It was a rare sunny day in the **Northern Region**. The morning light sprinkled in the back garden of the *Commander's Mansion* as three *Snow Guards* in white stood in front of the *Snow Pavilion*, waiting for the arrival of their commander.
In the *Snow Pavilion*, Xiao Yunluo, wearing the purple uniform of the ***Black Star*** Sect and a white fur coat, looked at the vast clouds in the western sky, and her thoughts seemed to have drifted to the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect.
"Anping should have completed his *Core Formation*..."
That night in the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect, Ye Anping's gentle smile that went up and down in front of her face surfaced in her mind. Xiao Yunluo unconsciously curled her toes.
But then she put aside the romantic thoughts.Ye Anping said that looking at the "*Immortal Palace Erotic Pictures*" would not be beneficial to her cultivation, so for the past two years, eight months, and seventeen days that she had been separated from Ye Anping, she had been forcibly holding back.
When she returned to the **Western Region** later and met Ye Anping, she expected him to praise her properly. *"Anping! I listened to you, I haven't looked at the "Immortal Palace Erotic Pictures" even once in almost three years."*
Then, Ye Anping would definitely praise her and reward her...
Compared to watching it alone, it was much more comfortable to practice "*The Immortal Palace Erotic Pictures*" with Ye Anping!
But then again...
"I wonder what kind of person Xiyue is? Lianxue said that Anping has been thinking about her since he was very young... What kind of girl could get his interest like this?"
Xiao Yunluo propped her cheek, took a sip of tea, and muttered to herself.As she was mumbling, there was a slight clatter of armor outside the garden gate.
Xiao Yunluo turned her head and saw a tall woman in white armor. She immediately guessed that she was the commander of the *Snow Guards* of the **Heavenly Wind City**.
Xu Mulan walked forward with several *Snow Guards*. When she saw Xiao Yunluo's short stature, she was stunned for a moment, but she still bowed respectfully:
"Miss Xiao, you have traveled a long way. Please forgive me for not welcoming you in person. I am the Commander of the *Snow Guards* of **Heavenly Wind City**. My name is Xu Mulan."
"No need to be formal, Commander Xu."
Xiao Yunluo stood up and returned the salute, motioning her to take a seat in the pavilion. "Let's skip the small talk. When my sisters and I were on the road, we ran into a mother and daughter who had encountered a demonic cultivator in **Yulu Town** in the north, so I brought them here to report the situation to you."
Xu Mulan had just heard Ye Anping's supposition before coming here. At that time, she thought it was unlikely, but now she heard this.
After a short hesitation, she simply asked, "Excuse me, Miss Xiao, were those two people poisoned by toxic parasites?"
"Eh?" Xiao Yunluo cocked her head, surprised that she already knew what had happened. "I haven't said anything yet, Commander, how did you know?"
Xu Mulan replied after a moment, "A friend of mine, after reading the case files, concluded that it was the work of a demonic cultivator specialized in poisonous insects. I didn't quite believe it before, but..."
She nodded and fell into deep thought. She had read the file she had given to Master Ye several times but could not figure out a reason.
In the end, Master Ye figured out in one night that it was the work of a demonic cultivator, just by relying on some fragmentary clues, and even came up with a very clear method of committing the crime.
After a pause, Xu Mulan asked again, "And, this mother-and-daughter pair, was the mother poisoned and compelled to send her daughter out of the town and hand her over to the villain?"
Xiao Yunluo was puzzled. She hadn't said anything yet, but this person already knew what she was going to say.
It seemed that this *Snow Guard* Commander was quite capable.
"Since you already know it, I won't repeat it. The matter in **Yulu Town** is just as you said. As the Young Lady of the ***Black Star*** Sect, since I have encountered the matter of the demonic cultivator, I will certainly help you catch the perpetrator. Other than that, there is something that I will need your help with."
*Mr. Ye's intuition is really accurate*... Xu Mulan sighed in her heart and nodded. "...Miss Xiao, please speak."
"Well, it's like this. My two sisters and I came to the **Northern Region** mainly to find someone. The *Snow Guard* should have a list of cultivators within a hundred miles of this place. I would like to borrow that list."
Borrow the cultivators' roster?
This matter could be more important than it seemed... What if Xiao Yunluo wanted to find an enemy, and that enemy happened to be a minister of the **Cold Country** or the Young Master of a big family? How would she dare to be a part of this...
But, after all, it was the Young Miss of the ***Black Star*** Sect, and she couldn't just say no.
Xu Mulan's eyes flashed with a hint of vigilance and said bluntly, "The local list of cultivators is a matter of the internal affairs of the **Cold Country**. Although you are the Young Lady of the ***Black Star*** Sect, I cannot make arbitrary decisions on this matter. I have to first send a letter to the court of the **Cold Moon City** and obtain permission before I can lend it to you."
"...So much trouble?"
"Please forgive me, Lady Xiao. This is the **Northern Region** after all, and you are a cultivator from the **Western Region**... Even if you are the Young Miss of the ***Black Star*** Sect, this..."
Xu Mulan cupped her hands apologetically. "However, while I can't lend you the list, maybe I can still help. May I ask what the name of the person you're looking for is? Do you have a portrait or something?"
"There is no portrait." Xiao Yunluo shrugged. "I only know that it is a girl named 'Xiyue'."
When she heard these words, Xu Mulan instantly froze, and even the several *Snow Guards* who were waiting on the sidelines all stiffened and held their breaths for an instant.
?
"Hiss-- uh... May I ask which Xiyue?"
With a smile, Xiao Yunluo replied, "With the meaning of sunset and moon."
It shouldn't be her sister, right?
What could the Young Lady of the ***Black Star*** Sect have to do with her sister?
"...Why do you want to find this Xiyue, Lady Xiao?"
"It's nothing special. My sister and I just want to talk to her."
Xu Mulan hesitated. To be honest, she didn't want to say that her sister was called Xu Xiyue, but after all, most of the cultivators around **Heavenly Wind City** knew that fact.
If Xiao Yunluo casually asked around afterward, she would find out.
And if she didn't say anything now, Xiao Yunluo would definitely think that she deliberately hid it when she found out later.
"Miss Xiao, in fact, I have a younger sister named Xu Xiyue."
Hearing this, Xiao Yunluo stopped drinking tea. "Your sister's name is... Xiyue?"
"Yes... May I ask why you are looking for 'Xiyue'?
Xiao Yunluo was silent for a moment. Thinking that there was nothing that couldn't be said, she spoke directly. "In fact, my cultivation partner has been talking about a girl named 'Xiyue' for a long time. He only said that she was in **Cold Country**, nothing more..."
Could it be that the Young Lady of the ***Black Star*** Sect came all the way here to catch a vixen?
Xu Mulan was a little surprised but also heaved a sigh of relief.
That couldn't be her sister. How old was she? How could a cultivator from the **Western Region** talk about her for a long time?
"Then, it shouldn't be my sister. It should be someone with the same name, right? The name Xiyue is considered rare, but she's not the only one wearing it."
Xu Mulan took a sip from the teacup. "Moreover, my sister is only twelve years old, and she has dual spiritual roots. How could she be known by your cultivation partner, Miss Xiao?"
"Twelve? Then it's probably not her..." Xiao Yunluo was disappointed, but after thinking for a while, she said, "Since we're here anyway, how about letting me see her?"
"No problem. She is in the **White Moon Town**, a hundred miles away at the *Traveler's Pavilion*."
"Many thanks. As for the demonic cultivators, we will also help investigate. If there is any progress, we will come to the *Commander's Mansion* to inform you. I'll take my leave now."
Xiao Yunluo drank the tea in her cup in one go, stood up, and cupped her hands, preparing to go out to find Pei Lianxue and the second idiot.
Xu Mulan also stood up to see her off, and she asked with a casual tone, "By the way, you made me quite curious. The Young Lady of the ***Black Star*** Sect actually has a cultivation partner? This matter should be announced in the three regions. Who is so lucky to be able to marry into the ***Black Star*** Sect?"
"Hmph~ We are only dating for now." Xiao Yunluo wiped her nose, laughing proudly. "However, this can be considered his blessing. A mere Young Master of the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect can marry me!"
"The Young Master of the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect? I must confess I've never heard of the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect..."
"It's just a small sect. His name is Ye Anping."
?
Xu Mulan stopped in her tracks, staring at her with wide eyes. "...Who?"
"Ye Anping. Ye from leaves, Anping from peace and quiet." Xiao Yunluo was confused, seeing that her attitude seemed to have changed. "Why... what happened?"
"...Nothing."
Xu Mulan pursed her lips, and suddenly remembered what her sister had said to her: *"Those involved are confused, while bystanders can see clearly."*
At this moment, many questions seemed to have been answered.
Why did Ye Anping, a *Core Formation* cultivator, insist on living in that ditch in **White Moon Town**?
Why did he give her sister such a great opportunity?
In the end, did he fall in love with her sister?!
But... why?
It was said that quality goods need no advertising, but no matter how many qualities her sister had, it could not be noticed in the **Western Region** thousands of miles away!
Xu Mulan saw Xiao Yunluo off, and after watching her leave, she pinched her nose bridge and thought for a while, but the more she thought, the more doubts arose in her heart.
After being single for so many years, it was not easy to meet someone who looked pretty good. But it turned out to be so much younger than her, and having the Lady of the ***Dragon House*** beside him. If that was not enough, he had even taken a fancy to her sister...
"Commander, what should we do about the demonic cultivators? The two people brought by Young Miss Xiao are still in the back hall..."
"Ah..."
Xu Mulan came back to her senses when she heard the voice of the *Snow Guard* behind her. She wanted to rush to **White Moon Town** immediately and ask Ye Anping about these things in person, but the matter of the demonic cultivators was urgent.
After all, the Young Lady of the ***Black Star*** Sect would be there soon...
She took a deep breath, turned around, and walked toward the main hall. "It seems that what Miss Li said before was true. There are indeed many demonic cultivators who have infiltrated the **Northern Region**. Find a *Snow Guard* who can fly fast, give her my token, and send her immediately to the **Cold Moon City** to report this matter to the Imperial Advisor and Her Majesty as soon as possible."
"...Yes, Ma'am!"
...
People hurried up and down, and the fragrance of tea was overflowing from the tea stalls along the street.
Pei Lianxue sat at the round table with a cup of warm tea in her hand as she looked at the lights in **Heavenly Wind City** with her cold amber eyes, her expression somewhat at a loss.
That night, when the second idiot brought the mother and daughter back, she diagnosed that the mother was infected with a Heart-Consuming parasite.
After the two of them woke up, she asked them some questions, and their answers gave her a sense of strange familiarity.
According to what the mother said, before she got infected, she didn't eat anything special, she just attended a neighbor's wedding banquet.
Pei Lianxue guessed immediately from this that she probably ran into a demonic cultivator at the wedding banquet and was poisoned by the Heart-Consuming parasite without realizing it.
How similar...
This triggered Pei Lianxue's memories. When her brother brought her to **Wuxi Town**, she also met Wu You at a wedding banquet and was unknowingly poisoned with the Heart-Consuming parasite.
On the way to **Heavenly Wind City**, Pei Lianxue thought a lot, but she couldn't come up with a complete plan like her brother...
"Brother is not here. What should I do..."
She sighed bitterly and took a sip of tea.
Feng Yu Die, sitting next to her, put down the roasted chicken in her hand and grinned. "Sister Pei, it's okay! So what if Young Master Ye is not here? Don't you have me? I will protect you!"
Pei Lianxue glanced at Feng Yu Die's greasy mouth and rolled her eyes. "Just eat your chicken."
"Heh... Sister Pei, don't think too much. Isn't it just a demonic cultivator? How many have died in our hands? Don't worry so much~~"
"Brother said that we should never underestimate a demonic cultivator."
Pei Lianxue frowned, then raised her hand and flicked Feng Yu Die's head before lying on the table helplessly. "If Brother were here, what would he do?"
Feng Yu Die blinked and whispered, "Oh, Young Master Ye... would have caught up to us by now."
"Brother only knows that we are in the **Northern Region**. The **Northern Region** is so big, how can he catch up? And Xiyue has not been found... Woo~~ I am so annoyed... Woo---"
Feng Yu Die pursed her lips. "Sister Pei, do you want to eat roasted chicken? After eating it, you won't be upset anymore."
"No!" Pei Lianxue, sprawled out on the table, turned her head to look at her. She hesitated for a while, then said, "Second idiot, do you remember **Wuxi Town**?"
Feng Yu Die nodded and smiled. "Of course I remember! That was the first time I met you! I still remember that day I ordered a roasted chicken, and you and Young Master Ye were eating braised pork next to me..."
Feng Yu Die's eyes were full of nostalgia.
That was her first love! It was the starting point of her love!
The moment she saw Pei Lianxue, she already...
"Not this." Pei Lianxue interrupted her reminiscence. "I'm asking you if you still remember that demonic cultivator named Wu You."
"I remember! That Grand Master of the ***Magical Poison*** Sect? I was practicing my sword in the bamboo forest when he suddenly appeared. Just when my life was on the line, you rushed out and finished off that demonic cultivator! You really saved me~ hehe... so cool! Sister Pei, you had just completed the *Qi Refining* stage but were able to kill a *Core Formation* stage cultivator in one go..."
Pei Lianxue felt like she could open a storytelling shop on the street. She sighed in disappointment. "Why are you talking so much... I feel that the demonic cultivator we met this time is quite similar to the one called Wu You."
"Very similar... Isn't that even better? We were able to kill him when we were in the *Qi Refining* stage, and now we're at the *Core Formation* stage..."
Pei Lianxue finally understood that she had chosen the wrong person to chat with, so she stopped talking. "Heh -- forget what I said. Eat your roasted chicken. If it's not enough, ask the boss to bring you another one."
"Oh... Then, Sister Pei, do you want to eat some?"
Just to make Feng Yu Die shut up, Pei Lianxue simply nodded. "...Give me a chicken leg."
Feng Yu Die then became even more annoying. "Okay~~ Sister Pei, you should eat the skin of the chicken leg first, and then..."
"Shut up!"
"...Oh, I was just saying... it's better to eat the skin first."
"..."
The two of them ate roasted chicken for a while before Xiao Yunluo came out of the *Commander's Mansion*.
She walked straight into the tea stall, and when she saw Pei Lianxue lying on the table with a dejected face, she hurriedly walked over with a smile. "Lianxue, why are you so depressed? I've got some good news."
"What good news?"
"I found someone called Xiyue. She's the sister of the *Snow Guard* Commander. But she's only twelve, so she's probably not the one we're looking for."
"Twelve years old?" Pei Lianxue frowned as she sat up straight. "Where is she?"
"A hundred miles to the east, in **White Moon Town** *Traveler's Pavilion*. Want to go?"
"Yes!" Pei Lianxue stood up. "Boss, the bill!"
Feng Yu Die's eyes lit up as she looked at the drumstick in Pei Lianxue's hand and quickly said, "I'll pay, I'll pay. Boss, pack me five more roasted chicken drumsticks."
