Jian Dan walked out of the gatehouse at an unhurried pace. The little wolf pup, Xiao Yue, trailed after her step by step until they reached the edge of the emerald lake.
Yesterday, her divine sense had been blocked right here. Add that to the green mist that had risen from the water during the last operation, and the whole place gave her a strange, uncomfortable feeling. She'd already decided to find a chance to investigate it.
"Xiao Yue, come here."
Jian Dan sat down on a wooden post at the lakeshore and waved. Xiao Yue bounded over in his pup form, hopping onto her lap. His little eyes also stared at the emerald lake. Something about it felt familiar, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall why.
While the girl and the wolf stared off into the water, the two squads that had gone out finally returned.
At the front walked a gloomy-looking man. He'd lost two of his people today. The fault lay with the other squad's Lady Di, who'd refused to act. So even though the harvest wasn't bad, his face stayed dark as he brooded over how he was supposed to report to Mao Wu. He couldn't just let those two men die in vain.
Behind him was Lady Di, whose expression was just as ugly. Mi Ji's people were getting more and more outrageous. They wanted to use her squad as cannon fodder. When she refused, they snatched the things her people had discovered. Even if those items weren't worth much, it was still the fruit of her team's effort. Working hard just to hand everything over to others wasn't her style.
The mutual hostility between the squads blinded them. Neither noticed how unnaturally quiet the emerald lake was compared to usual. None of the patrol team was around either. Only when they passed through the ancient forest and reached the lakeside did they realize something was off.
Mi Ji's eyes immediately locked on the green-robed female cultivator sitting at the lake's edge. Lady Di spotted her too. The two squad leaders exchanged a glance, then slowly walked closer. Their subordinates quietly spread out, forming a circle around the lone woman.
Jian Dan's hand paused mid-stroke on Xiao Yue's fur. Then she curved her lips into a smile and turned her gaze from the water to the slowly approaching crowd.
Both Lady Di and Mi Ji stopped. They stared at the elegant, striking woman in green, weighing how to speak. But Jian Dan spoke first.
"You two came back at just the right time. Mao Wu's territory is mine now. Whether you stay or leave, that's your choice." Her voice was pleasant and refined, but it carried no hint of treating their group of eighteen as a threat.
Lady Di's gaze lingered on the wolf pup in Jian Dan's arms. Clearly, he'd been raised with great care. His sleek, glowing fur made her envious, and that crescent mark on his forehead proved his extraordinary bloodline. Only someone from the central zone or the inner circle of the Immortal Realm could raise such a spirit pet this well. Lady Di's first thought was that she shouldn't provoke this woman lightly.
Mi Ji, sly as ever, was best at reading the situation. The way this green-robed cultivator sat there with such calm confidence, combined with the dead silence of the camp behind her and the faint shimmer of an active barrier, made his heart tighten. Still, he forced a smile and stepped forward.
"Friend, this was Mao Wu's territory before. We had a cooperative agreement with him. If you're making us leave, at least let us take back our belongings. Otherwise our loss will be too great."
"Oh? Is that so? You didn't carry your valuables with you? You trusted leaving them here?" Jian Dan tilted her head as if curious.
"The storage belts have limited capacity. Of course we can't bring everything," Mi Ji replied smoothly.
"Oh? Then have you thought about staying instead? I dare say I'm more generous than Mao Wu." Jian Dan smiled as she looked right into his eyes.
A sudden chill prickled at Mi Ji's scalp. It was that familiar sense of danger, the kind that had saved him several times before. He felt this woman was far from easy to deal with. Before he could refuse, she asked again, her tone light:
"Or are you planning to go in and get it yourself?" Her smile suggested that if he nodded, she'd really let him walk in.
But Mi Ji had no intention of entering alone. Who knew how many people might be lying in ambush inside? If he got trapped under that active barrier, there'd be no escape.
"This is your territory now. It wouldn't be right for us to intrude. Perhaps you could have someone else fetch it?"
Jian Dan regarded him in silence for three breaths, enough to make his face stiffen, before finally saying in a soft voice, "Hu San."
Hu San had been waiting for this moment. He rushed out from the gatehouse, stopped five paces from her, and bowed. "Fairy Lu, what are your orders?"
"Those should be your old acquaintances. They don't want to join us. They just want their belongings and then they'll leave. Ask them where their things are, fetch them, and don't delay them from starting their own path."
"Yes."
Mi Ji's face stiffened. He knew Hu San had been one of Qingmian's most trusted men. If even he now served this woman so obediently, then Qingmian must've already surrendered to her. No wonder she was so unconcerned about whether they stayed or left.
He wasn't willing, but there was no helping it. Hu San's squad only had about a dozen people. But how many did this woman have under her command? And what about Mao Wu's survivors—had they also thrown in with her?
Jian Dan read his thoughts in his darting eyes. The other squad's tall female leader, however, looked uncertain but didn't step forward. That was exactly the opening she needed.
"Don't bother guessing. Mao Wu and his remaining men were wiped out by us."
Mi Ji's heart skipped. Was that a threat, or—
"There were two female cultivators I spared. They didn't seem like they followed him willingly," Jian Dan added almost kindly.
"Fairy Lu is merciful," Hu San praised without missing a beat.
Lady Di, hearing that, let out a small breath of relief, though she still stayed silent.
Jian Dan swept her gaze across the two clearly divided squads and felt more certain they weren't united. Now it just depended on how Mi Ji played this. She wouldn't mind keeping his people behind, as long as the other squad stayed out of it.
Mi Ji seemed to realize the same. He quickly told Hu San where his items were stored, handing over a storage belt to retrieve his accumulated belongings.
Hu San glanced at Jian Dan.
"Go on. Don't keep them waiting," she said.
"Yes."
He immediately slipped back inside.
In Jian Dan's arms, Xiao Yue suddenly bared his teeth at Mi Ji.
Mi Ji almost choked on his anger. A mere little spirit pet dared bare its fangs at him? His eyes turned vicious as he glared.
But Xiao Yue wasn't intimidated. The man's mixed aura disgusted him, and now the guy was threatening him with a glare? That was unacceptable. Xiao Yue let out a sharp howl, then leapt off Jian Dan's lap. His body expanded midair, transforming into a majestic Moon Howl Wolf nearly two meters tall. With a thunderous roar, he brought a massive claw down toward Mi Ji.
Lady Di didn't dare act rashly. She immediately waved for her squad to retreat from the fight.
Mi Ji regretted his actions instantly. Why had he provoked someone's spirit pet for no reason? Worse, this wasn't just any pet but a ferocious little tyrant. His squad had been itching for a fight. Seeing their leader attacked, they charged straight at Jian Dan, thinking if they captured her, the wolf would fall in line.
The idea was nice, and their response was quick. But Jian Dan was faster. She'd already decided Mi Ji wasn't worth keeping. The moment his people lunged, she struck without hesitation.
The Mó Yuè Zhǎn shrank to the size of her palm, then tore through the air like a hurricane, slamming into Mi Ji's squad.