Chapter 291: Eating Humility

Jin Lin fell to the ground ungracefully, barely having time to react before a bolt of lightning, slightly thinner than a bucket, struck him directly.

“Cough…!”

As soon as Jin Lin opened his mouth, a puff of black smoke escaped. The once elegant and dashing Dragon King instantly turned into a charred lump.

“I saw you jumping around so frantically, so I decided to lend you a hand. No need to thank me!”

Mo Changxing’s tone remained indifferent as he delivered the icy remark.

Jin Lin’s eye twitched violently, as if he were one breath away from challenging the King of the Underworld to a game of chess.

“You… win…” he gritted out through clenched teeth, though his gaze remained sharp. He dusted himself off with a purification spell, and in an instant, the charred Dragon King transformed back into the refined, handsome gentleman he had been before.

Now standing tall and composed once more, Jin Lin made an important decision: revenge was a dish best served cold.

No one should ask why he suddenly abandoned his immediate plans for retaliation. After all, the wisdom of kings was beyond ordinary comprehension!

“Senior Brother!” Jin Lin sidled up to Mo Changxing, slinging an arm over his shoulder. “Don’t you think we’ve both been played by our master?”

Mo Changxing looked at him, his expression clearly conveying four words: “You—just—figured—that—out?!”

Jin Lin felt his intelligence was being questioned.

Fine, maybe his phrasing was off. Time to change the subject.

“We’ve been wandering around this Yunhuang Illusion for nearly half a year now, and not only have we seen no trace of Xuexue, but we haven’t even run into that Yun Sisi again.

Do you think that woman might have encountered Xuexue before us?

I mean, I have faith in Xuexue, but Yun Sisi is downright vicious!”

“Qingxue is fine,” Mo Changxing stated firmly.

“I know that!” Jin Lin retorted, raising an eyebrow. “But I can’t help worrying about my Xuexue.

In this godforsaken place, is she eating well? Staying warm? Could she be hurt by something…?”

“Qingxue has mastered magic and no longer needs sustenance. Your concern is… unnecessary,” Mo Changxing shot back mercilessly.

Jin Lin:

So much for pleasant conversation!

“It’s because I care that I worry about every little thing for her,” Jin Lin said with a sudden, soft smile.

“Unrequited love,” Mo Changxing spat coldly before soaring away on the wind.

Jin Lin hurried after him, continuing, “What I don’t get is, if both the Demon King and our master say Qingxue is the Demon Princess, then who the hell is Yun Sisi?

I distinctly remember that the previous Flower King, Lan Xuechen, only had one daughter!”

“No comment,” Mo Changxing refused flatly.

—

**Bamboo Forest**

A gentle breeze rustled through the bamboo leaves, their whispers filling the air. The sky stretched vast and blue, clear as if freshly washed.

Yun Qingxue sat atop a smooth, protruding rock, her gaze distant and misty, fixed on some unseen point.

Four months ago, she had entered the secret training passage with Daise, Liuli, and Adai, along with the remaining members of the Bamboo Clan. Her cultivation had improved significantly since then.

But alongside her progress came an increasingly frequent, excruciating pain that gnawed at her bones.

Several times during her training, the sudden agony had nearly driven her to qi deviation.

And with each breakthrough, the pain struck more often.

After just two months in the passage, the relentless torment made further cultivation impossible.

To avoid worrying the others, she kept it to herself.

Over these four months, while her own progress stalled, everyone else had made great strides.

Zhu Tao of the Bamboo Clan had advanced from the Perception Stage to the early Gathering Spirit Stage. Zhu Bai had risen from the Illusion Stage to mid-Perception.

Adai and Liuli were making their final push, striving to reach a level where they could assume human form.

Normally, aside from the Flora Clan, members of the Beast, Aquatic, and Avian Clans would awaken their spiritual awareness, enter the Enlightenment Stage, and after a century or so of cultivation, reach the Illusion Stage to transform into human form, freely switching between their true and human shapes.

But perhaps due to their unique constitutions, Adai and Liuli, despite being at the late Gathering Spirit Stage, still couldn’t assume human form. Fortunately, with the aid of the bat demon’s core and two precious orbs, their transformation wasn’t far off.

Among them all, Daise had undoubtedly progressed the fastest.

In just four months, she had advanced from the Illusion Stage, through the early, mid, and late Perception Stages, to the early Gathering Spirit Stage, and then to mid-Gathering Spirit.

Now, Daise was seizing the last few days to push toward the late Gathering Spirit Stage.

In two days, regardless of whether they achieved their goals, Yun Qingxue would have to lead the three of them away from the Bamboo Clan and begin searching for their original entry point.

As for the strange affliction plaguing her, she planned to consult her master in secret upon their return.

“Master!”

Yun Qingxue was lost in thought when a boy of about twelve or thirteen, clad in red, appeared nearby.

Despite his youth, the boy had striking purple hair and skin as flawless as polished jade. Beneath his delicate brows, his dark eyes gleamed like obsidian.

He was an exceptionally handsome child, his flamboyant red robes doing nothing to diminish his masculinity.

But… the only discordant notes were his exaggerated swagger and—

The oversized folding fan in his hand, utterly mismatched for his age!

Imagine a preteen boy strutting like a pompous young master, casually fanning himself with a giant fan…

Anyone witnessing this scene would likely twitch an eyebrow and mutter, “Whose brat is this?”

The boy quickly approached Yun Qingxue, flashing a grin that revealed a row of pearly white teeth.

“Master, don’t I look dashing like this?”

As he spoke, he struck a few poses he deemed particularly suave.

“You’re… Adai?” Yun Qingxue raised an eyebrow.

“Yep!” The red-clad boy nodded eagerly.

Without hesitation, Yun Qingxue reached out and pinched Adai’s still-chubby cheeks.

Adai’s face could be described in a few words: bouncy, soft, and tender!

After a few playful tugs, Adai’s fair skin flushed tomato-red.

“M-Master… Adai is a boy… It’s not… proper for you to pinch me like this!”

Yun Qingxue burst into laughter, teasing, “Oh my, my little Adai can blush too!”