I courted death and then tried to escape, so the whole sect wants to get rid of me.

Chen Qingqiu was still stunned, her mind blank, and she stammered, "You, you are also a direct disciple of the Nine Saints Hall, her junior sister. I thought, I thought you would know something..."

Song Yao understood: "I see. It's a pity I can't be of much help. It's getting late, so I'll take my leave. Holy Maiden, please don't cry anymore, lest others feel sorry for you."

After saying that, she solemnly bowed and walked out.

Chen Qingqiu blurted out instinctively, "Who would feel sorry for me?"

The girl's clothes fluttered in the wind, her steps unwavering, her head turned without a backward glance, as she drifted down, leaving behind the words: "Me."

Two words drifted into the hall and hit Chen Qingqiu's ears.

This made her freeze in place.

The scene was so familiar that it chilled her to the bone.

That winter, she was ordered by her master to hunt down the enemy. Because she was soft-hearted and let the children go, she was punished by her master to kneel in the snow for three days and three nights.

She had become numb to such punishments since childhood. She would often faint from the cold and wake up to continue kneeling. If she couldn't wake up, she would be whipped awake.

But on that particular occasion, just as things were about to collapse, Song Yao arrived on his sword.

The young man stood on the rooftop, full of vigor and spirit, his radiant presence a stark contrast to her half-dead state.

Song Yao smiled, her tone mocking: "Ranked 800th on the Heavenly Revelation List, how did you end up in such a miserable state? Can you even compare?"

She was already feeling frustrated, and these words provoked her, igniting her anger. She drew her sword and prepared to charge forward.

To her surprise, Song Yao easily dodged the attack, pinched her chin, fed her two pills, and gently rubbed her frostbitten cheeks with her fingertips.

Her tone carried a hint of nonchalant arrogance: "If we compete now, wouldn't I be the one gaining the upper hand? Take good care of yourself, Holy Maiden."

Because of the high-grade elixir, she recovered to her peak condition in just a few breaths, and even gained some benefits.

Unfortunately, she was no match for Song Yao.

She had never seen such swordsmanship before; it was completely unpredictable, yet every move was sharp and relentless.

She had never seen a swordsman like this before.

Even while fighting, he would occasionally touch her, and his mouth would constantly tease her: "Why don't you say a word?"

"Could he really be mute?"

"If you were as good at pleading as I am, maybe your master wouldn't have punished you so severely."

"..."

Extremely noisy.

I absolutely hate it.

She was never good at interacting with people, and having lost completely, she was so ashamed, angry, and embarrassed that she wanted to kill herself.

To everyone's surprise, Song Yao was horrified and begged her not to die.

Before leaving, Song Yao casually left behind the same words: "Next time we meet, don't get punished again, so that others won't feel sorry for you."

She spoke up as if possessed, stammering, asking who would feel sorry for her.

The young man rode away on his sword, smiling broadly: "Me?"

-

Back at my lodgings, the candles were still lit in the courtyard.

None of the people from Jiushengtang slept; they sat around the stone table, seemingly engaged in a tense discussion.

Song Yao paused, "What are you doing? Getting ready to stay up all night?"

When Mingran saw her, she immediately jumped up: "Little Master, you're back!"

Cheng Yue, who was standing to the side, explained: "Just now, Senior Brother Chen suggested that we should formulate a plan for the secret realm operation in advance and arrange the marching team so that we can protect you immediately if we encounter danger after entering the secret realm."

Song Yao: "...There's no need to be so thorough."

Jiang Jin suddenly stood up, grabbed her arm, and led her to a secluded spot, his brows furrowed: "What did the Holy Maiden say to you when she sought you out alone earlier?"

Song Yao pulled her hand away from his and casually replied, "Oh, she thought I ate well and invited me to have another meal."

Jiang Jin immediately saw through her lies: "A saintess of noble birth, she doesn't like to interact with others. How could she possibly seek you out just for a meal? What exactly are you talking about?"

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

Song Yao didn't even want to lift her eyelids. "The Holy Maiden is looking for me, so naturally it's a matter between her and me."

Jiang Jin's face darkened, his tone stubborn yet tinged with a sense of entitlement: "How can you treat us the same as other people? I naturally have the right to know."

What a dog-like male protagonist.

Even a nobody like her has to fawn over him?

Song Yao, unable to contain himself, said, "When we get back to the sect, why don't you go to the Healing Hall to get your head checked?"

She was too lazy to waste any more words on him and turned to go straight into the house.

Jiang Jin was taken aback, then realized what he meant and chased after him: "How could you say that to me? I admit I was a little anxious just now, but you..."

Before he could finish speaking, the heavy door slammed shut with a bang, nearly hitting his nose.

Mingran strode over proudly and bumped him aside with her shoulder: "Go away, go away, don't disturb my master's rest."

Jiang Jin trembled with anger: "You... I'm still your senior brother!"

Mingran said matter-of-factly, "How can a senior brother be of higher seniority than a master? You are my senior brother, so aren't you of lower seniority than my master? You should kneel down and kowtow to her too."

Jiang Jin: "..."

He flicked his sleeve and said coldly, "In short, my relationship with Lin Mu isn't what you think. You'll find out in the future!"

Mingran watched his retreating figure as he went back to his room, utterly confused: "What were you muttering about?"

Cheng Yue silently walked by, thinking, "He might be having a fit of hysteria."

-

The next day, just before dawn, the disciples gathered outside the Forest of Ten Thousand Bones to wait for the secret realm to open.

Song Yao was so sleepy that she slumped her head into Cheng Yue's arms to catch up on sleep.

Chen He, being the oldest, was leading so many new disciples for the first time. He was as worried as an old father, giving each of them instructions: "Junior Sister Cheng, you must stay close to me. Remember to listen to me and don't wander off."

"Junior Sister Ming, you must not rush to kill every demon you see. There will be plenty of opportunities to compete in the future."

"Sixth Senior Brother, if you want to talk to someone, be sure to tell us beforehand. In the secret realm, they will do anything to steal things, and they might lie to you."

"Seventh Senior Sister..."

Chen He looked at Song Yao, whose eyes were almost closed, and paused. "You must not fall asleep in the secret realm. We will find a way to protect you from the rest."

The group responded readily and decisively, all promising not to hold them back.

However, once inside, they were completely dumbfounded.

Why is it like the Demon Realm, where locations are randomly assigned?

Wouldn't all the tactical positioning discussed the night before be useless?

On the observation platform not far from the secret realm, the Ninth Elder looked at everything within the cloud curtain, gripped his cup tightly, and stared at Feng Qing in disbelief: "How did the secret realm become like this?!"

Not only was the location wrong, but the number of cloud curtains was also extremely small, and only the outer perimeter of the secret realm could be observed.

Feng Qing adjusted his sleeves and leaned lazily against the table, his every move extremely elegant and noble: "The secret realm has been closed for so many years, it's bound to change eventually. Brother Yun, you're getting a little too excited."

The Ninth Elder was about to speak in rebuttal when he turned and glanced at the other sect leaders around him, all of whom remained calm. His heart sank, and his face instantly turned cold: "You, you all knew all along that the secret realm would change? Why didn't you tell me a word beforehand?"