Chapter 63: Have I Become a Minotaur?

“Not bad luck.”

Yun Liu murmured to himself.

Although the drop was fixed, he still wasn’t sure if he could get a mature Three-Leaf Dhura fruit without fighting the Black Serpent and relying on tricks.

Ao Tian shook his head and looked toward the Black Serpent; that little beast had already broken free, stinking up the air.

In front of the Child of Fortune, there was no luck—only inevitability. Now, East Pole Province was Yun Liu’s home turf.

“Hiss!?”

The Black Serpent’s giant eyes shifted and spotted the thief. It instantly went berserk, its body swelling again.

A horn sprouted from its forehead, piercing through the scales.

“Where are you looking?”

Qin Yao sheathed her sword, and a glow a few feet long burst forth as she leapt over the water’s surface. Her aura sliced the serpent’s tail, carving a huge wound.

The Qingxia Sword Codex wasn’t known for sharpness, but by perfectly utilizing the Entangling Formula from the Shenhua Nine Forms, Qin Yao’s swordplay was a seamless upgrade of the Sweeping Sword and Arc Sword techniques.

The flying sword darted and circled, sometimes weaving through the air, sometimes returning obediently to its master, its trajectory unpredictable.

The sword’s energy was like seeds rooting and sprouting in the serpent’s scales, corroding its flesh.

The giant snake roared in pain and turned its head, but Yun Liu had already used a special container to secure the Dhura flower and was preparing to retreat.

This trip went unexpectedly smoothly. He could leave anytime now.

“Someone’s coming.”

Ao Tian whispered a warning.

Three more figures appeared on the shore, and Yun Liu frowned.

“They’re Sword Cultivators from Shenhua Sect, perfect! Sister, we’re here to help you slay the demon!”

Two men and one woman, young disciples from some minor branch, recognized the sword insignia on Yun Liu’s robe.

Seeing a master exorcising a demon got them excited, so they drew their weapons to join the fight.

When a Golden Core Sword Cultivator was tangled with a peak third-realm beast, outsiders barging in only complicated matters and distracted Qin Yao.

Qin Yao shouted urgently, “Stay back!”

The Black Serpent narrowed its eyes and sprayed several water jets, sweeping across the shore.

The water was highly toxic.

“Idiots.”

Yun Liu shook his head in annoyance.

Once the number of combatants exceeded two, the giant serpent would unleash wide-area AoE attacks, restricting the battlefield and making its mechanics much harder to handle.

The kind-hearted Clear Mist Peak Senior Sister, trying to protect them, was thrown off rhythm.

She recalled her flying sword, consuming spiritual energy to raise the Tree Armor Barrier, but was struck by the serpent’s massive tail and sent flying, quickly stopping her fall by sword flight.

Qin Yao tasted blood and felt sharp pain all over, her dizziness worsened by the blow.

Looking back at the group of youths, their faces pale, the poisonous rain had turned the ground into a quagmire, trapping their feet and leaving them trembling in fear.

They hadn’t expected the serpent to be so powerful.

Just a bunch of rookie Qi Refining kids, daring to court death here?

Yun Liu threw out a Wanshi Fu to shield his senior sister first and clenched a Thunder Shock Talisman tightly in his palm. Suddenly, the foolish bird on his shoulder spoke.

“Hmph hmph, is it finally my turn to shine? Don’t be afraid, leave this little bug to me!”

“You… can you handle this?”

“Hero’s entrance! Watch me show you my power…”

Ao Tian had just spread his wings and lifted his plump body into the air, but before revealing his true form, the serpent’s tail smacked him against the wall with a loud “thwack.”

“……”

Yun Liu covered his face and sighed deeply.

I really shouldn’t have had any expectations for you.

The boy stepped back half a step, preparing to draw the Thunder Shock Talisman and wait for the Black Serpent to approach to maximize damage.

Then a fierce howl came from behind, golden light bursting forth like a scorching sun.

Bang!

An unnamed divine bird spread its wings, instantly dispelling the dark clouds over the river gorge and driving away the demonic aura.

Its three-colored fiery feathers burned in the wind, magnificent and graceful.

“W-what is that?”

Qin Yao covered her mouth in surprise, feeling a strange familiarity. But no one could link this majestic creature to the chattering fat parrot spirit pet.

“Filthy worm, you dare to become a dragon of the flood and match Lord Ao Tian!?”

Though a Second-realm Phoenix Spirit, the Phoenix Hatchling’s aura didn’t falter, even exerting a natural suppression over the demonic beast.

“Eyes!”

Yun Liu reminded her.

If it came to a real fight, the divine body of a Second-realm Phoenix Spirit wouldn’t lose to the Black Serpent. If not for giving the Yellow-Haired protagonist a chance to grow, the Demon Sect scoundrels would have been wiped out long ago.

The soaring wings illuminated the dark sky like daylight, then suddenly dived like a cone of light.

Burning claws pinned down the serpent’s head and smashed it into the cliff, preparing to peck out its eyes.

“Roar—!”

The Black Serpent howled in pain and slammed its head wildly against the riverside rocks. Ao Tian leisurely ascended, mockingly watching this pitiful little worm.

Seeing this, Qin Yao decisively struck. Her sword flashed like a rainbow, blue-green light blazing as the flying sword pierced the bleeding wound, piercing through the serpent’s head.

The giant snake staggered and struggled, trying to retreat underwater.

But the sword marks woven from light were like a spiderweb, black scales sprouting countless tendrils that tightly bound its massive body, slowly devouring it.

Sss!

The flying sword shot at the serpent’s other eye, striking again.

Boom!

After a long, desperate struggle, the Black Serpent finally collapsed heavily and silently. A huge pool of demonic blood stained the downstream waters of Baishui.

Qin Yao sighed deeply, rubbing her arm, and looked at Yun Liu with a tired smile.

“Fortunate not to fail the mission.”

The divine bird that had played a crucial role had already vanished, leaving only the yellow chicken perched on the white-robed boy’s shoulder.

Ao Tian raised a wing to bump fists with him, like a tacit high-five.

He had intended to make a quiet escape, but his coexisting Phoenix Spirit had shown off its power, proving its loyalty by helping Sister Qin kill the beast—an unexpected bonus.

Wait, what?

Did I just become a minotaur?

Yun Liu looked confused. He hadn’t even touched Ji Shiyu’s harem yet, and somehow had been tricked into dragging Ao Tian Mama along…

The two men and one woman wore luxurious clothes, clearly not ordinary people.

After barely escaping disaster, they thanked them profusely. Seeing the dead serpent, they swallowed nervously, their admiration for the Shenhua Sect fairy growing.

Qin Yao didn’t blame them. Instead, she used spiritual energy to heal their wounds and detoxify them. After a brief inquiry, she shook her head with a bitter smile.

The three were disciples of Radiant Light Sect, a well-known local force in the Zhusheng Dynasty. Two were Qi Refining, one Foundation Establishment.

They had only come to catch a glimpse of the legendary Black Serpent no master dared provoke but had inadvertently overheard the commotion in the Canglang Gorge. Out of curiosity, they approached, almost causing a major disaster.

“Yunhai Sword Cultivator, your reputation is well-deserved. If you ever visit Radiant Light Sect, please allow us to properly host you.”

“Brother Ding, you’re too kind.”

The two male disciples looked apologetic, obviously unable to persuade the girl to stay away. Luckily, no catastrophe occurred; otherwise, they wouldn’t know how to explain it.

After polite exchanges, learning they were speaking to the esteemed Chief Senior Disciple of Clear Mist Peak, their excitement only grew.

Sister Qin was beautiful and kind, highly skilled, but uninterested in idle chat.

She whispered and giggled with her companions, her coquettish demeanor strangely charming, as if saying, “Praise me!”

The immortal couple’s chemistry made the two men envious.

The trio cupped hands in farewell, awkwardly departing.

Before leaving, the pretty girl glanced at the mysterious white-robed youth and admired Qin Yao as well.

Such a powerful senior sister, yet so close and gentle with Yun Liu. She wondered about the identity of that pale, timid boy.

Moon-white robe? Never heard of him. Could he be some pretty boy?

Otherwise, why was he hiding off to the side earlier?

***

Shenhua Sect, Rosy Fragrance Pavilion.

The newly arrived Chuju Xiaoniang stood gloomily on guard, as if a raincloud hovered over her head, her stray hair drooping.

Ji Shiyu curled up in the corner behind the counter.

Every time Tian Tian made a sale, she handed over the slip and collected the money to place into the register.

Aside from distributing flyers, it seemed she could only be a cashier.

What hurt Yellow-Haired protagonist most wasn’t that her stunning charm was doubted or that she couldn’t straighten the Oily Boy.

It was that he never treated her like a friend.

For Xiao Xinran, she felt more like loving a cute girl.

Her carefree, tomboyish personality meant she never paid much attention to details.

But Yun Liu was a comrade-in-arms, a true brother from life-and-death experiences.

From his initial ulterior motives, she gradually grew fond of hanging out with him, feeling joy and comfort in his company.

As the saying goes, brothers are like limbs, women like clothes.

Which is more important is obvious.

What clothes you wear isn’t the point; who you wear them for is.

Xinran’s misunderstanding wasn’t resolved yet, and now Yun Liu was ignoring her too.

Ji Shiyu was left all alone, feeling gloomy and blaming herself, attributing it to Nantong’s aversion to women.

Really, if not brothers, they could at least be best friends.

Gurgle—!

Thinking about it, her stomach growled.

Once hungry, all the gloom vanished. Ji Shiyu rubbed her head and wandered out to find food, not even noticing Ao Tian’s disappearance.

Passing by the training ground, the Xiao Miss and the Royal Family’s Little Princess were each on one side, accidentally meeting and sharing the training area.

Neither spoke, but it seemed they were secretly competing over who could knock down more puppet dummies. The clatter of battle never ceased.

The villainous heiress had goals, the jilted heroine had ideals.

“All good, unlike me. No clue about swordsmanship, my studies a mess, no money to earn, no food to eat, can’t wake up from sleep, been here so long and made no friends, and the one close companion I have hates women.”

The Jade-like girl shrugged and spun her twin ponytails like a windmill.

Being naturally beautiful wasn’t her fault, right?

As she edged closer to her “Sworn Father,” that innocent three-year-old seemed to have grown a little, starting to feel the troubles of adolescence.

According to Ao Tian, as Stardust dissipated, the Supreme Path also cycled back.

Two streams of Fortune used a certain person as a medium, forming a strange internal circulation among the three.

Every move Yun Liu made was guiding the direction of Fortune, making him a new carrier of cause and effect.

He had become a… mobile Kyushu Fate Beacon?

Now Ao Tian was relying on Shiyu to get Yun Liu to switch his Formless Spiritual Root attribute!

The mountain gate at the end of Ring-shaped Market Street led to the village entrance.

Little Yellow-Haired protagonist unknowingly reached Celestial Phenomena Peak.

After tasting the Oily Boy’s cooking, everything else tasted bland.

Ji Shiyu rubbed her belly and only remembered at the gate that Yun Liu had gone down the mountain to gather herbs.

No one would feed her; her mood sank further. But when she turned, she found a note posted on his hut door.

“Hm?”

[Forgot to say, you’ve improved these days, but not much. Barely competent as an apprentice. Our debts are settled. While I’m gone, take care of the herb garden for me. Don’t let any miscellaneous things get in. Work one day, get paid one day.]

ψ`ー´)ﾉ

The note ended with a lively little face.