The moon had set behind the mountains, but the sun had yet to rise.
In the vast wilderness, dark, oppressive clouds obscured the stars and moon, making it hard to breathe. Dozens of Immortal Ships, encased in mystic spiritual armor, lined up neatly above the black clouds, piercing through the sky and speeding towards the northwest.
On the lookout deck of the foremost Immortal Ship, Yun Tianchong, clad in a golden-white Daoist robe and carrying a spiritual sword case with the Yun Family crest on his back, gazed towards the faint light, resembling a firefly, in the rift valley ahead. The double plum blossom tattoo between his brows gradually began to emit waves of spiritual light.
“Sect Master…”
At the soft call from behind, Yun Tianchong withdrew his gaze and turned around. Elder Tian Xing, Yun Yiyi, and about twenty Core Formation Stage disciples stood before him. Except for Yun Yiyi, the others bowed respectfully.
Years ago, when Elder Tian Xing used his full power to suppress Yun Kunwu when he was revived by Zhuang Yan of the Sword Sect, he had managed to defeat him. Although he still possessed Nascent Soul cultivation, his strength was greatly diminished. Therefore, Yun Tianchong arranged for him to stay by Yun Yiyi’s side, along with those twenty disciples, to protect his eldest daughter.
“Tian Xing, I leave Yi’er in your care. If the situation turns unfavorable, do not hesitate. Immediately take her and flee back to Seven Star Pass.”
“Your disciple understands.”
Yun Yiyi watched her father’s sudden, heroic demeanor with a sense of profound emotion. If Ye Anping hadn’t come to the Sword Sect back then, her father would still be the same old worn-out man. Although she knew Ye Anping was in Tian Bei City and therefore safe, Yun Yiyi hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. She took out a pendant from her Storage Bag and called out, “Daddy.”
Yun Tianchong, after a long pause, understood her gesture. He slightly bent his knees and squatted down, allowing Yun Yiyi to hang the pendant around his neck.
“Come back alive…”
Yun Yiyi smiled, then retreated to Elder Tian Xing’s side and nodded to him. Elder Tian Xing understood, bowed to Yun Tianchong once more, and then, with a wave of his sleeve, led Yun Yiyi and the twenty-odd Sword Sect disciples, transforming into several beams of golden light, towards the Immortal Ship at the tail of the fleet.
Yun Tianchong remained in a daze for a long time. He walked to the side of the lookout deck and watched the Immortal Ship carrying Yun Yiyi turn and head in the opposite direction. A hint of relief appeared on his face as he raised his hand and grasped the safety pendant Yun Yiyi had just given him, his eyes filled with tenderness. He knew he hadn’t been good to his three daughters in the past, which had led to them despising him. After Yun Jiujiu’s kick, he had been wanting to make amends and mend their father-daughter relationship. Unfortunately, while mistakes are easy to make, mending them is difficult. For years, he had been met with indifference. Now, holding Yun Yiyi’s pendant, he felt a sense of fulfillment, as if he had no more worries.
Yun Tianchong took a deep breath, formed a sword finger, and rose into the air from the lookout deck. He summoned a spiritual sword enveloped in golden spiritual light, held it in his right hand, and turned to face the Xuanjia Immortal Ships flying the Sword Sect flag. His golden eyes swept over every elder and disciple lined up on the deck. Then, using his spiritual power to amplify his voice, he sent his words into everyone’s ears:
“The Sword Sect is divided into four domains. The north reaches the Three Rivers. This is the might the Heavenly Domain once showed when your ancestor, Immortal Yun Jian, subdued it. Now, that old man Gong Yue in Tian Bei City thinks our Sword Sect, without Immortal Yun Jian, is as helpless as fish and meat to be slaughtered. He killed this Seat’s daughter and injured the Sword Sect’s descendants. Can you disciples bear this?!”
“NO! NO! NO!”
Thousands of disciples responded in unison, their voices deafening and echoing for a hundred li. Yun Tianchong turned and raised his spiritual sword, pointing it at Tian Bei City, and shouted: “Then let the demonic cultivators of the Eastern Domain see what fate awaits them when they anger the Yun Jian Sect of the Southern Domain! Disciples, obey my command, form ranks, and slay the demons!!!”
…
Meanwhile, at the Princess’s Mansion in Tian Bei City.
In the sleeping quarters at the rear, the doors and windows were tightly shut. The brazier, fueled by fire stones, had gone out, and a chill had settled into the quiet room. Within the curtain, Ye Anping leaned against a pillow, with the girl who had used his chest as a pillow resting in his arms. She had shed her usual untamed, bloodthirsty aura and was sleeping soundly, yet to wake.
The winter morning sun filtered through the paper window. Ye Anping could no longer recall how many times he had seen the dawn light. He had originally intended to teach Gu Mingxin a lesson, to make her remember her place and stop trying to force herself on him. But somehow, he had become engrossed, completely forgetting the phrase “just a little,” and had gradually become unrestrained…
He couldn’t recall the details, only vaguely remembering that Ah Gu had been in a state of “unconsciousness” and “consciousness” the entire time, fainting for three breaths, opening her eyes to cry out, and then becoming still again. It wasn’t until Ye Anping noticed her breathing becoming weak that he came to his senses and let her rest in his embrace.
As the sky brightened, the resounding chime of Tian Bei City’s morning bell echoed from outside the building.
Dong—
Gu Mingxin’s back tensed, and she suddenly opened her eyes, sitting up straight, instinctively crying out: “I’m sorry… ugh.” Then, with swift reaction, she raised her hand and covered her mouth, as if her body had instinctively uttered the words she had wanted to say before passing out. However, the sudden weakness throughout her body caused the newly upright Gu Mingxin to slump back onto Ye Anping’s chest, dazedly tilting her head up to look at his handsome face, so close, and his deep purple eyes. In stark contrast to Ye Anping’s calm, unruffled gaze, Gu Mingxin’s scarlet eyes held a complex expression of “disbelief and fear.”
“You…”
Ye Anping merely gave a slight, contemptuous smile, exuding an air of effortless control. He raised a hand and tilted her chin, “Awake?”
Gu Mingxin bit her lip and, refusing to be outdone, put on a “Is that all?” expression and nodded, “Mm, awake~”
“Then, let’s continue…”
?!
Before Gu Mingxin could react, Ye Anping grabbed her shoulders, twisted them, and switched their positions again. Gu Mingxin could no longer control herself and quickly shouted, “No!!”
Gu Mingxin forcefully pushed against Ye Anping’s chest, turning her head away. But she lacked the strength, making it look like a kitten kneading dough, which amused Ye Anping. Seeing her state, Ye Anping lost the desire to continue. He rolled off her and sat on the edge of the bed, taking a hair tie to tie up his hair.
Gu Mingxin, who had been stretching her toes, saw Ye Anping roll away and immediately regretted it, thinking he had just been teasing her and was probably also exhausted. She pouted and reverted to her mischievous cat persona, even extending her foot to tickle Ye Anping’s waist: “Hm? Didn’t you say let’s continue? Heh…”
Ye Anping glanced at her provocative expression and said speechlessly, “Still pretending?”
Gu Mingxin struggled to sit up, her delicate feet placed on Ye Anping’s back. She pursed her lips like a cat: “I’m not pretending. Ye Anping, don’t you like frail girls who shatter with a touch? Isn’t being a bit frail now more to your liking… Hehe… Let’s continue.”
Ye Anping sighed slightly, “Ai—”
“Can’t go on anymore? Hehe…”
Ye Anping’s eye twitched slightly at her words. He had been blessed by Dan Yue Shang Xian and personally certified, yet he was inexplicably provoked. However, he suppressed the irritation. Time was of the essence. He could always “teach” Ah Gu a lesson later, but the matters of Moon Shadow Sword Sect and Tian Bei City could not wait.
Dong—
The second morning bell of Tian Bei City echoed into the room. Ye Anping ignored Gu Mingxin’s teasing and looked towards the window, calling out, “Xue E.”
Two breaths later, Xue E, holding a small wooden hammer, poked its head out from Ye Anping’s forehead. Seeing its master, Ming Xin, still pretending, it sighed and tilted its head at Ye Anping, “Ye Anping, did you call me?”
Ye Anping stared at the small wooden hammer in Xue E’s hand for a moment, understanding that it had been busy “fixing” Xiao Tian’s house for the past two days. He chose to ignore it and said, “Go out and look around. See if there are any new developments in the city. And while you’re at it…”
Ye Anping wanted Xue E to go out and investigate, but halfway through his sentence, the third bell chimed into the sleeping quarters:
Dong—Dong—Dong—
However, the bell’s tone was no longer leisurely but urgent and tense. Ye Anping immediately understood that the Sword Sect had likely arrived. He let out a soft breath, calmed himself, then stood up, pulled on an outer robe from his Storage Bag, and glanced at Gong Tianchan, who had been left aside for three days and three nights, then at the naked Gu Mingxin on the bed.
Gu Mingxin, who had been rubbing her belly, saw him look over and immediately lifted her head with a defiant pride, “Hm~?”
Ye Anping felt a pang of weariness but paid it no mind. He took out the clothes he had prepared for Feng Yu Die, sat by the bed, and grabbed Gu Mingxin’s ankle.
“Ah?”
Gu Mingxin was frightened, thinking he was really going to continue. But after Ye Anping pulled her to the edge of the bed, he silently took out a handkerchief and cleaned up the mess before helping her get dressed. Seeing him help her dress, Gu Mingxin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, pouted, looked at the window, and asked, “Ye Anping~ Is it… outside…?”
“The Sword Sect has arrived.”
“Mm…”
Having helped junior sisters dress countless times before, Ye Anping had Ah Gu smelling sweet and soft within the time it took for an incense stick to burn. He then took a pill from his Storage Bag and forced it into her mouth, “Restore your Qi Cultivation quickly. I’ll make a mask.”
With a brief command, Ye Anping’s eyes darkened. He lifted Gong Tianchan’s head with spiritual energy, took out a small knife, and held his breath, “Xue E, help me watch…” Making a human skin mask was a demonic cultivator’s technique, and he had never done it before. However, he had paid close attention when Gu Mingxin made Kong Huayuan’s mask. With Xue E watching, even if it wasn’t perfect, it would certainly be usable. Gong Tianchan’s face only needed to fool a few Nascent Soul cultivators in the City Lord’s Mansion; it didn’t need to deceive the Deity Transformation elders of the Ghost Spirit Sect like his own.
Xue E understood and quickly put down the small wooden hammer, took out the Tian Mo Book Scroll, flipped to the relevant page, and floated before Ye Anping, “Anping, just follow this, it’s not difficult.”
“Mm…”
Gu Mingxin said nothing, using her legs to cross herself beside him. Closing her eyes, she began circulating spiritual energy to digest the pill Ye Anping had fed her. As the soreness and weakness throughout her body gradually disappeared, Ye Anping finished making the mask.
Gu Mingxin pursed her lips. Suddenly, she felt her strength return, and a hint of playfulness flickered in her eyes as she asked, “After a few days of fighting~ Hm…”
“We’ll talk about it later.”
Ye Anping felt a little tired. He threw the mask to her, put on Kong Huayuan’s mask himself, then, supporting Gu Mingxin, stood up and quickly pushed open the door of the sleeping quarters, walking out into the courtyard.
Vroom—
The sky, which should have been clear at sunrise, was now covered in ink-black, oppressive clouds. Golden-red lightning flashed like dragons between the clouds, emitting low growls. Several servants from the Princess’s Mansion passing by the sleeping quarters saw Ye Anping and Gu Mingxin emerge and hurried over to greet them, “Son-in-law, Young Miss. The Moon Shadow Sword Sect is already outside Sky Bei Moat. The City Guard just delivered a message. The City Lord said that you, Son-in-law, and Young Miss do not need to go to the City Lord’s Mansion.”
“Understood~”
Gu Mingxin, quick to get into character, pretended to be Gong Tianchan, hooked her arm around Ye Anping’s shoulder, and said, “Liang Jun, why don’t we go back inside and continue?”
Xue E and Ye Anping simultaneously glanced at her, but said nothing. Gu Mingxin gave a playful smile and replied to the maidservant, “Just kidding. With the Sword Sect arriving, how could I not go? You may withdraw. Liang Jun and I will head to the City Lord’s Mansion now.”
“…Yes.”
The maidservant did not dare to say anything more. She nodded and quickly ran off to the side. After watching her go, Ye Anping finally spoke, “Ah Gu.”
“Hm~?”
“Let me be clear: if you continue to act like this… then it won’t be resolved by just having weak legs or saying a few apologies.”
Gu Mingxin narrowed her eyes and smiled. A hint of sharpness then appeared in her scarlet eyes as she said, “Don’t worry, Ye Anping~ I’m much more useful than that naive idiot… Let’s go~ I’ll go kill demonic cultivators for you, hehe—”
Ye Anping did not reply. He summoned his flying sword, embraced Gu Mingxin’s waist, and stepped onto it. They leaped from the rear of the Princess’s Mansion and headed towards the twelve-story Bei Tian Pavilion in the northern part of the city.
…
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Going to climb Mount Emei to clear my head today, taking one day off.
