Is This for Rescue

Outside Qulin City, in an ordinary farmer’s house, the green wheat sprouts already bore faint golden specks.

A young man pulled up a chair and sat quietly before the field, gazing at the moon hanging high in the sky, listening to the rustling chirps of insects in the night.

All was silent.

For a fleeting moment, the young man thought—what if things could just stay like this forever? It wouldn’t be so bad.

But the thought vanished as quickly as it came.

Slowly, he raised his hand as if to grasp the moon, to seize the heavens and earth itself.

After hiding like a rat for so long, how could he suppress this fury? Hadn’t he struggled all this time just to turn the world upside down?

"Xigua, I’m back," called the farmer from a distance.

The young man lowered his hand and turned his gaze. "What’s their background?"

"Evil Spirit Sect," the farmer answered, stepping closer. "Though the man was only at Qi Refining, he was sharp. The moment he saw me, he guessed I wasn’t ordinary and used blood qi to prove his identity."

"Is that so…" The young man narrowed his eyes like an old man, his tone tinged with melancholy. "And their goal? Don’t tell me they’ve turned over a new leaf and want to atone for their past sins?"

The farmer didn’t mince words. "They said they’d use gold and silver to gain trust first. Later, when they need sacrifices or manpower, they won’t have to resort to kidnapping."

The young man chuckled lightly, his eyes fixed on the farmer. "Do you believe him?"

"No," the farmer shook his head. "They’re just mortals—what’s stopping them from kidnapping? This isn’t the Evil Spirit Sect’s usual way. But… the blood qi was real."

The young man tapped the chair thoughtfully before speaking.

"Bring him to me. Donggua’s already risking his life. If we fail again this time, even my old bones will be shattered."

"Today or tomorrow?" the farmer pressed.

The young man leaned back lazily. "Tomorrow… Let me rest peacefully one more night."

The farmer nodded, but before he could finish, the young man added,

"If I don’t return tomorrow, assume I’m dead. Don’t look for me, don’t investigate further. Withdraw everyone from Qulin City and never return. Focus entirely on supporting Donggua as I ordered."

"If I do return but give different orders, ignore them. Keep aiding Donggua behind my back. Starting tomorrow, your top priority is supporting him."

The farmer fell silent, his eyes lingering on the young man lying motionless with closed eyes.

Listening to words that sounded like a last testament.

"Understood," the farmer finally replied.

In a small courtyard within Qulin City,

Xie Lingyu’s face was half-lit by moonlight, her delicate fingers propping up her right cheek—a habit she’d picked up from Chu Xingchen. Once, she’d found it unrefined, but now she wielded it more naturally than he ever did.

Curious, she asked, "You sent me away earlier—did you notice something? That farmer?"

"Mmm…" Chu Xingchen turned to her, admiring how the moonlight complemented her beauty, her inquisitive gaze. Smiling, he countered, "Don’t you want to ask why I sent you away?"

Xie Lingyu tilted her head. "Why would I?"

"Aren’t you worried it’s because I don’t trust you?"

"I’m not Qinghe, prying into everything. I’ll think it over myself and ask if I truly don’t understand."

"Wow, as expected of Lady Lingyu. So reliable."

"Naturally. Back when you begged for my help, your smile was far more charming than it is now."

Chu Xingchen’s face brightened with amusement. "Oh? Was it really like that, Lady Lingyu?"

Xie Lingyu chuckled. "Close enough."

Beneath the tranquil moon, their laughter intertwined.

For a moment, the vast stretch of time seemed to collapse into yesterday.

Xie Lingyu held Chu Xingchen’s gaze briefly before turning back to the moon.

"Since we’ve finally found them, I’m surprised you had the leisure to invite me out for moon-viewing. I thought you’d be tracking them tonight, catching them off guard."

Chu Xingchen also looked up at the moon, his voice languid. "Because tonight’s moonlight is truly beautiful."

"Mm…" Xie Lingyu murmured, watching the silver glow. "Then we’ll deal with it tomorrow."

In the Radiant Immortal City, within the Radiant Immortal Pavilion,

Even the brightest moonlight couldn’t penetrate the opulence inside. Daoist Yuyang sat surrounded by stacks of intelligence reports flitting before him.

Urgent matters were placed at his side, while less critical ones were delegated to Chu Xingchen’s subordinates. Yet even filtered, the sheer volume demanded his attention—and these were just the pre-screened ones.

Many reports arrived as emergency missives, all requiring Daoist Yuyang’s immediate review.

Scanning them with his divine sense, he simultaneously carved commands into talismans.

But no matter how endless the tasks seemed, they would eventually end.

As a Nascent Soul cultivator, his divine sense could handle the load—it wasn’t exhaustion, just the mental weariness of spending most of his day buried in paperwork.

Finishing the last order, Daoist Yuyang glanced up.

"Is that all for today? Any urgent letters or standby teams?"

"Nothing else. Recent news has been relatively light," someone answered.

Daoist Yuyang gave a slight nod and rose slowly.

The top-tier chambers of the Radiant Immortal Pavilion were lit by spirit stone-powered lamps, their windows draped not with cloth yet blocking all outside light.

Back when Xie Lingyu shared the workload, Daoist Yuyang had even found time for tea.

But ever since Chu Xingchen took her away, "leisure" had become a foreign concept.

Not that he complained—as long as the work got done.

Chu Xingchen had shown his commitment by personally hunting for leads, so Daoist Yuyang’s extra effort was only natural.

He walked to the window, unsure how long he’d been seated or whether it was day or night outside.

Pushing the window open, a sliver of moonlight spilled in.

"Night already…" Daoist Yuyang murmured. "Time to res—"

"Urgent missive!"

The shout came first, followed by frantic knocking.

Daoist Yuyang swallowed his half-spoken words, cast one last look at the unusually gentle moon, and shut the window.

"Enter," he said, returning to his desk.

Duty called.

The door swung open.

Zuo Wen and Yu Jing hurried in. Without waiting for questions, they retrieved a rigid young woman from their Qiankun bag and laid her on the floor—her abdomen pierced by a dagger’s hilt.

Daoist Yuyang stared silently at the stiff figure.

Zuo Wen quickly clarified, "She’s not dead."

"I knew he wasn't dead." Daoist Yuyang gently touched his forehead for the first time and asked,

"What's the situation with this person? Was she sent here to be saved?"

Zuo Wen hesitated slightly before speaking:

"Well... the Sect Leader said she was sent for his master to interrogate."

Daoist Yuyang let out a soft sigh. He had expected to feel confusion or doubt at Zuo Wen's words, but instead, his heart was unusually calm.

Perhaps Chu Xingchen had raised his tolerance threshold, making it easier to extend patience even to his disciple.

Sending a half-dead young woman for him to interrogate no longer seemed like such a big deal.