Master Zhuiyue, Bai Ri, founder of the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace, active from the late Great Yu period to the early Great Xia period. Renowned for her graceful elegance and transcendent, immortal beauty, she infatuated countless heroes of the realm in her time.
Lu Yang pulled his attention back from his memories and looked through his spiritual space at the little girl named "Bai Ri"—Bai Ye. She looked barely ten years old, not much taller than his shrunken self.
Cute she certainly was, but wasn't she a little far from descriptions like "graceful elegance"?
"Aren't you the Moon Laurel Tree Ancestor? How did you turn into Master Zhuiyue?" the Immortal Fairy asked, puzzled. She had already felt earlier that Bai Ye was more than just the Tree Ancestor, and sure enough, one question flushed out the discrepancy.
Bai Ri was taken aback. "How do you know about the Moon Laurel Tree Ancestor?"
She shouldn't have told that to anyone.
"First tell me what's going on with this body of yours." The Immortal Fairy was hardly foolish enough to answer whenever asked; this was called an exchange of information.
"If you can catch me, I'll tell you." The corners of Bai Ri's mouth curved up. This boy named Lu Yang truly was interesting—no wonder Bai Ye went to him every night for stories.
The moment the words left her mouth, Bai Ri vanished into the boundless snow, leaving no trace behind. Glancing around, there was only the sprawling moon laurel forest.
Given the height of Bai Ri's cultivation base, forget Lu Yang as a mere child—even if he restored his original strength, he couldn't dream of brushing the corner of her clothes!
Unfortunately, the present Lu Yang was not Lu Yang.
"Trying to run right under my nose!" The Immortal Fairy's competitive spirit flared. Under her brilliant deduction, the true culprit had revealed her true colors, leaving only the final apprehending phase.
Pumping her two short little arms, the Immortal Fairy dashed off with resolute eyes and a clear objective.
Huff—puff—
The Immortal Fairy breathed with an exceptionally rhythmic cadence, as if it contained some peculiar power, stirring Lu Yang's curiosity.
Legend had it that in the most ancient era, those in the earliest Qi Refinement stage were called qi refiners. The cultivation method they mastered was called a breathing technique; by breathing in a specific manner, all sorts of wonders could be produced—truly incredible.
Lu Yang carefully observed his physical state, astonished to find that utilizing the breathing technique actually kept the freezing wind from pouring back into his mouth and nose!
What a remarkable breathing technique!
*Running all the way here, he won't be able to find me.* Bai Ri had reached an isolated corner of the Immortal Palace. The palace grounds were vast and sparsely populated to begin with, and this particular corner went decades without a soul passing by—absolutely secure.
Handling Lu Yang was rather tricky for Bai Ri. There was no deep enmity between them, so she had no reason to use lethal force.
If she couldn't use lethal force, running away was the only option.
*How did he find me earlier?*
*Right. Just now, I hid near the Tree Ancestor. He saw that I had some connection to the Tree Ancestor and went there to try his luck.*
*What a troublesome kid. No wonder he's been through so much at such a young age.*
Six hours later, a familiar voice drifted over.
"Found you! Don't run!"
There stood the Immortal Fairy, gliding atop skis carved from moon laurel wood, carrying a basket of spiritual fruit on her back. Whenever she grew tired from skiing, she would take a couple of bites to replenish her stamina.
From the moon laurel forest to this corner of the Immortal Palace, the Immortal Fairy had skied for a full six hours!
Without skis, it would have taken even longer!
The Immortal Fairy planned across eternity, knowing even profound truths like the shortest path between two points being a straight line. To take the shortest route to Bai Ri, she had skied the whole way, clearing obstacles along the path, crossing through the Alchemy Chamber, the Artifact Refining Room, hot springs, and more.
Her movements were ethereal and her skiing masterful; one look showed she was an old hand.
Along the way, she had crossed paths with many witnesses, though the Immortal Palace disciples all assumed Lu Yang was merely skiing for fun, unaware that she was actually pursuing a criminal.
"Wait, Fairy, when did you learn to ski?"
"Hmph, surprised, aren't you? This immortal foresaw today's events back in ancient times and practiced the art of skiing in advance with a mortal body," the Immortal Fairy claimed shamelessly.
"How on earth did you find me?!" Bai Ri looked as if she had seen a ghost. Had she left some scent behind that allowed Lu Yang to sniff out her location? Or did merely listening to Lu Yang's stories get a person marked by him?
Just as Bai Ri moved to flee again, her legs suddenly went limp, devoid of strength.
*Damn it, night has fallen.*
"*Yawn*... Why did we run over here today?" "Bai Ri" sat on the ground in bewilderment, looking around with confusion. Wasn't this a remote corner of the Immortal Palace? There was nothing fun here.
At the same time, she spotted the Immortal Fairy skiing toward her.
"Senior Brother Lu Yang!" "Bai Ri" waved excitedly at the Immortal Fairy.
With a handsome swerve and parallel stop, the Immortal Fairy kicked up a wave of snow taller than a person, pulling up right in front of "Bai Ri."
"Now you're Bai Ye, aren't you?"
"Senior Brother Lu Yang, you already know?" Bai Ye's little mouth fell open in surprise.
The Immortal Fairy smiled. Having watched the entire process of "Bai Ri" turning into "Bai Ye" with her own eyes, she finally understood what was happening.
"Two souls in one body. When yin and yang alternate, control switches between you, right?"
"Senior Brother Lu Yang, you know so much!" Bai Ye's astonishment deepened, feeling Lu Yang knew even more than she did.
"Naturally! Who do you think th—this person is!"
"Wait a moment, Little Ye. Let me talk to Lu Yang for a bit." Bai Ri temporarily seized control of the body.
Bai Ri sighed. Since things had reached this stage, there was no point in hiding any longer. Better to tell Lu Yang everything, lest the kid keep dogging her heels.
"I don't know what's with you, kid, knowing even about things like two souls in one body.
"Your guess is right. I am me, and Little Ye is Little Ye. We merely share one body. During the day, I use this body; during the night, she uses it.
"Little Ye's true form is the Moon Laurel Tree Ancestor. Rooted in the Great Snow Mountain, she cannot leave her domain or step beyond this mountain range, so she has always yearned for life in the outside world.
"She often sneaks over to listen to the Immortal Palace disciples recounting their experiences upon returning from missions. When she saw your story in Lan Ting's mission report, she kept hoping to meet you in person.
"Once *Legend of the Dao Seeking Sect* spread to the Immortal Palace, Little Ye's desire to meet you grew even stronger.
"Coincidentally, you arrived. Every night, she ran over to your place to listen to stories—and naturally, I listened along the way as well.
"Truth be told, I was quite reluctant to let you come to the Immortal Palace. Before Little Ye heard about you, she always listened to my stories, about how Jiang Ping'an, Meng Junzi, that whole crowd, and I conquered the realm and established Great Xia back in those years.
"After you showed up, Little Ye's attention shifted entirely to you."
Bai Ri sighed once more, looking at Lu Yang with an indescribably peculiar expression. "Though I'm loath to admit it, I have to say, what you've been through these past few years really is far more ridiculous than my own adventures."
Chapter 1027