The night grew even darker, Qingxu Temple's back mountain resembling a dormant giant beast, breathing silently in the impenetrable darkness. Mountain winds swept through the forest gaps, bringing waves of mournful whispers that intertwined with the faint, rhythmic footsteps of night patrol disciples in the distance, amplifying the deep mountain forest's silence and eeriness.
Just after Tang Xiao Qi retreated to his disciple quarters with the panic-stricken rabbit spirit, a figure nearly blending with the night appeared like a ghost at the edge of the black pine forest on the back mountain. The newcomer wore a tight-fitting black night suit, with an elegant and agile figure, face covered by an exquisitely crafted silver mask emitting a cold metallic sheen, revealing only a pair of deep, cold pool-like eyes and a graceful jawline. It was none other than Auntie Su, that mysterious figure with intricate connections to the Shadow Snake Pavilion.
She stood silently in the shadow of an ancient pine, her form seemingly frozen, even her breath nearly imperceptible. Only those eyes visible beyond the mask remained sharp as a hawk's, slowly scanning the surroundings. Wherever her gaze fell, every leaf's tremor, every air current's flow, seemed to escape her perception not.
She had been lingering in this area for several days. Ever since she faintly captured that weak yet soul-stirring familiar aura—the unique fluctuations belonging to the Xu family's "Purification Source"—on the outskirts of Qingxu Temple, she had begun meticulously searching throughout this vast mountain forest like the most patient hunter. That aura was too faint, intermittent like a candle flame in the wind, yet stubbornly proving its existence.
Tonight, that inexplicable sensation seemed to have become somewhat clearer. She traced it here, to this black pine forest near Qingxu Temple's back mountain forbidden zone, the direction where that aura had finally dissipated.
Auntie Su slightly tilted her head, taking a deep breath. The air mingled with the earthy scent of soil, the fresh aroma of vegetation, and... an extremely faint yet impossible-to-ignore abnormal fishy odor. This fishiness didn't belong to ordinary beasts, carrying a cold, uncomfortable erosive quality.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, fingertips unconsciously twisting as an extremely subtle strand of spiritual energy with purification characteristics lingered at her fingertips, attempting to capture that elusive, same-origin aura in the air and distinguish it from the abnormal fishy scent.
Just as she concentrated on sensing, a somewhat disorderly set of footsteps accompanied by low whispers approached from afar. It was a Qingxu Temple night patrol disciple squad, four in total, holding illuminating glowstone lanterns, patrolling along the established route. The soft white light emitted by the lanterns cut through the dense forest, creating swaying patches of light.
Auntie Su's eyes sharpened. Without moving her body, her entire form seemed to transform into a true shadow, silently retreating deeper into the darkness, pressing against a moss-covered giant rock. Her aura converged to the extreme, as if completely merging with the rock, the trees, and this night itself.
The patrol disciples didn't detect any abnormalities. They discussed daytime cultivation anecdotes, complained about the hardship of late-night mountain patrols, their gazes vigilant yet limited to the range illuminated by their lantern lights. The leading disciple seemed to sense something, suddenly looking toward the direction of the giant rock where Auntie Su hid, raising his lantern higher.
"What's wrong, senior brother?" a young disciple nearby asked nervously.
The leading disciple concentrated for a moment, seeing only the vague outline of the rock and swaying tree shadows in the darkness. He frowned, shook his head: "Probably just wind moving grass, my eyes playing tricks. This deep back mountain area always feels eerie. Everyone, stay alert!"
The team continued forward, footsteps and conversation gradually fading, the lantern light disappearing around the forest path bend. Only after confirming they had completely left did Auntie Su's figure slowly "emerge" from the rock's shadow like an ink painting's subtle diffusion. What she had just used was precisely the Shadow Snake Pavilion's secret transmission—the Concealment and Shadow Stealth Technique, extremely sophisticated, difficult to detect unless one's cultivation far exceeded hers or possessed special sensing methods.
She didn't act immediately, instead remaining in place, her gaze shifting between the direction where the patrol disciples disappeared and the even more profound depths of the black pine forest, her brow slightly furrowed beneath the mask. Qingxu Temple had strengthened patrols—this indicated they might also have detected something unusual in the back mountain. And that purification aura she so longed for seemed entangled with the abnormal fishy scent faintly emanating from this forest.
Things had become complicated. Her sole objective in risking infiltration into Qingxu Temple's territory, even approaching its forbidden zone, was to confirm whether that child with Xu family blood truly resided here and whether he was safe. Her sister's deathbed entrustment, the Xu family's only hope, all rested on that child. Yet, the Shadow Snake Pavilion's mission, that lord's determination to obtain the "Purification Source" at all costs, shackled her like invisible chains.
Now, her sensing seemed to point toward the forbidden zone direction, and within there clearly hid unknown dangers. Had that child mistakenly entered perilous grounds? Or was this aura itself some kind of bait or trap?
Auntie Su's heart was torn. On one hand, she urgently wanted to confirm Xiao Qi's safety, even if just a distant glimpse; on the other hand, she deeply understood her sensitive identity—once exposed, not only would she face danger herself, but it could bring catastrophic disaster upon that child. The Pavilion's methods, she knew all too well.
She remained in place for roughly the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Finally, reason overcame impulse. Now wasn't the time to recklessly venture deeper. She needed more information, needed to more accurately judge that aura's source and that danger's nature.
Taking one last deep look into the black pine forest depths, as if trying to penetrate that darkness with her gaze, Auntie Su hesitated no longer. Her figure flickered, like a spiritual cat in the dark night, leaping silently down the mountain ridge in several bounds, choosing a path completely different from and more concealed than the patrol disciples', rapidly distancing herself from Qingxu Temple's back mountain core area.
Her figure vanished into the vast night, as if never having appeared. Only the air slightly disturbed by her fingertip spiritual energy, and that lingering, elusive, cold yet mysterious fragrance, bore witness that an uninvited guest had once visited.
The mountain forest returned to silence. Moonlight barely penetrated the cloud layer, casting cold, clear radiance that illuminated the giant rock where she had stood moments before, and beside the rock, a cluster of night grass that had been bent by invisible forces, now slowly straightening.
Far away in the disciple quarters, having just soothed the rabbit spirit and preparing to sit in meditation for rest, Tang Xiao Qi inexplicably felt a sudden palpitation, as if something closely related to him had brushed past in that very moment. Subconsciously touching the jade pendant at his chest, its cool sensation brought slight comfort, yet couldn't completely dispel that inexplicable wisp of melancholy and unease rising in his heart.
The night was still long, undercurrents already stirring in the darkness.