The Immortal’s "White Moonlight" Reborn - Chapter 77

“Next time, you’re not allowed to kiss me for that long!”

“Immortal, thank you so much for your assistance last night.” The manager bowed deeply to Yun Heng. “I have some matters to discuss with you, if you have a moment.”

“Come in.” Yun Heng stepped aside to let the manager enter. Whatever they were about to discuss was certainly not fit for the public eye.

The manager expressed her gratitude once more, though she was so nervous she nearly tripped over her own feet while walking into the room. She kept her eyes strictly lowered, terrified of seeing something she shouldn’t.

The Immortal seemed to be in a good mood; even her voice was softer than usual. The manager didn’t dare let her mind wander too far into the why, fearing she might imagine something inappropriate.

She simply hoped a cheerful Immortal would be more agreeable. The situation in Shark Moon City was a tangled mess. The City Lord was still recovering from severe injuries, and last night’s events proved that the various factions now completely disregarded the authority of the manor. While she and her colleagues had tried to maintain a fragile balance, they couldn’t stop those who were hell-bent on stirring up the mud.

She didn’t want the City Lord to have to drag her broken body out to deal with these people, so she had decided to go against her superior’s wishes and seek help from the Immortal herself.

“Have you looked into what happened last night?” Yun Heng asked after closing the door.

“I have. It was a clash between the previous City Lord’s uncle and the Master of the Black Sea Pavilion. Although the Pavilion is nominally under the Immortal Realm’s jurisdiction, I’ve discovered they have secret dealings with the Demon Realm. I suspect a Demon Lord is backing them,” the manager replied. She hadn’t slept a wink, spending the entire night piecing the investigation together.

“The Demon Realm is indeed behind the Black Sea Pavilion,” Yun Heng nodded, though she wasn’t yet certain which specific faction they served. “What is your next move?”

“Last night’s fight left both sides wounded, but unfortunately, they both survived.” The manager’s eyes darkened with a flash of resentment. Why was her City Lord suffering so much while they remained alive and well?

She had also been investigating the ambush on the City Lord in the secret realm. The more she dug, the more suspicious it became. It didn’t feel like a coincidence; it felt like a meticulously planned assassination. They knew that as long as Bai Jiao was in charge, Shark Moon City would remain stable. To ruin the city, they first had to break its pillar.

The manager felt a chill down her spine just thinking about how many hands were involved in that shadow. She was certain the two men from last night were among them, and she wouldn’t let them enjoy their lives any longer.

“Before you stepped in last night, the uncle was losing. He is a petty, narrow-minded man who will never accept being a stepping stone for the Black Sea Pavilion. He has a close friend, a Golden Immortal demon king, who sneaked into the city this morning. I’ve already planted rumors to provoke him. With this new support, he will definitely strike again tonight.”

“I will lure them out to the Azure Sea. Let them fight however they wish. If they kill each other, all the better. But if any Golden Immortals are left standing, I must trouble you, Immortal, to ensure they remain in the sea forever.” Once their top-tier fighters were eliminated, the manager could move against the rest without hesitation.

Wen Qiwu gently squeezed her Senior Sister’s palm, her eyes filled with worry. Yun Heng squeezed back, offering a reassuring look.

“I understand your plan. However… have you discussed this with Bai Jiao?”

The manager stiffened for a moment before sighing. “The City Lord doesn’t know. She’s afraid of troubling you, but her injuries are so severe that I can’t let her handle this. That is why I have come to beg you.”

“When did Bai Jiao become so polite?” Yun Heng remarked with a hint of surprise.

“The City Lord, well… perhaps she’s just grown more reserved and steady with age,” the manager said awkwardly.

Having followed Bai Jiao for so long, the manager knew that while outsiders saw a dignified and powerful ruler, Bai Jiao had actually started out as a thick-skinned rogue. While she had indeed mellowed over the last century, a person’s core nature rarely changes completely. Her refusal to ask Yun Heng for help had initially surprised the manager, but at the time, her grief and anger had overshadowed the oddity of it.

“Reserved? That’s a rare sight. I remember back when…”

Yun Heng suddenly trailed off. Wen Qiwu immediately shook her hand, curious. “What happened back then?”

Even the manager looked up, momentarily forgetting her mission. She had a premonition that her City Lord probably hadn’t done anything honorable.

Sure enough, the Immortal continued: “I was quite young then, invited here to exorcise demons. She ended up swindling me out of half the immortal stones I had on me.”

The manager lowered her head again and closed her eyes in pain.

Sometimes, her superior truly made one want to take off a shoe and throw it at her. The manager tried to focus on how pitiful Bai Jiao looked right now just to find the heart to forgive her. Truly, the Immortal was magnanimous for still calling such a person a friend.

“May I ask how many stones she took? I will pay you back on her behalf,” the manager said tremulously. If Bai Jiao weren’t so badly injured, she wouldn’t be allowed to lie in bed in peace right now.

“That won’t be necessary. I got the stones back later, and she got a sound thrashing for it.” The younger Yun Heng hadn’t been as composed as she was now; she’d had a bit of a temper. After Bai Jiao won her trust only to rob her, a beating was inevitable.

Wen Qiwu bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud, mindful that the woman’s subordinate was right there. Senior Sister was actually scammed out of her money when she was little? That’s almost cute! The City Lord must be much older than her—stealing from a child, how wicked!

“She certainly deserved it,” the manager muttered, feeling strangely relieved that Yun Heng had gotten her revenge.

“I’ve kept in touch with her over the years, and I never felt her core personality had changed. That’s why I’m surprised she didn’t come to me,” Yun Heng said.

“Perhaps… because being ambushed and nearly killed in a secret realm is quite embarrassing? She might not want you to see her like that,” the manager suggested hesitantly.

“Is she really that type of person?” Yun Heng countered.

The manager’s internal response was an immediate ‘No.’ This was a woman who was once desperate enough to scam a child. Would she really let pride get in the way of such powerful assistance?

Wait…

The Immortal was usually a woman of few words. Why was she dwelling so much on the City Lord’s character today?

A sense of unease bloomed in the manager’s chest. She looked up at Yun Heng. An unsettling realization began to take shape.

Is the Immortal… warning me?

Her body trembled, and the color drained from her lips. A silent understanding passed between them.

“Tonight, I will keep an eye on the Azure Sea. I won’t let anyone who shouldn’t return come back. Don’t worry too much; Bai Jiao likely has her own plans,” Yun Heng comforted her.

“Thank you… Immortal,” the manager’s voice was dry. It was unclear if she had even processed the second half of the sentence. “Since you’ve traveled all this way, please stay in Shark Moon City a while longer. Once the internal strife is settled, I will personally prepare a thank-you gift on behalf of the City Lord.”

This was a gift the City Lord should have given herself. But if she no longer could, the manager would do it in her stead.

“Senior Sister, has something happened to the City Lord?” Wen Qiwu asked worriedly once the manager had left.

Yun Heng leaned in, placing a light kiss on her cheek. “She’s run into some trouble, but it’s alright now. There’s no need to worry.”

The ticklish sensation made Wen Qiwu nudge her away with a small pout. “Honestly, Senior Sister… the manager definitely noticed just now!”

The manager hadn’t hidden her shock well. Wen Qiwu was certain she had guessed why her lips were a bit swollen.

Yun Heng apologized immediately, her fingers gently grazing Wen Qiwu’s reddened lips. Her gaze darkened slightly. “Next time, I’ll make sure to heal you before we go out.”

Wen Qiwu nodded. “That’s more like it.”

Then she paused. Wait. Was “healing it” the problem here?!

“I mean next time you’re not allowed to kiss me… for that long! My recovery rate is better than most Golden Immortals. If it was just a short kiss, I’d be healed by the time I walked out the door!” The little Phoenix looked ready to ruffle her feathers.

Yun Heng’s eyes were full of warmth and amusement. She pulled her Junior Sister into her arms and spoke softly until the grumpy little Phoenix was finally calmed.

Wen Qiwu leaned against her, returning to the topic of the City Lord. “As long as she’s okay. Safety is more important than anything.”

Having nearly faced a permanent parting themselves, they both understood the value of simply being alive. As long as one was alive, there was a future.

“She’ll be fine. She just has to suffer a bit of a lesson. Consider it a wake-up call.” Bai Jiao had enjoyed peaceful days for too long and had grown complacent. This was a necessary reminder.

Yun Heng looked toward the Azure Sea. Though the window was shut, her divine sense pierced through the thin wood to the distant horizon.

The Dragon Gate altar had been completed. Stone pillars stood tall in the sea, carved with dragons that looked as if they could leap into the sky at any moment.

Whether it was her imagination or not, Yun Heng felt the expressions on those stone dragons weren’t majestic, but rather… twisted and sinister.

Why did the Demon Realm choose this specific Dragon Gate ceremony? Was there something different about this one?

Yun Heng didn’t believe their only goal was to seize a minor city. Shark Moon City was far from the Demon Realm, separated by the Start-Spirit Domain and bordered by the East Brilliance Domain to the north. If they took the city, they would face a multi-front siege with no hope of reinforcements. No, the city wasn’t the prize.

Then… it had to be the Dragon Clan’s inheritance.

In the tightening atmosphere of the town, rumors began to spread among both humans and demons. Some said the Heaven-Divining Sect had calculated that the Dragon Gate would open this time, but would only allow one being to cross and claim the inheritance. Looking at the city, the most likely candidate was the Master of the Black Sea Pavilion.

Most of these rumors praised the Pavilion while mocking the former City Lord’s uncle as worthless. A silent ripple of immortal power vibrated through the city; everyone speaking out of turn was secretly marked.

The vengeful half-demon planned to deal with those people only after he had killed the Pavilion Master. He had intended to move slowly, but the news from the Heaven-Divining Sect made him restless. He too craved the inheritance. He had to eliminate his greatest rival before the ceremony began and his “friend,” the demon king, as well. Once the Gate opened, even an ally would become a competitor. He had to prepare.

Others felt the same. Violent undercurrents formed beneath the surface of the sea. As darkness fell, the first victim of the night signaled the start of the slaughter.

The war of Golden and Earth Immortals erupted on the water. Those too weak to reach the open sea fought in the dark alleys of the town. Before long, the scent of blood drifted through the streets.

“Be good. Don’t look.” Yun Heng covered Wen Qiwu’s eyes, shielding her from the carnage.

Support