“Ha ha ha…” A wild and unrestrained laughter echoed through the night sky, followed by that melodious, zither-like voice once more: “By my master’s orders, I’ve come to retrieve my junior sister. There’s no need for the two of you to see us off!”
With those words, the figure vanished into the darkness like lightning, taking Yun Qingxue with him, completely disappearing from the sight of Shui Liu and Liu Ying.
“Dammit!” Shui Liu growled in frustration, while Liu Ying glared resentfully in the direction where Yun Qingxue had been taken.
The night wind carried a desolate chill…
Liu Ying suddenly turned her furious gaze toward Shui Liu. It was all this wretched man’s fault! If he hadn’t blocked their path, she might not have lost the Flower King!
Noticing Liu Ying’s glare, Shui Liu shot her a dark look in return. But after just a glance, he flicked his sleeve and stormed off.
Liu Ying glared a few more times at his retreating figure before reverting to her original form and fluttering away on her wings.
Under the cold moon and solitary stars, Yun Qingxue turned her head to study the new face of the person who had abducted her. Cang Yan had tried to use her, Shui Liu and Liu Ying had fought over her, and now, out of nowhere, this “Cheng Yaojin” had appeared…
What did this person want with her? Was it also to seize control of the Flower and Wood Clan by holding her hostage? Had she, the so-called “useless Flower King,” really become such a coveted prize?
Yun Qingxue felt like crying but had no tears left. How was she going to escape this time? And when, for heaven’s sake, would this nightmare ever end?
“Junior Sister, do I look good?” The man carrying her through the wind suddenly turned to face her, flashing a dazzling smile.
That smile seemed to light up the entire night. Yun Qingxue finally got a clear look at his features.
With just that one glance, she felt as though she was beholding the most exquisite masterpiece of creation.
His face was as flawless as jade, his eyes as bright as stars. His nose was straight and proud, and his lips, the color of pale petals, curled into a faint, bewitching smirk.
He was like a midnight seducer—just one look was enough to ensnare hearts and souls…
“Hiss~~~” A-Dai, coiled around Yun Qingxue’s wrist, flicked out its icy tongue, clearly worried its master might fall for this pretty boy’s charms.
“Good-looking!” Yun Qingxue nodded, her mind perfectly clear. She had no time to swoon over handsome men. So while her words were truthful, they were also entirely perfunctory.
The handsome man grinned, his eyes sparkling like stars as he gazed at her like a soul-stealing demon. “Junior Sister, you’re free to be infatuated with me!”
Who wants to be infatuated with you?!
Yun Qingxue rolled her eyes internally, silently muttering two words: “Narcissist!”
“Junior Sister?” The man called again with a smile.
Only then did Yun Qingxue notice how he was addressing her. Junior Sister?! What kind of game was he playing?
“Handsome, are you sure you’ve got the right person? I don’t even know you,” Yun Qingxue replied with a faint smile.
“No mistake here,” the man blinked, his starry eyes gleaming. “You are my junior sister. I’m here under our master’s orders to bring you back!”
“Who is your master?” Yun Qingxue pressed. She was genuinely confused. What was this stunningly handsome youth, who had abducted her the moment she left the Beast Clan, really up to?
“Zi Qu Sheng Jun,” the young man answered leisurely, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The name “Zi Qu Sheng Jun” exploded in Yun Qingxue’s mind like magic.
Was this Zi Qu Sheng Jun the same one Jin Lin had spoken of? Could it really be the same person—the legendary recluse of the Xuanling Continent, the very master she had longed to apprentice under?
Suppressing the shock those four words had caused, Yun Qingxue steadied her voice and asked, “Which Zi Qu Sheng Jun?”
The young man’s bright eyes fixed on her before he suddenly burst into laughter. “Ha ha ha ha~~~”
Yun Qingxue was baffled. Had she said something funny? She didn’t think so! Was this guy mentally unstable? Or just plain twisted? Who laughed like that for no reason?
After his fit of laughter, the young man’s sparkling eyes, still brimming with amusement, returned to her delicate face. “Junior Sister, that’s a hilarious question. Across the entire Xuanling Continent, there’s only one person revered as ‘Sheng Jun’—the one residing in Luoyun Mountain.”
Luoyun Mountain!
The formidable Zi Qu Sheng Jun Jin Lin had mentioned lived precisely there!
“But didn’t Zi Qu Sheng Jun set a rule that anyone wishing to become his disciple must personally journey to Chuxia Mountain in the southeast to pluck the Shuona Immortal Fruit and present it as a tribute before he’d accept them?” Yun Qingxue voiced her doubt.
“Oh, that?” The young man sounded almost dismissive. “Junior Sister, do you know when that old man established that rule?”
“Nearly a thousand years ago,” Yun Qingxue answered, recalling Jin Lin’s words.
“And in these thousand years, do you know how many have successfully picked the Shuona Fruit, and how many have survived bringing it to Luoyun Mountain?” the young man pressed.
“That… I don’t know,” Yun Qingxue admitted. Jin Lin had only mentioned that countless beings across Xuanling sought to become Zi Qu Sheng Jun’s disciple, but harvesting the Shuona Fruit was perilous. Even if one succeeded, carrying such a treasure from Chuxia Mountain in the southeast to Luoyun Mountain in the northwest would inevitably invite endless covetous attacks.
The young man sighed softly. “In a thousand years, not a single person has delivered the Shuona Fruit intact to Luoyun Mountain. The best attempt made it to the foot of the mountain, but before meeting our master, the disciple died from severe injuries sustained in countless battles along the way…”
“Master was deeply moved and buried that lone disciple in the flower fields at Luoyun Mountain’s base, granting him posthumous disciple status.”
Yun Qingxue nearly choked. What good was a posthumous title?!
“Then what about me? I haven’t even picked the Shuona Fruit. Why are you calling me ‘Junior Sister’?” she demanded. A-Dai, coiled around her wrist, tensed, ready to strike if the young man showed any ill intent.
“After waiting a thousand years for a disciple who died right at his doorstep, Master was understandably frustrated. With fewer and fewer daring to risk the journey, he grew even more disheartened…” the young man mused aloud.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage