Chapter 38: A Journey South and Lingering Doubts

Under the night sky, a carriage passed through the gate guard’s inspection and departed from Lianlin City, continuing its journey southward.

“Phew, that scared me! When I saw the guards stop us, I thought we wouldn’t be able to leave again.”

Bai Jiujiu pulled back the curtain, a book in her hand, and peered out at the receding scenery.

She sat inside the carriage, looking rather like a young mistress out for a leisurely excursion.

“Lianlin City’s geographical location is somewhat awkward. It’s nestled between the Great Chu Kingdom and the Wei Kingdom, yet it isn’t a strategically important town. The officials above either collectively forget this city exists, or they issue two different sets of management rules simultaneously. Over time, the guards and city management have become quite lax and negligent.”

Tong Qiu explained to Bai Jiujiu inside the carriage, all while skillfully driving.

She tore off the human skin mask and wig from her face, shaking out her long-restrained gray hair to reveal her original features beneath.

“Fortunately, Xia Ya knows how to make human skin masks. Otherwise, we’d be trapped inside, just like in Chongxi Town.”

“Indeed. My disciple is a shapeshifting fox demon capable of wreaking havoc across the Great Chu Kingdom, yet her esteemed master doesn’t even know the simplest art of disguise…”

“Xia Ya was raised by you, yet you don’t know how to make human skin masks either.”

“Mr. Song taught her, not me.”

‘Hmph.’

Unable to refute Tong Qiu, Bai Jiujiu could only pout and shrink back into the carriage.

A small hand furtively reached out, snatching the human skin mask Tong Qiu had just torn off back into the carriage.

Bai Jiujiu picked up the torn human skin mask, rubbing it between two fingers. Though she sensed no demonic energy within it, it was indistinguishable from real skin.

Truly, people in every world and every era possessed boundless creativity.

Neither Bai Jiujiu nor Tong Qiu knew the art of disguise. They had relied on the temporary human skin masks crafted by the ingenious Xia Ya to deceive the cultivation-less guards.

These so-called human skin masks were actually made from readily available materials like bean curd skin and pigskin.

Xia Ya lacked spiritual roots and thus couldn’t cultivate internal energy to become a cultivator. However, her innate dexterity and wild imagination allowed her to create many strange yet useful items, which led to her becoming Mr. Song’s student and assistant.

This had, in a way, altered the entire life of an ordinary person like her.

Initially, the two had planned to leap over the city walls using the Divine Concealment Spell, but they feared attracting the attention of other cultivators within Lianlin City.

They had no choice but to use the excuse of urgently handling clan matters, employing Xia Ya’s human skin masks to openly depart the city. What ordinary guards would dare provoke high-ranking cultivators? They didn’t even check the civilian register, merely bowing and nodding as they allowed them passage.

‘Disguise?’

Bai Jiujiu set her book aside, idly fiddling with the mask in her hand. Having been torn off, the mask had lost its initial elasticity and adhesion. Before long, it was riddled with holes, leaving traces of residue on Bai Jiujiu’s clean hands.

‘Speaking of which, Ling’er was very similar to Xia Ya at first.’

Xia Ya couldn’t cultivate at all because she lacked spiritual roots. Su Ling’er, born to a deceased mother, had been frail since childhood, making it utterly impossible for her to withstand heavenly tribulations.

“Hehe, Master, look, look! I’ve turned into Fourth Senior Sister!”

Long ago, Su Ling’er, curious about Bai Jiujiu’s so-called ‘makeup art,’ accidentally learned the art of disguise. Not only could she alter her appearance, but she could also mimic a person’s aura and even their demonic techniques.

This thrilled Su Ling’er, who had always harbored a thorn in her heart due to her inability to cultivate.

Despite her lack of cultivation talent, she could still repay her master’s nurturing grace through alternative means.

It wasn’t until four hundred years ago that Su Ling’er’s temperament inexplicably changed drastically, and her bloodline awakened the lineage of the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox.

From then on, her transformation abilities became unstoppable. She could even acquire the memories of those she transformed into. Even in her original form, she could wield the demonic techniques of those she had previously impersonated.

Her monstrous talent was in no way inferior to her four senior sisters, making her the little tyrant of Cloudfall Mountain.

Her detailed exploits involved transforming into her other four senior sisters daily, using various tricks to mock, humiliate, and tease Bai Jiujiu.

Bai Jiujiu refused to believe that mere wriggling toys alone could cause such a drastic, heaven-and-earth difference in Su Ling’er.

She had initially wondered if Su Ling’er had been possessed or swapped out by someone else during her slumber.

However, she quickly dismissed that thought.

At that time, Xia Qiuqian was still on the mountain. Her true form was that of a Nekomata, the strongest sensory demon on Cloudfall Mountain. If Su Ling’er had been possessed, it certainly wouldn’t have escaped her notice.

Tong Qiu’s carriage driving was incredibly skillful; Bai Jiujiu felt no bumps inside the carriage.

Watching the night scenery and feeling the gentle breeze on her face, she began to reflect.

She carefully considered the events of the past two days.

First, on her eight-thousandth birthday, Su Ling’er, after a long absence, came to the mountain and brought Bai Jiujiu the Azure Water Pearl, which could suppress narcolepsy. This filled Bai Jiujiu with ecstasy, and she descended the mountain to Cloudfall Town the very next day.

However, as soon as she entered human society, she heard that she was wanted due to Su Ling’er, and King Chu had even dispatched a hundred thousand soldiers to flatten Cloudfall Mountain.

In Chongxi Town, she personally killed Long Zhi, the little demon she had raised, and learned about the secret plot Su Ling’er and Bai Jiu’er had conspired together for her two hundred years ago.

Then, she discovered that her second disciple, Qingqing, was still alive in this world. But before she could fully grasp the implications, her memories were abruptly cut short.

Bai Jiujiu frowned slightly, closing her eyes in confusion and shaking her head gently.

She felt as though she had forgotten something crucial…

Now, she also learned that Tong Qiu was being hunted by the Demon Suppression Bureau alongside her, and Su Ling’er had been abducted by a great demon and was likely trapped in Qingqiu.

“Ahhh, there are so many things!”

Bai Jiujiu felt her head might explode; the events of these past two days surpassed everything she had experienced in the last thousand years. Ever since descending the mountain, she constantly felt a large net hanging over her head, ready to drop and ensnare her at any moment.

‘Had I known this, I would have stayed on the mountain. I wouldn’t have let those unruly disciples go down the mountain; they should have stayed by my side and accompanied me!’

‘Look, how many years has Su Ling’er been off the mountain? Not even five hundred, and she’s already caused her master so much trouble!’

Bai Jiujiu’s mood was irritable, and she no longer felt like gazing at the scenery outside. She pulled down the curtain and leaned against the wall, sighing to herself.

“By the way, Tong Qiu, you said you’d read the poems on our bodies?”

The more irritated Bai Jiujiu felt, the more she wanted to find someone to talk to and confide in. She had been like this in her previous life; although she stayed cooped up at home all day, she always wanted to eat and drink with friends.

Ultimately, the person sitting across from her was usually the owner of the downstairs barbecue stall.

In her previous life, she had no one to confide in or chat with…

She had always been alone.

“That’s right,” Tong Qiu said, picking up the hip flask at her waist and taking two gulps. “I learned them in my first year at the Demon Suppression Bureau when I was little.”

“Then who wrote them…? They feel rather good.”

‘Poems that shouldn’t exist in this era… could there truly be other transmigrators?’

“Oh, you mean that? The person who wrote these two poems was a wandering chivalrous hero from the Carefree Continent in the east, four thousand years ago. He later became the ninth sect master of the Carefree Sect.”

“As for his name, I remember it was Jiuyue. I think he shares your surname, Bai Jiuyue.”

Tong Qiu took another swig of wine.

“Could you be more specific?”

“Detailed accounts are quite scarce here, after all, the Carefree Continent is separated from us by an entire ocean.”

‘So that’s how it is. It’s really far away…’

‘Then it’s decided! After I drag Su Ling’er back to the mountain, I’ll completely seal off the mountain gate. I’ll never think of descending again!’

Holding onto the principle of ‘not my business, not my problem,’ Bai Jiujiu finally relaxed.

‘Who cares how many transmigrators appear? What does that have to do with me?’

‘I’ll just honestly return to my mountain, honestly dig a hole, and sleep!’

Bai Jiujiu caught a whiff of alcohol and poked her head out the window.

“You’re drunk driving.”

“It’s fine, I can force the alcohol out with my spiritual energy.”

“Don’t drink anymore. If the carriage overturns, I won’t save you.”

“Who needs saving from you?”

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