“Did you come specifically to see me? I’m fine, it just hurts a bit here.”
Xiao Ran forced a smile, rubbing her chest.
The ailment of the heart requires a cure from the heart. The disciples from the Medicine Hut in the main hall scattered to care for other patients.
“Yes… right?”
“Not at all.”
“Congratulations, Young Master. Senior Sister Qin is wonderful, and you are wonderful too. The two of you being together is the best possible outcome, wuwu…”
I can’t compete. She’s simply not an opponent on the same level. Qin Xiang is far better than that evil woman and Huangmao, and far better than me too.
Xiao Ran’s little face fell, utterly convinced.
“Thank you.”
Could anything be more awkward than this? Yun Liu rubbed his nose, being congratulated by his “ex-wife” after an amicable breakup.
“But I… won’t admit defeat either. At the very least, I won’t lose to Ji Shiyu!”
Xiao Ran took a deep breath, pulling herself together. All of this was her own doing; she couldn’t blame anyone else.
“The Sunset Peak First Seat has a past connection with Miss Ruan’s master. I’ve already promised the elder that I will head to Guangming Ye after completing my Sword Furnace cultivation. It’s time for me to step out from under your protection and grow on my own.”
Yun Liu smiled and nodded. This was the mettle a true Female Lead should possess. It was also time for someone to inherit Huangmao’s Blessed Fate.
“The Sword Furnace is scorching hot, said to have deep ties to the ancient Fire God. Moreover, you are immune to Meteor Flame, so you might be able to explore it even deeper. Try using that mysterious cultivation method you obtained in the Illusion Pavilion to communicate with it. You might gain something.”
Having said this much, he hoped she could smoothly obtain her Special Weapon.
“Mhm, I will work hard to protect the Young Master!”
Xiao Ran squeezed out a smile.
But Yun Liu shook his head. “I won’t be going in. I have to go on a business trip out of town.”
The Sword Furnace’s spiritual energy concentration was a hundred times that of the current realm, greatly beneficial for cultivation advancement, especially for Fire Aspect Sword Cultivators.
But the Mingzun Holy Body was never short on spiritual energy, and Yun Liu didn’t need it either. Taking too big a step could lead to trouble. Ever since he started cultivating, the demonic energy from his Master had been inexhaustible, and the demonic arts gained from dual cultivation with Qin Xiang and Jing Tan’er were not yet fully digested. He absolutely could not let the Minghuang Cultivation Body take over as the dominant force in his body.
Just as Xiao Ran was about to press further, a rush of dark green, clear wind arrived, even faster.
“What? Put on your pants and you’re leaving? Where does this brat think he’s running off to!”
Ge Lan hooked an arm around Yun Liu’s neck, her smile amiable, her killing intent palpable.
“You think you can have your fill, wipe your mouth clean, and then not take responsibility? If you dare abandon your faithful wife to go back to the Royal Capital with Jing Tan’er to enjoy riches and honor, I’ll break all three of your legs!”
“Divine Tree of Yingzhou.”
Yun Liu slowly uttered three words.
Ge Lan’s expression changed drastically. She grabbed the rebellious son who had just spouted such wild talk and dragged him into the inner room for a detailed discussion, leaving the red-clothed girl bewildered in the wind.
“What do you think you’re doing? That’s not a place you should go!”
The Head of Qingxia Peak pulled Yun Liu into the intensive care unit and shooed all the other little girls out. The Ge Erniang who had just been swaggering before Yan Bingling’s “corpse” was now pacing back and forth, looking extremely uneasy.
“To bring Ah Lian back.”
“Even jokes have their limits. If even your Aunt Master can’t handle it, what makes you think you can? Don’t think just because you’ve reached Dan Forming you’re something special. There are always higher mountains and greater people beyond. The Yushen Family is not as easy to talk to as the Zhu Saint Royalty!”
“I know. That’s why Xiang’er can’t go. I alone am enough to recover face for Aunt Master.”
Yun Liu’s expression was deadly serious.
“Alone? Have you lost your mind?!”
Ge Lan’s face shifted through a spectrum of colors, pale then ashen. She wanted to stop him but didn’t know where to begin.
The white-robed youth before her was no longer just a disciple of the Shenhua Sect. He was a Shanhai Pavilion Deacon, the East Pole Pavilion Master. No one had the right to command him.
“I’m going with you too! Even if I die out there, I’ll bring the corpse back for a ghost wedding!”
Yun Liu: “???”
Qin Xiang: “???”
The madwoman’s words were shocking, but her concern for her foster son was undeniable.
“Alright, then it’s settled. We set off first thing tomorrow morning.”
“No, wait, I was just saying that casually, how did you…”
Yun Liu agreed readily. Ge Lan was stunned for a moment before immediately realizing she had been tricked.
He had been waiting for those very words. Qin Xiang’s “milk supply” wasn’t quite sufficient yet. But if her Master, at the Stage of Refining Void, joined the group as the “healer,” that would be completely overpowered.
“Tsk, you brat. Was it me you were targeting from the very start?”
“Of course. Is it wrong for a son to want milk?”
Yun Liu gave a thumbs-up, flashing a bright, white-toothed smile. The members of the dragon-slaying hero party were now quite clear.
The Trial of Fate?
Ge Lan fell silent for a moment, her heart stirring. She rarely adopted the serious demeanor of a Peak Head Seat, setting aside the jokes.
She knew Yun Liu well. He never did anything he wasn’t confident about. If he truly was the Child of Extreme Fate, then anything was possible.
From repairing his Qi Sea to the Great Competition, everything this child had created was a miracle.
As long as they brought the Divine Tree Fortune back to the Sea of Clouds and stepped into East Pole Province territory, the old folks there would back them up. No one would dare interfere.
“If you can truly save Ah Lian from the maw of that Evil Dragon…”
“That is precisely my intention.”
“Let me be blunt. If I get the feeling you’re seeking death, I will stop you at all costs and forcibly bring you back!”
Yun Liu smiled. “How could I bear to leave Xiang’er a widow.”
The current Ji Shiyu didn’t know how to properly use “Ao Tian,” but he was different.
He needed to borrow the power of Huangmao’s bloodline, borrow Ge Lan’s “milk supply,” and also borrow the swords of Shen Zhong and Yan Bingling.
All three were indispensable.
“Wait a minute, first thing tomorrow morning? That’s far too sudden! What about the Great Competition? Aren’t you participating?”
Ge Lan smacked her forehead. She glanced at the block of ice in the room, unsure if it had heard.
First the Master, then the disciple, causing chaos one after another at the Divine Tree of Yingzhou, each crazier than the last.
“Speaking of which, I should thank you. You helped me speed up my pace, allowing me to see the trajectory of Heavenly Fate.”
Yun Liu murmured to himself, taking a deep look at the silent Yan Bingling on the bed before turning to leave.
Sudden? He had been waiting for this day since he took charge of the Shanhai Pavilion.
This wasn’t Ji Shiyu’s script of defying the heavens. It was his script of lying flat.
Because he wished for it so, it was bound to happen.
“Oh no, oh no, it’s all over. Xiang’er is going to curse me to death, what should I do…”
Ge Lan clutched her head in her hands, pacing anxiously in circles, feeling she had done a bad deed with good intentions.
It had been so long since she’d left the mountain. The Sword Mark wasn’t on her either. She couldn’t just rely on two “bombs” to be the brat’s nanny.
Neither of them noticed that the exquisitely beautiful ice-sculpture face began to crack, fissures spreading across it, emitting waves of chilling demonic energy.
The Sword Heart reversed, splitting in two.
***
The first to know about her husband’s business trip was Qin Xiang. She didn’t mind staying behind to look after the home. She didn’t like water anyway, so this was a perfect opportunity to study the dual cultivation secret technique gifted by Mr. Kuai.
She couldn’t just seek her own pleasure; she had to find a way to make Xiao Yun feel good too.
She had stumbled her way up the mountain, her Qi Sea trembling, spiritual springs spraying everywhere… it was all a bit too sensitive.
Was that normal?
Tan’er wasn’t that exaggerated. She used all her energy on her voice, screaming like a pig being slaughtered.
Humming a tune, the Senior Sister packed her husband’s luggage with daily necessities and cultivation supplies, secretly tucking in a scarf she had sewn herself.
The sea winds were fierce, and land-based cultivators were prone to travel sickness. He absolutely had to be careful.