Cang Dongqing hurried through the corridor, the moonlight stretching her shadow long behind her.
Her right hand tightly gripped a sheet of white paper, her knuckles pale from the force. The paper was ordinary, showing no traces of talisman runes, only gleaming with a cold, white light under the moon.
Reaching a corner, she suddenly stopped. She held the white paper before her eyes, staring at the empty space for a long time before finally letting out a soft sigh.
Footsteps echoed in the distance, and Cang Dongqing quickly tucked the paper away.
When the disciple on night patrol passed by with a lantern, he saw only Cang Dongqing standing gracefully in the moonlight, adjusting her sleeves.
"Senior Sister Dongqing? It is so late..."
The young disciple held up his lantern. Its warm yellow glow illuminated Cang Dongqing’s slightly weary face. The bead bracelet on her wrist shimmered with a gentle luster, completely unlike the cold air she had exuded just moments ago.
"I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk," Cang Dongqing said with a soft smile.
The young disciple hesitated, the lantern’s light casting flickering shadows across his face. "Is Senior Sister Dongqing worried about Senior Brother Pei Ji?"
Cang Dongqing's eyes flickered. A perfectly measured, bitter smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Yes... Second Senior Brother’s injuries are not light."
"Do not worry too much, Senior Sister," the disciple comforted her clumsily. "Elder Zhao said that Senior Brother Pei has a solid foundation; he will be fine after a few days of rest."
The night wind brushed through the corridor, causing the lantern to sway gently. The wind caught Cang Dongqing’s hair, revealing her pale and fragile features.
"I hope so." She tilted her head slightly, as if to hide her vulnerability. "By the way, have you seen First Senior Brother?"
The disciple shook his head. "Senior Brother Qi seems to have gone to the back mountain to practice his swordplay." He suddenly lowered his voice. "I heard... First Senior Brother had an argument with the sect leader..."
Cang Dongqing’s fingertips trembled, her bead bracelet clicking crisply. "Is that so?"
"I heard it from the senior brother on duty as well." The disciple glanced around. "Apparently, it was about the five elements dao sect..."
A strange glint flashed in Cang Dongqing’s eyes, but she quickly regained her gentle demeanor. "These are not matters for us to discuss." She patted the disciple’s shoulder lightly. "It is late; you should get back to your patrol."
"You should return early as well, Senior Sister." The disciple bowed and continued his patrol with his lantern.
Once the footsteps had faded, the gentleness on Cang Dongqing’s face vanished instantly. She hurried toward her quarters, the white paper in her sleeve now crumpled and creased.
As she turned a corner of the corridor, she suddenly froze. In the moonlight, a tall figure stood in the center of the courtyard.
Qi Yunze stood with his back to her, his long sword glinting with a cold light. Sensing the gaze behind him, he slowly turned around.
"First Senior Brother..." Cang Dongqing quickly adjusted her expression, though the bead bracelet on her wrist flared with an inexplicable light for a moment under the moon.
Qi Yunze’s gaze lingered on her sleeve for a brief second. "The night dew is heavy. You should rest early, Junior Sister."
"Yes." Cang Dongqing lowered her head in a bow. When she looked up again, Qi Yunze’s figure had vanished, leaving only the rustling of bamboo leaves in the courtyard.
She stood there, the night wind catching the hem of her plain white robes. A corner of the white paper peeked out from her sleeve, appearing blindingly white under the moon.
...
At the five elements dao sect's temporary residence in the early morning, everyone was preparing for Mu Wenyan’s match.
"First Senior Brother, this is the spiritual tea Master told me to give you." Feng Qingping handed over a green jade tea cup. "She said it helps to refresh the mind."
Mu Wenyan took the cup, his fingertips brushing the rim. "Thank you, and please thank Master for me."
Standing to the side, Li Nanzhu looked at Mu Wenyan’s calm profile and thought to herself, 'First Senior Brother’s dark spiritual root... it shouldn't be exposed during the match, right?'
She remembered that in the original story, Mu Wenyan’s dark spiritual root was discovered much later.
Although she didn't know where Feng Yi had gone, with him around, he surely wouldn't let anything happen to Mu Wenyan.
She felt a bit more at ease at that thought.
Suddenly, Duan Xianxing leaned in and lowered his voice. "Little Junior Sister, I’m going to head over to the sword heart sect's side in a bit to look around. Want to come?"
Li Nanzhu was startled. She instinctively checked her surroundings to ensure no one was paying attention before whispering back, "You're going this early? Aren't you going to tell First Senior Brother?"
"What’s there to fear!" Duan Xianxing patted the jade pendant at his waist. "I’m wearing the protective talisman Fourth Senior Brother gave me! Besides, we’ll just look from a distance; we won’t get close."
As the two were whispering, Jiang Yifan suddenly appeared behind them. "The two of you..."
Jiang Yifan’s gaze swept between them before he finally pulled two green jade rings from his storage bag. "Wear these."
Duan Xianxing took the talismans, so moved he almost lunged at him. "Fourth Senior Brother! You are so—"
"Shut up," Jiang Yifan interrupted coldly, then looked at Li Nanzhu. "Be careful."
Li Nanzhu nodded solemnly and tucked the green jade ring away. She was about to say thank you when she saw Zhu Yinxi approaching as well.
"You must be careful." Zhu Yinxi’s face was still somewhat pale, but his eyes had regained their clarity.
Noticing the movement, Feng Qingping walked over with a frown. "What are you three plotting?"
"Nothing!" Duan Xianxing waved his hands frantically. "I was just asking Little Junior Sister if she wanted to go watch First Senior Brother’s match."
Feng Qingping scanned the three of them suspiciously before finally cautioning, "Don't cause trouble."
At the sword heart sect residence, Pei Ji was practicing his swordplay in the courtyard. Although his movements were still a bit stiff, his eyes had regained their sharpness.
"Second Senior Brother!" Le Changxi ran over hurriedly. "Your injuries aren't healed yet; don't push yourself too hard."
Pei Ji sheathed his sword and stood still. "I am fine." He glanced around. "Where is Junior Sister?"
"She went out early," Le Changxi replied. "She said she was going to the back mountain to gather herbs."
Pei Ji nodded thoughtfully. Cang Dongqing’s strange behavior the previous night had left him somewhat unsettled. Had something happened to his junior sister?
"I’m going to find First Senior Brother." Pei Ji tucked his sword away and walked toward the main hall.
...
On a small mountain path, Duan Xianxing and Li Nanzhu were moving forward cautiously.
"I heard the sword heart sect's medicine garden is on the back mountain," Duan Xianxing whispered. "Qi Yunze often practices his sword there."
In Li Nanzhu’s arms, Suisui suddenly stiffened, its bone claws pointing toward the forest on the left.
"Someone’s there!" Li Nanzhu grabbed Duan Xianxing, and the two quickly ducked into a thicket.
Through the gaps in the leaves, they saw Cang Dongqing walking alone on the forest path. She was holding a white paper, looking down at it as she walked, seemingly deep in thought.
"What is she doing?" Duan Xianxing muttered softly.
Li Nanzhu shook her head, gesturing for him to be quiet. They watched as Cang Dongqing stopped, hesitating over the white paper for a long time. Finally, she let out a soft sigh, folded the paper, and tucked it into her sleeve before continuing forward.
"Strange..." Duan Xianxing scratched his head. "It’s just a blank sheet of paper."
Li Nanzhu was also puzzled. In the original story, Cang Dongqing never performed such an action. What exactly did that white paper mean?
Just as the two were about to follow, Suisui began to tremble violently. Cang Dongqing snapped her head around, her gaze piercing directly toward their hiding spot!
"Who is there?"
They had been discovered!
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