Chapter 52: Calamity

"Snap!" Hansu grabbed a formation disk from the side and hurled it with a smack, her face flushed as she stood up with her hands on her hips, shouting, "How dare you use charm magic on me!"

The man who had been so proper a moment ago now stood up, hands on his hips, laughing uproariously, "Hahaha, your self-control is terrible!"

Burning with shame and anger, Hansu blurted out, "You're terrible! Your whole family is terrible!" The words had barely left her mouth when Huai Yin, who had been laughing so hard he was shaking, suddenly fell silent, his face darkening. Hansu realized her mistake the instant she spoke. Huai Yin had been sent by his mother to the He Xi Secret Realm as soon as he was born to escape a vendetta; he had never seen his mother and didn’t even know who his father was. The words "your whole family" might have sounded light, but to him, they were unbearably heavy.

Distressed, she hurried forward a couple of steps, wanting to comfort him, but then embarrassment stopped her. She hesitated, her small foot pausing mid-step before she drew back, stopping at arm's length. "I... I'm sorry, that's just how we talk back home. I didn't mean anything by it. When you get out, you'll find your mother, and you'll return to your clan."

Huai Yin, lips pressed tight, managed a faint, forced smile. "I know. It's fine, you don't have to worry about it." He said it was fine, but Hansu could feel the deep loneliness swirling around him. "So... what will you do after you get out?"

It was the first time they’d spoken so directly about their plans after leaving. Perhaps because they both knew that once outside, they might never meet again, and each was the first friend the other had connected with so closely for so long. So they’d both avoided this topic, as if not speaking it would keep it from happening. But Hansu was no longer the hesitant, timid child she’d once been. The moment she asked, she felt a solid weight lift from her heart.

"First, I'll find a place to face my tribulation. If I survive by luck, I’ll head to the Central Prefecture Sea Realm—I’ve heard the Heavenly Fox clan still has a branch there. If I fall... I'd ask you, if you ever get the chance, to go to the Prefecture Sea Realm, look for me, just in case."

"Don’t say that. You’ll definitely make it."

Huai Yin looked at Hansu, who was a head shorter than him. Perhaps because she’d built her foundation at such a young age, at forty-three she still looked like a girl of fourteen or fifteen. Dressed in a pale blue robe, her figure was petite and delicate. Her round, rosy cheeks framed brows arched like new moons, and her eyes were wide and bright, fringed with long, fluttering lashes like little fans. At that moment, she stood with her back straight, her tiny fists clenched in front of her chest, her dark, sparkling eyes filled with determination and trust. Her earnest little face, lifted towards him, was both innocent and sincere.

Her total trust warmed Huai Yin’s heart, stirring something inside him that pushed to break free. He pressed his hand hard against his chest, as if to hold something back. He did not yet know life or death; he had so much to do—search for his mother, uncover his origins, return to his clan, learn the heritage that should have been his, pursue the great Dao, cultivate to become immortal, and...

There was so much to do, and she shouldn’t be a part of it. She was just the first amusing friend he’d met, just a helper he’d paid, just the benefactor who’d freed him and shown him the world—just an ordinary little cultivator...

He didn’t realize how much he’d thought, nor what decision he’d made. In truth, for that instant, he felt frozen, unable to think or control himself. He blurted a sentence he would regret for the rest of his life: "If I’m still alive by then, you can take this pouch and leave quickly. I have many things to do; I don’t have time to play with you anymore."

The moment the words left his mouth, he bit his tongue, watching Hansu's stunned expression, using all his willpower not to gather her into his arms. But she only paused a moment, her eyes darting as she tilted her head in thought, then she said uncertainly, "I need to hurry back to Yaohua too, but I want to bring you along. There’s a direct teleportation array to the Prefecture Sea Realm in the Yaohua Secret Land—it’d be much easier for you to get there."

Huai Yin felt all his passion flow away like water to the east, his earlier resolve and effort suddenly ridiculous, leaving him wanting to seize her delicate little neck and give her a good shake. He turned away in frustration, gruffly saying, "That’s a lot of trouble for you. Sorry to put you out."

Hansu shrugged and spread her hands in helplessness, staring at Huai Yin’s back as he inexplicably grew angry. She muttered under her breath, "What a strange habit, suddenly getting mad for no reason... He really is a big shot. Little cultivators like us can’t afford to offend him..." When she finished, she walked around and stood in front of him.

Though Huai Yin had turned his back, his ears were pricked to every sound behind him. For a moment, he forgot he had spiritual senses and, like an ordinary person, quietly monitored her every move. Hearing her approach, his whole body grew stiff, his palms damp with nervous sweat. What was she going to do... Would she...

She stood before him, her small hand as fair as jade, and took his large hand in hers. He felt his face heat up, a rush of warmth surging through him, as if celestial music were ringing in his ears, and as she held his hand so softly, he nearly floated away. Fortunately, he didn’t. For in the next instant, she pried open his hand, took out the storage pouch, tucked it into her sleeve, and walked off humming a tune.

He wanted nothing more than to pull her back and give her a good smack! But he just clenched and unclenched his hand, finally squeezing it hard before striding out of the cave and flying off to the Glazed Forest to call out the seventh-rank Copper Mountain Wolf for a beating.

After that day, time seemed to fly heedlessly by, and soon the secret realm was about to open again. From the day before, all the spirit beasts had gathered outside Huai Yin’s cave to bid him farewell. Everything inside was packed away, and to prevent anyone from tampering with the formations, Hansu had set up countless arrays at the entrance—large ones, small ones within large ones, formation within formation, layer upon layer wrapping the cave. Finally, she laid down concealment and illusion arrays, making it secure.

Outside the secret realm, all the sects’ disciples who had come for training were assembled. Those concerned about Hansu, like Lin Qing and Lin Xiu, had come to the exit to wait, watching as the portal was about to open.

Huai Yin took one last look at the place that had trapped and raised him for thousands of years, then took Hansu’s hand and flew toward the exit.

The moment the secret realm opened, those waiting outside were astonished to see two figures flash by and quickly vanish into the sky. Lin Qing was about to give chase when Lin Xiu, holding the paired jade tokens, stopped him with a smile: "Senior brother, Susu sent word—she’s accompanying a friend to face tribulation and will return to Yaohua soon."

Lin Qing paused, taking the tokens to verify for himself. Frowning, he said, "What friend, where to, and what tribulation? Why won’t she clarify? How are we supposed to follow and help?"

Lin Xiu laughed, "Susu isn’t a child anymore. She must have her reasons. All we can do now is trust her. Didn’t Master and Madam send word that they’re already in the Luoxing Realm? They’ll be back soon, maybe they’ll even meet up!"

Carried by Huai Yin, Hansu didn’t know how far they’d flown before she realized the tribulation clouds above were gathering thicker and lower, with little bolts of lightning sneaking out more and more frequently—it was clear they could delay no longer. She hastily tugged at Huai Yin to stop, and looking around, realized they’d reached the seashore.

The continent was divided into five realms: Luoxing to the east, Bodhi to the west, Jingxiang to the south, and Shiyu to the north. In the center was the Inner Sea, with a giant island at its heart—the Central Prefecture Sea Realm.

Their flight had brought them to the western coast of the Luoxing Realm, a wide, sparsely populated place—safe enough to face tribulation. Hansu watched as Huai Yin chose his spot and set up twelve great arrays around him, placing a substitute puppet at each of the eight directions, and leaving piles of defensive talismans and magical tools before hurrying off to a safe distance.

She hadn’t fully retreated before thick bolts of lightning, as wide as a wrist, began to fall. At first, Huai Yin was relaxed, letting the violet thunder temper his soul and body. But as the lightning grew thicker and more frequent, he began to struggle, relying on treasures and talismans for defense. By the time the third wave of tribulation had passed, all his treasures and talismans were spent.

The fourth wave began. The violet lightning now looked pitch black, and instead of striking all at once, it came as nine distinct bolts, each descending in turn. The black clouds roiled across half the sky, thunder crashing, and even the sea grew agitated. The waves, battered by lightning, surged fiercely against the shore. These nine bolts were so terrifying that Huai Yin had to rely on all twelve of Hansu’s protective arrays.

The first bolt destroyed two arrays, the second another two, the third yet another two. Of the twelve, only six stood against the tribulation.

Huai Yin wanted to save Hansu’s eight substitute puppets for the fifth wave, so for the last three bolts, he would have to rely on his own body.

The seventh bolt struck! Huai Yin soared up to meet it, his silken green robe flashing with light before it dulled and lost all luster.

The eighth bolt came! With no more defenses left, the massive thunder crashed into his body, turning his jade-like skin black as charcoal, his bones crackling and popping. Fortunately, as a demon cultivator, his body was tough—injured, yes, but not gravely so.

The ninth and final bolt! Huai Yin activated his technique, his whole being like a pine tree or a giant, floating in the air, stretching his branches to absorb the energies around him and withstand the terrible lightning. Every part of him spread out the pressure, dispersing and transmitting it again and again...

It was the first time Hansu saw him earnestly using his cultivation method. This heavenly fox was unusual—his affinity was wood. He had formidable regenerative and restorative abilities. As he endured the tribulation, fusing his attribute and technique perfectly, Hansu suddenly felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, and many things she hadn’t understood in the past thirty years of cultivation suddenly became clear.

Very soon, she realized she could no longer control the changes in her body. Spiritual energy surged wildly into her; her technique began to run on its own, and the spiritual energy in her organs compressed and compressed, growing denser and more solid in her core. She was about to form her golden core!