Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Pursuit

Lu Zhiyuan looked at Xu Nuo. "Do you know why the Soul-Seeking Mirror is called the Soul-Seeking Mirror?"

"I don't know." Xu Nuo shook her head honestly. She bought the item precisely because it had the ability to read memories.

Lu Zhiyuan asked, "Was this Soul-Seeking Mirror given to you by him?"

"No."

"You’re lying to me."

Xu Nuo, as a mortal, could never have easily obtained the Soul-Seeking Mirror. Someone must have instructed her, or she was being used.

Seeing Lu Zhiyuan fall silent, Xu Nuo hurriedly explained, "I really was just curious about your memories, that's all. I have no intention of despising your demonic bloodline. I truly don't care about your identity. In my heart, you'll always be Little Lu..."

"You knew I was of demon blood all along?"

"Yes." Xu Nuo nodded vigorously, thinking, See, I knew your identity from the start and still treated you so well. Doesn't that prove I really have no prejudice against you?

Her expression was genuine, and Lu Zhiyuan truly couldn’t understand Xu Nuo. "Why are you..."

"What do you mean, why?" Xu Nuo took Lu Zhiyuan’s hand. "I told you, I came here for you. You can trust me. I don’t care whether you’re from the demon clan or not."

No, that wasn’t the issue. Lu Zhiyuan stared at the Soul-Seeking Mirror in his hand, his mind involuntarily replaying Xu Nuo’s recollections beside him—her memories of the secret realm, her laughter as she recalled every moment spent with “him.”

Did you realize? I don’t have those memories. I wasn’t the one who accompanied you through the Jade Book Mirage, raised our daughter together, or traveled to every corner of the world with you.

Lu Zhiyuan discovered that, rather than his demonic heritage being exposed to Xu Nuo, what terrified him more was being discovered as someone who had not lived those precious memories with her.

He didn’t even dare to ask what Xu Nuo had seen in the mirror. Her hand was still warm, but perhaps this warmth didn’t truly belong to him.

"Can you tell me why you treat me so well," Lu Zhiyuan asked, "why you came for me?"

"Well, um..." Xu Nuo hesitated. These questions were really tricky; Lu Zhiyuan was far less easy to fool than Lin Qisheng or Gu Xingze from her previous world.

She simply said, "Because I like you, is that so hard to believe?"

Hearing this, Lu Zhiyuan’s pupils contracted. Xu Nuo said she liked him?

"Because I fell for you at first sight, I really like you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Having thrown caution to the wind, Xu Nuo felt liberated, and she clung to Lu Zhiyuan’s arm coquettishly. "So, can’t you like me just a little?"

Please, let the affection meter rise—I'm practically pledging myself to you, and you’re still not moved? This is outrageous.

Lu Zhiyuan felt half his body go numb; the arm Xu Nuo was holding nearly lost all sensation. Her delicate voice lingered at his ear, making even his soul tremble.

In a flash, Lu Zhiyuan’s face was flushed bright red.

"Oh my, shy again." Xu Nuo couldn’t help teasing him. Even knowing he wasn’t as bashful as he appeared, his tendency to blush was real—and utterly adorable.

"Miss Xu, please don’t..." Lu Zhiyuan suddenly stood up, unsteady on his feet, almost stumbling. Xu Nuo caught him in time.

Xu Nuo smiled, supporting him. "Alright, let’s go back now."

Though Xu Nuo looked fragile, she was surprisingly strong, holding him with force that felt almost threatening.

Lu Zhiyuan could only follow her lead.

Xu Nuo spoke to the system, "Little Seven, did you notice anything unusual about Lu Zhiyuan just now?"

[The data seems a bit off,] 007 answered helplessly. [But my monitoring is always limited—I can’t pinpoint the problem.]

Xu Nuo replied, "The Soul-Seeking Mirror didn’t show anything, except that he’s missing those memories."

Was the Lu Zhiyuan in the mirage truly not this Lu Zhiyuan? No, Xu Nuo dismissed the idea. Her intuition told her they were one and the same. In the absence of a reasonable explanation, she trusted her instincts.

007 sighed, [Host, even you have to placate your target now.]

"This target is really hard to handle—if I don’t coax him, nothing works." Xu Nuo changed her tone, complaining, "Who was it that said this would be an easy game?"

007 became sheepish, [Ah, well, that’s because of a bug... though I’m at fault too T^T]

Xu Nuo recalled the promises the system made before she entered this game: easy completion, tasks done effortlessly, more enjoyment than work, only one target for ease and convenience.

She felt like she’d fallen for the classic boss’s empty promises.

007 struggled to defend itself, [It wasn’t all false advertising! At least your luck is genuinely one hundred percent. No matter what you do, fortune always favors you.]

As they stepped out of the cave, Xu Nuo looked up and saw the outside was surrounded, the atmosphere tense.

"The Vice-Master of the Disciplinary Hall was right—Lu Zhiyuan is a demon spy!"

"Xu Nuo is brazen, harboring the demon. She’s an accomplice. Take them both!"

"Seize them!"

Xu Nuo: "..."

007: [......]

Is this what luck looks like? Step outside and immediately get targeted.

"Can you all allow me to say a few words?" Xu Nuo took a deep breath. "Is there perhaps a misunderstanding? Little Lu hasn’t done anything harmful to the sect."

"Silence! You’ve already been bewitched by the demon, still stubbornly defending him!"

"What are you waiting for? Arrest the demon spy!"

There was no intention to negotiate—violence erupted without warning. Xu Nuo searched for a familiar white-bearded elder but found none, forcing her to draw her sword for self-defense.

"We acknowledge your status as the descendant of a celestial lord, so we’ll give you some face. Surrender your sword and submit, or we won’t hesitate to act against you, even as a mortal!"

"Can’t we just sit down and discuss this peacefully?" Xu Nuo said, exasperated. "Violence won’t solve the conflict—it only deepens it. This really isn’t good."

007: You actually have the nerve to call others violent?

Naturally, no one cared what Xu Nuo said. In a blink, blades and swords flashed before her eyes.

They were clearly prepared, striking while Lu Zhiyuan was weakened from his recent demonic transformation, and Xu Nuo, a mere mortal, was of no consequence. So only Xu Nuo fought back, and she managed to hold her own for now, as if the crowd were watching a cat play with a mouse.

Their contempt was her advantage. Xu Nuo smiled slyly and, in a flash, slipped something into Lu Zhiyuan’s hand. "You run first, I’ll cover you."

Lu Zhiyuan hadn’t spoken a word since earlier. Xu Nuo sensed something was wrong and turned to see his vacant gaze and stiff movements, as if his soul had left his body.

Why did he malfunction at such a critical moment? Now, even teleporting him alone was impossible.

Suddenly, Xu Nuo shouted with delight, "Ancestor, you’re here!"

"What?" The crowd, caught off guard, spun around in panic—only to find no elder had appeared.

"We’ve been tricked!"

"You little brat!"

When they turned back, Xu Nuo and Lu Zhiyuan had vanished without a trace.

Deep within the sect’s mountains.

Xu Nuo was out of breath, having just used two teleportation talismans. If she’d sent only one person at a time, she could have at least gotten Lu Zhiyuan out of the sect. But with his condition unstable, they had to run together. Xu Nuo, with no cultivation, found the teleportation talismans’ effectiveness limited.

"Little Lu, how are you feeling?" Xu Nuo patted Lu Zhiyuan’s face—he remained unresponsive.

Xu Nuo turned to the system. "Little Seven, what’s wrong with our precious target again?"

007 was helpless. [I don’t know either.]

.

Meanwhile, having realized Xu Nuo had fooled them, the Vice-Master of the Disciplinary Hall and his party were furious.

The Vice-Master gritted his teeth. "Do they really think they can escape?"

Within half a day, news spread throughout the sect: the former menial disciple now serving Xu Nuo, Lu Zhiyuan, had been exposed as a demon spy and kidnapped Xu Nuo in his flight.

The entire sect was on lockdown, conducting a carpet search to find their hiding place.

Though the sect covered a vast area, if they remained trapped inside, it was only a matter of time before the mortal and the demon were found.

A monk may escape the temple, but not his fate. The Vice-Master was confident.

"But, sir, what about the Sect Leader and Cloud Brushing Immortal Lord..."

"Tch," the Vice-Master’s mood soured. "Them? What can they do? Even if they find out, can they get back in time?"

By the time they received news and returned, Lu Zhiyuan and Xu Nuo would already be in his hands. Whether the Jade Book of the River Luo or the demon clan’s secret manual, they would all be his.

Yet, to their surprise, four days of carpet searching yielded no trace of Xu Nuo and Lu Zhiyuan.

"Could they have already left the sect?"

"Impossible!" The Vice-Master was adamant. "There’s no way they could leave. The protective array isn’t for show!"

"But so many days have passed, and it’s hard to explain to the elders."

"What’s hard about it? Those cowardly old fools—letting a mortal steal the sect’s treasure without a word. If not for me, this sect would soon bear Xu’s name." The Vice-Master vented. "What right do they have to complain?"

A nearby cultivator hurriedly agreed, "Yes, you’re absolutely right."

The Vice-Master sneered, "Let’s keep them trapped a few more days. No need to search—they’ll come out on their own."

A mortal needing food and water, and a menial disciple unable even to abstain from eating—among the deep forests and valleys, many spirit beasts posed a threat. A few days without provisions would drive them out; food would eventually run out, and then they’d show themselves.

So the Vice-Master thought. Meanwhile, in an unremarkable forest...

A female cultivator dressed as an ordinary sect disciple walked along a path, her hands empty, but her bulging spatial pouch at her waist hinted at the abundance she carried.

"Little Sister, are you off to bring your sweetheart another meal?" Some cultivators teased her as she passed the training grounds.

"Yes." The little sister lowered her head, shyly gripping her pouch.

"What are you all doing, not practicing your sword?" A reprimand snapped the group back to their training.

The sharp-eyed instructor spotted the frail figure. "That female disciple, why isn’t she practicing at this hour, running around?"

The little sister grew nervous. "Te-teacher, I’m a new disciple this year. I injured my wrist practicing swordplay, so the instructor let me rest for a few days."

The instructor saw she was unfamiliar and weak, clearly a new disciple. Her wrist was indeed injured, so he let her go.

Turning away, he heard his students whispering.

"Hey, they still haven’t found the demon spy. It’s been days, that inner sect sister is probably doomed."

"You don’t know, but apparently the demon spy and the inner sect sister are in love—they’ve been colluding for ages."

"What about the secret pregnancy? Did the sister and the demon spy have some ill-fated romance?"

"Pfft—" Hearing this, the little sister couldn’t help but laugh, her expression vivid. Luckily, she’d already walked away and no one noticed.

The instructor scolded, "Still time for gossip? Clearly you’re all too comfortable!"

"No, no, teacher, we’ll start training right away!"

He was only scaring them. Scanning the line, he noticed someone missing. "Who’s absent today?"

A disciple answered, "Teacher, it’s Sister Yan. You know she’s always sickly—she took leave yesterday."

He vaguely remembered a shy, frail girl with little presence and didn’t pursue the matter.

The little sister, carrying her full pouch, arrived at an empty valley.

"Miss Xu!" Someone was already waiting.

The little sister—Xu Nuo—quickened her steps. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

Sister Yan said, "I only just arrived myself."

One delivered supplies, the other brought food. Their friendship had grown over these days. Xu Nuo’s life was not as difficult as the Vice-Master imagined; her luck was extraordinary, always finding useful things.

She’d also happened upon Sister Yan, whom she’d helped before. Sister Yan now often brought her supplies, and with donations from the live stream, their wilderness survival was as comfortable as living indoors.

Sister Yan’s greatest worry was them being discovered; every meeting was cautious.

Sister Yan said, "Miss Xu, I’ve found an opportunity. Tomorrow I’ll leave the sect to buy supplies—you can slip out with me..."

Though Sister Yan appeared timid, she was actually thoughtful and careful, always planning meticulously. This chance to leave was rare, and Xu Nuo didn’t hesitate long before accepting her offer.