Volume One: The Dragon Rises from the Wild Chapter Sixty-Seven: Following Your Lead

In the darkness of the canyon, two figures stood in silence. One stared wide-eyed, utterly bewildered; the other seemed on the verge of speaking, excitement mingling with a certain unease on her face.

Not far away, two corpses lay in a pool of blood. Fallen swords, a severed arm dripping with blood, scorch marks from fire scattered across the ground—all bore witness to the recent, harrowing battle.

Yu Ye had once again slain cultivators from Qizhou, and not just one. By rights, ambushed by two masters of Qi Refinement, escaping alone would have been a feat. Yet, he managed to turn the tables and prevail—a result that surprised even him.

But what truly astonished him was not his victory, but the sudden appearance at the crucial moment of the woman who aided him.

Bai Zhi.

A few yards away stood a woman, simply dressed, yet graceful and beautiful.

It was Bai Zhi.

And she—she was Bai Zhi?

Since they parted ways at Xuanhuang Mountain, he had not seen her again. Why had she suddenly appeared, and lent him her strength? Had she been hiding here all along, just as the Qizhou cultivators had?

Yu Ye gazed at the familiar yet strange woman, his thoughts in disarray. He said nothing, silently piled the corpses together, took out a Fire Talisman and burned them to ashes, then picked up the fallen swords and turned to leave.

“Yu Ye—”

Bai Zhi bit her lip, softly calling his name.

To find this young man, she had waited here for months. Now, finally reunited, they seemed like mere strangers.

Yu Ye did not turn.

Soon, he reached a grove some ten yards away, found his horse unharmed, and breathed a sigh of relief.

He tossed a few healing pills into his mouth.

Though his body was not seriously injured, he had endured two sword wounds, fought desperately, and unleashed his sword aura repeatedly. His cultivation was nearly depleted, his breath disordered, and his spirit fatigued.

The sky was still dark, but the woods were quiet.

Yu Ye sat down, leaning against a tree, closed his eyes, but could not help but furrow his brows.

He shook his head forcefully.

He did not wish to dwell on those troublesome people and matters—just rest for a while, and at dawn, leave this place for good.

Yet as soon as he quieted his mind, agitation returned.

The forest was dim, but his spiritual sense caught the persistent figure approaching swiftly, carrying a bundle and a long sword, clearly pursuing him.

“Why are you following me?”

No longer able to contain himself, Yu Ye stood abruptly and shouted angrily, “Do you intend to drag me back to Xuanhuang Mountain and imprison me like livestock, just to harvest my pill? Out of respect for our hometown, I’ve held my peace, but you’ve deceived me time and again, and now you go even further, daring to come to Xingyuan Valley and threaten my kin. Let me be plain, Miss Bai: I have slain Qizhou masters, and I can just as easily slay you. Don’t push me—leave!”

He spat out the last word with clenched teeth, clearly resolute. Months of pain had taught him bitter lessons; any illusions had long been shattered. He could tolerate the cunning of his enemies, but not a woman’s lies. Seeing her again, he chose to sever all ties; he wanted no further entanglement.

“Ah—”

Bai Zhi had barely entered the woods when she was met with his furious scolding. She froze, at a loss.

“You—”

Bai Zhi’s face turned pale. She stammered, “You want me to leave?”

“Exactly!”

Yu Ye flung his sleeve and turned away. “From now on, the road divides; we walk our separate paths. Do not approach Xingyuan Valley, do not disturb my family. Let this be your warning—heed it well!”

“So be it, as you wish.”

Bai Zhi nodded slightly, but said, “Before I go, may I say a few words?”

Yu Ye ignored her, gazing into the distance.

Her chest rose and fell as she spoke, “Yes, I was the one who captured you and brought you to Xuanhuang Mountain. But I could not defy my master’s orders. I could not let you fall into Chen Qi’s hands—if you had, you’d not be alive. Tell me, in the three months you spent in the Mo Ya Cave, did you suffer any indignity? You resent me for treating you as livestock for the pill, but think about it: to this day, aside from me, has anyone in Xuanhuang Mountain ever known you carry a dragon pill within?”

Yu Ye paused, frowning.

“You mentioned your dragon pill to me, did you not? Perhaps you’ve forgotten, but I never did. I kept your secret, lied to my master that you had swallowed a common beast pill. Otherwise, she would have taken your dragon pill to prolong her life. To let you live a few more days, I had no choice. What else could I do? I was powerless. If you cannot appreciate my efforts, at least do not slander me and humiliate me.”

Yu Ye had indeed revealed the pill’s existence; later, encountering Chen Qi or Qizhou cultivators, they seemed unaware. Bai Zhi’s covert help was genuine. If her words were true, did he now owe her another debt?

Bai Zhi, deeply hurt, continued, “You accuse me of deception, but what have I lied about? You have no proof—how dare you accuse me of harming your kin?”

Yu Ye shook his head, retorting, “You claimed to know Qiu Bo’s whereabouts, but he is already dead. Why are you hiding in Xingyuan Valley? You know your own intentions.”

“Oh, you found Qiu Bo?”

“No comment.”

“Sigh—”

Bai Zhi sighed, “You should recall, I never said I knew Qiu Bo’s whereabouts—only that I knew a little of his origins. I told you then that his bamboo staff came from the southern lands across the great marsh. From this, it’s easy to deduce he came from overseas. You were ignorant and cannot blame me for it.”

“Oh…”

Yu Ye muttered, lowering his head. Bai Zhi was right; perhaps he had misunderstood her words in his troubled state.

“I’ve been in Xingyuan Valley for months. What do you think my purpose is? You returned to your village last night—did your kin suffer any disturbance?”

“If you have no ulterior motive, why stay so long?”

“To wait for you!”

“To wait for me?”

Yu Ye looked up in surprise.

Bai Zhi gazed at him, her face pale and full of grievance, and said softly, “To obtain your dragon pill, Chen Qi allied with Bu Yi and murdered my master and many disciples. As her direct disciple, I must seek you for answers.”

Yu Ye exclaimed, “How is this my concern?”

“Though Chen Qi and Bu Yi are the culprits, my master died because of you; the sect perished because of you. Can you say you bear no responsibility?”

“I…”

“I never knew when you’d return home, so I could only wait here. A few days ago, I found two Qizhou cultivators lurking. While I watched them secretly, I saw you beset on all sides.”

Bai Zhi’s eyes filled with tears. Choking, she went on, “I couldn’t bear to see you in danger, so I risked myself to help. Fortunately, the sword talisman my master gave me wounded the enemy. Otherwise, victory was uncertain, and life or death in the balance. Those two were masters of Qi Refinement, notorious in the marshlands. I risked my life to save you, yet you repaid me with humiliation…” Her bundle and sword fell to the ground, her tear-streaked face full of sorrow. “You said you’d kill me—do it, then!”

“No…”

Seeing Bai Zhi again surprised him, yet he had resolved to keep his distance.

It was a lesson hard-learned.

But his resolve melted away, his anger dissipated, for every word she spoke was difficult to refute, impossible to doubt. Her sorrowful, aggrieved look made him uneasy, even embarrassed.

Had he wronged her?

Though her words were watertight, something still felt amiss, yet he could not pinpoint why.

“No need for this.”

Yu Ye waved his hand, embarrassed. “Farewell!”

Backing away, he meant to leave.

Bai Zhi said, “You have not given me an answer—how can you simply go?”

“What do you want?”

“Apologize to me.”

“Mountain folk aren’t good with words. If I’ve offended, don’t take it to heart…”

“Help me rebuild Xuanhuang Mountain’s sect!”

“What… I am not a disciple of Xuanhuang Mountain—you’re pushing your luck!”

Yu Ye’s eyes widened, voice rising.

Tear-stained but persistent, Bai Zhi said, “I promised to ask my master to take you as a disciple. Did you refuse then?”

Yu Ye thought for a moment, helpless. “I… didn’t refuse…”

At the time, becoming a disciple would have freed him from danger; trapped as he was, he had no reason to decline.

“My master agreed to accept you before her death.”

“That… can’t be compared.”

“Since my master agreed, and you’ve practiced our sect’s arts, from now on you’re a disciple of Xuanhuang Mountain.”

“When did I practice sect arts?”

“The Xuanhuang Sword Technique you mastered surpasses even Gu Yu—he said so himself. Can you deny it? Before you became a cultivator, how much of our sect’s medicine did you consume? Dare you refute it?”

“…”

“I am the new leader of Xuanhuang Mountain, and your senior sister. Dare you disobey?”

“Who’s your junior? Ridiculous! I won’t listen to you—what can you do?”

Yu Ye jumped up, refusing to be manipulated, though he was out of arguments.

He turned to untie his horse.

Bai Zhi wiped away her tears, unconcerned, “You’re now a renowned sect master in the marshlands—a decisive, ruthless youth. If you won’t acknowledge your senior sister, what can she do? She’ll just follow you!”

“Hmph!”

Yu Ye dared not speak further, snorted, and leapt onto his horse, quickly riding out of the woods.

Bai Zhi brushed aside her messy hair, a smile appearing at her lips.

Dawn was breaking.

She watched his figure disappear into the morning light, murmuring, “If it is fate, heaven decrees; if it is tribulation, destiny cannot be escaped…”