Very soon, Zhu Diezhen and Wei Aoshu once again resumed their battle posture, taking up position outside Ye Yu’s door to await good news. Indeed, they returned to the same spot—Ye Yu’s chamber. After careful consideration, they agreed: if you’re staging a play, you must go all in!
Using pills was hardly dignified; if Ye Yu refused, they would swear until death they hadn’t drugged him. Better yet, it must appear accidental—only then would it be truly foolproof. But an “accident” can’t look too contrived. If Wei Aoshu merely barged in after an incense stick’s time and Ye Yu happened to feel the effect, no one would believe it was unintended. Patience and stealth were the marks of a skilled hunter.
According to Zhu Diezhen’s plan, after an incense stick’s burn, Ye Yu would feel a sudden heat, step outside, and encounter Wei Aoshu as if by chance. Everything would then follow naturally—far more plausible than knocking on his own door. Wei Aoshu praised the scheme: perfection incarnate. And so the two madams settled in to wait.
At that moment, however, Huangfu Baizhi happened to pass by. She froze upon seeing Zhu Diezhen and Wei Aoshu crouched outside Ye Yu’s door, utterly puzzled. Just as she opened her mouth to ask, Zhu Diezhen furiously waved her hand.
“Don’t speak! Don’t say a thing. I’m helping Wei Aoshu rise in status—surely you don’t want to see her remain pitiful forever? Do a good deed for the day and earn immeasurable merit!”
Hearing Zhu Diezhen’s inner-voice transmission, Huangfu Baizhi stifled a laugh. If silence earned merit, why not? Before she left, she even sneaked a thumbs-up gesture. Wei Aoshu shot her a grateful glance. What a good person!
Zhu Diezhen rose slowly. To ensure no one disturbed Wei Aoshu’s grand plan, she set off alone to keep watch—blocking anyone who passed and creating the perfect opportunity for Wei Aoshu’s “attack.” As Zhu Diezhen’s figure receded, tears welled in Wei Aoshu’s eyes. “Madam, forever the sect leader! I can never repay your great kindness!” She bowed silently. For now, she had a more important task: she must not squander Zhu Diezhen’s goodwill.
Alas, Wei Aoshu couldn’t have conceived that this time she truly was waiting by a tree stump—but the rabbit would never come. The reason was simple: Ye Yu wasn’t in his room at all, but in the Blessed Grotto of Dongkui.
“By the way, you’ve been thinking of me quite often lately!” Ye Yu looked around the familiar grotto. Ever since obtaining the Close-at-Hand Faraway Talisman, he felt at home here.
Dongkui, refusing to admit it, feigned composure. “Don’t daydream. I didn’t call you because I missed you, but to discuss Mo Tianjun’s claims. If the Five Realms’ passages truly reopen, I can return to the Netherworld and never have to stay in this detestable Heavenly Realm.”
Ye Yu felt a sudden heat. Frowning, he said, “Is the Heavenly Realm really so hateful? It’s much brighter than the Netherworld.”
“Brother, I’m a ghost—I prefer darkness. Never mind that. If Feng Yingzhi can craft the Boundary Pearl of the Heavenly Realm, please send me there first!”
No sooner had she spoken than Ye Yu strode up to her, his face flushed. Such strangeness confused her—and she laughed: “What is it? You don’t want me to leave?”
Ye Yu said nothing, drawing even closer.
Half an incense stick later, outside Ye Yu’s chamber, Wei Aoshu’s expression turned increasingly strange. What was going on? Could it be that an Immortal Fate Pill had no effect on an Immortal King–level cultivator? So much time had passed, yet there was still no sign of movement.
Just then, Zhu Diezhen returned. Seeing Wei Aoshu still crouched at the door, her face fell. Through inner-voice she asked, “What’s the matter? I thought it was over. Why are you still out here?”
Wei Aoshu spread her hands helplessly. “I don’t know, either. There’s simply no reaction inside. Could it be the pill is useless against an Immortal King?”
At that, Zhu Diezhen was silent. Neither of them—both Border Immortals who had only recently ascended—knew the slightest thing about an Immortal King’s strength. They had both taken to alchemy halfway through their cultivation, relying on books to refine their Immortal Fate Pills—and had no confidence in their efficacy. Yet waiting there forever was no solution.
Resolving to take the initiative, Zhu Diezhen stepped forward to push the door. In that instant, Wuwei Tower began to tremble violently. Simultaneously, the heavenly qi throughout the realm surged. Zhu Diezhen and Wei Aoshu whirled around in shock, utterly baffled. Other madams, sensing the disturbance, appeared one after another, curiosity alight on their faces. They had just witnessed a revival of immortal qi—why was it now fluctuating so greatly?
Shangguan Jiujiu frowned. Spotting Zhu Diezhen and Wei Aoshu at Ye Yu’s door, she asked instinctively, “Where is Husband?”
Wei Aoshu shook her head. Zhu Diezhen’s heart leapt—this was a legitimate chance to enter. “I’ll go fetch him now.”
But when Zhu Diezhen pushed open the door, she was dumbfounded. Inside was empty—no sign of Ye Yu. How could this be? They had been guarding outside; when had he slipped away?
Zhu Diezhen glanced at Wei Aoshu, whose face mirrored her bewilderment. They even peered inside again, incredulous. Zhu Diezhen slapped a hand to ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) her face. “Worthless teammate! You lost him!”
Meanwhile, in the Blessed Grotto of Dongkui, a beam of light shot into the sky—Ye Yu. He stood before the madams and asked softly, “What happened?”
The ladies did not answer at once; instead, they burst into laughter.
