Bai Ruoyue had been summoned by Lu Qingmo. Since Han had been injured, the martial hall needed to be informed.

  He couldn't just stay hidden away with her forever.

  By the time Han and Bai Ruoyue had reassured her that he was fine—Han had even started pulling at his robes, half-jokingly offering to show her—Lu Qingmo walked in, setting a tray of food beside him with a clack.

  Han glanced at the meal. It was simple yet refined, imbued with spiritual energy—not something made from ordinary ingredients.

  Leafy greens, red beans…

  "Whoa, Aunt Yun, you actually cooked for Junior Brother?" Bai Ruoyue exclaimed in surprise.

  "I haven’t had your cooking in so long!"

  "I hadn’t eaten all night, then got caught up in a brutal fight," Han explained. "My stomach was completely empty. I had no choice but to trouble Aunt Yun."

  "Looking at how weak you are, you do need to eat well," Bai Ruoyue nodded in agreement.

  For a martial artist, food wasn’t just for sustenance—it was essential for cultivating energy and healing injuries.

  What mortals ate after falling ill was important; for warriors, whose bodies burned through energy at an accelerated rate, it was even more crucial.

  "Junior Brother, wait here! I’ll go grab something good from my dad!"

  Before she even finished speaking, Bai Ruoyue was already dashing out the door.

  Han exchanged glances with Lu Qingmo, reading the helplessness in her eyes.

  "Senior Sister… always so direct," he muttered.

  Then, he turned his gaze to the meal in front of him and subtly gestured toward his hands.

  "Aunt Yun, you see… this situation here…"

  Wealthy lady, I’m starving. Feed me.

  Lu Qingmo hesitated. She was fairly certain Han’s injuries weren’t severe enough to render him unable to eat by himself.

  But knowing he had used techniques with serious side effects, she wasn’t entirely sure there was no impact.

  "Wait for Ruoyue to come back and have her feed you," she decided.

  After all, feeding Han herself—what kind of situation would that be? If Bai Ruoyue walked in on that, how was she supposed to maintain her dignity as an elder?

  "Aunt Yun, let’s just hurry and finish before Senior Sister returns," Han urged. "As long as she doesn’t see, there’s no issue, right?"

  "Otherwise, the food will get cold."

  "She’s probably bringing me more food anyway. I should finish this first so I can digest properly."

  "Don’t hesitate, Aunt Yun. I can’t wait to taste your cooking."

  Being fed while recovering from injuries—what better way to deepen their relationship?

  "…"

  "You’re impossible."

  "Open your mouth."

  "Eat slower. You’re biting the red beans too fast."

  In the end, Lu Qingmo relented.

  She convinced herself that she was just taking care of a junior, nothing more. She was already at this age—there was nothing strange about it.

  Nothing strange at all.

  Yet, despite her reasoning, ripples stirred in her heart.

  Lu Qingmo, are you possessed?

  Did this little devil cast a spell on you?

  She shot Han a glance.

  Yes. This little devil.

  Just as they were finishing up, a gasp came from the doorway.

  "Ah!"

  "Aunt Yun! Junior Brother! You—!"

  Bai Ruoyue stood at the entrance, utterly bewildered.

  Lu Qingmo was seated at Han’s bedside, leaning toward him, her figure partially obscuring him. From Bai Ruoyue’s angle, the two appeared overlapping, far too close.

  Lu Qingmo froze.

  Damn.

  She had been carefully listening for Bai Ruoyue’s return.

  But she had been so distracted that she had forgotten all about it.

  And now, Bai Ruoyue had walked right in on them.

  Why did you have to come back so fast, girl?!

  A thought surfaced in Lu Qingmo’s mind—from now on, Ruoyue needs to knock before entering.

  She stood up smoothly, her face unreadable, and set the bowl aside.

  "Senior Sister, you’re just in time," Han said with a smile. "Aunt Yun and I were just talking about you."

  What the hell do you need to think about me for while doing something like that?!

  "Aunt Yun was just saying how I was too weak to take care of myself right now," Han continued. "She was going to have you help me, but then you ran off."

  Bai Ruoyue was even more confused.

  Wait—so now this is my fault?!

  "The food was getting cold, so I had to step in," Lu Qingmo said, voice calm as she walked past Bai Ruoyue. "Now that you’re back, I’ll leave the rest to you."

  "Just be careful. Don’t let him overexert himself."

  "O-okay…" Bai Ruoyue nodded blankly as she watched Lu Qingmo leave.

  But something about this felt… off.

  With your cultivation, would food even have the chance to get cold?

  She walked over to the bedside, eyeing the unfinished meal.

  "Senior Sister, now that Aunt Yun is gone, I’ll have to trouble you to take her place," Han said, blinking innocently.

  Bai Ruoyue fell into deep thought.

  It made sense for her to take over Aunt Yun’s duties.

  It made sense for her to take care of Junior Brother.

  But somehow, something about this… did not make sense.

  How did things turn out like this?

  How had Aunt Yun ended up in her role?

  Or rather…

  Had she ended up in Aunt Yun’s role?

  And if so—what role was Junior Brother playing here?!

  Pushing the thought aside, she retrieved the supplements she had brought—nourishments that would help restore his energy and heal his wounds.

  "Junior Brother, time to take your medicine."

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Han’s heart tensed.

  Was Senior Sister about to turn dark and poison him?

  …No, obviously not.

  Between Lu Qingmo and Bai Ruoyue’s double attack, Han finally felt full.

  Too full.

  His stomach was bloated.

  —

  By morning, Han was ready to leave for the martial hall with Bai Ruoyue.

  His master and fellow disciples must have been worried.

  But after leaving the peach grove, Han suddenly stopped, gasping for breath.

  Weak.

  "Senior Sister, I have no strength left… I can’t move."

  Bai Ruoyue narrowed her eyes at him.

  Then sighed.

  Still, she helped him up.

  She had already heard what happened last night.

  If Junior Brother can’t move, then I’ll move for him.

  —

  Back at the martial hall, Bai Tian and the others had been waiting.

  The moment Han returned, they surrounded him, their concern palpable.

  And when they heard the details of the ambush—how Han had been hunted by two Viscera Realm warriors, both using power-enhancing pills—only to slay them both…

  Their shock was immeasurable.

  This was defying the heavens.

  "Celestial Mother Sect… again," Bai Tian muttered, eyes cold.

  They had already slaughtered countless warriors in Heishan.

  And now, they were repeatedly targeting his disciple.

  There was not a shred of goodwill left for that cult—only hostility.

  "If I ever encounter someone from the Celestial Mother Sect," Bai Ruoyue huffed, "I won’t let them walk away alive."

  But Han shook his head.

  "Senior Sister, the Celestial Mother Sect is vast. If you ever truly encounter them, you must be cautious. Your safety comes first."

  "The same goes for all of you. Never be reckless."

  Any force capable of standing against Great Qi for so many years, still surviving despite being hunted… was not to be underestimated.

  If the Great Qi Dynasty truly had the power to eradicate them, they would have done so long ago.

  This was an organization strong enough to stand against an empire.

  Even within the neighboring kingdoms, the Celestial Mother Sect had influence.

  They were among the most terrifying forces in the world.

  "Han is right," Bai Tian agreed. "They deserve death, but we must not be rash."

  "This sect is… truly terrifying."

  "Master," Han asked, "have you ever encountered them before?"

  Bai Tian fell silent for a moment.

  Then, slowly, he nodded.

  "I have."

  "When I was young, I met a Celestial Maiden from their sect. If not for…"

  "I would have died at her hands."

  Everyone was stunned.

  None of them had expected Bai Tian to have such an encounter in his past.

  "When I first left Black Cloud Town, I had only just reached the Viscera Realm," Bai Tian recalled. "I wandered for a time, eventually leaving Tianzhou and traveling to Qingzhou. There, I stumbled into an ancient ruin and was drawn into a conflict."

  His voice grew distant as he continued.

  "It was there that I met Celestial Maiden Chi Yao of the Celestial Mother Sect."

  At this point, Bai Tian let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

  "Back in Black Cloud Town, I had reached the Viscera Realm at the age of nineteen, far ahead of my peers. But in front of Chi Yao, I was as weak as an insect. She could have crushed me with a mere flick of her hand—I had no power to resist."

  "Now, nearly twenty years have passed. That same Celestial Maiden has become a legendary figure, a peerless force that commands fear from both righteous sects and demonic cults alike."

  A trace of emotion flickered across Bai Tian’s face—something between nostalgia and resignation.

  Time had changed everything.

  That once invincible opponent had only grown stronger.

  He knew, without a doubt, that in this lifetime, he could never hope to defeat her.

  "Hmph! Give me twenty years, and I’ll personally test how strong that Chi Yao really is!" Bai Ruoyue declared.

  If her father couldn’t beat someone, then she would!

  Bai Tian merely shook his head. He didn’t criticize her ambition, but he didn’t hold high expectations either.

  With the resources his daughter had now, challenging a fully grown Celestial Maiden of the Celestial Mother Sect was a fool’s dream.

  Unless…

  —

  While Han was resting at the martial hall, strange rumors began spreading through Black Cloud Town.

  His injuries had not gone unnoticed—whether it was him slumped over his horse upon returning, or Bai Ruoyue supporting him back to the martial hall, many had seen it.

  And so, the rumors began.

  At first, people simply said that Tai Bai Han had been severely wounded.

  Then, they claimed his foundation had been ruined.

  Then, that he had lost all his cultivation.

  By the end of the day, someone had even sworn that Han was already on his deathbed.

  Lying peacefully in the martial hall, Han remained blissfully unaware that, according to local gossip, his seven-day funeral had already passed.

  Of course, while some spread lies, others came to check on him personally.

  Little Yunduo arrived at the martial hall, worry written all over her face.

  Seeing Han very much alive, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

  What surprised Han the most was that Yun Yun had also come with her.

  The two weren’t particularly close—they had only exchanged a few words on the way back from the Dragon Sovereign Banquet.

  Still, Han remembered her kindness.

  —

  That night, Bai Ruoyue escorted Han back to the peach grove once again.

  At first, she had planned to keep him at the martial hall—it would be more convenient to care for him there.

  But Han insisted that he needed to continue his soul cultivation and refused.

  He even told her not to pick him up tomorrow—he would be staying in the peach grove for a few days.

  Constantly traveling back and forth between the martial hall and the peach grove would only exhaust him further.

  "Isn’t this troubling Aunt Yun too much?" Bai Ruoyue frowned.

  Han turned to Lu Qingmo, looking at her expectantly.

  "Aunt Yun, is it convenient for me to stay?"

  Lu Qingmo hesitated for a moment.

  Considering Han’s limited mobility, his need for soul cultivation, and the importance of his safety…

  "Let him stay."

  After all, it wasn’t the first time.

  And it was just normal injury recovery. Nothing strange about it.

  Bai Ruoyue pursed her lips.

  "Aunt Yun, you’re spoiling him too much."

  "You’re going to turn Junior Brother into a little brat."

  Han shot her a glare, urging her to hurry up and leave.

  Bai Ruoyue clenched her fist and gave Han a silent warning—before finally turning and walking away.

  Once she was gone, Lu Qingmo spoke.

  "I examined the souls of those two Viscera Realm warriors."

  "I found some information."

  Han raised a brow.

  "Wait, weren’t Celestial Mother Sect members immune to soul-searching?"

  "Because the Celestial Mother Sect’s presence in Tianyue Province has been increasing, I specifically learned a special Daoist art from my junior martial brother to deal with this exact issue."

  Her junior martial brother—the same expert who had previously helped her break the soul seal on the Gao family’s hidden agent.

  From her tone, it was clear that this junior brother was extremely skilled in soul restrictions.

  "However," Lu Qingmo continued, "according to him, the restrictions placed on the souls of Celestial Mother Sect members at this level are at least set by Manifestation Realm experts, using the power of the Celestial Mother. They’re incredibly difficult to break."

  "And since I’ve only just started learning this technique, the information I retrieved was incomplete. I could only access surface-level memories—anything truly confidential remained locked away."

  "What did you find?"

  "When you and Yuan Yihan went to deal with the Soulfiend Elder, those two were actually waiting outside Yinhua County, prepared to retrieve his split soul."

  "When that split soul was destroyed, they immediately received orders from the real Soulfiend Elder."

  "So that’s why they were so confident they could intercept me no matter where I went…" Han murmured.

  "Do they know who the traitor in the provincial capital is?"

  "They have no idea," Lu Qingmo shook her head. "Before being sent here, they had been stationed at the Tianyue-Tianhai border. The Soulfiend Elder had only recently assigned them to this task."

  "Then how did they track my exact location?"

  "Take out their storage pouches."

  Han did as instructed. Lu Qingmo rummaged through them and pulled out a compass-like artifact.

  "This is how," she said. "With just a strand of hair or a single drop of blood, this artifact can track someone within a certain range."

  "But they weren’t tracking you—they were tracking your horse."

  "This is a paired artifact—this one is the master device, but there’s another sub-device held by someone else."

  "As soon as one side locks onto the target, the other person can also see the location."

  Han’s eyes narrowed.

  "They started tracking me as soon as I left Yinhua County?"

  "Yes. However, the other side has already erased the tracking history."

  Han fell into deep thought.

  "My horse… a strand of hair or a drop of blood…"

  "My horse was kept in the Ghost Division’s stables in Yinhua County. There were people assigned to feed it, meaning there were plenty of chances for someone to take some hair."

  "And…"

  "The base of Snow Mountain."

  After dealing with the Soulfiend Elder’s split soul, Sun Tong had personally brought Han’s horse over to him.

  That was another opportunity to take some hair.

  And Sun Tong, according to Yuan Yihan, was skilled in a Daoist art that tracked enemies through blood and hair.

  Yuan Yihan wasn’t the type to mistake a technique for an artifact—which meant Sun Tong might also possess an item like this.

  Han immediately relayed his thoughts to Lu Qingmo.

  She nodded.

  "If that’s the case, then they are highly suspicious."

  "While the provincial capital’s forces were investigating the surrounding counties, the Iron Brothers stayed just outside Yuan Yihan’s sensing range, always following from a distance."

  "What were they doing?"

  "Before Yuan Yihan’s group even arrived, the Iron Brothers had already gone ahead to contact certain individuals in each county. They didn’t do anything specific—just re-established contact."

  "Yinhua County was their final stop. Their task was to retrieve the Soulfiend Elder’s split soul."

  Han’s expression darkened.

  "Re-establishing contact before an investigation arrives?"

  "That only increases their chances of being exposed."

  "Exactly," Lu Qingmo agreed.

  "This alone proves one thing…"

  Han’s gaze turned cold.

  "There is definitely a traitor."

  The court had rats.

  —

  "Aunt Yun, I’m thirsty."

  "…"

  Lu Qingmo stared at him.

  Did you seriously just change the subject like that?!