Chapter Four: Concealment

Bai Lian naturally decided to follow Yue Qi, claiming she wanted to see if his cultivation would improve any further. Of course, Yue Qi scoffed at this, but since she was a beautiful woman, he didn't hold it against her. As they traveled together, the two gradually became more familiar with each other. Without the constraints of rank or strength, Bai Lian was simply a young girl who had never left her mountain home, and everything was new and exciting to her. Even the ordinary animals of the wild fields fascinated her, for none of them existed on the mountain of the Azure River Sword Sect.

“Hey, Sister Lian, do you think this whole mutation thing could be the work of the Demon Cult?” Yue Qi walked ahead, a twig between his lips, asking casually. “My master once told me that people of the Demon Cult in the far west practiced a technique that turned living people into mindless beasts of slaughter, and only their arts could control them...”

“I don't know,” Bai Lian replied from behind, shaking her head gently. “But I don't think the Demon Cult has that kind of power. Our sect leader has already reached the final stage of core formation. In another three or five years, he may well reach Nascent Soul. If the Demon Cult could orchestrate something so insidious that even our sect leader is helpless, they would have unified the Nine Provinces long ago.”

“That’s true,” Yue Qi nodded. He had heard of the Demon Cult's existence, but every time rumors spread, disciples of Mount Sanqing would lead the righteous to wipe them out. The Demon Cult had never managed to make any real waves.

Suddenly, a roar sounded. A zombie burst from the woods ahead. Judging by its appearance, it was “male.” For some reason—perhaps because of its sex—it hesitated, then lunged straight at Bai Lian.

Yue Qi had no time to rescue her, but he seemed unperturbed, watching with interest as events unfolded, his mind pondering something unknown.

“Hmph!” Noticing Yue Qi’s lack of concern, Bai Lian snorted coldly. Her sword flashed from its sheath, the blade singing as it came free.

With a swift, clean thrust, she drove her sword into the zombie’s left eye. The creature struggled briefly, then collapsed, lifeless.

“Hahaha, Sister Lian, you’re incredible!” Yue Qi applauded from the side, earning a glare from Bai Lian.

There was a complex mix of emotions in that look—some chiding, some grievance—that made Yue Qi’s heart itch. He almost wanted to seize this beauty and kiss her then and there, but remembering Bai Lian’s sword skill, he quickly sobered.

Indeed, even though Bai Lian had lost all her spiritual power, her extraordinary swordsmanship—who knew where she had learned it?—was unmatched. Even Yue Qi could not rival her in slaying zombies. In the past two days, whenever they encountered a lone zombie, Yue Qi had tried to protect her, but after seeing her decapitate one that ambushed her, he gave up. When Bai Lian had faced two cultivator-zombies, Yue Qi had been worried, but now he suspected that, even without his help, she could have dispatched them easily.

“Watch your step, or you’ll get caught by a zombie. I might not be able to save you then,” Bai Lian said flatly.

Yue Qi scratched his head sheepishly. No wonder “Elder Lian” was so famous in the sect—it wasn’t just her beauty and talent, but her unflappable, icy demeanor as well.

“How much farther to Yue Village?” Bai Lian suddenly asked. The journey had been long—two full days—and apart from zombies and the occasional animal, they had seen not a soul. Even Bai Lian, venturing out for the first time, was starting to feel restless.

“Not much longer—about a day. You know the Azure River Sword Sect is remote; aside from a few scattered households, the nearest village is my home, Yue Village!” Yue Qi replied with pride, clearly fond of his hometown.

At this, Bai Lian fell silent. Yue Qi realized he had blundered. He had forgotten that Bai Lian had been an orphan from birth—bringing up such a sore subject for a young woman was bound to dampen her spirits.

“Uh, Sister Lian, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Yue Qi, clever as he usually was, was hopeless when it came to comforting girls; his awkward expression made Bai Lian laugh in spite of herself.

“Wait—someone’s there!” Suddenly, Yue Qi’s ears twitched. He had caught a faint rustling sound and quickly pulled Bai Lian down, hiding them in a nearby thicket.

Retaining his spiritual power, Yue Qi was much more sensitive than Bai Lian—he could hear any movement nearby, unless it was a cultivator purposely concealing themselves. Against zombies and ordinary people, his senses were more than enough.

“Boss, why would there be cultivators here? We’ve been gone from that village a whole day, and it was full of those things. All we’ve met are zombies—why would an immortal be here?” a man’s weary voice sounded. From his words, Yue Qi guessed they were travelers passing by the village. What had happened to Yue Village?

The man’s companion, addressed as “boss,” interrupted Yue Qi’s thoughts. “I heard there’s an Azure River Sword Sect nearby—shouldn’t be far now. Endure a little longer. Those immortals must have a way to deal with this. If we’re lucky, maybe they’ll even take us as disciples…”

Yue Qi couldn’t help but find it amusing. Even if the Azure River Sword Sect still existed, if these two recklessly climbed the mountain and ran into zombified cultivators, they wouldn’t even have a chance to escape—let alone become disciples.

At that moment, Bai Lian suddenly rose from their hiding place and walked toward the two men.

“Hey, Sister Lian!” Yue Qi had no choice but to follow her out.

“Don’t go there—the Azure River Sword Sect is gone!” The two men hadn’t seen Bai Lian emerge from their hidden spot, so she called out first.

“Boss, look! An immortal maiden!” The smaller of the two men covered his mouth in awe, pointing at Bai Lian.

She did indeed look like an immortal, despite her weary face; to ordinary folk, she was breathtaking.

“Immortal, my foot!” The “boss” thumped his companion’s head, then bowed to Bai Lian. “Forgive me, but what do you mean by ‘gone’?”

“I’m a disciple of the Azure River Sword Sect. The cultivators there have all become zombies,” Bai Lian said with a shake of her head.

Yue Qi emerged from the brush behind her, watching the two men warily. If most people in this world had become zombies, then order itself had disintegrated, and survival depended on strength, regardless of who you once were. Bai Lian didn’t understand this, but Yue Qi, raised in the outside world, knew it well.

“What?! How can that be?” the thinner man exclaimed. He had thought only ordinary people could turn into those things—never the awe-inspiring cultivators.

But his companion cut him off.

“Then, miss, can you prove you’re a disciple of the Azure River Sword Sect?” he asked politely enough. It was a reasonable question—who would believe that all the cultivators had suffered such a fate?

“I—you don’t believe me? Ask him!” Bai Lian was angry now. She had tried to help, but they wouldn’t trust her.

Yue Qi, resigned, thought to himself that he had never seen the proud Elder Lian so eager to help others before. Still, since she needed his support, he nodded.

“Hmph, you two know each other—how can you vouch for one another? How about this—since you two seem to have nowhere to go, why not come with me and prove it?” The man’s words were rather rude, not to mention his barely veiled insistence.

“We’re warning you out of kindness, and this is how you repay us? Believe it or not, it’s up to you. Yue Qi, let’s go!” Bai Lian’s face was dark with anger, shocked that a random stranger could be so troublesome.

“My apologies, miss, that was rude of me. But if you really are immortals, why not show us a little magic? Let us see the wonders of the world!” The man tried to cover his misstep, but persisted.

“I can’t do magic. Believe it or not, that’s your choice. If you die, don’t say I didn’t warn you!” With that, Bai Lian, clearly annoyed, glanced at Yue Qi, as if blaming him for not showing off a little.

“Hmph, little missy, if you won’t show us your skills, who’s to say you’re immortals at all? You look more like a couple of shameless lovers!” the man sneered, blocking Bai Lian’s path, a lascivious gleam in his eyes.

Yue Qi finally understood—this man was looking for trouble on purpose!