Qin Yao regretted coming down the mountain the moment she set foot outside.
She had been so focused on taking care of Junior Brother Yun that she hadn’t realized traveling by spirit boat route would have been much easier and more comfortable.
Slowing down a bit, they could have enjoyed a few more days of just the two of them alone, couldn’t they?
They could find a tavern to stay at, make up some excuse to save money, and pose as a married couple sharing a room.
At night, drown their sorrows in wine, and take advantage of the drunkenness to act on their feelings—wouldn’t that be perfect?
With Junior Brother Yun’s current physique, it would be effortless to topple him onto the bed with a single push!
Such a pity…
Senior Sister had lived alone and unsupported for decades.
It was impossible not to feel weary.
She was human after all and wished for a shoulder to lean on when tired and worn out.
It was rare to meet a young man she could completely open her heart to—so reliable and considerate.
Coming down the mountain felt like breaking free from shackles.
For now, she didn’t need to worry about the many hungry Junior Sisters waiting on her, and her mood soared.
Years of strict adherence to sect rules and suppressing herself made her rebound all the stronger whenever she relaxed even slightly.
That hidden, evil little voice inside Qin Yao quietly emerged, beating the ever-present light little voice blue and black, causing mischief in secret!
High above, green mountains and clear waters stretched for thousands of miles.
In the Eastern Pole Province, a corner of the Nine Provinces located along the central coastal region, the Sheng Dynasty’s land was rich in resources and filled with talented people.
An eighth-stage Golden Core sword cultivator was considered quite powerful in the starting map.
As long as one didn’t break mortal laws or sect rules and attract higher beings’ attention, they could basically walk unchallenged.
Normally, sect NPCs of this level would follow routines like on an assembly line and would have no reason to intersect with Yun Liu.
Yet now, she had become his personal bodyguard, assuming the big sister role—quite endearing, actually.
The two of them flew tightly together, soaring with the wind, exhilarated beyond measure.
The spirit boat route was indeed several times faster.
At this moment, a fluffy head suddenly popped out from Yun Liu’s chest, a sharp beak opening as it stuck out its tongue.
The affectionate scene between Senior Sister and Junior Brother Yun was so intense that Feng Aotian found it hard to breathe and couldn’t help but emerge for a breath of air.
“What the hell!?”
Qin Yao was startled by the shout from behind, hurriedly stopping and steadying her sword.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why did you follow us!”
Yun Liu tugged at Ao Tian’s body, gritting his teeth.
The fat bird seemed boneless, like a balloon that could be squeezed and kneaded, and yet it had followed him unnoticed.
He recalled that Ao Tian, the phoenix spirit, rarely acted alone away from Mistress Ji.
“Chirp?”
The yellow chicken blinked, pretending to be dazed, trying to bluff its way out.
Qin Yao was pleasantly surprised, turning around with a charming smile, clearly fond of the little creature.
“Ah, that’s the parrot Ji Junior Sister raised, right? It probably smelled the medicinal fragrance and clung onto you without you realizing it. Like its owner, it’s a glutton. Haha, no matter, as long as we return safely, we’ll give it back.”
“Yeah, that’s the only option.”
Yun Liu’s expression darkened as he turned sideways and grabbed Ao Tian by the neck with a fierce look.
“I’ve been very polite already! I’ve helped as much as I can, but you all keep provoking me again and again. What exactly do you want?”
This time Yun was furious.
He thought he had tolerated the yellow-haired master and servant enough by staying out of their way.
But if they dared to ruin the Reversion Pill, he swore he would take the Book of Pills Remnant and defect directly to the demon girl faction.
Did they think the sufferer was an easy target?
Ao Tian, slippery as ever, easily broke free and hopped onto the boy’s shoulder, preening its feathers with a slightly innocent look.
“Why think that way? I just want to cuddle with Brother Yun a little.”
“Shut up!”
“Believe it or not, the brave and fearless Ao Tian would never lie. Whatever you want to do, go ahead—this time I’ve got your back!”
Ao Tian was Ji Shiyu’s possessing talisman, but now this protective charm had left its mistress and attached itself to a minor character?
“You?”
Yun Liu’s gaze filled with surprise and confusion.
He had no interest in adopting yellow hair or taking over Ji Xingshu’s mantle.
Mistress Ji was ambitious and had a huge appetite; her benefits couldn’t be taken for free—they had to be thoroughly exploited.
Greater power meant greater responsibility and harder survival.
Conversely,
Less power meant less responsibility and a more comfortable life!
Believe it or not, Feng Aotian was here to protect Yun Liu and ensure the mission went without a hitch.
It was obvious he planned to refine the Reversion Pill himself.
Ao Tian might not have minded before, but now things were different.
Yun Liu had to repair his qi sea and return to the sword path!
At this moment, the boy didn’t yet realize he had become a special existence bearing two lines of destiny.
Surviving disaster was just the beginning of his resurgence.
Ao Tian never bothered hiding its true intentions.
It had considered the worst—and simultaneously the best—outcome: having to give up training Ji Shiyu and raising a new master destined for greatness.
From any angle, the “Divine Oil Kid” was more suited to complete this arduous mission than the foolish girl who messed up from the start!
Ji Shiyu had been emotionally manipulated to the point she couldn’t live without Yun Liu, developing a father-like worship and dependence.
This caused the celestial destiny to maintain a delicate balance between the two.
That wasn’t a bad thing and had even opened Ao Tian’s mind.
Shiyu might be broken, but what if she assisted this extremely lucky young man?
Wouldn’t that be another kind of dream opening?
Since Yun Liu didn’t want to be Shiyu’s blessing, then let Shiyu become his blessing and help him defy fate.
As long as she stayed by this boy’s side, the fallen mysterious maiden would eventually awaken through his body and connect with the Nine Provinces’ destiny.
When old friends return, the destiny would no longer matter.
Upholding the Dao of the Nine Provinces, all paths lead to the same goal.
The current problem was: how to motivate this simple-minded farmer?
Even risking the entire Celestial Aristocratic Family couldn’t lure him into the game.
Truly, the clever one was unpredictable…
From Ao Tian’s perspective, the two humans plus one bird formed the brand-new New Main Character Party 2.0.
Both their wits and fists had become much stronger. Setting sail, they headed toward Canglang Gorge!
***
At dusk, Qin Yao followed the Baishui Tributary River, chasing the sunset until she finally reached the location marked on the map.
A river split the two banks, with the riverside jungle thick with demonic energy, daunting to behold.
The secret realm’s description said this was once a fishing village, now long abandoned after being occupied by monstrous beasts, with no human presence.
The local Junfu City Lord was at a loss and issued a bounty, officially commissioning Shanhai Pavilion to invite passing cultivators to eliminate this great threat.
“Almost there.”
“Mm.”
Qin Yao led the way into the fishing village, her spiritual energy forming a shield, verdant and vibrant, sword always at the ready to guard the beloved Junior Brother behind her.
Yun Liu followed, calmly picking up a blood-stained notice from the ground.
The bounty warning marked high danger, crudely depicting a terrifying black serpent.
The prize for a third-grade snake demon was ten thousand stones.
Broken blades and discarded weapons littered the area.
Beneath the mud, bones accumulated—clearly many reckless adventurers had paid the price for their foolishness.
The black serpent was formidable, a fusion of water and wind attributes, extremely suppressive to most Eastern Pole cultivators.
At half health in the second stage, it would rage and transform into a half-flood dragon.
Qin Yao’s wood elemental root was single attribute, only suppressed by metal elemental roots, so it didn’t affect her.
With the Qingxia Sword Codex supporting her, her endurance was excellent, making her a solid combatant.
It was certain they couldn’t defeat it in a straight fight.
The snake demon’s thick skin and tough flesh left its only weak points at its eyes.
Beast demons of the same level usually surpassed human cultivators.
Only a peak third-stage Baishui Black Serpent, with the advantage of elemental roots and spirit tools, had a chance to succeed.
This secret realm was definitely not a place for novices.
Moreover, the black serpent had cultivated for centuries, devouring many Three-Leaf Datura fruits, gaining the potential for Flood Dragon Transformation.
Strategically, Qin Yao could only engage briefly without getting caught up in a prolonged fight, buying Yun Liu time to steal a Three-Leaf Datura fruit.
“Hopefully there really is a Three-Leaf Datura here.”
“Is the intel reliable?”
The parrot spoke again, its childish voice oddly bright against the darkness, its three fiery feathers atop its head glowing like a spotlight.
It looked around nervously, clearly averse to demonic energy, as if it felt its feathers were being dirtied, growing irritable.
“Junior Brother said it was revealed by Miss You from Shanhai Pavilion. Should be true.”
Qin Yao smiled secretly.
This little bird not only talked but was quite intelligent, greatly easing the tense atmosphere.
Yellow chicken, shut up!
Yun Liu shot Ao Tian a glare.
If you’re coming, don’t interrupt.
He couldn’t just blurt out that the treasure grew near cliffside rocks with pinpoint coordinates, could he?
But approaching there meant touching the half-flood dragon’s reverse scales, triggering a bounty boss battle immediately.
The white-robed youth gestured for Senior Sister to sit down, then took out the prepared spiritual meal and medicinal elixirs from his storage pouch, quickly feeding her.
The full set of buffs energized her completely, even Ao Tian pecked a few mouthfuls, tasting something indescribably delicious.
“Incredible!”
Qin Yao wiped the corner of her mouth, initially puzzled but suddenly feeling limitless strength.
Her qi sea overflowed with spiritual essence, a jade palace high above spinning a jade-green golden core ceaselessly, boosting her power to unprecedented levels—an amplification comparable to the peak of Golden Core.
“You’ve been strengthened. Go for it!”
“Senior Sister, be sure to be careful and don’t overexert yourself.”
Yun Liu gave a thumbs-up, eyes burning as he stared into the depths of the black water.
“Mm.”
Qin Yao took a deep breath, following the plan step by step toward the shore, her body radiating spiritual energy to attract the beast’s attention.
Suddenly, two terrifying ghostly lights illuminated beneath the dark water. Waves surged, stirring turbulent currents!
A massive snake head broke the surface, locking eyes on the tiny invaders.
It spat red saliva wildly; its enormous body was as tall as three or four stories, sending chills down one’s spine.
On the black serpent’s head was a small protrusion—a crucial stage in its Flood Dragon Transformation.
Consuming a few more Datura fruits would complete the process.
As the Senior Sister of Clear Mist Peak, Qin Yao was battle-hardened, having completed countless sect assignments and encountered many third-stage beasts.
With Junior Brother’s loving buff, she was full of confidence and showed no fear.
Bang!
A cold wind swept through the darkness.
The green-clad girl dodged a giant tail strike, stumbling as the ground trembled.
“Go!”
Qin Yao unleashed her flying sword, controlling it with divine sense to weave a net of sword qi at range, aiming to restrain the giant serpent briefly.
Sword qi interlaced like vines, wrapping around the serpent’s body.
Yun Liu immediately dashed toward the cliffside, crouching down and probing the riverbank’s dark corners.
There, at the junction of water and earth, bloomed clusters of Three-Leaf Datura, exactly matching the description.
Some flowers had already withered, waiting for the next bloom; others were still growing.
Once fruiting, the seeds would drip into the water, sucked into the snake’s mouth.
Just ahead was a bud about to blossom, its light softly spreading.