Chapter 26: The Misty Western Ridge

The group traversed mountains and ridges, making their way toward the Western Ridge.

Lin Xiaojun and Yao Xin, the two beauties, had undergone a significant change in their attitude toward Mo Fan. Gone was the competitive fervor from the small tavern, where they had vied to recruit him into their respective factions. They had even set aside their usual haughty and arrogant pride, showing complete submissiveness toward Xia Houji. This transformation had been evident since they departed the tavern.

Mo Fan could not fathom what kind of love potion Xia Houji had fed these two ladies to make them abandon their plans to capture him, and instead accompany him to the dangerous Western Ridge. Furthermore, the way the three of them exchanged glances made Mo Fan feel uneasy, though he could not quite put his finger on the nature of their connection. Whenever the two young women looked at Xia Houji, their expressions seemed to flicker with a mix of reverence and fear.

Xia Houji had not explained to Mo Fan why he had leaked his whereabouts and identity. When Mo Fan questioned him, he replied calmly, "You are too weak and need a sparring partner. What I have done will help with your body tempering once you open up your Desolate Realm. I am still waiting for you to duel me."

Mo Fan was speechless at this explanation, yet he still trusted that Xia Houji would never do anything to harm him.

"Sister Yao Xin, could you tell me what kind of place your Drunken Flower Pavilion is?" Mo Fan tugged at Yao Xin, asking with a playful grin.

"Do you really want to know what the Drunken Flower Pavilion does?" Yao Xin smiled, intentionally raising her voice so that Lin Xiaojun and Xia Houji, walking ahead, could hear.

"Ah!" Mo Fan, caught off guard, flushed beet-red. Embarrassed, he scurried forward to catch up with the others.

"Hey, don't run! If you truly want to know, just come with me after we finish our business here. I guarantee I'll give you a very thorough understanding of my Drunken Flower Pavilion." Yao Xin grabbed Mo Fan, deliberately pressing her body against his.

"Sister, please, I just wanted to know how such a place became involved in this muddy water, knowing my identity and destination, as well as the 'Four Seas Pursuit Order' issued by the three major families of Dongyang County," Mo Fan said, his face flushed and feeling strange, especially due to the strong scent of perfume lingering on Yao Xin.

"How curious!" Unable to bear it, Mo Fan broke free from her grasp, muttering, "Those three families are truly unreasonable. I didn't offend them at the Undead Peak, so why are they so furious at me?"

"Little brother, do you really not know why?" Yao Xin probed, finding it hard to believe him. The boy was deep; she was certain that if she and Lin Xiaojun hadn't intervened at the tavern, the Dou brothers and Duan Jiutian would have been played like puppets in his hands. She had to stay vigilant, fearing he might be brewing some new scheme.

"I really don't know!" Mo Fan blinked his large, innocent eyes.

Walking ahead with a slight limp, Xia Houji heard this and a helpless smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh? Then, little Mo, do you know what happened after the incident at the Undead Peak?" Yao Xin’s alluring eyes flickered as she began to tease him again with her charm.

Mo Fan’s heart began to race, but as he glanced at Lin Xiaojun, who looked like a fairy in her white robes, the flame in his heart extinguished, and he regained his composure.

"What happened at the Undead Peak?" Mo Fan mused. "Nothing much happened, did it? Just a few insignificant people died. That shouldn't be enough for the three major families of Dongyang County to issue a joint pursuit order against me!"

"What?" Yao Xin was startled. "You call those who died 'insignificant'?"

"Yes!" Mo Fan nodded honestly. *He thought: A few brutes from the God Tomb Village and some reckless disciples from the Wang family—weren't they just insignificant? If the three great families are so petty as to issue a pursuit order over a few incompetent disciples, then they are truly unreliable.*

"Heh, little brother, you are truly something. I concede!" Yao Xin, unsure if he was feigning ignorance or truly oblivious, laughed dismissively and walked away.

"What exactly happened?" Mo Fan asked, his playful facade replaced by a grave, anxious expression.

"Are you truly unaware?" Yao Xin asked, confirming his sincerity. Seeing his genuine concern, she finally believed him. She glanced at Xia Houji and Lin Xiaojun to ensure they were out of earshot and said, "On the very day you fought the families at the Undead Peak, they were attacked at the foot of the mountain by a crazed pack of Blood-Eyed Demon Wolves. Many were killed or injured. Among the dead were Shangguan Wudi of the Shangguan family and the 'Mad Blade.' Ning Wuyu, the young master of the Ning family, was severely wounded, and Wang Ping of the Wang family’s fate remains unknown, along with several rogue cultivators."

"When the families arrived after receiving the news, the foot of the mountain was littered with corpses and soaked in blood."

"According to the survivors, those Blood-Eyed Demon Wolves were summoned by you."

"Nonsense! I didn't even leave the peak that day! Besides, how could I have the ability to summon such beasts?" Mo Fan roared in fury, desperate to clear his name of such a massive injustice.

"Whether it was you or not, we shall see when the evidence is found. Are you trying to distance yourself from this now?" Lin Xiaojun had returned at some point and spoke coldly.

"What do you mean by that?" Mo Fan was already incensed.

"What do I mean?" Lin Xiaojun offered a cold smile. "If you don't want people to know, you shouldn't have done it!" With that, she walked away.

Mo Fan felt like rushing after her to demand an explanation, but Yao Xin held him back.

"Don't provoke her," Yao Xin whispered. "I heard that the late Shangguan Wudi had already secured a place at the Shura Martial Arts Academy. Before Lin Xiaojun became a disciple there, she and Shangguan Wudi were betrothed."

"What? Shangguan Wudi and her... had a betrothal?" Mo Fan was stunned. The budding affection he had felt since their first meeting vanished in an instant. It had died before it could even begin.

He gently pulled his hand away from Yao Xin and walked off, swaying slightly. Shangguan Wudi had been a prospective recruit for the Shura Martial Arts Academy and Lin Xiaojun’s childhood fiancé. His mysterious death had upended all of Mo Fan's plans. He had to decide whether he would still attempt the assessment at the Shura Martial Arts Academy, given the bad blood between him and the institution. Regardless, he had to uncover the truth about the Undead Peak. He could be looked down upon, but he would not accept this false accusation.

"Sister Yao Xin, I will bring the truth to light. I will not bear this false charge," Mo Fan said, turning back with an air of霸气, his eyes burning with resolve.

The group continued in silence, the atmosphere heavy, until they unwittingly entered the Western Ridge.

"Phew, finally here!" Despite his limp, Xia Houji had moved faster than the others. Before them lay a expanse of dense fog.

"The Foggy Western Ridge—it lives up to its reputation. Even on a clear, sunny day, this mist never dissipates," Yao Xin remarked, reaching out to touch the heavy, impenetrable veil.

"Let's rest here for the night and enter the mist at dawn," Xia Houji said, sitting down and leaning on his long sword.

As night fell, a campfire flickered at the edge of the mist. The group sat around the flames, gazing into the distance, wondering what awaited them in the unknown.