Watching the Mountain

Xu Ran had always preferred to be low-key and quiet, which meant that when he chose his Cave Mansion, he liked to pick a spot in a remote, sparsely populated corner.

His Cave Mansion on Qing Xuan Peak was no exception.

The area was sparsely populated and extremely remote. There wasn’t any beautiful scenery nearby; besides the two rows of trees lining the bluestone path, one could hardly even see the color green.

In truth, there had once been some nice scenery nearby, but he had removed it all. This was to prevent any disciples who enjoyed admiring beautiful views from wandering over.

He had intentionally made the area around his Cave Mansion so unpleasant that neither man nor beast would want to come near. The effect was quite good; over the years, aside from acquaintances, no one had ever set foot in the vicinity.

He just never expected that someone else in the world would have the exact same idea.

After parting ways with Chen Chang’an, he prepared to head back to his Cave Mansion. However, he had not gone far before the sound of a conversation reached his ears.

The speakers were a man and a woman.

The woman spoke first. "Are you sure no one comes here?"

The man replied, "Of course. I’ve always been cautious and meticulous. On every mission, I’m always the first to find the safest spot. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have survived to this day."

"Based on my experience, this is the most secluded place around here. Look at the ground—there are no footprints. That means the people of this Sect basically never come here. And from my observations, it’s not some Forbidden Land either."

"So, no one should come and bother us."

Hearing this answer, the woman seemed to relax. She let out a sigh of relief and added, "Thank goodness you reminded me earlier to have that Chen Chang’an rest for three days. This way, we can stay a little longer."

The man chuckled. "I’d love to spend more time with you, too, but three days is the limit. Any longer would be hard to justify."

After speaking, his tone grew a little cautious. "But that Chen Chang’an’s progress is just too much. The strength he just displayed was terrifying. No, on the day of our fight, I have to find a way to avoid it."

The woman asked in surprise, "You’re the current Chief Disciple of the Netherworld Sect. Won’t it be a problem if you just choose to avoid the fight?"

The man replied in a nonchalant tone, "It’s better than accidentally getting myself killed. I refuse to believe what Chen Chang’an showed today is his full strength. He’s definitely still hiding at least eighty or ninety percent of it. It’s better for me to be cautious."

The woman’s tone was resigned. "You think everyone is like you, always holding a few tricks up your sleeve?"

"What can I do? People’s hearts are treacherous; it’s best to be careful. By the way, can you not make me say those things next time? I feel like what I said before was too offensive. It would be dangerous if the people from the Profound Pure Sect started holding a grudge against me."

"You’re from the Demon Dao. If you don’t say it, are you expecting me, a leader of the Righteous Dao, to say it?"

"SIGH. Why did I have to stumble into the Demon Sect back then? The one I wanted to join was clearly..."

"..."

When Xu Ran first heard the noise, he thought someone was trying to harm him. So, he didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he concealed his aura, wanting to listen in on their identities and their plot.

Who would have thought that instead of a plot, he would stumble upon such a cliché drama?

The current leaders of the Righteous and Demon Dao, Zhao Wuyang and Liu Yunge, were actually hiding here for a secret rendezvous. Who would believe it if this got out?

Everyone in the entire Cultivation Realm knew that the Netherworld Sect and the Creation Sect were mortal enemies. The two sects had been feuding since ancient times. With the passage of time and the arrival of the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race, not only had their hatred not faded, but it had grown even deeper, making them as incompatible as fire and water.

And yet, unexpectedly, their current Chief Disciples had somehow, for some unknown reason, gotten together.

No wonder they had to hide. If word of their relationship got out, they wouldn’t even have time to become the subject of gossip before their respective elders slapped them into a bloody pulp. The kind that would be left to dry in the sun for a hundred years, with their corpses being flogged from time to time as a warning to future generations.

It was no wonder he’d felt Zhao Wuyang’s earlier speech sounded too much like a brainless villain; it didn’t fit his status as a leader of the Demon Dao at all. So it was all for his little lover.

But now wasn’t the time to be snarky about all this. The urgent matter at hand was, what should he do?

He felt truly helpless. He never thought his own consistently cautious and meticulous style would somehow sync up with a guy like Zhao Wuyang, leading him right here.

It was too late to leave now. He was certain that, given Zhao Wuyang’s paranoid-saint-like words, even the slightest movement would get him discovered.

Fortunately, the moment he heard the noise, he had immediately sent a message to Teacher Qing Xuan. Now, he just had to wait for his teacher to arrive.

Stumbling upon a secret tryst was the kind of thing that could genuinely get you killed if you were discovered.

But Xu Ran had still underestimated Zhao Wuyang. The man was simply too cautious. Even though he hadn’t made a single sound and had completely concealed his aura, he had still been detected.

When he heard the man whisper "Careful" to Liu Yunge, he knew that continuing to hide was no longer a realistic option.

Turning and fleeing was even more impossible; the difference in their Cultivation was too great. The top priority now was to stall for time until Teacher Qing Xuan arrived.

His thoughts raced. He waved his hand, produced a Tao Scripture, and held it. Then, frowning as if lost in deep thought, he began to walk step by step along the bluestone path.

Zhao Wuyang and Liu Yunge seemed wary that this was the Profound Pure Sect’s territory and didn’t attack. Instead, they watched him in silence.

Xu Ran didn’t look at them and walked right past. Just as he had gone some distance and thought he was safe, a voice suddenly spoke up in front of him. "You’re just going to walk past, looking so fresh-faced and pure?"

He turned his head slightly at her words, a trace of confusion in his eyes as he stared in astonishment at Liu Yunge, who was dressed in a white gown.

After a moment’s pause, he seemed to come to his senses with a delayed reaction, awkwardly raising his hands to bow as he said:

"Greetings, fellow cultivator. I was just so engrossed in this Tao Scripture that I didn’t notice you. Please forgive me. You look a bit unfamiliar; may I ask which lineage you are from?"

Liu Yunge sneered at him. "You put on a good act. But a woman like me, having a secret rendezvous with the current chief of the Demon Sect—do you really think I’m some kind of good person? I don’t care if you saw anything or not. Since you showed up here today, you can forget about seeing tomorrow’s sun."

Xu Ran was stunned. He stared at Liu Yunge in shock. He never would have thought that the current Chief Disciple of the Creation Sect, who looked so righteous, would be so fierce the moment she opened her mouth.

He wasn’t scared of her, though. The fact that they hadn’t attacked him immediately told him that they probably weren’t going to attack him at all.

More importantly, he calculated the time. Logically, Teacher Qing Xuan should have arrived by now. The fact that his teacher hadn’t appeared likely meant they were observing the scene in secret. Perhaps Zhao Wuyang’s earlier whisper of "Careful" had been aimed at Teacher Qing Xuan, not him.

Therefore, he was now full of confidence and unafraid of her threat.