Chapter 69

"This disciple is unwilling to go," Lin Yu repeated.

The Xianzun's expression turned serious. "Why?"

Lin Yu glanced uneasily at the group of closed-door disciples. The Xianzun wouldn't gather all his trump cards for a single mission just for her to command. These disciples were his aces, bound to be crucial. And Lin Yu wanted to know exactly how many closed-door disciples the Xianzun had, and where they usually operated.

"I'm afraid I'm not up to the task. If anything goes wrong, wouldn't I be dragging all these senior brothers and sisters down with me?"

Lin Yu continued, "The night I accidentally entered the Ghost Realm, I saw the Ghost King Zhu You in person. Not only is he fierce-looking, but he also has the two divine beasts Bai Ze and Di Ting guarding him. So this trip is bound to be dangerous."

The Xianzun looked down on the Ghost King, so Lin Yu deliberately exaggerated his image, painting him as a fierce and powerful foe, all to keep the Xianzun from underestimating him.

Hearing this, the Xianzun fell into thought for a moment. "Di Ting and Bai Ze... it's been years since I last heard their names. If they've been lurking in the shadows guarding that lowly Ghost Tribe member, then things really are a bit troublesome."

"Yan Yi, come here."

At the call, a tall man walked up to the Xianzun. He kept his eyes lowered to the ground. "Your orders, please."

The Xianzun casually handed him a token. "Take my token and summon fifty more men. Have them lure away Di Ting and Bai Ze, and the rest will go kill that Ghost Tribe scum."

"Yes." The man called Yan Yi accepted the token with both hands respectfully, then strode off into the night.

According to the Xianzun's plan, he was sending a total of a hundred men with Lin Yu to the Earth Immortal Temple to kill the Ghost King. The fact that he could so readily dispatch a hundred men meant the number of closed-door disciples he possessed far exceeded that.

But Lin Yu keenly noticed something subtle—he said "summon more men back," not "call people over." That meant that aside from those in the hall, the Divine Mountain currently didn't have many people left, not enough to fill the gap of fifty, which was why he needed to summon them from elsewhere.

If someone were to come assassinate the Xianzun right now, fewer than fifty men would be guarding his safety.

"These disciples of mine are all geniuses," the Xianzun's voice drifted over lightly. "You don't need to worry about them. Even if Di Ting and Bai Ze show up together, they can hold them off and kill Zhu You under their protection. A hundred men will be more than enough for you."

Lin Yu curved her lips into a smile. "Yes, thank you, Xianzun. This disciple will surely fulfill your commission."

"Alright, it's getting late. Go on back. I still have matters to discuss with them. Tomorrow is the first day of the new year. Come after noon to practice your techniques with your senior brothers and sisters. They'll be coordinating with you."

Lin Yu lowered her head in acknowledgment, bid farewell politely to the Xianzun and everyone in the hall, then left.

As she stepped outside, the heavy doors slowly shut behind her, and the voices within were no longer audible. Lin Yu didn't linger. She headed back toward her quarters.

Night had only just fallen, not long ago. There was no moon in the sky, only thick, heavy clouds. Standing atop the towering peak, she could clearly see the myriad lights of households far below the mountain.

Points of light spread across the earth, illuminating thousands of doors. Dark fireworks were already beginning to bloom in the pitch-black sky. A new year was about to begin.

...

"Hahaha, do you know, that Immortal Lord He has really gone mad now. These past few days he's been frantically recruiting followers, promising that anyone willing to offer themselves as sacrifices would immediately become his immortal attendants. Who'd have thought he'd come to this, hahaha!"

As soon as Lin Yu entered, she saw the Snow God rolling on the ground laughing, its snow-white fur scuffed with dust.

"Why does he need willing sacrifices so urgently?" Lin Yu took off her cloak and asked casually.

The great cat rolled once on the floor before padding over to Lin Yu's feet. It hadn't shifted back to human form, still in its cat shape. "Because he's afraid his death is near! He's a god of fated love, not like those War Gods. Immortal Lord He has low combat power and hardly anyone around him. He can't find protection on short notice, so he can only scrounge up a few immortal attendants. And the quickest way for a deity to get immortal attendants is to have followers offer themselves as sacrifices."

"After a follower dies, the immortal can go collect their soul, then bring it up to the Nine Heavens and awaken it as the lowest class of immortal attendant. It's the only shortcut for mortals to ascend to the Nine Heavens. But attendants recruited this way are utterly useless. In life they were mortals with no cultivation, and there's no time to learn now. They can only serve tea and water; they can't accomplish anything major."

Lin Yu was reminded of the common folk's belief that devout followers ascend to the Nine Heavens after death. The truth was nothing like that. If no deity came to awaken them, no matter how sincere their faith, they had thrown their lives away for nothing.

"Besides, awakening followers to the Nine Heavens drains a deity's cultivation. It's such a thankless task that almost no one does it. What Immortal Lord He wants now is..." The great cat flopped onto its back, pawing at its belly, as if searching for the right words.

"He's afraid he can't beat Lin Jiyue, so he wants to overwhelm her with numbers? To intimidate her? Safety in numbers—he's trying to scare her off?"

"Intimidate?" Lin Yu let out a light laugh.

"Right, right. Everyone says Lin Jiyue died long ago, but he's the only one who doesn't believe it. He's terrified she'll come for him. Lately he hasn't been making appearances at his temples; he's holed up in a cave dwelling on Changguang Mountain instead."

The place Immortal Lord He frequented most was his Fated Love Temples in Heyang and Changxin. Ever since Lin Yu learned the origin of that dream, she knew she'd have to eliminate him sooner or later. If he could get his hands on a fate ledger, who knew what else he might obtain to use against her.

It was like a cycle of cause and effect. Because of a prophetic dream, two strangers with no grievances became mortal enemies. To prevent the ending in his dream, Immortal Lord He was bent on finding and killing her.

And now Lin Yu had to deal with him as soon as possible.

Previously, even if she'd wanted to strike, the distance had been too great—a thousand miles wasn't so easily crossed. But now that Immortal Lord He had retreated to Changguang Mountain, an ancient peak in Mu City less than a hundred li from the Imperial City, he'd delivered himself right to her doorstep.

The great cat was still chattering on endlessly. It jumped from the floor onto a chair. "Serves him right for always looking down on me. Now it's his turn to be in trouble. I want to go watch him squirm, hahaha. Just thinking about it is satisfying."

"How do you know where he is?" Lin Yu countered. "Haven't you been away from the Nine Heavens for a long time? How are you so familiar with what those people are up to?"

"Because I have a grudge against him! He goes too far! Not a single move of his escapes my close watch. I'm always monitoring him." The great cat huffed indignantly, its nose scrunching up. Lin Yu hadn't expected to see an angry expression on a cat's face.

The great cat quickly grinned again. "He's been sending out his secret letters everywhere these days. He sends them to any deity he sees, not caring who it is, trying to borrow their artifacts, generals, or spirit beasts. But nobody pays him any mind."

"Then your Nine Heavens really isn't united. When one side is in trouble, everyone on all sides laughs."

"That's just how they are. On the surface they're all polite, but deep down everyone's wishing for the other's early death. Why do you think I couldn't fit in and came to find you?"

"Lin Yu! You're back!" The conversation was suddenly interrupted by a cheerful child's voice. Chen Lu spotted Lin Yu from afar and ran toward her excitedly. At the sound of Chen Lu's voice, the great cat nearly toppled off the chair in fright; Lin Yu steadied it, and it scrambled clumsily back up.

"Come on, let's go eat! Sister Yulin made a whole table of food!" Chen Lu grabbed Lin Yu's hand and pulled her outside, humming a cheerful tune, the smile on her face uncontainable.

The Snow God hopped off the chair and followed at their feet as they walked out.

Zhang Yulin had already set out the bowls and chopsticks. Seeing the cat behind Lin Yu, a smile spread across her face as she reached out to grab it. "Where did this cat come from? I saw it yesterday, but it ran away the moment it saw me."

This time, the Snow God didn't dodge. Zhang Yulin bent down and scooped up the hefty cat. The Snow God wore a look of utter resignation as it nestled in her arms and let out a listless "meow."

At the meow, Zhang Yulin loved the cat even more. She hugged it, kissed it on the forehead, and started rubbing the soft flesh of its belly. The grin on her face was barely contained. "What does such a fat cat eat to get this big?"

Lin Yu coughed lightly on the side, feeling a bit guilty. "It was born this fat... I think?"

The Snow God endured being kissed and petted for a long while before finally having enough. It let out a "mrowr" and leapt onto the table.

Chen Lu held out her bowl and chopsticks. "It seems hungry. Let's eat!"

So the three of them and one cat sat down, and the atmosphere carried a strange sort of warmth.

Looking out at the night, Zhang Yulin suddenly remembered, "There's been no snow this New Year. In past years, it always snowed on this day."

Lin Yu glanced at the great cat, who was perched at one corner of the table gnawing on a piece of fish Chen Lu had given it, completely ignoring their conversation as it buried its head in eating. She agreed, "Perhaps it's not that cold this year. Maybe it'll snow a bit later."

By the time dinner was finished, it was already the hour of xu. After seeing Zhang Yulin off, Lin Yu returned to her room and changed into a light set of dark clothes. Chen Lu hugged the cat at the door, watching her curiously. "Are you going out?"

"Yes. Stay put and don't run around." Lin Yu gathered the hair at the back of her head. Before leaving, she looked at the night sky, then grabbed an umbrella from by the door and slipped away silently.

After midnight, many disciples had gathered outside, releasing lanterns and praying to the gods. No one noticed a woman in dark robes passing behind them. A deep, resonant bell tolled from the mountaintop. After the twelfth chime, Lin Yu vanished into the night.

She was going to the Earth Immortal Temple again. The Xianzun wanted the Ghost King dead quickly, but before he was eliminated, Lin Yu planned to meet him and pry some information out of him. After all, killing a god and then impersonating him—such a fantastical feat he'd pulled off—made him a rare talent worth recruiting.

Now, Lin Yu knew Zhu You's identity and schemes, while Zhu You only took her for an ordinary deity. She could use that gap in information to bluff him.

Lin Yu left the Divine Mountain without obstruction. The cold wind howled past, and the moon, long absent, finally made an appearance.

A slanting beam of moonlight stretched her shadow out long and thin.

Just as she neared the outskirts of the city, Lin Yu sensed something wrong. There was no one around, no houses either, but she detected a very, very faint sound of breathing.

It was so close—right by her ear, it seemed, rising and falling. Lin Yu's back went stiff in an instant, and she fought to control her own breath until it was nearly imperceptible, trying to locate the source of the extra breathing.

"Swoosh!"

She summoned her bone whip and lashed out toward the direction of the sound!

"Don't hit me! It's me!"

But his words came too late—or perhaps Lin Yu's whip had simply been too fast. Di Ting, caught off guard, was sent sprawling to the ground!

He yelped in pain. "Ow ow ow, you..."

Lin Yu stood aside, expressionless, watching him writhe. Seeing that Di Ting made no move to get up on his own, she said, "If you don't get up, I'll whip you again."

She raised the whip as if to strike again. Di Ting caught the movement from the corner of his eye and immediately scrambled to his feet. He was somewhat aggrieved. "You hit me, and you won't even help me up!"

Lin Yu: "Oh."

With that, she turned and kept walking. The Earth Immortal Temple was already very close—just another stick of incense's worth of time and she'd be there. She said to Di Ting behind her, "Keep up."

"How do you know where I'm going?"

"You followed me down the Divine Mountain in the dead of night all the way here. Are you not going to see your Ghost King?"

Di Ting suddenly remembered something. "You say you're a divine maiden, but you're impersonating some immortal, huh."

That Di Ting knew her identity was within Lin Yu's expectations. She didn't know when he'd appeared beside her, but he'd been following her for at least a while. She didn't respond, and Di Ting didn't press further.

His head was simple, and Lin Yu couldn't be bothered to waste effort deceiving him.

When the Earth Immortal Temple came into view, Di Ting suddenly grew flustered. He grabbed Lin Yu's arm and pulled her back a few steps. Lin Yu was bewildered. "What are you doing?"

"Can I turn into an accessory on you?" Di Ting asked.

"Fine." Lin Yu hadn't intended for Di Ting to meet the Ghost King directly anyway. If they came face to face, her plan would surely be exposed, and she'd be throwing her life away.

Di Ting sized up Lin Yu. It was only then he noticed she wore no accessories at all—utterly plain, not even a hairpin, let alone jade pendants or swaying hair ornaments. If he abruptly turned into some piece of jewelry, it would look jarring.

"I mean, you've made it to the position of Divine Maiden, and you still go out looking this shabby." Di Ting grumbled casually.

"Can't help it. Heaven's Mandate Tower is going under. We've got it rough." Lin Yu made it up on the spot.

Di Ting stared at the faint red mark between Lin Yu's brows, thinking for a moment, then transformed into a pale-colored forehead ornament that dangled between her brows.

Lin Yu said nothing. With a light step, she walked into the Earth Immortal Temple. Soon, the golden deity statue sitting cross-legged came back into view.

It was New Year's Eve, past midnight. Since leaving the Divine Mountain, Lin Yu hadn't run into a single person, and the Earth Immortal Temple was empty, not a soul in sight.

The dim candlelight mingled with incense smoke, lighting the temple brightly. She casually picked up three sticks of incense and lit them against the flame.

The moment the sparks caught, a familiar voice came from above.

"So it's you."