Chapter 122: Turning Against Each Other

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Although An Shu appeared gentle and refined in everyday life, she was in fact a fiercely spirited woman—strong-willed, able to distinguish right from wrong, soft on the outside yet unyielding within.

Xiao Mei sneered again. “Hmph. As your senior fellow disciple, I have gone so far as to reason with you patiently and sincerely. I have done everything I can. Since you insist on going your own way, I have no choice but to uphold the principles of chivalry, capture the two of you, and hand you over to the city lord and our sect for judgment.”

As she spoke, she flicked her hand, and a long flute appeared in it, pointing toward the two of them. The moment they saw the flute, different emotions appeared in their eyes.

Gazing at it, An Shu said quietly, “It seems Senior Sister and Senior Brother have finally become lovers destined to be together. As your junior sister, I must offer you my congratulations.”

With that, she clasped her hands in a sincere salute.

Xiao Mei’s face flushed at her words, taking the other woman’s goodwill as mockery.

She shouted angrily, “Yun and I love each other. Who are you to say anything about it?”

In a fit of rage, she raised the flute to her lips and prepared to attack.

An Shu also drew her own flute. “Senior Sister, you were never my equal before. Although you now possess a spirit artifact, it is not a weapon suited to your talents. And I am no longer the person I once was. I advise you to leave at once.”

“Hmph! A frog at the bottom of a well! Today I’ll let you see what a spirit artifact can do.”

Her red lips parted slightly, and a beautiful melody flowed from the flute.

An Shu had no choice but to play in response.

Yu Mu watched from the side, utterly fascinated. It was his first time seeing a battle in which two opponents competed through music. Though he knew nothing about musical theory, after listening for a while, he could already tell who held the advantage.

Whether the instrument did not suit Xiao Mei, or her own attainments were lacking, even a layman like him could hear that her understanding of music was nowhere near An Shu’s.

Sure enough, Yu Mu’s guess proved correct. In less than the time it took a stick of incense to burn, Xiao Mei’s face had turned pale, then flushed crimson. Her melody abruptly broke off, and with a retch, she spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Senior Sister, you have lost,” An Shu said calmly, as though she had not yet exerted her full strength.

The hatred in Xiao Mei’s eyes deepened. She said coldly, “You have actually reached the middle stage of the Core Formation realm. Good, good, good! I will remember today’s humiliation. Once I return to the sect, someone will come and settle this with you. Hmph!”

With that, she swiftly swam to the surface and disappeared from sight.

“What are you standing there for? Run! Do you want to wait for that steward to catch up?”

Yu Mu, who had been staring in stunned silence, was jolted awake by An Shu’s coquettish scolding. He hurriedly took her delicate hand and followed her as they swam swiftly onward.

Xiao Mei burst from the river and immediately spat out another mouthful of blood. She had forced herself to suppress the outbreak of her internal injuries in a moment of bravado, only making her condition worse.

When Ye Yun saw her miserable state, he hurriedly flew down, pulled her ashore, and asked, “How did it go? Did you kill Yu Mu? Has Junior Sister changed her mind?”

At his words, Xiao Mei’s face turned crimson with fury.

“I’m injured like this, and you don’t even ask how I am. All you care about is those two people. You…”

With a sudden splutter, she vomited another mouthful of blood. Tears streamed from her eyes, and then her gaze rolled upward as she fainted.

“Xiao Mei… Sigh. What a useless woman.”

Ye Yun cursed viciously, then took a pill from his robes and forced it into Xiao Mei’s mouth.

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Just then, a fierce wind swept down from the sky, accompanied by a voice.

“Where are they?”

Ye Yun hurriedly looked up. Seeing that the newcomer was the steward, he quickly pointed toward the river.

“They went into the water. The two of us followed, but Senior Sister was injured by them.”

The steward snatched the spirit-sniffing beast from his arms and snorted coldly.

“A pair of useless fools! I’ll search along the river. I’ll leave markers along the way, so the two of you had better follow as quickly as possible.”

Without sparing them another glance, he flew downstream along the great river.

Ye Yun was furious. He had not expected the same insult he had just hurled at Xiao Mei to rebound upon him so quickly. But this was the other man’s territory, and his strength was inferior. No matter how angry he was, he could only endure it.

Yu Mu and An Shu swam against the current for nearly half a day before finally seeing a boat. Clinging to its underside, Yu Mu first released a Yin spirit to investigate. After discovering that it was merely a mortal fishing boat, the two climbed aboard.

A father and son were on the boat. Believing they had encountered river ghosts, they were scared nearly senseless by the sudden appearance of the pair. Only after An Shu comforted them gently did they gradually calm down.

Yu Mu asked, “Uncle, how much farther is Sand Echo Relay Station? Where exactly is it?”

“Oh, Sand Echo Relay Station? Just keep heading northwest. It’s a little over two hundred miles from here.”

“Then where does this river lead?” Yu Mu suddenly asked, changing the subject.

“This river? There are plenty of towns along it. But the nearest major city is still five or six hundred miles away. It’s called Waterfront City.”

“Oh? Look into my eyes.”

Yu Mu suddenly shouted, startling all three of them. Dark, ghostly light shot from his eyes as he stared directly at the father and son.

“What are you doing?” An Shu immediately demanded.

Yu Mu did not answer. The fishermen’s eyes grew hazy, as though they had lost consciousness. A moment later, they collapsed onto the boat with a pair of dull thuds.

“You… You actually took innocent lives! I’ll fight you!”

Furious beyond restraint, An Shu rolled up her sleeves and prepared to attack Yu Mu.

“Calm down. Impulsiveness is the devil, haven’t you heard? I merely used a little illusion magic on them to keep our whereabouts from being exposed. Look carefully. Aren’t they perfectly fine?”

Upon hearing this, An Shu examined them closely. Sure enough, the two men merely appeared to be asleep, with nothing visibly wrong.

“You know illusion magic? What did you do to them?”

“What do you mean, what did I do to them? The way you put that makes it sound rather suggestive.”

“You…”

When Yu Mu saw her pretty face flush as red as an apple and noticed the anger in her eyes, he hurriedly returned to the subject.

“I merely gave them a few illusions and changed our destination to Waterfront City. That should make the steward take a longer route.”

An Shu regarded him strangely. “What kind of illusion magic is it? As far as I know, those who practice such techniques are all members of heretical and sinister sects. You…”

Yu Mu hastily interrupted her.

“It’s only a little trick, enough to fool a few mortals. It’s nothing like what you’re implying, and certainly not a matter of morality. Can you use water to isolate the two of us from the outside world?”

Yu Mu abruptly changed the subject, leaving An Shu no choice but to follow his lead.

“Of course. You’re worried that little beast will pick up our scent, aren’t you?”

Yu Mu nodded. “Good. Then let’s fly away from here so we won’t leave any traces.”

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An Shu immediately said, “Flying through the air while constantly controlling the water flow consumes an enormous amount of spiritual power. I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold out for long.”

Yu Mu smiled faintly. “It won’t be for long. We only need to fly a short distance. I refuse to believe that little monster’s nose is truly that sensitive.”

“You’re the monster. That little creature is obviously adorable.”

“Then I’m more adorable.”

As he spoke, he transformed into the shape of a bear, leaving An Shu speechless.

Yu Mu left behind more than a dozen spirit crystals. An Shu gave him a meaningful look before manipulating the river water into a sphere that enclosed the two of them.

They rose into the air. Yu Mu suddenly produced a hemp rope and handed one end to An Shu.

An Shu stared at it in bewilderment as she took it. “What is this for?”

“Pulling someone.”

“Pulling whom?”

“Me.”

“?”

“I’m not very good at flying.”

“Are you a pig?”

Being judged the same way by three beautiful women truly made him feel a little ashamed.

Sand Echo Relay Station was named for a simple reason: once the sands began to sing, there was nowhere to go but an inn. That was the explanation given by the station owner.

Only after Yu Mu and An Shu arrived did they discover that every guest, merchant, and mercenary had already departed. The only people left were stragglers like them, whose journeys had been delayed.

Yu Mu’s hope of joining the Earth Bear caravan had also come to nothing.

The station owner said to them, “It’s the end of the second month, and the third is about to begin. Every year, the third month is when sandstorms occur most frequently. Who would dare enter the desert at a time like this? So the two of you should stay here in peace. Once this period passes, caravans will naturally set out again, and you can travel with one of them.”

“How long will we have to wait?”

“A month or two.”

“A month or two!?”

The two of them were alarmed. In a month or two, even if the steward searched for them one place at a time, he would have found his way here by then.

Helpless, they decided that since they had already arrived, they might as well stay for the time being. They would have to wait a few days at least. Perhaps another caravan delayed by the sandstorms would arrive.