How could she be so unlucky?
Tears wouldn’t even come out! Yun Qingxue felt like she might just be the most unfortunate person in the world…
What a streak of bad luck—choking on food, running into ghosts at night, even drinking cold water could get her teeth stuck!
“Y-you… where are you?” Though terrified, Yun Qingxue mustered the courage to ask.
“Tch!” The other party let out a disdainful, haughty snort. “Why ask? Do you have some kind of idea about me? Let me tell you, drop those improper thoughts, or I won’t let you off easy.”
Yun Qingxue was speechless. *Dude, you’re seriously overthinking this!*
“Turn around!” the voice commanded imperiously.
Yun Qingxue numbly obeyed, turning around as a loud splash sounded behind her, as if something had emerged from the water.
Could it be… a… water… ghost?!
“Hey, don’t you dare run! You peeped on me bathing—you owe me an explanation!” The clear male voice shouted, but Yun Qingxue just kept running with her eyes tightly shut.
Not run? Only an idiot wouldn’t run! Rumor had it that water ghosts loved nothing more than finding replacements! Qiandai had fought tooth and nail just to give her a chance to live!
The thought of Qiandai made Yun Qingxue pick up even more speed.
“Little demon, where do you think you’re running?!” A whooshing sound came from behind—clearly, the other party was chasing her with wind magic.
No matter how fast Yun Qingxue’s legs were, they couldn’t outrun magic. Without even looking back, she could sense that whatever was behind her—whether ghost or demon, definitely not something good (what normal thing would bathe in the wilderness in the middle of the night?!)—was about to grab her.
Just then, a tree blocked her path. Yun Qingxue nimbly dodged to the side.
“Oof!” A pained cry followed by a dull *thud*.
Yun Qingxue glanced back to see a dark humanoid figure sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain.
After just one look, she turned and bolted again.
“Qingxue—!”
“Qingxue—where are you?!”
“Qingxue!”
Not far ahead, Liuying’s frantic calls reached Yun Qingxue’s ears. She turned around, inadvertently running back toward where she’d originally parted ways with Liuying.
Clearly, Liuying, whom she’d sent away earlier, had returned and realized she was missing.
Yun Qingxue stopped. She didn’t want to go to the Feather Clan with Liuying, but there was also that unknown *thing* chasing her relentlessly.
Her eyes darted around before landing on a nearby shrub. She dashed over and dove into it.
Liuying seemed to hear the rustling caused by Yun Qingxue’s movements and fluttered her wings, flying toward the sound.
“Qingxue—!”
“Qingxue, is that you?”
Buried deep in the shrub, Yun Qingxue focused her will and transformed back into her true form—a blue peony.
Then, something miraculous happened.
The bushes around her seemed to come alive, growing at an unnatural speed. In moments, they became so dense that Yun Qingxue was completely concealed.
The absurd growth rate of the shrubs startled her. The Xuanling Continent was no stranger to enlightened spirits…
Could it be… that these bushes she was hiding in had also attained enlightenment? If so, why were they wrapping her up so tightly?
“Qingxue!” Liuying’s voice rang out right above her. Yun Qingxue immediately stilled herself, holding her breath.
Liuying called out a few more times but, seemingly unable to find her, fluttered away.
“Oww! That hurt like hell!”
As soon as Liuying left, the same male voice from the stream piped up, full of resentment.
Yun Qingxue pretended not to hear. The bushes had her completely surrounded—as long as she stayed quiet, no one should find her.
“Hey! You, the peeper, come out! We need to talk!” The voice boomed confidently.
Yun Qingxue rolled her eyes internally. *”Talk my foot!”*
Just the thought that the water she’d drunk earlier had been “dirty water” soaking some unknown creature made her want to vomit. So gross! Never drink unfiltered water again!
If the guy hadn’t been using magic, she wouldn’t be hiding—she’d be punching him senseless!
“Hey! I know you’re nearby!” The voice shouted a few more times before pausing. Then, footsteps approached the shrub where she was hiding.
“Hmph! Will you come out, or do I have to drag you?”
Yun Qingxue stayed put.
After waiting impatiently, the voice finally snapped, “You asked for it!”
With that, the bushes in front of Yun Qingxue were forcefully parted.
In the darkness, she couldn’t make out the person’s face, only his silhouette—likely a young man.
“No one?!” The boy peered into the shrub, then stood up, muttering before casually using magic to close the bushes again.
Yun Qingxue quietly exhaled in relief.
But before she could fully relax, the bushes were yanked open again.
A flower and a person stared at each other in eerie silence.
“Flower King?!”
The boy scrutinized Yun Qingxue’s true form, eyes widening in surprise.
*He recognized me?*
Yun Qingxue wilted slightly.
The boy suddenly leaned in, examining her blue petals closely before declaring, “Yep! The bloodline of the Star-Blue Peony!”
Then, he jumped back, pointing at her accusingly. “You—! Stop pretending! Was it you who peeped on me bathing?”
Yun Qingxue didn’t move…
The boy kept staring.
“Ah! There’s a pig flying in the sky!” Yun Qingxue’s flower suddenly swayed, her voice full of amazement.
The boy instinctively looked up at the dark sky—and in that split second, Yun Qingxue transformed back into human form and bolted out of the bushes.
The boy barely had time to react before Yun Qingxue crashed into him, sending him stumbling sideways. He barely caught sight of a girl sprinting for her life.
“Freeze!”
The boy hastily pointed at Yun Qingxue, and she was instantly immobilized mid-run, frozen like a statue.
“Heh heh!” The boy smirked, leisurely strolling toward her. “Trying to outsmart me? You think you stand a chance?”
Yun Qingxue couldn’t even speak, but inwardly she raged: *Fight me fair and square! Using magic is cowardly!*
“Oh-ho, oh-ho!” The boy circled in front of her, studying her expression. “Judging by that look, you’re not happy, huh?”
Yun Qingxue: *Magic-users are dogs!*
“Alright, spill. Why’d you peep on me bathing? Got a crush on me?”
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