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Chapter 155: Xuan Shu

“Talk alone?”

The Priestess couldn’t help but look puzzled.

“Why does this situation feel so familiar from not long ago… Is there something that can’t be said directly?”

Swallow smiled, but her words were as tight-lipped as ever.

“As someone who has owed a favor, I shouldn’t go against Miss Vilyric’s wishes, but there are some things I’m about to say that I suspect you wouldn’t want too many people to know, so…”

“…?”

Quietly exchanging glances with Miss Hen, the Black-haired Girl pondered for a moment before standing up and heading straight towards the shaded area outside the camp.

“Come with me.”

Not moving too far away, once they were hidden behind dense bushes that completely concealed the camp’s traces, the Priestess stopped, turned around, and looked back at the Black-haired girl with a ponytail who had been following her.

“Buzz~”

A faint golden barrier enveloped them with a casual wave of her hand, isolating their voices and senses.

“I hope what you’re about to say is truly worthwhile, or I might just get angry.”

“Hehe, I definitely won’t disappoint you.”

Unshaken by Vilyric’s somewhat threatening remark, once alone, Swallow’s already slightly suppressed excitement became even more pronounced, but it was as if she suddenly didn’t know how to start. After a moment of contemplation, she simply focused her gaze on the fox-shaped jade pendant hanging at the side of the White Robed Girl.

With a hint of implication, she said, “Last time we met… Miss Vilyric didn’t seem to be wearing it.”

“?”

The Black-haired Girl raised an eyebrow and nodded.

“Your observation is quite meticulous, but how I choose to dress should be my freedom.”

“That’s certainly true, but this ancient jade has a unique design, and looking at it always reminds me of a certain deceased friend… Miss Vilyric, may I ask how you came by it?”

Saying this, the ponytailed girl suddenly changed her tone.

“Or perhaps… it was originally yours?”

“… You called me out just to say this? Are you interrogating me? What reason do I have to answer your questions?”

Seemingly sensing the slight displeasure from the Black-haired Girl, Swallow’s expression changed, and she quickly apologized again.

“No, no, no! I didn’t mean to interrogate you! I was just too happy and momentarily lost my composure. Plus, there are some things I truly don’t know how to explain to you, I’m sorry…”

Observing the genuine expression from the other party, Vilyric frowned but managed to suppress her impatience.

“… Fine, tell me your true intentions. I dislike this kind of veiled probing.”

“Ah, I see. Your personality is as unchanged as ever, which somehow feels a bit reassuring, haha…”

The young female disciple from the Divine Spirit Sect composed herself, took a deep breath, and suddenly made a revelation.

“Miss Vilyric, you are the [Spiritual Fox Priestess], right, or should I call you by your true name—Miss Xī?”

Silence.

The light in the girl’s silver-blue eyes gradually deepened, yet she didn’t appear particularly shocked or flustered. Instead, she calmly replied with a straight face.

“Why do you think that?”

Seeing that the Black-haired Girl did not directly deny it or show excessive disgust, Swallow seemed relieved and quickly continued.

“There are several bases for my judgment. First… do you happen to remember the name [Xuan Shu]?”

“Xuan Shu? Xuan Shu…”

To be honest, Miss Vilyric had indeed encountered this name before.

Previously at Peach Blossom Peak, in expressing gratitude for numerous instances of assistance, Saint Peach Blossom had indulged her preferences and gifted the Priestess several ancient texts treasured by the former, which were even older than the “Lingyin Seeking Immortality Records,” truly rare collections passed down from a previous civilization.

These included comprehensive catalogs documenting various ancient mechanisms and biographies about the era before the chaos of evil demons, especially concerning many strong figures and ancient mythical beasts that were once famous.

Among them, the name [Xuan Shu] had indeed been mentioned.

Yes, Xuan Shu was a bona fide [person].

Gender: Female, Age: Unknown, Exact power level: Unclear, once served as the director of the Yin-Yang Department of the [Ten Thousand Nations Alliance] among the three major powers in the Ancient Spirit Realm a millennium ago.

And she was the last appointed director; after her, the Yin-Yang Department was destroyed in the chaos of the evil demons.

At that time, the Yin-Yang Department was said to differ significantly from the new Yin-Yang Department established by the four countries of the Ancient Spirit Realm today. They were not responsible for combat or eliminating rampaging evil demons; they merely engaged in calculations of heavenly secrets, predicting possible future disasters like earthquakes, floods, and various calamities, which would then be addressed by other departments of the Ten Thousand Nations Alliance.

You could say it was entirely an auxiliary institution.

Because they specialized in this field and mastered countless ancient esoteric arts passed down from previous civilizations, the Yin-Yang Department of the Ten Thousand Nations Alliance was certainly more adept than the current institution of the same name in calculating heavenly secrets.

Some of their top experts could even be said to rival that one-eyed mystic that Vilyric saw in the Lingyin Merchant Association, and Xuan Shu, as the last appointed director of the Yin-Yang Department, was the one to propose the unprecedented concept of the “Great Era,” predicting the forthcoming chaos of evil demons, allowing the Ancient Spirit Realm to prepare in advance and preserve their final lineage.

Although these past events have been buried in dust with the destruction of the previous civilization, a small number of survivors and texts from that era still hold great reverence for this powerful individual known as the “Heavenly Calculation Master,” and it was from there that Vilyric learned that name.

Many of her legacies have also been passed down to this era, forming the initial prototypes of the current divination methods.

To exaggerate a bit, this Xuan Shu could, in a sense, be dubbed the ancestor of divination techniques in the Ancient Spirit Realm over the past millennium.

Recalling various bits of information about this person in her mind, Vilyric still maintained her composed exterior.

“I’ve heard of it. And then?”

Swallow deeply gazed at the Black-haired Girl again, quickly displaying a respectful demeanor.

“Young lady, I am Xuan Shu.”

The Priestess’s heart skipped a beat.

Not merely because the statement sounded as absurd as “I, Qin Shi Huang, pay up!” from Blue Star, but more importantly, it was due to the sudden change in her form of address.

The term “young lady” had only been encountered once before by Vilyric.

That was when she had met Ming Lan from the Holy Empire; it was the first time she heard it from him.

In other words, this might be a specific term used by individuals close to the Spiritual Fox Priestess Ming Xi, and she was using this subtle method to prove her identity to Vilyric while, in turn, testing whether the latter truly was the Spiritual Fox Priestess.

“…”

This girl appeared youthful on the outside, but her thoughts appeared to be more sophisticated than expected. If she were truly just a lucky individual who had acquired the fox pendant by coincidence without a deep understanding of the Spiritual Fox Priestess, she would likely reveal her flaws without realizing it.

Additionally, the source power that they had collectively formed earlier, representing existence, was evidently led by her. Swallow’s ineffable presence was nearly ten times that of the combined brilliance of the other two talented girls, not something an ordinary teenager could possess.

Perhaps she was not joking at all, and even…

“Oh, I understand… You saw everything that happened in the temple, including when I intervened? You intentionally allowed [Nameless] to capture you, didn’t you?”

Swallow was startled again, hastily bowing her head in sincere trepidation.

“Young lady, Xuan Shu never intended to spy! It was just… just something I had to do!”

“My shock was utterly indescribable. I never thought in my lifetime I would see you again in this manner!”

“Do you know? Not only me, but many people thought you had fallen when the chaos of evil demons was about to end, and we…”