"Thirty years ago, Aunt Thirteen left the Southern Border and journeyed north to the Central Plains.
"Since then, she has never returned to Cyan Hill Mountain."
Gu Zhao stopped in his tracks. Standing at the entrance of Silk Embroideress and Bai Ke’s courtyard, he began listening to the gossip.
"Dynasties in the Central Plains changed frequently, bringing countless wars. The Celestial Fox Lineage consists mostly of women; we have sprawling bloodlines, but we are not adept at fighting," Bai Yiqi explained, educating Bai Ke on the common knowledge of Cyan Hill Mountain’s Celestial Fox Lineage. "In the Central Plains, there were often Demons and Ghosts who coveted the beauty or pure bloodlines of the Celestial Foxes, making them frequent targets.
"Later on, Cyan Hill Mountain gradually migrated south and relocated to the Southern Border Mountains.
"Although the Southern Border is chaotic, the factions fight among themselves, and there aren’t many top-tier experts. Ironically, the Celestial Fox Lineage found it much safer there than in the Central Plains. Later, an ancestor achieved Ten Thousand Years of Dao Practice, allowing Cyan Hill Mountain to truly establish its footing.
"While there are still traces of Celestial Fox bloodlines in the Central Plains, none of them are direct descendants. It is absolutely impossible for them to inherit the Moonlight Evasion, as this is a Divine Technique that only direct descendants of the Celestial Fox can cultivate.
"Of course, there were some direct descendants who went north to the Central Plains later on, either entering Harmony with humans or marrying into other Fox Races, but they all eventually returned to Cyan Hill Mountain," Bai Yiqi concluded.
"In the past fifty years, the only one who went north to the Central Plains and lost all contact is Aunt Thirteen," Bai Yixuan added.
Bai Ke stated blankly, "Ever since I can remember, I’ve never seen my parents."
Everyone fell silent.
The Celestial Fox Lineage consisted mostly of intelligent and kind-hearted individuals; a mother would never abandon her child lightly. If Bai Ke had never seen her parents since she could remember, there was basically only one possibility. Bai Ke pursed her lips. She wasn’t overly saddened, as she had fended for herself for over a decade. However, she was still very happy to meet two other Celestial Foxes.
"Is everyone on Cyan Hill Mountain a Celestial Fox?" Bai Ke asked curiously. "Are all Celestial Foxes women? Are there any male foxes?"
"The Celestial Fox Race has more females than males, and the same goes for other Fox Races," Bai Yiqi said. "Cyan Hill Mountain is mostly inhabited by Celestial Foxes, but there are other Fox Races too, such as the Moon Gazing Fox, Red Fox, Cyan Fox, and so on."
"There’s also another kind called the Highland Fox. They all have big, square faces. It’s so funny!" Bai Yixuan held Bai Ke’s hand and urged with a giggle, "You should come back with us!"
Bai Ke shook her head repeatedly. "I’m not going back!"
Bai Yiqi smiled. "You’ve entered Harmony with Silk Embroideress, and you’re a member of the Daluo Palace. We aren’t asking you to return to Cyan Hill Mountain forever, but don’t you want to see your grandmother?"
"Huh?" Bai Ke looked utterly bewildered. "My grandmother is still alive?"
"Aunt Thirteen was Fourth Grandmother’s daughter." Bai Yixuan thought for a moment. "Fourth Grandmother is indeed still alive. She should be around a hundred and twenty or thirty years old. However, her Dao Practice isn’t high enough, and her lifespan is nearing its limit."
Bai Ke and Silk Embroideress fell silent together.
Gu Zhao finally walked into the courtyard.
"Young Master!" Silk Embroideress hurriedly walked over to Gu Zhao.
"Greetings, Gu Palace Master!" Bai Yiqi quickly pulled Bai Yixuan along to bow.
"No need for formalities." Gu Zhao lifted a hand to gently support them back to their feet, asking casually, "Did you rest well last night?"
"Very well. Thank you for your care, Palace Master," Bai Yiqi replied gently.
Bai Yixuan’s eyes sparkled. "There’s so much delicious food in the Daluo Palace!"
Gu Zhao glanced at the half-eaten pineapple cake in her hand. No wonder her speech had been a bit muffled earlier—she had been eating. Looking back and forth between Bai Yixuan and Bai Ke, he had to admit they really did look somewhat similar.
"If you like it, eat as much as you want," Gu Zhao said with a smile. "Otherwise, Silk Embroideress will make too much and we won’t be able to finish it all."
Bai Ke raised her hand high. "I helped make them too!"
Chen Zhi teased from the side, "Does putting the pastries Silk Embroideress already prepared into the oven count as making them?"
Bai Ke nodded with a serious expression. "Of course it counts!"
Never mind Bi Yingying and Chen Zhi; even Bai Yiqi and Bai Yixuan couldn’t help but laugh.
After a bout of laughter, Gu Zhao noticed Bai Yiqi hesitating as if she wanted to say something. He couldn’t help but ask, "Is there something on your mind, Miss Bai?"
Bai Yiqi thought for a moment before saying, "I’m a bit worried about my family... I mean, the elders in our family must be worried about us."
In truth, Bai Yiqi and Bai Yixuan’s Dao Practice was not weak. Bai Yiqi was around the same level as Zhuo Qingyan, stuck at the threshold of over four hundred years, while Bai Yixuan also had two to three hundred years of Dao Practice. With their Cultivation, as long as they didn’t provoke top-tier experts, they were more than capable of traveling the world safely. Moreover, even though they had been captured by the Mo He Divine Monarch, they were unharmed. If they were worried about their family, they could actually just leave now.
However, Gu Zhao had saved their lives and possessed such profound Dao Practice. Plus, Bai Ke, a fellow Celestial Fox, was here, and Gu Zhao had politely and warmly brought them back to the Daluo Palace. To bid a hasty farewell right now would be somewhat impolite.
Gu Zhao understood. Counting the days since they killed Xie Zhihan, the two had indeed been held captive for quite some time.
"The Mo He Divine Monarch cultivated a Demon Technique. If his cave dwelling is left unhandled, it could easily cause future troubles," Gu Zhao said. "Rest easy and stay at the Daluo Palace for a few more days. I’ll arrange for a few Elders to escort you back to Cyan Hill Mountain and, at the same time, take care of his cave dwelling."
Since he had saved the two women, he naturally intended to escort them back safely. Furthermore, Cyan Hill Mountain’s Celestial Fox Lineage mostly consisted of Spirit Monarchs, making them natural allies for the Daluo Palace. Gu Zhao also wanted to establish a connection with them so that the old Daoists would have a foothold when Exorcising Demons and Evil Spirits in the Southern Border in the future.
"Cyan Hill Mountain is your ancestral home, after all. You should also go back and familiarize yourself with it." Gu Zhao looked at Bai Ke, then pondered for a moment. "If I’m not occupied, I’ll tag along and pay a visit to the Qingqiu Mountain Master."
Silk Embroideress nodded repeatedly, and Bai Ke also looked forward to it. "Okay!"
***
"Congratulations, Martial Uncle Han Zheng and Martial Uncle Han Xuan!"
After leaving the courtyard and before he had even returned to the main hall of the Daluo Palace, Gu Zhao received news that Taoist Han Zheng and Taoist Han Xuan of the Shangqing Sect had broken through to five hundred years of Dao Practice.
Taoist Han Zheng and Taoist Han Xuan of the Sanmao Mountain Shangqing Sect had arrived at the same time as Taoist Zhi Qing and Taoist Zhi Xiu of the Celestial Master’s Mansion. However, because they had attended the wedding of Zhan Qing and Xue Bingbing of Snow God Mountain, they missed the battle to besiege the Lady of Illusion Flower in Shanzhou.
Taoist Zhi Qing and Taoist Zhi Xiu were the first to break through. But Taoist Han Zheng and Taoist Han Xuan didn’t lag behind for long. After more than a month of Eradicating Evil and Accumulating Merit, they too achieved a Realm Breakthrough.
At the same time, Taoist Yu Hua of the Northern Emperor Sect, Taoist Chong Xuan of the Shenxiao Sect, and Taoist Xi Ning and Taoist Miao Zhen of the Huashan Sect—who were older and originally had higher Dao Practice than them—also reached the critical threshold. Once these four old Daoists also achieved a Realm Breakthrough, the Daluo Palace would have over thirty experts capable of flying through the air and dominating a region.
Just thinking about it was exciting!
However, despite having so many experts, Gu Zhao still felt they were understaffed. While several of the most powerful Elders crossed the Wanling River and headed to Jiangbei to search for demonic traces, demonic traces had also appeared in the Southern Border. Moreover, the environment in the Southern Border was treacherous. The old Daoists dispatched there couldn’t be too weak, or they wouldn’t be able to hold the fort.
"Martial Uncle Yan Ling, Martial Uncle Yu Zhang, Martial Uncle Qingwei, and Martial Uncle Yuan He," Gu Zhao said, naming four great generals. "Wrap up your current tasks. In a few days, we’ll head to the Southern Border together. If everything goes smoothly, you’ll likely be stationed there to travel and operate in the Southern Border."