Maybe we should just go back to sleep.

Staying at an inn.

After a long journey and enduring Cui Hao’s endless stream of nonsensical questions—some of which made Donggua seriously consider answering with her fists—they finally arrived.

Questions like:

If a blood-cultivator controls blood to attack her, does that mean her blood and the cultivator’s blood have merged?

Would that make them blood brothers, so calling the blood-cultivator "big bro" wouldn’t be too much, right?

If the blood-cultivator absorbs pig blood and then attacks someone, does that mean they’ve merged with the pig’s blood?

The sheer absurdity of these questions made her want to crack open his skull to see if his brain had been replaced with a pig’s.

Does this guy not know how to speak without targeting people?

Does he have to keep poking at sore spots?

How has someone with a mouth like his managed to survive this long?

When they got off to rest for the night, Donggua breathed a sigh of relief seeing Cui Hao’s expression of lingering dissatisfaction—at least she wouldn’t have to listen to his chatter anymore.

Without hesitation, Donggua paid for three rooms: one for Cui Hao, one for Lin Luoyu, and one for herself, using the excuse of needing to monitor Xigua’s condition to justify sharing only one.

The accommodations were rather shabby, given the remote location, but at this point, any place without Cui Hao’s incessant rambling felt like paradise.

After closing the door, Donggua stuck a talisman on it before turning her gaze to the half-bodied Xigua, who was about to lie down on the bed.

"You’re seriously planning to sleep?" Donggua sneered. "We were practically being insulted the entire trip."

The young man sat on the bed and sighed lightly.

"It wasn’t exactly insults. Some of it made sense, honestly. Fighting blood-cultivators is such a raw deal—you lose physically and mentally. Maybe I should’ve just trained in blood techniques too."

Donggua scoffed. "How noble of you. We still don’t know if we’ve shaken off the Dark Raven Bishop’s pursuit, and you’ve forgotten the consequences of losing contact with the higher-ups? Do you really think we’re safe now?"

Xigua yawned and chuckled.

"Every extra day I live is a bonus. How could I dare hope for more?"

Donggua’s brows furrowed, her voice sharp with restrained anger.

"If you’re so eager to die, I should’ve just left you there to rot!"

Xigua waved his remaining hand dismissively. "Just say it straight if you still need this half-body of mine."

Donggua snorted, suppressing her irritation.

"Whether we escape the pursuit is up to fate, but whether the higher-ups abandon us depends on what we do. At the very least, we need to make enough noise for them to notice us."

Xigua glanced at her. "So you want me to leave the group and act alone?"

"You’re half a melon now. You’d be lucky not to get eaten." Donggua narrowed her eyes. "Lin Luoyu radiates righteous energy and is too sharp-minded to manipulate easily."

"But that Cui Hao is a simple-minded fool. Wouldn’t it be better to use him as our pawn?"

"Only problem is, Lin Luoyu can’t keep her eyes off me. You’ll need to divert her attention."

Xigua lazily sprawled on the bed.

"Leave that to me. But are you sure you can handle Cui Hao? Someone who asks questions from such bizarre angles might not be as easy to fool as you think. Don’t get played instead."

"Where do you see any competence in that idiot?" Donggua said disdainfully. "Did his nonsense questions fry your brain?"

Xigua didn’t respond, just shifted his half-body into a more comfortable position.

Donggua had a proud, stubborn nature—the more you argued, the more she’d resist. It was in her blood.

A single warning was enough.

---

Cui Hao raised an eyebrow. "How was my performance, Senior Sister?"

Lin Luoyu sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, replying calmly:

"Brilliant. I don’t even need to look at you—just hearing your voice makes me want to punch you twice."

Cui Hao stroked his chin, sighing in admiration.

"To think my acting has reached such heights. All thanks to Master’s meticulous training."

"Don’t insult Master like that," Lin Luoyu said, opening her eyes. "What’s your plan?"

Cui Hao shook his head mournfully, his voice tinged with grievance.

"The way Donggua looks at me, it’s like she wants to devour me whole—full of desire. At this point, I have no choice but to sacrifice my charms and let her fall hard into our trap."

Lin Luoyu opened her mouth, then closed it, resisting the urge to hurl the pillow at him. Instead, she said coldly:

"That look wasn’t desire. More like she wants to turn you into half a person too."

Cui Hao caught the pillow she threw and turned serious.

"I suspect that woman will make a move on me soon. But Senior Sister, your righteous aura is too overwhelming—the half-melon will probably try to block your view. You know why we used our real names, right?"

Lin Luoyu exhaled. "So I wouldn’t hesitate if someone called me by another name and give us away."

"Exactly." Cui Hao clapped lightly. "Donggua hid her reactions well, but she mostly brushed off my questions. Only the half-melon actually listened and even answered for her when she was stumped."

"He’s the one missing half his body, yet his mindset is far steadier than Donggua’s."

"In cultivation, appearances are the least trustworthy. That half-melon is the real threat here."

His expression hardened. "Senior Sister, your role is far more critical than mine."

Lin Luoyu studied him for a moment before nodding.

"Don’t underestimate me."

Cui Hao stood. "Then I won’t disturb you further."

With a slight bow, he removed the soundproofing talisman from the door and left.

Standing in the hallway, he glanced at Donggua’s closed door.

Let them sleep well tonight.

But they shouldn’t get too comfortable. They need to act fast before they slip up.

Time for Second Brother to turn up the pressure.

Stretching lightly, Cui Hao headed to his room.

Fourth Senior Sister has her uses. Not the most ethical approach, but her "pure and naive" act yields the best results.

Too many lies, and even I’d struggle to keep the story straight.

Just then, a door creaked open behind him.

Cui Hao paused and turned to see Donggua stepping out.

Their eyes met, thoughts churning.

Cui Hao spoke first. "Is Fellow Daoist Xigua alright?"

"He’s fine," Donggua replied with a gentle smile.

Cui Hao raised a brow. "In that case, Fellow Daoist Donggua must be free tonight?"

"What do you mean?"

"It’s been a while since I admired the moon. Care to join me?"

"Since Fellow Daoist Cui Hao is in the mood, I’d be happy to join you."

"Shall we?"

"After you."

The outer corridor of the inn.

Cui Hao and Donggua raised their gazes to the sky, where thick clouds blotted out even a sliver of moonlight.

Occasionally, a cold wind howled past, startling the crows into cawing in the dead of night.

The word "ominous" couldn’t have been more fitting.

Cui Hao pursed his lips. "Maybe... we should just go back to sleep?"

"Agreed." Donggua nodded with unusual haste.