Chapter 111: You’re My Favorite Out of All the Women I’ve Loved
Wei Mengrou carried Mu Zhi’an on her flying sword, heading towards the Jade Glass Palace. The vast expanse of the cliff stretched beneath them, the air filled with spiritual energy and swirling mist. He wrapped his arms around her waist, his chest pressed against her back.
She glanced at him coldly, and he chuckled, offering a flimsy excuse. “I’m afraid of falling.”
She scoffed.
Afraid? He hadn’t seemed afraid in front of Lan Mulian. He was just trying to maintain his image in front of his Senior Sister. Men.
She didn’t say anything. They were almost at the Jade Glass Palace.
Under her guidance, they soon arrived and entered the Garden of Heavenly Harmony, finding Bai Ruoxi in a tranquil pavilion. It was mid-autumn, but the garden was filled with blooming flowers and singing birds, a testament to its enchanted nature. Bai Ruoxi, her beauty captivating, wore a white dress, her long hair flowing freely, a strand falling across her cheek, giving her an air of effortless elegance.
“Are you alright?” she asked, looking up at him, a gentle smile playing on her lips.
“I’m fine. There were some incidents in Senior Ling Long’s realm, but fighting is forbidden, so it wasn’t a problem,” he replied, smiling back.
She relaxed, gesturing for them to sit. “The Third Prince is spreading rumors, saying you betrayed the others and claimed Ling Long’s destiny inheritances for yourself,” she said, her voice soft.
She paused, then added, “He’s such an unpleasant person. They’re both wastrels, but why are they so different?”
You’re saying I’m a wastrel too? But I’ve reformed! He smiled, deciding to give her some discipline tonight.
“Ignore him. No one will believe him,” he said, chuckling, taking a sip of tea.
The disciples had all benefited from his help. What evidence did the Third Prince have? It was actually quite entertaining. In between cultivating, they could enjoy the clown’s performance. It was a good way to relieve stress.
“Did you receive a destiny inheritance from Senior Ling Long, Mu Lang?” she asked suddenly.
He retrieved three small tablets from his storage ring. Each tablet contained a swirling purple aura.
Her eyes widened with surprise. “Heavenly Dao Aura?”
As a possessor of Heavenly Dao Aura, she recognized it instantly. There was no doubt that each tablet contained a strand of Heavenly Dao Aura.
She stared at the tablets for a moment, then looked up at him. “While these strands are small, they’ll still be beneficial to your cultivation. I’ll protect you while you absorb them.”
“I don’t need them,” he replied, shaking his head.
He could obtain more Heavenly Dao Aura from Ling Long later. And these tablets also contained the secrets of destiny inheritances. Using them simply for the aura would be wasteful.
“Try absorbing one, Mengrou,” he said, handing her a tablet.
She took it, then looked at him, his smile genuine and reassuring. “If one isn’t enough, let me know.”
She hesitated, then murmured, “Thank you.”
She knew he often looked at her with certain thoughts in mind, but she couldn’t refuse his kindness. She could sense his sincerity. Even though he seemed to be sincere towards other women as well.
Bai Ruoxi watched their exchange, sipping her tea silently. She noticed his gaze upon her, her lashes fluttering as she lowered her eyes, her voice soft and shy. “What is it, Mu Lang? Why are you staring at me?”
He reached across the table, placing his hand on hers.
“I missed you, Ruoxi.”
“You were only gone for half a day,” she said, glancing at him, her voice laced with amusement.
“A day apart feels like three autumns. It’s natural for me to miss you after half a day.”
He gazed at her beautiful face. Her skin was flawless, her features delicate, her eyes, despite her cold demeanor, sparkling with a hint of passion. She was irresistible. If she wore modern clothes, she would be the unattainable campus beauty, her long hair flowing freely, a simple T-shirt and white pleated skirt accentuating her figure, her legs long and slender, her ample bosom straining against the fabric.
Wei Mengrou glared at him, her expression filled with disgust.
Yes, that’s the look I love. He enjoyed her disapproval, his hand still holding Bai Ruoxi’s.
She stood up and walked away, her movements graceful, and he slid closer to Bai Ruoxi, his gaze lingering on her face. Her jawline was elegant, her nose delicate, her lips a tempting pink, their moistness enhanced by the tea she had just sipped.
He placed his hands on her shoulders, leaning in to taste the tea on her lips.
She blushed, trying to push him away, her voice soft. “Not here.”
“Don’t worry. No one will come in,” he murmured, his lips almost touching hers.
He suddenly felt a breeze, a familiar aura beside him. He turned to see Lin Ling standing there, her simple robe concealing her figure, an Eight Treasures Crane struggling in her grasp, its wings bound.
“Senior Lin Ling…?” he asked, his voice laced with surprise. “What are you doing here?”
She pointed at the table. She had written: Continue.
Then she added: I can wait.
They exchanged a glance, and Bai Ruoxi quickly pulled away, smoothing her hair, regaining her composure. She looked at him, her voice cold and distant, as if nothing had happened. “Who is she, Mu Lang?”
She emphasized the word “she.”
“This is Senior Ling Long,” he replied mentally.
Ling Long, the ancient being who had existed since the sect’s founding. What was she doing here? Bai Ruoxi’s eyes flickered, and she looked at Lin Ling, her gaze now filled with respect. “Greetings, Senior.”
Her tone was respectful, but not servile. It was a skill she had learned from her family. But she didn’t realize that Lin Ling didn’t care about such formalities.
“What brings you here, Senior?” Mu Zhi’an asked, confused.
She placed the bound crane on the table.
“An Eight Treasures Crane?!” His eyes widened.
Eating a portion of this crane could boost one’s cultivation, effective up to the peak of Core Formation, with no side effects. According to Senior Sister Lan, the peak lord of Boundless Sea Peak only had a few of them, and they were highly prized.
She wrote on the table: Let’s stew it and eat it tonight.
“Senior Lin Ling, if you eat it, the peak lord won’t say anything. But if we eat it…” he said, his voice laced with concern.
She tilted her head, her eyes filled with confusion. “Aaaa?”
She’s asking why. He understood, somehow. “The peak lord raised these cranes. He rarely eats them himself. He mostly uses them to reward exceptional disciples.”
He continued, “They’re so rare that he probably only has a few. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to eat one.”
“Aaaa!”
She shook her head, her expression serious, as if trying to explain something.
Then, under his watchful gaze, she retrieved another bound crane from her storage ring, this one even larger. She waved her hand, and more cranes, a total of seventeen, tumbled out of her ring, their wings bound, their cries filling the air.
They look so pitiful. But their cries are so melodious. They must be delicious. He couldn’t help but feel tempted.
She wrote on the table: Seventeen in total. He won’t notice if you eat one or two.
You know it’s stealing? He stared at her, her crimson eyes bright and innocent. In a way, she was similar to him. He would occasionally exploit Ye Yu. But she was even more ruthless. She had stolen an entire flock of sheep. He looked at her, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
She held a crane in her hand, the lush garden behind her, her simple robe doing little to conceal her beauty.
She wrote on the table: If you’re unhappy, I can release them.
He looked at the words, understanding her intentions. She hadn’t stolen the cranes simply because she wanted to eat them. It was probably out of concern for him, a way to share her bounty. She had lived for perhaps tens of thousands of years, yet her heart was as pure as a child’s.
But they couldn’t eat the cranes. However, they could use them to earn a favor. She had good intentions. She believed she had benefited from transferring her destiny to him, so she wanted to compensate him.
…And of course, she probably wanted to eat them as well.
If she ate them, the peak lord wouldn’t say anything. He wouldn’t dare. But if they ate them, even if he didn’t say anything, he would surely be unhappy.
But even if they couldn’t eat them, they could still use them to gain an advantage.
“If you don’t mind, Senior, please stay here for a while,” he said, glancing at the crane in her hand, smiling. “I’ll prepare this crane for you later.”
Then he would simply wait for the peak lord of Boundless Sea Peak to arrive.
…
Boundless Sea Peak.
Five cultivators sat in a pavilion on the summit, a pot of wine simmering on the table. The leader was Yi Hao, the current peak lord. Beside him sat Yi Huayun, the master of the Medicinal Cuisine Pavilion, and Yan Ruyu, the master of the library. The other two were disciples invited by Yi Hao to enjoy some Eight Treasures Crane.
“You seem to be in a good mood today, Senior Brother. Inviting us to enjoy Eight Treasures Crane. Has something good happened?” Yan Ruyu asked, smiling, her beauty ethereal.
Yi Huayun took a sip of wine, chuckling. “I believe Senior Brother is happy about the recent entrance exams.”
Another disciple added, “It’s been a while since so many candidates passed Boundless Sea Peak’s trial. And they’re all quite talented. It’s worth celebrating.”
Yan Ruyu traced the rim of her cup, her eyes twinkling. “That Mu Zhi’an, he’s quite capable.”
Yi Hao nodded, smiling. “To comprehend even a small portion of Master’s formation, his talent is astonishing.”
“So you’re planning to choose him as your inner disciple?” Yan Ruyu asked.
He shook his head, chuckling. “I’m not in a hurry. I’ll observe him for a while longer.”
“Each peak can only choose one inner disciple. It’s an important decision,” Yi Huayun said.
“There are many talented disciples this year. If I choose one, I’ll have to give them an Eight Treasures Crane as a welcome gift,” Yi Hao chuckled, his good mood evident.
An Eight Treasures Crane, consumed before reaching the peak of Core Formation, could boost one’s cultivation by at least one level. It was even more effective for those at Foundation Establishment. Not just the disciples, but even some of the pavilion masters coveted the cranes. But no one dared to steal them. Yi Hao had spent countless resources raising them, and he had sentimental attachments to them. No one wanted to cross him.
“Speaking of which, didn’t Junior Sister Lan mention that Ling Long took one of your cranes? Aren’t you going to confront her?” Yan Ruyu asked, her voice laced with amusement.
He smiled faintly. “It’s Ling Long. She can have all of them if she wants.”
Such was his magnanimity. Ling Long was the sect’s guardian beast. She had once fought alongside the founder, repelling the demon race, her power legendary. A few cranes, it was nothing. Of course, if she actually took all of them, he might not be so generous.
They all understood, but they wouldn’t point it out.
They chatted for a while longer, then Yan Ruyu looked up at the setting sun, her brow furrowing slightly. “Speaking of which, shouldn’t the cranes be back by now? It’s getting late.”
Yi Hao also looked up at the empty sky, a flicker of unease in his eyes. He suddenly seemed to sense something, his gaze landing on a paper crane approaching. He caught it, and it transformed into a letter.
The others looked at him, curious.
“It’s from Mu Zhi’an,” he said, glancing at the letter.
Then, as he read the contents, his smile vanished, his expression hardening.
After a long silence, he exhaled slowly, his voice grim. “I need to go to the Jade Glass Palace.”
