X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the Server“I refuse.”
The three words echoed clearly amidst the sea breeze and crashing waves, devoid of hesitation or a hint of compromise.
The sorcerer’s murky yellow eyes suddenly narrowed.
A moment later, he let out an even more grating, hoarse laugh, as if he had just heard something utterly preposterous.
“Refuse? Young man, do you truly understand what refusal entails?
It means you will forever lose this one chance to break the stalemate and seize the initiative!”
“It means Xia ‘s ‘Blood Moon Feast’ will proceed as planned, putting your little fox in grave danger. Both she and that girl, Shen Zhixia, will be utterly reduced to sacrifices and playthings!”
“It means you will be forced into a passive defense, watching helplessly as all of this unfolds!”
His voice grew sharper, fueled by agitation and a deeper, more profound urgency.
Xiao Moyuan stood his ground, his form as unyielding as a bedrock amidst the night wind.
Faced with the elder’s fervor, he merely countered with a calm question:
“The only one? Who defines ‘only’? Is it you?”
His gaze was as sharp as a blade, seemingly intent on piercing through the tattered cloak.
“You claim to possess Xia’s core secrets, yet you demand that I steal the highest-grade sealed artifact from the Demon Extermination Bureau in exchange.”
“This is inherently contradictory. Either your so-called secrets are worth far less than your attempt to gain something for nothing, or you have ulterior motives.
It’s even possible this entire proposition is a larger trap targeting me, or perhaps the Demon Extermination Bureau itself.”
He took a step forward, an invisible pressure emanating from him.
“More importantly, why should I trust you?”
“A bystander who reveals the misuse of voodoo to harm people, creates panic at N University, and then plays coy with anonymous information?”
“You don’t even dare to reveal your own identity or stance. What difference is there between cooperating with such a person, making such a deal, and ‘asking a tiger for its skin’?”
The sorcerer was momentarily stifled by Xiao Moyuan’s series of calm yet incisive questions, his expression beneath the hood shifting erratically.
He had genuinely not anticipated Xiao Moyuan’s decisive refusal, nor the directness with which his reasons struck at the core of the matter.
“Identity? Stance?”
The elder repeated hoarsely, a hint of sarcasm and an ineffable complexity in his tone.
“Does it truly matter? In this world, who isn’t living behind a mask?
Are there not enough ‘big figures’ within the Demon Extermination Bureau who are outwardly righteous but secretly engage in sordid deeds?
Xia, an ancient monster who revels in toying with lives, also cloaks himself in an elegant and noble facade.
Young man, don’t be so naive; the outcome is what truly matters!”
Xiao Moyuan cut him off.
“Your ‘outcome’ demands that I betray my principles and my organization to steal a dangerous item, whose purpose and harm I know nothing about, and hand it over to you.”
“Then, I am to hope that you will uphold your promise and provide genuinely useful intelligence.”
“This ‘outcome’ places all the risk on my side, while the benefits are entirely in your control. Do you truly believe I would accept such a ‘cooperation’?”
His words were meticulously logical, pressing close, tearing open the elder’s seemingly enticing deal to reveal the naked inequality and uncertainty beneath.
The elder fell silent, only the sound of the sea breeze rustling his cloak filling the air.
After a long while, he spoke in a sinister tone:
“Then what will you do? Just go back? Watch helplessly?”
“That is my concern.”
Xiao Moyuan’s tone was indifferent.
“Attending this meeting tonight was, in itself, a test. A test of your intentions, a test of the veracity of your information. Now, the test is over.”
“Wait!”
The elder urgently called out, the feigned composure in his voice finally vanishing, replaced by genuine anxiety.
“Don’t you want to know Shen Zhixia’s current specific condition?
Don’t you want to know the exact location and conditions for Xia ‘s ‘Feast’? Aside from the ‘Withered Heart,’ we can discuss other things! How about an information exchange?
Or, I can give you a portion of the intelligence first, to prove my sincerity!”
Xiao Moyuan paused, turning his head. “Oh? What can you offer? Words alone mean nothing.”
The elder gritted his teeth, seemingly making a difficult decision. He extended a withered finger, quickly sketching several strange symbols in the air, a faint spiritual glow, tinged with decay and a bloody scent, flashing by.
He lowered his voice.
“I know what Xia is searching for beneath N University—not merely the power of that super-grade vengeful spirit. Deeper still, there’s an ancient leyline node, sealed away, containing extremely pure Yin energy.”
“That is one of the key cornerstones of his plan. He originally intended to use the super-grade vengeful spirit’s power to impact and pollute that node, transforming it into a ‘Blood-Stained Eye’ suitable for blood magic.”
“But your interference disrupted his first step. Now, he is forced to find another way to accelerate the node’s transformation, which is one of the reasons he is so eager to hold the ‘Feast’!”
This information aligned with some of Xiao Moyuan’s previous conjectures. He maintained an impassive expression, continuing to ask:
“Leyline node location? Feast location?”
“The node is directly beneath N University’s old library, about fifty meters deep underground, concealed by multiple ancient seals, making it extremely difficult to detect and access by ordinary means.”
The elder’s words came quickly. “As for the ‘Feast’ location… Xia has many hideouts, but I can tell you the most probable one—the long-abandoned wartime underground command post in Luoxia Mountain, west of the city.”
“That place is secluded, structurally complex, deep beneath the earth, and steeped in a dense aura of death and war—perfect for his dark rituals!”
Xiao Moyuan swiftly recalled relevant geographical and archival information.
That location was indeed desolate and met the conditions. It was also no wonder that Chen Wan had transformed into a super-grade vengeful spirit decades ago.
“What about Shen Zhixia?” Xiao Moyuan pressed for the most critical point.
The elder hesitated.
“She is still alive. Xia needs her as the ‘Feast’s’ catalyst and a partial ‘sacrifice’; he won’t let her die easily.”
“But her current state…”
He shook his head, his voice deepening.
“The blood pact has been repeatedly reinforced, her self-awareness continuously suppressed and polluted, coupled with the after-effects of her source blood being forcibly extracted earlier… it’s extremely bad.”
“She’s like an exquisite marionette, but the strings lead to an abyss. She will either completely become a mindless bloodkin puppet, or she will become part of the ritual’s consumables.”
Although he had anticipated it, hearing such specific descriptions caused Xiao Moyuan’s heart to sink. He remained silent for a moment, then looked at the elder again.
“This intelligence is not enough to trade for the ‘Withered Heart.’ What other leverage do you have?”
The elder took a deep breath, seemingly having made a difficult decision. He slowly drew a palm-sized object, tightly wrapped in black oilcloth, from his embrace and offered it to Xiao Moyuan.
“This is… something I risked stealing from one of Xia’s peripheral lairs. Inside, it records fragments of his notes on some of the preliminary preparations for the ‘Blood Moon Feast,’ and… an early sketch he drew, possibly involving a key’s characteristics research. Though incomplete, it should be very valuable to you.”
Xiao Moyuan did not immediately take it, instead carefully scanning it with his spiritual power.
The oilcloth wrapping had faint shielding and residual curses, but the internal items showed no obvious immediate dangerous energy reactions.
“You can take it, as proof of my sincerity.”
The elder placed the item on a relatively flat rock at his feet and retreated a few steps.
“I don’t need you to agree to anything now. You can go back and verify the truth of this information, study these notes. When you feel you can trust me, or… when you find you have no other choice, then come find me.
I will contact you again.”
With that, the elder did not linger. His figure seemed to melt into the shadows, quickly drifting backward. In a few bounds, he vanished into the dark depths of the reefs and waves.
Xiao Moyuan did not pursue. He walked to the rock, first sweeping a purifying talisman light over the oilcloth package to remove any lingering tracking or harmful methods, then picked it up. It felt slightly heavy in his hand.
He did not immediately open it to examine it, but instead looked around again, confirming that the elder had truly left and there were no other ambushes. Then, his figure flickered, and he too departed from the desolate cape.
***
Half an hour later, Xiao Moyuan returned to the apartment.
As he stepped into the alert zone, Hong Luan appeared from the shadows, bowing slightly.
“Young Master, everything is normal. Miss Su’s emotions are mostly stable; she is adjusting in the quiet room.”
Xiao Moyuan nodded, heading directly to the study. Hong Luan automatically remained outside to guard.
Inside the study, Xiao Moyuan activated multiple shielding barriers before placing the oilcloth package on the table and carefully unwrapping it.
Within the oilcloth were a leather-bound notebook with yellowing, tattered pages, and a scroll of equally ancient parchment.
The notebook contained scattered experimental notes, energy calculation formulas, and speculations on the characteristics of a “special bloodline,” all written in elegant yet eerie ancient script.
Words like “fox,” “moon,” and “bloodline key” were mentioned multiple times. Though not directly named, the implication was very clear.
The several testing and guiding methods described in the notes were cruel and bizarre, making Xiao Moyuan’s eyes grow colder and colder.
The parchment was a finely drawn yet somewhat hasty diagram, appearing to be the core of a complex ritual. At its center was a blurred outline of a multi-tailed creature, surrounded by various runes and energy lines.
Small annotations nearby mentioned chilling terms like “life extraction,” “soul synchronization,” and “channel stabilization.”
Though only fragments, they were enough to piece together the tip of Xia’s vast and evil plan.
His target was indeed Su Mian. He intended to use her Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox bloodline as a “key” or “catalyst” to complete a terrifying ritual, likely related to seizing the leyline node’s power and achieving some form of advancement or breakthrough.
And Shen Zhixia was both a tool for preliminary use and a significant “sacrifice” in this ritual.
Xiao Moyuan closed the notebook and rolled up the parchment, a cold light glinting in his eyes.
The elder’s “sincerity” was indeed substantial. It verified many conjectures and revealed even more dangers.
However, the elder’s true purpose remained a mystery. Why was he so eager to obtain the “Withered Heart”? What was so special about that sealed artifact? Was it related to Xia’s plan? And to which faction did the elder belong?
Just then, a soft knock came from the study door, followed by Su Mian’s cautious voice: “Xiao Moyuan? Are you back?”
Xiao Moyuan quickly put away the items, dispelled the barrier, and rose to open the door.
Outside, Su Mian stood in her pajamas, an outer jacket draped over her. Her eyes were red and swollen, clearly indicating she had been crying, yet she forced herself to appear strong.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt? Who… who was the person you met? What did he say?”
She asked anxiously, her voice trembling with urgency. Xiao Moyuan looked at her worried expression, and his hardened heart softened slightly.
He stepped aside to let her in, closed the door, and briefly recounted the details of the night’s meeting.
He omitted the “Withered Heart” and some of the overly cruel specifics, but emphasized the danger of Xia’s plan, Shen Zhixia’s dire situation, and the intelligence gained regarding the leyline node and potential Feast location.
Su Mian listened, her face growing paler, and her body involuntarily trembled, especially when she heard about Xia’s plan.
But upon hearing Shen Zhixia’s current state, like a marionette, her eyes filled with pain and helplessness.
“So… we know more now, but it feels like… we’re even more helpless?” Her voice wavered.
“No.” Xiao Moyuan walked to her, took her cold arms in his hands, and gazed steadily into her eyes.
“Knowing the enemy’s objective, possible steps, and locations is the greatest progress. Passive waiting is over. From now on, we must turn passive into active.”
“Active? How do we become active?” Su Mian looked bewildered.
“First, we verify the intelligence,” Xiao Moyuan stated clearly.
“Hong Luan will immediately mobilize all resources to secretly verify the situation of the underground node and the command post beneath Luoxia Mountain. At the same time, I will contact Hua Liang; he likely knows more about these ancient secrets and leyline matters.
Second, we strengthen your and Lu Yang’s abilities and adaptability training, especially yours. You need to master the methods of protecting and countering bloodline power more quickly.
Third, regarding that sorcerer and the ‘Withered Heart’ he desires, I will investigate through other covert channels to understand what it truly is, and the elder’s real intentions.”
His words were steady and powerful, carrying a confidence that commanded the situation, gradually dispelling the panic in Su Mian’s heart.
“What about… Zhixia? How do we save her?” This was still Su Mian’s primary concern.
Xiao Moyuan paused, then slowly said, “Saving her must be done within the larger framework of disrupting Xia’s plan.
A direct rescue has an extremely low success rate and would alert him. The best timing would be when Xia holds the ‘Feast,’ when his power and focus are most concentrated on the ritual.
At that time, his control over his blood servants might experience a brief gap or weak point, which would be our optimal window to save her and disrupt the ritual.
But this requires the most precise planning, the strongest capabilities, and… a certain amount of luck.”
He looked at Su Mian.
“Therefore, strengthening ourselves, discerning every step of the enemy, and patiently waiting for and creating that ‘window’ is the most practical approach right now. Anxiety and impulsiveness will only make us lose our last chance.”
Su Mian stared at him blankly, digesting the information in his words. Yes, impulsiveness wouldn’t save anyone; it would only drag herself down too.
She had to be calm. She had to become stronger.
“I understand.” She took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound firm. “I will cultivate diligently and follow your arrangements. Together… we will find that window, rescue Zhixia, and stop Xia!”
Light rekindled in her eyes—a glow mixed with worry, determination, and growth.
Xiao Moyuan nodded slightly, releasing her hands. “Go get some rest. A new training plan begins tomorrow.”
Loving this chapter? You'll be hooked on The Aloof Immortal Wife Pushes Me Away, The Yandere Girl Longs for Me to Stay! Click to explore more!
Read : The Aloof Immortal Wife Pushes Me Away, The Yandere Girl Longs for Me to Stay
If You Notice any translation issues or inconsistency in names, genders, or POV etc? Let us know here in the comments or on our Discord server, and we’ll fix it in current and future chapters. Thanks for helping us to improve! 🙂