”

“…”

“…”

The atmosphere grew tense. Ruan Liuli took a deep breath, clicking her tongue in annoyance at having to handle this mess herself. Her sorrowful eyes showed clear disgust.

Whoosh! In the ancient Heavenly Pivot Hall, the lamp bearing the sword’s emblem among the Five Elements suddenly went out.

At the same time, deep in the hall, a crane-haired immortal paused her chess move, slowly opening her golden, divine-patterned eyes to look up.

Her pupils first showed confusion, then realization, and finally earthly anger replaced their divine indifference.

Just as the white-haired immortal frowned, a Black-Robed Kensei excitedly pushed open the door and knelt before her.

“Celestial Master! As you wished, Chen Jianxin died last night!”

“–?”