The howls and chaos of the Wolf of Howling Moon Tribe were far away, and Xiao Yue had no clue about it. Every day, he just stuck to Mo Yue's side, showed up at the arena on time, sharpened his claws, and made sure his battle power matched his strength.
After Jian Dan raised the Heaven Division's combat power another level, Mo Yi advanced to the late stage of Void Refinement and rushed out of seclusion.
That day, Jian Dan didn't go to the Black Robed Guards as usual. Instead, she brought Xiao Yue to meet Mo Su, preparing to start sorting through the peaks of Heavenly Demon Palace. Because of that, Mo Yi missed her and had to turn toward the Heavenly Demon Hall.
"Mo Su, how've you been holding up lately?"
When Jian Dan entered the hall with Xiao Yue in her arms, Mo Su had just set aside a beast-skin scroll.
"Greetings, Senior Sister Mo Yue. Please, have a seat."
He always spoke more freely in front of her.
"I've been busy taking over the new palace duties. Now it's finally settled down."
His cheeks were a little flushed, giving him a healthier look as he poured her tea.
"Mm. Your master really slipped away fast, dumped everything on you."
Jian Dan had never liked Mo Lie's overly scheming ways.
Mo Su smiled faintly. He was well aware of what his master had done, and at the time, there was no way he could stop him. At least Mo Yue hadn't taken it to heart, otherwise he'd be caught in the middle. So when his Senior Sister said she'd get involved with sect affairs, Mo Lie had followed his advice and gone straight into seclusion, avoiding her edge altogether.
"I heard from Chief Mo Zhang that you raised the Heaven Division's combat strength another level. He's been in an unusually good mood lately."
"Yeah, if I beat them up a few more times, their strength grows even faster." Jian Dan's eyes curved as she smiled.
Mo Su glanced at the wolf cub in her arms, lips quirking. Mo Yue had even tossed the little thing into the arena. Nothing escaped her pot.
"Senior Sister, did you come today for something in particular?"
"I heard Mo Yi already brought Bi Shu back. I want to ask about the blood insects."
"No problem. I'll have someone bring her here." Mo Su waved for a guard to summon her.
"Have we cleared out the blood insects on our sect's territory?" Jian Dan sipped her tea and asked directly.
"We've pretty much swept everything. It's clean for now, unless they plant new ones."
"What about the Dao Sect's side?"
"Heavenly Sword Sect's area has already been cleared. The other Dao sects have sent word, asking to borrow Bi Shu."
Mo Su refilled her cup as he spoke.
"Have you concealed her true condition?"
"Don't worry. Right now, no spirit tools on the continent can expose that Bi Shu's half-insect. Outwardly, we only say she's gifted, able to sense blood insect fluctuations. We've covered her identity well enough that they can't find anything."
"Good. I think Bi Shu will be very useful later, so we need to keep her hidden. Also, give her some cultivation resources."
Mo Su frowned slightly. "Senior Sister, you mean let her keep cultivating?"
"Yes. I read the jade slip Mo Yi gave me. She detected blood insects thanks to Heavenly Sword Sect, but twice during the hunts she was nearly controlled by them. That's something we need to prepare for early."
"You mean if her cultivation's strong enough, she can resist the blood insects' control?"
"I'm not sure. That's why we have to test it. The other Dao sects must have already sent invitations to Heavenly Demon Palace asking for her, right?" Jian Dan stroked Xiao Yue, eyes lifting with a smile.
"Yes."
"What do you plan to do?"
"Of course we'll lend her. It'll make those sects owe Heavenly Demon Palace a favor. But above all, her safety comes first. Like you said, she'll be important later."
Just then, Bi Shu carefully entered the side hall. The moment she spotted the familiar Manjushahua robes, her body shook. She hurried forward with small, nervous steps and bowed.
"Greetings, Mo Yue Zūnshàng, greetings, Palace Master Mo Su."
"Mm, Bi Xiaoyou, how've you been? Looks like your cultivation's advanced again."
Jian Dan's smile deepened.
The instant Bi Shu stepped in, Xiao Yue opened his eyes. When she drew near, he rose from his sprawled posture, blue eyes locking on her, lips peeling back to bare sharp teeth.
Under the fifth-rank pressure, Bi Shu couldn't endure it. She dropped to her knees, face pale, sneaking a glance at him before looking desperately at Mo Yue.
Jian Dan knew Xiao Yue wasn't usually mischievous. He was even a little silly most days. This was the first time he'd ever reacted so strongly to someone. She waved to dissolve the pressure around Bi Shu, gestured for her to sit, then sent a voice transmission to the wolf still staring her down.
"What is it? Do you sense something wrong with her?"
"Mo Yue, there's something inside her. She's not fully human, and she's not a beast cultivator either. I've never seen such a strange cultivator."
"You can see it?"
"I can see the energy around her. It's mixed with something else, but I don't know what."
Xiao Yue's blue-violet eyes stayed fixed on her, scanning her up and down.
Bi Shu perched on the edge of the jade stool, back stiff, legs trembling slightly under his gaze, but she stayed composed.
Jian Dan gathered him back into her arms and soothed him, stopping him from intimidating her further. Then she smiled again.
"I heard you've been running around investigating blood insects and made great contributions."
"I don't dare claim credit. I only reported what I found to the sect. I didn't do much myself."
"No need to be so modest. Credit is credit, and no one here will steal it."
Her gentle tone eased Bi Shu's nerves.
"I want to know how the blood insects tried to control you. What do they want from you?"
Bi Shu straightened her back again, ready for the key question.
"The insect race links with its kin through their antennae. The blood insects are stronger than the half-insect that fused into my sea of consciousness, so they could command me. But since I'm not fully one of them, I managed to break free.
They wanted to know how I turned into a human."
"You told them?"
Jian Dan raised a brow.
"No, never!"
Bi Shu panicked, shaking her hands fast. Now she was under Heavenly Demon Palace's shelter, the safest place for her. If she ever betrayed humans, countless methods could make her wish for death. Just Mo Yue Zūnshàng's gaze alone could obliterate her Primordial Soul.
"Good. Remember, you're human now, not insect. You can raise your strength through cultivation, while they can only survive through plunder. That's why they want you.
The spirit domain of Lingyun Continent is still intact, so they can't fully break through. The ones that entered have mostly been wiped out. But these new blood insects already know about you. For your safety, every blood insect that knows of you must be destroyed, and through them we'll find the one pulling the strings. Only then will you be safe."
Jian Dan spoke calmly, laying out her situation.
"Bi Shu understands. I'll follow the sect's arrangements."
She fully agreed with Mo Yue's reasoning. Being human was far better than being insect. Humans were favored by the Dao, while insects brought only disaster and invasion wherever they went.
Mo Su stood silently to the side, listening as Jian Dan gently brainwashed her, feeding her promises, binding her more tightly to humanity.