Yang Qi (Triple Merge)

This was Qi Xianqing’s test.

Because that day at Yuxu Sea, in the room inside the Merfolk royal palace, she seemed to have vaguely heard Yan Jue say something.

Something like.

Although Qi Xianqing now knew that relationships between women were not rare in this world, she still wasn’t sure what Yan Jue felt.

…

How could that be.

Yan Jue slowly swallowed and turned to stare out the window, leaving the back of her head to Qi Xianqing.

Yan Jue had a bad habit. Whenever she wanted to avoid something, she would do something else to distract herself.

So she focused all her attention on a tiny point outside the window, her hand pressing down on the immortal sword Drifting Ice at her waist, her expression solemn.

Qi Xianqing narrowed her eyes in the dark and slowly straightened, her fingertips resting lightly on Zhuying.

Roughly the time it took to burn a stick of incense later, a sliver of moonlight pierced through the window and fell across the floor of the storeroom.

A very faint sound suddenly came from outside.

Qi Xianqing’s expression sharpened instantly. Hidden beneath the umbrella, her body tensed slightly, quiet as a tiger lying in wait in the dark.

Something white drifted in through the window.

Yes, drifted.

It was so thin and light it was almost invisible, floating in slowly with the wind.

It was a paper figure no bigger than a palm.

The paper figure landed softly on the floor, then actually stood up. It took two steps forward, flexed its tiny arms, and then started rubbing them together as if they were wings.

Its arms gradually grew larger, and then the paper figure began rubbing at its own body too. Everything happened extremely quickly; it was desperately kneading itself as if rolling a rope.

The flimsy paper figure slowly changed into the shape of a young girl.

She was a very sweet-looking girl in a pale bluish-purple vine-patterned ruqun, and she walked as lightly as the wind. Soon she reached the large chest holding the silver.

The heavy iron chest, which had originally been locked tight, was opened by her soft, boneless hand with a simple push and pull at the lock.

Inside were piles of bright, glinting silver.

The girl looked warily around once, then began frantically stuffing the shining silver into her sleeves.

Yan Jue was slightly stunned. Seeing that the girl clearly hadn’t noticed them and was gradually walking this way, she had already entered her attack range.

Yan Jue gripped Drifting Ice tightly and was about to spring when a gust of wind suddenly surged beside her.

A flash of green light cut through the air; Qi Xianqing, sword in hand, appeared in front of the girl in an instant.

Zhuying, carrying the force of thunder, lit up with an indigo glow in the darkness and was about to pierce straight through the girl’s chest.

The girl was startled and immediately turned into a wisp of blue smoke to flee.

Yan Jue stared at the smoke, stunned for a moment, and a very familiar feeling suddenly rose in her heart.

That day at Myriad Demons Pavilion, the fox elder who had come to pass her a message had also slipped away as blue smoke.

The first time she met Bai Ying at a wealthy household, Bai Ying had also turned into a wisp of blue smoke.

Bai Ying had once muttered to her that anything capable of turning into blue smoke was basically a fox.

This girl was a fox demon.

…

The blue smoke drifted through the air in wisps, and it moved unexpectedly fast.

Qi Xianqing chased after it, and soon the two of them reached a pine forest.

The smoke darted left and right through the pines, trying to use the complicated terrain to shake Qi Xianqing off.

But Qi Xianqing’s Instant Thousand Miles was clearly mastered to perfection; she could use it repeatedly without fatigue.

Her figure shot dozens of zhang through the air, always keeping two steps behind the smoke.

The smoke gradually began to panic.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

After several close calls where Qi Xianqing nearly caught it, the smoke, in sheer desperation, actually shot into a tomb not far away.

“…"

Qi Xianqing stopped in front of the tomb as well.

The entrance was pitch-black, and nothing inside could be seen.

The hole was only about palm-sized; let alone a person, even if Yan Jue turned back into her little fox form, she probably still wouldn’t be able to squeeze in.

Qi Xianqing glanced at the gradually darkening sky.

Qi Xianqing: “There’s a way.”

Yan Jue blinked. “What way?”

Qi Xianqing picked up several pieces of firewood from the ground, tossed them all to the entrance, and took a talisman marked with a fire pattern from her Qiankun bag.

She meant to use fire to force the demon out.

When she was traveling, she had always dealt ruthlessly with demons and evil spirits; she had done even crueller things than this.

Lighting a fire at the tomb entrance had two possible outcomes.

One was that the demon would be smoked out.

The second was that it would be suffocated to death inside.

The wealthy Chen family had hired cultivators at great expense to drive out the evil because they wanted the demon causing trouble killed.

So for Qi Xianqing, killing this demon would complete the mission.

Seeing her move, Yan Jue hurriedly blocked the entrance. “Senior Sister, wait; let me try.”

Qi Xianqing paused and looked at her thoughtfully.

Yan Jue met Qi Xianqing’s gaze, swallowed, and her expression grew even firmer.

This was actually Yan Jue testing Qi Xianqing.

For someone like Qi Xianqing, what exactly was her tolerance for evil spirits and demons?

Yan Jue knew Qi Xianqing hated demons, but from everything they had experienced together recently, Qi Xianqing also seemed to have an unusually high degree of tolerance toward them.

Yan Jue had long realized that her feelings toward Qi Xianqing were strange.

But now, perhaps the only barrier between her and Qi Xianqing was that she herself was a demon.

Qi Xianqing knew Yan Jue had her own way of exorcising demons, and that method was completely different from her own.

Through all their past experiences, Qi Xianqing had gradually come to realize that there might be another way to deal with evil spirits.

A gentler way; less brutal.

And that was exactly what she herself urgently needed to learn.

…

Qi Xianqing was silent for a moment, then stepped back and said softly, “Then please, Junior Sister, try it.”

Yan Jue froze.

This might have been the first time Qi Xianqing had listened to someone else’s opinion during an exorcism.

Her execution ability was simply too strong; no one had ever dared to point fingers at her when it came to capturing demons.

Qi Xianqing returned Zhuying to its scabbard. “Junior Sister is especially kind-hearted.”

Yan Jue gave an awkward laugh and immediately leaned her head toward the tomb entrance.

At once, she caught a very damp smell, along with a faint aura of her own kind.

A tiny yellow-furred fox was crouched in the deepest part of the tomb, staring at her warily with a pair of pale yellow eyes.

As expected, this demon was a fox demon.

Yan Jue: “Can you come out and meet us? We absolutely won’t kill you.”

“I have some questions for you.”

Generally speaking, fox demons that could take human form could understand human speech.

After Yan Jue said that, she saw the fox’s eyes in the deepest part of the tomb lift slightly; a very faint golden light flashed deep in its pupils.

Yan Jue closed her eyes. When she opened them again, a very faint golden light also shone deep in her own pupils. “If you don’t come out, then it’s hard to say.”

Yan Jue was also a fox demon; she believed that when the fox demon inside the tomb saw the dark gold in her eyes, it would surely understand that they were of the same kind.

At the very least, it would not be so guarded against her.

The pair of yellow eyes in the depths of the tomb flickered in and out of view, but still did not move.

Yan Jue sighed, picked up the dry firewood beside her, and asked, “You don’t want to be burned to death, do you?”

“You should have heard that the one beside me is the famous Lord Meng Heng of Five Dragons Sect. If you don’t come out, I really can’t guarantee your safety.”

This was a fox-clan method of communication. After saying those two lines, Yan Jue raised her head.

Rustling sounds came from inside the tomb.

Yan Jue let out a breath and slowly lifted her head.

Then she saw the little yellow fox crawl out, trembling all over, lying flat on the ground before slowly taking human form.

The fox clan was the most beautiful of all demons; whether male or female, they were always very good-looking.

The girl lying prone on the ground had red lips and white teeth, and wore a pale bluish-purple ruqun. In front of Qi Xianqing, her whole body trembled lightly.

Yan Jue stepped onto a nearby rock and asked in a dark voice, “Was it you who stole the Chen family’s silver?”

The girl glanced at her and muttered unwillingly, “Yes.”

The moment Yan Jue saw those golden eyes in the tomb, she knew it.

Among the fox clan, bloodline was used to rank foxes into different levels.

No, she also knew the standard for bloodline assessment: nothing more than the number of tails and the color of the pupils.

The person before her hadn’t shown her tails, but her pupils were pure gold.

How annoying. She’d run into a senior. Shiyun didn’t even dare say much in front of this person.

Yan Jue: “You stole so much money. What did you need it for?”

As far as Yan Jue knew, fox demons simply didn’t care about money.

For fox demons, spirit stones might even be more precious than money.

The girl: “I... I won’t say!”

Behind them, a sharp whoosh sounded; Qi Xianqing drew Zhuying from her back, and the indigo blade pointed at the girl’s throat. Under moonlight, the sword flashed with icy brilliance, carrying an oppressive force that made all demons in the world fear it.

Qi Xianqing raised her eyes, her face cold as frost. “Say it or don’t?”

The girl instantly burst into tears, covering her face. “I won’t say!”

Yan Jue: “…”

Stubborn, huh.

Qi Xianqing said quietly, “That’s rather like Junior Sister’s personality.”

Yan Jue: “…”

Qi Xianqing looked at the girl on the ground for a long while before slowly returning Zhuying to its scabbard. “You didn’t steal it for yourself at all. You stole it for someone else, didn’t you?”

The crying on the ground came to an abrupt stop.

Qi Xianqing said slowly, “When I came here today, I happened to see someone at the city gate.”

“Li of the Li family; Li Lang. He is the person your stolen silver was used to support.”

The girl, seated on the ground, instantly turned green with anger and stiffened her neck. “You’re talking nonsense. When did I ever help that person? I stole this silver to buy myself nice things!”

Qi Xianqing: “I once saw Young Master Li in the Springfull Pavilion of Wanwu Fortress, the most extravagant place under heaven. But that day he was dressed extremely richly, completely different from the destitute appearance he had in Qinglian Town.”

“Back then I was wondering: why could he plainly throw money around in Springfull Pavilion, yet deliberately dress like a poor man and live in Qinglian Town?”

“Qinglian Town is only a small town. The rich people living here had already moved to larger cities. Yet he was so wealthy and still kept pretending to be poor and living here; there was only one possibility. He was afraid that if he suddenly moved away, he would draw attention.”

Qi Xianqing: “You were stealing for him.”

Shiyun bit her lip.

Qi Xianqing lifted the tip of her sword and hooked up a pouch embroidered with locust leaves at the girl’s waist. “The embroidery on this pouch is exactly the same as his.”

“And also,” Qi Xianqing said coolly, “the scent of Moonscale fragrance on your body seems to have been acquired from living with him all year long.”

Qi Xianqing: “You don’t have to say anything; I can report him to the authorities. If they search his home, I believe the truth will come out before long.”

With that, Qi Xianqing turned calmly as if to leave; but the fox girl suddenly threw herself onto her leg and clung to it.

Shiyun gritted her teeth. “I’m repaying a debt of gratitude. Is that not allowed?”

“Righteous immortal sect cultivators walk the world wanting to meddle in everything; do you even want to interfere in a fox demon repaying kindness?”

Qi Xianqing ignored her and continued walking forward with a cold face.

Shiyun shouted, “That Chen family master’s silver is all ill-gotten wealth! I took his money to repay Young Master Li.”

“Because Young Master Li once saved my life.”

When Shiyun saw Qi Xianqing walking that way, she grew anxious. “You can do whatever you want to me... but please spare Li Lang!”

Yan Jue watched from the side and couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “Do you like Young Master Li or something?”

That Young Master Li was so rich; he had made a fortune buying property in Wanwu Fortress, and he spent his days carousing in brothels.

Yet this fox demon diligently stole silver for him every day, as if her fox clan’s way of repaying kindness asked for nothing in return.

Could it be that this fox demon was only repaying a favor, and had no extra feelings for him at all?

If she did have feelings, then hearing that Young Master Li was carousing in brothels in Wanwu Fortress, wouldn’t she be angry?

Yan Jue: “He’s a man, and he still has to let you, a girl, steal money to support him. That kind of man isn’t worth keeping.”

Shiyun’s face instantly went bright red. “We’re in love!”

Yan Jue let out an “Ah,” then gave Qi Xianqing a look, signaling for Shiyun to keep talking.

Shiyun: “Li Lang isn’t lazy or idle. Every night I go to the Chen residence to take silver, and he goes to Wanwu Fortress to work and earn money. He said that once we saved up enough silver, we’d leave Qinglian Town and fly far away.”

Shiyun bared two little tiger teeth. “If you make things difficult for him, I’ll definitely make you regret it!”

Qi Xianqing: “…” The more she looked, the more alike they seemed; even the way they got fierce was exactly the same.

Yan Jue went “Hm?” in surprise. She had clearly just told this fox demon that her Li Lang had gone to the Springfull Pavilion in Wanwu Fortress to indulge himself. She hadn’t heard it?

Or rather...

Yan Jue: “Do you know what kind of place Springfull Pavilion is?”

Shiyun hesitated a little. “Naturally it’s the place where Li Lang works to earn money.”

So after all that, this girl didn’t even know what kind of place Springfull Pavilion was...

Yan Jue tilted her head and looked at her for a long time, then the corner of her mouth suddenly curled. “It’s already night now; has your Li Lang gone out?”

Shiyun froze. “Exactly.”

Yan Jue: “I’ll take you somewhere. Come with me.”

…

Wanwu Fortress was near Qinglian Town. After leaving the city, Yan Jue hired a small boat, and the group traveled downstream together.

Shiyun sat at the bow of the boat in utter unwillingness, her mouth pouted high.

But thinking that she could go to Wanwu Fortress and see Li Lang, she became especially happy again.

The few of them soon arrived in front of Springfull Pavilion.

Because the sky over Wanwu Fortress was dark at every hour, the brothels here were lively no matter when one came.

People left constantly, and new people arrived just as constantly.

Inside, the lamps blazed brightly; the smell of powder was thick, and laughter and cheerful chatter came from all around.

The brothels of Wanwu Fortress gathered beauties from all over the world.

As soon as Yan Jue and Qi Xianqing stepped inside, the madam hurried over to greet them, smiling ingratiatingly. “The two ladies are here again.”

Yan Jue nodded slightly. “May I ask if there’s still an empty room?”

The madam quickly: “The main hall is indeed a bit noisy. The private rooms upstairs happen to be empty; why don’t the two of you sit there?”

After all, Yun Zhen was a big patron of their Springfull Pavilion.

The ladies Yun Zhen brought with her naturally had to be served well too.

The three of them went together to a private room.

It could also be called a reclining seat, but it wasn’t completely enclosed.

On the east side, a layer of gauze curtains covered in formations separated the space, letting them dimly see the scene outside.

Shiyun frowned, clearly unhappy. “What exactly did you bring me here for?”

Even so, her ears were still perked up high, after all this was Li Lang’s workplace.

Suddenly, there was a burst of commotion outside.

It turned out to be a handsome young man who, while chatting sweetly with a girl, actually picked her up in his arms, drawing cries of surprise from the surrounding women.

He held one girl in his left arm and another in his right; then he flung the girl in his arms away with force, and amid a chorus of coquettish laughter, he actually started untying his trousers.

The people in the neighboring private room heard it and immediately laughed. “Is that Young Master Li? Calling for several girls at once again?”

“He’s young; what of it?”

From the very beginning, Shiyun had been warily looking around. Hearing the voices from there, she felt they sounded vaguely familiar and couldn’t help but freeze slightly.

She pricked up her ears and leaned that way, only to discover that the young man embracing several women was none other than her Li Lang.

Young Master Li was seated outside. When his passion ran high, he would embrace a girl and boast, “My family keeps a fox demon.”

The girl pouted coquettishly. “Fox demons are rare creatures in this world. How could one possibly be kept by you? Don’t lie to this consort.”

Young Master Li: “I really do keep a fox demon in a nearby town.”

Shiyun froze; her face immediately turned a little ugly.

“That fox demon is just a stupid woman. The day I casually saved her, she became dead set on doing things for me.”

The girl: “I don’t believe it.”

Young Master Li: “Don’t believe me? Next time I’ll bring her out for a walk.”

Yan Jue was listening when she suddenly felt a gust of wind surge beside her.

She snapped back to her senses and turned sharply, only to see Shiyun, who had been sitting properly beside her moments ago, scream and rush straight to the private-room door.

She leaped up and kicked over the folding screen with all her might, and the screen toppled inward at once.

Shiyun cursed, “You heartless man! I’ve been stealing things in Qinglian Town to support you, and you run here to live it up!”

The surrounding area erupted in an uproar.

After all, this was Wanwu Fortress; it had always been a mixed bag of all kinds.

It wasn’t anything rare for the lawful wife to come to a brothel to catch her husband in the act.

Shiyun’s eyes reddened. She stepped forward and slapped Young Master Li hard across the face.

Five bloody red finger marks instantly appeared on the young master’s fair face.

Shiyun: “Heartless man! Terrible man!”

Young Master Li felt the gazes being thrown his way, and his face turned beet red at once. “Where did this shrew come from? Get out of here this instant!”

“I’m a shrew? You didn’t speak to me like that when you were home!” Shiyun braced a hand on the table and flipped it over in one motion; the wine spilled all over the floor.

Yan Jue: “…” She subconsciously glanced at Qi Xianqing.

Qi Xianqing made no move either; instead, she watched with great interest.

Just as Shiyun was about to grab the man and start tearing into him, Yan Jue flashed over, dragged Shiyun back, and the few of them vanished together into the boundless night.

-

In the forest.

The little fox covered her face and cried furiously, “Heartless man! Terrible man!”

Clearly she had never experienced anything like this before; even the vocabulary she used to curse him was extremely limited.

Yan Jue listened to her curse for half a day, but it was still just those few words.

Yan Jue: “Stop crying.”

Shiyun cried as though her heart were being ripped apart. “Ah—”

Yan Jue suddenly remembered something and took something from her bag to hand to her. “Is it worth crying over someone like that?”

Shiyun froze.

What Yan Jue handed over were actually a few bright red spiritual fruits.

The spiritual fruits gave off a faint fragrance; bringing them to the tip of one’s nose made them mouthwatering.

Shiyun had never seen such fruit before, and she also hadn’t eaten anything all day. Seeing them, her stomach couldn’t help but growl.

She hugged the Spirit Candle Fruits and started eating them with great relish.

Yan Jue: “…”

If she had known that a few Spirit Candle Fruits would stop her from crying, she should have taken them out earlier.

By now, a long time had passed since Shiyun’s uproar at Springfull Pavilion; that Young Master Li was probably already back searching for her.

People like him were like vampires to begin with, living by clinging to others. If he couldn’t find Shiyun, he’d be anxious all night.

Yan Jue: “What’s so important about love? Cultivating properly is the serious thing.”

Qi Xianqing: “…”

Feeling Qi Xianqing’s gaze, Yan Jue looked up and was caught off guard when she saw Qi Xianqing staring at her with a somewhat strange expression.

Shiyun stared at Yan Jue; this senior sister was absolutely right.

There was an unwritten rule among the fox clan: in front of humans, unless the other party specifically permitted it, one could not reveal their fox-demon identity.

And from the way this senior sister and this immortal lady got along, it seemed this immortal lady also didn’t know that senior sister was a fox demon.

Shiyun naturally knew this, so she swallowed it down and said nothing.

-

The front hall of Springfull Pavilion was packed with people.

But the most elegant building there, the one called Nianyun Hall, was exceptionally quiet.

Outside Nianyun Hall lay a layer of pale golden formation light.

This pavilion was currently entertaining honored guests.

The room was dimly lit, and purple smoke curled up from the incense burner in the corner.

Yun Zhen sat at the table, lazily supporting her chin with one hand and lightly sipping from her teacup as she stared at the person before her.

A woman in a pomegranate-red antique cloud-patterned emerald gauze dress sat properly at the table, head lowered as she plucked at the strings of a zither.

Elegant, gentle music echoed through the room.

She was playing the Heavenly Rhythm Awakening Tune, the divine song said to allow a listener, in a single instant, to comprehend the Great Dao of heaven and earth.

Under the dim light, the woman had a slender figure and skin like congealed cream; a pair of well-shaped legs flickered in and out beneath her clothes.

Her alluring phoenix eyes were narrow, yet there was no particular emotion in them.

Her long black hair was draped over her shoulders, half-pinned up with a gold hairpin.

People like Lu Yanshuang did not remain in one brothel year-round.

She was used to wandering through the mortal world; whichever city she passed through, she would stay temporarily at the most famous local brothel, and she always took the role of the finest unblemished courtesan. Only the person she took a liking to might spend a single night with her.

Yun Zhen watched her with easy leisure.

When the tune ended, the room fell quiet again.

Pa...

Yun Zhen clapped. “Well played.”

One performance took a full day and night. Yun Zhen had never expected that San Niang, who had still been clumsy back when they broke up, would now possess such polished skill.

Lu Yanshuang stood up. “Immortal lady needn’t waste time on me. If you’re looking for entertainment, there are plenty of fine girls outside for you to choose from.”

When she heard that Yun Zhen had come, she had deliberately played the Heavenly Rhythm Awakening Tune, hoping that the length of the performance would scare this shameless fellow away. She hadn’t expected Yun Zhen’s skin to be even thicker than she imagined.

Yun Zhen smiled and also stood. “San Niang, ah, San Niang, it’s been so long. You’re still the same.”

It was easy enough for Yun Zhen to learn that Lu Yanshuang was staying here; in the highly accommodating Wanwu Fortress, any news spread instantly and far.

Lu Yanshuang raised her head. Under the dim light, her skin was snowy white, her beauty like a flower; her phoenix eyes shone brilliantly.

Yun Zhen walked toward her, but Lu Yanshuang immediately retreated a step and raised her right hand, the green bracelet on her wrist flashing. “If you dare take one more step forward, I’ll fight you to the death!”

“Fine, I won’t come closer.” Yun Zhen folded her arms and said slowly, “I didn’t come to borrow your soul-calling banner for nothing.”

“I have something very good I want to exchange with you.”

Lu Yanshuang frowned slightly. “What thing?”

The corners of Yun Zhen’s lips lifted in a smile full of charm. “Didn’t you always like the pure yang energy in my body? I’ll use that pure yang energy to trade.”

As the sect master of Thunderflame Sect, Yun Zhen possessed a body full of clear pure yang energy.

The higher her realm, the purer her yang intent became; it was something countless demons and evil beings coveted.

But no matter the level of cultivation, losing pure yang energy would cause severe damage to one’s own cultivation.

In yin-yang and the five elements, Lu Yanshuang belonged to extreme yin. If she could absorb even one breath of Yun Zhen’s pure yang energy, it would greatly enhance her own cultivation.

Lu Yanshuang looked at Yun Zhen, frowning slightly.

Yun Zhen’s usually frivolous face rarely turned somewhat serious. “Ayan, I know you hate me for what happened back then.”

“But I had no choice.”

“If you’re unhappy that I came here, then take as much pure yang energy from me as you want.”

In the dim room, Yun Zhen’s voice was very soft; without form or substance, it seemed to carry a kind of enchantment, as if it could unknowingly lead a person into a trap.

If it were anyone else, they would probably have to think hard about whether Yun Zhen’s words hid murderous intent. But Lu Yanshuang suddenly shot to her feet and said three “Good!”s in a row.

Her long, narrow phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re the one who proposed the condition. Today I’ll drain your yang essence dry!”

In an instant, Lu Yanshuang, who had moments ago been slender-waisted and long-legged, turned into a red-furred fox. The fox had narrow phoenix eyes that glowed with a faint golden light; she bared her teeth slightly, revealing a ferocious expression.

She was actually a ghost fox with nearly ten thousand years of cultivation.

Anyone else would likely have been scared senseless.

Yun Zhen smiled at her and reclined once more on the beauty couch, her lips curved, her expression charming and alluring as she watched Lu Yanshuang stride toward her murderously.

Yun Zhen raised a hand, intending to undo her clothes. She had just revealed part of her fair, slender collarbone when her wrist was viciously pinned by a fiery red paw.

Lu Yanshuang said with a dark face, “No taking off your clothes!”

-

In the blink of an eye, nearly two days had passed.

Qi Xianqing didn’t know whether Yun Zhen had finished her business yet.

Although the sky above Wanwu Fortress did not distinguish day from night, the moment Qi Xianqing entered the city, she had silently started keeping track of the time.

She brought Yan Jue once more to Springfull Pavilion.

The number of people in Springfull Pavilion only increased.

This time, the two of them did not pass through the main hall, but went straight up the stairs to a private room.

The madam: “Immortal lady, please wait a moment; this servant will have some small dishes and refreshments sent up at once.”

Qi Xianqing nodded. “Much trouble.”

The madam closed the door.

Originally, they should have parted ways with Shiyun in the forest several days ago, but Qi Xianqing had found the little fox demon pitiful, so she let her put on a concealment cloak and come to Springfull Pavilion for a meal.

Yan Jue naturally agreed as well.

After all, since she had chosen to help this little fox demon, there was naturally a more important place where she intended to use her.

That Young Master Li really might have panicked upon seeing Shiyun leave and gone back to look for her, and he hadn’t appeared in Drunken Spring Pavilion either.

Shiyun sat at the dining table, listening to the laughter and noise outside the private room, feeling somewhat downcast.

Soon, the girls brought in snacks and dishes.

Crab clear soup, three-delicacy noodles, milk-white jujube pearls...

An array of sumptuous food was set on the table; it seemed the madam had truly tried her best to look after them for Yun Zhen’s sake.

Zhu He also came out. The little wild boar sat opposite the two of them, eyes half-lidded, frantically stuffing everything on the table into its mouth.

Yan Jue asked with a smile, “Little Zhu, are you happy?”

Zhu He nodded desperately, cheeks puffed up. “Happy!”

The full table of food was quickly swept clean.

Shiyun stared at her in amazement and twitched her lips. “Slow down; you... aren’t you afraid of choking...”

The little wild boar shook its head and picked up a chopstick, biting it clean in a single crack.

Shiyun screamed, “Y-you-you!!! You’re eating the chopsticks too!!!”

Qi Xianqing sat opposite them, resting her chin on one hand as she watched the two noisy little demons, and faintly began to think of something new.

Before, she had only cared about killing demons; she had never been so close to one.

Now that she thought about it, demons did indeed have another side, one she had never seen before.

Suddenly, a faint sound came from above.

Qi Xianqing’s brows moved slightly; with a flick of her gaze, she suddenly noticed something.

…

The wine and dishes the madam had prepared for them were very abundant. Besides food, there was also clear, translucent wine on the table.

Yan Jue had just looked away from Zhu He gnawing on the chopsticks and was unconsciously glancing at Qi Xianqing from the corner of her eye when she suddenly saw something, and couldn’t help but freeze slightly.

A thread of transparent spider silk was hanging down from somewhere above, and it landed right into Qi Xianqing’s teacup.

A faint, phosphorescent green liquid slowly slid down the spider silk and fell into Qi Xianqing’s cup.

It was so transparent it was almost impossible to see.

Buzz... buzz... buzz.

At the same time, Drifting Ice behind her began to tremble wildly, shaking Yan Jue’s entire body.

Qi Xianqing, her expression unchanged, lifted the cup; her lips had just touched the rim when Yan Jue suddenly reached out and knocked it from her hand.

Crash—

The teacup shattered all over the floor.

Yan Jue: “Watch out above!”

Yan Jue looked up and, as expected, saw that a tile from the window above had been lifted open at some point.

A black figure flashed past from above.

Yan Jue sprang up at once and leaped out the window. Her lightness skill was excellent; in just two or three motions she had jumped onto the roof.

Under the purple night sky, the black shadow bounced and darted over the rooftops, moving like lightning, swift and fierce.

Yan Jue immediately activated Instant Thousand Miles; her form flashed repeatedly through the air for dozens of zhang.

Though she did not catch him, she greatly narrowed the distance between them.

The man leaped straight onto the roof ahead, and in an instant his back began to bend and transform. A pair of huge wings sprouted from his shoulder blades; with every flap, a violent gust swept out.

He moved forward several zhang at once, and the distance between him and Yan Jue opened up again.

Springfull Pavilion was the largest brothel in Wanwu Fortress. In the courtyard stood over a hundred lofts of varying height, large and small, and the layout was extremely winding and twisted.

Drifting Ice behind her was still vibrating uneasily.

Yan Jue stomped hard on the ground with her right foot, and in an instant an ice-blue light flared around her body.

Drifting Ice rose into the air; Yan Jue stepped directly onto it and flew with her sword.

That man was flying extremely fast through the air, trying to use Springfull Pavilion’s complicated terrain to shake her off.

Yan Jue followed closely on her sword.

Drifting Ice’s sword qi scraped the air, producing wave after wave of shrill whistles, and then suddenly accelerated forward.

Yan Jue’s pupils contracted sharply; the tremendous impact nearly threw her off Drifting Ice.

She hurriedly lowered her body to relieve the inertia, and then suddenly saw the wings of the person ahead snap sideways; he made a sharp turn at the loft over there and disappeared.

Yan Jue formed seals with both hands, true qi surging forth; Drifting Ice then turned as well.

But that turn actually widened the distance between her and the man by several zhang at once.

Yan Jue inwardly cried out that this was bad and immediately pushed her Divine Sense control to the limit, adjusting the direction and angle of her body standing on Drifting Ice.

Drifting Ice suddenly accelerated again, and Yan Jue staggered, nearly falling off the immortal sword a second time. She hurriedly adjusted her balance and distributed her center of gravity properly to reduce the shaking.

In the deep purple night sky, Yan Jue abruptly realized that her sword-flying technique was still far from enough.

Lofts stood all around her, and the terrain was complex.

But this man was clearly extremely familiar with the surrounding terrain and environment.

In the blink of an eye, another loft appeared; the huge wings made another sharp turn, once again using the bend to widen the gap from Yan Jue, and then leaped onto the highest roof at the edge of Springfull Pavilion.

A bright moon hung overhead. The man’s wings suddenly spread wide, like a giant net across the sky, and his body tightened slightly.

He was trying to escape!

She wouldn’t catch up in time...

This person must have hidden on the rooftop for who knew how long, all just to poison Qi Xianqing’s teacup.

Yan Jue had a faint intuition that this was probably connected to the assassin from Cliff of Severed Malice who had tried and failed to ambush Qi Xianqing by Yuxu Sea before.

If she caught him, she might be able to learn who exactly was behind the attempt to kill Qi Xianqing...

Yan Jue clenched her teeth. Suddenly, a glint of cold light flashed in her palm, and a sleeve arrow shot out.

The sleeve arrow, engraved with the five-element runes, flashed with a faint golden light in the sky as it whistled forward.

The man turned his head, and with a violent beat of those huge wings, there was a loud smack; the sleeve arrow stabbed straight into his back, and blood splashed out. But the wound was not fatal. At the same time, those massive wings flapped hard, and he was already lifting off the ground, about to flee.

Yan Jue formed seals with both hands and instantly activated Sword Art: Shaking the Earth. Drifting Ice expanded several inches in midair, then shot toward him like an arrow off the string.

This was a new sword technique Yan Jue had just learned from the ancient manuscript of Drifting Ice that Yun Zhen had given her. She had only mastered it not long before leaving the mountain, so her skills were still rough; she didn’t even know if Drifting Ice could coordinate with her.

Drifting Ice was racing toward him with all its strength.

Suddenly, a tiny spark seemed to bloom from the rooftop beneath the wings of that man. It drifted leisurely up into the sky.

The little spark, like an insect, climbed up the man’s leg and then exploded into a vivid blaze.

Boom!!!

Yan Jue’s whole body stiffened. Drifting Ice, which had not yet been launched, stopped instantly in place.

The person who had just spread his wings to soar away froze in midair and, amidst the flames, turned into a blackened human silhouette.

Then he dissolved into a pile of ash in the sky.

The ash flew off on the wind.

He had actually... been killed in one strike.

Yan Jue froze, only to see a woman flutter out from beneath the roof that had been blown apart.

The woman wore a brocade dress embroidered with gold-threaded multicolored patterns. Her sleeves and hems billowed, her aura ethereal and transcendent; who else could it be but Yun Zhen?

Only now Yun Zhen seemed to have lost some of her immortal grace and gained a bit more languid sensuality. Her cheeks were faintly flushed, and she even seemed a little disheveled?

Yun Zhen brushed back her slightly messy black hair and emerged from the room, frowning at the empty rooftop. “I was resting. Who’s making such a racket outside?”