Chapter 252: Descending the Mountain

Ten days later.

At the main entrance of the Outer Court of Tian Sang Spiritual Palace.

It was late summer, but autumn's presence was palpable. As the morning sun cast its rays, dew-filled hollows dotted the ground, and the vegetation, flowers, and stones glistened with moisture, as if weeping pearls.

A streak of vibrant new green blended seamlessly with the surroundings.

Mu Zixi was still dressed in light green, but she wore more hairpins and ornaments than usual. Her naturally delicate pink cheeks were lightly powdered, giving her the charm of a sweet young girl with a hint of maturity.

She was like the fruits weighing down the branches nearby; though they currently appeared unripe, one could easily imagine how delicious, tempting, plump, and juicy they would be by autumn.

Mu Zixi, who had clearly put effort into her appearance, was growing impatient. She paced back and forth, her internal frustration palpable.

"That hateful Xu Xiaoshou! He said we'd go down the mountain under the moonlight and catch the sunrise. It's almost an hour past sunrise, and he's still not here!"

She looked towards the horizon; the sun had long since risen in the east, and even the purple dawn glow had faded to the west.

If two people were watching the sunrise, no matter how difficult the wait, the final moment would bring joy.

Alone...

Beyond the initial awe, there was only endless solitude, accompanied by boundless irritation!

"Hateful, hateful, hateful! He stood me up! Dummy, dunderhead, simpleton! I curse you to stumble in the sky, be weak on the ground, choke in the sea, trip while walking, gag while eating, spit while drinking..."

"Mu... Zi... Xi!"

A deep, resonant voice sounded from behind her. Mu Zixi, who was squatting on the ground drawing circles, froze, then shot up abruptly, her twin ponytails bouncing.

"Hmph! What do you want? Don't shout so loud, it's not like I'm deaf!" She put her hands on her hips, pouted, and looked utterly defiant.

As he was late, the young girl felt completely justified in her anger.

Xu Xiaoshou walked over, his face dark. As he watched the curses scroll across his info panel, he felt too exasperated to even comment.

So, this is how he was constantly cursed on a daily basis?

It seemed to cover everything under the sun, a comprehensive, inescapable jinx!

"Where have you been?" Mu Zixi asked.

"Certainly not oversleeping," Xu Xiaoshou said, immediately ruling out the option most likely to provoke her.

"Hmph, I bet you did!"

"It was an important matter, couldn't be delayed. Let's go."

Xu Xiaoshou offered no further explanation. With a wave of his hand, he leapt down the mountain.

Mu Zixi hurried to follow.

"What important matter?"

"An important matter is something I definitely can't tell you. Besides, even if I did, you wouldn't understand."

"How can I understand if you don't tell me?"

"Yuanfu, do you understand?"

"What's Yuanfu?"

"Heh heh, I told you you wouldn't understand, didn't I?"

Mu Zixi was furious. Following closely behind, she angrily declared, "Xu Xiaoshou, you're definitely lying to me!"

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly turned, pressed down on the young girl's head, and stared directly at her face. "You look pretty good today, actually."

Mu Zixi froze. This sudden compliment... Had he noticed after all?

The young girl's pretty face flushed, and she stammered, "R-really?"

"Mhm!"

Xu Xiaoshou nodded, then seeing his junior sister's rosy cheeks deepen in color, quickly clarified, "Don't misunderstand, I was answering your previous sentence."

"Previous sentence?" Mu Zixi looked bewildered.

"That's right. Didn't you ask if I was lying to you?" Xu Xiaoshou paused, then added, "Yes, I am lying to you."

Mu Zixi: ???

Cursed, Passive Point, 1, 1, 1, 1...

Xu Xiaoshou quickly put some distance between them, watching the young girl who was silently fuming, repressed to the extreme, as if about to explode at any moment...

He slowly drew out "Hidden Bitterness."

"Come on, draw your sword. Don't hold it in, let it out," he mused for a moment, then added, "Anyway, you can't beat me."

The young girl's small fists clenched tightly, her teeth grinding audibly, and her eyelids twitched. She could no longer suppress the primal energy within her.

The entire mountain forest began to tremble, and all the vegetation stirred. Xu Xiaoshou was startled.

"Oh no, I forgot this is a mountain forest..."

Seeing the trees instantly begin to grow wildly, Xu Xiaoshou turned and fled at full speed, shouting desperately, "Just kidding! Don't get excited!"

"You're pretty, you're pretty every day! Stop! Just stop!"

Mu Zixi's small, emotionless hand clapped, and a cold voice ordered, "Little trees, explode!"

Boom, boom, boom, boom—

The series of explosions so early in the morning startled the Outer Court disciples who were practicing, nearly causing them to suffer cultivation deviations. One by one, they turned to look at the sky, their faces filled with confusion.

"Is that another martial arts trial for the senior brothers and sisters...?"

Inner Court.

Ye Xiaotian joyfully retrieved the Great Heaven-Moving Mirror.

"He's gone, that kid finally left."

"Old man Sang, I admit this is the best decision you've ever made in your life!"

Old Sang adjusted his conical hat and looked towards the sky, stating expressionlessly, "I'll also be leaving for a while."

"Huh?" Ye Xiaotian's smile froze. "Where are you going?"

"Many places," Old Sang replied, turning to look at him. "Don't worry, 'Holy Servant' shouldn't be back anytime soon."

"What if he does?"

"There is no 'what if.' There's nothing left in the Spiritual Palace worth his return."

Ye Xiaotian: "..."

The way he put it... Who did he learn that from? How did he become so infuriatingly blunt?

"One more thing," Old Sang said, just as he was about to leave, suddenly remembering something. "Reserve two spots for me in the White Cave."

"Two?" Ye Xiaotian's eyes widened. "That's not just a competition for Tian Sang County anymore. With dozens of surrounding county towns and forces from outside regions responding to the news, are you really putting two newcomers in?"

Old Sang adjusted his conical hat and simply flew into the air, scoffing.

"No matter how many people come, just sending one Xu Xiaoshou will be enough to cause a commotion in the White Cave."

Boom! Boom!

In the distance, two more earth-shattering roars echoed in response. This time, Ye Xiaotian fell silent.

His words... had merit!

Spiritual Law Pavilion.

In front of a long, flat black building stood a fearsome, crouching beast with a gaping mouth, holding a long sword that dripped blood.

An aura of grim solemnity permeated the air, deterring birds and beasts from lingering.

A woman in a black dress gracefully stepped through the main entrance. The disciples guarding either side retreated in fright.

Black dress, black hair bun, even her fingernails dyed pure black...

The only colors on her entire body were her fair, beautiful face and a touch of red on her lips.

Yet, this mere hint of vivid color, combined with the boundless darkness, was enough to make the disciples on either side almost gasp for breath.

Not until the woman disappeared beyond the doorway did the two of them, drenched in sweat, finally catch their breath.

"Who was that? Did I see wrong? Was that... Fairy Lan?"

"My god, her bare shoulders are gone, my youth is over..."

"Are you insane? What are you even focusing on? Didn't you notice her entire aura has changed?"

"Aura? Is that all? Did you notice her cultivation level?"

"What?"

"Grandmaster!"

"Holy... Ugh!"

Before a "holy crap" could even escape his lips, the two disciples instantly straightened up, lowered their heads, and fell silent.

The woman in black moved with light, graceful steps, each one leaving an impression.

Her long dress almost reached her ankles, revealing only a hint of white on her black boots when she took a stride.

The woman emerged from the Spiritual Law Pavilion once more, her face expressionless. Her flat brows were lowered, her narrow black eyeliner appeared deathly and chilling, and her eyes showed not a hint of emotion.

"Hiss..."

A perverse, extremely satisfied hiss sounded from behind, followed by a dry voice:

"Ah, the smell of sunshine. Wonderful."

The disciples on either side couldn't help but sneak a glance.

Following behind was a man with disheveled, shoulder-length hair. With sword-like brows and starry eyes, his handsome demeanor was unmistakable, even beneath a grimy face.

His unrestrained sword intent surged, aggressively devouring the long-unseen daylight. Not until the disciples' clothes on either side began to rip and tear did the man finally frown.

He reined in his sword intent, picked up his long sword, and slung it over his shoulder.

Wearing a tattered, blood-stained white prisoner's uniform, the man simply strode past with an air of nonchalance.

Not until the two had gone far did the disciples on either side finally swallow hard and let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"He the Madman?"

"Yeah, it must be him. But isn't his sword intent a bit exaggerated? It feels even more potent than Su Qianqian's..."

"Be confident, remove 'it feels'!"

"But didn't Su Qianqian break through to Grandmaster Sword Intent that night?"

After a moment of silence, another voice finally spoke: "By the way, how long has it been since you saw He the Madman make a move?"

"Uh, I forgot."

"Have you heard the legends of He the Madman?"

"Uh, no... What legends?"

The disciple who had asked the question pondered for a long time, a look of recollection on his face, then suddenly shivered and said:

"Legend has it that this former top swordsman of the Inner Court was the only person in the entire Spiritual Palace who never feared the 'Execution Platform.' If he ever got bored and felt like it, he'd stir up trouble..."

"Why stir up trouble?"

"To train on the 'Execution Platform'!"

The other disciple was completely bewildered, exclaiming in shock, "Is that where the 'Madman' nickname comes from?"

"Precisely!"

"Oh, my dear mother, the Execution Platform... But how could such a formidable person lose the title of the Inner Court's top swordsman to Su Qianqian?"

The disciple who had been speaking shook his head and sighed, "What you aspire to, some people no longer need to pursue."

He Yuxing carried his sword, using a borrowed rope to tie up his messy hair, which restored some of his usual scholarly elegance.

However, the grotesque wounds and dried blood on his body were not something the rope could conceal.

He closely followed the woman in black, his eyes filled with endless tenderness.

Although her style of dress had changed, and her overall demeanor and aura were different, she was still, in his eyes, the same unreasonably troublesome girl.

"Did Zhang Xinxiong bully you again?"

A dangerous glint suddenly appeared in his eyes. In the Inner Court, Zhang Xinxiong was the only one who could cause such a significant change in Lan Xinzi.

"No," Lan Xinzi replied, shaking her head, her voice very cold.

He Yuxing didn't harbor a single doubt. If Lan Xinzi said no, then it definitely wasn't.

But if not him, then who?

The woman before him clearly didn't wish to say more, so he wouldn't press her. He would simply follow.

Stepping out of the Inner Court and passing by Swan Lake, the man finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"This doesn't seem to be the way back to the spiritual residence?"

"Down the mountain."

"Where to?"

"The Zhang family!"

He Yuxing's steps faltered. The Zhang family?

This seemed to be the only time in seven years Lan Xinzi had wished to leave the Spiritual Palace.

What on earth happened?

He wanted to ask something, but seeing Lan Xinzi fall silent again, he swallowed his doubts.

He Yuxing looked down at his blood-stained prisoner's uniform, then glanced around, hesitation in his eyes.

"I haven't washed up yet..."

"No need. You look quite good like this."

Clang—

His long sword clattered to the ground. He Yuxing froze, and his cool eyes filled with wild joy.

"Good-looking?"

"Mhm."

With a thunderous boom, Grandmaster Sword Intent exploded forth, instantly causing the fat geese of Swan Lake, who couldn't eat enough, to roll their eyes back and faint.

He Yuxing recalled his sword, it unsheathed with a ringing clang, and his voice was utterly cold.

"Let's go! The Zhang family! I'll kill them all for you!"