Chapter 145: Reunion

When Yinyao awoke and transformed back into her human form, Ji Xuanyu and the Silver Fox were already awake. After a brief cleanup, the three of them resumed their journey. According to the Silver Fox's calculations, they would reach the border area within three days.

Setting out from the Phoenix Clan, Yin Su and Feng Yi traveled at top speed toward the territory of the White Fox Clan. By now, news regarding each of them was gradually spreading across the continent: Yinyao was the niece of the White Fox Clan's patriarch; Lisu was the next heir to the reclusive Li family; and news of Gu Shenyu had also reached them during their travels, revealing that he had become the heir to the Tiger Clan. Meanwhile, Yin Su herself was already one of the candidates for the heir of the Phoenix Clan. No matter who it was, each of them possessed extraordinary fortunes.

However, there was not much news about Ji Xuanyu's friend. His appearance had coincided with Yinyao's, and the moment people inquired about Yinyao, they learned he was already by her side.

First, go find Yinyao; then, go find Gu Shenyu; and finally, Lisu.

"Granny Feng Yi, which way should we go next?" Yin Su gazed into the distance and turned to ask Feng Yi, who was walking behind her.

"We need to take a detour through the Dragon Clan. They possess a unique ability that can rapidly transport people across vast distances—a speed our teleportation simply cannot compare to!" Feng Yi had planned this out long ago. With her status, securing permission to pass through their territory would certainly not be a problem.

Yin Su nodded. "Ah, alright. I wonder how long it will take us to reach the Dragon Clan?"

"About three days, I suppose! We've already traveled at the utmost speed, so there's no need to be anxious. Your friends are very safe right now; I'm sure they are all cultivating their own strengths! You don't need to worry." Feng Yi chuckled softly, signaling Yin Su to relax.

Smiling faintly, Yin Su said nothing more.

In another direction, Gu Shenyu and his good master were bickering and chasing each other along the road. To all appearances, the two of them were carefree and nonchalant. Yet, if one observed their pace closely, it was evident that both were traveling at their absolute maximum speed. The bickering was merely a lighthearted joke to ease the tension.

"Master, we should arrive in three days, no matter what! If you hadn't insisted that the Dragon Clan possessed some special ability to help us teleport to other territories, I never would have followed you on this detour!" Gu Shenyu said with his usual cheerful smile.

Grandpa Roasted Chicken couldn't be bothered to entertain his long-winded, good-for-nothing disciple. He merely shot him a faint glance. "If you don't believe me, you can go look for it yourself—just don't come running back crying later! I don't have that kind of idle time to play games with you!"

Was this supposed to be a game?! Ah?! This was clearly a matter of utmost importance, alright! How could anyone call this playing? Besides, didn't Grandpa Roasted Chicken desperately want to meet the descendants of Senior Mo Qin? Didn't he also hope to see his old friend through Mo Qin's descendants? Honestly!

Ignoring Gu Shenyu's sour expression, Grandpa Roasted Chicken strode forward on his own. Gu Shenyu naturally followed closely behind. Depressed as he might be, his good master was still undeniably capable! Well, some grievances were better left uncounted!

Lisu, who had set out from the Li family estate, and Yin had also arrived at the edge of the Dragon Clan's territory. However, they could not enter openly; after all, they were essentially there to steal something.

Last night, Yin had mentioned that the fatal weakness of the water-controlling Dragon Clan was fire. If only they could find someone with fire-controlling abilities—water and fire were natural opposites. It was a pity that finding a fire-controlling adept in such a short time was utterly impossible.

Lisu thought of Ji Xuanyu, the one who wielded the power of the Flame Dragon. If Ji Xuanyu were here right now, Yin probably wouldn't have to worry so much! Ji Xuanyu's strength was formidable, and upon arriving here, his power would undoubtedly increase drastically, making it a breeze to deal with the water dragons.

For some reason, Lisu had never paid much attention to the matter of the White Fox Clan patriarch's niece. Perhaps the Yin by his side had simply absorbed all his attention, leaving him with no spare mind for anything else. Had he spared even a fraction of his focus, he might have already realized the existence of two different individuals named "Yin Yao" in this world.

Though coming from different directions, they were all heading toward the same destination.

"Master, it's been three days. Are we there yet?" Gu Shenyu wailed.

Grandpa Roasted Chicken turned around and glared at Gu Shenyu. "Stop howling! Are you blind? Can't you look for yourself? We're almost there. If you say another word, I'll dump you right here and let you figure out how to walk out on your own!"

Gu Shenyu obediently shut his mouth, but it wasn't long before he spoke up again: "Master, listen. Do you hear other people nearby? Why do I feel like I hear footsteps coming from several directions? They're very faint, but I can still sense them."

Grandpa Roasted Chicken cast a mild glance at Gu Shenyu. His vigilance wasn't half bad. "Mhm. Three directions. Judging by the footsteps, there should be two people on the left, three on the right, and one person directly ahead of us—though the breathing pattern ahead indicates two people!"

"It's getting dark. Should we hide or confront them head-on?" Gu Shenyu looked up at the sky; the sun had long since vanished, and dusk was rapidly sinking into deep night.

"Don't make a sound. Lighten your footsteps, take it slow. There's a cave up ahead, let's head over there!"

Gu Shenyu nodded and carefully made his way toward the cave. Little did he know that the cave had already caught the eye of two other parties, so how could things possibly go as he wished?

"Yao'er, did you hear any other sounds?" The Silver Fox halted in her tracks, concentrating fully.

Yinyao and Ji Xuanyu exchanged glances and nodded. Indeed, they had heard them too.

"Hurry up. There's only one place to rest here, and if we're late, it might get snatched away." The Silver Fox broke into a sprint, moving swiftly ahead.

Knowing that her human form could not hold out much longer, Yinyao increased her pace as well, unwilling to become a burden to Ji Xuanyu and the others. Ji Xuanyu followed closely behind Yinyao, standing ready to catch her the moment she reverted to her nine-tailed fox form.

Not far away, the Yin in Lisu's arms stirred restlessly, though she quickly grew quiet. Lisu looked anxiously into Yin's eyes; when Yin was in her white fox form, they mostly communicated through gazes.

Yin shook her head. Just now, she had clearly sensed Yinyao's presence. As they neared the time of their mutual transition, the connection between them was at its strongest, which was how Yin knew Yinyao was nearby.

More importantly, she had actually sensed the presence of her mother!

An encounter was unavoidable, and recognition was equally inevitable. The exposure of their true identities could no longer be delayed.

How would Lisu react if he saw the real Yinyao? He would surely hate her, wouldn't he? If not for her, he would have gone off to search for the true Yinyao long ago instead of remaining by her side.

She didn't know when it had started, but Yin's feelings for Lisu had grown deeper and deeper, far transcending her initial intentions of mere utilization. She had fallen in love, yet in Lisu's eyes, she was someone else entirely.

While Yin was caught in a tangle of inner torment, Yinyao felt a sharp, violent pain in her head, accompanied by an inexplicable wave of familiarity. Yinyao closed her eyes and perceived her surroundings. She had a strong intuition that that mysterious woman—her sister—was nearby.

"May I ask who is out there? Would you be so kind as to announce yourselves? Since everyone is already aware of each other's presence, there's no need to keep hiding in the shadows. I am Feng Yi of the Phoenix Clan." Feng Yi channeled her spiritual energy into her voice, effectively letting the three people hiding in the dark gauge her strength.

Hearing Feng Yi's voice, Grandpa Roasted Chicken was quite surprised. They belonged to the same generation; he had heard not long ago that Feng Yi had broken through to the Void Emperor realm and come out of seclusion, but he hadn't expected it to be true.

"Feng Yi, it's been a long time." Grandpa Roasted Chicken's hearty voice rang out as he led Gu Shenyu toward the cave entrance.

"Oh, so it's Second Uncle Tiger. What a rare surprise, I never expected to run into you here!" Hearing a familiar voice, Feng Yi also let out a sigh of relief.

"It certainly is rare. I wonder who the other two parties might be?" Grandpa Roasted Chicken pivoted smoothly.

"Silver Fox of the Spirit Fox Clan."

"Lisu of the reclusive Li family."

"What?!?" Gasps of astonishment rang out simultaneously from four different directions. It was precisely these cries of surprise that revealed each other's presence.

"Yinyao!"

"Yin Su!"

"Ji Xuanyu!"

"Gu Shenyu!"

"Lisu!"

Lisu looked at the Yin who had transformed into human form, and with a beaming smile, flew forward with her. In his excessive excitement, Lisu failed to notice the stiff expression on Yin's face.

When everyone gathered at the cave entrance, gasps of shock rose in waves.

Two "Yinyaos."

What on earth was going on?!

Yinyao understood, the Silver Fox understood, Ji Xuanyu and Yin all understood! The gazes of the four intertwined.

"Sister." In the end, it was Yinyao who broke the silence, calling out to the woman standing beside her who looked almost identical to her.

"Yao'er. We've met after all. Mother, hello. I am Yinsheng. I hope you won't be angry that I chose this name for myself." Yin's full name was Yinsheng, and she smiled genuinely at Yinyao and the Silver Fox.

Yinyao had not yet transformed back into the nine-tailed fox, though she was very close. Everyone else, aside from Ji Xuanyu, wore expressions of complete bewilderment, though they knew this was not the time to interrupt.

"Yao'er, I never imagined we could appear at the same time! Ah, of course, the time for our decisive fate is drawing near." Yinsheng reached out and clasped Yinyao's hand. A trace of sorrow permeated the air.

"Sheng'er, I'm sorry." The Silver Fox looked at Yinsheng's expression and gestures, feeling a pang in her heart. Her desperate haste to rescue Mo Qin stemmed from the hope that Mo Qin might find a way to preserve the lives of her two daughters.

"No, Mother, you don't need to blame yourself too much. I understand. I understand your choice back then. Rest assured, I have already been searching for materials according to the secret formula you left behind. As long as we find them, neither my sister nor I will die!" Yinsheng smiled gently.

The Silver Fox grasped Yinsheng's hand with trembling excitement. "Sheng'er, how many have you found already? How much time do you and Yao'er have left!?"

"Seven days. We only need the final ingredient—the Water Spirit—which is why I came to the Dragon Clan." Looking at the Silver Fox's agitated and worried expression, Yinsheng felt a sudden urge to cry.

"Then we're fine, everything will be fine." The Silver Fox nodded with relief. "Let's go seize the Water Spirit. With Ji Xuanyu here, I believe they will hand it over! Ji Xuanyu is the last of the Flame Dragons within the Dragon Clan; they will give it to us!"

...

After the mother and daughter were reunited, explanations followed.

"Lisu, I'm sorry. I am not Yinyao. I deceived you and utilized your feelings for Yao'er." Yinsheng lowered her head to apologize to Lisu.

Yet at that moment, Lisu didn't know what to think. The person he thought he loved was Yinyao, but his interactions with Yinsheng had subtly changed everything. He had believed he would always love Yinyao, but his feelings for Yinsheng were undeniable.

"Lisu, are you alright?" Yinyao asked with concern.

"I'm fine." Meeting Yinyao's slightly worried gaze, Lisu shook his head.

...

Yinyao transformed into her nine-tailed fox form, and the group deliberated throughout the night.