Chapter 395: Old Loli, A Post-Rain Story
Two months later—
… …
The gentle autumn breeze lightly caressed the golden leaves along the riverbanks. The warm sun hung high in the sky, and by the river, scholars and beauties moved between various shops.
Ye Anping, dressed in the light purple sect uniform of Xuan Xing Sect and with a round jade tassel hanging from his waist, stopped in front of a small shop on the street. He looked up at the shop’s plaque, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his eyes.
A Qi Refining Stage cultivator at the shop entrance saw him and immediately stepped out, cupping his hands in invitation. “Senior, are you here to forge spirit artifacts for this young lady? Our shop’s artifact furnaces have excellent quality…”
“No, I’m just looking,” Ye Anping waved his hand, interrupting him. He turned and continued walking down the street.
Using the vision of his Fire Phoenix eyes to see Li Longling, she quickly caught up. After a moment of hesitation, she gently took Ye Anping’s right hand. “Anping, why do you look so nostalgic? Was there anything special about that artifact furnace shop?”
Ye Anping didn’t say anything. Instead, he squeezed her small hand and explained, “It’s the marketplace of Xuan Xing Sect… I used to open a shop here to earn money for my junior sister’s tuition at Xuan Xing Sect. I rented it for a year, but it only lasted for half a year after opening.”
“That shop just now was… Then, why don’t I buy it for you?”
“I’m not running it anymore, why would I buy it?”
“It’s nice to keep a memento.”
“Forget it…” Ye Anping shook his head, holding Li Longling’s hand, and continued to stroll leisurely down the street.
His junior sister and Xiao Yunluo were going back to Xuan Xing Sect ahead of time to report their encounters in the Northern Region and submit their herb-gathering tasks. Therefore, he planned to accompany Li Longling for a stroll, serving as a brief farewell.
Li Longling was now the Mansion Lord of Chi Long Mansion, but she had no younger siblings to help her. With the Mansion Lord always away, she was bound to be gossiped about by the people in the mansion.
“Longling, thank you this time.”
“Why thank your fiancée?” Li Longling walked a little closer, then boldly hugged Ye Anping’s arm and tilted her head to lean on his shoulder, smiling playfully. “But if Anping wants to thank me, why don’t you spend the night with me? Let me experience what it’s like to be in a wheelchair, how about it?”
? Ye Anping was startled, feeling a bit awkward.
Just then, the two happened to pass by a well-decorated inn with a plaque that read “Mandarin Duck Pavilion.” He paused, then nodded. “That’s not out of the question.”
As quick as lightning, Ye Anping threw an arm around Li Longling’s waist and turned, taking two steps towards the inn. However, Li Longling seemed to have changed her mind and quickly stopped. “I was joking…”
Ye Anping chuckled, “I was joking too.”
Li Longling puffed out her cheeks slightly, showing a hint of dissatisfaction. She playfully pinched Ye Anping’s nose and said, “When you send the betrothal gifts to me, I’ll agree to undress for you. Otherwise, don’t even think about it! Hmph~”
“Then I’ll go back and tell my father and the others.”
“Then I’ll eagerly await the good news~ Come on, keep showing me around. Senior Sister Xiao and Senior Sister Pei aren’t here, so you belong to me now.”
Seeing Li Longling suddenly become so lively, Ye Anping felt a little surprised, but he just smiled faintly and quickened his pace to match hers.
The two wandered through the marketplace of Xuan Xing Sect, just like the young couples on the street at this moment, affectionately browsing food stalls and embroidery shops, and buying various trinkets.
Before they knew it, the autumn sun had set behind the western mountains.
Several streaks of light appeared from the northeast. A dozen female guards, adorned with the Chi Long embroidered insignia on their attire, arrived on the street of the marketplace, escorting a sedan chair pulled by three snow cranes.
Seeing the Chi Long Mansion insignia, the people on the street wisely moved to the sides, searching the surrounding streets for the persons the guards were there to meet.
Li Longling, seeing them with Ah Feng’s eyes, sighed with a hint of disappointment and slowly let go of Ye Anping’s shoulder. “I’m leaving then.”
“Yes, be careful on the road, and also…” Ye Anping lowered his gaze, pondering for a moment, and said, “Could I ask you to do me a favor?”
“Just say it.”
“Dispatch a few nimble Chi Long Mansion guards to the Eastern Frontier of the Central Region to keep an eye on things there. If anything happens, send me a message.”
Beyond the Great Wall in the Eastern Frontier of the Central Region lay the Eastern Domain, which was the demon realm of the demonic cultivators.
Li Longling immediately understood, her expression turning serious. “Anping, do you think the demonic cultivators will attack the Eastern Frontier of the Central Region?”
It wasn’t a guess, but rather… Ye Anping lowered his eyes, organized his thoughts, and explained, “Didn’t the demonic cultivators invade the Northern Region this time?”
“Yes…”
“But, besides the Nascent Soul demonic cultivator we encountered, haven’t all the others been only at the Core Formation and Foundation Establishment stages? None of the high-level Deity Transformation masters from the demonic cultivators have shown up.”
“Are you saying… ‘luring the tiger away from its den’?”
“Mmm,” Ye Anping nodded. “In fact, if we hadn’t exposed the demonic cultivators to Hantian Kingdom this time, the chaos in the Northern Region wouldn’t have been quelled so quickly.”
It was the same in the game: three of the Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators broke through Hantian Kingdom’s Domain Protection Formation, resulting in nearly 40% casualties among cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage in the Snow-Clothed Guard, severely weakening them.
Although it was eventually cleared up by the efforts of Hantian Kingdom’s Grand Preceptor, they had no spare capacity to assist Xing Tian Division, which was stationed in the Eastern Frontier of the Central Region.
After Hu Mu captured Tianan City of the Imperial Sect, the remaining cultivators of the Imperial Sect either fled to the Western or Southern Regions, or retreated to the Eastern Frontier of the Central Region, struggling to survive between the Demon Race and the demonic cultivators.
This was also the content of the side quest in the game’s Domain chapter after Nancheng City’s demise. The demonic cultivators had chosen their moment, intending to break through the Great Wall of the Eastern Frontier of the Central Region, which should have been guarded by the Imperial Sect.
The invasion of the Northern Region was just one step, aimed at pinning down Hantian Kingdom as much as possible. Most of the Deity Transformation and Nascent Soul cultivators from the six demonic sects should also be secretly moving towards the Central Region.
However, this was game content. Ye Anping was a little unsure about the subsequent developments, so he needed eyes on the ground. Big Brother Liang was currently in seclusion for Core Formation, and he himself had no connections in the black market…
“Longling, just send someone to keep an eye on it, that’s all.”
Li Longling nodded in agreement. “Yes, I’ll send someone to watch.”
At this moment, the female guard who came to pick up Li Longling also approached. She knelt on one knee and cupped her hands. “Welcome Mansion Lord back to the mansion.”
Li Longling hesitated for a moment, then pursed her lips, moistened them with her tongue, and, in front of the female guard, stood on tiptoe and gently kissed Ye Anping on the corner of his mouth.
*Peck*
The female guard looked dumbfounded but immediately lowered her head, pretending not to see anything.
However, Li Longling took the initiative to say, “This senior’s name is Ye Anping, and he is the Young Sect Master of Hundred Lotus Sect. Remember that.”
“Yes!”
Ye Anping looked embarrassed, glancing left and right. He noticed the pedestrians on both sides were already starting to whisper. No doubt, in a while, the newsboys selling immortal newspapers would be shouting on the streets, “Extra! Extra! Chi Long Mansion’s Lord publicly kisses Hundred Lotus Sect’s Young Sect Master!” If he didn’t send betrothal gifts to Li Longling later, Ye Anping’s reputation would be ruined…
“Longling, I’m not *not* sending the betrothal gifts, why the rush?”
“Just showing off a little and urging you, so you don’t forget later.” Li Longling playfully tilted her head, stood on tiptoe again, placed her hands on Ye Anping’s shoulders, and this time kissed him on the lips.
*Peck*
She landed on her heels, spun lightly, and then walked straight towards the sedan chair. “Return to the mansion.”
“Yes!”
Several female guards from Chi Long Mansion bowed to Ye Anping, then surrounded the sedan chair, ascended slowly towards the northeast. Ye Anping watched them leave, and even saw Li Longling lift the sedan chair’s curtain, turn her head, and smile at him, as if she could see him with her own eyes.
Ye Anping sighed, and seeing that everyone’s attention had shifted to him, quickly took out the jade pendant Si Xuanji had given him and, under everyone’s gaze, transformed into a gust of wind and disappeared.
He escaped to a small arch bridge over the river in the marketplace before putting away the jade pendant and gazing at the distant sunset. In the game, after Li Feng’s death, Li Longling became dispirited and joyless, focusing solely on cultivation day and night, completely devoid of any vitality… But now…
“Quite cute.” Ye Anping no longer pondered. He planned to wait for the sunset and then return to the courtyard he shared with Xiao Yunluo at Xuan Xing Sect. For the next period, he would focus on consolidating his cultivation and refining his techniques. As for the matter of the Great Wall in the Central Region, he would wait and see how things developed.
While organizing his thoughts, Ye Anping felt a trace of doubt—it had been almost four months since his fierce battle with Gu Mingxin, why hasn’t his Yang Qi erupted yet? During this time, he had been on edge every day, not daring to stray too far from his junior sisters… Could it be that possessing a Heavenly Dao Golden Core had directly resolved the issue of Yang Qi eruption? Or was it that the matter wasn’t over yet, and it wasn’t time for settlement?
“Mmm…” — Anyway, he had Old Madam Si to back him up. Ye Anping stretched his shoulders, stopped thinking about it, and prepared to return directly to find his junior sisters.
However, just as he was about to take off on his sword, a shrill, duck-like voice suddenly came from above. “Young Master, be careful! Young Master, be careful!!”
? Ye Anping didn’t understand. He looked up and saw Ah Ying dive down and land on his shoulder, pecking his face with its beak. “Can’t get out of bed! Can’t get out of bed!!” Ye Anping still didn’t understand. “Huh?”
“Death from exhaustion! Death from exhaustion!!”
… …
In the next moment, thunder rumbled, and a flash of white light split the vast sky.
*BOOM—!*
The white clouds in the clear sky rapidly gathered above the marketplace of Xuan Xing Sect, and the sky suddenly turned dark. Autumn rain descended from above, changing from “drip” to “huala la” in just three breaths. This sudden downpour instantly soaked Ye Anping, who was standing on the bridge, like a drowned rat. His clothes were soaked and clung to his skin, semi-transparent, and his hair hung down. Ye Anping stared blankly at the drastic change in the weather, and immediately drew a conclusion… Normal rain couldn’t possibly fall so quickly; it must have been summoned by spells. As for who did it, that was self-evident.
But as the saying goes, ordinary people like to use rain to express emotions. Therefore, one could easily guess that Old Madam Si’s mood at this moment must be as terrible as this heavy rain.
It was at this moment that a purple oil umbrella embroidered with stars and the moon glided over his head, deflecting the raindrops falling on him. Ye Anping was stunned for a moment, then looked back. He saw Si Xuanji holding the umbrella handle with both hands, standing on tiptoe, holding the umbrella high above his head.
“It’s raining, why are you still standing here foolishly, Young Master Ye?”
*It’s you who made it rain, isn’t it?* … Ye Anping didn’t want to expose her and replied, “This rain came down too fast, I didn’t react in time…”
“You’re soaked through, be careful of dampness entering your body.” Si Xuanji moved closer to Ye Anping and took a towel from her Storage Bag, placing it on his head. “Young Master Ye already has an excess of Yang Qi. If this damp and Yang energy combine, even if you’ve reached the Core Formation stage, your body could suffer hidden injuries.”
“…”
“Let’s go, find an inn to change your clothes and shelter from the rain.” Saying this, Si Xuanji hugged Ye Anping’s shoulder and led him towards an inn in the marketplace.
Upon seeing the “Mandarin Duck Pavilion” plaque, Ye Anping finally understood Ah Ying’s initial words and felt deeply ashamed. But it was too late. He felt that if he complied a little, Si Pozi would be more lenient. If he didn’t comply, he would end up needing a wheelchair this time…
But then again, he hadn’t fainted this time. Was Si Pozi going to reveal her identity to him? With this question in mind, Ye Anping watched Si Xuanji book a room from the innkeeper of Mandarin Duck Pavilion, and then pulled him upstairs, pushed open the door, and walked in.
The private room was luxuriously furnished, with a pearwood red bed and decorative porcelain vases, making it the best inn he had seen in many years. However, what caught his eye was the incense burner on the round table inside, which looked incredibly valuable. The fragrance wafted into his nose, but it seemed to have some kind of medicinal additive. Just one whiff, and Ye Anping felt his body acting strangely. A wave of heat surged from his lower body to his entire being. Ye Anping’s breathing quickened involuntarily.
*Aphrodisiac? And most likely a tonic, otherwise it wouldn’t have this effect on me…* Ye Anping frowned slightly, thinking it was likely Si Xuanji who had arranged this in advance. What inn would burn this kind of thing in a private room for no reason…
But the next moment, Si Xuanji pointed at the incense burner and seriously called out to the inn’s waitress. “Girl! Come up here, what kind of incense is this?” The waitress from downstairs ran up, looking confused. She glanced at the incense burner on the table, bewildered, and shook her head. “I don’t know, miss… Perhaps the previous guest left it. I’ll clear it away now.” Saying this, the waitress picked up the incense burner and ran out.
Ye Anping stared at this scene for a long time. At first glance, it seemed the incense burner wasn’t placed by Si Xuanji, but how could there be such a coincidence? But then again, was Si Xuanji doing this to force him to take the initiative? Hah, he wouldn’t! Although this incense seemed to have an aphrodisiac effect, it was far weaker than the feeling of Yang Qi eruption. He could still endure it.
Ye Anping quickly imagined “Feng Yu Die with her mouth full of roast chicken” in his mind, trying to counteract the incense. Si Xuanji looked at Ye Anping’s calm face and smiled slightly, thinking: *Let’s see how long you can hold on?*
Then, she took out a new Xuan Xing Sect uniform and placed it on the table. “Young Master Ye, please change your clothes first.”
“Alright, then please excuse me, Miss Xuanji…” However, just as Ye Anping said this, his chest suddenly jolted.
*No way…* At this moment?! It was different from the aphrodisiac feeling just now. A surge of deathly energy spread through his body. His Yang Qi erupted! He didn’t believe Si Xuanji could control the timing of his Yang Qi eruption; he even thought Si Xuanji only had a superficial understanding of his Yang Qi eruption, knowing it existed but not realizing it was a Heavenly Dao Golden Finger… In other words, this was a coincidence.
“Hiss—” “Ah…”
Si Xuanji only took one look and understood that Ye Anping’s Yang Qi was acting up. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes. Her original intention was to use the incense to make Ye Anping unable to hold back, and then she would make the move, as she had always been the one to make the move during the years he took on requests. However, Ye Anping’s Yang Qi was now problematic, which was a matter of life and death.
“Young Master Ye, you…” “I…”
Si Xuanji still wanted Ye Anping to take the initiative. She hesitated, but seeing beads of sweat breaking out on Ye Anping’s forehead, she felt a pang of sympathy and decided to let him off this time and make the move herself.
“Young Master Ye, hurry… *Wu*—!”
But as she held Ye Anping’s hand, trying to pull him towards the bed, Ye Anping used the force to directly pull her into his embrace and suddenly kissed her lips.
Si Xuanji was momentarily surprised but soon felt joy: “You do it yourself!” However, she still said in rejection: “Young Master Ye! You… calm down… I know your Yang Qi… Oh dear!!”
Ye Anping directly hugged Si Xuanji’s waist, picked her up, and quickly walked to the bedside, throwing her onto the bed. Si Xuanji put on a frightened expression like a wronged heroine, frantically trying to dodge, moving from the head of the bed to the foot, waving her arms in resistance. “Young Master Ye! Young Master Ye… I’m Yunluo’s sister… Calm down! I—”
Ye Anping, like a brute force attacker, grabbed her flailing arms. “Miss Xuanji, didn’t you say before that you were willing to help me dissipate my Yang Qi?”
“But… I’m not ready… *Wu*—”
Si Xuanji now looked like a maiden encountered by a rapist in the middle of the night, her Yin-Yang eyes glistening with tears, filled with grievance, yet she dared not cry out.
The curtain by the bed was pulled down by a surge of spiritual energy, and the wooden bed creaked. Ah Ying, standing on the round table, blinked its intelligent eyes, then spread its wings and helped Si Xuanji say, “Put more effort in!! Put more effort in!!” Then, it flew out of the half-open window, transforming into a golden shadow, and soared towards Xuan Xing Sect…
… …
