52. Swapping Identities During Training Becomes Increasingly Difficult

“Master, your disciple requests permission to take on Xie Wuji this time!” A youth, nearly identical in appearance to Shi Zhenxiang, knelt on one knee before Ding Desheng, his fists clasped in salute.

Ding Desheng was in meditation. He opened his eyes calmly and said, “So it’s Shi Zhentian…”

“Yes, Master,” Shi Zhentian replied, twin blades strapped across his back.

Ding Desheng rose slowly. “When your father named you twins, did he misunderstand something about ‘Shi’? One is ‘Zhenxiang’—truly fragrant, the other ‘Zhentian’—truly sweet…”

Shi Zhentian immediately lowered his head. “My father suffers from a pica disorder.”

Ding Desheng felt a chill creep over his scalp. “Does your mother know?”

“My mother and father bonded over their shared interests,” Shi Zhentian bowed his head even further.

Sensing Shi Zhentian’s embarrassment, Ding Desheng coughed, trying to smooth over the tension. “Well, pica isn’t such a big problem. Since you’ve volunteered yourself, go and take care of those people. Make sure none return alive!”

“Yes, Master. Rest assured!” Shi Zhentian’s lips curled into a sinister smile.

…

Xie Wuji hadn’t expected Miss Baili to give him a talisman specifically for escape, but he supposed something was better than nothing; at least it might come in handy.

As he studied the talisman, a strange ripple stirred in his heart, though it quickly faded.

Before long, his mood was interrupted by the sudden entrance of Dongmen Qianyun, who burst in clutching a scroll, breathless. “Not good, Brother Xie!”

“What’s got you so flustered?” Xie Wuji stood up.

“We clearly accepted a mid-grade trial, but when the notice arrived, it had become a top-grade one. We’re to head to Fire Dragon Mountain and slay a thousand-year-old Fire Python! That python’s cultivation likely matches the Earth tier. If we go, it’s just throwing our lives away!” Dongmen Qianyun cried.

Xie Wuji recognized the gravity of the situation. “How did the trial change so suddenly?”

“Isn’t it obvious? The disciples in charge of trials all belong to the Grand Elder. Clearly, he’s setting us up. If we refuse to go now, the ones punished will be Fat Dragon and Thin Tiger. According to sect rules, if you accept a trial but don’t go, at best you’re put in seclusion to reflect, at worst you’re expelled… The Grand Elder certainly won’t let Fat Dragon and Thin Tiger off,” Dongmen Qianyun explained.

“So they want us dead,” Xie Wuji muttered, then added, “By the way, I have a pill here. Take it—it can rebuild your meridians, reconnecting your severed Eight Extraordinary Vessels.”

“Really?” Dongmen Qianyun took the blood-red pill.

“Yes. Take it, I’ll protect you while you recover,” Xie Wuji said.

Dongmen Qianyun hesitated, her eyes darting. “There’s no rush. Let’s settle the current trouble first.”

“By the way, do you remember I asked you to find the Song family, father and daughter?” Xie Wuji asked.

After all, Song Xiaoyu was the Empress’s sister, not himself.

Dongmen Qianyun’s heart trembled. She knew Xie Wuji genuinely cared for Song Xiaoyu. Every time she realized Song Xiaoyu was the one on his mind, Dongmen Qianyun felt uneasy.

The more she dwelled on it, the worse she felt. “Brother Xie must have feelings for Song Xiaoyu. He never says it, but he must care… Now Song Xiaoyu is at the border, heading to Liguo. If Brother Xie finds out, he’ll surely go after her, no matter the distance.”

“I can’t let Brother Xie know, but if I lie, he’ll hate me… Even if I say Song Xiaoyu has died, he’d be heartbroken. Better to just tell the truth…” Dongmen Qianyun forced a bitter smile, her thoughts in a tangle.

“Qianyun?” Sensing her silence, Xie Wuji called out.

She looked up. “She’s safe for now, but it seems she’s heading to Liguo.”

“Liguo?” Xie Wuji was surprised, but quickly recalled that among the Eight Protectors, one hailed from Liguo. After the Immortal Longevity Sect’s defeat, that Protector had gone there.

He thought to himself that if he went searching now, it would be a long and uncertain journey. Since Song Xiaoyu was safe, he could rest easy.

It could wait—at least she was unharmed.

A rare smile appeared on his lips.

Yet to Dongmen Qianyun’s sensitive heart, that smile was bittersweet. “Brother Xie is so happy just knowing Song Xiaoyu is safe… If only I were Song Xiaoyu…”

She quietly stashed the pill away. Meanwhile, Xie Wuji stood up. “Since it’s a top-grade mission, we can’t refuse. So why not put on a show?”

“A show?” Dongmen Qianyun exclaimed. “Brother Xie, do you have a plan?”

“We’ll go to Fire Dragon Mountain, circle around, and come back claiming we failed the trial. At worst, we lose the reward, but nothing else,” Xie Wuji said.

Dongmen Qianyun beamed. “Brother Xie, you’re brilliant! This way, we avoid facing the thousand-year Fire Python and have a solid reason to return, escaping punishment!”

Fat Dragon and Thin Tiger, who had been furious, finally breathed easy when Dongmen Qianyun shared the plan.

“We’ll just treat it as a seven- or eight-day trip. Brother Xie, you’ve saved our lives!” Fat Dragon laughed.

“If it were any other disciples, they wouldn’t care about us like Miss Qianyun and Brother Xie do. They’d just leave us to our fate—after all, we’re the ones who accepted the trial. You two are truly good people!” Thin Tiger said, moved.

“Enough foolish talk. Since we’ve agreed, let’s be on our way,” Xie Wuji said.

The four, holding the trial mandate, strode toward the main gate.

Many disciples, already aware of the situation, watched them as they passed.

A disciple gossiping in a corner remarked, “They’re mad! None of them are even at the Golden Core stage, yet they’re taking on one of the top trials. Xie Wuji must think he’s invincible after beating Shi Zhenxiang.”

“The Second Miss is going too, even though she was born with crippled meridians. Isn’t this just courting death? Has the Sect Master nothing to say?”

“It’s odd, but this proves the Second Miss and Xie Wuji are close. What kind of relationship, though, no one knows.”

As the crowd discussed, in Dongmen Yong’s study, the Sect Master himself was troubled.

“It must be the Grand Elder’s doing,” said Dongmen Jianhao. “I’ll go stop my sister right away!”

“If you use your position to intervene, you’ll be breaking the rules yourself—and giving Ding Desheng even more leverage against us,” Dongmen Yong replied.

Dongmen Jianhao, unable to contain his fury, burst out, “Father, you’ve never really cared for my sister. Now she’s being sent to face a thousand-year Fire Python. Can you really bear to send her to her death?”

It was the first time he’d spoken to his father so harshly.

Dongmen Yong was also angered. “I had her live in the countryside to protect her! Who could have foreseen your second mother’s early death, forcing her to come to the Danxia Sect? She’s my only daughter—my very lifeblood!”

“But to you, her life isn’t as important as your position as Sect Master!” Dongmen Jianhao said bitterly.

Dongmen Yong shook his head. “Because of the Fire-Tailed Chicken theft, the Grand Elder’s supporters have suffered heavy losses. This is a rare opportunity. If we act rashly, we’ll only bring ruin upon ourselves. My son, here’s what you must do: protect them from the shadows. If the Fire Python appears, you deal with it. Even if you can’t defeat it, at least cover their escape. But remember, you must not reveal your identity!”