Chapter 119: Concern and Journey to Jingzhou

“Brother Xie, Brother Xie…” The repeated calls from Baili Xiao pulled her back from the depths of her endless thoughts.

Earlier, Shen Qianmo had been furrowing her brow, lost in her own reflections. Though her face remained calm, her heart was already a turbulent sea within. Yet, accustomed to masking her emotions, Baili Xiao noticed nothing amiss.

The two men at the neighboring table had left without her noticing, and Baili Xiao urged them to hasten their journey. They were still dozens of miles from the Netherworld Valley, and in the bitter cold of December in the north, they needed to reach the Northern Di territory and find an inn before nightfall.

Throughout the journey, Shen Qianmo’s mind was filled with images of Meng Yuanheng, to the extent that she barely registered what Baili Xiao was saying. Only when she heard him mention the words “White-Haired Demon Lord” did she pause and ask quietly, “What did you just say? Who is the White-Haired Demon Lord?”

Baili Xiao was surprised to see Shen Qianmo ask so formally and hesitated for a moment before scratching his head and explaining, “Brother Xie, didn’t you hear those two at the next table? The White-Haired Demon Lord seems to be the common folk’s new nickname for Prince Xuan recently. Tsk tsk, ‘white hair’ and ‘demon lord’ — it doesn’t sound like a good person at all.”

Shen Qianmo’s heart tightened. How could Ah Heng have turned white-haired? How could he become a demon lord? Although he was somewhat capricious, he was hardly deserving of such a title. What could he have done to earn the scorn of the people?

She forced a faint smile and spoke hoarsely, “I heard that Prince Xuan is paralyzed in both legs and resting quietly in his mansion. How could he be the White-Haired Demon Lord? Could the rumors be mistaken?”

Baili Xiao shook his head in confusion. “I’ve lived in Shuangxi Village for a long time and my news is limited, but just now those two said that Prince Xuan apparently went white-haired overnight after his queen died and then raised an army in rebellion, slaughtering many. They say at Jinyang Pass he ordered the killing of fifty thousand Great Sheng soldiers. I don’t know if it’s true, but the people now say Prince Xuan has gone mad. Sigh, I wonder who that Queen of Xuan really was, to make such a wise ruler so infatuated. If she has a spirit in heaven, she must be comforted.”

With a sudden crash in her chest, even Shen Qianmo, who prided herself on calmness, felt her vision darken and staggered, nearly falling.

How much sorrow and rage must a person bear to turn their black hair white overnight? How great the resolve and willpower to make a prince, sworn to uphold his ancestors’ legacy for a hundred years, rebel against his country and be reviled by all!

White-Haired Demon Lord! Those four words tore at Shen Qianmo’s heart, making even her breath painful.

Ah Heng, are you doing all this for me?

Her nose tingled and her eyes stung. Unable to bear the spreading ache of heartache, she felt the hot tears threatening to spill, but forced herself to hold them back with reason. Before Baili Xiao, she deemed it unwise to reveal her true identity for now.

“Baili Xiao, I must hurry to Jingzhou; I can’t accompany you to gather Chonglou grass. Take good care of yourself.” Anxious and restless, she took a deep breath, steadied herself, and hurriedly gave this instruction before preparing to part ways.

Baili Xiao quickly stopped her, urging, “Brother Xie, it’s at least five hundred miles to Jingzhou, and there’s ongoing warfare and unrest there. You can’t go.”

“Precisely because it’s dangerous, I must go,” Shen Qianmo said firmly, meeting his gaze. “Because… my family is there.”

Seeing her suddenly turn pale and troubled, Baili Xiao guessed she must be deeply worried about her family in Jingzhou. He volunteered eagerly, “Don’t worry, Brother Xie. I know a shortcut from here to Jingzhou that’s several days faster than the official road. Why don’t I accompany you?”

The shortcut Baili Xiao mentioned cut directly through Northern Di territory to Jingzhou, essentially a straight line, much quicker than the circuitous official route.

Seeing his insistence, Shen Qianmo no longer refused. Baili Xiao, accustomed to traversing mountains and valleys to gather herbs, was undoubtedly more familiar with the terrain, and having him as a guide would save time and prevent detours.

Her only thought was to reach Jingzhou as fast as possible to meet Meng Yuanheng.

They rented a horse-drawn carriage in the small town and set off toward Northern Di.

Shen Qianmo had wanted to ride a horse herself to move faster than the carriage, but Baili Xiao awkwardly scratched his head and admitted he couldn’t ride. She couldn’t help but tease him—how could a grown man not know how to ride a horse?

Flushed with embarrassment but defiant, Baili Xiao retorted, “Little master here needs to climb mountains and ridges to gather herbs. What use is horseback riding?”

Baili Xiao was truly a “herb fanatic,” interested in little else beyond medicinal plants.

Northern Di and Great Sheng had long maintained active trade, so their disguise as herbal merchants allowed them to pass through the Northern Di border smoothly. After three days of swift travel, they reached the capital of Northern Di, Dading City, by noon.

In the present Central Plains, the world was divided into four parts. Great Sheng’s territory was the largest and wealthiest, while among the three small neighboring states, Northern Di was the strongest, with West Liang and South Zhan lagging far behind.

Though Dading City, the Northern Di capital, could not match the bustling, prosperous Shengjing, it was still quite lively. The streets buzzed with vendors’ shouts and crowds flowed endlessly, a scene bustling with activity.

Throughout the journey, Shen Qianmo remained mostly silent, her mind heavy with worry for Meng Yuanheng. Baili Xiao, usually a chatterbox unable to stay still, held back his usual talk out of respect for her mood, enduring a tense silence.

Now in Dading City, surrounded by the bustling market, he reverted to his nature and began talking more again.

Passing a tavern, Baili Xiao tilted his head back to read the signboard: “Drunken Sky Tavern—a fine name. Brother Xie, why don’t we stop here for lunch before moving on?”

Shen Qianmo glanced at the “Drunken Sky Tavern,” its exquisite decor and grand facade clearly marking it as high-end, likely expensive. She cast a sidelong look at the gleaming eyes of Baili Xiao and asked dryly, “Are you treating?”

She had been penniless when she fell from the cliff, so she still had no money on her.

“Heh heh…” Baili Xiao gave a nervous laugh, momentarily silent. Indeed, he had brought little silver with him and was quite strapped for cash, able at best to afford simple street food, certainly not a fancy tavern like this.

Swallowing a few times, he was about to signal Shen Qianmo to leave when suddenly she pulled him into a shadowed corner by the tavern’s entrance.

“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” Baili Xiao asked in alarm.

Shen Qianmo turned to him, placing a finger to her lips, signaling silence.

Two slender, stern-faced men in black passed by nearby, their aura fierce and eyes sharp, unmistakably masters with profound inner strength.

Shen Qianmo recalled seeing them once on the Thousand-Fathom Snow Peak. They were assassins from the Shadowless Sect.

Why would Shadowless Sect members appear in Northern Di? Could it be that Mo Hanshan, besides colluding with Meng Tianluo, was also secretly working with the Northern Di? What secrets did the Mozi Order hold that made Mo Hanshan so attentive? And Qingluo—she had been secretly searching for the Mozi Order under orders; no one else likely knew of this except her. Could Luzhu and the others be in danger?

Deep in thought, Shen Qianmo noticed the two black-clad men had not noticed her and were walking farther away. Eager to continue to Jingzhou to meet Meng Yuanheng, she turned to call Baili Xiao to depart, only to find the space behind her empty—he had vanished.