chapter 64

Unwaveringly Becoming Her Armor

Above the Dark River, a boat was docked.

A blood-red moon hung high in the sky, and people gradually disembarked from the boat.

At the harbor, several evil spirits, armed with weapons, were checking the passengers. Zhan Yunwei and Pei Yujing exchanged a glance and walked forward with calm expressions. The spirits, relying on their aura to identify people, saw that they lacked the aura of spirit cultivators, so they waved their hands and let them pass.

Before them stood a stone tablet, shrouded in dark energy. Only after passing through it could they officially enter the city.

Pei Yujing handed Zhan Yunwei a Soul Tether Bell. "Just in case."

Zhan Yunwei took it, and together they entered the city.

Strictly speaking, this was both their first time in Duer City, but Zhan Yunwei had a slight advantage. She had previously seen some glimpses of Duer City in Yue Zhiheng's memories.

However, what she was seeing now was beyond what she had witnessed then.

This was the first time she had seen so many evil spirits!

On the street, higher-ranked evil spirits devoured those with lower cultivation. Everywhere there were severed limbs and purple blood.

As soon as they arrived, they were met with many cold, ominous gazes from the shadows.

No wonder the checks were so lax. For most people, Duer City was a place with no return, and few spirit cultivators would dare to intrude without thinking it through.

Zhan Yunwei lowered her voice. "Pei Shixiong, let's go to a less crowded area."

Pei Yujing nodded and immediately turned into an alley. Zhan Yunwei closed her eyes, sensing several evil spirits following them, planning to devour them. She quietly released her spiritual power, and soon the movements behind them ceased.

Pei Yujing opened the door with his bare hands and motioned for Zhan Yunwei to go inside.

Low-ranking evil spirits preferred killing and lacked much awareness. The house was empty and therefore safer.

To find the Hundred Kills Herb, Zhan Yunwei knew Pei Yujing couldn't be completely unprepared, but she was still somewhat surprised when she saw him pull out a map.

"A map of Duer City?"

Pei Yujing nodded. "It was given to me by my master."

Zhan Yunwei was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected him to say it so openly. She responded with a dry, "Oh."

Penglai's venerable master had been one of the four who entered the Forbidden Land, eventually taking away the divine sword. That should have been a secret of Penglai. She couldn't press him further about Penglai's matters, so she turned her attention to the map.

Pei Yujing glanced at her. Zhan Yunwei was crouching in the corner, maintaining a respectful distance.

He curved his lips slightly.

She had been like this when they were younger. Other girls would secretly watch sword cultivators practicing their sword skills, but Zhan Yunwei never did.

Pei Yujing had never seen her at the Sword Pavilion.

Later, by chance, he found out that she would secretly practice controlling spiritual fish by the Little Mirror Lake. One day, after he was injured and needed to soak in cold springs to heal, his master arranged a treatment for him, but he found himself inexplicably going to the lake.

That night, the moon was beautiful. He sat under the waterfall, the water soaking his white clothes, almost making his skin visible beneath.

At that time, Pei Yujing was still young. He felt her gaze and, though she couldn't see him, his ears slowly turned red.

Then, that girl ran away faster than a rabbit, leaving behind an apology and disappearing without a trace.

Pei Yujing sat in the stream, silent.

Was he... ugly?

He knew he wasn't, as the reflection in the water showed a handsome face, as beautiful as an immortal. A sword cultivator with a well-balanced physique, pleasing to the eye in any way.

Annoyed, he disturbed the water, stood up, and his brows darkened. But soon, he calmed himself.

His mother and master had never allowed him to behave like that.

They always said: "You were born with the sword bone, the hope of Penglai. So many people are watching you. You mustn't make a mistake. Set a good example. Be graceful in public, humble and courteous at home. This is what our Penglai's future young master should be like."

No anger, no distraction. His heart must be devout.

But how could anyone be as perfect as a Buddha?

Pei Yujing had no choice but to wear the guise of a saint, but beneath that guise, only he knew that he wasn't as perfect as everyone thought.

At least by the Little Mirror Lake, only heaven and earth knew how much he had secretly entertained wicked thoughts.

But Zhan Yunwei didn't know. She would never know.

Since Zhan Yunwei had taken the Life Jade back, Pei Yujing often dreamt. Sometimes, he dreamt that he hadn't listened to his mother and had taken the sword to the dynasty to stop that wedding.

Other times, he dreamt of the collapse of the Earth Spirit. In that moment, he had a gaze full of malice as he severed Ming Xiu's hand.

His fellow disciples watched him in horror, and he felt like a stranger to himself. But Pei Yujing knew that was the real him—someone with his own emotions and choices, no longer a saint forced to move forward.

Why should he follow the rules and be selfless?

When he woke up, he would always see the divine sword sealed in his sea of consciousness. It was still shining, not yet tainted with dark energy, much like the eyes of the common folk looking at him.

He sat on the hillside, watching flowers wither as winter approached.

The spiritual birds brought word. Only Zhan Shujing returned. Pei Yujing immediately guessed where Zhan Yunwei had gone.

He stroked the divine sword, unsure whether to hope she would succeed in convincing that person to return to the Immortal Sect.

As Zhan Yunwei said, he would always be her senior brother, always wishing her happiness.

No matter how bad Yue Zhiheng was, he was different from Pei Yujing. When danger came, he would become her armor without hesitation.

What Pei Yujing didn't expect was that the mute girl would die.

Unable to stop himself, Pei Yujing glanced at Zhan Yunwei, thinking that the imperial dynasty's lackeys were unreliable, not even worthy of trust. He unconsciously blamed Zhan Yunwei, and his expression grew cold.

Zhan Yunwei's Plan

Zhan Yunwei didn't know what Pei Yujing was thinking. Instead, she was analyzing the map in front of her.

The map wasn't very detailed, but it clearly showed the general directions. It even marked the location of the Forbidden Area and the estates of several Evil Kings.

She traced her finger around the Forbidden Area and pointed to the largest Evil King's estate. "Shixiong, let's go here."

While it wasn't certain, this location was highly likely.

She had once had a conversation with Yue Zhiheng in her past life. When they were partners, they didn't get along well, but she had specifically sought him out once regarding the Hundred Kills Herb.

Now, thinking back, she still clearly remembered the gloomy expression on Yue Zhiheng's face at that time.

After all, when Zhan Yunwei approached Yue Zhiheng, she wasn't concerned about his life or death. She was only focused on three things: What was that mysterious treasure, who had taken it, and whether her fellow disciples had suffered casualties.

She endured Yue Zhiheng's unpleasant expression and mocking tone to extract much valuable information.

She learned that they had fought in the Evil King's estate and had seen the legendary secret treasure. While she didn't know exactly which Evil King Yue Zhiheng was referring to, it wasn't hard to deduce.

She said to Pei Yujing, "You've seen the situation in Duer City. The great evil spirits are devouring the lesser evil spirits. Something like the Hundred Kills Herb would not survive with the small ones. With such tight surveillance in Duer City, the Hundred Kills Herb must be in the hands of one of the Evil Kings."

It should have been in the hands of the city lord, but it was said that the lord hadn't appeared for nearly a thousand years.

Pei Yujing didn't say much, showing his agreement through his actions. He rolled up the map. "Let's go to the Evil King's estate."

As they were about to push open the door, there was an unusual sound outside. Zhan Yunwei looked out.

A group of sixteen people, all wearing white masks, were floating in the air, their movements stiff and wooden. They were people from "Jianhuan Lou."

Zhan Yunwei had once impersonated Wen Xun in Yue Zhiheng's Illusion Realm, and she was very familiar with the attire of the servants of Jianhuan Lou.

Pei Yujing's gaze fell on the large box they were carrying.

Zhan Yunwei sensed it and said, "It's a Spirit Master."

Both of them recalled the mysterious smile of the leader before they entered Duer City. He had mentioned that there might be a child of the evil spirits within the city.

Now Zhan Yunwei understood his meaning. Her anger surged, and a wave of nausea rose in her chest.

The dynasty's officials stationed at the border often had little profit to gain. The border was poor, the people numb, but it wasn't impossible to find Spirit Masters.

Thinking about who sent those girls inside, how many precious spiritual stones and rare treasures had been exchanged, and how many children they had been forced to bear over the years, both their expressions became solemn.

Pei Yujing observed the box for a while. "Yanyang, can your control over spirits handle these evil beings?"

Zhan Yunwei was taken aback. She hadn't tried it before, but there was no harm in giving it a shot.

A moment later, she successfully replaced the girl and lay in the box, while Pei Yujing rescued the girl and stored her temporarily in a magical artifact. He replaced one of the servants, putting on a white mask.

Zhan Yunwei recalled the girl's face and began chewing on a Face-Changing Pill, manipulating her own features.

The more she pinched her face, the more familiar she felt, though she couldn't recall where she had seen it before.

Meanwhile, the servants of Jianhuan Lou, who had been frozen in time, now seemed to regain their consciousness and began moving forward.

One servant thought to himself, "Strange, I was walking just fine, why does it feel like I've just woken up from a nap?"

One of them spoke, "Will Lord Lu Cun accept this tribute from the Lou Master? He seems different from the other Evil Kings. He doesn't like Spirit Masters from the Spiritual Domain."

Another replied, "He's different, but the Lou Master said he will accept it."

A cold wind blew, and soon the group disappeared from sight.

Inside the Evil King's estate, the lights were bright. Unlike the chaos and bloodshed outside, everyone here moved with careful caution.

Disciples were walking back and forth, setting up chairs, placing tools, and patrolling the estate.

One disciple grew greedy and touched a few of the items from the other Evil Kings' attacks. He was immediately struck with a heavy stick.

The disciple turned around and quickly begged for mercy. "Lord Gui Deng, I won't dare again."

Gui Deng's voice was cold, deep, and eerie: "Watch your skin."

Half of his face was ruined, making him look both terrifying and eerie. His tall figure made everyone avoid looking him in the eye.

Within Lord Lu Cun's estate, Gui Deng was a unique presence, second only to the Evil King himself.

Today was the day of tribute for the Evil King, and many Evil Kings with lesser power had come in person.

As the gifts were carried into the estate in large boxes, the front courtyard began to grow livelier.

Gui Deng, like a wandering soul, scanned every corner with sharp eyes.

Not long after, he coldly executed several people who had ill intentions.

The purple blood of evil spirits spread across the ground, and Gui Deng ordered the cleaning of it.

A female disciple working in the corner, seeing his bloodthirsty demeanor, couldn't resist winking at him.

But Gui Deng ignored her and continued his patrol.

The gate opened, and the people outside shouted, "Tribute from Jianhuan Lou's Master."

The box was carried in, followed by a group of servants from Jianhuan Lou.

Without Gui Deng needing to greet them, the disciples inside the estate quickly offered seats to the visitors.

However, due to their lower status, they were seated far from the main seat.

Several Evil Kings had already arrived in the estate, and the disciples were carefully serving them. Pei Yujing looked up and saw one of the Evil Kings casually pulling a disciple's arm to eat.

The disciple's expression remained unchanged, though blood was still flowing from his arm; he smiled and flattered the others.

Pei Yujing withdrew his gaze. At that moment, a figure dressed in deep ink-blue appeared before him.

Gui Deng's cold, sinister gaze dropped as he sized up Pei Yujing.

Pei Yujing's heart skipped a beat, feeling an inexplicable sense of danger. However, he quickly calmed himself and met the other's gaze.

Fortunately, Gui Deng only glanced at him once before moving on, continuing his patrol around the area.

Pei Yujing stared at him for a while but couldn't discern much.

The evil spirit known as "Gui Deng" seemed close to becoming an Evil King himself. His cultivation was high, and he was particularly rampant within the estate.

More and more people were arriving, but still, the most powerful Evil King of Duer City had yet to make an appearance.

Pei Yujing looked again at the box containing Zhan Yunwei's disguise. It had been thrown out earlier, but the servant beside it had come forward and whispered something to the disciples.

The servant said, "My Lord, the person inside looks somewhat similar to the wife of the Evil King who passed away. Do you think…?"

The disciple looked surprised and said, "Wait here, I'll ask Lord Evil King."

Soon, the disciple returned, his face full of joy. "Lord Lu Cun said, bring it inside."

As the night deepened, Pei Yujing's eyes remained fixed on the box. He was facing Duer City's most powerful Evil King, and he feared that Zhan Yunwei might be in danger. Quietly slipping out of the crowd, he followed behind.

Gui Deng, arms crossed, coldly watched as Pei Yujing retreated, but he didn't move, continuing to walk between the guests.