As they spoke, a sudden burst of light erupted nearby, and Hua Xiangwan's vision dissolved into brilliant white. She could see nothing, but she could distinctly feel the other party holding her securely, which made Hua Xiangwan feel considerably more at ease.
As long as they were here.
Hua Xiangwan exhaled in relief, then felt herself being pulled and landed steadily on solid ground.
She couldn't perceive her surroundings, and the first sound to reach her was the clamor of crowds. She felt the ground beneath her and discovered it was a bluestone road—they should be in a town.
Xie Wushuang continued holding her hand. After waiting briefly, the surroundings began acquiring color. She blinked and saw a wide, lengthy street with people flowing past. Vendors' shouts drifted by as they passed her.
She observed carefully for a moment and determined it was the most ordinary mortal town. She frowned slightly, a sense of foreboding crossing her mind.
There were five secret realms within the Lingxu Secret Realm that could lead to the spiritual core. The most difficult and intricate secret realm was the Du'e Realm.
This secret realm was woven from the memories of those who entered it. In other words, everything here represented true events that had actually transpired. Once the entrant revealed any flaw in their mental fortitude, they would immediately sink into this realm and find escape nearly impossible.
Most other secret realms overflowed with swords and fire, with mountains of corpses. Only the Du'e Realm, while appearing the most ordinary and beautiful, concealed murderous intentions within.
Hua Xiangwan was surveying the area when someone suddenly grasped her hand. She startled and turned to see Xie Wushuang holding her hand and bending down to bandage her wound.
His bandaging technique was efficient and elegant, and his expression showed no resentment for being drawn into the Du'e Realm.
After completing the bandage, Xie Wushuang looked up, released her hand, and said calmly, "Put away the zither, let's go."
"Oh."
Hua Xiangwan returned to her senses, placed the zither into her Qiankun bag, and followed Xie Wushuang.
She looked around and said tentatively, "I wonder which secret realm this is..."
"The Du'e Realm."
Xie Wushuang stated. Hua Xiangwan saw he recognized it well and appeared somewhat nervous. "It seems you're very familiar with it. Then why did you accompany me? Aren't you afraid the Ghost Spirit will be lost?"
Other secret realms should pose no issue for him, but the Du'e Realm was probably the most challenging secret realm for a demon-possessed person like him to confront.
"It's fine."
Xie Wushuang responded. Hua Xiangwan felt relieved seeing his confidence, but still apologized somewhat nervously. "Qin Yunshang attacked suddenly just now. I'm not as powerful as her, and she's a magic cultivator. I truly couldn't let her get close to me..."
"Isn't it for that young master?"
Xie Wushuang asked inexplicably. Hua Xiangwan blurted out, "How is that possible?!"
"Mm," Xie Wushuang nodded, his voice somewhat lighter, "It's Xiuwen and the others who failed to protect you adequately."
"It's not Shen Daojun's fault," Hua Xiangwan explained, "Qin Yunshang's strength is also exceptional in the Western Territory..."
Before Hua Xiangwan finished speaking, an urgent call came from behind. "Wan Daojun!"
Hua Xiangwan and Xie Wushuang heard this and turned simultaneously to see an elderly man running toward them, panting. "Finally found you. Everything is prepared, just awaiting your return."
Hua Xiangwan studied the old man and felt he looked familiar. Xie Wushuang seemed to be contemplating as well. The old man turned to regard Xie Wushuang with a puzzled expression. "This is..."
"Oh, this is my friend," Hua Xiangwan introduced, "Xie Daojun."
"That's perfect," the old man said, looking at Xie Wushuang with excitement. "We need a groom for the river god's sacrifice, and we're troubled by this. Would Xie Daojun be willing to join the sacrifice, capture the 魊 impersonating the river god, and rescue my young lady?"
Hearing the phrase "rescue the young lady," Hua Xiangwan finally realized which memory this referenced.
This must have been when she and Xie Wushuang first encountered Yaoguang.
Back then, she and Xie Wushuang had been hunting the enshrined 魊, attempting to uncover who orchestrated their release.
With the 魊 wreaking havoc everywhere, there were naturally other righteous individuals slaying demons, and this Fairy Yaoguang was among them.
However, her magical abilities were limited, and not only did she fail to eliminate the enshrined 魊, she also became ensnared herself. As she and Xie Wushuang happened to be passing through, they were stopped by Yaoguang's retainers, who requested Xie Wushuang's assistance in rescuing her.
Yaoguang, a native of Mingjian Villa, was a close friend of the Tianjian Sect. Naturally, she and Xie Wushuang wouldn't stand idly by when the incident involved a 魊.
They agreed to rescue Yaoguang, but after searching the city fruitlessly for the demonic creature, they finally discovered its place of worship and learned it was actually the "River God" venerated by the people.
This ritual, traditionally presided over by the local priest, held a position of high authority and prestige. For many years, livestock sacrifices had been offered without incident.
However, ten years prior, a local woman named Taoyao, noticed for her beauty by the priest's son, refused his proposal because she and her childhood sweetheart were deeply in love. The following year, the priest, under the pretense of "the River God appearing in a dream," specifically demanded that she and her childhood sweetheart be sacrificed. Bribed by the priest, the village elders agreed to cast the pair into the river.
Taoyao's brother, consumed with resentment, went to the authorities to file a complaint, only to have his legs broken and be thrown out, never to be seen again.
The following year, during the river god's sacrifice, the priest's son was designated to drown. The priest's entire family was brutally murdered. From then on, the locals were required to offer a young man and woman as sacrifice each year, otherwise the river would flood catastrophically.
Ten years passed, and the local people suffered immensely. Hua Xiangwan and Xie Wushuang, having learned the complete story, volunteered to be this year's sacrifices.
The person arranging everything was Yaoguang's retainer, Yao Jinqiu.
Hua Xiangwan regarded Yao Jinqiu, a chill rising in her expression as she recalled what they had done to Shen Yichen.
Yao Jinqiu looked at Xie Wushuang respectfully, and Xie Wushuang nodded. "Yes."
"Excellent," Yao Jinqiu exhaled in relief. "I'll make arrangements immediately. You two, follow me to dress."
The old man led the way, and Hua Xiangwan walked beside Xie Wushuang, contemplating how to break through this secret realm.
As she pondered, Xie Wushuang beside her said, "The Du'e Realm has considerable influence on me. Don't stray too far from me later. If anything goes wrong, use the Qingxin Bell to wake me."
"Understood."
Hua Xiangwan nodded. Xie Wushuang glanced at her, recognizing her concern about the secret realm, and said calmly, "As long as you can complete the tasks in the Du'e Realm according to the realm's requirements, even breaking through the realm, you should be fine if you maintain mental clarity."
"You have such confidence in me?"
Hua Xiangwan hadn't expected Xie Wushuang to place such trust in her mental fortitude.
Xie Wushuang didn't elaborate. The two walked very close together, and as their sleeves brushed against each other, he asked an seemingly unrelated question. "Who did you originally intend to give that zither to?"
"The zither was gifted away," Hua Xiangwan sighed, "but it was later returned."
"Who?"
Xie Wushuang asked persistently. Hua Xiangwan had no choice but to provide a name. "Wen Shaoqing."
Xie Wushuang pondered momentarily and retrieved an unfamiliar name from his memory. "Young Palace Master of Qingle Palace?"
"Yes," Hua Xiangwan appeared quite troubled discussing this person, "my former fiancé."
As soon as these words emerged, "Xie Wushuang" suddenly stopped. Hua Xiangwan turned in surprise and saw Xie Wushuang standing motionless. He asked in a cold tone, "Fiancé?"
Hearing Xie Wushuang's tone, Hua Xiangwan immediately realized something was amiss. She had come to Tianjian Sect to propose marriage, yet still had a fiancé. It appeared problematic regardless.
She quickly explained, "The engagement was broken off. This zither was returned when he terminated the engagement."
"Broken off?"
Xie Wushuang repeated. Hua Xiangwan instinctively felt this matter required explanation, though she didn't know what to explain. She could only emphasize, "I absolutely have no intention of being unfaithful."
"Why were you engaged?"
"Xie Wushuang" stared at her. Hua Xiangwan felt momentarily guilty, subconsciously concealing her personal friendship with Wen Shaoqing. She only stated, "After the decline of Hehuan Palace, Mingluan Palace became singularly dominant. To balance the three palaces, the Demon Lord decreed that Wen Shaoqing and I be engaged."
Hearing this reason, Xie Wushuang's intimidating presence dissipated considerably.
Yao Jinqiu noticed the two had stopped moving and turned to regard them. "Two Dao Lords?"
"Coming immediately," Hua Xiangwan quickly replied, feeling quite embarrassed. She explained to Xie Wushuang, "Hehuan Palace has indeed been weak in recent years. We can only employ these methods to survive..."
"Not anymore."
Xie Wushuang spoke, interrupting Hua Xiangwan.
Hua Xiangwan was bewildered, watching him step forward and speak in a steady voice, "You won't have to do this anymore."
She didn't comprehend his meaning immediately, but after attempting to process it, she grasped that he was probably conveying that by marrying into the Heavenly Sword Sect, the sect would enable Hehuan Palace to stand with dignity.
Though she felt that Shen Xiuwen's arrival in Hehuan Palace wouldn't achieve that effect, in order not to undermine Xie Wushuang's confidence in his own sect, she still coughed lightly and said, "Thank you."
As they conversed, they followed Yao Jinqiu onto a boat. Yao Jinqiu led them into a room and had a maid deliver two wedding garments. He then arranged the remaining details. "You two change clothes first. I'll have the boat depart momentarily. The two Daojuns will wait on the deck. I'll lead my men in ambush in the shadows until the River God appears. Please be patient and follow them to the cave to find the young lady."
"We understand," Hua Xiangwan nodded, reassuring Yao Jinqiu. "Don't worry, we will find your young lady."
Finding Yaoguang and eliminating the River God would signify the Du'e Realm's conclusion.
Though she wished she could eliminate Yaoguang a thousand times over, it was merely an illusion now, and she needn't concern herself with it.
The priority now was breaking through before Qin Yunshang and the others, reaching the Lingxu Secret Realm's core, and obtaining the Ghost Spirit.
Hua Xiangwan accepted the wedding garment from Yao Jinqiu, turned to regard Xie Wushuang, and raised the garment. "I'm going to change clothes. You can change outside."
"Alright."
After receiving Xie Wushuang's response, Hua Xiangwan took the wedding garment to the inner room. She donned the wedding attire, then arranged her hair into a simple bridal style. She placed the rose from the dressing table atop her head, examined herself in the mirror several times, then emerged.
When she exited the room, she saw Xie Wushuang had already changed his clothes. He turned to look over, and upon seeing Hua Xiangwan, his movements paused momentarily. Hua Xiangwan was thoroughly satisfied with his reaction, raised her hand and turned in a circle. "How is it? Isn't it lovely?"
She assumed Xie Wushuang wouldn't respond, but she never anticipated that after posing the question, he actually nodded seriously. "Mm."
This startled Hua Xiangwan. Fortunately, at that moment, knocking sounded from outside. "Two Taoist Lords, are you prepared?"
"Ready," Hua Xiangwan heard this, quickly turned around, and happily opened the door, "Where are we going now?"
Yao Jinqiu was also momentarily stunned upon seeing Hua Xiangwan, then quickly recovered, said "Excuse me," and stated seriously, "The ship is about to depart. You two proceed to the deck and wait."
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