C13 A Blessing in Disguise

Ye Mo's astonishment was written all over his face. He gently set the little fox down from his embrace and hurried over to a sapling, gazing at it with a puzzled expression.

"Hey, what are you up to?"

The little fox's voice echoed in Ye Mo's mind. He glanced back at the fox, offering a secretive grin, but remained silent, mentally reciting the heart technique he knew by heart.

Nearby, the little fox perked up its ears and cocked its head, watching Ye Mo with a curious gleam in its eyes, finding the situation quite amusing.

Ye Mo stood with his legs apart, sinking into a horse stance. His right arm rose slowly, his palm positioned before his chest as he closed his eyes to connect with the energy around him. A soft glow began to radiate from his body, and his sleeves billowed as if caught in an invisible breeze. In that moment, Ye Mo had successfully harnessed Soul Power.

The little fox watched, bemused and somewhat baffled by Ye Mo. She thought it unlikely for a newcomer to the world of Soul Cultivators to grasp Soul Power so swiftly, yet Ye Mo's talent appeared to be far from ordinary.

"Hahaha!"

With a spirited cry, Ye Mo thrust his right arm forward, releasing a burst of energy from his palm that struck the small tree a few feet away.

The tree shuddered under the impact, its leaves rustling wildly as if shaken by a giant's hand, scattering around Ye Mo in a leafy cascade.

Witnessing the spectacle, a slow grin spread across Ye Mo's face, and he turned to the little fox with a smug twinkle in his eye.

In the face of Ye Mo's self-satisfaction, the little fox inwardly rolled her eyes. She knew that in her prime, a mere flick of her paw could lay waste to half the forest.

"Okay, okay, you're impressive, got it?"

"No, I've got a long way to go. Legend says a true master can level half a forest with a single blow. Think you're up to the task?" Ye Mo replied, humbly acknowledging his shortcomings despite the little fox's dismissive tone.

With a resigned shake of her head, the little fox responded, "How did you come to wield Soul Power so adeptly? You seemed quite proficient just now."

"I've read so many books and just tried to mimic what I saw. I never expected it to actually work…" Ye Mo said, his voice tinged with a strong sense of disbelief.

The little fox listened to Ye Mo's words and watched him quietly, seemingly deep in thought.

"Hey? Why the silence? Did we get disconnected?" Ye Mo wondered aloud, his heart falling silent for a long moment. He noticed the little fox looking at him, yet he couldn't hear her thoughts.

"Do you want to go home?"

As Ye Mo was about to approach the little fox, that familiar voice once again echoed in his mind.

Upon hearing this, Ye Mo fell silent. He had grappled with this question himself, his internal conflict and turmoil briefly stalling the inquiry. But now, as the little fox brought it up again, Ye Mo found himself in a quandary.

After a lengthy pause, Ye Mo addressed the little fox, "What about you, then? Do you want to come back with me?"

The little fox stood still, lowered her head, and let out a soft whimper, but Ye Mo's heart remained void of her voice.

"If you've granted me three more years of life, then what's stopping me from spending those three years here with you?" Ye Mo declared, his eyes sparkling with determination.

"Are you really serious?" The little fox suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with elation as she gazed at Ye Mo.

"I'm an adult, so yes, I'm serious."

"That's wonderful!"

The little fox, being a Soul Beast from the Second Realm Forest, couldn't just wander into the human world at will. Moreover, having been raised on this land since her youth, she naturally had no desire to leave.

"In three years, if your cultivation is profound enough, you might be able to escape the Death Curse. Hmm… I'm not too familiar with human Soul Cultivators, but you desperately need a master right now…" The little fox's thoughts drifted into Ye Mo's mind, leaving him increasingly perplexed.

"What are you talking about?" Ye Mo asked, his face a picture of confusion.

"Do you know about the House of the Chosen?"

The little fox mentioned a name that was completely new to Ye Mo. After hearing it, all he could do was slowly shake his head.

"Then, have you ever heard of Specter?" the little fox's thoughts resonated in Ye Mo's mind once more.

Ye Mo looked embarrassed, racking his brain but coming up empty. His slow head shake turned into a continuous one, signaling his utter cluelessness.

"Have you not read a multitude of books? Were they counterfeit, or perhaps you've been indulging in fiction?" The little fox couldn't resist teasing Ye Mo, the unsophisticated bookworm.

"I'm only familiar with the three sects, six halls, and twelve pavilions..." Ye Mo's voice trailed off, deflated.

"The three sects, six halls, and twelve pavilions are just the official factions. There are many more enigmatic entities in this world," the little fox said, her eyes clouding over with nostalgia.

"What? You actually know about the three sects, six halls, and twelve pavilions? I thought the Wind Pavilion alone was overwhelmingly large," Ye Mo remarked, a touch of melancholy flickering in his eyes at the mention of the Wind Pavilion.

The white fox shook her head, dismissing the twelve pavilions as inconsequential, bottom-tier existences in her view.

"Forget the twelve pavilions. Let me enlighten you about the House of the Chosen. It's an ancient, mysterious academy that's been around for centuries. Its founder, Specter, is shrouded in mystery. I've never met him, but he seems to have some connection to my grandmother, though I'm not entirely sure of the details." The little fox paused, lost in thought, before adding, "The House of the Chosen has recently resurfaced. The estate is situated at a certain point where the Forest of Nine Illusions meets the Forest of Eight Illusions."

"Ah!" Ye Mo exclaimed in astonishment.

"Surprised, are you?" The little fox couldn't hide her smugness.

"Where exactly are the Forest of Nine Illusions and the Forest of Eight Illusions?"

"You're standing within the Forest of Nine Illusions as we speak..."

Ye Mo's response left the little fox momentarily at a loss for words.

"House of the Chosen... House of the Chosen... Second Realm Forest..." A vision of a girl's laughter and visage surfaced in Ye Mo's mind—the mysterious woman who had once saved his life. He recalled her mentioning a trip to the Second Realm Forest. Could it be that she had ventured to the fabled House of the Chosen?

"How far are the Forest of Nine Illusions and the Forest of Eight Illusions from the Second Realm Forest?" Ye Mo inquired, his face etched with earnest curiosity.

A chuckle blossomed in Ye Mo's heart. "The Forest of Nine Illusions and the Forest of Eight Illusions are both part of the Second Realm Forest. We've just divided them up, that's all."

With the little fox's words, Ye Mo felt more confident in his hunch, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his eye. "Well then, let's set off and search for the House of the Chosen to find Specter."

"Oh..."

After Ye Mo finished speaking, he turned and strode into the depths of the woods, leaving the little fox disheveled in the wind.

"I'm still injured... Aren't you going to come back and carry me?"

"With the weather this hot, you're better off walking. Exercise will help you heal. Come on, keep up."

"Hmph!" The little fox huffed and bounded after him.

The duo, one human and one fox, made their way slowly into the depths of the Forest of Nine Illusions. Ye Mo, still green and unaware of the forest's perils, thought of the mysterious woman who had saved him, feeling a surge of warmth that made him momentarily forget the incident with the Windchaser Wolf.

"Hey, what's your name? I still don't know it..." the little fox called out to Ye Mo as they walked.

"Oh, I've been negligent. I forgot to tell you my name. It's Ye Mo," he replied, slowing his pace and turning around.

"I'm Bai Qing'er, teehee..." The white fox let out a playful laugh.

"Oh, Bai Qing'er..." Ye Mo nodded slowly, as if pleased with the name. Then, suddenly stopping, he looked puzzled and asked, "Little fox, should we go left or right from here?"

Bai Qing'er, still being called little fox by Ye Mo, scowled. "To the right..."

"Alright, let's go, little fox."

"Oh..." Bai Qing'er's response was reluctant, but seeing Ye Mo's cheerful demeanor made it all seem less bothersome.

As dusk approached, Ye Mo's steps began to slow. Looking ahead, he saw nothing but lush green mountains.

Breathing softly, Ye Mo gently set down the little fox and leaned against a majestic tree, falling into silence.

"Isn't it eerily quiet here? We haven't come across a single Soul Beast," Ye Mo mused with a hint of suspicion, as he sat beneath a tree, bathed in the fading sunlight.

Unbeknownst to him, Bai Qing'er had already driven away all the nearby Soul Beasts days ago. As a result, their journey had been uneventful.

"We'll find something if we keep going," he said, trusting his instincts. He believed they had completed the ten-mile trek through the winding forest path. He glanced at Bai Qing'er and spoke with a nonchalant air.

Suddenly, an odd noise erupted from a short distance away. Ye Mo's keen senses picked up on the anomaly. Without hesitation, he sprang to his feet, his gaze locked on the rustling grass and leaves ahead.

Without a second thought, Ye Mo drew the short dagger from his waist. He silently recited the mantra, allowing Soul Power to envelop him.

The white fox's ears perked up, casting a sidelong glance in that direction with only a flicker of its peripheral vision.

In an instant, the grass thrashed wildly, and a streak of white light burst forth, hurtling towards Ye Mo with the speed of lightning.

As the white figure lunged, the white fox was poised to intervene but restrained itself, noticing that Ye Mo's dagger was already in motion.

In that moment, Ye Mo, empowered by Soul Power, was a far cry from his former self. Despite the white figure's swift approach, he instantly recognized it as a half-meter-long white snake.

With clarity of vision, he thrust his dagger, aiming directly for the path of the white snake.

A shrill cry pierced the air as the white snake whisked past Ye Mo's ear, leaving a trail of blood before vanishing into the underbrush.

Clearly wounded, the white snake had fled. However, Ye Mo wasn't unscathed; the snake's tail had nicked his ear, leaving behind a small cut from which a few droplets of blood seeped.

A gleam of accomplishment shone in Ye Mo's eyes. This was his first time wounding a creature since childhood. He slowly turned his gaze to the broken blade in his hand, stained with a smear of crimson.

"Ye Mo..." The little fox gazed at Ye Mo's profile, her voice tinged with a hint of nervousness.

"I've succeeded..." Ye Mo's voice carried an odd quality, as though the perilous moment they had just endured served as proof of something.