Chapter Seventy-Three: Jiangmen Inn

With Ning Zhongwu by her side, Yu Youwei felt restrained, unable to employ any of her usual tricks as the Poison Maiden. She casually said, “You still have the task of luring the enemy. Ride the Crimson Blaze, pretend to be Mo Fei, and distract the Black Witch for a while. Mo Fei and I will travel quietly; we’re less likely to be discovered by the Black Witch.”

“You’re not taking this Deer King with you either?”

“It can only leave Yunhuang Marsh for a limited time—who knows when it’ll need to return. Besides, the Black Witch likely knows about it; with the Deer King, we couldn’t hide our identities even if we tried.”

“That’s true. I’ll leave it to you, sister-in-law.” Ning Zhongwu handed Yu Youwei a compass that functioned both as a map and a locator, then produced a flying shuttle and a generous handful of flight talismans and pressed them into her hands.

Without ceremony, Yu Youwei pocketed the talismans, took Mo Fei with her, and piloted the flying shuttle away.

According to the map, a hundred miles ahead lay Jiangmen Town, where a teleportation array could transfer them directly to the Xianchen Sect’s domain. Upon arrival, Yu Youwei found Jiangmen Town to be misnamed—it was little more than a village, and the teleportation array only opened on even days. She had no choice but to lodge with Mo Fei in the town’s sole inn, waiting for the array to activate the following day.

The Jiangmen Inn nestled among bamboo trees, serene and secluded. The proprietress, though clad in homespun and simple ornaments, couldn’t conceal her seductive charm; her manner of welcoming guests resembled a madam enticing customers, her snake-like waist twisting in a way that made one worry for her.

Without a trace, Yu Youwei pulled Mo Fei behind her and said coolly, “One superior room, please.”

“Are you sure you only want one room? Two superior rooms are discounted thirty percent.” The proprietress threw flirtatious glances at Mo Fei, brazenly trying to seduce him right in front of Yu Youwei.

Shielded by his family all his life, Mo Fei was pure as blank paper. “Are your ears deaf, or are your eyes twitching?” he retorted.

Other guests lounging in the inn’s hall burst into laughter at his words.

The proprietress, somewhat miffed, muttered, “Third Young Master Ning of Xianchen really doesn’t appreciate subtlety,” her complaint drowned amidst the laughter. Yu Youwei, though she caught the remark, merely arched her brows and let it pass, sighing inwardly: The charm of Ice-face Third Brother truly knows no bounds.

The attendant who replaced the proprietress to guide them to their room was promptly dismissed by Yu Youwei.

“I’m starving,” Mo Fei said, rubbing his belly.

“Have a fasting pill,” Yu Youwei replied, handing him one. Seeing his face full of distaste, she feigned difficulty. “Mo Fei, this place is strange; it’s not safe to eat anything here. If you can keep up the act of being Third Brother with his icy face, it’d be best.”

“Oh, I can! At home, when I pretended to be Third Brother, even Mother couldn’t tell the difference!” Mo Fei rubbed his sunny, smiling face, then deliberately stiffened his expression, perfectly mimicking his brother’s frozen demeanor.

“Good. Until we reach Xianchen Sect, keep up the act. It might scare off a few ignorant thieves.” Yu Youwei laughed, then went to open the window.

The window looked out onto stone steps leading to the rear mountain, flanked by clusters of purple epiphyllum blooming in the night. Their fragrance was rich and intoxicating, with hallucinatory effects—exceedingly rare in the mundane world, let alone here at the fringe of the cultivation realm, where they grew wild by the roadside.

Mo Fei, frail and prone to sleep, succumbed quickly to the hallucinogenic scent after days of exhaustion, falling into a deep slumber.

Detecting something off about the floral aroma, Yu Youwei glanced at Mo Fei lying fully clothed on the bed, then turned back to gaze quietly out the window.

Both Jiangmen Town and its inn felt odd. Normally, such a remote settlement shouldn’t attract many people, yet the inn was nearly full before she arrived, and in just a short while, she could hear more guests arriving outside. From her vantage point, she saw numerous people flying in from afar, landing in the wilds nearby.

It appeared that either some senior cultivator’s cave residence had been discovered in the vicinity, or some rare treasure was about to emerge. If she hadn’t brought Mo Fei, she might have joined the chaos herself, but with him in tow, she dared not risk it. She only hoped the teleportation array would open as scheduled tomorrow, so she could escape with him.

As night deepened, Jiangmen Town remained lively. Mo Fei slept soundly, undisturbed, and in his dreams muttered, “Robbery! Only Second Brother gave gifts; First Brother and Third Brother must hand theirs over!”

Yu Youwei couldn’t help but laugh, her gaze softening as it lingered on his devastatingly handsome face. “What a fool, scheming for loot even in his dreams.”

Mo Fei rolled over, chuckling, and mumbled, “Father, I’ll treat Youwei well. I’ll give her everything I like, never lose my temper with her—I promise.”

Yu Youwei’s nose tingled, and her eyes reddened.

Outside, a sudden surge of gray light illuminated the sky, causing Jiangmen Town and its surroundings to erupt in excitement. She sighed inwardly: Looks like she couldn't avoid this trouble after all. Waking Mo Fei, she gave him an antidote pill to counter the effects of the purple epiphyllum, then said, “This place isn’t safe. Let’s leave and find somewhere else to rest.”

Mo Fei, hearing shouts from all directions, turned pale and clenched her hand, his palm sweating.

“Remember, from now on, keep up the ice-face act as Third Brother. Don’t let anyone see through you,” Yu Youwei said with forced lightness, though her heart raced. Judging by the commotion outside, more people were flocking to Jiangmen Town. It would be hard enough for her to leave alone, let alone with him. Perhaps the only option now was to blend in with the crowd.

Her thoughts hadn’t finished when a deafening bang erupted from Jiangmen Inn—the adjacent rooms seemed to have been blasted apart, with cries and screams echoing through the chaos. She hurriedly led Mo Fei out the window, heading straight for the stone steps flanked by purple epiphyllum.

In moments, the steps that had been empty were now crowded with people, all desperately running forward but moving with strange sluggishness. A staircase less than ten thousand meters long now required a quarter hour for these cultivators to traverse.

As Yu Youwei stepped onto the stairs, she sensed something amiss, tried to pull back, but was caught by a powerful suction force. With Mo Fei in tow, all she could do was struggle onward with the crowd.

At the end of the steps, between the mountain peaks, lay a chasm as if cleaved by a blade, filled with swirling gray mist. Gray light surged from its depths, casting the night sky in a dull haze.

Ahead, people were leaping one after another into the abyss like dumplings dropping into soup. A white-robed woman ten places ahead of Yu Youwei halted ten meters from the edge, twisted around, and reached out a hand as if seeking rescue.

Clouds drifted overhead, obscuring the moonlight. The woman’s figure faded into darkness, as if swallowed by it, and Yu Youwei’s heart clenched.

When the clouds moved on, not a trace of her remained at the end of the steps—no sign of life, not even a ghost. It seemed the white-robed woman was nothing but an illusion.