After leaving the fox spirit dwelling, the snowstorm outside remained fierce. Xing Shuishui raised her hand to block the wind as she ran forward, but her legs sank into the snow, nearly falling.
She reached down to pull herself free.
Du Dizhu watched her like she was an idiot.
He Liansheng lifted her entirely out of the snow and carried her on his back. Xing Shuishui wrapped her arms around his neck and glanced back, giving Du Dizhu a smug smile.
He Liansheng said coldly: “You’re lying on my back just to look at Du Dizhu?”
Xing Shuishui froze, then forced a smile: “He Liansheng, don’t be angry…”
He Liansheng: “Who’s angry?”
Du Dizhu, afraid the sky might not fall: “You should be angry. I’m magnanimous enough not to mind, after all, I knew her before you were even born.”
He Liansheng said: “Haven’t you had enough beating?”
Du Dizhu sneered: “I went easy on you because you’re young.”
Xing Shuishui said: “You’ve lived longer than anyone, and your mouth is harder than anyone’s. When we fought back then, I never saw you win.”
Du Dizhu sneered: “What good would beating a child like you do me? You weren’t even fully grown—it would’ve been embarrassing to spread around. Have you seen what this wretch has done these years? So many spirit kings have been hunted down by him in these five years. Aren’t you afraid of meeting the same fate as being struck by heavenly lightning?”
He Liansheng also sneered: “Lingshan’s normal spirit-hunting—what’s your problem with it?”
Du Dizhu: “I’ll grant that coming to my Wuxiang Mountain was normal spirit-hunting, since I’ve always been on that worthless wanted list of yours. But let me ask you—what about the snake spirit of the Eastern Sea? Was it on your wanted list too?”
The youth: “Evil deeds must be punished.”
Du Dizhu: “What about the Second Elder of Qingqiu?”
The youth: “Wicked heart—taught him a lesson.”
Du Dizhu suppressed his rage: “Then what about the Three Islands Turtle Spirit, Master Zhuque, the Eight-Cornered Spider of Xuantian City, the Flying Fish of Ji City, the Willow Spirit of Zexi!!! Were they ALL wicked-hearted?!!!”
He Liansheng suddenly said to Xing Shuishui: “Shuishui, cover your ears.”
Xing Shuishui had no reaction, her face pale. Thunder seemed to ring in her ears as she recalled her conversation with He Liansheng in the snow house.
—”He Liansheng, have you been to this snowy mountain before?”
—”Yes, before.”
—”What for?”
—”Looking for you.” “Not just Cangchuan. I also went to Luodan, Qingzhou, Eastern Sea, Qingqiu, Three Islands Fairy Mountain, Zhuque Water Pavilion, Xuantian City, Ji City.”
So many places.
—”Just purely looking for me?”
—”Yes.”
Xing Shuishui’s hands around his neck suddenly tightened, even her breath was burning hot.
He Liansheng, were you really just looking for me?
Bang bang bang—the snow pile beside them exploded.
He Liansheng stiffened at the small hands around his neck, but quickly recovered and coldly looked at Du Dizhu. The Peach Spring Sword hummed, somehow already in the youth’s hand.
The sword tassel touched snow—he was warning him.
Du Dizhu raged: “What are you pretending for! Everyone knows these spirits had grudges with Xue Jiuling, especially that Second Elder of Qingqiu. He was already beaten once for mocking Xue Zhuangxin back then, and you beat him again. If you’re so capable, why don’t you dig up General Fu Qi from his grave and beat him too!”
Before he finished speaking, He Liansheng’s eyes turned cold. The spirit-binding rope flew from his sleeve. Du Dizhu was still caught up in scolding him and wasn’t careful—he was bound again. He fell into the snow, rolling several times.
The youth flicked his wrist, wrapping the spirit-binding rope around his hand several times and pulling back. Du Dizhu was dragged along, snow covering his hair and clothes as he cursed loudly.
Xing Shuishui happened to glance down and spotted a bright hair tie on He Liansheng’s wrist. She froze—when had He Liansheng taken this red string from her hair… it seemed like he’d been wearing it for a long time.
She pretended not to see it. Du Dizhu had also given up struggling.
He Liansheng kicked Du Dizhu’s knee and looked at him like a dog, mocking: “Behaving now?”
Du Dizhu’s forehead veins bulged: “He! Lian! Sheng! If you don’t release me and kneel down to apologize, don’t expect me to tell you the way to the Duanmu clan! You can die searching in these snowy mountains!”
He Liansheng rested his hand on his chin and sneered: “Who says you’re the only one who knows where the Duanmu clan is?”
Du Dizhu: “Have you been there before?”
He Liansheng: “As it happens, I have.”
Du Dizhu gritted his teeth: “You two dead people conspired to fool me? Just you wait!”
Xing Shuishui waved innocently: “I really just found out too.”
She looked at He Liansheng and asked softly: “He Liansheng… when did you go? Why didn’t you say anything before? Then we wouldn’t have had to deal with this annoying Du Dizhu.”
Du Dizhu: “…”
After she spoke. He didn’t answer.
All around was silent except for the sound of wind and snow.
Xing Shuishui knew he didn’t want to say more. He probably went to the snowy mountains when he was causing trouble for Du Dizhu—no wonder he knew the way so well.
Her hands clutching his clothes tightened.
The youth’s voice was hoarse.
“Shuishui, can you not ask?”
“Okay, I won’t ask.”
Xing Shuishui could guess three parts of it. The Duanmu clan was skilled in insect arts—everyone who came to them wanted something. So… what kind of insect art did He Liansheng come here seeking? One to increase cultivation? To find someone?
Though she was curious, she didn’t ask more.
“Then… is there anything you can tell me?”
She asked tentatively.
“Yes.”
He said.
As night fell, the wind and snow grew stronger in their ears, but her temples pressed against her cheeks remained unaffected.
He used spiritual power to block the wind and snow, then continued carrying her forward, his shoes and socks staying dry.
“The people of the Duanmu clan are all dead.”
This sentence was like thunder from clear skies.
Du Dizhu, who had been dragged along, opened his eyes and said softly: “Dead? Do you know what you’re saying? Even I have to be somewhat wary of these aged insect masters after so many years, and you say they just died?”
He Liansheng said calmly: “I don’t know who killed them either. But that person seemed to not want others to know, setting up an array to seal the mountain path, trapping all the Duanmu clan’s souls in the snow mountain, unable to reincarnate.”
Du Dizhu: “Does that fool Jing Wushuang know?”
Xing Shuishui reminded him: “Your master has been dead for a long time…”
Du Dizhu was indifferent and said to He Liansheng: “Did you ask them who did it?”
He Liansheng: “Their memories were all tampered with.”
Du Dizhu sneered: “Such audacity! Daring to kill Jing Wushuang’s clansmen without my permission, did they inform me? They must be tired of living!”
Xing Shuishui: “…”
They continued through the wind and snow until they reached the end. He Liansheng stopped, and the spirit-binding rope loosened. Though Du Dizhu was disheveled, he couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore.
Before their eyes was an ice wall.
The ice wall was tall and thick, with signs of having been broken through before.
Xing Shuishui asked: “Is this the array that person set up?”
He Liansheng made an affirmative sound.
She stood back on the snow, examined the ice wall for a moment, and raised both hands: “Step back a bit.”
Leaving fire flew from her palms—orange-red flames rushed toward the ice wall, instantly bursting with extreme pressure.
The young woman glanced, her hair tie flying: “Break!”
With a crack, the ice wall shattered with a boom, as if ice rain fell from the sky.
Du Dizhu narrowed his eyes: “Since you’ve already found where these insect masters are, Xue Jiuling, can you tell me now who else knows mirror arts?”
Xing Shuishui: “It’s not like you led us here.”
Du Dizhu: “I did lead you into the snow mountain.”
Xing Shuishui: “Oh.”
Du Dizhu: “What do you mean ‘oh’? Say the name. It won’t hurt you.”
After a long while, Xing Shuishui finally said: “Guan Wushan.”
Du Dizhu: “Never heard of him. But surname Guan… is he from Lingshan?”
She continued: “Not really. Though his parents are Shangguan Fu and Guan Yousi, he was raised by Guan Yinzi. He knows Yin Mountain evil arts and puppet arts, taught by Li Shixu.”
Du Dizhu repeated darkly: “Li Shixu?”
Xing Shuishui nodded: “I now suspect… he was also involved in Li Shixu’s assassination of your master back then.”
How else to explain knowing mirror arts.
Du Dizhu was silent for a while, then said calmly: “Xue Jiuling… I truly never imagined that one day I would come to hate the same person as you. Heh… back when you were struck by lightning, I laughed for a long time, thinking if you died, I would be invincible—who else in the cultivation world could fight me?”
Xing Shuishui hadn’t expected it either. With her rebirth, so many people and things from the past came rushing at her, weaving into a web—grace and grudges, cause and effect, all linked together.
However, she crossed her arms and smiled: “You’re invincible? What about He Liansheng? He’s only twenty-three now, and he can already beat you down.”
Du Dizhu: “…”
Could you stop mentioning your damned lover.
He looked at He Liansheng and couldn’t help saying: “Hey you, although you’re human and I’m a spirit, we can still exchange pointers about cultivation. How did you achieve such cultivation?”
He Liansheng impatiently said: “Get lost.”
Still such a bad temper.
Though the ice wall was broken, none of the three rushed in. Xing Shuishui crouched down to examine this array.
This was the array that trapped the Duanmu clan people inside.
Du Dizhu said: “See anything?”
Xing Shuishui glanced at him: “Mountain Lord Du, are you here for sightseeing?”
Du Dizhu snorted coldly: “This trash array isn’t worthy of my personal attention!”
He Liansheng found him noisy and sealed his speech point. He walked to Xing Shuishui’s side just as she stood up, her expression somewhat grave: “There’s a soul imprint on the array, probably to prevent outsiders from entering. I’ve fought with Guan Wushan before, I recognize his aura. This soul imprint is indeed his.”
The identity of who slaughtered the Duanmu clan was clear.
Du Dizhu finally broke through the sealed point. Hearing this, his eyes turned fierce. He raised his hand and sent spirit energy circling the array once, then sneered: “Yin Mountain evil arts?”
This isolation array’s lineage belonged to Yin Mountain, thus particularly evil. If outsiders forcibly broke it they would suffer terribly, but unfortunately it encountered He Liansheng and then leaving fire.
Xing Shuishui said: “See? I didn’t lie to you.”
He Liansheng suddenly grabbed her braid and walked. Xing Shuishui looked at him confused, tilting her head as she followed. The youth’s grip wasn’t heavy, just slightly warning.
“Don’t talk to him. Let him get lost on his own.”
This person is so domineering.
Xing Shuishui: “Will you be unhappy if I talk to him?”
He Liansheng stopped walking but still held her braid. The young woman’s scalp tingled as she raised her face to stare at him. Though the wind and snow had stopped, her heart hadn’t settled.
He Liansheng lowered his head, looking down as he said: “You say you didn’t lie to him, but you’ve been lying to me since we first met.”
“If I hadn’t lied to you, could I have lived until now? With your terrible attitude back then, I would have been torn to pieces long ago. Besides…”
Xing Shuishui coaxed him: “How do you know I didn’t lie to him? Maybe I was just making things up.”
Du Dizhu raised his fist, very much wanting to kick this lovey-dovey couple flying.
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