As soon as the four stepped into the City Lord’s manor, Mo Xuanli and Li Xiuran both felt a strong discomfort.
“Heh, the formation effect here is even stronger,” Li Xiuran said.
“Are you two alright? Later we’ll have the City Lord remove the array,” Ji Chuling said worriedly to Li Xiuran.
Gu Baiqing looked at Mo Xuanli. Mo Xuanli quickly said: “It’s fine, just need to adapt. This array is too ancient—likely even the City Lord himself wouldn’t know how to dismantle it.” Seeing his Master unaffected, Mo Xuanli guessed perhaps his spiritual power had run dry again. His Master’s power was always flickering, so he would have to be even more careful, more protective of him.
The City Lord’s manor was vast, with pavilions and towers, carved beams and painted rafters—dignified and stately, worthy of the Zhuo clan’s hundred-year heritage. Yet for some reason, it all felt oddly desolate.
“There’s a tale that the Zhuo ancestor of old cultivated the Dao but never entered a sect, believing his arts should serve the common people. So he blended into the mortal world and became City Lord of Star-Stepping City, guarding its residents for generations. Because of his charity, he even helped neighboring rulers with his Daoist arts, so their independent location was acknowledged. And since this was not a militarily strategic place, war never touched them—like a hidden paradise. But gradually, the Zhuo bloodline produced fewer gifted cultivators, so rarely could anyone reach Golden Core, and thus lifespans couldn’t be extended. The current City Lord, however, is one of the rare talented ones, already Golden Core at a young age.” Mo Xuanli recounted what he knew.
The current City Lord had once counted as one of the more talented of his generation. Though he couldn’t compare to Gu Baiqing’s talents, he was still impressive—daring to stride alone into the cultivation world, pursuing Ruiyao, who back then was already called a fairy, and even challenging the genius youth Gu Baiqing. It showed that he too had once been high-spirited, a fearless young man who feared neither heaven nor earth.
“I wonder what the City Lord’s cultivation is like now…” Li Xiuran said.
“His cultivation isn’t what it used to be…”
Suddenly, a steady voice sounded. Everyone looked up and saw a group of people walking toward them, most likely come to receive them.
The one who had spoken was the man leading them.
The man looked to be about thirty-five or thirty-six. With a smile on his face, he said, “I am Zhuo Ling, City Lord of Star-Stepping City.”
The group couldn’t help but feel a jolt of surprise.
Though Zhuo Ling’s looks had a sharp, striking edge, his bearing had already settled into one of refined grace. Completely unlike what they had imagined. By the timing of when he had first ventured out, someone at Golden Core should still appear as young as they were.
“City Lord Zhuo… greetings.” Li Xiuran took the lead. The others pressed down their astonishment and offered their respects.
“I’ve already heard of your deeds. My thanks to you Daoists for ridding Star-Stepping City of its great menace.” Zhuo Ling finished and bowed deeply, the crowd behind him following suit.
The group was about to respond politely when Ji Chuling objected unhappily: “You call that a great menace? Couldn’t you have handled it yourself?”
Zhuo Ling was about to answer when one of the women accompanying him suddenly spoke up: “This female cultivator, we are sincerely grateful—why mock us? Do you have no manners? Are all outside cultivators so high and mighty?”
The woman clearly had some spiritual cultivation, but not much. Her appearance was about Zhuo Ling’s age, with a gloomy look between her brows, as if she had a bad temper.
Ji Chuling, still young, shrank back at being scolded to her face. She couldn’t use spiritual power to press down on others and could only lean a little pitifully toward Li Xiuran’s side.
“Deputy City Lord Lin, don’t speak to our guests like that. They truly did help Star-Stepping City and eased our difficulties.” Zhuo Ling rebuked her, then said to the others, “Please don’t mind. This is Deputy City Lord Lin Ningshuang—she’s blunt of speech. As for the little girl’s words, she’s not wrong either. Perhaps ten years ago such things wouldn’t have been a great menace to me, but now… I can’t.”
That was clearly a hint at hidden circumstances.
As Zhuo Ling led them into the inner hall, he explained.
It was because his wife was frail and sickly, fated for a short life. The two were deeply in love, and naturally he couldn’t bear for her to die early. So he used his spiritual power to forcibly extend her life. But trying to keep a mortal alive was extremely difficult. Over time, he had no leisure to cultivate, his advancement stalled, and in the end he even lost his Golden Core. His cultivation regressed—now he was only at early Foundation Establishment.
To sustain a mortal’s life with spiritual power was like grinding one’s own flesh into ginseng pills: it could not bring the dead back, only prolong a fading breath. Cultivators rarely did such things. Zhuo Ling’s behavior could only be explained as loving his wife too deeply.
Because of this, he had no strength to seek out demon beasts, nor the ability to deal with them even if he did. All he could do was study the family’s inherited arts, hoping to find something useful.
“Why not seek aid from outsiders?”
“Our family has an ancestral decree: the affairs of Star-Stepping City are to be handled by Star-Stepping City. I cannot violate it. Fortunately, a wild spirit vein was unearthed. I thought most likely some cultivators passing through would lend a hand without fearing meddling.” Zhuo Ling explained.
Only now did Gu Baiqing hear the full story. But it sat ill with him—ancestral decrees placed above human lives. He would not deny the traditions of a place, but from what he’d heard of Zhuo Ling’s deeds, the man did not strike him as one who could not understand reason.
“In any case, thank you all for your help.” At the banquet, Zhuo Ling raised his cup, and the group followed suit.
Gu Baiqing, still turning it over in his mind, drank his alcohol—and suddenly felt a gaze fixed tightly on him from outside the window.
He froze slightly, turned his head toward the window, but saw nothing. When he looked back, Mo Xuanli was staring at the window as well, face tense with vigilance.
“City Lord Zhuo, are there any other cultivators within your manor?” Mo Xuanli asked suddenly.
“Only myself and Deputy City Lord Lin,” Zhuo Ling replied. “Ah, I was too caught up in my own matters earlier, I haven’t yet asked your names. Are you all rogue cultivators, or disciples of a sect?”
Li Xiuran immediately said, “I am Li Xiuran, disciple of the Tianzhao Sect. This is my friend, the rogue cultivator Ji Chuling.”
“Oh? A rogue cultivator? But the spiritual energy radiating from this young lady is the purest I have ever seen. And of course, her beauty as well…” Zhuo Ling laughed in praise. “Even the disciples of Chuixue Pavilion might not compare.”
Ji Chuling was instantly coaxed into delight, cheeks reddening as she shyly replied, “City Lord flatters me.”
Zhuo Ling turned his gaze to Gu Baiqing and Mo Xuanli.
Mo Xuanli glanced at his master. Seeing him nod slightly, he knew it was fine to speak directly. “I am Mo Xuanli, disciple under Elder Luofeng of Zixiao Sect. This is my elder brother, a rogue cultivator, Mo Bai.”
“Wait—you said… disciple of Elder Luofeng… Gu Baiqing?” Zhuo Ling was clearly astonished. This was the first genuine expression Gu Baiqing had seen on his face since entering—before, there had always been a measure of formality.
Now, however, he looked like a youth who had truly been caught off guard.
“Indeed,” Mo Xuanli nodded.
The other two looked on with interest, waiting for a show. Gu Baiqing, however, thought Zhuo Ling wouldn’t trouble Mo Xuanli—they were, after all, a generation apart.
Sure enough, what followed was Zhuo Ling’s laughter—laughter so unrestrained, as if he hadn’t laughed like this in a long time.
“No wonder… no wonder…”
“No wonder what?” Mo Xuanli frowned.
“No wonder when I saw you, I felt such affinity.” Zhuo Ling paused, then smiled. “Your master and I… well, we don’t really know each other, but I know much about him. I thought he’d never take on disciples in this lifetime. So you’re his personal disciple? Does he have any others besides you?”
Mo Xuanli suddenly straightened his posture. “No. Master has only taken me as his sole disciple.”
“Not a lightning-element heavenly root?”
“No, a dual root—wind and fire.”
City Lord Zhuo’s jaw nearly dropped from shock, while the corners of Mo Xuanli’s lips curved slightly, carrying a look of pride.
“Truly, the longer one lives, the more one sees. It seems you must have exceptional talent elsewhere, to have caught his eye.” City Lord Zhuo shook his head with a laugh. “All of you are rising stars of the cultivation world. To meet you is my honor. Allow me to toast you again.”
Once the atmosphere eased a little, Ji Chuling’s enthusiasm rose again. “City Lord Zhuo, I know a little about medicine. Why don’t I take a look at your wife?”
Zhuo Ling’s movements halted; he forced a smile. “Many thanks for Miss Ji’s kind thought. In truth, for my wife’s sake I’ve studied medicine myself for years. I know her condition all too well. Even the finest medical cultivators of the cultivation world cannot save her. What I fear most is inviting one after another to diagnose her, only to hear in the end that her days are numbered. I truly don’t wish to hear it anymore.”
Zhuo Ling’s words were deeply affectionate yet heavy with sorrow. At the side, Lin Ningshuang, who had been sullen all along, suddenly grew restless, lowered her head, and drained a cup of strong liquor in one gulp.
Mo Xuanli, who had originally wanted to offer help, kept silent this time, only gazing deeply at Zhuo Ling above them.
Night had fallen. After many rounds of alcohol, City Lord Zhuo gave them a pass token and invited them to rest there for the night. The next day, they could head to the spirit vein.
With a pass token, naturally there was no need to pay any fee. Though meaningless to them, it was a gesture of gratitude from Zhuo Ling.
Soon attendants arranged guest rooms for them. On the way, Ji Chuling kept sighing over how devoted the city lord and his wife were, enviable yet unfortunate in fate.
Gu Baiqing too felt a pang of emotion.
In the original text, the fate of Zhuo Ling’s wife had not been mentioned—she wasn’t even a background character. But according to the story’s arrangement, Zhuo Ling himself would die four years later. Not only Zhuo Ling, but the entire Star-Stepping City would vanish.
When the demon race invaded, Star-Stepping City became a dead city. Zhuo Ling, using every means at his disposal, perished together with a high-ranking demon. The news, when it spread, shook the whole cultivation world. By then, demons already roamed everywhere, and Mo Xuanli’s identity was exposed.
All demon-related atrocities were pinned on Mo Xuanli. Simply because he had once been there, as the owner of the wild spirit vein, everyone assumed it was connected to him. Thus the Star-Stepping City tragedy became one of the many charges against him.
But in truth, it had nothing to do with Mo Xuanli.
It was just that with several earlier cases and Mo Xuanli already a target of all, no one would believe him no matter what he said. At that time, he couldn’t be bothered to explain—letting everyone pile all demon-related crimes on his head, arrogant and reckless, charging through everything.
But this time—this time they would never let it happen. Four years later, he and Mo Xuanli would surely come here again, to stop the tragedy from taking place.
The ideas swelling in Gu Baiqing’s mind grew ever more grand and impassioned—until suddenly his head felt hot, dizzy. Ah, right, he’d just drunk alcohol… but this body shouldn’t be drunk, should it? He hadn’t drunk much, and he still felt perfectly clear-headed.
By now, they had reached the guest rooms. Zhuo Ling had prepared four separate quarters, each with its own courtyard, all cleaned and tidy.
Once the servants had been dismissed, Li Xiuran and Mo Xuanli exchanged a glance.
“I’ll stay with my brother.”
“All right. Then we’ll take the room next door,” said Li Xiuran.
Ji Chuling had been about to pick a room herself, but upon hearing this she froze, embarrassed and puzzled. “What’s that supposed to mean? Li Xiuran, are you saying you want to share a room with me?”
Li Xiuran’s face suddenly turned serious. “Come inside.” He immediately pushed open the nearest door.
Gu Baiqing, hearing their words, had been about to object—what reason was there to share a room with his disciple? But seeing their solemn expressions, clearly there was some cause. He kept silent for now, waiting for the explanation. Then he looked around—strange, where was Three Bean? Hadn’t he just fed it some dried fish? Where had it gone?
Naturally, he had a bond with his spirit beast and sensed it was safe—probably just wandering around. Entering the room, he saw Li Xiuran carefully laying down barriers all around.
“In urgent times, we must adapt. After all, this is someone else’s territory. Even while resting, it’s safer not to split up,” Li Xiuran explained to Ji Chuling.
“Huh? But City Lord Zhuo was so friendly. You’re not just using this as an excuse to take advantage of me, are you?” Ji Chuling pouted. “My grandfather always said, an unmarried girl mustn’t sleep in the same bed with a man.”
Li Xiuran said helplessly, “Don’t worry. I’ll sleep on the couch, you take the bed.”
Seeing the two of them flirting instead of getting to the point, Gu Baiqing sighed and asked, “Caution is fine, but you mean you suspect it’s unsafe here? Yet given his cultivation, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.”
Mo Xuanli gave Gu Baiqing a somewhat awkward look. All this way, his master had never once shared a room with him. Deep down he had harbored a trace of hope, thinking maybe this time… But even when the chance arose, his master still didn’t want it. Sometimes, he truly couldn’t understand his master’s ways.
“Actually, we noticed some things that don’t add up. Right, Brother Xuanli?” Li Xiuran said, turning to him.
Between two sharp minds, tacit understanding came naturally.
Mo Xuanli nodded. “Brother, do you remember I mentioned before how strange this whole case is?”
Gu Baiqing nodded. “Mm. You said the bride’s curse was suspicious, that the entire city seemed to know something but refused to say. But didn’t we already uncover Xue Bin?”
“Xue Bin was a wraith turned demon by absorbing demonic energy. In the illusion, we encountered him. But judging by his behavior there, aside from basic hatred-driven instinct, he seemed to… lack any intelligence at all,” Li Xiuran said.
Gu Baiqing froze for a moment, and Ji Chuling also recalled: “Right, he clearly couldn’t beat us. Instead of running away, he actually came back to die just because of hatred.”
Mo Xuanli nodded. “The dead absorb demonic energy and turn into fiends. Seven years isn’t nearly enough for them to regain reason. A fiend without intelligence couldn’t possibly have the purpose or thoughts to select brides—it would only keep killing endlessly, like it could never be full. In the past, the bride’s curse usually occurred once or twice a year, with at least half a year in between. Though we came with a ‘let’s just try’ mindset, this time it’s only been one month since Little Yan’s death. The timing and the target are both wrong, and it all happened so easily… it feels like someone deliberately set this up to hand us a result.”
Li Xiuran followed: “And it was the lowest-ranked fiend. Absolutely impossible for it to construct such a vast illusion.”
Mo Xuanli said, “All of this feels like someone is controlling things from the shadows.”
Ji Chuling was dumbfounded. Gu Baiqing also went blank for a while. He’d been trapped by the original plot, naturally assuming things were just as written. But after hearing this, indeed, too many points didn’t make sense.
“You’re suspecting this has something to do with Zhuo Ling?” Gu Baiqing frowned.
“The whole city refuses to speak about the bride’s curse, and City Lord Zhuo brushed us off with some so-called ancestral teaching. The moment we solved the problem, he appeared. Hard not to suspect him.” Li Xiuran said.
“But… isn’t that all just speculation? What if Xue Bin had some kind of encounter that made him like this? Isn’t there a spirit vein here? I feel… City Lord Zhuo is a good man. He loves his wife so much, how could he be bad?” Ji Chuling said incredulously—after all, she already had good feelings toward him.
“But when we asked to see his wife, he refused,” Mo Xuanli replied. “And just now, the servant who brought us here became visibly uneasy every time we mentioned the city lord’s wife. So I suspect she has a problem as well.”
“Didn’t you send your master’s spirit beast?” Li Xiuran chuckled.
Mo Xuanli gave a small smile. “The kitten’s just wandering around. But yes, these are only our guesses. I also hope it’s all false, and that it ends with Xue Bin.”
“Exactly. If a city lord has a problem, then the entire city…” Li Xiuran trailed off, then added, “Anyway, there’s nothing else strange here for now. We can only get through tonight. If something happens, we deal with it once and for all. If nothing happens, and we can’t find anything out, then we’ll just leave.”
After they finished, the two exchanged a glance.
Gu Baiqing couldn’t help but raise his brows at this silent understanding. No wonder in the original text they had one-sided romantic undertones—placed in any ordinary novel, they’d surely become the best of brothers.
Gu Baiqing even started wondering whether Li Xiuran would end up liking Mo Xuanli like in the original story. But seeing that Li Xiuran always had a beauty by his side, it seemed more like he was paired with someone else. As he thought about this, he had the urge to tease them a little. Yet for some reason, after that string of thoughts, his head felt heavy, uncomfortable… so tired… so sleepy.
At his side, Ji Chuling couldn’t hold back anymore. “You two… seem awfully in sync. Aren’t you just normal friends?”
Li Xiuran smiled, about to quip that it was simply because they were both smart and thus saw things the same way—when another voice cut in.
“Right, Li Xiuran. How come you’re so in tune with our Xuanli? Haven’t you only met a few times?” The words were teasing, but spoken in Gu Baiqing’s cool, detached voice, they came out strangely.
It sounded like a question, yet also like wariness—or probing for something.
Li Xiuran and Mo Xuanli were both stunned, turning to look at Gu Baiqing. But Gu Baiqing’s gaze was fixed unblinking on Li Xiuran. Look closer, and one could see his eyes gradually losing focus.
Li Xiuran muttered blankly, “Maybe it’s fate.”
Mo Xuanli’s expression turned odd.
Li Xiuran’s thoughts spun wildly. Seeing Mo Xuanli’s off expression too, a flash of realization struck him.
Wait! If Mo Xuanli and his master had that kind of relationship, then Mo Xuanli liked men? And his own elder brother must know something. Seeing him close to Mo Xuanli, he assumed…
Thinking of this possibility, Li Xiuran suddenly felt deeply awkward. Before the atmosphere grew any stranger, he hurriedly pulled Ji Chuling away.
