Chapter 222: Test

The younger disciples nodded slowly. A strange kind of awe filled them, as if they had witnessed not just the rise of one man, but of a pair who could shake the heavens.

Once they were clear of the crowd, Yun Shu exhaled loudly, breaking the silence.

“Well! That was dramatic.” She stretched her arms, tilting her head toward Bai Yunxian. “So, how does it feel? Going from the bottom of Golden Core to knocking on Nascent Soul’s door? Satisfied?”

His lips curved slightly, the faintest of smiles breaking his icy façade. “Not yet. When I break through fully, then I’ll be satisfied.”

Yun Shu rolled her eyes, though her heart swelled with warmth. “Insatiable cultivators, the lot of you.”

He glanced at her sidelong, his gaze lingering. “You’re pleased?”

“Of course I’m pleased,” she replied without hesitation. “Who else could protect me better than a man one step away from Nascent Soul?”

The faintest chuckle slipped from his throat, low and deep. It was rare, so rare that Yun Shu found herself blinking in surprise. But then he looked ahead again, his expression resuming its usual cold serenity.

Yet for Yun Shu, that tiny sound was enough.

Because it meant she wasn’t alone in her joy.

They had left victorious.

The forest path stretched quietly under the pale light of dawn. Mist curled around the roots of ancient trees, muffling the sound of footsteps. Yun Shu strolled alongside Bai Yunxian, hands clasped behind her back, humming faintly as if the world had just offered her a festival.

To anyone else, it would look like a ridiculous scene, the rumored icy and untouchable Palace Lord walking shoulder to shoulder with a chattering, sweet-faced woman who could not keep her mouth still. He was silent as ever as she filled the silence with laughter and questions he never answered.

But beneath the calm surface, currents moved unseen.

Bai Yunxian’s gaze lingered on her profile as she leaned close to examine a dew-speckled flower growing by the path, her lips curving with a smile too bright, too careless.

Something didn’t fit.

This “Miss Li” was too bold, too unafraid in his presence. Too familiar with his habits. And earlier, when she whispered a strange word that no cultivator here had ever heard, and the so-called “divine brick” had responded, his heart had clenched with recognition.

Lord Yun.

The one who had shielded him from afar, whose voice had carried through mist and steel alike. The one he had begun to suspect was more phantom than reality.

Could it truly be him?

No, he had already received a message scroll, confirming Lord Yun was still in the capital. He had read it twice, his heart strangely heavy both times.

But still. Something gnawed at him.

And Bai Yunxian was not a man who ignored the gnawing of his instincts.

By the time the sun had risen higher, they reached a quiet clearing where the Palace guards were waiting. Bai Yunxian lifted a hand slightly, signaling them to remain back. He wanted this moment private.

Yun Shu tilted her head. “What’s this? Giving me special treatment, Palace Lord?”

He ignored her playful tone, turning his wrist. A faint golden light rippled as a small creature emerged from his storage ring.

A fox.

Its fur shimmered with alternating streaks of deep scarlet and pale silver, eyes like twin embers glowing faintly in the shade. The moment it landed on the mossy ground, the air shifted, its aura marked it as no ordinary beast, but a demon fox, refined by centuries of cultivation and bonded to Bai Yunxian since his early years.

Yun Shu froze for a fraction of a breath. Not out of fear of the fox itself, but because she recognized it. The fox that she picked herself and gave to him as a gift, to raise it like a spiritual pet, his loyal companion, a spiritual beast that not only guarded him but also carried out subtle tests of loyalty on those around him.

And now… its sharp eyes were fixed entirely on her.

“Little thing,” Yun Shu cooed, crouching slightly, her disguise still perfectly in place. “What a beautiful pet you have, Palace Lord. Does it bite?”

The fox flicked its tail once, stepping forward with slow grace. Its nose twitched, its aura expanding slightly to probe her. Yun Shu felt the delicate brush of spiritual sense, the beast’s instinct trying to peel away the thin layers of her disguise.

’So… he suspects me?’

Her heart fluttered at the thought, but only for a moment. She wasn’t about to give herself away over something like this.

As the fox leaned closer, Yun Shu’s spiritual sense flared invisibly, like a razor pressed against a soft throat. Only the fox felt it, and its body went rigid in an instant. Its tail stiffened, eyes widening as though it had just brushed against the edge of an abyss.

To the others, it would seem like nothing happened. But to the fox, it was as if it had been caught by a predator far beyond its ability to resist.

“Careful now,” Yun Shu whispered sweetly, her lips still curved in a smile as she reached out and patted its head lightly. “Pretty pets should know their place. If you keep sniffing too hard, you might find something you don’t want to.”

The fox shivered. Its ears flattened against its skull. For the first time in decades, it slunk backward, hiding behind Bai Yunxian’s legs.

Yun Shu straightened, brushing imaginary dust from her skirt, her expression innocent as dew.

“Your fox doesn’t seem to like me very much,” she said, tilting her head at Bai Yunxian. “What a shame. I was going to offer it some treats.”

His gaze sharpened, lingering on her with a weight that could cut stone. He reached down, stroking the fox’s head lightly, his eyes never leaving her.

The fox trembled beneath his touch.

“Strange,” Bai Yunxian murmured. “He rarely reacts like this. It seems you’ve frightened him.”

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