The group landed on the ground, and Xu Shulou gazed at the endless plain before them, smiling knowingly. "The cloud whale left us in the safest spot."
Bai Roushuang, still preoccupied with the beautiful cloud whale, looked up at its slowly drifting figure in the sky and asked curiously, "Why have we never seen them outside the Void Abyss Secret Realm?"
Xu Shulou explained, "Because their skin can be crafted into incredibly powerful defensive robes—priceless treasures."
Bai Roushuang froze for a moment before realizing, "People hunt them?"
"Since ancient times, wealth has moved hearts," Xu Shulou nodded. "In this regard, the cultivation world is no different from the mortal realm."
A faint melancholy settled in Bai Roushuang's heart, but it was quickly interrupted by Jiang Yan waving excitedly at them from nearby. "Senior Sister! Come quick, there are jade marrow fruits here!"
Bai Roushuang followed the others over and saw a lush tree bearing several fruits that looked as if they were carved from green jade—translucent, sparkling, and utterly adorable.
Clueless, Bai Roushuang clasped her hands over her cheeks. "These must be incredibly powerful spirit fruits!"
Jiang Yan shook his head mercilessly. "Junior Sister, you’re overthinking it."
…Then why are you so excited?
Xu Shulou chuckled and explained, "Jade marrow fruits have beautifying properties—they make your skin fairer and softer. But their real appeal is that they taste delicious."
Bai Roushuang gave them a sidelong glance. In your eyes, is there anything more important than eating and drinking?
Soon, everyone gathered around the tree, gnawing on the fruits.
By the time Bai Roushuang had tossed her fifth fruit core to the ground, she had already forgotten her earlier complaints.
The jade marrow fruits were indeed exquisite—sweet yet tart, tender and bursting with juice. A single bite filled her mouth with refreshing nectar, its fragrance invigorating her spirit. She silently vowed to always trust Senior Sister Xu’s recommendations when it came to food and drink, following her lead without question.
The disciples of Dustless Island, adhering to their sect’s reclusive principles, carried an air of indifference—content to let fate decide their path. Even now, inside the secret realm, they were in no hurry to hunt for treasures.
As they nibbled on the fruits, Ji Ci mercilessly shared gossip about Elder Changyu. "I heard that when Shizun was young, he was so poor he often sold these fruits to noblewomen in the mortal realm, using the silver to feast and drink."
Bai Roushuang: "…"
Elder Changyu’s dignified image in her mind was rapidly crumbling.
After indulging in the fruits to their hearts' content, the group finally prepared to set off in search of treasures. Xu Shulou quietly pulled Bai Roushuang aside, plucking a pile of jade marrow fruits and stuffing them into her junior sister’s storage ring. "They’re good for your complexion. Take more for the journey."
Bai Roushuang was momentarily stunned before remembering—she had once mentioned her fear of growing old and unattractive. Xu Shulou had remembered.
A warmth spread through her chest.
In the Void Abyss Secret Realm, the most perilous areas often hid the rarest treasures. The group chose a direction and left the plains behind.
The cloud whale had truly left them in the safest spot. The moment they stepped beyond the plains, the surroundings darkened, and a disciple from Yinji Peak vanished—snatched by a massive, writhing plant.
Xu Shulou flicked her wrist, sending her golden-flecked brown jade fan flying like a blade, slicing through the vine before returning to her hand.
The disciple tumbled to the ground, wiping sweat from his brow. "Thank you, Senior Sister Xu."
"No need for thanks. Stay alert."
Xu Shulou crouched, poking the foul-smelling plant with her fan before retrieving a cleaver from her spatial bracelet. With a swift chop, she diced the plant into segments and handed them to a female cultivator. "Junior Sister Shen, your Biqu Peak specializes in refining spiritual plants. This Corrosive Heart Vine should be useful, no?"
The woman, referred to as Junior Sister Shen, grinned ear to ear. "Then I won’t stand on ceremony, Senior Sister Xu! This can be brewed into elixirs or used to repel insects. I’ll make you a sachet later."
Given the lingering stench, Xu Shulou very much wanted to decline.
Bai Roushuang couldn’t help but eye the cleaver. "Senior Sister, why are you carrying this around?"
Xu Shulou lovingly polished the blade. "What if we need to cook outdoors? My spatial bracelet always has a full set of pots, pans, and a portable stove."
Bai Roushuang’s lips twitched. So it really was just a cleaver—not some mystical weapon she didn’t recognize.
Are we on a picnic or something? And you carry a stove too?
Jiang Yan chimed in eagerly, "Senior Sister thinks of everything! Last time the secret realm opened, we caught so many frostglow shrimp on the snowy mountain—so tender and sweet. If we pass by this time, let’s catch more!"
The others nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, absolutely!"
Now Bai Roushuang understood why no one wanted to team up with Lingxiao Sect.
Mid-grumble, her foot suddenly sank—the solid ground beneath her dissolved into quicksand, dragging her down.
Panicked, she flailed until Xu Shulou’s voice whispered in her ear, "Don’t be afraid. Relax. The quicksand in the Void Abyss doesn’t harm you—it guides you to a treasure."
Instinctively, Bai Roushuang stilled her struggles and let herself fall.
Only when she landed did she realize—somehow, she had already developed such deep trust in Xu Shulou.
That’s dangerous, she thought grimly. Hadn’t she been betrayed by those she trusted before?
Ji Ci peered down into the quicksand pit. "Junior Sister’s luck is amazing—getting an opportunity like this right away."
Bai Roushuang found herself in a dim, mysterious cavern, the kind storytellers would describe as hiding celestial treasures.
She poked a protruding rock. "This… doesn’t look like a treasure?"
"Indeed, it isn’t," Xu Shulou called from above. "That’s just a stalagmite. Keep going."
Clearing her throat in embarrassment, Bai Roushuang pressed forward, following an eerie green glow until she reached the only light source in the cave.
The object hovered midair, radiating a cold, ethereal luminescence—utterly breathtaking.
Excited, she turned to ask her senior sister what kind of artifact it was.
Xu Shulou had descended as well, and upon seeing it, she paused. "It’s called ‘Floating Remembrance.’"
The name alone sounded formidable!
As a child, Bai Roushuang had listened to storytellers in mortal taverns. Right now, she felt like the protagonist of those tales—the chosen one who stumbles into an abyss only to find a legendary treasure.
Just look at that glow, that texture! Clutching her cheeks in excitement, she gasped, "This must be an incredibly powerful artifact!"
"Well… how do I put this?" Xu Shulou chose her words carefully, trying not to crush her junior sister’s enthusiasm. "When you face inescapable danger and are moments from death, this artifact can… um… delude your consciousness, letting you pass away in a state of bliss."
"…"
Xu Shulou concluded, "In other words, while it can’t save your life, it can at least make your departure more pleasant."
How considerate indeed.
Bai Roushuang felt as though the secret realm was toying with her. She stared gloomily at the glowing magical artifact in her hand and sighed, "What’s the point of you?"
Xu Shulou grabbed the despondent junior sister by the collar and dragged her out of the quicksand pit.
Bai Roushuang, her emotions swinging wildly between hope and despair, trailed behind like a frost-bitten eggplant.
The group pressed onward, wordlessly leaving the spot beside Xu Shulou for Bai Roushuang, the weakest among them in cultivation.
They traveled further without encountering much danger—aside from Xu Shulou wielding her cleaver to chop down a few bizarrely shaped flowering branches and slay a giant mosquito capable of draining a person’s blood in one gulp.
Then Bai Roushuang stepped on thin air again, letting out a shriek. But this time, it wasn’t quicksand. A blinding light enveloped her, and she was abruptly teleported away.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself atop a mountain peak. Panicked, she crushed the paper talisman her senior sister had given her before cautiously scanning her surroundings. Detecting no immediate threat, her gaze landed on a life-sized water mirror standing inside a nearby cave.
Curiosity drew her closer. The nearer she got to the mirror, the more the air filled with a soothing fragrance—a blend of delicate tea leaves and magnolia blossoms. The scent instantly transported her back to her childhood, toiling at her mother’s tea stall, boiling water and serving customers. At the end of each day, her mother would reward her with a single copper coin to buy a magnolia blossom bracelet.
*Mother…* Bai Roushuang’s mind grew hazy. Tempted, she took a few more steps forward until she stood directly before the mirror.
But the reflection staring back at her was not her current self. Instead, she saw a woman clad in flimsy gauze, lips painted red, leaning against a doorframe with a seductive smile.
Bai Roushuang recoiled in horror, instinctively lashing out with a surge of spiritual energy to shatter the mirror.
Yet her attack vanished without a trace, swallowed whole. Instead, a burst of energy from the mirror coiled around her and yanked her straight inside.
By the time Xu Shulou and the others followed the trail and arrived at the water mirror, she could only sigh. "It’s the Mirror of Inner Demons."
This mirror summoned the deepest fears and cruelest memories buried in one’s heart.
It tested a cultivator’s mental fortitude. Those who passed would achieve a breakthrough in their spiritual state. Those who failed would be forever lost in the illusion.
Jiang Yan couldn’t help but remark, "Hard to say if our junior sister is incredibly lucky or terribly unlucky."
Ji Ci fretted, "Will she be alright?"
"No need to panic. The trial takes time—the Mirror of Inner Demons won’t ensnare someone so quickly," Xu Shulou handed out sleeping bags to everyone. "Go rest. We can check back in a few hours."
The two held absolute trust in Xu Shulou’s words, so they set up a defensive formation in the cave and settled in to rest.
Though Xu Shulou spoke lightly, she had no intention of sleeping. Her attention remained fixed on the mirror, watching for any sign of movement.
She spent the sleepless night clearing the cave of blood-sucking bats—who, in turn, shared her fate of a thoroughly restless evening.
