Anger

Yan Jue was silent for only a few seconds before she said, “Elder, there may be some misunderstanding between us.”

Elder Li Tian had long ago heard that Li Hao had been beaten in Five Dragons Square by a disciple named Yan Jue, right in front of everyone.

Li Hao was his only precious son, and in the sect, no one had ever bullied him.

Even when Li Hao was truly in the wrong, people usually gave him some face when they spoke to him.

But he had heard that last time in Five Dragons Square, it was this very woman who had made Li Hao lose face in public.

It wasn’t a huge matter, but it wasn’t small either.

At the very least, locking Li Hao in his room to brood over it for a few days would be enough to settle it.

At worst, the humiliation of being knocked down in public could affect his Dao heart in the future.

Li Hao was still a child, and he was only at the Late Illumination Stage now; he still had plenty of room to grow.

He would absolutely not allow anyone to damage Li Hao’s Dao heart!

Li Tian certainly would not let Yan Jue off easily.

Elder Li said coldly, “Everyone saw you beat Li Hao. What misunderstanding is there?”

Yan Jue was genuinely speechless. She immediately said loudly, “Everyone present saw it. He was the one who first activated his immortal sword and tried to attack me; I was only defending myself. Could it be that from now on, the disciples of Five Dragons Sect aren’t allowed to defend themselves?”

Since the elder was being unreasonable, Yan Jue couldn’t be bothered to reason with him either.

She simply raised the issue to the level of Five Dragons Sect as a whole.

Sure enough, the elder choked for a moment. “Li Hao is just a child. How much power could his sword possibly have? It’s obviously because you wouldn’t let him.”

Good heavens. Yan Jue’s gaze drifted to Li Hao, who sat calmly and composedly beneath Elder Li.

She almost admired Li Hao’s restraint.

With his father protecting him like this, didn’t he feel even a little embarrassed?

Yan Jue: “That day, this disciple saw clearly that the thunder talismans engraved on Li Daoist’s sword were no small matter; with just the slightest mistake, they could already injure someone. It’s something even I, a mere disciple, can understand. Does the elder truly not understand, or are you pretending not to?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the entire hall fell briefly silent.

Then Elder Li suddenly said in a deep voice, “You. Come here.”

Yan Jue had no idea what the elder intended. If he couldn’t outtalk her, was he going to hit her instead?

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she had no choice but to step forward.

The elder brought two fingers together and flicked his hand forward.

The small wine cup beside him flew up and landed steadily in front of Yan Jue.

The elder smiled. “Actually, what I want to say is that fellow disciples should keep harmony. Li Hao is immature; are you going to act immature with him too?”

Yan Jue froze. The elder’s attitude had changed so completely that she didn’t quite react in time.

The elder: “Drink the wine in this cup. Li Hao will drink a cup as well. Consider it as though nothing ever happened between you.”

It was a very shallow celadon handled cup; it looked as though no one had touched it before.

Under the candlelight, the clear wine inside shimmered faintly, and a seductive fragrance seemed to drift through the air.

Yan Jue couldn’t help but pause.

This Elder Li had been so aggressive just now; now he actually wanted to make peace?

Yan Jue looked at the wine cup.

No.

Her pupils contracted.

There was something wrong with this cup!

Elder Li smiled. “Like this, you and my son Li Hao each drink a cup of wine; once you’ve drunk it all, we’ll let this matter go as if it never happened.”

Before his words had even faded, Li Hao stood up. With an air of great heroism, he smiled at Yan Jue and said, “Junior Sister, we’re all fellow sect members; don’t let a small matter hurt our harmony. I’ll punish myself with three cups. You only need to drink this one cup, and we’ll consider all grievances cleared.”

His voice was very loud; it was obvious he wanted everyone present to hear it.

There had been a conflict between fellow sect members, and he was proactively offering reconciliation.

If Yan Jue refused at this point, then she would be the unreasonable one.

Cultivators always valued etiquette.

Now that so many sect members were watching, if Yan Jue’s reputation were ruined, it would not only be within Five Dragons Sect; even if she wanted to go out in the future, she would be hindered at every turn.

Most likely, Elder Li had seen that she was a woman and concluded she couldn’t handle strong liquor, so he had used this trick to make things difficult for her.

Li Hao tilted his head back and drank a cup.

Yan Jue held the cup and began drinking as well.

Li Hao watched her for a while; the corner of his lips curled slightly.

Yan Jue took the cup and drank seven or eight mouthfuls in a row. A flush rose to her cheeks, yet she still hadn’t finished the wine.

Now the onlookers around them also sensed that something was off.

“Why has she taken so many sips and still not finished the wine? Don’t tell me she’s just pretending to drink. How could someone be this stupid…”

“Hahaha, you don’t know this? Elder Li is the one most skilled in Qiankun techniques. The wine in his cup isn’t just a single cup of wine; it’s the wine from the entire Guanlan Wine Pool. For Yan Jue to finish it, how easy could that be?”

“Back in the day, Guanlan Star Lord and the Rain God once competed in drinking. The Rain God got so drunk that the wine in the cup only lowered by the width of a finger. The Rain God was a god, and even then it was like that, so don’t even mention this tiny Five Dragons disciple.”

“To offend Elder Li is terrifying…”

“Yan Jue usually runs wild in the sect; now she’s run into a hard wall. Everyone has a reverse scale, after all. Elder Li has always been gentle and easygoing; who knew his reverse scale was actually his son?”

Yan Jue’s face had gone flushed with alcohol. Her whole face was red from the fumes, and after discovering the trick inside the cup, she set it down.

Li Tian stood up and slammed the table hard. “Drink!”

The hall fell silent again, and everyone’s eyes turned toward her.

This time, she had completely lost face.

What Yan Jue found strange was that Elder Li’s behavior was obviously unreasonable.

But no one came to stop him.

Was it only because she was cannon fodder that she had to suffer something like this?

Looking at Elder Li, Yan Jue couldn’t help getting angry.

Tonight was supposed to be the night her life ended in the original story. She had wanted to keep a low profile, but who would have thought that just by attending this banquet, something like this would happen? If she’d known earlier, she would never have come no matter what.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind her. “Does Five Dragons Sect really have so little regard for rules? Since he was the one who first drew his immortal sword in provocation, Li Daoist was only carrying out the most basic self-defense and resistance. But because he’s the elder’s son, the one who was bullied has to apologize to him instead? Isn’t that the most ridiculous thing under heaven?”

What was all this nonsense?

Yan Jue froze for a moment, then turned back in disbelief.

She saw Xue Shuangxing stand up, cloaked and cold-faced.

Those words had been spoken by her.

“Li Daoist?”

Ah… awkward.

A helpful Five Dragons Sect disciple nearby reminded her in a low voice, “That’s Yan Jue.”

Xue Shuangxing paused. “I said it wrong. It’s Yan Daoist.”

She reacted very quickly. “Out in the world, who doesn’t use an alias? Understandable.”

Elder Li stared at Yan Jue, his face turning green.

Then he slapped the table and asked in a deep voice, “I’m asking you one thing: will you drink or not?”

Li Hao smiled and said, “Junior Sister Yan is after all only a… outer-sect disciple. It’s normal not to understand etiquette.”

Everyone was watching the show and whispering among themselves again.

“I wonder how she even signed up this time? Wasn’t she afraid of making a complete fool of herself at the Five-Dragon Summit?”

“It’s fine. After all, at every summit, there are always a few outer-sect disciples who want to challenge the impossible and sign up.”

“These people are just stepping stones for the big shots.”

“Don’t be fooled by how Yan Jue swept Li Hao down with a leg last time; that was just luck, because Li Hao wasn’t on guard. Once Li Hao is prepared, just watch whether she gets beaten so badly she’s rolling all over the floor.”

Facing the elder’s pressure, Yan Jue did not continue drinking.

Slowly, she set down the handled cup.

Under the bright candlelight, the girl’s fair cheeks were tinted with a faint blush. Her amber phoenix eyes were half-lowered; with the night wind lifting her jet-black hair, she looked breathtakingly beautiful.

She actually wasn’t afraid of this elder.

The only one who could kill her was Qi Xianqing.

No matter how much this elder hated her, could he really run over and kill her himself?

Elder Li looked at Yan Jue and couldn’t help frowning slightly.

Strange.

He was already a sixth-realm cultivator, yet the little disciple before him seemed to be only at Foundation Establishment Realm.

Just now, when he looked at her, he had deliberately applied the pressure of his realm.

There was no reason for her not to be afraid.

The situation remained deadlocked.

Until a voice suddenly came from over there: “What exactly are you doing? So many fellow daoists from different sects are watching.”

Yan Jue froze and looked over.

An old man with a white beard walked over, his face carrying a genial smile.

He wore a Daoist robe; his hair was white as snow, yet his complexion was ruddy and youthful, full of immortal bearing and grace. Behind him was a huge pale quartz-colored sword.

As he approached, a strong oppressive force crashed over everyone, making it hard not to want to kneel.

This was the pressure of an eighth-realm powerhouse.

Everyone present couldn’t help straightening at once.

Yan Jue was slightly stunned.

It was actually the Sect Master of Five Dragons Mountain, Mu Zhongzi.

The moment the elder saw the Sect Master, he choked up. “Sect Master Senior Brother, I…”

The Sect Master looked at Li Tian, his expression instantly turning severe. “What childish behavior is this? Have you gotten used to protecting your cub?”

Elder Li’s face instantly flushed bright red.

The Sect Master then transmitted to him, “Don’t let your momentary impulse make the other sects look down on us!”

Elder Li was so angry his face turned green, but under the Sect Master’s gaze he could only lower his head and not say a word.

After a long while, he squeezed out, “I understand, Sect Master Senior Brother.”

The Sect Master turned back to look at Yan Jue, smiling warmly. “Why aren’t you hurrying back to your seat?”

Yan Jue came back to herself and returned to her seat.

The wine from the Guanlan Wine Pool was enough to knock over a whole host of immortals; its fragrance was rich, and the aftereffect truly was powerful.

Yan Jue had just downed several mouthfuls. Once she got back to her seat, she raised a hand to her forehead and felt dizzy.

The Sect Master said loudly, “Letting everyone see such a petty conflict within the sect has become a joke.”

No one at the table spoke.

Everyone knew sects were bound to have their share of ugly little disputes.

Everyone’s own sect had them; there was nothing strange about that.

The Sect Master: “To make it up to everyone, how about opening Five Dragons Mountain’s Taibai Pool to all of you tonight?”

As soon as he said that, the whole hall erupted.

Five Dragons Mountain’s Taibai Pool was also a small wine pool, built in imitation of the famous Guanlan Wine Pool of the world.

The pool was full of fine wine, and under the moonlight one could even boat upon it, carrying the flavor of the legendary Poet Immortal Li Bai drifting by on the river in years past.

Ordinary people could only hear a little about it; only elders and disciples within Five Dragons Sect were allowed to view it.

But today, the Sect Master was actually opening Taibai Pool?!

“Aaaaaah, tonight I’m going to Taibai Pool and drink myself stupid!”

“No way, right? Outer-sect disciples like us never even get the chance to touch Taibai Pool, and today it’s actually opening? Good thing I came!”

“What are you waiting for? Hurry up!”

Mu Zhongzi smiled faintly and actually took out a small wooden token the size of a palm from his sleeve.

When the token fell to the ground, it turned into a child of five or six years old. The child smiled warmly and bowed to the immortals present. “Please follow me, Immortals.”

Everyone looked surprised.

They had never expected Mu Zhongzi’s study of odd formations and mechanisms to have reached such a profound level.

Then came the scattered sound of chairs being dragged back. The cultivators of Tiangang Shrine were always straightforward; the moment they heard there was wine to drink, they stood up at once.

Several burly men bowed to Mu Zhongzi, who smiled and nodded; then the little child led them away in a flutter.

Very soon, there was almost no one left in the hall, only a few disciples of the immortal sects who did not drink sitting at the tables and eating.

Yan Jue let out a breath of relief, but out of the corner of her eye she saw the Sect Master walking over. He smiled kindly and said, “Little daoist, are you from Watercloud Sect?”

Yan Jue stood and saluted. “Replying to Uncle Sect Master, yes.”

The Sect Master smiled as he lifted a cup of wine. “I heard before that there was a brave little disciple from Watercloud Sect who dared to challenge Li Hao alone in Five Dragons Square. I didn’t believe it, but after seeing you today, you’re indeed neither arrogant nor humble; your reputation is well deserved.”

“I’ve long wanted to properly deal with people like Li Hao. You can be considered a rising talent as well. You should perform well at this Five-Dragon Summit. I toast to you, little daoist.”

Seeing how warm the Sect Master was, Yan Jue couldn’t refuse.

She raised her cup and drank with him; she immediately felt terribly dizzy.

Yan Jue hurriedly said, “Uncle Sect Master, this disciple would like to return and rest for a moment.”

Mu Zhongzi murmured, “The wine from Guanlan Pool really does hit hard. Quite a few people couldn’t take it and went back to their rooms early to rest.”

“Looks like after the summit ends, I’ll have to switch the banquet wine to Taibai Pool’s instead.”

Yan Jue looked at Mu Zhongzi and was actually afraid he wouldn’t let her go.

Unexpectedly, the Sect Master waved a hand and smiled at the female disciples beside him. “You girls, go help her back to her room.”

“This little girl is quite interesting.”

The three girls over there were all highly capable disciples under Mu Zhongzi. Upon hearing this, they hurried forward to support Yan Jue.

Yan Jue staggered forward, still glancing sidelong at the female disciples.

It was true; tonight everyone looked like they had been transformed by the Demon Lord.

The group slowly walked out of Sword-Dance Arena.

-

Mu Zhongzi watched Yan Jue’s back, his expression gradually cooling.

He took out a talisman tablet and sent a trace of Divine Sense into it.

The tablet lit with a faint glow.

“Uncle?” Qi Xianqing’s voice came from the other side.

Qi Xianqing had been assigned early today to handle the preparations for the assembly three days later.

Registering names, arranging the venue, and so on.

She was busy to the point of exhaustion and still hadn’t finished even now when she suddenly received the Sect Master’s message.

Mu Zhongzi said in a low voice, “There’s demon aura in Sword-Dance Arena. There should be a harmful demon or evil creature lurking there. Come now and deal with it.”

Qi Xianqing froze. Tonight was the banquet on the eve of the Five-Dragon Summit; Sword-Dance Arena was full of righteous immortal sect disciples. How could there possibly be a demon or evil creature there? Although she found it strange, she still didn’t object. “Yes.”

-

Some time later, rain began falling from the sky.

The fine strands of rain dropped little by little; in the dense grass, a small wild boar with watermelon stripes struggled through the undergrowth.

A massive amount of demon aura flowed from its body.

So scary…

The little wild boar looked up at the sky and stumbled through the woods.

It was about to take human form. It still remembered what that senior had taught it to pay attention to when transforming.

It had to find a safe place…

-

Yan Jue walked some distance with the female disciples from Five Dragons Sect.

Then she suddenly noticed something and stopped. “Senior Sister, this doesn’t seem to be the way back to Watercloud Sect.”

The mountain path was very quiet; by starlight, one could clearly see several forks ahead.

This was definitely not the way back to Watercloud Sect.

One of the women, her hair arranged in a Flying Immortal bun, smiled. “Watercloud Sect is so far away. Junior Sister, you’re drunk like this; can you even walk back? You should rest in a room at Sword-Dance Arena first, and once you can walk properly, you can head back.”

The disciples under Five Dragons Sect’s Sect Master Mu Zhongzi had all received the finest education since childhood, and their status within the sect was also higher than that of ordinary inner-sect disciples.

Looking at them now, they truly lived up to their reputation; every movement carried immortal grace.

Yan Jue stood where she was, feeling one wave of drunkenness after another surge up into her head. Even her eyes were blurred and unable to see clearly.

Bad.

Yan Jue had no choice but to nod.

Tonight’s plan could only be carried out somewhere else.

Sword-Dance Arena had arranged special rooms for guests; disciples from the six great immortal sects would be staying here for the next few days.

This place could house thousands, so there were naturally enough rooms.

The female disciple helped Yan Jue into one of the guest rooms, then closed the door and left.

The guest room at Sword-Dance Arena.

The furnishings were very similar to Yan Jue’s own lodging: clean and spacious, with a pleasant sandalwood incense burning in the corner.

Yan Jue lay on the bed, raised a hand to rub her temples, and rested a little. Just as she was about to sit up, a sudden wave of pain swept through her chest, so intense that her vision went dark.

Heavenly Dao.

The room door was suddenly opened.

A handsome young man walked in from outside.

He wore a Daoist robe, and his hair was tied up with a bamboo hairpin.

In the dim light, his features were upright and proper, and the bluish-white hue of his clothes made him seem all the more elegant and handsome.

Yan Jue narrowed her eyes, focusing on him.

Chu Fu.

As expected.

Chu Fu was bound to come looking for her tonight; it had originally been arranged by the Heavenly Dao, and Yan Jue wasn’t surprised.

What she found strange was how Chu Fu knew she was in this room.

Yan Jue swallowed, then simply raised a hand to clutch her right chest, making herself completely go limp as she collapsed onto the bed.

Chu Fu stood outside the door and watched her for a long while before slowly walking over. He stared deeply at Yan Jue, who was already so beautiful it was almost tragic on the bed. Her fair cheeks were flushed red, her narrow phoenix eyes half-narrowed so only a slit remained, and through it one could faintly see those amber pupils.

Chu Fu’s gaze lingered on that face as he said slowly, “So today I’ve finally caught you…”

Yan Jue stared at him and said nothing.

A smile flashed in Chu Fu’s eyes. He suddenly took two iron balls from his Qiankun bag.

He seemed to mutter some incantation; with a whoosh, one iron ball stuck to Yan Jue’s neck, and the other to her waist.

Instantly, a scorching sensation surged through her entire body. Yan Jue moved her throat and frowned tightly.

This Chu Fu actually had a magical artifact like that.

The two iron balls clung tightly to her body, bringing wave after wave of burning heat.

And with it, endless desire.

The pain in her chest had begun to intensify again; Yan Jue drew a deep breath.

The next moment, Chu Fu rudely pulled her upright, then pressed in over her.

The things on the bed spilled all over the floor.

Something shattered with a soft crack.

The seduction arts she had once learned from Bai Ying all came flooding back into Yan Jue’s mind. She slowly opened her eyes and, just as she had rehearsed a thousand times in her head, stared at Chu Fu.

In that instant, an extremely faint golden light lit up in her eyes; the gold was rich, like paint, or like the clouds at the edge of the sky.

Chu Fu suddenly went a little dazed; his movements stopped as well, and he stared blankly, unmoving.

Yan Jue barely endured the searing heat in her body and slowly stood up. “Get up.”

Chu Fu actually looked foolish, standing up blankly just as she did.

At the same time, a sharp pain shot through her chest, as if it were about to tear Yan Jue apart.

Yan Jue gritted her teeth and used one hand to brace herself against the bed.

This moment had finally arrived.

Whether the Heavenly Dao acknowledged it or not would determine whether she could survive tonight!

Yan Jue placed the pouch full of pills on the table and continued to use her seductive arts. “Take the pills and eat them.”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a subtle charm. Chu Fu was dazed and muddled; he actually walked to the pills and, like he was biting beans, swallowed them all.

Yan Jue had specially calculated these pills. After Chu Fu finished them and spent a few days digesting them, his cultivation would improve by leaps and bounds.

Yan Jue felt secretly delighted. Sweat slid down her cheeks, and those two beads clung to her body like parasites. Yan Jue reached out to pull them off, but they only seemed to sink in deeper.

Yan Jue knew this might be the source of her burning heat.

What made her uneasy was that the wine she had just drunk was slowly numbing her brain.

Her demon aura could no longer be controlled and poured out in torrents; the Northern Sea black iron on her neck was trembling violently.

After Chu Fu finished the pills, he seemed to be swollen full of spiritual energy and murmured something under his breath. In the dim light, that face was childish yet extremely handsome.

He raised his eyes and stared straight at Yan Jue, a trace of confusion, infatuation, and frenzy flashing through them.

He walked directly toward Yan Jue.

“Huff… huff… huff…”

Yan Jue leaned against the bed, breathing heavily.

The pain in her chest actually gradually eased, then disappeared completely. Yan Jue couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief; it seemed this method was accepted by the Heavenly Dao.

But very quickly, she could no longer laugh.

Instead, the scorching heat on her body intensified further. Her clothes were soaked through with sweat, and she looked as though she had been fished out of water, with no strength left.

Suddenly, Yan Jue felt a weight on her shoulder, and the whole of her was pressed beneath Chu Fu.

The two of them rolled in miserable disorder on the bed.

Yan Jue pushed against Chu Fu’s shoulders with both hands, then suddenly realized that behind her, for some unknown reason, there was a fluffy thing.

Her tail had slipped out.

Damn it!

Because she had drunk alcohol, her Divine Sense couldn’t fully condense, which was why her tail and other features had fallen out. Yan Jue was nearly collapsing; the blood in her whole body had gone cold, yet her body was strangely burning hot.

As she struggled to tuck her tail away, Bai Ying’s scream suddenly erupted in her mind from the doorway: “Help! A terrifying person is approaching!”

Yan Jue’s pupils contracted. She forcefully pinned her tail beneath herself, then suddenly saw the door over there blasted open by overwhelming spiritual power!

A snow-white figure walked in from outside.

Qi Xianqing was wearing a sea-blue pleated skirt with a snowy white crossed collar; her jet-black hair was loose over her shoulders, and her expression was cold and murderous.

Zhuying, the pitch-black longsword, glowed faintly in the lamplight; faint electrical current seemed to be dissolving into the air.

Feeling the crackling current all around her that made her scalp tingle, Yan Jue’s heart went cold by half.

Qi Xianqing hated demons and monsters the most, and now Yan Jue was covered in demon aura, with a huge tail still sticking out behind her.

Yan Jue was so frightened her legs went weak. Pinned beneath Chu Fu on the bed, her body was hot and burning.

It was over, over, over. All her attention had been on the male lead, and she had forgotten the most crucial point.

But the one who was going to kill her tonight was Qi Xianqing.

In her panic, Yan Jue met Qi Xianqing’s eyes.

For an instant, she saw confusion and incomprehension there, along with a flash of anger at being deceived. Perhaps it was because she felt deceived that made her so angry.

Her life might well be over here.

Qi Xianqing’s eyes were full of fury, as though she intended to cut down every evil demon in the world a thousand times over. Yan Jue closed her eyes and subconsciously gripped the bedsheet beneath her.

Zhuying let out a dragon’s roar as it left its scabbard, wrapped in surging electricity and crackling arcs.

It swept toward Chu Fu and struck down!