The smile that had just naturally appeared on Bai Fanlu’s lips because of the children barely lasted for a second before it collapsed.

He decisively stepped forward and went to the backyard.

The herdsman uncle had already neatly stacked the firewood in the shed. The bamboo basket containing the baby chicks had been placed high up, out of the children’s reach. The chicks inside were probably scared, as the basket was visibly shaking. Fortunately, the uncle soon took it down.

“We’ll just look; we won’t grab them.”

A little girl named Yinyin pleaded, and the other children vigorously nodded in agreement, putting their fingers to their lips, glancing at each other, “Shhh…”

It seemed the herdsman uncle had already scolded them for being too noisy, so they were now determined to be absolutely quiet—these truly were some mischievous little kids.

Bai Fanlu’s mood lifted a bit. He stopped thinking about the person outside and went over to watch the baby chicks with them.

The little yellow fluff balls chirped and huddled together in a pile, their soft yellow fuzz and bright red beaks were truly adorable.

After squatting there to watch for a while, Bai Fanlu circled around to the kitchen through the back door to see if there was anything he could help with.

Aunt Zhang was busy at the stove. Despite the chimney, the air was still thick with smoke. Noticing that she had a baby strapped to her back, Bai Fanlu offered to watch the child for her, to which Aunt Zhang readily agreed.

Bai Fanlu took the baby and sat by the window where the air was better, gently rocking the child while chatting with Aunt Zhang.

“I used to leave the baby on the bed while cooking, but the other day he rolled off and cried for ages. Now I don’t dare leave him there… The kids outside are too rough, and the old ones can’t help either, they can barely take care of themselves.”

“Ah… this poor little one, no father, no mother, and no milk to drink. I don’t want him to suffer any more, so I carry him around all day. He seems happier when I do.”

As Aunt Zhang rambled on, Bai Fanlu thought to himself that they should get a cradle. The nearby town probably had one. Carrying the baby like this all the time wasn’t practical, especially with the kitchen full of smoke—it wasn’t good for the child.

Just as he was thinking this, Aunt Zhang called the noisy children inside to help bring out the dishes. She had planned to invite the herdsman uncle to stay for dinner, but he had already eaten before coming over to settle the chicks, so he said his goodbyes and left.

Bai Fanlu was also considering an excuse to leave, but just as he was about to mention it, Yinyin rushed into the kitchen. “Brother Xiao Liu is suddenly missing! We can’t find him anywhere!”

Yinyin grabbed Bai Fanlu’s hand and tugged him, “Brother Lu Fan, come help me find him. Where could he have gone? He promised to stay and play with us for a few more days!”

“…” Bai Fanlu wasn’t particularly eager to move, but he let Yinyin pull him along slowly.

Another boy exclaimed in panic, “I heard the uncle say there’ve been a lot of monsters around lately. Could Brother Xiao Liu have been taken by one?”

Bai Fanlu’s heart skipped a beat, and just as he was about to act, he thought, no way. Xiao Liu, with his abilities, wouldn’t be captured by a monster. If anything, he’d be the one capturing the monsters.

Still, he checked the courtyard, but there were no signs of a struggle or any lingering demonic aura. It seemed Xiao Liu had left on his own.

Good, at least he’s sensible.

At the children’s insistence, Bai Fanlu pretended to search around the house, though he knew he wouldn’t find who they were looking for.

Not wanting to disappoint them, he told a small white lie, “I found Brother Xiao Liu. He said he had something urgent to attend to, but he’ll be back tomorrow, don’t worry.”

Since Yinyin had mentioned earlier that Yun Zhan intended to stay for a few more days, and Bai Fanlu planned to leave after just one night, they could perfectly avoid each other.

Yun Zhan probably thought the same. After all, Bai Fanlu was the one being deceived, yet here he was, too cowardly to even face him. Should he feel guilty for it?

Bai Fanlu mocked himself but also felt a tinge of dissatisfaction. That guy—after all this, not even a single apology? How irritating!

But even if he did apologize, would Bai Fanlu respond with a simple “it’s okay”?

Ah, why was he wasting time over such nonsense? He had already decided not to care about Yun Zhan, so whatever happens, happens.

In just a short time, Bai Fanlu’s thoughts had flipped from satisfaction at Yun Zhan’s sensibility to irritation at his lack of remorse. He didn’t even realize how contradictory he was being.

Despite his obviously flawed excuse, it was enough to fool the kids. Soon, they were all happy again.

Before the sun set completely, they set up some benches as makeshift tables in the courtyard. Everyone sat on the ground, eating simple stir-fried wild vegetables. The most luxurious items were eggs and freshly steamed buckwheat buns, prepared especially for the guests. It wasn’t much, but the old folks and children ate with great contentment.

There was even a treat today—roasted sweet potatoes. Bai Fanlu had no idea where the little metal drum they used as an oven had come from, but Yun Zhan probably had plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

Speaking of Yun Zhan, it was hard to ignore the difference between having him around and not. Mostly, it was just quieter.

While there’s a saying, “Eat without speaking, sleep without talking,” in large gatherings like this, having someone lively at the center to lead the conversation made even the simplest meal more enjoyable.

Bai Fanlu found the food tasteless. He chalked it up to having eaten well at Shen Lanshan’s place, so the contrast was too stark.

But as he stared at the dry, gray bun in his hand, his mind wandered back to the days when they were building the house. Everyone would sit in the chaotic pile of lumber, each with a bun in hand, and that was enough to cover all three meals.

Occasionally, they’d get to enjoy “Xiao Liu’s secret grilled meat,” but whether there was meat or not, those coarse buns never tasted as dry and hard to swallow as they did now. Somehow, they always finished them without even realizing it, sometimes even wanting another.

That noisy guy, whenever he noticed Bai Fanlu looking like he wanted more but was too embarrassed to say it, would sneakily bring over his own half-eaten bun and offer it with a grin.

“Here, just one bite, only for you. Want it?”

“No!”

“Aw, now I’m heartbroken…”

Brother, in the future… I might really be heartbroken… what should I do?

Suddenly, a voice echoed in Bai Fanlu’s mind, startling him so much that he nearly choked on the dry bun stuck in his throat.

He covered his mouth, coughing and waving his hand at the others, then rushed to the kitchen to gulp down a large ladle of water from the water tank, finally catching his breath. He leaned against the tank, still shaken.

That voice…

It was the same as before. The same first-person monologue. How could it sound so much like Yun Zhan’s inner thoughts?

Why could he hear it?

The water in the tank gradually settled, reflecting the dim light of the kitchen. Bai Fanlu stared at the water, lost in thought. Suddenly, he noticed a faint flash of purple light on his forehead.

He raised his hand to touch his forehead, feeling the icy silk fabric tied there. It was where his master had touched, and he remembered his master’s words.

“Mo’er, never remove this Ice Silk. But if you’re in a life-or-death situation, taking it off will greatly increase your strength. However, doing so will also reveal your true identity. If it comes to that, kill anyone who sees you. Don’t let anyone become a threat to you.”

Since he had woken up, Bai Fanlu had never actually looked at himself. He hadn’t paid much attention to it, but now he was curious. He touched the water’s surface with his fingers, sending ripples across the tank, and a figure slowly appeared in the reflection.

It still seemed like his face, nothing out of the ordinary. He wondered what Shen Lanshan and his junior brother had meant when they said he had changed. What had changed?

“Brother Lu Fan! Are you okay?”

Someone called from outside. Bai Fanlu realized he had taken too long and quickly responded. He straightened his wet clothes and headed out.

That night, Bai Fanlu rested outside on a straw stack. He could have slept inside—there were three rooms in the house—but with things being so unsettled lately, it felt safer to keep watch outside.

Bai Fanlu couldn’t sleep. It had been a long time since he had experienced insomnia, but for some reason, this night, despite not thinking about anything in particular, he kept tossing and turning.

He closed his eyes and wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he sensed light filtering through his eyelids. Had morning arrived so soon?

But when he opened his eyes, he saw a blaze of fire in the southeast, illuminating the dark sky.

Startled, Bai Fanlu immediately flew toward the flames.

He remembered there was a small settlement over there, with a few households—the most populated area in the northern foothills of Mount Ercang.

Even from a distance, the fire was raging wildly. It wasn’t just one building; several houses were ablaze, the flames roaring with the wind, spreading toward the dark forest.

Bai Fanlu’s heart raced. He realized there was no nearby water source to draw from. His water-based techniques would be useless against a fire this large…

The priority wasn’t extinguishing the fire; it was saving the people inside!

Just as he was about to rush in, he heard voices from a concealed spot below.

“Let’s go. With such a big fire, they’ll all be dead. No one will know…”

“Not yet. Let’s wait a bit. The master said to be absolutely sure. If anyone escapes, we’ll have a real problem…”

Bai Fanlu’s heart stirred. Using his water technique to shield himself, he leapt into the flames from the treetops.

“Ah! Senior brother! Someone just went in!”

Bai Fanlu heard one of them shout.

The temperature inside the blaze was scorching. Bai Fanlu moved from one house to another, but unfortunately, the fire had been burning too long. The structures were reduced to their frames.

Bai Fanlu swiftly navigated through the flames, brushing away collapsing beams, suppressing the overwhelming stench of charred flesh and the thick smoke. He forced himself to search for any signs of life.

With each search, hope dwindled. Finally, Bai Fanlu steeled himself and moved on from these locations, heading to the farthest house, where the fire seemed to have started later. Gray smoke was still billowing from the windows, and the flames hadn’t fully engulfed it yet.

He burst through the window and, sure enough, found a man and a woman lying by the window, without obvious burns. They still had pulses—likely just recently poisoned by the smoke.

There was still time. Bai Fanlu lifted the two and flew out the window. Just as he landed, an explosion sounded behind him, and a wave of heat surged out as the house erupted into flames.

Was that a finishing blow?

Bai Fanlu’s heart sank. He quickly raised his hand to shield his head with a spiritual barrier.

“Who dares to ruin our plans?”

“Name yourself!”

It was the two men from before. Through the veil of his spiritual shield, Bai Fanlu saw that both were wearing thick straw cloaks, and he instantly recognized their identity.

They were disciples of the Northern Shuo Sect, located in the northernmost region. Because their sect was in an extremely cold place, the disciples wore special cloaks made of reed grass, which looked like rain cloaks, earning the sect the nickname “Raincoat Sect.”

“Judging by your attire, you are cultivators. How could you commit such heinous acts of murder and arson?” Bai Fanlu asked coldly.

The two men exchanged glances. One of them spoke, “Since you’ve seen us, we can’t let you go. We’ll have to kill you to keep our secret!”

With that, both men drew their long swords and lunged at Bai Fanlu. He barely moved, simply rotating his wrist slightly, and a cyclone of energy swirled from his palm.

The two men, thinking Bai Fanlu had frozen in fear, sneered. But before their laughter even finished, their swords were caught in an invisible force, neither advancing nor retreating.

Then, with a clench of Bai Fanlu’s fingers, there was a sharp clang. Both swords shattered simultaneously, falling like dry leaves between the three of them.

“You—!”

The two Shuo Sect disciples cried out in horror. They watched as the broken sword fragments suddenly levitated, like countless silver darts, and flew back toward them.

Everything happened too quickly, too bizarrely. The two had no time to dodge and were struck by the silver darts. Though the darts didn’t pierce their skin, the spiritual force behind them threw the men into the air.

Thud, thud! Thud, thud!

In the blink of an eye, the two men were pinned to a tree, one above the other, unable to move.

Their straw cloaks were shredded to pieces.