After Jun Shuxue pushed Mingyue into the Azure Wave Pond, she, like Tian Jian, watched the water's surface with nervous attention. However, her hopes were the exact opposite of Tian Jian's. Tian Jian wished for Ji Shiyou and Mingyue to appear soon and return safely, while she hoped both would perish at the bottom of the pond and never resurface.
As time passed, they waited from afternoon until late night. Only when the stars had all faded and the eastern sky showed the rising sun did Ji Shiyou and Mingyue appear. Jun Shuxue's heart leaped with joy. They had been gone for so long. They must have been no match for the Azure Wave Great Immortal and perished at the bottom of the lake.
"Senior Brother Tian, Senior Brother and that demoness have been down there for so long. They still haven't come up. Who knows how much longer we'll have to wait? We've already waited half a day and a night. Do we have to keep waiting? We weren't out here for sightseeing. We're carrying out the Palace Master's orders to complete a mission in Sifang Mountain. Time is pressing. Why don't we set off first? Senior Brother's cultivation is profound. We can't help much by staying here, and it's a waste of time. If Senior Brother kills the Azure Wave Great Immortal, he'll surely catch up to us. Think about it, if we miss the appearance of the rare treasure and fail the mission, none of us can bear the responsibility."
Jun Shuxue walked up to Tian Jian, using the urgency of the mission as an excuse to demand they leave and head for Sifang Mountain. As soon as Jun Shuxue spoke, half of the Golden Crow Palace disciples nodded in agreement. They feared the Palace Master of the Golden Crow Palace would punish them if they failed the mission. Although they all called each other Senior Brothers, the Palace Master of the Golden Crow Palace had only one direct disciple, Ji Shiyou, which was why the disciples of the Golden Crow Palace all called him Senior Brother. The other disciples were taught by the Transmission Elders, their status far inferior to Ji Shiyou's. Some disciples the Palace Master couldn't even name, so naturally, they feared punishment.
"Junior Sister Jun, what are you saying? Senior Brother and Fairy Mingyue went into the pond to eliminate a demon for the innocent villagers. Their lives are now uncertain, and you're trying to instigate Second Senior Brother to lead us away. Do you have any sense of martial ethics or camaraderie? If you want to leave, then leave. I won't leave until Senior Brother returns. Even if I fail the sect mission and the Palace Master punishes me, I'll accept it."
"Second Senior Brother, why don't you let me go down and see what the situation is like below? I'm dying of anxiety just waiting here."
Seeing that some Senior Brothers agreed with Jun Shuxue's proposal, Second Senior Brother also showed hesitation. Nu Tao immediately retorted and then pleaded with Tian Jian. He had joined the sect the latest and wasn't very bright. Everyone usually looked down on him. Only Ji Shiyou, despite his aloof nature and reluctance to get close to others, treated him like a child, taking good care of him in cultivation and daily life. Therefore, upon hearing that Jun Shuxue wanted to abandon Senior Brother and head to Sifang Mountain immediately, he immediately objected and offered to go down to investigate the situation.
"You? You haven't even mastered the Water Evasion Art. You'll drown within fifteen minutes of going down. And you want to go down to investigate? You'll just be a burden to Senior Brother. We won't stop you if you want to go die, but don't delay everyone's time. Talking about eliminating harm for the villagers is just delaying important matters and looking for trouble. Useless people should know their place and keep their mouths shut. I'm discussing matters with Second Senior Brother, don't interrupt and meddle with your lack of discernment!"
Jun Shuxue had always looked down on this foolish junior brother and always made things difficult for and ridiculed Nu Tao. Seeing Nu Tao object to her, she immediately spoke with sharp sarcasm.
"Alright, Junior Sister Jun, Junior Brother is just worried about Senior Brother. As an elder sister, why do you have to humiliate him like this? How about this: we'll wait a little longer. When daylight comes, if Senior Brother still hasn't surfaced, you can take half the disciples to Sifang Mountain to carry out the sect mission. I'll lead the rest of the people here to await Senior Brother. If it comes to it, I'll go down to check the situation."
Tian Jian saw that his junior brother's face had turned pale from Jun Shuxue's anger, and veins were bulging on his neck. He immediately stepped in to mediate. He was smooth in handling matters and proposed a solution that wouldn't offend either party. Thus, no one spoke, and silence fell upon the shore again.
"It's dawn. Whoever is willing to follow me, let's set off now."
Jun Shuxue said to everyone with an arrogant demeanor. She was already certain that Ji Shiyou and Mingyue would not return, so she was eager to lead them away.
Just then, the water of the Azure Wave Pond churned. Ji Shiyou, holding Mingyue's hand, stepped onto the shore. Jun Shuxue stared venomously at the two, surrounded by their fellow disciples. She cursed inwardly, "This pair of dogs and bitches, they're not dead!"
Her gaze was caught by Ji Shiyou. Ji Shiyou glared at her sharply. At the bottom of the pond, Mingyue had told Ji Shiyou that she was pushed into the Azure Wave Pond, but she was focused on the surface and didn't know who had framed her. Ji Shiyou hadn't said anything at the time but had already identified Jun Shuxue, as no one else would dare to be so bold. However, without any evidence, he couldn't deal with her arbitrarily. Therefore, seeing Jun Shuxue's malicious gaze, Ji Shiyou could only warn her with his eyes.
Jun Shuxue saw Ji Shiyou's gaze but thought, "What are you looking at? You vixen! Putting on a show. If it weren't for Ji Shiyou's residual influence, with your cultivation, you would have been exposed long ago." Thinking this, Jun Shuxue suddenly had an idea. She walked up to Ji Shiyou and said with feigned concern, "Senior Brother, you're finally back. We were all worried to death. Why are your clothes so torn? They look like they've been ripped apart. Did you engage in close combat with the Azure Wave Great Immortal?"
Immortal sect cultivators fought with immortal arts during battles. Only those with insufficient cultivation would resort to fisticuffs and close combat. Jun Shuxue's words were intended to remind everyone that with Senior Brother's cultivation, his clothes being so tattered during a fight was abnormal. This was because the Senior Brother in front of them was not Ji Shiyou, but that low-cultivation demoness, Mingyue. In reality, Mingyue's cultivation was no lower than hers; otherwise, she wouldn't have been knocked unconscious and abducted that day. It was just that the disciples of the Golden Crow Palace usually deliberately let her win during their spars, giving her a delusional confidence in her cultivation, making her believe she was only caught off guard that day and that Mingyue had only succeeded in a sneak attack. Mingyue's true cultivation must be inferior to hers.
"Let's go."
Facing the issue of his torn clothes, Ji Shiyou chose to evade. What could he say? That Mingyue tore them? So, he could only make a mental note of Jun Shuxue's transgression. With a grim expression, he ordered them to set off, hoping to find a flaw in Jun Shuxue's scheme against Mingyue on the way. He held grudges for anything related to Mingyue.
Seeing Senior Brother's displeased expression, everyone immediately dared not ask further. They tidied their belongings and prepared to set off. But Jun Shuxue was brainless. Ji Shiyou and Mingyue returning safely hand in hand had already infuriated her to the point of losing her reason. Thinking that the Senior Brother giving orders was the demoness Mingyue, and recalling that Mingyue's cultivation was inferior to hers, she decided to take a risk and expose Mingyue's disguise. As Ji Shiyou turned away, she repeated her tactic. She channeled all her cultivation and struck Ji Shiyou's back with a palm. She was confident that if she hit him with this palm, condensed with all her cultivation, Mingyue would either die or be severely injured. Then, she could prove that this person was not Ji Shiyou. Even if Ji Shiyou was enraged, the other Senior Brothers would side with her.
Consumed by hatred, Jun Shuxue's attempt at assassination failed. Her brainless action turned into an open attack, but she didn't know that Ji Shiyou and Mingyue's swapped bodies had already been restored.