Caught…
Tang Xin suddenly felt awkward.
If it were a stranger, it would be fine. Knock them out, erase their memory, and it would be done in one go.
But the other party is a “Seven Star.” Who knows what would happen if you hit them over the head?
“Who is this?”
Lian Xin sensed something was off and asked quietly.
“Someone we can’t mess with,” she scratched her face. “Don’t panic, let me think of what to do…”
Zhou Yu’s appearance here was completely unexpected, adding more complications to the main quest that was about to be completed.
Deceive the girl with sweet words?
Tell her the truth and coax her to join?
Sell oneself for glory to gain trust?
“Someone else is approaching, meow,” A Miao nervously reminded. “And the pursuers behind us are getting closer.”
A decision had to be made quickly—deal with the Seven Star or handle the Holy Maiden of the Demon Path!
“Um,” Zhou Yu spoke up, “I don’t know what’s going on, but it seems like your situation isn’t looking good… Follow me, let’s find a place to hide first.”
Huh? She didn’t “exterminate demons and uphold justice”? Wow, there’s still a chance!
The situation was urgent, and there was no time to hesitate. Tang Xin and the others followed Zhou Yu back into the mountain forest and disappeared.
Moments later.
“Gone?” The tracking cultivator frowned. “Even their aura has vanished. Did they enter the forest again?”
“The only road out of the mountains is this one,” another cultivator said. “They have nowhere else to go.”
Up ahead, the cultivators patrolling the mountain entrance also arrived.
“No suspicious individuals found,” reported the patrolling monk. “We’ve already tightened security in this area. They won’t escape!”
“Returning to the forest is a dead end. Gather the men and drag them out!”
…
In the forest.
After bringing Tang Xin and the others to a safe spot, they stopped.
“What’s going on?” Zhou Yu’s gaze fell on the newly appeared girl exuding a “holy” aura.
“A few days ago, the disciples stationed outside received a message from the elders, saying that a few suspicious demonic cultivators had evaded the Demon Extermination Alliance’s capture. They might be trying to leave the Hundred Poison Mountain Range and could be carrying a demonic treasure…”
“Demonic treasure…” Tang Xin clicked her tongue.
She knew those demonic cultivators couldn’t be trusted. One moment they were shouting “Revitalize the demonic path, everyone’s responsibility,” and the next, they were selling out all the information they could.
“Is this true, Tang Xin?” Zhou Yu seemed a bit tense.
“Are you the demonic undercover who poisoned everyone?”
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t say things like that,” Tang Xin quickly shook her head. “The undercover was Tian Fang from the Clear Water Sect. I’ve already dealt with her.”
“Really,” the girl pursed her lips. “Do you have any evidence to prove it?”
“Evidence…” As a meticulous chief senior sister, Tang Xin had naturally thought of this when she took down Tian Fang.
She took out the storage bag that Tian Fang had dropped earlier and explained.
“This is Tian Fang’s storage bag. I think there should be something inside that can prove her identity,” she paused. “I originally planned to see if there was a way to break the seal on it after we got back and preserve the contents as much as possible. But if you want to see it now, we can just break it open violently…”
Generally speaking, any capable cultivator would add a “lock” like seal to their storage bag. This way, even if someone else gets hold of the storage bag, it would be very difficult to retrieve the items inside. If someone tries to forcefully break it, the contents inside would be destroyed as well.
This kind of seal requires special methods or the power of a high-level cultivator to break.
Destroying the storage bag might be a bit of a pity, but if it can earn Zhou Yu’s trust, it’s definitely worth it.
“Is that so,” Zhou Yu visibly breathed a sigh of relief. “No need to open it, I… trust you!”
“Hmm?”
Tang Xin’s eyes lit up, and she also let out a big sigh of relief. She couldn’t help but step forward and pat Zhou Yu on the shoulder.
“Good bro… good sister, I knew you were reliable! Next time we get a chance, let’s soak in a hot spring together, and I’ll scrub your back!”
“Ahem,” Zhou Yu felt a bit embarrassed by her words, blushing as she said, “Since you’re not a demonic path spy, why are you being hunted by the elders? The information sent back by the elders said that none of the escapees were righteous cultivators.”
Tang Xin’s hand, which was patting the shoulder, froze in mid-air.
How should she explain this? In the eyes of cultivators, one’s aura doesn’t lie. Lian Xin, Tang Xin, and Ah Miao all exuded an aura that clearly marked them as “evildoers.”
Even if she bore the identity of the Xuanling Sect’s chief, at best, she would be seen as “colluding with the demonic path,” and at worst, “a secret weapon of the demonic path.” Neither would end well.
“We’re friends, right?” Zhou Yu said softly. “You can tell me the truth… I don’t want to be deceived by someone I trust.”
Keyword, deception.
As someone who knew the reason for Zhou Yu’s darkening, Tang Xin naturally knew what kind of things she couldn’t do to her.
“Alright, I’ll tell you the whole story, but,” she looked at Zhou Yu and said, “do you believe that not all demonic cultivators are bad people?”
Zhou Yu thought seriously for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth to answer.
“I… believe that not all demonic cultivators are bad people, just like not all righteous cultivators are good people.”
“People are divided into good and evil,” Tang Xin nodded. “But being demonic or righteous isn’t inherently tied to being good or evil.”
With this understanding, she felt confident enough to speak freely.
Tang Xin briefly recounted Lian Xin’s background. As for why she was helping her, she perfectly covered it up with the reason of “repaying a life-saving debt.”
“Are you saying that if that item falls into the hands of other demonic cultivators, it will cause a lot of trouble?” Zhou Yu frowned.
“That’s right,” Tang Xin had learned a bit about the origin of the “Nine Provinces Sealing Manual” from Lian Xin along the way. “It’s not a demonic artifact that directly grants immense power, but rather… a growth-type artifact. The stronger you become, the stronger it becomes. The stronger it becomes, the more it feeds back to you, creating a vicious cycle until both the person and the artifact fall into the abyss.”
“Since it’s such a terrifying artifact,” Zhou Yu glanced at the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Path, “how can you ensure that you won’t be tempted by it?”
That was the crux of the matter. How could one ensure they wouldn’t be tempted by an artifact that lures people in?
Tang Xin couldn’t answer this question; it had to be explained by Lian Xin herself.
“The only way to ensure you aren’t swallowed by darkness is to believe in the light,” the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Path stepped forward, speaking slowly in a tone reminiscent of a Holy Maiden of Light. “Hold firm to your beliefs and maintain that last bit of clarity. That way, no matter how much it tempts you, it will be in vain.”
Lian Xin walked up to “Seven Stars” and extended her hand.
“Hello, my name is Lian Xin. I’m… a friend of Tang Xin.”
