Chapter 117: You!

Qin Xing and Jing Tan’er finally felt relieved, but their hearts began to worry about the situation on the other side.

The Black Crow Captain’s motives were unclear, and Yun Liu being alone was truly dangerous.

“By the way, where’s Xiao Xinran?”

“I don’t know, she should be with Yun Liu.”

Ji Shiyu sat on a tree branch, resting her chin in her hands.

Unable to see the teacher, she began to feel uncomfortable all over again, as if hemp-clad bugs were crawling on her.

Damn it, she shouldn’t have listened to Yun Liu and obediently gone back to the room.

She didn’t even know if things were safe over there, or if he was using Divine Oil carelessly on other women.

The Divine Bird came and went without a trace.

Only a little yellow chick squatted on top of the blonde girl’s head, grooming its feathers, completely unaware of its guilt as the culprit.

Although the process was a bit absurd, at least it had completed the task Yun Liu entrusted to it—mother and daughter were safe!

Jing Tan’er looked up at the night sky but couldn’t find where the other half of the ship had fallen. Worry filled her heart.

***

There were few passengers on the treasure ship that fell to the other side; most were Black Crow Guards gathered on the upper deck at the bow.

Yun Liu stood atop the mast holding Xiao Xinran, his face grim.

“Master, let’s leave here quickly!”

Jing Rui hurried back, kneeling in front of her master.

Her beautiful face was pale with fear, unsure how to end things—she just wanted to abandon her subordinates and escape.

After operating for so many years, nothing had ever happened on the Spirit Boat route.

It was all because of that blinding fire chicken that came out of nowhere!

“Look at the mess you’ve caused.”

“Master, please calm your anger!”

Yun Liu stared into the dark night sky, not thinking as he called out softly, “You.”

Hearing the strange sound from the young man, Jing Rui looked up in confusion.

“Present, at your service.”

A phantom floated in the air, transforming into a purple-clad You Girl who suddenly materialized.

Without a word, Youyou spread her arms.

The shadow behind her shot out and quickly wove into a giant net among the trees.

Darkness fell.

The Spirit Boat crashed down heavily, landing in the Shadow Net.

Its momentum instantly dissipated, and the burning areas were covered in shadow, extinguishing rapidly.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, you!”

The Miss Board Girl stuck out her tongue in a salute, then vanished.

It’s busy work keeping the house as a board girl.

As for how the new CEO of Shanhai Pavilion Eastern Division handled things and who they associated with, the little steward never interfered. Boundaries were clear.

Shanhai Pavilion existed as a neutral gray area, moving along the boundary between black and white.

In the wreckage of the treasure ship, the remaining Black Crow Guards gathered around Madam, but there was no sign of Min Hen or the other attendants returning.

It seemed they had been dealt with by Qin Yao of Clear Mist Peak and that mysterious firebird.

Jing Rui’s expression was stormy, her heart chilled.

Not only had the plan failed and Jing Tan’er survived, but she didn’t even know what punishment the Saintess would hand down.

Now she had been enslaved and could no longer serve the Holy Sect.

She had no idea what the young man’s intentions were.

An air raid became a disaster, her grand ambitions destroyed in an instant.

This trip truly lost both wife and troops…

Yun Liu glanced at Jing Rui, uncaring about what the slave thought, and ordered coldly:

“Send word to Yudu that Jing Tan’er has been dealt with. Proceed as planned!”

“Eh?”

Jing Rui froze.

What did that mean?

Could it be Mr. Yun wanted to go along with things for his own gain, or didn’t plan to expose them, or maybe he wanted to turn things around and do Shenhua Sect and Nation Master Jing Yan a favor?

Whether the great plan of the Holy Sect could succeed now depended entirely on the East Extreme Pavilion Master’s decision.

“Don’t understand human speech? Know your place. You don’t need to guess my intentions!”

A cold light flashed in Yun Liu’s eyes.

A wave of pain exploded in Jing Rui’s mind.

She remembered that with her soul exposed, not a single stray thought could be hidden from her master.

She could only gasp, “Yes, Master!”

The Black Crow Guards withdrew as ordered, handling the Golden Crow’s accident as Madam instructed.

According to Yun’s explanation, all blame fell on the Demonic Sect Fiends who had snuck aboard. The Captain washed his hands of it entirely.

With the treasure ship lost, Jing Rui couldn’t escape guilt for negligence of duty.

But the rest had nothing to do with her, and over on Shenhua’s side, Qin Cha would obediently comply and keep the matter secret.

Even now, Madam Black Crow was utterly confused, not knowing why this brat would cover for her and suppress the swap-the-sky conspiracy.

“What about next? How do you plan to handle me and the Holy… Demonic Sect disciples?”

Yun Liu swept his gaze over.

Jing Rui shivered, not daring to ask further.

“Why handle you? Outside, you’re still Madam Black Crow, a royal noblewoman. Just consider the mission complete and continue your duties. Remember to report in real time.”

The white-robed youth smiled mysteriously, sending chills down the demon woman’s spine.

“Yes… I understand.”

Jing Rui’s smile was obsequious as she willingly became a puppet.

A dignified Golden Core demonic cultivator, a noble of the dynasty’s territorial authorities, and the dynasty’s princess—yet in one night, she had fallen to the level of livestock.

From dynasty traitor to Demonic Sect traitor?

“Withdraw.”

“Yes.”

After understanding the conspiracy, Yun Liu waved his hand, made an appointment with Jing Rui to meet again in Yudu, and after confirming the direction, picked up Xiao Xinran and headed deep into the forest.

Jing Rui only collapsed weakly once the youth had disappeared.

When she regained her senses, she was drenched in sweat, her legs trembling uncontrollably as terror spread in her heart.

With just a single thought, she could be toyed with at his whim, unable to live or die as she wished.

And to survive under the new master’s hand, Yun Liu’s first order was to prohibit any lewd acts, and no more wild cries.

For the Hehuan Banner Master, who cultivated demonic arts by absorbing others’ essence and cultivation, this was even more painful than slow torture!

Did they even want her to live!

Jing Rui obeyed completely, not daring to have stray thoughts for fear her master would notice.

She hurried toward the nearest county seat to regroup her forces.

If she dared act up again, who knew if Yun Liu would order her to self-destruct her Golden Core next time?

Deep in the forest, a faint firelight flickered.

A man and a woman camped there.

The white-robed youth stared at the campfire in a daze, skewers of grilled fish stuck in the branch at his feet.

Judging by the Spirit Boat’s crash trajectory, their current location was some distance from Qin Xing, making it unnecessary to expend much effort searching for each other.

The treasure ship had only traveled a third of the journey.

Qin Xing understood Yun Liu’s nature and was certain he would fly by sword directly to Yudu for a reunion, without pause.

Yun Liu, however, was quite interested in the substitute Jing Rui mentioned, and wanted to meet that Fake Princess to see how she managed to deceive everyone—including the players.

With the Golden Crow’s crash, how would the Demonic Sect fiend who was waiting in Yudu to replace Jing Tan’er show herself?

The red-clad girl lying on the ground twitched her nose, smelling the aroma, and finally woke up.

“Morning, Xiao Yun.”

Xiao Xinran rubbed her eyes, and at first glance saw her long-desired fiancé. For a moment, it felt like the past.

Yun Liu chuckled, “It’s not morning. Are you hungry?”

At the banquet, Xiao Xinran hadn’t eaten a bite, always watching in case the notorious Black Crow Madam poisoned the food.

She nodded, dazedly taking the grilled fish and nibbling it, her pace gradually quickening.

How long had it been since she’d tasted home-cooked love?

“Huff huff!”

The over-the-hill ex-wife was so moved she teared up.

Xiao Xinran rubbed her shoulder—still sore from being struck by demonic energy, her head aching at the memory of her perilous situation.

She only remembered after she was full, her nerves as thick as ever.

Suddenly, the girl stood up with a cry.

“Ah! Weren’t we supposed to be in the sky? Where is this? Are you okay? And that demon woman Jing Rui!?”

Startled and flustered, Xiao Xinran finally remembered there were Demonic Sect members hiding within the dynasty.

Those thieves truly had their hands everywhere.