After Zhu Zhao spoke, she added, “And that dog, I'll kill it too to be buried with you.”
This time, Song Yao immediately retorted, “I told you not to call it a dog! It has a name, Lin Shui. And also, can you let go of me? I think we're a bit too close.”
In the past, crowding close to Xie Zhou and Wen Tang was a common occurrence; both of those kids had been rather clingy.
But Zhu Zhao was different.
Being pinned against the table by Zhu Zhao like this, she always had the illusion that she was about to be chopped into mincemeat the very next second.
The moment Zhu Zhao let go, she hastily slipped away, not daring to cause any more trouble, and returned to the other side of the table in a well-behaved manner. “I have to go. If I don't get back soon, Tangtang will find out.”
Zhu Zhao sneered, “You're certainly obedient now, even knowing to keep a curfew. I never saw you follow the rules of Nine Saints Hall even once.”
Song Yao: “Times have changed. Besides, Fifth Junior Sister is acting a bit strange, so I'm keeping an eye on her.”
Zhu Zhao scoffed, “Are you keeping an eye on her, or is she keeping an eye on you?”
Song Yao: “Hard to say.”
Zhu Zhao paused. “Are you really not returning to Nine Saints Hall? Seventh Elder is very worried about you.”
Song Yao hesitated and shook her head. Before she could speak, Zhu Zhao said, “They don't know you're Song Yao. You can come back; no one will cause trouble for you.”
Song Yao couldn't help but look at her a couple more times.
She hadn't revealed her identity?
That was one thing, but she could actually tell what she was worried about?
Zhu Zhao was very different from the person in her memories.
Her eyes curved up, and she said with a smile, “Fine, I'll go back. Just give it a few more days.”
Calculating the time, the sect's annual grand tournament should be happening soon.
Going back would mean having to fight, which was such a hassle.
It would be better to wait until the tournament was over before going back to live idly.
For now, she would just live idly at Wen Tang's place to lie low.
Zhu Zhao didn't plan to force her.
She was different from the others; most of the burden of Nine Saints Hall now rested on her shoulders.
She had to protect Nine Saints Hall before she could think about what came next.
It was better to let Song Yao stay outside for now.
Although she was reluctant to let Wen Tang watch her, with Wen Tang keeping an eye on her, at least she wouldn't try to seek death again.
Only...
Black Cloud Mountain was no safer than Nine Saints Hall, and might even be more fraught with danger.
Zhu Zhao walked over to her, reaching out to straighten the crooked little gold longevity lock around her neck. “If you encounter danger, send me a message immediately. Also, don't get involved in anything that happens on Black Cloud Mountain. Didn't you want to leave and become an ordinary person? Be good and don't cause trouble. When the time comes, I'll find a way to send you away.”
Song Yao blinked.
Wait.
Why was everyone giving her magical artifacts?
And they were all communication and protective artifacts at that.
She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. “Zhu Zhao, you're so naggy. I've heard you say more words today than in our entire past life combined.”
Zhu Zhao suddenly had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, she heard her add with a grin, “Does this count as a sweet reunion after a brief separation? Quarreling at the head of the bed and making up at the foot?”
Zhu Zhao: “...”
Had she been giving Song Yao too much of a good face today?
Should she just beat her up instead?
When would that mouth of hers learn to behave?
She gritted her teeth and said with a stiff face, “Shut up. I'll take you back to Black Cloud Mountain—”
Mid-sentence, Zhu Zhao's expression suddenly changed. She grabbed Song Yao by the waist and pulled her to the side.
With a deafening crash, the carved wooden window was blown to pieces by a violent surge of spiritual energy.
Amidst flying wood splinters, a dark figure landed inside the room, her hem sweeping over the shattered wood without catching a single speck of dust.
It was Wen Tang.
She stood in the middle of the mess, her dark hair falling forward to cover most of her face. Only her eyes were terrifyingly dark, her vacant pupils reflecting nothing but Song Yao's figure at this moment.
Her voice was flat and devoid of inflection, yet carried an undeniable force: “Song Yao, come home.”
Zhu Zhao's brow furrowed deeply, and she instinctively shielded Song Yao behind her.
Wen Tang's condition was even worse than she had anticipated.
There wasn't a single shred of living vitality around her, only a dark, icy obsession so dense it couldn't be dispersed, like a vengeful wraith driven entirely by obsession.
No wonder Xie Zhou had returned with some injuries.
Song Yao, however, wasn't very surprised.
She had been out for too long this time, so it was highly likely she would be discovered by Wen Tang.
She had originally planned to coax her after heading back, but she hadn't expected her to come looking for her directly.
Before walking over to Wen Tang, she even found the time to whisper in Zhu Zhao's ear, “Second Senior Sister, don't forget we still have ninety-nine meals left to eat~”
Zhu Zhao's ears burned. By the time she snapped out of it, Song Yao had already reached the other girl. The eyes that had just been smiling at her were now looking at someone else. “What's the matter? I just came out to get some fresh air. It's not like I wasn't going back, stingy.”
Wen Tang gripped her wrist, gave Zhu Zhao a cold glare, and turned to leave with Song Yao without a word.
Zhu Zhao stared at their retreating backs, her fingernails digging into her palms until they hurt.
Just because her love threads had been gouged out, she indulged Wen Tang like this.
If she had been the one whose love threads were gouged out, turning into this half-human, half-ghost state back then, would Song Yao have indulged her so unconditionally too?
The moment this thought surfaced, she found it somewhat absurd and laughable.
How could she be so childish too?
She was truly going mad.
Just as she was about to turn and leave, a dark figure silently landed in the room. Bowing to her, they lowered their voice to a whisper: “Something has happened at Taiqing Pavilion.”
Zhu Zhao instantly reined in all her visible emotions, her face returning to its usual cold rigidity. “Speak,” she said coldly.
“Ye Chongguang has been afflicted by dark poison. The news has already spread throughout the entire Tianshu Realm, and everyone is saying Senior Sister Wen did it. Not only that...”
The cultivator paused, his tone grave. “The disappearance of Young Master Ye and Saintess Chen has also been blamed on Senior Sister Wen. Rumors say she fell into the demonic path and colluded with Black Cloud Mountain because she was abandoned by Young Master Ye back then, and now she intends to seek revenge on Taiqing Pavilion and Beiyao Sect.”
“Impossible.”
Zhu Zhao spoke almost instantly, her tone decisive and without a shred of hesitation.
Ever since she learned Song Yao was here, she had kept people watching.
Except for just now, Wen Tang had not taken a single step out of Black Cloud Mountain during this entire period, let alone traveled thousands of miles to poison Ye Chongguang.
In all likelihood, Ye Chongguang had staged this play himself to escalate the situation further.
If he was going to such great lengths, it was impossible for him to target only Wen Tang.
Sure enough, the cultivator hesitated and said uneasily, “Now people outside are spreading rumors that our Nine Saints Hall specializes in cultivating demonic and evil cultivators, and has long since colluded with Black Cloud Mountain. First there was... Song Yao, and now there's Wen Tang...”
Zhu Zhao sneered.
Indeed.
Ye Chongguang not only wanted to wash his hands of everything but also wanted to drag Nine Saints Hall completely into the muddy waters.
“And...”
The cultivator swallowed hard and continued, “They are also saying our Hall Master was surely injured by Wen Tang and poisoned by dark poison, and is currently unaccounted for...”
Before he could finish, a Black Bird let out a sharp shriek outside.
Another cultivator rushed in, panting heavily. “This is bad! The people from Taiqing Pavilion and Beiyao Sect seem to be heading straight for Nine Saints Hall!”
Rate on N.U.
