"That demon is slippery and extremely fast."
"Didn't the officials say they were sending people to find it? Have they found it or not?"
"I heard that demon specializes in sucking people's vital essence..."
A few people in the tavern were discussing in low voices.
There really were quite a few demons around here, mainly because this town was far from the sects, and it was troublesome to go fetch disciples from there, so the demons kept multiplying.
Wen Shubai paused at their words. He looked across at Ji Zhaoxi, who was eating osmanthus cake, and an idea suddenly came to him.
They couldn't keep practicing just the basics every day—the junior sister needed to see real blood.
Late at night, moonlight spilled over the wild grass like a layer of ash, and fragments of wooden grave markers stuck in the earth swayed with the wind, their carved names long illegible.
Occasionally, two wisps of ghost fire rose from the grass, and the air reeked of rotting flesh.
Ji Zhaoxi hadn't expected to be sent into real combat so soon, and she felt a momentary flutter of nerves.
But then she remembered she was a prodigy—if even she were afraid, what about the other disciples? Her gaze hardened again.
The greater one's talent, the greater the responsibility one had to bear.
Meanwhile, the demon in the crevice of the earth was fleeing in desperation. It had initially thought two fools were coming to die at night and had planned to bite them both.
But as soon as it got close, it knew why...
The two figures wore robes the color of pale moonlight, standing there at night looking like ghosts—clearly disciples of Tianjue Sect.
It fled faster and faster. Just as it thought it had escaped, a sword aura descended from the sky, sealing off the area for ten zhang in every direction.
"Junior sister," Wen Shubai called softly. "Try freezing its joints while it moves."
Ji Zhaoxi focused intently, channeling her spiritual energy, and a burst of cold air surged from her fingertips.
The demon sensed the danger and shot several zhang away in an instant, about to make a clean getaway.
Just as it was rejoicing, an invisible hand seized its neck, and the next second it was yanked back and slammed hard onto the ground.
"Keep going, junior sister." Wen Shubai's voice was gentle.
Ji Zhaoxi was about to continue when the demon, now thoroughly enraged, opened its fang-filled maw and lunged straight at her.
Startled by its hideous face, she quickly froze it. The demon's eyes burned red as it tried to self-destruct to escape, and the ice shattered at once.
Wen Shubai frowned, then pinned it mid-air. No matter how its claws scrabbled, it couldn't move a single inch forward.
For the next hour, the demon ran ahead while Ji Zhaoxi chased it with her spiritual energy—a huge leap forward for her growth, but for the demon, it was pure hell.
Every time it tried to self-destruct, some force would hold it back.
The demon: ...
Who would have thought it would end up as target practice for disciples of the Emotionless Path? What an utter disgrace!
Just as it lunged straight at Ji Zhaoxi, she quickly bound it with threads of spiritual energy. Her threads weren't all that strong yet, and the demon thrashed wildly, trying to break free.
Ji Zhaoxi was exhausted—even hauling water hadn't tired her out this much.
When the demon tried to escape once more, Ji Zhaoxi finally found the right feel. In an instant, ice spires gathered at her fingertips.
"Crack—"
The ice spread along the demon's claws in the blink of an eye, and within a moment, it was entirely frozen—even the terrified expression on its face was crystal clear.
Breathless, Ji Zhaoxi ran over. She stood before the ice statue, touched it lightly with her fingertip, and the ice, along with the demonic aura, shattered into fine frost.
"Senior brother, I did it!" Ji Zhaoxi was thrilled.
Wen Shubai looked at her, forehead beaded with sweat from excitement, and said softly, "Junior sister is very impressive."
He took out a clean handkerchief and gently wiped the dust from her face. Ji Zhaoxi tilted her head up slightly, letting him wipe it, still basking in the joy of her success.
"Senior brother, does this count as talent?"
Wen Shubai wiped her nose tip and chuckled lightly. "Junior sister is naturally talented."
He smiled at her, his voice full of indulgence. "If junior sister enjoys this, then we can practice a few more times over the coming days."
If she hadn't fully mastered it yet, he'd go catch ten more, even a hundred more—until she grew tired of it.
"Senior brother, you're the best. But I was running around catching the demon just now, and I think I twisted my ankle. And the tavern is so far from here..."
Ji Zhaoxi looked at him with a pitiful expression.
This was the outskirts—it had already worn her out just walking here.
Before Ji Zhaoxi could react, Wen Shubai crouched down in front of her. He said gently,
"Junior sister, climb on."
Ji Zhaoxi coughed lightly. "Senior brother, this is your choice, you know."
She hadn't forced him.
Ji Zhaoxi carefully clambered onto his back, looping her arms around his neck, and Wen Shubai lifted her up with ease.
His steps were steady, and Ji Zhaoxi, lying against his back, let out a yawn.
"Senior brother, when are we going back?"
"In a few days we can head back. Does junior sister want to go home soon?"
Ji Zhaoxi shook her head, feeling her eyelids grow heavy. She couldn't help but nuzzle her face against his shoulder.
"Senior brother, why don't you be my master? I'm the only one in Tianjue Sect without a master."
Wen Shubai's voice carried a hint of helplessness. "Junior sister, I don't yet have the qualification to take disciples."
"But what difference is there between me and your disciple? You're the one teaching me." Ji Zhaoxi's voice grew softer. "Senior brother, if you ever get to take disciples, I want to be yours..."
Because senior brother never scolded anyone.
The other elders scolded so fiercely.
Wen Shubai didn't say anything, but he felt he might prefer being her senior brother instead. If he were her master, he probably wouldn't be able to be this close to her.
Before long, Wen Shubai heard the girl on his back fall into long, even breathing. He walked step by step under the moonlight, and the fireflies by the roadside, startled, rose up and fluttered around them.
