Chapter 263 - The Sleeping Gu and Hidden Movements

Chapter 263: Chapter 263 - The Sleeping Gu and Hidden Movements

From a distance, the scene would have looked considerably less peaceful than it actually was.

Ning Shuang had one hand twisted into the front of Su Bai’s robe as she carried him through the air. Her expression remained as cold as it had been on the battlefield.

Anyone watching from behind would have assumed she was dragging away an unfortunate witness before disposing of him somewhere private.

Su Bai knew otherwise.

The hand gripping his collar barely used any force.

Even the cold Qi surrounding Ning Shuang had spread beneath him, quietly supporting his weight so that the flight would not leave him hanging painfully from his robes.

Su Bai glanced at the fingers holding his collar before looking at Ning Shuang’s face.

She was certainly committed to the appearance.

Neither of them spoke until the battlefield had disappeared completely from his spiritual sense.

Ning Shuang continued farther still, crossing two low ridges before descending into a narrow valley hidden between rocky slopes. Only after confirming that the surroundings were empty did she finally land.

Her feet touched the ground.

Su Bai had barely steadied himself when Ning Shuang released his collar and stepped away.

The transformation was immediate.

The emotionless woman who had commanded demonic cultivators through a bloody battle seemed to disappear.

Ning Shuang turned toward him, and the moment their eyes met properly, the composure she had maintained until now began to crumble.

"Brother Su Bai, what you saw earlier wasn’t what it looked like."

The words came out much faster than her battlefield commands.

Su Bai blinked.

Ning Shuang continued before he could respond.

"The people living around that area evacuated some time ago. Those men weren’t residents, and they weren’t ordinary travelers either. They’ve been taking advantage of the conflict and attack anyone who still passes through."

Her brows drew together.

"They even dressed some of their people like demonic cultivators afterward so the attacks would be blamed on nearby demonic factions."

Su Bai watched her quietly.

Ning Shuang seemed to notice how quickly she was speaking, but instead of stopping, she added, "We weren’t attacking innocent people."

Only after saying that did she fall silent.

Her gaze drifted away from his.

The decisive field leader from moments ago suddenly seemed much younger.

Su Bai finally understood what had bothered her from the moment she recognized him.

She was afraid he had misunderstood.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"You don’t have to explain yourself to me."

Ning Shuang looked back at him.

Su Bai raised a hand and rested it lightly on her shoulder.

"I believe you."

For a moment, Ning Shuang simply stared at him.

The tension in her shoulders slowly eased.

She had imagined meeting Su Bai again more times than she cared to admit.

Sometimes she had wondered whether he would still remember her. At other times, she had worried that the next time they met, circumstances might place them on opposite sides before either of them had a chance to speak.

Yet after all these months, he had looked at her once and trusted her exactly as he had before.

Ning Shuang lowered her eyes before the relief on her face became too obvious.

There were very few people in her life whom she could speak to without first considering what they wanted from her.

Su Bai had been the strangest exception.

He knew she belonged to the Abyssal Lotus Sect. He knew what kind of things that sect did.

But, he had still treated her as a person.

That alone had made their brief encounter difficult to forget.

Ning Shuang was about to say something when her attention shifted back to him more carefully.

Her expression changed.

The relief vanished and was replaced by concern.

"Brother Su Bai..."

Su Bai raised an eyebrow.

Ning Shuang stepped closer and examined him from head to toe.

The more she looked, the deeper her frown became.

"What happened to your cultivation?"

Su Bai immediately understood.

Ning Shuang’s eyes moved over his pale face before returning to his body.

"I can barely feel anything from you."

Her worry visibly increased.

"Were you injured? Did something happen to your foundation?"

She reached toward his wrist, apparently intending to check his condition herself.

Su Bai gently caught her hand before she could.

"There is no need to worry."

Ning Shuang looked unconvinced.

"My cultivation is merely difficult to sense right now," Su Bai explained. "Nothing happened to my foundation."

She studied his face closely.

Ning Shuang had always been observant. Even during their first meeting, once the fear and embarrassment settled, she had been surprisingly good at noticing changes in his expression and intentions.

After several breaths, she finally relaxed.

"You really aren’t injured?"

"Not in the way you’re thinking."

That answer made her suspicious again.

Su Bai smiled faintly.

"I can still fly, fight, and travel without anyone carrying me."

Ning Shuang looked down at the collar she had just used to drag him across several ridges.

A trace of embarrassment crossed her face.

"I wasn’t carrying you because I thought you couldn’t fly."

"I know."

Her ears reddened slightly.

Su Bai decided not to make things worse.

Instead, he looked at her more carefully.

"Your cultivation improved quite a bit."

Ning Shuang brightened immediately.

"Thanks to what happened last time, cultivation became much easier afterward. I reached the Ninth Stage of Foundation Establishment recently."

There was unmistakable pride in her voice, although she tried to keep it restrained.

Su Bai nodded.

"It also looks like your position inside the Abyssal Lotus Sect changed."

Her expression shifted.

"I’ve been given command over a small group. Most of what we’re assigned are minor missions."

Su Bai caught the hesitation immediately.

"Minor missions?"

Ning Shuang opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

The color in her face faded slightly.

She closed her mouth again and gave him an apologetic look before raising one hand toward her chest.

Two fingers rested over her heart.

Su Bai’s expression changed.

He remembered immediately.

The Heart-Sealing Blood Gu.

When they had separated, he had given Ning Shuang every remaining pouch of Withered Weeds Ash he possessed. It had been enough to force the Gu into a temporary coma whenever she needed a period of freedom.

Judging by her reaction now, that solution was no longer available.

"The ash ran out?"

Ning Shuang nodded reluctantly.

"A while ago."

Su Bai frowned.

His gaze settled briefly on her chest.

He could probably attempt something else with his current abilities, but experimenting on a Gu attached directly to Ning Shuang’s heart without understanding the consequences would be idiotic.

If he made a mistake, Ning Shuang would be the one paying for it.

Su Bai dismissed the idea for now.

He would need another source of Withered Weeds Ash or an equally reliable substitute.

Fortunately, he remembered where he had obtained it.

A slight detour might solve that problem later.

Across from him, Ning Shuang had been quietly watching his face.

She knew why Su Bai had probably stopped after seeing her.

Their last meeting had made his intentions clear enough.

He wanted information.

Ning Shuang had known even then that he was carefully extracting everything useful she could safely provide.

She had never resented him for it.

If anything, she had willingly made the process easier once she realized what he was trying to learn.

The alternative was allowing the Abyssal Lotus Sect to continue doing whatever it wanted without anyone outside understanding how it operated.

What worried her was whether the Gu had now made her useless to him.

Su Bai noticed the change in her expression.

"You don’t need to look like that."

Ning Shuang blinked.

"I was thinking."

"You looked like you were waiting for me to be disappointed."

Her lips parted slightly.

Su Bai had apparently guessed correctly.

He sighed.

"Sister Ning Shuang, I didn’t stop because I expected you to hand me every secret of the Abyssal Lotus Sect."

That was only partially true.

Information had certainly been one of the reasons.

But expecting her to casually risk having her heart devoured by a Gu would have been unreasonable.

Ning Shuang’s gaze softened.

Su Bai continued, "It would be useful if we could speak freely again, but there is no reason to force it."

He paused before adding, "It would also be good if we had another chance to meet after this."

Ning Shuang froze.

For some reason, that sentence landed very differently from everything before it.

Her eyes shifted away from him.

A faint red color appeared along her cheeks.

Su Bai watched her reaction and wondered whether he had phrased something strangely.

Before he could reconsider it, Ning Shuang spoke.

"If that’s what Brother Su Bai wants, I might be able to arrange it."

Su Bai’s eyes immediately brightened.

"Excellent."

Ning Shuang stared at him.

The redness on her face faded almost as quickly as it had appeared.

For a moment, she seemed unsure whether to be relieved or disappointed.

Su Bai did not notice.

His thoughts had already moved toward the practical possibilities.

Ning Shuang sighed softly.

"You haven’t changed very much."

Su Bai looked at her.

"I’ve changed considerably."

Ning Shuang’s gaze moved toward his pale face.

"Your complexion disagrees."

Su Bai fell silent.

After spending the entire journey discovering the unexpected advantages of looking half-dead, he was beginning to think his complexion had developed a personality of its own.

Ning Shuang’s lips curved slightly.

It was the first genuine smile he had seen from her since they separated.

Su Bai found himself smiling as well.

However, neither of them had forgotten why they were standing there.

Ning Shuang looked toward the direction of the battlefield.

"Even with the Gu awake, I can still answer some things."

Su Bai’s attention sharpened.

"Like last time?"

She nodded.

"If a question doesn’t touch anything the Gu considers forbidden, I can answer normally. If it does, I’ll stop."

Su Bai considered that.

It was inconvenient, but hardly useless.

In fact, he had already dealt with exactly the same restriction once before.

He had simply needed to ask better questions.

"All right."

Ning Shuang straightened slightly.

The remaining embarrassment faded as her expression became attentive.

Su Bai did not begin by asking what the Abyssal Lotus Sect was planning.

That would probably be the fastest possible way to make the Gu react.

Instead, he started somewhere much safer.

"Have you been traveling often recently?"

Ning Shuang nodded.

"Much more than before."

"Mostly alone?"

"No. Usually with small groups like the one you saw."

"Are many other groups doing the same?"

Ning Shuang paused briefly.

"Yes."

No reaction from the Gu.

Su Bai continued.

"More than there were several months ago?"

"Considerably more."

That was useful.

"Are most of those groups staying in one area?"

Ning Shuang’s expression tightened slightly.

She stopped before answering.

Su Bai noticed immediately and changed direction.

"Have things been this busy everywhere you’ve gone?"

Ning Shuang thought about it.

"Not everywhere. But some places that used to be quiet have seen a lot more cultivators passing through recently."

Su Bai’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Enough for you to notice?"

"Yes."

That was already useful.

Places that normally saw little activity did not suddenly become busy for no reason.

Su Bai did not know what was drawing so many cultivators there yet, but it was enough to make those areas worth paying attention to.

Ning Shuang seemed to realize where his thoughts were going.