"Here, in this place, I can smell the master's scent quite strongly."

The location Long Linglu referred to as having traces of their master's lingering scent turned out to be an unnamed village, fortified by a protective gate. This sight piqued Ruan Xiaoyue's curiosity as she followed closely behind. She couldn't help but wonder why a village not far from their master's residence carried her scent.

Driven by her curiosity, she immediately questioned Long Linglu, who was walking ahead, hoping to uncover their master's reason.

"Long Linglu, are you certain that the master left her traces in this village? Moreover, can you tell us why she stopped by this village, based on your sense of smell?"

"Ruan Xiaoyue, are you stupid—" Long Linglu's words were abruptly cut off as she turned to face Ruan Xiaoyue's sharp gaze. The piercing look sent a chill down her spine, forcing her to shift her tone from arrogant to amicable as she quickly corrected herself. "I mean, Ruan Xiaoyue, my dear friend~, there’s no way I could know exactly what the master was doing just from my sense of smell. But one thing is for sure: my nose has detected the master’s scent strongly, and it’s the closest here in this village."

"Hmm, what a pity," Ruan Xiaoyue replied, her sharp gaze softening. She then turned her attention to the villagers standing at the village gate and spoke again. "I wonder, what could have brought our master here? Could there be something special about this village?"

"Probably not, Senior Sister," Luo Xianxiu suddenly chimed in, standing beside Ruan Xiaoyue. She continued speaking when her senior turned to look at her. "Given how close this village is to the master’s residence, and considering how she always acts like an ordinary person, it’s possible she came here just to amuse herself by blending in as a regular villager."

"That makes sense. If the master only came to this village to pretend to be an ordinary person and there’s nothing special here, it’s probably better for us to resume tracking her scent. So, Long Linglu, please use your sense of smell again," Ruan Xiaoyue suggested.

"Alright, follow—"

"Wait a moment. You two are jumping to conclusions too quickly. We should ask the villagers here first about the master’s whereabouts. Who knows? They might recognize her and even know where she went," Luo Xianxiu interjected, cutting off Long Linglu mid-sentence.

The two younger girls nodded in agreement with Luo Xianxiu’s suggestion. Together, the three of them approached the villagers standing near the village gate to inquire about the master. Upon asking about him and explaining that they were her disciples, the three girls noticed the villagers’ expressions shift to shock. Without a word, the villagers hurriedly excused themselves and ran off, saying they needed to fetch the village chief.

It wasn’t long before the girls saw the same villagers returning, accompanied by an elderly man—the village chief—who was also rushing to meet them.

As he reached them, the village chief immediately bowed deeply and spoke in a worried tone.

“M-my apologies for keeping you waiting, disciples of the Miss Immortal. I’ve already been informed by my people about your reason for coming to our village. Since you are searching for the Miss Immortal, m-may I ask, is there some danger that has befallen her, prompting you esteemed young ladies to seek her out?”

"Danger? Village Chief, it seems you’ve misunderstood. Our master is not in any danger," Luo Xianxiu replied, speaking on behalf of her senior sister and Long Linglu. Once the village chief appeared more at ease, she continued, "As we mentioned earlier to your villagers, did our master visit this village about a month ago?"

"Yes, she did, esteemed lady. Miss Immortal came here about a month ago," the village chief confirmed.

Hearing this, Ruan Xiaoyue, excited to have found a lead on their master’s whereabouts, immediately spoke before Luo Xianxiu could continue.

"In that case, can you tell us where she went after leaving this village?"

"I’m afraid I don’t know, esteemed lady," the village chief admitted.

"…Then, what was she doing here when she visited?" Luo Xianxiu asked.

"Miss Immortal helped us rescue a child from our village who had fallen into the Death Pit," the village chief explained.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"I see…" Ruan Xiaoyue muttered. Feeling that their master’s visit to the village was solely to assist with rescuing the child, she concluded there were no useful clues to their search. She turned to her junior sister and Long Linglu, suggesting they continue their search elsewhere.

However, as she turned to Luo Xianxiu, she noticed her junior sister holding her chin, eyes focused in thought as if pondering something deeply. Curious about what her junior was thinking, Ruan Xiaoyue asked, "Junior Sister, what are you thinking about?"

"Oh? Well, I’m curious about something, Senior Sister," Luo Xianxiu replied. She then shifted her gaze to the village chief and posed a question. "Village Chief, earlier you mentioned that you thought our master was in danger. Could you explain why you came to that conclusion?"

"Of course, esteemed lady," the village chief began. "The reason I thought so is that, after Miss Immortal saved the child from our village by pulling them out of the Death Pit a month ago, she hasn’t returned even once to allow us to properly thank her. Furthermore, the child she rescued returned to the village alone without being accompanied by her. And now, seeing you esteemed ladies—her disciples—searching for her, I couldn’t help but assume that something bad might have happened to her."

"I see... Village Chief, did you not ask the child our master saved where she went after rescuing them?" Luo Xianxiu asked.

"I did ask, esteemed lady," the village chief replied. "The child told me that Miss Immortal left immediately after saving them, instructing them to return home alone because she was busy with something important."

Luo Xianxiu frowned, her brows furrowing at the explanation. The thought of her master abandoning a rescued child in a dangerous place seemed uncharacteristic. Growing suspicious, she requested the village chief to bring the child so she could question them directly.

Before long, the child her master had saved arrived, escorted by villagers at the chief's behest. The child seemed wary, especially toward Long Linglu, but Luo Xianxiu ignored his unease. Without hesitation, she questioned the child for more details about her master.

"Did you ask our master what she was busy with that made her leave you alone in such a dangerous place without ensuring you got home safely?"

"...I didn’t ask her, esteemed cultivator," the child replied, he wary expression softening as they turned to face Luo Xianxiu directly. "I didn’t want to anger Miss Immortal by prying into her affairs. Besides, before she left, she made sure to place me in a safe spot so I wouldn’t encounter any danger on my way back to the village."

The child’s response seemed reasonable, and his description of her master’s actions aligned with what Luo Xianxiu knew of her character. Feeling her suspicions ease, she prepared to ask the child which direction her master went after leaving. However, before she could speak, her senior sister, Ruan Xiaoyue, suddenly interjected with an accusation that reignited her doubts.

"They’re lying," Ruan Xiaoyue said flatly.

"This child is lying? Senior Sister, how can you be so sure they’re lying?" Luo Xianxiu asked, surprised.

"He behavior and words are suspicious," Ruan Xiaoyue replied, her gaze sharp as she scrutinized the child.

The child, with an innocent expression, looked confused as they addressed the two cultivators in front of them.

“I am not lying, esteemed cultivators. Why are you accusing me of such a thing?” the child asked, their face a picture of bafflement.

“Don’t bother denying it. I can sense the disgusting lies you’re weaving,” Ruan Xiaoyue snapped.

“That’s absurd! How can you accuse me of lying without any clear evidence? Is this how all disciples of the Miss Immortal behave—by falsely accusing ordinary people?” the child retorted angrily, glancing at the village chief and the surrounding villagers for support.

“You… How dare you insult my master by claiming we, her disciples, would stoop to false accusations!” Ruan Xiaoyue countered, her voice rising with indignation.

“I am not insulting Miss Immortal. It’s you who are tarnishing her name by accusing me unjustly without any basis!”

“You little—!” Furious at the child’s words, Ruan Xiaoyue, who was about the same age as the child, stormed forward, intent on striking them. However, before she could act, her junior sister stepped in, grabbing her arm firmly and speaking words that made her reconsider.

“Stop, Senior Sister! Look around you—there are too many people watching.”

“Luo Xianxiu, why are you stopping Ruan Xiaoyue? Just let her kill that disgusting human brat.”

“Miss Linglu, don’t cause more trouble! Do you want to tarnish our master's reputation in front of all these people watching?”

“Hmph! How could our master's reputation be ruined by killing a child who’s slandering her? It’s obvious he’s trying to degrade our master by pretending to be an ordinary person.”

“This child is pretending to be ordinary? Are you saying he’s a cultivator?” Luo Xianxiu asked as she released the grip she had on Ruan Xiaoyue.

“Yes! At first glance, this disgusting human brat looks like a regular mortal without any qi, but my sharp instincts can’t be deceived! I’ve sensed faint traces of qi leaking from his body, suppressed deliberately to make him appear ordinary!”

“What! How can you believe this horned demon? I’m just an ordinary human!” the boy, Liang San, shouted, his eyes darting toward the village chief and the villagers who now wore suspicious expressions after hearing Long Linglu's words.

“Hmph! How dare you call me a demon! As a descendant of true dragons, I will not tolerate such an insult—I’ll kill you for it!”

As Long Linglu declared this, both Ruan Xiaoyue and Luo Xianxiu noticed the boy’s expression change. His gaze turned icy as he glared at the three of them sharply and spoke with an air of arrogance.

“Heh! It seems I can no longer pretend to hide my strength like I did while I was hiding in this village.”

With those words, the boy—or rather, Liang San—swiftly drew a sword from his spatial ring. The weapon emanated a mysterious aura. Without hesitation, he used a footwork technique that propelled him directly in front of the unsuspecting Ruan Xiaoyue. In a single, lightning-fast motion, he swung his sword, decapitating her instantly.