Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was no difficult feat for Shui Miao.
Moreover, Shui Miao had even changed his voice, making it impossible for them to recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled and slightly embarrassed. He didn’t believe he had misseen things earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have been mistaken?”
The developer muttered softly to himself.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two showed no further reaction, he pretended to be on a phone call and left.
After exiting the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and hurried back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her companions had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and Xiao Hong immediately confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train. Originally named Shui Miao, he now went by Zhang Ling… Xiao Hong’s words left Jiang Zhihao deeply perplexed. His master must have been here, but his master had been with him all this time—when could he have gone to Miaojiang?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao quickly ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently needed to figure out where things had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the Black Snake Demon, and together they rushed to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the Black Snake Demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus troupe? Are we just letting him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him to turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the Black Snake Demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the impostor White Lady and would capture her first to clarify the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng broke into the treasure vault and saw a female ghost in white robes preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion and the fact that the hidden Five Elements Formation outside remained untriggered and unresponsive, the white-robed ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! How many times do I have to tell you? Why can’t you remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You are the impostors. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor showing any urgency to subdue the white-robed ghost. “Not bad. It’s been decades, but this place remains unchanged. However, compared to before, the immortal aura is gone, leaving only Yin energy.”
“Th-That’s impossible! Master only took the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed ghost shook her head in disbelief and suddenly summoned a sword, pointing it at Bai Feng. “Who are you, really?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to look at the white-robed ghost and smiled faintly, completely unfazed by the blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing no reaction from the ghost, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clarify things instead of guessing blindly.”
“…”
Uncertain of the other’s origins, the white-robed ghost could only watch Bai Feng warily, maintaining a high level of vigilance.
“Let me ask you: Have you always been here? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago—were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently followed Master here. Before that, Master was always with me.” Unwilling to be outdone, the white-robed ghost retorted, “You claim to be Master’s disciple. Were you always here before?”
“No, I was in Miaojiang. Master met me when she traveled there. She gave me a bit of Yin Saint’s Essence, and I was so grateful that I took her as my master. At that time, I had only been a female ghost for a few years. Now, almost five hundred years have passed. But over all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“…”
Sensing that Bai Feng was not lying, the white-robed ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the northeast. I also met Master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint’s Essence too, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. However, Master has always traveled the world with us. It was only recently that she brought us here.” The white-robed ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why Master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never truly considered me her disciple. I was just a pawn to her.” Bai Feng sighed sadly. “By the way, is the Master you met like this?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. My Master isn’t this delicate or gentle. She is incredibly powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed ghost transformed into the appearance of the Master she knew.
“I see!”
Upon witnessing the form the white-robed ghost had assumed, Bai Feng suddenly comprehended. “The Master has long since mastered the art of creating doppelgängers. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul roamed the world. That is why she has always been by your side. Yet, I am perplexed: if the Master’s Heavenly Soul has ascended to the immortal realm, where has her Earth Soul gone? Could it be that her souls have merged and together ventured into the immortal realm to seek vengeance on that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately testing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed ghost would never reveal the truth.
Hearing this, the white-robed ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, Master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he forgot all about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess was correct!
She felt a surge of excitement. Unexpectedly, her master had indeed gone to the immortal realm for revenge. After a pause, Bai Feng added, “I think… Master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away to avoid dragging us into this…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed ghost sheathed her sword. “Senior Sister, is the Xiao Shui you mentioned a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why? Did Master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about Xiao Shui? How could you be so foolish as to try to possess him? He has the Spirit Marshal’s protective jade pendant on him.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But Master said that Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone impersonated him before then, we were to kill them. How was I to know you’d return so soon? Without the Spirit Marshal’s jade pendant on him, I’d still be doubting whether you were the ones Master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed ghost mistook the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit Marshal’s jade pendant.
“…”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that Master truly didn’t want to involve them?
“By the way, why did Master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside from seeking revenge in the immortal realm, does Master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Sigh!”
The white-robed ghost sat on the stone stool next to Bai Feng and said anxiously, “It’s all because Master said Shui Miao is a man of great destiny. We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the immortal realm. That’s why we’ve been working tirelessly to build temples and shrines for him everywhere. Master told us fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly support her. If she fails in her revenge, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was this a misunderstanding, but it also cost the lives of my two sisters!”
The white-robed ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to be this way. Her master had made such arrangements not out of heartlessness but out of deep loyalty and affection.
“By the way, Senior Sister, do you know who Master’s enemy is?” The white-robed ghost suddenly grew mysterious.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Master never said.”
“Let me tell you: it’s actually the Spirit Marshal of the immortal realm.” The white-robed ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng frozen in shock, the white-robed ghost suddenly manifested a crimson dagger. Taking advantage of the moment, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul!
“Ah! Junior Sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin power.
“Hahahaha…”
The white-robed ghost burst into maniacal laughter. Her form shifted, transforming into an old woman in black robes. She glared at Bai Feng with a sinister grin. “Junior Sister? Who is your junior sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother, with eight hundred years of cultivation. How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you know? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew increasingly weak.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, since you’re so devoted to your master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your junior sister but your master’s sister. The only difference is that she goes by ‘White’ and I go by ‘Black.’ After she left for the immortal realm, she entrusted this place to me. I collect incense offerings for her and help her establish a foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she provides me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. You and that wretched boy Shui Miao are merely pawns in our game. Now that we’re done using you, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson serpent.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait! If you want to kill me, why the rush? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know about them in advance? Don’t you care?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. So what if they died? They were just pawns. Why would I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve dismissively.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“That’s none of your concern. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson serpent shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly and suddenly waved her hand. A black sword sliced the crimson serpent in two.
“Th-This… is this the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was remarkably knowledgeable, recognizing that the black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached to pull out the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Hahahaha…”
The Black Mountain Mother laughed maniacally again. “Overestimating yourself! Hahaha… Did you think you were the only one with a treasured sword? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces your soul, it won’t come out until it has drained all your Yin power. I should thank you! Even in death, you’ve gifted me a great treasure. The Raksha Soul-Severing Sword will belong to me, the Black Mountain Mother! Hahaha…”
“Hmph!”
To her surprise, Bai Feng smirked again. She suddenly took out a black Yin Saint’s Essence and swallowed it. Her soul instantly returned to its peak state. “Black Mountain Mother, I have plenty of Yin Saint’s Essence left. Feel free to try and take it!” As she spoke, Bai Feng used the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword to strike the Soul-Devouring Dagger, shattering it into pieces. With its internal formation destroyed, the dagger lost its soul-devouring power and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s injuries healed rapidly due to the Yin Saint’s Essence. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re getting old. I only sacrificed a tiny bit of Yin Saint’s Essence to trick you into talking. Did you think I was an idiot? Did you really believe you could stab me so easily?”
“How dare you! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother could no longer laugh. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers suddenly grew over a meter long, lunging toward Bai Feng!
“Heh, do you think you’ve mastered the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was startled. She hadn’t expected Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Haha! I’m here too!” The Black Snake Demon also appeared. Licking its lips, its green eyes fixed intently on the Black Mountain Mother, it said with a grin, “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon! You must let me have this old demon’s demonic energy. It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal.”
“Sure! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
The Black Snake Demon, highly skilled in evasion, instantly teleported beside the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could react, it transformed into a black python, tightly coiling around her demonic form!
“No, no! How could this be!?”
In dire straits, with her life hanging by a thread, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. Struggling desperately, she threw her head back and screamed, “Sister, save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal realm?”
Shui Miao’s heart sank. He quickly withdrew his immortal power and remained on high alert. With Bai Feng and the Black Snake Demon dealing with the Black Mountain Mother, it was enough.
Moreover, Shui Miao had also altered his voice, so naturally, they couldn’t tell the difference.
“Uh, sorry, I mistook you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled, his face slightly embarrassed. He didn’t think he had just misseen.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same, how could I have mistaken?”
The developer muttered to himself, puzzled.
Shui Miao blinked his eyes. Seeing the two had no reaction, he left while making a phone call.
After leaving the residential area, Shui Miao immediately took a taxi back.
Thus, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16, coincidentally meeting Xiao Hong and her group returning. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and Xiao Hong immediately confirmed that the person in the photo was her good friend she had met on the train. She was originally named Shui Miao, now called Zhang Ling… Xiao Hong’s words immediately puzzled Jiang Zhihao. His master must have been here, but his master had been with him all along recently. When had he gone to Miaojang?
To clarify the truth, Jiang Zhihao hurriedly ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He was eager to find out what had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan and summoned the Black Snake Demon, rushing together to Jing Shui Village.
On the way, the Black Snake Demon asked, “Master, what about the circus leader Wei Sheng? Are we just going to let him go?”
“Leave him for now. After dealing with the fake Bai Niangniang, you can go back and control him to surrender to the police.”
Shui Miao communicated with the Black Snake Demon through telepathy.
Now due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao had temporarily decided to alter his previous plan, no longer showing leniency toward the impostor Bai Niangniang. He would capture her first and clarify the situation.
※※※
Inside the dry well cave
Bai Feng entered the treasure vault and saw the white-robed female ghost preparing to offer incense and pray to Bai Niangniang.
“Ahh!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion, the Five Elements Formation outside remained inactive and unresponsive. The white-robed female ghost was frightened: “Who exactly are you, and how did you get in here?”
Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was no difficult feat for Shui Miao.
Moreover, Shui Miao had even changed his voice, making it impossible for them to recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled and slightly embarrassed. He didn’t think he had misseen earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have been mistaken?”
The developer muttered softly to himself.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two showed no further reaction, he left while pretending to be on a phone call.
After exiting the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and hurried back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her companions had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and Xiao Hong immediately confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train. Originally named Shui Miao, he now went by Zhang Ling… Xiao Hong’s words left Jiang Zhihao deeply perplexed. His master must have been here, but how could that be? His master had been with him all this time—when could he have gone to Miaojiang?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao quickly ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently needed to figure out where things had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the black snake demon, and together they hurried to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the black snake demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus? Are we just going to let him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him to turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the black snake demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the imposter White Lady and would capture her first to clarify the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng had broken into the treasure vault and saw the white-robed female ghost, who was preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion and the fact that the hidden Five Elements Formation outside remained untriggered and unresponsive, the white-robed female ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! How many times do I have to tell you? Why can’t you remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You are the imposters. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor showing any urgency to subdue the white-robed female ghost. “Not bad. It’s been decades, but this place remains unchanged. However, compared to before, the immortal aura is gone, leaving only Yin energy.”
“Th-That’s impossible! Master only took the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head in disbelief and suddenly summoned her sword, pointing it at Bai Feng. “Who are you, really?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to look at the white-robed female ghost and smiled faintly, completely unfazed by her blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing that the white-robed female ghost showed no reaction, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clarify things instead of guessing blindly here.”
“…”
Uncertain of the other’s origins, the white-robed female ghost could only watch Bai Feng warily, maintaining a high level of vigilance.
“Let me ask you: have you always been in this place? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago—were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently followed Master here. Before that, Master was always with me.” Unwilling to be outdone, the white-robed female ghost retorted, “You claim to be Master’s disciple. Were you always here before?”
“No, I was always in Miaojiang. Master met me when she went there. She gave me a bit of Yin Saint’s essence, and I was so grateful that I took her as my master. At that time, I had only recently become a female ghost. Now, nearly five hundred years have passed. But over all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“…”
Sensing that Bai Feng was not lying, the white-robed female ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the Northeast. I also met Master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint’s essence too, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. However, Master always took us traveling around the world. It was only recently that she brought us here.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why Master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never really considered me her disciple. I was just a pawn to her.” Bai Feng sighed sadly. “By the way, is the Master you’ve seen look like this?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed female ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. My Master isn’t this delicate or gentle. She is incredibly powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed female ghost transformed into the appearance of the Master she knew.
“I see!”
Upon seeing the form the white-robed female ghost had taken, Bai Feng suddenly understood. “Master had long cultivated a doppelgänger. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul traveled the world. That’s why she always took you along. However, I’m puzzled: if Master’s Heavenly Soul ascended to the immortal realm, where did her Earth Soul go? Could it be that her souls merged and went together to the immortal realm to seek revenge on that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed female ghost would never reveal the truth.
Hearing this, the white-robed female ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, Master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he completely forgot about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess was correct!
She felt a slight thrill. Unexpectedly, her master had indeed gone to the immortal realm to seek revenge. After a pause, Bai Feng added, “I think… Master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away to avoid involving us…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed female ghost sheathed her sword. “Senior Sister, are you referring to a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why? Did Master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about Xiao Shui? How could you be so foolish as to try to possess him? He carries the Spirit Commander’s protective jade pendant.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But Master said Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone impersonated him before then, we were to kill them. How was I to know you’d return so soon? Without the Spirit Commander’s jade pendant on him, I’d still be doubting whether you were the two people Master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed female ghost mistook the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit Commander’s jade pendant.
“…”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that Master truly didn’t want to involve them?
“By the way, why did Master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside from seeking revenge in the immortal realm, did Master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Sigh!”
The white-robed female ghost sat on the stone stool beside Bai Feng and said anxiously, “It’s all because Shui Miao is said to be a man of great destiny. We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the celestial realm. That’s why we’ve been frantically building temples and shrines for him everywhere. Master told us fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly support her. If she fails in her revenge, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was it a misunderstanding, but it also cost my two sisters their lives!”
The white-robed female ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to be this way. Her master had made such arrangements not out of heartlessness but out of deep affection and righteousness.
“By the way, Senior Sister, do you know who Master’s enemy is?” The white-robed female ghost suddenly grew mysterious.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Master never said.”
“Let me tell you: it’s actually the Spirit Commander of the immortal realm.” The white-robed female ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng frozen in shock, the white-robed female ghost suddenly revealed a crimson dagger in her hand. Taking her by surprise, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul!
“Ah! Junior Sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin power.
“Hahahaha…”
The white-robed female ghost burst into maniacal laughter, her form shifting into that of a black-robed old woman. She glared at Bai Feng with a sinister grin. “Junior Sister? Who’s your junior sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother, with eight hundred years of cultivation. How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you know? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew increasingly weak.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, since you’re so devoted to your master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your junior sister but your master’s sister. The only difference is that she goes by ‘White’ and I go by ‘Black.’ After she ascended to the immortal realm, she left this place to me. I collect incense offerings for her and help her establish a foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she provides me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. You and that brat Shui Miao are merely pawns in our game. Now that we’re done using you, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson venomous snake.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait! If you’re going to kill me, why the rush? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know about them in advance? Don’t you care?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. Is that all? They were just two pawns. If they died, they died. Why should I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve dismissively.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“That’s none of your concern. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson venomous snake shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly and suddenly waved her hand. A black sword sliced the venomous snake in two.
“Th-This… is that the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was remarkably knowledgeable, recognizing that the black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached for the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Hahahaha…”
The Black Mountain Mother laughed maniacally again. “Overestimating yourself! Hahaha… Did you think you were the only one with a divine sword? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces your soul, it won’t come out until it has drained all your Yin power. I should thank you! Even in death, you’ve gifted me a great treasure. The Raksha Soul-Severing Sword will now belong to me, the Black Mountain Mother! Hahaha…”
“Hmph!”
To her surprise, Bai Feng smirked again. She suddenly took out a black Yin Saint’s essence and swallowed it. Her soul instantly returned to its peak state. “Black Mountain Mother, I have plenty of Yin Saint’s essence left. Feel free to try and take it!” As she spoke, Bai Feng struck the Soul-Devouring Dagger with the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword, shattering it into pieces. With its internal formation destroyed, the dagger lost its soul-devouring power and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s injuries healed rapidly due to the Yin Saint’s essence. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re getting old. I only sacrificed a tiny bit of Yin Saint’s essence to trick you into talking. Did you really think I was foolish enough to let you stab me so easily?”
“How dare you! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother finally stopped laughing. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers suddenly grew over a meter long, lunging toward Bai Feng!
“Heh, did you think you were practicing the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was startled. She hadn’t expected Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Haha! I’m here too!” The black snake demon also appeared. It licked its lips, its green eyes fixed intently on the Black Mountain Mother. “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon. You must let me have this old demon’s demonic energy! It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal.”
“Sure! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
The black serpent demon, a master of the elusive flash-dodge technique, materialized instantly beside the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could even react, it morphed into a massive black python, swiftly and tightly coiling around her demonic form!
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In mortal danger, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. Struggling desperately, she threw her head back and screamed, “Sister, save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal realm?”
Shui Miao’s heart sank. He quickly withdrew his immortal power and remained on high alert. With Bai Feng and the black snake demon dealing with the Black Mountain Mother, it was more than enough.
“This, this can’t be! Our master only accepted us three sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other apprentices,” the white-robed female ghost quickly shook her head, suddenly summoning her sword and pointing it at Bai Feng, demanding, “Who exactly are you?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to look at the white-robed female ghost with a slight smile, completely unimpressed by her crimson sword. Pausing, and seeing no reaction from the white-robed female ghost, Bai Feng sat on a stone bench and sighed softly at her, “Well then, let me ask you a few questions so we can clarify things and stop guessing blindly.”
“…”
Unsure of the other’s true identity, the white-robed female ghost could only remain alert and watch Bai Feng warily.
“I ask you, have you always been in this place? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago, were you always here?” Bai Feng asked amicably.
“No, I just followed my master here recently. Before that, my master was always with me,” the white-robed female ghost defiantly countered, “You say you are truly my master’s disciple, so were you always here too?”
Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was not a difficult task for Shui Miao.
What’s more, Shui Miao had also changed his voice, making it impossible for them to recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled and slightly embarrassed. He didn’t think he had misjudged earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have been mistaken?”
The developer muttered softly to himself.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two showed no further reaction, he left while pretending to be on a phone call.
After exiting the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and hurried back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her companions had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and without hesitation, Xiao Hong confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train. Originally named Shui Miao, he now went by Zhang Ling… Xiao Hong’s words immediately confused Jiang Zhihao. His master must have been here, but how could that be? His master had been with him all along—when could he have gone to Miaojiang?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao quickly ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently needed to figure out what had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the black snake demon, and together they hurried to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the black snake demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus troupe? Are we just going to let him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him, making him turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the black snake demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the impostor White Lady and would capture her first to clarify the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng had broken into the treasure vault and saw a female ghost in white robes preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion and the fact that the hidden Five Elements formation outside remained undisturbed, the white-robed ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! How many times do I have to tell you? Why can’t you remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You are the impostors. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor showing any urgency to subdue the white-robed ghost. “Not bad. It’s been decades, but this place remains unchanged. However, compared to before, the immortal energy is gone, leaving only Yin energy.”
“Th-this can’t be! Master only accepted the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed ghost shook her head in disbelief and suddenly summoned a sword, pointing it at Bai Feng. “Who are you, really?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to face the white-robed ghost, smiling faintly, completely unfazed by the blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing no reaction from the ghost, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clarify things instead of guessing blindly.”
“…”
Uncertain of Bai Feng’s origins, the white-robed ghost remained highly vigilant, watching her closely.
“Let me ask you: Have you always been here? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago—were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently followed Master here. Before that, Master was always with me.” The white-robed ghost refused to back down and retorted, “You claim to be Master’s disciple, but have you always been here?”
“No, I’ve always been in Miaojiang. Master met me when she traveled there. She gave me a bit of Yin Saint’s essence, and I was so grateful that I became her disciple. At that time, I had only been a female ghost for a few years. Now, almost five hundred years have passed. But in all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“…”
Sensing that Bai Feng was not lying, the white-robed ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the northeast. I also met Master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint’s essence too, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. However, Master has always traveled the world with us until recently, when she brought us here.” The white-robed ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why Master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never truly considered me her disciple. I was just a pawn to her.” Bai Feng sighed sadly. “By the way, is this what the Master you know looks like?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. My Master isn’t this delicate or gentle. She is incredibly powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed ghost transformed into the appearance of the Master she knew.
“I see!”
Upon seeing the form the white-robed ghost had taken, Bai Feng suddenly understood. “Master had long since mastered the art of doppelgänger. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul traveled the world. That’s why she always brought you along. However, I’m puzzled: if Master’s Heavenly Soul ascended to the immortal realm, where did her Earth Soul go? Could it be that her souls merged and went together to the immortal realm to seek revenge on that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed ghost would never reveal the truth.
Hearing this, the white-robed ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, Master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he forgot all about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess was correct!
She felt a surge of excitement. Unexpectedly, her Master had indeed gone to the immortal realm to seek revenge. After a pause, Bai Feng added, “I think… Master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away to avoid dragging us into it…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed ghost sheathed her sword. “Senior Sister, are you referring to a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why? Did Master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about Xiao Shui? How could you be so foolish as to try to possess him? He has the Spirit General’s protective jade pendant.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But Master said that Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone impersonated him before then, we were to kill them. How was I to know you’d return so soon? How could I tell if you were impostors? If not for the Spirit General’s jade pendant on him, I’d still suspect you were the two people Master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed ghost had mistaken the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit General’s jade pendant.
“…”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that Master truly wanted to protect them?
“By the way, why did Master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside from seeking revenge in the immortal realm, did Master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Ah!”
The white-robed ghost sat on a stone stool beside Bai Feng and said anxiously, “Master said that Shui Miao is a man of great destiny. We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the celestial realm. That’s why we’ve been working tirelessly to build temples and shrines for him everywhere. Master told us fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly support her. If she fails in her revenge, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was this a misunderstanding, but it also cost the lives of my two sisters!”
The white-robed ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to unfold this way. Her Master had made such arrangements not out of heartlessness but out of deep loyalty and affection.
“By the way, Senior Sister, do you know who Master’s enemy is?” The white-robed ghost suddenly grew mysterious.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Master never told me.”
“Let me tell you then: it’s actually the Spirit General of the immortal realm.” The white-robed ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Upon hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng’s shock, the white-robed ghost suddenly revealed a crimson dagger in her hand. Without warning, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul!
“Ah! Junior Sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin power.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
The white-robed ghost burst into maniacal laughter. Her form shifted, transforming into an old woman clad in black robes. She glared at Bai Feng with a sinister grin. “Junior Sister? Who’s your junior sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother, with eight hundred years of cultivation. How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you know? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my Master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew increasingly weak.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, since you’re so devoted to your Master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your junior sister but your Master’s sister. The only difference is that she goes by ‘White’ and I go by ‘Black.’ After she ascended to the immortal realm, she left this place to me. I collect incense offerings for her and help her establish a foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she provides me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. You and that wretched boy Shui Miao are merely pawns in our game. Now that we’re done with you, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson venomous snake.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait! If you want to kill me, why the rush? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know beforehand? Don’t you care?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. Is that all? They were just two pawns. If they died, they died. Why would I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve, looking utterly indifferent.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“Don’t worry about that. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson venomous snake shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly and suddenly waved her hand. A black sword sliced the venomous snake in two.
“This… is this the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was remarkably knowledgeable, recognizing that the black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached for the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
The Black Mountain Mother laughed maniacally again. “Overestimating yourself! Ha ha ha… Did you think you were the only one with a treasured sword? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces a soul, it won’t come out until it has drained all the Yin power. I should thank you! Even in death, you’ve gifted me a great treasure. The Raksha Soul-Severing Sword will now belong to me, the Black Mountain Mother! Ha ha ha ha…”
“Hmph!”
To her surprise, Bai Feng smirked again. She suddenly took out a black Yin Saint’s essence and swallowed it. Her soul instantly returned to its peak state. “Black Mountain Mother, I have plenty of Yin Saint’s essence left. Feel free to try and take it!” As she spoke, Bai Feng used the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword to strike the Soul-Devouring Dagger, shattering it into pieces. With its internal formation destroyed, the dagger lost its soul-devouring power and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s injuries healed rapidly thanks to the Yin Saint’s essence. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re getting old. I only sacrificed a tiny bit of Yin Saint’s essence to trick you into talking. Did you really think I was foolish enough to let you stab me so easily?”
“Outrageous! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother finally stopped laughing. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers suddenly grew over a meter long, lunging toward Bai Feng!
“Heh, did you think you were practicing the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade in his hand.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was startled. She hadn’t expected Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Ha ha! I’m here too!” The black snake demon also appeared. Licking its lips, its green eyes fixed intently on the Black Mountain Mother, it said with a grin, “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon! You must let me have this old demon’s demonic power. It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal.”
“Sure! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
The black snake demon, a master of swift evasion, materialized instantly beside the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could even react, it morphed into a massive black python, swiftly and tightly coiling around her demonic form!
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In dire straits, with her life hanging by a thread, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. Struggling desperately, she threw her head back and screamed, “Sister, save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal world?”
Shui Miao’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly withdrew his immortal power and remained on high alert. With Bai Feng and the black snake demon handling the Black Mountain Mother, it was more than enough.
“…”
Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was not a difficult task for Shui Miao.
What’s more, Shui Miao had also changed his voice, making it impossible for them to recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled and slightly embarrassed. He didn’t think he had misjudged earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have been mistaken?”
The developer muttered to himself under his breath.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two showed no further reaction, he pretended to be on a phone call and walked away.
After leaving the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and hurried back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her companions had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and without hesitation, she confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train—originally named Shui Miao, but now going by Zhang Ling. Xiao Hong’s words left Jiang Zhihao deeply perplexed. His master must have been here, but how could that be? His master had been with him all along—when could he have gone to Miaojiang?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao immediately ordered an investigation into Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently needed to figure out what had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the black snake demon, and together they hurried to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the black snake demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus? Are we just going to let him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him, making him turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the black snake demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the impostor White Lady—instead, he would capture her first and get to the bottom of the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng had broken into the treasure vault and saw a female ghost in white robes preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion—especially since the hidden Five Elements formation outside had remained undisturbed—the white-robed ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! How many times do I have to tell you? Why can’t you remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You are the impostors. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor showing any urgency to subdue the white-robed ghost. “Not bad. It’s been decades, but this place remains unchanged. However, compared to before, the immortal aura has vanished, leaving only Yin energy.”
“Th-That’s impossible! Our master only took the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed ghost shook her head in disbelief before suddenly summoning her sword and pointing it at Bai Feng. “Who are you, really?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to face the white-robed ghost, smiling faintly, completely unfazed by the blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing that the ghost showed no reaction, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clear things up. No point in guessing blindly here.”
“……”
Uncertain of Bai Feng’s origins, the white-robed ghost could only watch her warily, maintaining a high level of alertness.
“Let me ask you—have you always been here? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago… were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently followed our master here. Before that, our master was always with me.” Unwilling to be outdone, the white-robed ghost retorted, “You claim to be our master’s disciple. Were you always here before?”
“No, I was in Miaojiang. Our master met me when she traveled there. She gave me a trace of Yin Saint’s essence, and I was so grateful that I became her disciple. At that time, I had only been a female ghost for a few years. Now, nearly five hundred years have passed. But in all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“……”
Sensing that Bai Feng was not lying, the white-robed ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the northeast. I also met our master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint’s essence too, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. However, our master has always traveled the world with us. It was only recently that she brought us here.” The white-robed ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why our master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never truly considered me her disciple. I was just a pawn to her.” Bai Feng sighed with a tinge of sadness. “By the way, is this what the master you met looks like?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. Our master isn’t this delicate or gentle. She is incredibly powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed ghost transformed into the appearance of the master she knew.
“I see!”
Upon seeing the form the white-robed ghost had taken, Bai Feng suddenly understood. “Our master had long cultivated a doppelgänger. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul traveled the world. That’s why she was always with you. But I’m puzzled—if our master’s Heavenly Soul ascended to the immortal realm, where did her Earth Soul go? Could it be that her souls merged and went together to the immortal realm to seek revenge on that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she doubted the white-robed ghost would reveal anything.
Hearing this, the white-robed ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, our master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Our master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he forgot all about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess had been correct!
She felt a surge of excitement. It seemed their master had indeed gone to the immortal realm for revenge. After a moment, Bai Feng added, “I think… our master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away… perhaps to avoid involving us…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed sheathed her sword. “Senior sister, are you referring to a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why? Did our master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about him? How could you be so foolish as to try possessing him? He carries the protective jade pendant of the Spirit Marshal.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But our master said Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone showed up impersonating him before then, we were to kill them. How was I to know you’d return so soon? How could I be sure you weren’t impostors? If it weren’t for that Spirit Marshal’s jade pendant on him, I’d still suspect you were the two people our master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed ghost had mistaken the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit Marshal’s jade pendant.
“……”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that their master truly didn’t want to involve them?
“By the way, why did our master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside from seeking revenge in the immortal realm, did our master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Ah!”
The white-robed ghost sat on a stone stool beside Bai Feng and said anxiously, “It’s all because Shui Miao is said to be a man of great destiny. We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the celestial realm. That’s why we’ve been working tirelessly to build temples and shrines for him everywhere. Our master told us fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly support her. If she fails in her revenge, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was this a misunderstanding, but it also cost my two sisters their lives!”
The white-robed ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to unfold this way. Their master had made such elaborate arrangements—not out of heartlessness, but out of deep loyalty and affection.
“By the way, senior sister, do you know who our master’s enemy is?” The white-robed ghost suddenly grew mysterious.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Our master never said.”
“Let me tell you then—it’s actually the Spirit Marshal of the immortal realm.” The white-robed ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng’s shock, the white-robed ghost suddenly manifested a crimson dagger in her hand. Taking advantage of the moment, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul!
“Ah! Junior sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin energy.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
The white-robed ghost burst into maniacal laughter. Her form shifted, transforming into an old woman clad in black robes. She glared at Bai Feng with a sinister grin. “Junior sister? Who is your junior sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother, with eight hundred years of cultivation! How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you realize? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew increasingly weak.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered, “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, since you’re so devoted to your master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your junior sister—I am your master’s sister. The only difference is that she goes by ‘White’ and I go by ‘Black.’ After she ascended to the immortal realm, she left this place to me. I gather incense offerings for her and help her establish a foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she supplies me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. You and that brat Shui Miao are merely pawns in our game. Now that we’re done using you, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson serpent.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait! If you’re going to kill me, why the rush? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know about them in advance? Don’t you care?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. Is that all? They were just two pawns. If they died, they died. Why should I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve dismissively.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“Don’t trouble yourself with that. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson serpent shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly. With a wave of her hand, a black sword sliced the crimson serpent in two.
“This… is this the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was surprisingly knowledgeable, recognizing that the black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached for the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
The Black Mountain Mother laughed maniacally again. “Overestimating yourself! Ha ha ha… Did you think you were the only one with a divine weapon? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces a soul, it won’t come out until it has drained all the Yin energy. I should thank you! On the verge of death, you’ve gifted me such a treasure. The Raksha Soul-Severing Sword will belong to me, the Black Mountain Mother, from now on! Ha ha ha ha…”
“Hmph!”
To her surprise, Bai Feng smirked again. She suddenly took out a black Yin Saint’s essence and swallowed it. Her soul instantly returned to its peak state. “Black Mountain Mother, I have plenty of Yin Saint’s essence left. Feel free to try and take it!” As she spoke, Bai Feng struck the Soul-Devouring Dagger with the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword, shattering it into pieces. With its internal formation destroyed, the dagger lost its soul-devouring power and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s injuries healed rapidly thanks to the Yin Saint’s essence. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re getting old. I only sacrificed a tiny bit of Yin Saint’s essence to trick you into talking. Did you think I was an idiot? Did you really believe you could stab me so easily?”
“Outrageous! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother finally stopped laughing. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers grew over a meter long, lunging toward Bai Feng!
“Heh, did you think you were practicing the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was startled. She hadn’t expected Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Ha ha! I’m here too!” The black snake demon also appeared. It licked its lips, its green eyes fixed intently on the Black Mountain Mother. “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon! You must let me have this old demon’s demonic energy! It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal.”
“Sure! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
The black snake demon, masterful in the art of flash evasion, materialized instantly beside the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could even react, it morphed into a massive black python, swiftly wrapping itself around her demonic form with a vice-like grip!
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In mortal danger, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. Struggling desperately, she threw her head back and screamed, “Sister, save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal realm?”
Shui Miao’s heart sank. He immediately withdrew his immortal power and focused entirely on defense. With Bai Feng and the black snake demon handling the Black Mountain Mother, it should be enough.
“Perhaps she never really considered me her apprentice. I was just a pawn to her,” Bai Feng sighed with some sadness, “Oh, and you, when you saw my master, did she look like this?”
Bai Feng activated her yin power, transforming into the appearance of Bai Niangniang.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed female ghost shook her head, “She’s somewhat different. My master isn’t this frail or quiet. She’s very powerful and commanding.” As she spoke, the white-robed female ghost transformed, taking the appearance of the master she had seen.
“I understand now!”
Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was not a difficult task for Shui Miao.
What’s more, Shui Miao had also changed his voice, making it impossible for them to recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled and slightly embarrassed. He didn’t think he had misjudged earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have been mistaken?”
The developer muttered softly to himself.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two showed no further reaction, he left while pretending to be on a phone call.
After exiting the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and hurried back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her companions had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and she immediately confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train. Originally named Shui Miao, he now went by Zhang Ling… Xiao Hong’s words left Jiang Zhihao deeply puzzled. His master must have been here, but how could that be? His master had been with him all this time—when could he have gone to Miaojiang?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao immediately ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently needed to figure out where things had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the Black Snake Demon, and together they hurried to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the Black Snake Demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus troupe? Are we just going to let him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him, making him turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the Black Snake Demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the impostor White Lady and would capture her first to clarify the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng had broken into the treasure vault and saw a female ghost in white robes preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion and the fact that the hidden Five Elements Formation outside remained untouched and unresponsive, the white-robed ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! How many times do I have to tell you? Why can’t you remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You are the impostors. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor showing any urgency to subdue the white-robed ghost. “Not bad. It’s been decades, but this place remains unchanged. However, compared to before, the immortal aura is gone, replaced by a sinister energy.”
“Th-this can’t be! Master only took the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed ghost shook her head in disbelief and suddenly summoned a sword, pointing it at Bai Feng as she demanded, “Who are you, really?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to look at the white-robed ghost and smiled faintly, completely unfazed by the blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing that the ghost showed no reaction, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clarify things instead of guessing blindly.”
“…”
Uncertain of Bai Feng’s origins, the white-robed ghost could only watch her warily, maintaining a high level of vigilance.
“Let me ask you: have you always been here? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago—were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently followed Master here. Before that, Master was always with me.” Unwilling to be outdone, the white-robed ghost retorted, “You claim to be Master’s disciple, but have you always been here?”
“No, I’ve always been in Miaojiang. Master met me when she traveled there. She gave me a bit of Yin Saint’s essence, and I was so grateful that I became her disciple. At that time, I had only been a female ghost for a few years. Now, almost five hundred years have passed. But in all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“…”
Sensing that Bai Feng was not lying, the white-robed ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the northeast. I also met Master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint’s essence, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. However, Master has always traveled the world with us. It was only recently that she brought us here.” The white-robed ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why Master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never truly considered me her disciple. I was just a pawn to her.” Bai Feng sighed with a hint of sadness. “By the way, is the Master you’ve seen like this?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. My Master isn’t this delicate or quiet. She is incredibly powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed ghost transformed into the appearance of the Master she had seen.
“I see!”
Upon seeing the form the white-robed ghost had taken, Bai Feng suddenly understood. “Master had long since mastered the art of doppelgänger. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul traveled the world. That’s why she always kept you by her side. However, I’m puzzled: if Master’s Heavenly Soul ascended to the immortal realm, where did her Earth Soul go? Could it be that her souls merged and went together to the immortal realm to seek revenge on that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed ghost would never reveal the truth.
Hearing this, the white-robed ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, Master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he forgot all about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess was correct!
She felt a surge of excitement. Unexpectedly, her Master had indeed gone to the immortal realm to seek revenge. After a moment, Bai Feng added, “I think… Master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away to avoid dragging us into this…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed ghost sheathed her sword. “Senior Sister, is the Xiao Shui you’re referring to a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why? Did Master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about Xiao Shui? How could you be so foolish as to try to possess him? He has the Spirit Marshal’s protective jade pendant.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But Master said that Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone impersonated him before then, we were to kill them. How was I to know you’d return so soon? How could I tell if you were impostors? If it weren’t for the Spirit Marshal’s jade pendant on him, I’d still suspect you were the two people Master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed ghost had mistaken the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit Marshal’s jade pendant.
“…”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that Master truly wanted to protect them from being involved?
“By the way, why did Master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside from seeking revenge in the immortal realm, did Master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Ah!”
The white-robed ghost sat on the stone stool beside Bai Feng and said anxiously, “Isn’t it because Shui Miao is a man of great destiny? We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the celestial realm. That’s why we’ve been working tirelessly to build temples and shrines for him everywhere. Master told us fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly support her. If she fails in her revenge, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was this a misunderstanding, but it also cost the lives of my two sisters!”
The white-robed ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to unfold this way. Her Master had made such arrangements not out of heartlessness but out of deep loyalty and affection.
“By the way, Senior Sister, do you know who Master’s enemy is?” The white-robed ghost suddenly grew mysterious.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Master never said.”
“Let me tell you: it’s actually the Spirit Marshal of the immortal realm.” The white-robed ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Upon hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng’s shock, the white-robed ghost suddenly manifested a crimson dagger. Taking her by surprise, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul!
“Ah! Junior Sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin power.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
The white-robed ghost burst into maniacal laughter. Her form shifted, transforming into an old woman in black robes. She glared at Bai Feng with a sinister grin. “Junior Sister? Who is your Junior Sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother, with eight hundred years of cultivation. How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you know? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my Master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew increasingly weak.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, since you’re so devoted to your Master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your Junior Sister but your Master’s sister. The only difference is that she goes by ‘White’ and I go by ‘Black.’ After she ascended to the immortal realm, she left this place to me. I gather incense offerings for her and help her establish a foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she provides me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. You and that wretched boy Shui Miao are merely pawns in our game. Now that we’re done using you, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson serpent.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait! If you want to kill me, why the rush? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know beforehand? Don’t you care?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. Is that all? They were just two pawns. If they died, they died. Why should I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve dismissively.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“That’s none of your concern. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson serpent shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly and suddenly waved her hand. A black sword sliced the crimson serpent in two.
“This… is this the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was remarkably knowledgeable, recognizing that the black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached for the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
The Black Mountain Mother laughed maniacally again. “Overestimating yourself, ha ha ha… Did you think you were the only one with a divine sword? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces a soul, it won’t come out until it has absorbed all the Yin power. I should thank you! Even in death, you’ve gifted me a great treasure. The Raksha Soul-Severing Sword will now belong to me, the Black Mountain Mother! Ha ha ha ha…”
“Hmph!”
To her surprise, Bai Feng smirked again. She suddenly took out a black Yin Saint’s essence and swallowed it. Her soul instantly returned to its peak state. “Black Mountain Mother, I have plenty of Yin Saint’s essence left. If you have the ability, come and take it!” As she spoke, Bai Feng struck the Soul-Devouring Dagger with the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword, shattering it into pieces. The dagger’s internal formation destroyed, it lost its soul-devouring function and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s injuries healed rapidly thanks to the Yin Saint’s essence. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re still too old-fashioned. I only sacrificed a tiny bit of Yin Saint’s essence to trick you into talking. Did you really think I was foolish enough to let you stab me so easily?”
“Outrageous! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother could no longer laugh. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers suddenly grew over a meter long, lunging toward Bai Feng!
“Heh, do you think you’re practicing the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was stunned. She hadn’t expected Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Ha ha! I’m here too!” The Black Snake Demon also appeared. Licking its lips, its green eyes fixed intently on the Black Mountain Mother, it said with a grin, “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon! You must let me have this old demon’s demonic energy. It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal.”
“Fine! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
The Black Snake Demon, masterfully adept in the art of flash evasion, materialized instantly beside the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could even react, it morphed into a massive black python, swiftly and tightly coiling around her demonic form!
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In dire straits, her life hanging by a thread, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. Struggling desperately, she threw her head back and screamed, “Sister, save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal world?”
Shui Miao’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly withdrew his immortal power and remained on high alert. With Bai Feng and the Black Snake Demon handling the Black Mountain Mother, it was more than enough.
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed female ghost would definitely not answer.
Hearing this, the white-robed female ghost’s heart stirred, and she excitedly responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, my master wouldn’t have shared this with outsiders. That heartless man deserved to die. My master gave him so much, yet after becoming an immortal, he actually forgot about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess was correct!
Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was no difficult feat for Shui Miao.
What’s more, Shui Miao had also changed his voice, making it impossible for them to recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled and slightly embarrassed. He didn’t believe he had misjudged earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have been wrong?”
The developer muttered softly to himself.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two showed no further reaction, he pretended to be on a phone call and left.
After exiting the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and rushed back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her companions had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and without hesitation, she confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train—originally named Shui Miao, but now going by Zhang Ling. Xiao Hong’s words immediately confused Jiang Zhihao. His master must have been here, but how could that be? He had been with his master all this time—when could he have gone to Miaojiang?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao quickly ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently needed to figure out what had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the black snake demon, and together they hurried to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the black snake demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus troupe? Are we just going to let him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him, making him turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the black snake demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the imposter White Lady and would capture her first to get to the bottom of the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng had broken into the treasure vault and saw a female ghost in white robes preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion and the fact that the hidden Five Elements formation outside remained untriggered and unresponsive, the white-robed ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! How many times do I have to tell you? Why can’t you remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You are the imposters. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor rushing to subdue the white-robed ghost. “Not bad. After decades away, this place remains unchanged. However, compared to before, the immortal aura has vanished, leaving only Yin energy.”
“Th-That’s impossible! Master only took the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed ghost shook her head in disbelief and suddenly summoned a sword, pointing it at Bai Feng. “Who are you, really?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to face the white-robed ghost, smiling faintly, completely unfazed by the blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing no reaction from the ghost, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clarify things instead of guessing blindly.”
“…”
Uncertain of Bai Feng’s origins, the white-robed ghost remained highly vigilant, watching her closely.
“Let me ask you: Have you always been here? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago—were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently followed Master here. Before that, Master was always with me.” The white-robed ghost refused to back down and retorted, “You claim to be Master’s disciple, but have you always been here?”
“No, I’ve always been in Miaojiang. Master met me when she traveled there. She gave me a bit of Yin Saint’s essence, and I was so grateful that I became her disciple. At that time, I had only been a female ghost for a few years. Now, nearly five hundred years have passed. But in all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“…”
Sensing that Bai Feng was not lying, the white-robed ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the northeast. I also met Master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint’s essence, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. However, Master has always traveled the world with us. It was only recently that she brought us here.” The white-robed ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why Master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never truly considered me a disciple. I was just a pawn to her.” Bai Feng sighed sadly. “By the way, is the Master you’ve seen like this?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. My Master isn’t this delicate or gentle. She is incredibly powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed ghost transformed into the appearance of the Master she knew.
“I see!”
Upon witnessing the form the white-robed ghost had assumed, Bai Feng suddenly comprehended. “The Master had long since mastered the art of doppelgänger. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul roamed the world. That’s why she has always been with you. Yet, I am perplexed: if the Master’s Heavenly Soul ascended to the immortal realm, where did her Earth Soul go? Could it be that her souls merged and journeyed together to the immortal realm to seek vengeance on that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed ghost would never reveal the truth.
Hearing this, the white-robed ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, Master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he forgot all about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess was correct!
She felt a surge of excitement. Unexpectedly, her Master had indeed gone to the immortal realm for revenge. After a moment, Bai Feng added, “I think… Master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away to avoid dragging us into this…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed ghost sheathed her sword. “Senior Sister, are you referring to a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why would Master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about Xiao Shui? How could you be so foolish as to try possessing him? He has the Spirit General’s protective jade pendant.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But Master said Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone impersonated him before then, we were to kill them. How was I to know you’d return so soon? Without the Spirit General’s jade pendant on him, I’d still be doubting whether you were the ones Master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed ghost had mistaken the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit General’s jade pendant.
“…”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that Master truly wanted to protect them from being involved?
“By the way, why did Master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside from seeking revenge in the immortal realm, does Master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Sigh!”
The white-robed ghost sat on the stone stool beside Bai Feng and said anxiously, “It’s all because Shui Miao is said to be a man of great destiny. We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the celestial realm. That’s why we’ve been frantically building temples and shrines for him everywhere. Master told us fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly assist her. If her revenge fails, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was this a misunderstanding, but it also cost the lives of my two sisters!”
The white-robed ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to unfold this way. Her Master had made such arrangements not out of heartlessness but out of deep loyalty and affection.
“By the way, Senior Sister, do you know who Master’s enemy is?” The white-robed ghost suddenly grew mysterious.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Master never said.”
“Let me tell you: it’s actually the Spirit General of the immortal realm.” The white-robed ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Upon hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng’s shock, the white-robed ghost suddenly manifested a crimson dagger. Taking her by surprise, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul!
“Ah! Junior Sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin energy.
“Hahahaha…”
The white-robed ghost burst into maniacal laughter, her form shifting into that of an old woman in black robes. She glared at Bai Feng with a sinister grin. “Junior Sister? Who’s your Junior Sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother, with eight hundred years of cultivation. How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you know? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my Master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew increasingly weak.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, since you’re so devoted to your Master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your Junior Sister but your Master’s sister. The only difference is that she goes by ‘White’ and I go by ‘Black.’ After she left for the immortal realm, she entrusted this place to me. I gather incense offerings for her and help her establish a foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she provides me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. You and that brat Shui Miao are merely pawns in our game. Now that we’re done using you, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson serpent.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait! If you’re going to kill me, why the rush? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know about them in advance? Don’t you care?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. So what if they died? They were just pawns. Why would I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve dismissively.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“That’s none of your concern. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson serpent shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly and suddenly waved her hand. A black sword sliced the crimson serpent in two.
“Th-This… is that the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was remarkably knowledgeable, recognizing that the black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached for the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Hahahaha…”
The Black Mountain Mother laughed maniacally again. “Overestimating yourself! Hahaha… Did you think you were the only one with a treasured sword? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces a soul, it won’t come out until it has drained all the Yin energy. I should thank you! Even in death, you’ve gifted me the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword. From now on, it belongs to me, the Black Mountain Mother! Hahaha…”
“Hmph!”
To her surprise, Bai Feng smirked again. She suddenly took out a black Yin Saint’s essence and swallowed it. Her soul instantly returned to its peak state. “Black Mountain Mother, I have plenty of Yin Saint’s essence left. Feel free to try and take it!” As she spoke, Bai Feng struck the Soul-Devouring Dagger with the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword, shattering it into pieces. With its internal formation destroyed, the dagger lost its soul-devouring power and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s injuries healed rapidly thanks to the Yin Saint’s essence. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re getting old. I only sacrificed a tiny bit of Yin Saint’s essence to trick you into talking. Did you really think I was foolish enough to let you stab me so easily?”
“How dare you! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother finally stopped laughing. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers suddenly grew over a meter long, lunging at Bai Feng!
“Heh, did you think you were practicing the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was startled, not expecting Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Haha! I’m here too!” The black snake demon also appeared, licking its lips and staring intently at the Black Mountain Mother with its glowing green eyes. “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon! You must let me have this old demon’s demonic energy. It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal.”
“Sure! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
The black snake demon, a master of swift evasion, materialized instantly beside the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could even react, it morphed into a massive black python, swiftly wrapping itself around her demonic form with a vice-like grip!
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In dire straits, with her life hanging by a thread, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. She struggled and screamed, “Sister, save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal realm?”
Shui Miao was alarmed and quickly withdrew his immortal power, staying on high alert. With Bai Feng and the black snake demon handling the Black Mountain Mother, it was more than enough.
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed female ghost sheathed her sword, “Senior sister, the Xiao Shui you mentioned, is that a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. How come my master asked you to impersonate him and didn’t tell you about Xiao Shui? Why were you so foolish as to possess Xiao Shui’s body? He has a protective jade pendant from the Spirit General on him,” Bai Feng continued to extract information.
“But my master said that Shui Miao wouldn’t return for another 50 years. Right now, if someone impersonates him, we are to kill them. Who knew you would come back so soon. How was I to know whether you were real or impostors? If it weren’t for that Spirit General’s pendant on him, I’d still be suspecting you are the two people my master told us to wait for fifty years,” the white-robed female ghost mistook the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit General’s jade pendant.
“…”
Upon hearing this, Bai Feng was momentarily stunned. Could it be that my master really didn’t want to involve us?
Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was not a difficult task for Shui Miao.
Moreover, Shui Miao had also changed his voice, making it impossible for them to recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I mistook you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled and slightly embarrassed. He didn’t believe he had misjudged earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have mistaken him?”
The developer muttered softly to himself.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two showed no further reaction, he left while pretending to be on a phone call.
After exiting the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and hurried back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her companions had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and she immediately confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train. Originally named Shui Miao, he now went by Zhang Ling… Xiao Hong’s words left Jiang Zhihao deeply perplexed. His master must have been here, but how could that be? His master had been with him all along—when could he have gone to Miaojiang?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao quickly ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently needed to figure out what had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the Black Snake Demon, and together they hurried to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the Black Snake Demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus? Are we just going to let him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him, making him turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the Black Snake Demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the impostor White Lady and would capture her first to clarify the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng had broken into the treasure vault and saw the white-robed female ghost, who was preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion and the fact that the hidden Five Elements Formation outside remained untriggered and unresponsive, the white-robed female ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! How many times do I have to tell you? Why can’t you remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You are the impostors. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor showing any urgency to subdue the white-robed female ghost. “Not bad. After decades away, this place remains unchanged. However, compared to the past, the immortal aura has vanished, leaving only a Yin energy.”
“Th-this can’t be! Master only accepted the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head in disbelief and suddenly summoned her sword, pointing it at Bai Feng. “Who are you, really?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to look at the white-robed female ghost, smiling faintly and completely unfazed by her blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing that the white-robed female ghost showed no reaction, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clarify things instead of guessing blindly.”
“…”
Uncertain of Bai Feng’s origins, the white-robed female ghost could only watch her warily, maintaining a high level of vigilance.
“Let me ask you: have you always been in this place? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago—were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently followed Master here. Before that, Master was always with me.” Unwilling to be outdone, the white-robed female ghost retorted, “You claim to be Master’s disciple. Were you always here before?”
“No, I was in Miaojiang. Master met me when she traveled there. She gave me a bit of Yin Saint’s Essence, and I was so grateful that I became her disciple. At that time, I had only been a female ghost for a few years. Now, nearly five hundred years have passed. However, in all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“…”
Sensing that Bai Feng was not lying, the white-robed female ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the northeast. I also met Master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint’s Essence, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. However, Master always took us traveling around the world. It was only recently that she brought us here.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why Master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never truly considered me her disciple. I was just a pawn to her.” Bai Feng sighed sadly. “By the way, is this what the Master you met looks like?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed female ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. My Master isn’t this delicate or gentle. She is incredibly powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed female ghost transformed into the appearance of the Master she knew.
“I understand!”
Seeing the form the white-robed female ghost had taken, Bai Feng suddenly had an epiphany. “Master had long cultivated a doppelgänger. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul traveled the world. That’s why she always took you along. However, I’m puzzled: if Master’s Heavenly Soul ascended to the immortal realm, where did her Earth Soul go? Could it be that her souls merged and went together to the immortal realm to seek revenge on that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed female ghost would never reveal the truth.
Hearing this, the white-robed female ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, Master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he forgot all about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess was correct!
She felt a surge of excitement. Unexpectedly, her Master had indeed gone to the immortal realm to seek revenge. After a pause, Bai Feng added, “I think… Master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away to avoid involving us…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed female ghost sheathed her sword. “Senior Sister, are you referring to a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why? Did Master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about Xiao Shui? How could you be so foolish as to try to possess him? He carries the Guardian Jade of the Spirit Marshal.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But Master said that Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone impersonated him before then, we were to kill them. How was I to know you’d return so soon? Without the Spirit Marshal’s jade on him, I’d still be doubting whether you were the two people Master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed female ghost had mistaken the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit Marshal’s jade.
“…”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that Master truly didn’t want to involve them?
“By the way, why did Master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside from seeking revenge in the immortal realm, did Master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Sigh!”
The white-robed female ghost sat on a stone stool beside Bai Feng and said anxiously, “It’s all because Shui Miao is said to be a man of great fortune. We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the celestial realm. That’s why we’ve been frantically building temples and shrines for him everywhere. Master told us fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly support her. If her revenge fails, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was this a misunderstanding, but it also cost the lives of my two sisters!”
The white-robed female ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to unfold this way. Her Master had made such arrangements not out of heartlessness but out of deep loyalty and affection.
“By the way, Senior Sister, do you know who Master’s enemy is?” The white-robed female ghost suddenly grew mysterious.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Master never said.”
“Let me tell you: it’s actually the Spirit Marshal of the immortal realm.” The white-robed female ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng’s shock, the white-robed female ghost suddenly manifested a crimson dagger. Taking her by surprise, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul.
“Ah! Junior Sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin power.
“Hahahaha…”
The white-robed female ghost burst into maniacal laughter. Her form shifted, transforming into a black-robed old woman. She glared at Bai Feng with a sinister grin. “Junior Sister? Who is your junior sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother, with eight hundred years of cultivation. How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you know? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my Master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew increasingly weak.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, since you’re so devoted to your Master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your junior sister but your Master’s sister. The only difference is that she bears the surname Bai, and I bear the surname Black. After she ascended to the immortal realm, she left this place to me. I gather incense offerings for her and help her establish a foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she provides me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. You and that wretched boy Shui Miao are merely our pawns. Now that we’ve used you, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson venomous snake.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait! If you want to kill me, why the rush? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know about them in advance? Don’t you feel any remorse?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. Is that all? They were merely two pawns. If they died, they died. Why should I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve, looking utterly indifferent.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“That’s none of your concern. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson venomous snake shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly and suddenly waved her hand. A black sword sliced the venomous snake in two.
“Th-this… is this the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was remarkably knowledgeable, recognizing that the black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached for the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Hahahaha…”
The Black Mountain Mother laughed maniacally again. “Overestimating yourself, hahaha… Did you think you were the only one with a divine sword? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces your soul, it won’t come out until it has drained all your Yin power. I should thank you! Even in death, you’ve gifted me a great treasure. The Raksha Soul-Severing Sword will now belong to me, the Black Mountain Mother! Hahaha…”
“Hmph!”
To her surprise, Bai Feng smirked again. She suddenly took out a black Yin Saint’s Essence and swallowed it. Her soul instantly returned to its peak state. “Black Mountain Mother, I have plenty of Yin Saint’s Essence left. Feel free to try and take it!” As she spoke, Bai Feng used the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword to strike the Soul-Devouring Dagger, shattering it into pieces. With its internal formation destroyed, the dagger lost its soul-devouring power and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s injuries healed rapidly thanks to the Yin Saint’s Essence. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re getting old. I only sacrificed a tiny bit of Yin Saint’s Essence to trick you into talking. Did you think I was an idiot? Did you really believe you could stab me so easily?”
“How dare you! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother could no longer laugh. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers suddenly grew over a meter long, lunging toward Bai Feng!
“Heh, do you think you’ve mastered the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was startled, never expecting Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Haha! I’m here too!” The Black Snake Demon also appeared. Licking its lips, its green eyes fixed intently on the Black Mountain Mother, it said with a grin, “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon! You must let me have this old demon’s demonic power! It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal.”
“Good! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
The Black Snake Demon, a master of swift escape techniques, materialized instantly beside the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could even react, it morphed into a massive black python, swiftly and tightly wrapping itself around her demonic form!
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In dire straits, with her life hanging by a thread, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. Struggling desperately, she threw her head back and screamed, “Sister, save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal realm?”
Shui Miao was startled and quickly withdrew his immortal power, staying fully alert. With Bai Feng and the Black Snake Demon handling the Black Mountain Mother, it was more than enough.
“Ah!”
Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was not a difficult task for Shui Miao.
Moreover, Shui Miao had also changed his voice, making it impossible for them to recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled and slightly embarrassed. He didn’t think he had misseen earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have been mistaken?”
The developer muttered to himself softly.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two showed no further reaction, he left while pretending to be on a phone call.
After exiting the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and hurried back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her companions had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and without hesitation, Xiao Hong confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train. Originally named Shui Miao, he now went by Zhang Ling… Xiao Hong’s words immediately confused Jiang Zhihao. His master must have been here, but how could that be? His master had been with him all this time—when could he have gone to Miaojiang?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao quickly ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently needed to figure out where things had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the black snake demon, and together they rushed to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the black snake demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus? Are we just going to let him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him, making him turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the black snake demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the impostor White Lady and would capture her first to clarify the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng had broken into the treasure vault and saw the white-robed female ghost, who was preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion and the fact that the hidden Five Elements Formation outside remained untriggered and unresponsive, the white-robed female ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! How many times do I have to tell you? Why can’t you remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You are the impostors. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor showing any urgency to subdue the white-robed female ghost. “Not bad. After decades away, this place remains unchanged. However, compared to before, the immortal aura is gone, leaving only Yin energy.”
“Th-This can’t be! Master only took the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head in disbelief and suddenly summoned her sword, pointing it at Bai Feng. “Who are you, really?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to look at the white-robed female ghost and smiled faintly, completely unfazed by her blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing that the white-robed female ghost showed no reaction, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clarify things instead of guessing blindly.”
“…”
Uncertain of Bai Feng’s origins, the white-robed female ghost could only watch her warily, maintaining a high level of alertness.
“Let me ask you: Have you always been here? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago—were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently followed Master here. Before that, Master was always with me.” Unwilling to be outdone, the white-robed female ghost retorted, “You claim to be Master’s disciple. Were you always here before?”
“No, I was in Miaojiang. Master met me when she traveled there. She gave me a bit of Yin Saint’s Essence, and I was so grateful that I became her disciple. At that time, I had only been a female ghost for a few years. Now, almost five hundred years have passed. However, in all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“…”
Sensing that Bai Feng was not lying, the white-robed female ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the northeast. I also met Master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint’s Essence, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. Master has always traveled the world with us, and only recently did she bring us here.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why Master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never truly considered me her disciple. I was just a pawn to her.” Bai Feng sighed sadly. “By the way, is this what the Master you’ve seen looks like?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed female ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. My Master isn’t this delicate or gentle. She is incredibly powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed female ghost transformed into the appearance of the Master she had seen.
“I see!”
Upon witnessing the manifestation of the white-robed female ghost, Bai Feng experienced a sudden revelation. “The Master had long since mastered the technique of creating doppelgängers. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul roamed the world. That’s why she always kept you by her side. Yet, I’m perplexed: if the Master’s Heavenly Soul ascended to the immortal realm, where did her Earth Soul go? Could it be that her souls merged and together they ventured into the immortal realm to seek vengeance on that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed female ghost would never reveal the truth.
Hearing this, the white-robed female ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, Master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he completely forgot about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess was correct!
She felt slightly excited. Unexpectedly, her Master had indeed gone to the immortal realm to seek revenge. After a pause, Bai Feng added, “I think… Master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away to avoid dragging us into this…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed female ghost sheathed her sword. “Senior Sister, are you referring to a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why? Did Master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about Xiao Shui? How could you be so foolish as to attempt to possess him? He carries the Spirit Commander’s protective jade pendant.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But Master said that Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone impersonated him before then, we were to kill them. How was I to know you’d return so soon? Without the Spirit Commander’s jade pendant on him, I’d still be doubting whether you were the two people Master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed female ghost mistook the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit Commander’s jade pendant.
“…”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that Master truly didn’t want to involve them?
“By the way, why did Master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside seeking revenge in the immortal realm, does Master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Ah!”
The white-robed female ghost sat on the stone stool beside Bai Feng and said anxiously, “Isn’t it because Shui Miao is a man of great destiny? We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the celestial realm. That’s why we’ve been frantically building temples and shrines for him everywhere. Master told us fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly support her. If she fails in her revenge, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was this a misunderstanding, but it also cost my two sisters their lives!”
The white-robed female ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to unfold this way. Her Master had made such arrangements not out of heartlessness but out of deep loyalty and affection.
“By the way, Senior Sister, do you know who Master’s enemy is?” The white-robed female ghost suddenly grew mysterious.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Master never said.”
“Let me tell you: it’s actually the Spirit Commander of the immortal realm.” The white-robed female ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Upon hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng’s shock, the white-robed female ghost suddenly manifested a crimson dagger. Taking advantage of the moment, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul!
“Ah! Junior Sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin power.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
The white-robed female ghost burst into maniacal laughter. Her form shifted, transforming into a black-robed old woman. She glared at Bai Feng with a sinister grin. “Junior Sister? Who’s your junior sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother, with eight hundred years of cultivation. How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you know? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my Master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew increasingly weaker.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, considering your devotion to your Master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your junior sister but your Master’s sister. The only difference is that she goes by ‘White’ and I go by ‘Black.’ After she ascended to the immortal realm, she left this place to me. I gather incense offerings for her and help her establish a foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she supplies me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. You and that brat Shui Miao are merely our pawns. Now that we’re done using you, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson venomous snake.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait! If you want to kill me, why the rush? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know beforehand? Doesn’t it pain you?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. Is that all? They were just two pawns. If they died, they died. Why would I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve dismissively.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“Don’t worry about that. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson venomous snake shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly and suddenly waved her hand. A black sword sliced the venomous snake in two.
“This… is this the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was remarkably knowledgeable, recognizing that this black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached for the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
The Black Mountain Mother laughed maniacally again. “Overestimating yourself, overestimating yourself! Ha ha ha… Did you think you were the only one with a treasured sword? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces your soul, it won’t come out until it has drained all your Yin power. I should thank you! On the verge of death, you’ve gifted me the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword. From now on, it belongs to me, the Black Mountain Mother! Ha ha ha ha…”
“Hmph!”
To her astonishment, Bai Feng sneered once more. She abruptly produced a black Yin Saint’s Essence and swallowed it. Instantly, her soul returned to its peak condition. “Black Mountain Mother, I still have plenty of Yin Saint’s Essence left. Go ahead and try to take it!” No sooner had she spoken than Bai Feng struck the Soul-Devouring Dagger with the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword, shattering it into fragments. With its internal formation destroyed, the dagger lost its soul-devouring power and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s wounds healed rapidly due to the Yin Saint’s Essence. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re ultimately too old. I only sacrificed a tiny bit of Yin Saint’s Essence to deceive you into revealing everything. Did you think I was a fool? That I’d let you stab me so easily?”
“Outrageous! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother could no longer laugh. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers suddenly grew over a meter long, lunging toward Bai Feng!
“Heh, do you think you’ve mastered the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was startled. She hadn’t expected Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Ha ha! I’m here too!” The black snake demon also appeared. It licked its lips, its green eyes fixed intently on the Black Mountain Mother. “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon! You must let me have this old demon’s demonic energy! It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal.”
“Good! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
The black snake demon, a master of the art of flash dodging, materialized instantly beside the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could even react, it morphed into a massive black python, swiftly wrapping its powerful coils around her demonic form!
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In dire straits, with her life hanging by a thread, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. She struggled and screamed desperately, “Sister, save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal world?”
Shui Miao was alarmed. He quickly withdrew his immortal power and remained on high alert. With Bai Feng and the black snake demon handling the Black Mountain Mother, it should be enough.
The white-robed female ghost was very conflicted, nearly in tears.
“It seems we really misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to turn out this way. Her master had made such arrangements, not out of coldness, but out of deep affection.
“Oh, senior sister, do you know who my master’s enemy is?” The white-robed female ghost suddenly became mysterious.
Bai Feng shook her head, “My master never said.”
Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was not a difficult task for Shui Miao.
Moreover, Shui Miao had also changed his voice, making it impossible for them to recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I mistook you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled and slightly embarrassed. He didn’t think he had misjudged earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have mistaken him?”
The developer muttered to himself softly.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two showed no further reaction, he left while pretending to be on a phone call.
After exiting the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and rushed back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her companions had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and Xiao Hong immediately confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train. Originally named Shui Miao, he now went by Zhang Ling… Xiao Hong’s words left Jiang Zhihao deeply perplexed. His master must have been here, but his master had been with him all this time—when could he have gone to Miaojiang?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao quickly ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently needed to figure out where things had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the black snake demon, and together they hurried to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the black snake demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus? Are we just letting him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him to turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the black snake demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the impostor White Lady and would capture her first to clarify the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng broke into the treasure vault and saw a female ghost in white robes preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion and the fact that the hidden Five Elements formation outside remained untriggered and unresponsive, the white-robed ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! I’ve told you several times already. Why can’t you remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You are the impostors. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor showing any urgency to subdue the white-robed ghost. “Not bad. After decades away, this place remains unchanged. However, compared to before, the immortal aura is gone, leaving only a Yin energy.”
“Th-this can’t be. Master only accepted the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed ghost shook her head in disbelief and suddenly summoned a sword, pointing it at Bai Feng. “Who are you, really?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to look at the white-robed ghost, smiling faintly, completely unfazed by the blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing no reaction from the ghost, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clarify things instead of guessing blindly.”
“…”
Uncertain of the other’s origins, the white-robed ghost could only watch Bai Feng warily, maintaining a high level of alertness.
“Let me ask you: have you always been here? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago—were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently followed Master here. Before that, Master was always with me.” Unwilling to be outdone, the white-robed ghost retorted, “You claim to be Master’s disciple. Were you always here before?”
“No, I was in Miaojiang. Master met me when she traveled there. She gave me a bit of Yin Saint’s essence, and I was so grateful that I became her disciple. At that time, I had only been a female ghost for a few years. Now, nearly five hundred years have passed. However, over all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“…”
Sensing that Bai Feng was not lying, the white-robed ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the northeast. I also met Master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint’s essence, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. However, Master always took us traveling around the world. It was only recently that she brought us here.” The white-robed ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why Master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never truly considered me her disciple. I was just a pawn to her.” Bai Feng sighed with a hint of sadness. “By the way, is the Master you’ve seen like this?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. My Master isn’t this delicate or gentle. She is incredibly powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed ghost transformed into the appearance of the Master she knew.
“I understand now!”
Seeing the form the white-robed ghost had taken, Bai Feng suddenly had an epiphany. “Master had long cultivated a doppelgänger. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul traveled the world. That’s why she always took you along. However, I’m puzzled: if Master’s Heavenly Soul ascended to the immortal realm, where did her Earth Soul go? Could it be that her souls merged and went together to the immortal realm to seek revenge on that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed ghost would never reveal the truth.
Hearing this, the white-robed ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, Master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he forgot all about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess was correct!
She felt a slight thrill. Unexpectedly, her Master had indeed gone to the immortal realm for revenge. After a pause, Bai Feng added, “I think… Master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away to avoid dragging us into this…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed ghost sheathed her sword. “Senior Sister, are you referring to a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why? Did Master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about Xiao Shui? How could you be so foolish as to try to possess him? He has the Spirit Marshal’s protective jade pendant.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But Master said that Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone impersonated him before then, we were to kill them. Who knew you’d return so soon? How was I to know if you were impostors? If it weren’t for the Spirit Marshal’s jade pendant on him, I’d still suspect you were the two people Master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed ghost had mistaken the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit Marshal’s jade pendant.
“…”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that Master truly didn’t want to involve them?
“By the way, why did Master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside from seeking revenge in the immortal realm, did Master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Sigh!”
The white-robed ghost sat on the stone stool beside Bai Feng and said anxiously, “It’s all because Shui Miao is said to be a man of great destiny. We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the celestial realm. That’s why we’ve been frantically building temples and shrines for him everywhere. Master told us fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly assist her. If she fails in her revenge, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was this a misunderstanding, but it also cost the lives of my two sisters!”
The white-robed ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to unfold this way. Her Master had made such arrangements not out of heartlessness but out of deep loyalty and righteousness.
“By the way, Senior Sister, do you know who Master’s enemy is?” The white-robed ghost suddenly grew mysterious.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Master never said.”
“Let me tell you: it’s actually the Spirit Marshal of the immortal realm.” The white-robed ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng’s shock, the white-robed ghost suddenly manifested a crimson dagger. Taking her by surprise, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul.
“Ah! Junior Sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin power.
“Hahahaha…”
The white-robed ghost burst into maniacal laughter. Her form shifted, transforming into an old woman in black robes. She glared at Bai Feng with a sinister grin. “Junior Sister? Who is your Junior Sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother, with eight hundred years of cultivation. How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you know? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my Master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew increasingly weaker.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, since you’re so devoted to your Master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your Junior Sister but your Master’s sister. The only difference is that she goes by ‘White’ and I go by ‘Black.’ After she ascended to the immortal realm, she left this place to me. I gather incense offerings for her and help her establish a foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she provides me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. You and that brat Shui Miao are merely pawns. Now that we’re done using you, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson serpent.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait, why the hurry to kill me? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know beforehand? Don’t you care?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. So what if they died? They were just pawns. Why would I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve, looking utterly indifferent.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“That’s none of your concern. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson serpent shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly and suddenly waved her hand. A black sword sliced the crimson serpent in two.
“This… is this the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was remarkably knowledgeable, recognizing that the black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached for the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Hahahaha…”
The Black Mountain Mother laughed maniacally again. “Overestimating yourself, hahaha… Did you think you were the only one with a divine weapon? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces a soul, it won’t come out until it has drained all the Yin power. I should thank you! On the verge of death, you’ve gifted me the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword. From now on, it belongs to me, the Black Mountain Mother! Hahaha…”
“Hmph!”
To her surprise, Bai Feng smirked again. She suddenly took out a black Yin Saint’s essence and swallowed it. Her soul instantly returned to its peak state. “Black Mountain Mother, I have plenty of Yin Saint’s essence left. Feel free to try and take it!” As she spoke, Bai Feng struck the Soul-Devouring Dagger with the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword, shattering it into pieces. With its internal formation destroyed, the dagger lost its soul-devouring power and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s injuries healed rapidly thanks to the Yin Saint’s essence. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re getting old. I only sacrificed a tiny bit of Yin Saint’s essence to trick you into talking. Did you think I was an idiot? Did you really believe you stabbed me so easily?”
“How dare you! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother finally stopped laughing. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers suddenly grew over a meter long, lunging toward Bai Feng!
“Heh, do you think you’re practicing the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was startled. She hadn’t expected Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Haha! I’m here too!” The black snake demon also appeared. Licking its lips, its green eyes fixed intently on the Black Mountain Mother, it said with a grin, “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon. You must let me have this old demon’s demonic energy! It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal.”
“Sure! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
The black snake demon, a master of swift escape techniques, materialized instantly beside the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could even react, it morphed into a massive black python, swiftly wrapping itself around her demonic form in a vice-like grip!
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In dire straits, with her life hanging by a thread, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. Struggling desperately, she threw her head back and screamed, “Sister, save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal realm?”
Shui Miao’s heart sank. He quickly withdrew his immortal power and remained on high alert. With Bai Feng and the black snake demon handling the Black Mountain Mother, it was more than enough.
Upon hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned, “It’s him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng’s shock, the white-robed female ghost suddenly revealed a crimson dagger in her hand. Without warning, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul body!
“Ahh! Junior sister, why, why are you doing this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted eerie red light, continuously absorbing her yin power.
“Ha ha ha…”
Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was not a difficult task for Shui Miao.
Moreover, Shui Miao had also changed his voice, making it impossible for them to recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I mistook you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled and slightly embarrassed. He didn’t think he had misjudged earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have mistaken him?”
The developer muttered softly to himself.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two showed no further reaction, he left while pretending to be on a phone call.
After exiting the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and hurried back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her companions had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and she immediately confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train. Originally named Shui Miao, he now went by Zhang Ling… Xiao Hong’s words left Jiang Zhihao deeply perplexed. His master must have been here, but how could that be? His master had been with him all along—when could he have gone to Miaojiang?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao quickly ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently needed to figure out where things had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the Black Snake Demon, and together they rushed to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the Black Snake Demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus? Are we just going to let him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him, making him turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the Black Snake Demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the impostor White Lady and would capture her first to clarify the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng had broken into the treasure vault and saw the white-robed female ghost, who was preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion and the fact that the hidden Five Elements Formation outside remained untouched and unresponsive, the white-robed female ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! How many times do I have to tell you? Why can’t you remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You are the impostors. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor showing any urgency to subdue the white-robed female ghost. “Not bad. It’s been decades, but this place remains unchanged. However, compared to before, the immortal aura is gone, replaced only by Yin energy.”
“Th-That’s impossible! Master only took the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head in disbelief and suddenly summoned her sword, pointing it at Bai Feng. “Who are you, really?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to look at the white-robed female ghost and smiled faintly, completely unfazed by her blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing that the white-robed female ghost showed no reaction, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clarify things. No point guessing blindly here.”
“…”
Uncertain of the other’s true identity, the white-robed female ghost could only watch Bai Feng warily, maintaining a high level of vigilance.
“Let me ask you: Have you always been here? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago—were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently followed Master here. Before that, Master was always with me.” Unwilling to be outdone, the white-robed female ghost retorted, “You claim to be Master’s disciple. Were you always here before?”
“No, I was always in Miaojiang. Master met me when she traveled there. She gave me a bit of Yin Saint’s Essence, and I was so grateful that I became her disciple. At that time, I had only been a female ghost for a few years. Now, almost five hundred years have passed. But during all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“…”
Sensing that Bai Feng was not lying, the white-robed female ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the northeast. I also met Master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint’s Essence, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. However, Master has always taken us traveling around the world. It was only recently that she brought us here.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why Master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never truly considered me her disciple. I was just a pawn to her.” Bai Feng sighed with a hint of sadness. “By the way, is the Master you’ve seen like this?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed female ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. My Master isn’t this delicate or gentle. She is incredibly powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed female ghost transformed into the appearance of the Master she had seen.
“I see!”
Upon witnessing the form the white-robed female ghost had assumed, Bai Feng suddenly grasped the situation. “Master has long since mastered the art of creating doppelgängers. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul roamed the world. That’s why she always took you along. However, I’m puzzled: if Master’s Heavenly Soul ascended to the immortal realm, where did her Earth Soul go? Could it be that her souls merged and journeyed together to the immortal realm to seek vengeance on that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed female ghost would never reveal the truth.
Hearing this, the white-robed female ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, Master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he completely forgot about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess was correct!
She felt a surge of excitement. Unexpectedly, her Master had indeed gone to the immortal realm to seek revenge. After a moment, Bai Feng added, “I think… Master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away to avoid dragging us into this…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed female ghost sheathed her sword. “Senior Sister, are you referring to a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why? Did Master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about Xiao Shui? How could you be so foolish as to try to possess him? He has the Spirit Commander’s protective jade pendant.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But Master said that Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone impersonated him before then, we were to kill them. How was I to know you’d return so soon? Without that Spirit Commander’s jade pendant on him, I’d still be doubting whether you were the two people Master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed female ghost mistook the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit Commander’s jade pendant.
“…”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that Master truly didn’t want to involve them?
“By the way, why did Master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside from seeking revenge in the immortal realm, does Master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Sigh!”
The white-robed female ghost sat on the stone stool beside Bai Feng and said anxiously, “It’s all because Master said Shui Miao is a man of great destiny. We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the immortal realm. That’s why we’ve been working tirelessly to build temples and shrines for him everywhere. Master told us fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly assist her. If she fails in her revenge, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was this a misunderstanding, but it also cost the lives of my two sisters!”
The white-robed female ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to unfold this way. Her Master had made such arrangements not out of heartlessness but out of deep loyalty and righteousness.
“By the way, Senior Sister, do you know who Master’s enemy is?” The white-robed female ghost suddenly grew mysterious.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Master never said.”
“Let me tell you: it’s actually the Spirit Commander of the immortal realm.” The white-robed female ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng’s shock, the white-robed female ghost suddenly revealed a crimson dagger in her hand. Taking advantage of the moment, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul!
“Ah! Junior Sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin power.
“Hahahaha…”
The white-robed female ghost burst into maniacal laughter. Her form shifted, transforming into an old woman clad in black robes. She glared at Bai Feng with a sinister grin. “Junior Sister? Who is your junior sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother, with eight hundred years of cultivation. How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you know? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my Master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew increasingly weak.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, since you’re so devoted to your Master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your junior sister but your Master’s sister. The only difference is that she goes by ‘White’ and I go by ‘Black.’ After she left for the immortal realm, she entrusted this place to me. I collect incense offerings for her and help her establish a foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she provides me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. As for you and that wretched boy Shui Miao, you’re merely pawns. Now that you’ve served your purpose, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson venomous snake.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait! If you want to kill me, why the rush? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know beforehand? Don’t you care?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. So what if they died? They were just pawns. Why would I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve dismissively.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“That’s none of your concern. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson venomous snake shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly and suddenly waved her hand. A black sword sliced the venomous snake in two.
“Th-This… is that the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was remarkably knowledgeable, recognizing that the black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached for the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Hahahaha…”
The Black Mountain Mother laughed maniacally again. “Overestimating yourself! Hahaha… Did you think you were the only one with a treasured sword? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces your soul, it won’t come out until it has drained all your Yin power. I should thank you! On the verge of death, you’ve gifted me the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword. From now on, it belongs to me, the Black Mountain Mother! Hahaha…”
“Hmph!”
To her surprise, Bai Feng smirked again. She suddenly took out a black Yin Saint’s Essence and swallowed it. Her soul instantly returned to its peak state. “Black Mountain Mother, I have plenty of Yin Saint’s Essence. If you have the ability, come and take it!” As she spoke, Bai Feng struck the Soul-Devouring Dagger with the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword, shattering it into pieces. The dagger, its internal formation destroyed, lost its soul-devouring power and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s injuries healed rapidly due to the Yin Saint’s Essence. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re getting old. I only sacrificed a tiny bit of Yin Saint’s Essence to trick you into talking. Did you think I was an idiot? Did you really believe you could stab me so easily?”
“How dare you! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother could no longer laugh. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers suddenly grew over a meter long, lunging toward Bai Feng!
“Heh, do you think you’ve mastered the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was startled. She hadn’t expected Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Haha! I’m here too!” The Black Snake Demon also appeared. Licking its lips, its green eyes fixed intently on the Black Mountain Mother, it said with a grin, “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon! You must let me have this old demon’s demonic energy! I haven’t had a full meal in a long, long time.”
“Good! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
The Black Snake Demon, a master of swift evasion, materialized instantly beside the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could even react, it morphed into a massive black python, swiftly and tightly wrapping itself around her demonic form!
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In dire straits, her life hanging by a thread, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. Struggling desperately, she threw her head back and screamed, “Sister, save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal realm?”
Shui Miao was startled. He quickly withdrew his immortal power and remained on high alert. With Bai Feng and the Black Snake Demon dealing with the Black Mountain Mother, it was more than enough.
“Where is my master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul was growing weaker.
Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was not a difficult task for Shui Miao.
Moreover, Shui Miao had also changed his voice, making it impossible for them to recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled and slightly embarrassed. He didn’t think he had misjudged earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have been mistaken?”
The developer muttered softly to himself.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two showed no further reaction, he left while pretending to be on a phone call.
After exiting the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and hurried back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her companions had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and without hesitation, she confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train. Originally named Shui Miao, he now went by Zhang Ling… Xiao Hong’s words immediately confused Jiang Zhihao. His master must have been here, but how could that be? His master had been with him all this time—when could he have gone to Miaojiang?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao quickly ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently needed to figure out where things had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the black snake demon, and together they rushed to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the black snake demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus? Are we just going to let him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him, making him turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the black snake demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the impostor White Lady and would capture her first to clarify the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng had broken into the treasure vault and saw a female ghost in white robes preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion and the fact that the hidden Five Elements formation outside remained untouched and unresponsive, the white-robed ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! How many times do I have to tell you? Why can’t you remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You are the impostors. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor showing any urgency to subdue the white-robed ghost. “Not bad. It’s been decades, but this place remains unchanged. However, compared to before, the immortal aura is gone, leaving only Yin energy.”
“Th-this can’t be! Master only took the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed ghost shook her head in disbelief and suddenly summoned a sword, pointing it at Bai Feng as she demanded, “Who are you, really?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to face the white-robed ghost, smiling faintly, completely unfazed by the blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing that the ghost showed no reaction, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clarify things instead of guessing blindly.”
“…”
Uncertain of Bai Feng’s origins, the white-robed ghost could only watch her warily, remaining highly alert.
“Let me ask you: have you always been here? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago—were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently followed Master here. Before that, Master was always with me.” Unwilling to be outdone, the white-robed ghost retorted, “You claim to be Master’s disciple, but have you always been here before?”
“No, I’ve always been in Miaojiang. Master met me when she traveled there. She gave me a bit of Yin Saint Spirit, and I was so grateful that I became her disciple. At that time, I had only been a female ghost for a few years. Now, almost five hundred years have passed. But in all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“…”
Sensing that Bai Feng was not lying, the white-robed ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the northeast. I also met Master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint Spirit too, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. However, Master always took us traveling around the world. It was only recently that she brought us here.” The white-robed ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why Master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never truly considered me a disciple. I was just one of her pawns.” Bai Feng sighed sadly. “By the way, is the Master you’ve seen look like this?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. My Master isn’t this delicate or gentle. She is incredibly powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed ghost transformed into the appearance of the Master she had seen.
“I see!”
Upon seeing the form the white-robed ghost had taken, Bai Feng suddenly understood. “Master had long since mastered the art of doppelgänger. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul traveled the world. That’s why she always took you along. However, I’m puzzled: if Master’s Heavenly Soul went to the immortal realm, where did her Earth Soul go? Could it be that her souls merged and went together to the immortal realm to seek revenge on that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed ghost would never reveal the truth.
Hearing this, the white-robed ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, Master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he forgot all about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess was correct!
She felt a surge of excitement. Unexpectedly, her Master had indeed gone to the immortal realm for revenge. After a pause, Bai Feng added, “I think… Master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away to avoid dragging us into this…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed ghost sheathed her sword. “Senior Sister, are you referring to a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why? Did Master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about Xiao Shui? How could you be so foolish as to try to possess him? He has the Spirit Marshal’s protective jade pendant.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But Master said that Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone impersonated him before then, we were to kill them. Who knew you’d return so soon? How was I to know whether you were impostors? If not for the Spirit Marshal’s jade pendant on him, I’d still suspect you were the two people Master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed ghost had mistaken the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit Marshal’s jade pendant.
“…”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that Master truly wanted to protect them from being involved?
“By the way, why did Master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside from seeking revenge in the immortal realm, did Master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Ah!”
The white-robed ghost sat on the stone stool beside Bai Feng and said anxiously, “It’s all because Master said Shui Miao is a man of great destiny. We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the immortal realm. That’s why we’ve been working tirelessly to build temples and shrines for him everywhere. Master told us fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly assist her. If she fails in her revenge, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was this a misunderstanding, but it also cost the lives of my two sisters!”
The white-robed ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to unfold this way. Her Master had made such arrangements not out of heartlessness but out of deep loyalty and affection.
“By the way, Senior Sister, do you know who Master’s enemy is?” The white-robed ghost suddenly grew mysterious.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Master never said.”
“Let me tell you: it’s actually the Spirit Marshal of the immortal realm.” The white-robed ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng’s shock, the white-robed ghost suddenly manifested a crimson dagger. Taking her by surprise, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul!
“Ah! Junior Sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin power.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
The white-robed ghost burst into maniacal laughter. Her form shifted, transforming into an old woman clad in black robes. She glared at Bai Feng with sinister glee. “Junior Sister? Who is your junior sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother, with eight hundred years of cultivation. How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you know? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my Master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew increasingly weak.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, since you’re so devoted to your Master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your junior sister but your Master’s sister. The only difference is that she goes by ‘White’ and I go by ‘Black.’ After she left for the immortal realm, she entrusted this place to me. I gather incense offerings for her and help her establish a foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she provides me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. You and that wretched boy Shui Miao are merely our pawns. Now that we’re done using you, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson serpent.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait! If you’re going to kill me, why the rush? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know about them in advance? Don’t you care?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. Is that all? They were just two pawns. If they died, they died. Why would I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve dismissively.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“Don’t worry about that. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson serpent shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly and suddenly waved her hand. A black sword sliced the crimson serpent in two.
“This… is this the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was remarkably knowledgeable, recognizing that the black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached for the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
The Black Mountain Mother laughed maniacally again. “Overestimating yourself! Ha ha ha… Did you think you were the only one with a treasured sword? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces your soul, it won’t come out until it has drained all your Yin power. I should thank you! Even in death, you’ve given me a great gift. The Raksha Soul-Severing Sword will belong to me, the Black Mountain Mother, from now on! Ha ha ha ha…”
“Hmph!”
To her surprise, Bai Feng smirked again. She suddenly took out a black Yin Saint Spirit and swallowed it. Her soul instantly returned to its peak state. “Black Mountain Mother, I have plenty of Yin Saint Spirit left. Feel free to try and take them!” As she spoke, Bai Feng used the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword to strike the Soul-Devouring Dagger, shattering it into pieces. With its internal formation destroyed, the dagger lost its soul-devouring power and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s injuries healed rapidly thanks to the Yin Saint Spirit. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re getting old. I only sacrificed a tiny bit of Yin Saint Spirit to trick you into talking. Did you think I was an idiot? Did you really believe you could stab me so easily?”
“Outrageous! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother could no longer laugh. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers suddenly grew over a meter long, lunging toward Bai Feng!
“Heh, do you think you’ve mastered the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was stunned. She hadn’t expected Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Ha ha! I’m here too!” The black snake demon also appeared. Licking its lips, its green eyes fixed intently on the Black Mountain Mother, it said with a grin, “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon! You must let me have this old demon’s demonic power! It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal.”
“Sure! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
The black snake demon, a master of the art of swift evasion, materialized instantly beside the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could even react, it morphed into a massive black python, swiftly and tightly coiling around her demonic form!
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In dire straits, her life hanging by a thread, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. Struggling desperately, she threw her head back and screamed, “Sister, save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal world?”
Shui Miao was startled. He quickly withdrew his immortal power and remained on high alert. With Bai Feng and the black snake demon handling the Black Mountain Mother, it was more than enough.
Heishan Laomu waved her blood-red sword, which instantly transformed into a blood-red venomous snake.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand, “Wait, why kill me in a hurry? Did you know beforehand about the deaths of your two subordinates? Aren’t you heartbroken?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. I thought it was something important. They were just two pawns of mine. Dead is dead, why should I care?” Heishan Laomu waved her sleeve dismissively, showing no concern.
Bai Feng shook her head, “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“This is none of your concern. After I kill you and take your form, I’ll naturally find a way to kill him.” Heishan Laomu pointed at Bai Feng, and the blood-red venomous snake shot towards her.
Bai Feng sneered coldly and suddenly waved her hand. A black sword directly sliced the blood-red snake into two.
“This, this is the Luosha Soul Severing Sword?”
Heishan Laomu was also impressed, recognizing the black sword as coming from the Luosha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation, do you think that’s impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up, reaching out to pull out the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge on the first try.
“Ha ha ha…”
Heishan Laomu laughed again, “You’re overestimating yourself, overestimating yourself! Do you think you’re the only one with a sword? My crimson dagger is the Soul Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces your soul, it won’t come out until it has devoured all your yin power. I should thank you! Even in death, you’ve given me a great gift—the Luosha Soul Severing Sword will now be mine! Ha ha ha…”
“Hmph!”
Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was not a difficult task for Shui Miao.
Moreover, Shui Miao had also changed his voice, making it impossible for them to recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled and slightly embarrassed. He didn’t think he had misjudged earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have mistaken him?”
The developer muttered softly to himself.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two showed no further reaction, he pretended to be on a phone call and left.
After exiting the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and hurried back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her companions had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and Xiao Hong immediately confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train. Originally named Shui Miao, he now went by Zhang Ling… Xiao Hong’s words left Jiang Zhihao deeply perplexed. His master must have been here, but how could he have gone to Miaojiang when he had been with Jiang Zhihao all this time?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao quickly ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently needed to figure out what had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the Black Snake Demon, and together they hurried to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the Black Snake Demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus? Are we just going to let him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him, making him turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the Black Snake Demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the imposter White Lady and would capture her first to clarify the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng had broken into the treasure vault and saw the white-robed female ghost, who was preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion and the fact that the hidden Five Elements Formation outside remained untouched and unresponsive, the white-robed female ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! How many times do I have to tell you? Why can’t you remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You are the imposters. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor rushing to subdue the white-robed female ghost. “Not bad. After decades away, this place remains unchanged. However, compared to before, the immortal aura has vanished, leaving only Yin energy.”
“Th-this can’t be! Master only took the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head in disbelief and suddenly summoned her sword, pointing it at Bai Feng. “Who are you, really?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to look at the white-robed female ghost, smiling faintly, completely unfazed by her blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing that the white-robed female ghost showed no reaction, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clarify things instead of guessing blindly.”
“…”
Uncertain of Bai Feng’s origins, the white-robed female ghost could only watch her warily, remaining highly vigilant.
“Let me ask you: have you always been here? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago—were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently followed Master here. Before that, Master was always with me.” Unwilling to be outdone, the white-robed female ghost retorted, “You claim to be Master’s disciple. Were you always here before?”
“No, I was in Miaojiang. Master met me when she traveled there. She gave me a bit of Yin Saint’s essence, and I was so grateful that I became her disciple. At that time, I had only been a female ghost for a few years. Now, almost five hundred years have passed. But in all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“…”
Sensing that Bai Feng was not lying, the white-robed female ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the northeast. I also met Master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint’s essence, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. However, Master has always traveled the world with us until recently, when she brought us here.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why Master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never truly considered me her disciple. I was just a pawn to her.” Bai Feng sighed sadly. “By the way, is the Master you’ve seen like this?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed female ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. My Master isn’t this delicate or gentle. She is incredibly powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed female ghost transformed into the appearance of the Master she knew.
“I see!”
Upon seeing the form the white-robed female ghost had taken, Bai Feng suddenly understood. “Master had long cultivated a doppelgänger. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul traveled the world. That’s why she always brought you along. However, I’m puzzled: if Master’s Heavenly Soul ascended to the immortal realm, where did her Earth Soul go? Could it be that her souls merged and went to the immortal realm together to seek revenge on that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed female ghost would never reveal the truth.
Hearing this, the white-robed female ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, Master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he forgot all about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess was correct!
She felt slightly excited. Unexpectedly, her Master had indeed gone to the immortal realm to seek revenge. After a pause, Bai Feng added, “I think… Master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away to avoid involving us…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed female ghost sheathed her sword. “Senior Sister, are you referring to a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why? Did Master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about Xiao Shui? How could you be so foolish as to possess him? He carries the Spirit Commander’s protective jade pendant.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But Master said that Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone impersonated him before then, we were to kill them. How was I to know you’d return so soon? Without the Spirit Commander’s jade pendant on him, I’d still doubt whether you were the two Master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed female ghost mistook the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit Commander’s jade pendant.
“…”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that Master truly didn’t want to involve them?
“By the way, why did Master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside from seeking revenge in the immortal realm, does Master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Ah!”
The white-robed female ghost sat on a stone stool beside Bai Feng and said anxiously, “Isn’t it because Shui Miao is a man of great destiny? We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the celestial realm. That’s why we’ve been frantically building temples and shrines for him everywhere. Master told us fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly assist her. If she fails in her revenge, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was this a misunderstanding, but it also cost my two sisters their lives!”
The white-robed female ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to unfold this way. Her Master had made such arrangements not out of heartlessness but out of deep loyalty and righteousness.
“By the way, Senior Sister, do you know who Master’s enemy is?” The white-robed female ghost suddenly grew mysterious.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Master never said.”
“Let me tell you: it’s actually the Spirit Commander of the immortal realm.” The white-robed female ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng frozen in shock, the white-robed female ghost suddenly manifested a crimson dagger. Taking her by surprise, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul!
“Ah! Junior Sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin power.
“Hahahaha…”
The white-robed female ghost burst into maniacal laughter. Her form shifted, transforming into a black-robed old woman. She glared at Bai Feng with a sinister grin. “Junior Sister? Who is your Junior Sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother, with eight hundred years of cultivation. How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you know? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my Master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew increasingly weaker.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, since you’re so devoted to your Master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your Junior Sister but your Master’s sister. The only difference is that she bears the surname Bai, and I bear the surname Black. After she ascended to the immortal realm, she left this place to me. I gather incense offerings for her and help her establish a foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she provides me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. You and that wretched boy Shui Miao are merely pawns in our game. Now that we’re done using you, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson serpent.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait! Why rush to kill me? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know about them in advance? Don’t you care?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. So what if they died? They were merely pawns. Why would I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve, looking utterly indifferent.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“Don’t worry about that. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson serpent shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly and suddenly waved her hand. A black sword sliced the crimson serpent in two.
“This… is this the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was remarkably knowledgeable, recognizing that the black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached for the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Hahahaha…”
The Black Mountain Mother laughed maniacally again. “Overestimating yourself, hahaha… Did you think you were the only one with a divine weapon? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces your soul, it won’t come out until it has drained all your Yin power. I should thank you! On the verge of death, you’ve gifted me the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword. From now on, it belongs to me, the Black Mountain Mother! Hahaha…”
“Hmph!”
To her surprise, Bai Feng smirked again. She suddenly took out a black Yin Saint’s essence and swallowed it. Her soul instantly returned to its peak state. “Black Mountain Mother, I have plenty of Yin Saint’s essence left. Feel free to try and take it!” As she spoke, Bai Feng struck the Soul-Devouring Dagger with the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword, shattering it into pieces. The dagger’s formation destroyed, it lost its soul-devouring power and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s injuries healed rapidly thanks to the Yin Saint’s essence. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re getting old. I only sacrificed a tiny bit of Yin Saint’s essence to trick you into talking. Did you think I was an idiot? Did you really believe you could stab me so easily?”
“Outrageous! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother could no longer laugh. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers grew over a meter long, lunging at Bai Feng!
“Heh, do you think you’re practicing the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was startled. She hadn’t expected Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Haha! I’m here too!” The Black Snake Demon also appeared. Licking its lips, its green eyes fixed intently on the Black Mountain Mother, it said with a grin, “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon! You must let me have this old demon’s demonic energy. It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal.”
“Sure! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
The Black Snake Demon, a master of swift escape techniques, materialized instantly next to the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could even react, it morphed into a massive black python, swiftly wrapping itself around her demonic form in a tight, unyielding grip!
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In dire straits, her life hanging by a thread, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. She struggled desperately and screamed, “Sister, save me!”
“Oh no!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal world?”
Shui Miao was alarmed. He quickly withdrew his immortal power and remained fully alert. With Bai Feng and the Black Snake Demon handling the Black Mountain Mother, it was more than enough.
“How dare you! Without the Soul Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
Heishan Laomu finally stopped laughing. Her old face darkened, and the fingernails on her ten fingers suddenly grew more than a meter long, as she clawed toward Bai Feng!
“Hehe, do you think you’re practicing the Nine Yin White Bone Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind Heishan Laomu, holding the black scimitar in his hand.
“What!”
Heishan Laomu was startled, not expecting Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was no difficult feat for Shui Miao.
Moreover, Shui Miao had even changed his voice, making it impossible for them to recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled, a slight awkwardness showing on his face. He didn’t believe he had misjudged earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have been mistaken?”
The developer muttered softly to himself.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two showed no further reaction, he pretended to be on a phone call and walked away.
After leaving the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and hurried back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her companions had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and without hesitation, she confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train. Originally named Shui Miao, he now went by Zhang Ling… Xiao Hong’s words immediately confused Jiang Zhihao. His master must have been here, but how could that be? His master had been with him all this time—when could he have gone to Miaojiang?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao quickly ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently needed to figure out where things had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the black snake demon, and together they hurried to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the black snake demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus troupe? Are we just going to let him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him, making him turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the black snake demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the impostor White Lady and would capture her first to get to the bottom of the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng had broken into the treasure vault and saw the white-robed female ghost, who was preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion and the fact that the hidden Five Elements formation outside remained untriggered and unresponsive, the white-robed female ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! How many times do I have to tell you? Why can’t you remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You are the impostors. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor showing any urgency to subdue the white-robed female ghost. “Not bad. It’s been decades, but this place remains unchanged. However, compared to before, the immortal aura is gone, replaced by nothing but Yin energy.”
“Th-That’s impossible. Master only took the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head in disbelief and suddenly summoned her sword, pointing it at Bai Feng. “Who are you, really?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to look at the white-robed female ghost, smiling faintly, completely unfazed by her blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing that the white-robed female ghost showed no reaction, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clarify things. No point guessing blindly here.”
“…”
Uncertain of Bai Feng’s origins, the white-robed female ghost could only watch her warily, remaining highly vigilant.
“Let me ask you: Have you always been here? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago—were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently followed Master here. Before that, Master was always with me.” Unwilling to be outdone, the white-robed female ghost retorted, “You claim to be Master’s disciple. Were you always here before?”
“No, I was always in Miaojiang. Master met me when she traveled there. She gave me a bit of Yin Saint’s essence, and I was so grateful that I became her disciple. At that time, I had only been a female ghost for a few years. Now, almost five hundred years have passed. But in all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“…”
Sensing that Bai Feng was not lying, the white-robed female ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the northeast. I also met Master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint’s essence too, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. However, Master always took us traveling around the world. It was only recently that she brought us here.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why Master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never truly considered me her disciple. I was just a pawn to her.” Bai Feng sighed sadly. “By the way, is the Master you’ve seen like this?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed female ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. My Master isn’t this delicate or gentle. She is incredibly powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed female ghost transformed into the appearance of the Master she knew.
“I see!”
Upon seeing the form the white-robed female ghost had taken, Bai Feng suddenly understood. “Master had long cultivated a doppelgänger. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul traveled the world. That’s why she always took you with her. But I’m puzzled: if Master’s Heavenly Soul went to the immortal realm, where did her Earth Soul go? Could it be that her souls merged and went together to the immortal realm to seek revenge on that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed female ghost would never reveal the truth.
Hearing this, the white-robed female ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, Master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he forgot all about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess was correct!
She felt a slight thrill. Unexpectedly, her Master had indeed gone to the immortal realm for revenge. After a pause, Bai Feng added, “I think… Master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away, perhaps to avoid dragging us into it…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed female ghost sheathed her sword. “Senior Sister, is the Xiao Shui you’re referring to a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why? Did Master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about Xiao Shui? How could you be so foolish as to possess him? He carries the protective jade pendant of the Spirit Marshal.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But Master said that Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone impersonated him before then, we were to kill them. How was I to know you’d return so soon? Without that Spirit Marshal’s jade pendant on him, I’d still be doubting whether you were the ones Master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed female ghost mistook the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit Marshal’s jade pendant.
“…”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that Master truly didn’t want to involve them?
“By the way, why did Master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside from seeking revenge in the immortal realm, does Master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Sigh!”
The white-robed female ghost sat on the stone stool beside Bai Feng and said anxiously, “It’s all because Master said Shui Miao is a man of great destiny. We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the immortal realm. That’s why we’ve been working tirelessly to build temples and shrines for him everywhere. Master told us fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly support her. If she fails in her revenge, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was it a misunderstanding, but it also cost the lives of my two sisters!”
The white-robed female ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to unfold this way. Her Master had made such arrangements not out of heartlessness but out of deep loyalty and affection.
“By the way, Senior Sister, do you know who Master’s enemy is?” The white-robed female ghost suddenly grew mysterious.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Master never said.”
“Let me tell you then. Actually, that person is the Spirit Marshal of the immortal realm.” The white-robed female ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng frozen in shock, the white-robed female ghost suddenly manifested a crimson dagger. Seizing the opportunity, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul!
“Ah! Junior Sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin power.
“Hahahaha…”
The white-robed female ghost burst into maniacal laughter, her form shifting into that of a black-robed old woman. She glared at Bai Feng with a sinister grin. “Junior Sister? Who is your junior sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother, with eight hundred years of cultivation. How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you know? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my Master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew increasingly weak.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, since you’re so devoted to your Master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your junior sister but your Master’s sister. The only difference is that she goes by ‘White’ and I go by ‘Black.’ After she left for the immortal realm, she entrusted this place to me. I collect incense offerings for her and help her establish a foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she provides me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. You and that brat Shui Miao are merely pawns in our game. Now that we’re done using you, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson serpent.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait, why the hurry to kill me? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know beforehand? Don’t you care?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. So what if they died? They were just pawns. Why would I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve, looking utterly indifferent.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“That’s none of your concern. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson serpent shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly and suddenly waved her hand. A black sword sliced the crimson serpent in two.
“This… is this the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was remarkably knowledgeable, recognizing that the black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached for the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Hahahaha…”
The Black Mountain Mother laughed maniacally again. “Overestimating yourself, hahaha… Did you think you were the only one with a treasured sword? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces your soul, it won’t come out until it has drained all your Yin power. I should thank you! Even in death, you’ve gifted me such a prize. The Raksha Soul-Severing Sword will now belong to me, the Black Mountain Mother! Hahaha…”
“Hmph!”
To her surprise, Bai Feng smirked again. She suddenly took out a black Yin Saint’s essence and swallowed it. Her soul instantly returned to its peak state. “Black Mountain Mother, I have plenty of Yin Saint’s essence left. Feel free to try and take it!” As she spoke, Bai Feng struck the Soul-Devouring Dagger with the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword, shattering it into pieces. With its internal formation destroyed, the dagger lost its soul-devouring power and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s injuries healed rapidly thanks to the Yin Saint’s essence. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re getting old. I only sacrificed a tiny bit of Yin Saint’s essence to trick you into talking. Did you think I was an idiot? Did you really believe you could stab me so easily?”
“How dare you! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother finally stopped laughing. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers suddenly grew over a meter long, lunging toward Bai Feng!
“Heh, do you think you’re practicing the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was startled. She hadn’t expected Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Haha! I’m here too!” The black snake demon also appeared, licking its lips. Its green eyes fixed intently on the Black Mountain Mother as it said with a grin, “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon! You must let me have this old demon’s demonic power. It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal.”
“Sure! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
The black snake demon, masterful in the art of swift evasion, materialized instantly beside the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could even react, it morphed into a massive black python, swiftly wrapping its powerful coils around her demonic form!
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In dire straits, with her life hanging by a thread, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. Struggling desperately, she threw her head back and screamed, “Sister, save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal realm?”
Shui Miao’s heart sank. He quickly withdrew his immortal power and remained on high alert. With Bai Feng and the black snake demon dealing with the Black Mountain Mother, it was enough.
“Good! No problem.”
Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was no difficult feat for Shui Miao.
Moreover, Shui Miao had even changed his voice, so naturally, they couldn’t recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I mistook you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled and slightly embarrassed. He didn’t think he had misseen earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have mistaken him?”
The developer muttered softly to himself.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two had no further reaction, he left while pretending to be on a phone call.
After exiting the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and rushed back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her group had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and Xiao Hong immediately confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train. Originally named Shui Miao, he now went by Zhang Ling… Xiao Hong’s words left Jiang Zhihao bewildered. His master must have been here, but his master had been with him all this time—when could he have gone to Miaojiang?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao quickly ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently wanted to know what had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the black snake demon, and together they hurried to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the black snake demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus? Are we just going to let him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him, making him turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the black snake demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the impostor White Lady and would capture her first to clarify the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng had broken into the treasure vault and saw a female ghost in white robes preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion and the fact that the hidden Five Elements Formation outside remained untriggered and unresponsive, the white-robed ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! I’ve told you several times already. How come you still don’t remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You’re just impostors. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor showing any urgency to subdue the white-robed ghost. “Not bad. It’s been decades, but this place remains unchanged. However, compared to before, the immortal aura here is gone, leaving only Yin energy.”
“Th-This can’t be. Master only took the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed ghost shook her head in disbelief and suddenly summoned a sword, pointing it at Bai Feng. “Who are you, really?”
“I’m Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to look at the white-robed ghost and smiled faintly, completely unfazed by her blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing that the white-robed ghost showed no reaction, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clarify things instead of guessing blindly here.”
“…”
Uncertain of Bai Feng’s origins, the white-robed ghost could only watch her warily, maintaining a high level of alertness.
“Let me ask you: Have you always been here? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago—were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently followed Master here. Before that, Master was always with me.” Unwilling to be outdone, the white-robed ghost retorted, “You claim to be Master’s disciple. Were you always here before?”
“No, I was always in Miaojiang. Master met me when she went there. She gave me a bit of Yin Saint’s essence, and I was so grateful that I took her as my master. At that time, I had only recently become a female ghost. It’s been almost five hundred years since then. However, over all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“…”
Feeling that Bai Feng wasn’t lying, the white-robed ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the northeast. I also met Master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint’s essence too, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. However, Master always took us traveling around the world. It was only recently that she brought us here.” The white-robed ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why Master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never really considered me her disciple. I was just a pawn to her.” Bai Feng sighed sadly. “By the way, is the Master you met like this?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. My Master isn’t this delicate or gentle. She is very powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed ghost transformed into the appearance of the Master she had seen.
“I see!”
Upon seeing the form the white-robed ghost had taken, Bai Feng suddenly had an epiphany. “Master had long since cultivated a doppelgänger. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul traveled the world. That’s why she always took you along. However, I’m puzzled: if Master’s Heavenly Soul went to the immortal realm, where did her Earth Soul go? Could it be that her souls merged and went together to the immortal realm to seek revenge on that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed ghost would never reveal it.
Hearing this, the white-robed ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, Master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he forgot all about her.”
Bai Feng had guessed correctly!
She felt slightly excited. Unexpectedly, her master had indeed gone to the immortal realm to seek revenge. After a pause, Bai Feng added, “I think… Master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away because she didn’t want to involve us…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed ghost sheathed her sword. “Senior Sister, is the Xiao Shui you’re referring to a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why? Did Master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about Xiao Shui? How could you be so foolish as to possess him? He has the Spirit Marshal’s protective jade pendant on him.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But Master said that Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone impersonated him before then, we were to kill them. Who knew you’d return so soon? How was I to know if you were impostors? If it weren’t for the Spirit Marshal’s jade pendant on him, I’d still suspect whether you were the two people Master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed ghost had mistaken the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit Marshal’s jade pendant.
“…”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that Master truly didn’t want to involve them?
“By the way, why did Master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside from seeking revenge in the immortal realm, does Master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Sigh!”
The white-robed ghost sat on the stone stool beside Bai Feng and said anxiously, “It’s all because Master said Shui Miao is a man of great destiny. We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the immortal realm. That’s why we’ve been working tirelessly to build temples and shrines for him everywhere. Master even told us that fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly assist her. If she fails in her revenge, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was it a misunderstanding, but it also cost my two sisters their lives!”
The white-robed ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to be this way. Her master had made such arrangements not out of heartlessness but out of deep affection and righteousness.
“By the way, Senior Sister, do you know who Master’s enemy is?” The white-robed ghost suddenly became mysterious again.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Master never said.”
“Let me tell you: it’s actually the Spirit Marshal of the immortal realm.” The white-robed ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng frozen in shock, the white-robed ghost suddenly manifested a crimson dagger. Taking advantage of the surprise, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul!
“Ah! Junior Sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin power.
“Hahahaha…”
The white-robed ghost burst into maniacal laughter. Her form shifted, transforming into an old woman in black robes. She glared at Bai Feng with a sinister grin. “Junior Sister? Who’s your junior sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother with eight hundred years of cultivation. How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you know? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew weaker and weaker.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, since you’re so devoted to your master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your junior sister but your master’s sister. The only difference is that she goes by ‘White’ and I go by ‘Black.’ After she left for the immortal realm, she entrusted this place to me. I help her gather incense offerings and establish her foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she provides me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. As for you and that brat Shui Miao, you’re merely our pawns. Now that we’ve used you, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson venomous snake.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait, why the rush to kill me? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know beforehand? Doesn’t it pain you?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. So that’s what this is about. They were just two pawns. If they died, they died. Why should I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve dismissively.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“That’s none of your concern. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson venomous snake shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly. With a wave of her hand, a black sword sliced the venomous snake in two.
“This… is this the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was surprisingly knowledgeable, recognizing that the black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached for the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Hahahaha…”
The Black Mountain Mother laughed maniacally again. “Overestimating yourself, hahaha… Did you think you were the only one with a treasured sword? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces your soul, it won’t come out until it has drained all your Yin power. I should thank you! Even in death, you’ve given me a great gift. The Raksha Soul-Severing Sword will belong to me, the Black Mountain Mother, from now on! Hahaha…”
“Hmph!”
To her surprise, Bai Feng smirked again. She suddenly took out a black Yin Saint’s essence and swallowed it. Her soul instantly returned to its peak state. “Black Mountain Mother, I have plenty of Yin Saint’s essence left. Feel free to try and take it!” As she spoke, Bai Feng struck the Soul-Devouring Dagger with the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword, shattering it into pieces. With its internal formation destroyed, the dagger lost its soul-devouring function and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s injuries healed rapidly due to the Yin Saint’s essence. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re getting old. I only sacrificed a tiny bit of Yin Saint’s essence to trick you into talking. Did you think I was an idiot? Did you really believe you stabbed me so easily?”
“How dare you! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother could no longer laugh. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers instantly grew over a meter long, lunging toward Bai Feng!
“Heh, do you think you’ve mastered the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was startled. She hadn’t expected Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Haha! I’m here too!” The black snake demon also appeared. It licked its lips, its green eyes fixed intently on the Black Mountain Mother. “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon. You must let me have this old demon’s demonic power! It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal.”
“Sure! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
The black snake demon, a master of swift escape techniques, materialized instantly beside the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could even react, it morphed into a massive black python, swiftly wrapping itself around her demonic form in a constricting grip!
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In dire straits, with her life hanging by a thread, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. Struggling desperately, she threw her head back and screamed, “Sister, save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal realm?”
Shui Miao was alarmed. He quickly withdrew his immortal power and remained on high alert. With Bai Feng and the black snake demon dealing with the Black Mountain Mother, it was enough.
“Die!”
Bai Feng also launched an attack at the same time!
“Whoosh!”
Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was not a difficult task for Shui Miao.
Moreover, Shui Miao had also changed his voice, making it impossible for them to recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled and slightly embarrassed. He didn’t believe he had misjudged earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have been mistaken?”
The developer muttered softly to himself.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two showed no further reaction, he left while pretending to be on a phone call.
After exiting the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and rushed back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her group had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and she immediately confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train. Originally named Shui Miao, he now went by Zhang Ling… Xiao Hong’s words left Jiang Zhihao deeply perplexed. His master must have been here, but how could he have gone to Miaojiang when he had been with Jiang Zhihao all along?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao quickly ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently needed to figure out what had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the Black Snake Demon, and together they hurried to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the Black Snake Demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus? Are we just going to let him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him, making him turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the Black Snake Demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the impostor White Lady and instead capture her first to clarify the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng had broken into the treasure vault and saw the white-robed female ghost, who was preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion and the fact that the hidden Five Elements Formation outside remained undisturbed, the white-robed female ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! I’ve told you several times already. Why can’t you remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You are the impostors. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor showing any urgency to subdue the white-robed female ghost. “Not bad. After decades away, this place remains unchanged. However, compared to the past, the immortal aura has vanished, leaving only Yin energy.”
“Th-That’s impossible! Master only accepted the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head in disbelief and suddenly summoned her sword, pointing it at Bai Feng. “Who are you, really?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to face the white-robed female ghost, smiling faintly, completely unfazed by the blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing that the white-robed female ghost showed no reaction, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clarify things instead of guessing blindly.”
“…”
Uncertain of Bai Feng’s true identity, the white-robed female ghost could only watch her warily, maintaining a high level of vigilance.
“Let me ask you: Have you always been here? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago—were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently followed Master here. Before that, Master was always with me.” Unwilling to be outdone, the white-robed female ghost retorted, “You claim to be Master’s disciple. Were you always here before?”
“No, I was in Miaojiang. Master met me when she traveled there. She gave me a small amount of Yin Saint’s Essence, and I was so grateful that I became her disciple. At that time, I had only been a female ghost for a few years. Now, nearly five hundred years have passed. However, in all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“…”
Sensing that Bai Feng was not lying, the white-robed female ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the northeast. I also met Master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint’s Essence, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. Master has always traveled the world with us, and only recently did she bring us here.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why Master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never truly considered me her disciple. I was just one of her pawns.” Bai Feng sighed sadly. “By the way, is the Master you’ve seen like this?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed female ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. My Master isn’t this delicate or gentle. She is incredibly powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed female ghost transformed into the appearance of the Master she knew.
“I see!”
Upon witnessing the form of the white-robed female ghost, Bai Feng suddenly comprehended. “Master has long since mastered the art of creating doppelgängers. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul roamed the world. That’s why she has always been by your side. Yet, I’m perplexed: if Master’s Heavenly Soul has ascended to the immortal realm, where has her Earth Soul gone? Could it be that her souls have merged and journeyed together to the immortal realm to seek vengeance on that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed female ghost would never reveal the truth.
Hearing this, the white-robed female ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, Master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he forgot all about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess had been correct!
She felt a surge of excitement. Unexpectedly, her Master had indeed gone to the immortal realm to seek revenge. After a moment, Bai Feng added, “I think… Master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away to avoid involving us…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed female ghost sheathed her sword. “Senior Sister, are you referring to a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why would Master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about Xiao Shui? How could you be so foolish as to try to possess him? He carries the Spirit General’s protective jade pendant.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But Master said that Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone impersonated him before then, we were to kill them. How was I to know you’d return so soon? Without the Spirit General’s jade pendant on him, I’d still be doubting whether you were the two people Master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed female ghost had mistaken the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit General’s jade pendant.
“…”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that Master truly wanted to avoid involving them?
“By the way, why did Master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside from seeking revenge in the immortal realm, does Master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Sigh!”
The white-robed female ghost sat on the stone stool beside Bai Feng and said anxiously, “It’s all because Shui Miao is said to be a man of great destiny. We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the immortal realm. That’s why we’ve been frantically building temples and shrines for him everywhere. Master told us fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly assist her. If she fails in her revenge, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was it a misunderstanding, but it also cost the lives of my two sisters!”
The white-robed female ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to unfold this way. Her Master had made such arrangements not out of heartlessness but out of deep loyalty and affection.
“By the way, Senior Sister, do you know who Master’s enemy is?” The white-robed female ghost suddenly grew mysterious.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Master never said.”
“Let me tell you: it’s actually the Spirit General of the immortal realm.” The white-robed female ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng’s shock, the white-robed female ghost suddenly manifested a crimson dagger. Taking advantage of the moment, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul!
“Ah! Junior Sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin power.
“Hahahaha…”
The white-robed female ghost burst into maniacal laughter. Her form shifted, transforming into a black-robed old woman. She glared at Bai Feng with a sinister grin. “Junior Sister? Who is your junior sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother, with eight hundred years of cultivation. How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you know? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my Master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew increasingly weak.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, since you’re so devoted to your Master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your junior sister but your Master’s sister. The only difference is that she bears the surname Bai, and I bear the surname Black. After she left for the immortal realm, she entrusted this place to me. I collect incense offerings for her and help her establish a foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she provides me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. You and that wretched boy Shui Miao are merely our pawns. Now that we’ve used you, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson serpent.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait! If you want to kill me, why the hurry? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know about them in advance? Don’t you feel any remorse?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. So what if they died? They were merely pawns. Why should I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve, looking utterly indifferent.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“That’s none of your concern. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson serpent shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly. With a wave of her hand, a black sword sliced the crimson serpent in two.
“Th-This… is this the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was remarkably knowledgeable, recognizing that the black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached for the crimson dagger, but it refused to budge.
“Hahahaha…”
The Black Mountain Mother laughed maniacally again. “Overestimating yourself! Hahaha… Did you think you were the only one with a precious sword? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces your soul, it won’t come out until it has drained all your Yin power. I should thank you! Even in death, you’ve gifted me such a treasure. The Raksha Soul-Severing Sword will belong to me, the Black Mountain Mother! Hahaha…”
“Hmph!”
To her surprise, Bai Feng smirked again. She suddenly took out a black Yin Saint’s Essence and swallowed it. Her soul instantly returned to its peak state. “Black Mountain Mother, I have plenty of Yin Saint’s Essence left. Feel free to try and take it!” As she spoke, Bai Feng struck the Soul-Devouring Dagger with the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword, shattering it into pieces. With its internal formation destroyed, the dagger lost its soul-devouring power and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s injuries healed rapidly thanks to the Yin Saint’s Essence. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re getting old. I only sacrificed a tiny amount of Yin Saint’s Essence to trick you into talking. Did you think I was an idiot? Did you really believe you could stab me so easily?”
“How dare you! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother could no longer laugh. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers suddenly grew over a meter long, lunging toward Bai Feng!
“Heh, do you think you’ve mastered the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was startled, never expecting Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Haha! I’m here too!” The Black Snake Demon also appeared. Licking its lips, its green eyes fixed intently on the Black Mountain Mother, it said with a grin, “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon! You must let me have this old demon’s demonic power. It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal.”
“Sure! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
The Black Snake Demon, a master of swift evasion, materialized instantly next to the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could even respond, it morphed into a massive black python, swiftly wrapping itself around her demonic form with unyielding force!
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In mortal danger, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. Struggling desperately, she threw her head back and screamed, “Sister, save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal realm?”
Shui Miao’s heart raced. He quickly withdrew his immortal power and remained on high alert. With Bai Feng and the Black Snake Demon handling the Black Mountain Mother, it should be enough.
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In a life-threatening situation, her life hanging by a thread, Heishan Laomu finally lost her composure. In desperation, she desperately raised her head and screamed, “Sister, come save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could Bai Niangniang’s Di hun still be in the mortal world?”
Using immortal power to alter one’s appearance was no difficult feat for Shui Miao.
Moreover, Shui Miao had even changed his voice, making it impossible for them to recognize him.
“Uh, sorry, I mistook you for someone else.”
Jiang Zhihao felt puzzled, a slight awkwardness showing on his face. He didn’t think he had misjudged earlier.
“Strange, the clothes are the same, the height is the same—how could I have mistaken him?”
The developer muttered softly to himself.
Shui Miao blinked. Seeing that the two showed no further reaction, he left while pretending to be on a phone call.
After exiting the residential area, Shui Miao immediately hailed a taxi and hurried back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others arrived at Building 16. Coincidentally, Xiao Hong and her companions had also returned. The developer showed Xiao Hong a photo on his phone, and Xiao Hong immediately confirmed that the person in the photo was the good friend she had met on the train. Originally named Shui Miao, he now went by Zhang Ling… Xiao Hong’s words left Jiang Zhihao deeply perplexed. His master must have been here, but his master had been with him all this time—when could he have gone to Miaojiang?
Eager to uncover the truth, Jiang Zhihao quickly ordered someone to investigate Zhang Ling’s background. He urgently needed to figure out where things had gone wrong.
Shui Miao took a taxi back to Nanwan, summoned the black snake demon, and together they hurried to Jingshui Village.
On the way, the black snake demon asked, “Master, what about Wei Sheng, the leader of the circus? Are we just letting him go?”
“Leave him for now. After we deal with the fake White Lady, you can go back and control him, making him turn himself in at the police station.”
Shui Miao communicated with the black snake demon through telepathy.
Due to the changed circumstances, Shui Miao decided to alter his previous plan. He would no longer tolerate the impostor White Lady and would capture her first to clarify the situation.
※※※
Inside the Stone Cave of the Dry Well
Bai Feng had broken into the treasure vault and saw the white-robed female ghost, who was preparing to offer incense and pray to the White Lady.
“Ah!” Startled by Bai Feng’s sudden intrusion and the fact that the hidden Five Elements formation outside remained undisturbed, the white-robed female ghost exclaimed, “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“Hmph! I’ve told you several times already. How come you still don’t remember? I am the true disciple of the White Lady. You are the impostors. I know the formations here better than you do.” Bai Feng casually glanced around, neither drawing her sword nor showing any urgency to subdue the white-robed female ghost. “Not bad. It’s been decades, but this place remains unchanged. However, compared to before, the immortal aura is gone, leaving only Yin energy.”
“Th-That’s impossible! Master only took the three of us sisters as disciples. She never mentioned having any other disciples.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head in disbelief and suddenly summoned a sword, pointing it at Bai Feng. “Who are you, really?”
“My name is Bai Feng. Have you heard of me?” Bai Feng turned to look at the white-robed female ghost, smiling faintly, completely unfazed by the blood-red sword. After a pause, seeing that the white-robed female ghost showed no reaction, Bai Feng sat on a stone stool and sighed softly. “Forget it. Let me ask you a few questions to clarify things instead of guessing blindly.”
“…”
Uncertain of the other’s origins, the white-robed female ghost could only watch Bai Feng warily, maintaining a high level of vigilance.
“Let me ask you, have you always been here? A year ago, ten years ago, a hundred years ago—were you always here?” Bai Feng asked gently.
“No, I only recently came here with Master. Before that, Master was always with me.” Unwilling to be outdone, the white-robed female ghost retorted, “You claim to be Master’s disciple. Were you always here before?”
“No, I was in Miaojiang. Master met me when she went there. She gave me a bit of Yin Saint’s essence, and I was so grateful that I became her disciple. At that time, I had only been a female ghost for a few years. Now, almost five hundred years have passed. But during all these years, I’ve only seen her three times.” Bai Feng smiled faintly. “What about you?”
“…”
Sensing that Bai Feng was not lying, the white-robed female ghost slowly lowered her sword. “I’m from the northeast. I also met Master shortly after becoming a ghost. She gave me some Yin Saint’s essence, but my cultivation is only three hundred years old. However, Master has always traveled the world with us. It was only recently that she brought us here.” The white-robed female ghost shook her head. “I don’t understand why Master never mentioned you.”
“Perhaps she never truly considered me her disciple. I was just a pawn to her.” Bai Feng sighed with a tinge of sadness. “By the way, is the Master you’ve seen like this?”
Bai Feng activated her Yin power and transformed into the appearance of the White Lady.
Looking at Bai Feng, the white-robed female ghost shook her head. “There are some differences. My Master isn’t this delicate or gentle. She is incredibly powerful and domineering.” As she spoke, the white-robed female ghost transformed into the appearance of the Master she had seen.
“I see!”
Upon witnessing the form the white-robed female ghost had assumed, Bai Feng suddenly experienced a profound realization. “Master had long ago mastered the technique of creating doppelgängers. She left her Heavenly Soul here while her Earth Soul roamed the world. That’s why she always took you with her. Yet, I’m perplexed—if Master’s Heavenly Soul ascended to the immortal realm, where did her Earth Soul go? Could it be that her souls merged and journeyed together to the immortal realm to seek vengeance against that heartless man?”
Bai Feng was deliberately probing for information. If she asked directly, she believed the white-robed female ghost would never reveal it.
Hearing this, the white-robed female ghost felt a stir of excitement and responded, “It seems you really are my senior sister. Otherwise, Master would never have shared this with an outsider. That heartless man truly deserves to die. Master sacrificed so much for him, yet after attaining immortality, he completely forgot about her.”
Bai Feng’s guess was correct!
She felt a slight thrill. Unexpectedly, her Master had indeed gone to the immortal realm to seek revenge. After a pause, Bai Feng added, “I think… Master deliberately kept this from me and sent Xiao Shui away to avoid dragging us into it…”
“Xiao Shui?” The white-robed female ghost sheathed her sword. “Senior Sister, are you referring to a young man named Shui Miao?”
“Yes! That’s him. Why? Did Master ask you to impersonate him here without telling you about Xiao Shui? How could you be so foolish as to possess him? He has the Spirit Commander’s protective jade pendant.” Bai Feng continued fishing for information.
“But Master said that Shui Miao wouldn’t return for fifty years. If anyone impersonated him before then, we were to kill them. Who knew you’d return so soon? How was I to know whether you were impostors? If it weren’t for the Spirit Commander’s jade pendant on him, I’d still suspect you were the two people Master told us to wait fifty years for.” The white-robed female ghost mistook the five stone tablets on Shui Miao’s body for the Spirit Commander’s jade pendant.
“…”
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. Could it be that Master truly didn’t want to involve them?
“By the way, why did Master ask you to impersonate Shui Miao here? Why wait fifty years for him? Aside from seeking revenge in the immortal realm, does Master have any other plans?” Eager to uncover the truth, Bai Feng pressed urgently.
“Sigh!”
The white-robed female ghost sat on the stone stool beside Bai Feng and said anxiously, “It’s all because Master said Shui Miao is a man of great destiny. We need vast amounts of incense offerings to purchase an immortal mountain in the immortal realm. That’s why we’ve been working tirelessly to build temples and shrines for him everywhere. Master even told us that fifty years should be enough. She even urged us sisters to wholeheartedly support her. If she fails in her revenge, she said Shui Miao would avenge her. Who knew you’d return so soon? Not only was it a misunderstanding, but it also cost the lives of my two sisters!”
The white-robed female ghost was deeply distressed, on the verge of tears.
“It seems we truly misunderstood you!”
Bai Feng never expected things to be this way. Her Master had made such arrangements not out of heartlessness but out of deep loyalty and righteousness.
“By the way, Senior Sister, do you know who Master’s enemy is?” The white-robed female ghost suddenly became mysterious again.
Bai Feng shook her head. “Master never said.”
“Let me tell you then. Actually, that person is the Spirit Commander of the immortal realm.” The white-robed female ghost lowered her voice to a whisper.
Hearing this, Bai Feng was stunned. “Him! It’s actually him!?”
Seeing Bai Feng’s shock, the white-robed female ghost suddenly revealed a crimson dagger in her hand. Taking advantage of the surprise, she stabbed it into Bai Feng’s soul!
“Ah! Junior Sister, why… why would you do this?”
Bai Feng collapsed to the ground. The crimson dagger emitted an eerie red light, continuously absorbing her Yin power.
“Hahahaha…”
The white-robed female ghost burst into maniacal laughter, her form shifting into that of a black-robed old woman. She glared at Bai Feng with a sinister grin. “Junior Sister? Who is your junior sister? I am the Black Mountain Mother with eight hundred years of cultivation. How dare you call yourself my senior sister? I concealed my strength—didn’t you notice? I can read your thoughts—didn’t you know? Trying to trick me into talking? How naive!”
“Where is my Master? What have you done to her?” Bai Feng’s soul grew weaker and weaker.
The Black Mountain Mother sneered. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. Fine, considering your devotion to your Master, I’ll let you die with clarity. I, the Black Mountain Mother, am not your junior sister but your Master’s sister. The only difference is that she goes by ‘White’ and I go by ‘Black.’ After she left for the immortal realm, she entrusted this place to me. I collect incense offerings for her and help her establish a foothold in the immortal realm. In return, she provides me with immortal energy, elixirs, and gems to enhance my cultivation. You and that brat Shui Miao are merely pawns. Now that we’re done using you, it’s time to send you on your way.”
The Black Mountain Mother brandished her blood-red longsword, which instantly transformed into a crimson venomous snake.
Bai Feng quickly raised her hand. “Wait! If you want to kill me, why the rush? What about your two subordinates? Their deaths—didn’t you know beforehand? Don’t you feel any remorse?”
“Hmph! Sentimental nonsense. So that’s what you’re concerned about? They were just two pawns. If they died, they died. Why should I care?” The Black Mountain Mother waved her sleeve, looking utterly indifferent.
Bai Feng shook her head. “But you can’t kill Shui Miao.”
“That’s none of your concern. After I kill you, I’ll take your form and find a way to kill him.” The Black Mountain Mother pointed at Bai Feng, and the crimson venomous snake shot toward her.
Bai Feng smirked coldly and suddenly waved her hand. A black sword sliced the venomous snake in two.
“Th-This… is this the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword?”
The Black Mountain Mother was surprisingly knowledgeable, recognizing that the black sword originated from the Raksha realm.
“Eight hundred years of cultivation—so impressive?”
Bai Feng stood up and reached for the crimson dagger, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Hahahaha…”
The Black Mountain Mother burst into laughter again. “Overestimating yourself! Hahaha… Did you think you were the only one with a divine sword? This crimson dagger is the Soul-Devouring Dagger from hell. Once it pierces your soul, it won’t come out until it has absorbed all your Yin power. I should thank you! Even in death, you’ve gifted me a great treasure. The Raksha Soul-Severing Sword will belong to me, the Black Mountain Mother, from now on! Hahaha…”
“Hmph!”
To her surprise, Bai Feng smirked again. She suddenly took out a black Yin Saint’s essence and swallowed it. Her soul instantly returned to its peak state. “Black Mountain Mother, I have plenty of Yin Saint’s essence left. Feel free to try and take it!” As she spoke, Bai Feng struck the Soul-Devouring Dagger with the Raksha Soul-Severing Sword, shattering it into pieces. With its internal formation destroyed, the dagger lost its soul-devouring power and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Bai Feng’s injuries healed rapidly due to the Yin Saint’s essence. “Black Mountain Mother, you’re getting old. I only sacrificed a tiny bit of Yin Saint’s essence to trick you into talking. Did you think I was an idiot? Did you really believe you could stab me so easily?”
“How dare you! Even without the Soul-Devouring Dagger, I can still kill you…”
The Black Mountain Mother finally stopped laughing. Her face darkened, and the nails on her ten fingers suddenly grew over a meter long, lunging toward Bai Feng!
“Heh, do you think you’re practicing the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”
Shui Miao suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Mother, holding the black curved blade.
“What!”
The Black Mountain Mother was startled. She hadn’t expected Shui Miao to arrive so quickly.
“Haha! I’m here too!” The black snake demon also appeared. Licking its lips, its green eyes fixed intently on the Black Mountain Mother, it said with a grin, “Master, we’ve finally encountered a demon! You must let me have this old demon’s demonic energy. It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal.”
“Sure! No problem.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes and channeled a surge of immortal power directly toward the Black Mountain Mother.
“Die!”
Bai Feng attacked simultaneously!
“Whoosh!”
With unparalleled mastery of flash teleportation, the black snake demon materialized instantly beside the Black Mountain Mother. Before she could even react, it morphed into a massive black python, swiftly and tightly coiling around her demonic form!
“No, no! How could this happen!?”
In dire straits, her life hanging by a thread, the Black Mountain Mother finally panicked. Struggling desperately, she threw her head back and screamed, “Sister, save me!”
“Not good!”
“Could the White Lady’s Earth Soul still be in the mortal realm?”
Shui Miao’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly withdrew his immortal power, staying fully alert. With Bai Feng and the black snake demon handling the Black Mountain Mother, it was more than enough.
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