Chapter 439 The Protagonist Was Deceived
Dong… Dong—
The evening bell chimed twice as night descended.
Fleeting snow fell between the waning moon, blanketing the peaks of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect in a layer of white.
In front of the main hall on Central Peak, the Xing Tian Division disciples who had survived the Central Domain gathered. Amidst harmonious music and the aroma of wine, they raised their cups, drinking to forget the hardships they had endured.
Some wept uncontrollably, comforted by their fellow disciples over the loss of their brothers.
Others forged new bonds of friendship amidst their shared tribulations.
The emotions that had been suppressed for over a month were finally unleashed that day in the Sword Sect’s “Fierce Blade” that Yun Tianchong had sent them.
… …
“Fairy Feng, I am Shangguan Cheng, one of the Xing Tian Division’s flag commanders. Thank you for saving Xin’er. If there is anything you desire, please do not hesitate to ask. If I can fulfill it, I will not refuse.”
Feng Yu Die, who was gnawing on a roasted chicken, was momentarily stunned as she saw a Golden Robed Nascent Soul cultivator approach with a young woman, holding a wine cup.
She looked at the young woman for a moment before realizing that the cultivator beside her was a Core Formation disciple from the Xing Tian Division who had been following her and Yun Jiujiu earlier.
“Oh, it’s nothing~ How about you give me some spirit stones?”
“Uh… spirit stones? Since Fairy Feng says so…”
The Nascent Soul cultivator glanced at the pile of spirit stone bags beside Feng Yu Die and, seemingly thinking Feng Yu Die had no desires, said no more. He toasted her, presented a bag full of spirit stones, and then took his daughter to toast other Xing Tian Division cultivators.
After he left, Yun Jiujiu, who was beside Feng Yu Die, turned and glanced at her.
“I heard Yun Xi say that the person just now is a skilled artifact refiner. Why didn’t you ask for some magical artifacts? What use are spirit stones?”
Feng Yu Die paused, frowned, and asked,
“I didn’t know! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“Should I have said it in front of him? Wouldn’t that be disrespectful?”
Feng Yu Die felt a bit shortchanged, but upon feeling the spirit stone bag the man had given her, which contained about a hundred thousand, she let it go. She continued to eat her roasted chicken and then glanced to her right.
Pei Lianxue sat to her right, quietly picking at her food with small bites, looking very well-behaved. This made Feng Yu Die’s heart bloom with joy, and soon her face turned red.
—Senior Sister Pei is so beautiful, hee hee.
Seeing her like this, Yun Jiujiu rolled her eyes at Feng Yu Die and said nothing more, continuing to drink and eat roasted chicken with gusto.
The joyous banquet continued. Feng Yu Die stayed by Pei Lianxue’s side, occasionally sneaking glances at her, politely fending off thanks from the Xing Tian Division disciples, and eating her roasted chicken.
After a while, many Xing Tian Division cultivators had gotten drunk in the main hall’s plaza. Feng Yu Die looked around and suddenly noticed that Ye Anping, who had been sitting nearby, had disappeared. She was startled.
“Huh? Senior Sister Pei, where is Young Master Ye? He was just here.”
Pei Lianxue finished a mouthful of rice, swallowed, and then replied,
“Senior Brother went for a walk in the garden behind the main hall to get some fresh air. He’ll be back soon.”
Hearing that Ye Anping wasn’t around, Feng Yu Die pursed her lips. As if finding an opportunity, she slowly took out a bloodstained note from her storage bag. She shifted her seat a few inches closer to Pei Lianxue and said coyly,
“Oh, in that case, Senior Sister Pei, um… hee hee—”
Seeing her demeanor, Pei Lianxue pouted slightly with disdain. Ye Anping had already spoken to her about this token.
—He said if the “Second Fool” suddenly brought it up when Senior Brother wasn’t around, she should use her own judgment. If the “Second Fool” was truly desperate, she should let her kiss her cheek.
Pei Lianxue looked at the bloodstained note for a moment, then put down her rice bowl. She pointed to her cheek with her index finger and said,
“Senior Brother told me. Wipe your mouth first, and then kiss here.”
Seeing Pei Lianxue agree, Feng Yu Die’s eyes lit up. She quickly raised her sleeve and wiped the roasted chicken sauce from her lips. She even dabbed it with water from the side, puckered her lips, and leaned towards Pei Lianxue’s face.
Watching Feng Yu Die close her eyes and pucker her lips like a pig, Pei Lianxue’s usually expressionless face finally showed a hint of change.
She held her breath and recalled the method her Senior Brother had taught her when they used to eat Gu worms together.
—Imagine the Gu worms are braised pork, just swallow them in one go!
She imagined her Senior Brother puckering his lips like a pig…
But…
No matter how hard she tried, Pei Lianxue couldn’t imagine her Senior Brother puckering his lips like a pig. After all, her Senior Brother would never do such a thing. She felt as if she were facing a great enemy and tensed her entire body.
“… …”
However, just as she was about to kiss Pei Lianxue’s face, Feng Yu Die seemed to remember something. She suddenly opened her eyes and stopped.
?
Pei Lianxue looked puzzled and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Hmm…”
Feng Yu Die remembered that Ye Ao’s red-crowned crane had also been brought to the banquet. She quickly looked towards a corner and saw the red-crowned crane, worth 880,000 spirit stones, tied with a rope in a corner of the plaza, currently eating the fresh fish prepared for it one by one.
“Senior Sister Pei, kiss me over there…”
“?”
Saying this, Feng Yu Die gently tugged Pei Lianxue’s sleeve, pulled her away from her seat, and ran towards the red-crowned crane.
The red-crowned crane, which was savoring fresh fish, noticed Feng Yu Die pulling Pei Lianxue towards it. It immediately spread its wings as a warning, seemingly thinking they were there to steal its fish.
Just as Pei Lianxue was unceremoniously pulled in front of the red-crowned crane, wondering what Feng Yu Die was planning, Feng Yu Die turned around and planted a loud kiss on her face, making a “啾~~~~~” sound as if she were trying to suck her face into her mouth.
?
The red-crowned crane stared at the two of them speechlessly. Even the struggling fresh fish held at the tip of its beak forgot to struggle after witnessing their actions.
Some of the half-drunk Xing Tian Division disciples nearby were also drawn to the sound.
A quarter of the plaza fell silent.
With a “啵~~” sound, Feng Yu Die’s lips separated from Pei Lianxue’s cheek.
Pei Lianxue dug her toes into the ground as she looked at everyone staring at them. Feng Yu Die, however, was unconcerned. With an expectant look, she turned back to the red-crowned crane, as if asking it: Where is our child?
The red-crowned crane blinked blankly, then swallowed the fresh fish in its mouth. It let out an uninterpretable cry, picked up the iron bucket full of fresh fish, turned its rear towards the two of them, and continued eating.
唳—!
“… …”
Seeing its reaction, Feng Yu Die shrunk her head slightly, but couldn’t help but say,
“Why don’t you go fetch a child for us?”
“… …”
Pei Lianxue seemed unable to take it anymore. She looked at the bewildered Xing Tian Division disciples and a flush spread across her cheeks. She covered her face with her hands and ran off.
Feng Yu Die, left standing there, watched Pei Lianxue run away. She reached out as if to stop her.
“Hey, Senior Sister Pei…”
But she couldn’t hold her back.
Feng Yu Die looked at the red-crowned crane with its rear facing her. Ignoring the stares of the surrounding Xing Tian Division disciples, she returned to her seat with slumped shoulders, looking dejected.
Yun Jiujiu had remained silent the entire time, but she had witnessed everything.
Seeing Feng Yu Die kiss Pei Lianxue in front of the red-crowned crane and then return dejectedly, she was even more confused. The wine jar in her hand hovered in mid-air.
“What the hell is wrong with you now?”
“… …”
Two tears welled up from the corners of Feng Yu Die’s eyes. She sniffled and said softly,
“My master lied to me.”
Yun Jiujiu didn’t understand. “Huh?”
“My master told me before that—*hic*—if you kiss in front of a celestial crane, the crane will bring you a child… A child brought by a celestial crane… Master lied to me… *hic*—”
“… …”
Seeing Feng Yu Die actually crying, Yun Jiujiu was stunned and didn’t know how to comfort her.
She couldn’t understand…
However, seeing that many Xing Tian Division disciples and Sword Sect disciples at the banquet were still staring at Feng Yu Die, Yun Jiujiu frowned and roared at them angrily,
“What are you looking at?! Haven’t you ever seen a girl cry?! Go, go, go! If you keep looking, I’ll throw all of you off this mountain!”
After scaring them away, Yun Jiujiu saw Feng Yu Die start to cry and began to flail. After a moment of hesitation, she simply pulled her up.
“Hiss—Let’s go, let’s go… I’ll accompany you to the side hall…”
“*Hic* *Hic*…”
“Hey… Why are you crying? What nonsense is this!! Stop crying! It annoys me when people cry!!”
“Wuwuwu… *Hic* I believed my master so much, but she lied to me…”
“Wawawawawa……”
Yun Jiujiu, somewhat frustrated, directly took a wine gourd from her storage bag. She was about to pry open the stopper and stuff it into Feng Yu Die’s mouth before hoisting her onto her shoulder and heading towards the side hall.
At the main hall’s entrance, Yun Tianchong, clad in the golden robes of the Sword Sect Master, sat in a wheelchair. He was toasting Fu Xuan Shangxian nearby when he heard Yun Jiujiu’s childlike voice, which sounded like Zhang Fei’s. He froze for a long moment and looked up.
“What are those two girls up to?”
He muttered, then ignored it and quickly smiled as he toasted Fu Xuan Shangxian again.
“Pavilion Master Qu, I’ll toast you again.”
Qu Ruyun looked at him indifferently and sighed softly. She glanced at Yun Xi, who was sitting at the same table and looking at her father with killing intent. She smiled and said,
“I must decline this toast, Pavilion Master Qu. Sect Master Yun, perhaps you should look at Third Miss’s eyes.”
“Ah?” Yun Tianchong turned to look at Yun Xi and asked, “Xi’er, what’s wrong?”
Yun Xi nudged Fu Xuan Shangxian’s ample chest and immediately glared at her father, scolding,
“Sister Yiyi specifically told me to sit here and watch you. Fortunately, Pavilion Master Qu is clear-sighted, and Doctor Liu hasn’t reattached your… to you yet, and you’re starting again, right?”
“Hiss—Xi’er, you brat, what nonsense are you spouting?” Yun Tianchong was a bit embarrassed and quickly smiled apologetically at Qu Ruyun. “Pavilion Master Qu, I am truly just toasting you, with no other intentions…”
Qu Ruyun couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle, shaking her head and saying,
“Sect Master Yun, as the saying goes, knowledge and action are one. Your past actions have shaped your image in Third Miss Yun’s eyes. Whether that can change depends on you.”
Yun Tianchong lowered his gaze and sighed, drinking the wine alone. He replied,
“Yun naturally knows this is what Yun owes them three girls…”
Qu Ruyun smiled, hesitated for a moment, and slowly raised her cup to drink. Then she looked at Yun Xi and said,
“Third Miss Yun, when we were at Luoxia Mountain, Sect Master Yun truly thought of you and your two sisters at all times. I can vouch for this matter.”
“Hmm?”
“If Sect Master Yun had accompanied us earlier, several elders from the Xing Tian Division and I might have already perished at the hands of that ghost from the Seven Death Sects. This is a fact. Third Miss, perhaps you should re-examine your father.”
Yun Xi’s face showed a hint of doubt as she glanced at her father.
Seeing her gaze, Yun Tianchong raised his eyebrows as if showing off. He said,
“Xi’er, your father is, after all, the son of Yun Jian Shang Xian, and a cultivator at the late Deity Transformation stage. That’s the verge of the Void Breaking Realm, someone who could potentially rival the Five Void Immortals in the future… I’m not that shameful, am I?”
Nangong City was already dead; only four remained…
Yun Xi rolled her eyes at him, but seeing that Fu Xuan Shangxian was speaking up for her father, she nodded in response.
“Since Shang Xian says so, I will keep it in mind.”
Qu Ruyun nodded in response and said,
“However, Sect Master Yun, although you have late Deity Transformation cultivation, you are still a significant distance from the Void Breaking Realm. Do not be overconfident. Breaking through the void requires favorable timing, conditions, and human effort…”
“Thank you, Pavilion Master Qu. Yun will remember that.”
Qu Ruyun let out a sigh and looked up at the light snow in the Southern Domain. She couldn’t help but touch the blank rune tied to her belt.
The Young Master of the Hundred Lotus Sect, Ye Anping.
He truly lived up to the expectations of Granny Dan Yue. With only Core Formation cultivation, he had broken through her death tribulation as a Deity Transformation cultivator… No, not just hers alone…
She looked at the Xing Tian Division disciples who were already half-drunk among the banquet guests.
Most of them still didn’t understand the magnitude of the Donghuang death tribulation they had encountered.
But through divination, Qu Ruyun, who had survived until now with the Xing Tian Division, knew.
Ye Anping had changed the fate of the entire Xing Tian Division…
And…
Qu Ruyun looked at Yun Tianchong beside her. Although she didn’t know what had happened in the Moon Shadow Sword Sect before, Yun Tianchong, who used to be a philanderer all over the Four Domains, leaving behind a trail of romantic debts, seemed to have suddenly awakened and undergone a drastic transformation.
In other words, Ye Anping had also set the future of the entire Moon Shadow Sword Sect back on the right track.
Yet, in the end, the person who influenced them, cultivators at the Deity Transformation stage, was merely a young master from an unknown, obscure sect.
“Hoo…”
Qu Ruyun let out a breath and turned to look at Ye Ao, who was chatting with several Nascent Soul cultivators from the Xing Tian Division not far away.
In her eyes, Ye Ao had the appearance of a loving father, but he lacked good fortune.
This made her suspect if Ye Ao’s wife might have been a disciple or daughter of a famous cultivator from the past…
“Never mind, I shall observe fate.”
Thinking this, Qu Ruyun stopped pondering. Having survived her death tribulation, she would now witness it firsthand.
—What kind of world Ye Anping would create in these Four Domains.
… …
