Chapter 154: Meeting the White Mouse Again

Only after seeing Yang Ping depart did Che Wuyou truly let out a breath of relief. While others might not have perceived the presence lingering nearby, Che Wuyou could sense it with absolute clarity. To say nothing of Yang Ping, even someone with a cultivation level far surpassing his could potentially have been detected by Che Wuyou. Unless the hidden person possessed a spiritual force even greater than his own—and how many such individuals could there truly be?—at the very least, very few experts at the Core Formation realm could evade his perception.

Earlier, when Yang Ping feigned rushing into the sky and vanished, Che Wuyou had already sensed his presence. He knew that Yang Ping had not yet fully resolved to abandon the idea of killing them both; after all, they knew his secret, which made them far too dangerous in his eyes. To Yang Ping, only dead people were truly reliable.

Yet, because Che Wuyou was a person of interest to Li Muqiu, Yang Ping harbored reservations and dared not act rashly. Thus, he remained hidden in the shadows to overhear what the two were discussing. If they truly decided to report today's events to Li Muqiu, he would strike them down even at the risk of personal danger, carving out a sliver of survival for himself.

He never expected, however, that Che Wuyou would discover him in advance, prompting that stern reprimand directed at Zhang Qing'er. In truth, Che Wuyou's performance was primarily staged for Yang Ping to witness, yet Yang Ping fell for it entirely—a testament to his excessive arrogance and utter underestimation of Che Wuyou.

Only after Yang Ping had gone did Zhang Qing'er slowly collect her thoughts. It was then that she noticed the subtle relaxation in Che Wuyou's expression. A sudden realization stirred within her: Brother Wuyou's actions earlier had all been an act. But how had he managed to discover Yang Ping? Zhang Qing'er felt a mild sense of bewilderment, yet having already witnessed so many miraculous feats from him, she did not probe deeply. Instead, a quiet sense of comfort and secret delight gradually bloomed in her heart.

"Brother Wuyou, has that great villain left?" After a long moment, it was Zhang Qing'er who broke the slightly awkward silence. After all, the words Che Wuyou had spoken earlier were somewhat harsh and merciless, leaving her momentarily unsure of how to face him. Seeing her take the initiative to speak, Che Wuyou let out another faint breath and said, "He has gone."

"Then... will Brother Wuyou tell Master Li about what happened here?" Zhang Qing'er lowered her gaze slightly, yet she ultimately voiced the question that mattered most to her. This touched upon matters of stance, of right and wrong. Even though Che Wuyou had shown her immense grace, she still had to ask...

"No!" Che Wuyou replied without the slightest hesitation. "At least, not right now!"

"Mm, I will listen to Brother Wuyou." Che Wuyou had half-expected the young girl to display some stubbornness, but to his surprise, Zhang Qing'er answered with complete docility.

"Do you not wish to know the reason?" Che Wuyou asked with mild curiosity, having anticipated her asking why he said "not right now," yet she had remained silent.

Zhang Qing'er looked at him, made as if to shake her head, but after a moment of hesitation, she nodded instead. "I trust Brother Wuyou. Although I do wish to know the reason, I believe that no matter what you do, Brother Wuyou must have your own logic."

"It is no harm to tell you," Che Wuyou paused slightly before continuing. "In truth, the Azure Pond Sword Sect is not necessarily the sacred sanctuary of immortality we imagine it to be. Internal factional struggles do exist within Azure Pond. Just as Yang Ping mentioned, Master Li cannot simply make decisions by his sole word alone."

"Therefore, I have decided not to inform Master Li of this matter for the time being. Our foundation is far too frail right now; any single figure in the Azure Pond Sword Sect could easily bring about our demise. If this situation is handled poorly, we might be the first to die. Yet this matter cannot be concealed indefinitely either; leaving Yang Ping alive will sooner or later prove to be a disaster. We guard against him, but how could he not guard against us? No doubt, the moment we lose our utility to Azure Pond, or at some opportune juncture, he will send us on our final journey. Hence, we must also choose the right moment—before he makes a move, we shall strike first to gain the upper hand."

"Mm, I will listen to you." Looking at Che Wuyou's resolute bearing, Zhang Qing'er's eyes flashed with a brilliant light. Yet at a certain moment, as a sudden thought crossed her mind, her gaze dimmed once more. Even so, she repeated softly, "I will listen to you."

As the two were speaking, a faint rustling and squeaking sound suddenly rose from beneath their feet. Zhang Qing'er had been feeling somewhat melancholic, but upon hearing the noise, a trace of a smile bloomed on her face. "Ah! It's the little white mouse, it's back again... Oh, oh, how adorable!"

Gazing at the tiny white mouse climbing up Che Wuyou's trouser leg, Zhang Qing'er's eyes shone brightly. Then, a puzzled look crossed her face. "Brother Wuyou, why does it always cling to you...? Ah, Brother Wuyou, why don't you try and see if you can catch it?" A flicker of hopeful expectation danced in her eyes as she looked at him.

Naturally, Che Wuyou did not hesitate. Being a man who rarely took the initiative to apologize to others, he felt that his tone earlier had indeed been a bit too harsh. Even though it was an act, he still felt a sense of remorse. To make it up to Zhang Qing'er, he slowly crouched down and reached out to grab the small white mouse. To his utter astonishment, however, his hand closed around it on the very first try, leaving him momentarily frozen in place. He knew full well the creature's astonishing speed; if this little thing had chosen to flee, he would not have had the slightest confidence in catching it.

Yet, upon successfully capturing the mouse, his first reaction was not joy, but introspection. He had heard tales of certain demonic beasts voluntarily choosing their masters, but those were invariably exceptionally powerful creatures bonded to masters of awe-inspiring dominance. He certainly did not flatter himself into thinking he possessed such overwhelming charisma that a beast would submit to him unprompted. Of course, the white mouse was no formidable beast either; despite its exceptional speed, it looked in every respect like a harmless little creature with zero threat level.

With this thought, Che Wuyou chuckled self-deprecatingly. Viewed in this light, the little white mouse actually suited him quite well. Gazing into the creature's slightly purplish eyes, a sudden impulse stirred within him, and he addressed it directly: "If you can understand my words, nod your head."

"Brother Wuyou, although Little White is an unusually spiritual little beast, how could it possibly understand human speech? I've heard that demonic beasts capable of understanding human language must at least have attained a proper tier," Zhang Qing'er said with a cheerful smile, raising her hand to stroke the creature in his grasp. Instead, she stared in utter astonishment as the white mouse gave a distinct nod.

"Ah... It really understands, it really understands... What a miraculous little creature!" Zhang Qing'er cried out in delighted disbelief, jumping up and down before turning to the mouse with a question of her own. "Can you understand Big Sister's words too? If you can, give a nod."

At her words, the white mouse glanced at Che Wuyou, a distinctly human-like hesitation flashing through its eyes, before it slowly nodded.

"Such an exceptionally high intelligence for a small beast!" Che Wuyou had been observing the creature closely and naturally caught that flash of hesitation. Ignoring Zhang Qing'er, who was excitedly cheering by his side, he continued his questioning: "The Void-Departure Grass is capable of shifting positions at will—was that your doing as well?"

"Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak." The mouse let out a pair of cries and nodded once more. Both Che Wuyou and Zhang Qing'er wore expressions of sheepish embarrassment. They had previously suspected the Blazing Flame Serpent, only to discover that this little fellow had been lugging the Void-Departure Grass around everywhere. They had nearly been frightened out of their wits by it. Fortunately, it was not human; otherwise, having created such a monumental farce, the two of them would have had nowhere to hide their faces.

"So it was you carrying the Void-Departure Grass and following us all this time?" Having pieced everything together, Che Wuyou asked for confirmation. Sure enough, the white mouse nodded again.

"Then why did you follow us?" Seeing him press on with his questions, Zhang Qing'er could not help chiming in.

"Squeak, squeak..." The white mouse alternated between nodding and shaking its head, occasionally waving its front paws in a manner that left Zhang Qing'er somewhat amused and helpless. Intelligent though the little beast undoubtedly was, expecting it to explain *why* was simply too much to ask, given its inability to speak human words.