"Lady Bai... what should we do next?"
Grandmaster Lu Qing frowned as he looked down at the battlefield below. The soldiers and cultivators who had just fought through hours of slaughter had forgotten their own wounds entirely. Every one of them was staring up at Bai Fanxian with shining eyes.
"...That wolf was the demonic beast army's leader, it seems."
Even from a distance, he could piece together what had happened. One death, and the entire army's morale had collapsed. He couldn't help feeling quietly amused at the irony — no matter what, someone like Bai Fanxian simply couldn't keep herself hidden.
Even if you wish for a quiet life, young lady, trouble will always find you first.
"...I should hurry away from here."
Bai Fanxian was about to turn away. She still didn't know the situation well enough and didn't want to get involved in conflicts unrelated to herself. But the Sage who appeared to be the army's general quickly shot up to block her path.
He flew up with visible hesitation, stopping about ten meters below where Bai Fanxian floated — close enough to speak, far enough to signal deference.
Sincerity, and an unspoken acknowledgment of his own inferiority.
"General..."
None of them had ever seen their general bow like this before. In all his years, the man had shown open respect to no one but the King himself.
Not even the Crown Prince or the royal family.
So displaying respect to a strange young woman like this was extremely peculiar in their eyes.
"...Please wait a moment."
He clasped his hands and dipped his head. He didn't care what the others thought. Anyone capable of killing an Ancient Demon in a single strike had more than earned his respect.
"..."
Bai Fanxian studied him. He was careful — thoughtful, even — and hadn't shown even a hint of rudeness. She wasn't cold-hearted enough to simply turn and leave.
Perhaps getting to know people in this world might prove useful.
Besides, this man clearly held some standing here. A contact worth having.
"...What business do you have?"
The pressure radiating off Bai Fanxian was deliberate. It was something she had done so often in past negotiations that it had long since become second nature.
The old general flinched. From a distance he hadn't noticed, but up close, this young woman radiated a danger he couldn't begin to measure.
...Stronger than us by many times.
He swallowed hard, his throat dry.
*No matter what, mustn't make enemies with her...*
"They call me Sage White-Beard... if I may ask your name?"
Sage White-Beard seemed to shed decades in that moment, reverting to the careful, deferential young man he'd once been. The one who'd learned never to offend anything dangerous.
"...Bai Fanxian."
There was no reason to lie. And she was curious to see how he'd react to her name.
"A name most fitting for you."
...No reaction. Meaning no one knows my name here.
Bai Fanxian noted it mentally. After ten thousand years, it wasn't surprising that her name had faded from memory entirely.
"So what business do you actually have?"
Sage White-Beard nearly stumbled over his words in his hurry to respond.
"We want to repay you. You saved all the front-line soldiers' lives. If you're willing, I'd like to invite you into the city with us. I'll report your good deeds to the King. You'll receive many rewards..."
He was doing his best to persuade her. Noticing the two small girls lying unconscious on the red demonic beast's back, he quickly added—
"We'll treat all of you very well. Food and lodging included. If you need anything, tell me directly."
Bai Fanxian listened and pondered a moment. Tang Yeye and Hui'er hadn't fully recovered yet. But all that meant, in practice, was dizziness and nausea from the crossing — nothing more.
Half an hour of rest would be enough.
But since he was offering so willingly, she saw no reason to refuse.
"Understood... then we'll be in your care."
That single answer brought a wide smile to his face. Befriending someone this powerful was an opportunity few ever got. He wheeled around and bellowed down at his troops with all the authority of a battlefield commander — a complete contrast to how he'd been speaking moments ago.
"Quickly clean up the battlefield! Don't delay! The heroine has accepted our invitation!"
"Yeah!"
"Heroine!"
"Heroine!"
"Heroine!"
The soldiers and cultivators roared with joy. Not only had most of them survived the day — the very woman who had saved them, who had taken down an Ancient Demon alone, had accepted their invitation.
The mood across the field was higher than it had been before the battle even started.
While the soldiers cleaned up the battlefield, the cultivators withdrew to regroup by faction, sect, or palace. They were city dwellers who had been sent to reinforce the front lines.
"Mu Xia!"
"Juju!"
Another injured girl came running to Mu Xia, who had collapsed to the ground. The moment she saw she was still alive, they threw their arms around each other and wept.
"You're okay... what about Senior Yi Xian and the others..."
Before Juju could finish, Su Lin stepped up from behind and gripped her shoulder. She gave a small, pained shake of her head. That alone was enough.
War always takes its toll.
"Huff... sob!"
They had survived life and death together, but they were still young. They held each other and cried, not caring who saw.
"...How many of us remain?"
Su Lin let them grieve without interruption. She walked over to another disciple nearby and asked quietly.
"Around thirty... lost half."
The answer came in a murmur. Behind the speaker, the bodies of the fallen had been recovered and laid out in rows as best they could manage. The wounds on each of them told the story of how they'd spent their final moments. No matter how hard Su Lin tried to hold herself together, she couldn't stop the tears from coming.
"...Bring everyone back to the palace. We'll bury them in the hero cemetery with honor."
Su Lin gave the order.
"Oh? My, my... why does the once-glorious Goddess Alchemy Palace look so pitiful now?"
A voice came from behind. A young woman in clean purple robes stepped forward — someone who, by the look of her, had spent the battle nowhere near the front lines.
"Li Jiyao..."
Su Lin's jaw tightened. Every remaining member of the Goddess Alchemy Palace turned to glare at her.
"What's with all the glaring? You're not actually going to do something, are you?"
Li Jiyao kept her tone light, unbothered by the fury aimed at her.
"Go away..."
"My, my... I'm leaving already. I just stopped by with some good news. Looks like your pitiful Empress will be released."
"...!?"
"Hehe, I'm not joking. Because 'Wild Bloom' can treat the King instead of your incapable Empress."
"You!?"
Su Lin raised her hand, holding back her two junior disciples before they could charge. She drew a long breath, steadying herself, then turned to Li Jiyao with a cold voice.
"...How thoughtful of you to let us know. Let's go."
Su Lin's restraint clearly irritated Li Jiyao, who watched the Goddess Palace disciples file out from the battlefield before casting her gaze upward toward the group still hovering in the sky.
The moment her eyes found that young woman's face, a faint displeasure crept in.
"The heroine... I need to report this to the elders right away."
.
.
.
"...My lady, what happened?"
Just ten minutes after that, both Tang Yeye and Hui'er regained consciousness. Both of them secretly tugged Bai Fanxian's sleeve, asking with surprise.
How had they ended up surrounded by all these people? And that white-bearded old man kept bowing and deferring to her as if she were royalty.
"..."
Bai Fanxian said nothing. They had already arrived at the city walls.
Creak...
From inside came the grinding of the gate mechanism. The massive doors swung slowly open, and in a few seconds, the city beyond came into view.
"Sage White-Beard!"
A voice called out from just inside. A young man in finely tailored blue robes — clearly someone of breeding — stepped forward.
"Second Prince."
Sage White-Beard gave a slight nod, a fraction of the deference he'd shown Bai Fanxian.
"I came to wait and welcome you back. You're not injured anywhere, right? Want me to call the royal physician?"
The flattery was transparent. Bai Fanxian watched silently from behind and arrived at one word.
Power struggle?
"I appreciate the concern. But I'm fine." Sage White-Beard refused politely and straightforwardly, making the young man's face go briefly awkward. But this elderly general's nature was well-known, so the Second Prince didn't take it to heart.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. I still need to take the heroine somewhere to rest..."
"I received the news already! Welcome to Moondrift City... you must be the heroine everyone's talking about."
The Second Prince smiled and spread his hands in welcome. Behind that easy expression, his eyes were quietly taking stock of Bai Fanxian.
*...Beautiful.*
That was his verdict. She didn't look fearsome or overwhelming at all — nothing like the reports. Not that he could be blamed for thinking so. Bai Fanxian had pulled every trace of her aura inward, leaving him nothing to sense.
"Second Prince...!"
Sage White-Beard tensed, afraid that careless manner would provoke Bai Fanxian. Before he could intervene, the Second Prince glanced past her with a puzzled look.
"And who is this person? One of the heroine's companions too, I take it?"
"...?"
Only then did Sage White-Beard realize there was someone else standing beside Bai Fanxian whom he had completely overlooked.
It was Grandmaster Lu Qing!
Grandmaster Lu Qing had stood in silence from the very beginning, never once joining the conversation. Sage White-Beard hadn't even registered his presence.
Grandmaster Lu Qing, for his part, didn't seem bothered. He'd held a quiet smile the entire time.
"...I apologize for my discourtesy. I haven't asked your name yet..."
Sage White-Beard clasped his hands in apology. But before Grandmaster Lu Qing could return the gesture, Bai Fanxian's pressure flared — sharp, instant, gone. Only the two old men felt it.
Cold sweat broke out across Sage White-Beard's back. His mind raced — had he done something to offend her?
Then something clicked.
His eyes darted to Grandmaster Lu Qing, then back to Bai Fanxian, back and forth.
If a young woman who looked this youthful already possessed power that high, then this elderly man — who appeared so harmless that Sage White-Beard had barely registered his presence at all...
...Could it be—
...He might be even stronger than her?
"..."
Must be! He must be her mentor or elder for certain!
Why else would the heroine have released that burst of pressure just now, if not to warn him that he was being disrespectful to her elder?
"My deepest apologies for the discourtesy, Elder!"
By the time his head stopped spinning, Sage White-Beard had bent himself nearly parallel to the ground, sweat pouring down his face. He barked an order at his soldiers, and they followed suit — creating quite a scene before the city gate.
"..."
...Lady Bai?
Grandmaster Lu Qing watched the misunderstanding ripple outward with a dry smile. He pushed a quiet thread of qi toward Bai Fanxian. What came back was a wink.
Let them misunderstand.
B-but—
We still don't know them well enough...
...Fine.
He couldn't argue with her reasoning. So he lowered his head and accepted this title that had fallen on him from nowhere.
Anyone back home who heard about this would be left speechless.
Because it seemed that on the very first day of arriving in the Myriad Demon World...
...he had already become the "elder" of the most glorious Grandmaster Bai Fanxian of the era!