What just happened?
Bai Li sat frozen on the ground, her eyes struggling to adjust to the dazzling brilliance of the moonlight. After a moment, her vision cleared.
Stars stretched across the vast wilderness as a torrent of silver light spilled over the desolate plains, unfurling like an ink-wash painting in monochrome. Under the radiant glow, Bai Li finally saw the boy’s face clearly.
White.
At first glance, all she saw was white.
Perhaps it was because he still held a sword—this sharp, unyielding whiteness resembled snow clinging to a blade’s edge. Yet his eyes were the exact opposite: pitch-black, as if harboring an ancient, frigid night.
With a casual swing of his sword, a crimson arc splattered across the grass, fanning out in a radius of several zhang. The sound of blood pattering down was like rain rustling through bamboo.
"Fellow cultivator, you can untie yourself now." When he spoke, his gaze fixed intently on her, those dark pupils swirling like a river of stars converging at the horizon.
Clear and luminous—utterly divorced from the brutality around them.
Bai Li trembled as she pointed at the two corpses on the ground. Their swords hadn’t even left their scabbards before their throats were slit in a single stroke. Blood gushed like a spring, staining the grass in wide swathes.
The metallic stench of blood steeped in the night air. The reek of death was so close, and the corpses—already stiffening into a purplish hue—confirmed that this was all real.
People had really, truly died.
"P-pros…" Fear tied her tongue into knots.
"Hm?" The boy tilted his head at her.
"Pros…"
"What is it, fellow cultivator?"
"Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony!" Bai Li finally blurted out.
His dark eyes widened slightly, as if intrigued by her outburst.
"Th-that’s… an incantation from my hometown to guide the departed," she stammered in explanation.
"Guide the departed?" He raised a brow. "Do you pity these two?"
Well… the most blood she’d ever seen before today was someone’s nosebleed. This scene was straight out of a horror film—no wonder she’d been struck speechless.
"Couldn’t you have just… knocked them out?" Then handed them over to the authorities or something.
"Knocked them out?" He chuckled lightly, his tone deceptively airy, yet laced with unsheathed lethality. "If you don’t uproot the weeds, they’ll grow back. Surely you understand such a basic principle, fellow cultivator?"
Bai Li shivered. He wasn’t wrong. This wasn’t a society governed by laws—it was a dog-eat-dog cultivation world. In these endless nights, danger lurked everywhere. The dark forest was the supreme law of survival.
She studied the boy again. He was biting down on a strip of cloth as he haphazardly bandaged a wound on his arm. If she ignored the fact that he’d just slit two throats without blinking, he looked completely harmless now—like a gentle, amiable childhood friend.
He should be… a reliable ally, right? In this brutal, sword-and-sorcery world, those who didn’t kill were probably the minority.
A sword glinted like snow as he handed it to her.
"Take it. It’s not top-grade, but it’ll serve you well for self-defense." He then placed a hand on the horse’s back, frowning slightly in disappointment. "Just an ordinary horse, after all. Useless for…"
Bai Li hugged the sword, staying as quiet as a mouse.
Okay, maybe not entirely like a childhood friend. At least the boys back home weren’t this practiced at killing and looting.
"If you don’t keep up, I won’t wait for you." He had already started moving, calling over his shoulder.
Bai Li hurried after him. She didn’t know her way around here—better cling to this lifeline.
The night had deepened, the sky an endless expanse, crickets chirping in the grass. Dew soaked through her shoes as she struggled to match his pace, nearly breaking into a jog. Desperate to fill the silence, she ventured, "Um, may I ask your name, fellow cultivator?"
"My surname is Xue—Xue Yu, of the Bozhou Xue clan." He tilted his head slightly, long lashes casting delicate shadows under the interplay of light.
Wait, Xue?
Bai Li suddenly remembered her mission.
In the original novel, there was a major villain named Xue Qionglou—also surnamed Xue, and coincidentally, the very person she was supposed to be scheming against.
He was a young master from an illustrious immortal clan, a polished noble born into wealth and refinement. When he first appeared, he was like untouched snow atop carved jade railings—flawless, erudite, and exuding grace. He later joined Jiang Biehan’s group under the pretense of camaraderie, all while hiding sinister intentions.
Unlike typical villains who lurked in the shadows, sending minions to harass the protagonists, this one broke the mold. His disguise was impeccable, his demeanor so warm it could melt frost—until he struck, swift and lethal. Even when he drove a blade into Jiang Biehan’s back, both the characters and readers were still trapped in the illusion of his gentlemanly facade, unable to reconcile the betrayal.
Creating such a twist was certainly inventive, but Bai Li didn’t condone his worldview. His crimes were numerous—so heinous they defied description. His eventual fate—pierced by ten thousand swords—was well-deserved.
But Xue Qionglou was from the Xue clan of Golden Scale Ancient City, whereas this boy claimed to be from Bozhou. And according to the plot, Xue Qionglou should currently be meeting the protagonists at Moonveil Pavilion. Bai Li couldn’t help but grow wary.
"Speaking of which, fellow cultivator, you are—"
Only then did she realize she’d asked his name without offering hers. "I’m Bai—" She caught herself, her mind sharpening to the ruthlessness of this world. With a swift pivot, she amended, "I’m Bai Lin."
This was the alias the original owner of her body had used while traveling incognito. Bai Li touched her face, feeling the faint hum of a concealment spell—a protective measure against lower-realm cultivators. A necessary disguise for survival.
"Bai Lin, is it? I’ll remember that." Xue Yu nodded solemnly, his earnestness making Bai Li feel a twinge of guilt for her deception.
"Where are we headed now?"
"Somewhere to lay low. Wandering aimlessly like this is just asking for trouble with demonic cultivators." He glanced at her. "You know how chaotic Moonveil Pavilion will be tonight—how many will flock to this once-in-a-century spectacle."
That arc in the original novel was a den of debauchery and depravity. The Wen clan, southern power players, were practically a demonic sect in all but name. Bai Li was relieved to be steering clear of that mess.
Luck was on their side. After walking for about half a cup of tea’s time, a relay station emerged under the moonlight. These places usually served as rest stops for traveling cultivators, but this one had long been abandoned.
The door was riddled with wormholes, the windows long gone, leaving the structure like a tattered old man standing alone in the wilderness.
They found a relatively sheltered spot and sat side by side against the wall.
Cold.
Bai Li hugged her arms, shivering uncontrollably as if submerged in icy water. She buried her head between her knees, sighing deeply. This mission was proving to be impossibly difficult—she might perish before even finding her target.
“Are we… going to hide here all night?” She tried to strike up a conversation with her fellow sufferer, but received no response. Turning her head, she realized he had somehow fallen asleep.
How could anyone sleep in a place like this? He must have nerves of steel.
The young man clutched his sword even in slumber, his pale face half-hidden behind delicate lashes like two black butterflies resting on snow.
He looked so composed—so composed it was almost as if… he was certain he wouldn’t die.
Since when did side characters have such formidable strength? Then just how overpowered must the male lead, Jiang Biehan, be? And if he’s this strong, why was he captured in the first place?
Questions swirled in Bai Li’s mind, but as the night deepened, exhaustion overwhelmed her, and she drifted into a fitful sleep. It felt like only moments had passed when the cold jolted her awake again. Blinking groggily, she found the space beside her empty.
The two swords leaning against the corner remained, meaning he hadn’t gone far.
Lonely terror gripped her heart once more. Shivering in the pitch-black darkness, she hugged the sword to her chest and groped her way to the window, calling out tentatively, “X-Xue Yu?”
Only the howling wind answered her. The shadows of trees stretched like monstrous claws breaking through the earth, and even the starlight dimmed.
How could he vanish without a sound, injured and without even taking his sword?
A faint ripple disturbed the air, a tempest brewing from the slightest stir. Bai Li instinctively ducked behind the window—but it was too late. An unfamiliar presence closed in abruptly.
A talisman came hurtling toward her, shattering the already crumbling windowsill into splinters. Flames erupted, setting the thick night ablaze.
“So there’s still a stray fish hiding here.”
