Chapter 162 - 123: How Do I Look?

Chapter 162: Chapter 123: How Do I Look?

The Little Fairy in a White Skirt ate her fill and left, completely satisfied. As she went, her eyes sparkled, and she waved with a beaming smile.

Lu Changyuan let out a sigh of relief. Finally, he wouldn’t have to worry about being stripped of his clothes every night while he slept.

Celestial Mountain fell silent. The only sound was the occasional whisper of snow falling from the bamboo onto the ground.

He turned his head and saw Qiu Yuehan coming up the mountain.

The Fairy’s expression was blank. A black dress outlined her exquisite figure, and over it, she wore a snow-white fox-fur cloak. It wasn’t tied tightly, the stark contrast of black and white as unforgettable as a dark-robed fairy in a field of snow.

"The owner of the clothing shop gave it to me."

On her way back, Qiu Yuehan had stopped by the shop and bought more clothes. The owner, likely having made a good profit, had gifted the Fairy a rather valuable fox-fur cloak.

If you want to keep fleecing the same sheep, you have to give your customers a little something extra to ensure they return.

She walked up to Lu Changyuan and parted her lips. "What are you going to do next? Senior Sister Jiayi has to watch over the world from the peak of Celestial Mountain day and night. It’s just you and me now."

The Fairy deliberately emphasized the words, "just you and me."

Lu Changyuan seemed to selectively ignore the ambiguous tone in the Moon Fairy’s words. "I’m going to head home for a bit, then figure out a way to find the other half of the Blood Demon."

He had only consumed half of a Blood Demon; the other half was still in the Blood Demon Palace.

Qiu Yuehan paid no mind to the matter of the Blood Demon. Instead, she frowned. "Which home?"

’What other home could there be?’

The home deep in the mountains, from before he had left them, of course.

Qiu Yuehan remembered. It had been less than a year, yet looking back now, it felt like a lifetime ago.

Back then, she had even told Lu Changyuan, "I suppose I belong to you." Now, her words had become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Their relationship had grown so tangled that Qiu Yuehan couldn’t even be bothered to sort it out.

Perhaps their fates had been intertwined since the Ancient Era, and their encounter at the Compassionate Temple was merely a continuation of that destiny.

Qiu Yuehan asked softly, "What are you going back for?"

"To pay my respects," Lu Changyuan said with a smile. "I was raised by an Elder Physician in this life. He passed away many years ago, and by custom, I should go pay my respects during the new year."

"Was he like an adoptive father to you?"

Lu Changyuan hummed in affirmation. He recalled that he had never called the Elder Physician "Father." After all, the Elder Physician was already very old when Lu Changyuan was still a child. If he had called him "Father," the villagers might have gossiped. Besides, the Elder Physician had never asked Lu Changyuan to call him that, so Lu Changyuan usually just called him "Old Man."

Qiu Yuehan said, "I’ll go with you."

Before Lu Changyuan could refuse, Qiu Yuehan took out the piece of bone and clearly explained what had happened down the mountain.

Lu Changyuan took the Dragon Bone and examined it carefully. The bone was icy to the touch and radiated a dark light.

He had never seen a bone like this before. He tried to sense it using the Blood Demon’s magic but got nothing. It must have been dead for a very long time.

"Do you remember creatures like dragons existing?"

"I can’t recall at the moment."

’Well, that settles it. If the Nether Monarch can’t remember, there’s no way I would know.’

"Dragons probably do exist."

"Let’s just hold onto it for now. We can deal with the identity of that fake antique dealer later... Did you examine the wound on that Cyan-robed Cultivator?"

"It was hard to tell. He died too quickly, his chest pierced through in an instant by some kind of weapon."

As Lu Changyuan lowered his head, lost in thought about the bone, the Moon Fairy leaned in extremely close, their cheeks practically touching. A pair of delicate, fair feet appeared in Lu Changyuan’s line of sight.

The Fairy was actually standing barefoot on the snow, which made her small feet look even more exquisite and cute.

Lu Changyuan broke out of his thoughts. "Aren’t you afraid of catching a cold with no shoes on?"

Qiu Yuehan nearly kissed Lu Changyuan’s ear, her warm breath caressing his earlobe. "Are they pretty? I saw how much you liked your junior sister’s..."

’How do you know too?’

’Just how many people were watching outside the door that night? Su Youwan, and you... Don’t tell me Jiang Jiayi was watching too!’

"It’s time you taught me swordsmanship."

The Moon Fairy’s voice tickled his ear, sending a slight tingle through him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xia Lianxue let out a small sneeze.

She had a very strange feeling.

But she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

’Forget it.’

After several days of travel, the Little Fairy returned to Miao Yu Palace alone. Gazing at the ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, she felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

’Compared to the Daoist Sect, my Miao Yu Palace seems too distant from the mortal world...’ The Little Fairy didn’t dwell on it for long. In a flash, she was inside the palace.

The damage caused by the Cold Marsh Reversal Array had already been repaired by the Little Fairy’s reversal of time. Thanks to her timely return, not too many of the Miao Yu Palace disciples who were about to be swept into the Cold Marsh Demon Body had died or been injured.

Xia Lianxue walked into the chilly main hall, paved with Glazed tiles.

Han Qiu Master immediately came forward to greet her. "Palace Master."

"Mm. What is the situation?"

"The damage to the palace isn’t severe, but several Elders died at the hands of the three sects."

Miao Yu Palace’s losses were its mid-to-high-tier combatants—those in the Fifth and Sixth Realms. Most of the younger generation remained, so with time to recover, the Sect would eventually get back on its feet.

Xia Lianxue tapped her delicate chin. "Canglan Sect, Blood Demon Palace, and the Corpse Puppet Sect... In a few days, I will personally go and demand an explanation from them."

Han Qiu paused, then asked cautiously, "Palace Master, your body..."

"I have some injuries, but they’re nothing serious."

Hearing Xia Lianxue say this, Han Qiu’s heart sank. The Palace Master cultivated the Time Dao and could extend time to heal her injuries. If she was still wounded despite that, then her injuries must be quite severe. She could only say, "I hope the Palace Master recovers her Realm quickly. Otherwise, the foundation of our palace will be unstable."

Only with Xia Lianxue standing strong could Miao Yu Palace’s position among the Nine Gates and Twelve Palaces remain secure. If Xia Lianxue had made an appearance from time to time over the past century to show everyone that the Miao Yu Palace Master was perfectly fine, the three sects would never have dared to attack.

Xia Lianxue waved her hand. "It’s fine. Even if I’m injured, they won’t dare to come."

The past was the past, and now is now. Before, the Miao Yu Palace Master stood alone. Now, she had the Daoist Sect standing behind her.

Seeing this, Han Qiu Master didn’t know what else to say.

Xia Lianxue suddenly asked, "Ancestor Red Simurgh came out of a painting from the Scripture Pavilion. Where is that painting?"

At that time, because the Celestial Tribulation was descending, everyone’s attention was on it. And with Ancestor Red Simurgh’s death, no one had paid any mind to the painting.

But now, the Little Fairy suddenly remembered.

Of the Three Thousand Great Demons, the easy ones to kill were killed, and the difficult ones were sealed away. The Painting Demon was "suppressed" by Ancestor Red Simurgh—"suppressed," not "killed."

So where did Ancestor Red Simurgh suppress the Painting Demon? Now that Ancestor Red Simurgh was dead, what had happened to the suppressed Painting Demon?

"The painting..."

It seemed Han Qiu Master didn’t know where the painting had gone either. Everything had been chaotic back then, with one thing happening after another. Who could possibly know where the painting went?

Xia Lianxue frowned. "Has there been any ink-like rain in the palace?"

Han Qiu Master shook her head. "No, there hasn’t."

’So where in the world did that painting go?’

Xia Lianxue’s brow furrowed, but it quickly smoothed out again.

’If it’s gone, it’s gone. Who cares? As long as it’s not lying in ambush in Miao Yu Palace, it doesn’t matter where it explodes.’

~~~~~~~~~~

Unlike most sects, which were situated deep in the mountains, the Blood Demon Palace was located on an island overseas.

Dark clouds shrouded the area year-round, blocking out all light. At the very center of the surrounding island reefs stood the main hall of the Blood Demon Palace.

Xue Nichang had already returned to the Blood Demon Palace.

The Town Elder said, "Since we couldn’t find the other half of the Blood Demon, the chances of completing the Dragon Transformation Bone are now greatly reduced."

The Blood Demon Lord had issued a decree: whoever could complete the Dragon Transformation Bone would be the next Young Master. This had sent the twenty-some heirs, aside from Xue Yanluo, into a frenzy, and Xue Nichang was no exception.

At the time, Xue Nichang had received secret intelligence that the Spirit Race was suppressing half of a Blood Demon. Her trip to the Spirit Race’s territory was precisely to capture that half for the Dragon Transformation Bone, but unfortunately, Lu Changyuan had beaten her to it, leaving her with no other options.

Suddenly, the scent of blood filled the air, slowly coalescing into a person.

It was Cyan Blood Master of the Blood Demon Palace.

He hadn’t died after all, but had secretly slipped away during the battle at Miao Yu Palace.

Xue Nichang smiled. "Cyan Blood Master."

A horrifying gash ran across Cyan Blood Master’s withered body. It seemed that even though he had been lucky enough to escape with his life, he had paid a heavy price.

"This is for you. Do not disappoint me."

Cyan Blood Master said flatly, then tossed what was in his hand to Xue Nichang.

It was a scroll—the landscape painting from the Scripture Pavilion of Miao Yu Palace.

The man had actually slipped away when no one was looking, and he had even taken the painting with him. Not only that, but he was also the one who had informed Xue Nichang about the Spirit Race suppressing the demon. As the Blood Demon Lord’s most trusted old retainer, it was no surprise that Cyan Blood Master knew some secrets.

Standing behind Xue Nichang, the Town Elder sighed to himself. He never expected Cyan Blood Master to support Xue Nichang.

Cyan Blood Master added, "Xue Yanluo’s Young Master’s Token is also in my possession. The Demon Lord asked me to hold onto it for safekeeping. Do you understand my meaning?"

Back then, in the inn at the foot of Miao Yu Palace’s mountain, Xue Yanluo had told Bai Wei to hold up the Token at the village entrance. Later, when Bai Wei said the Token had suddenly disappeared, it was because Cyan Blood Master had taken it.

Only after that did Cyan Blood Master ascend the mountain to Miao Yu Palace’s gates.

Xue Nichang’s smile vanished, and she nodded with extreme gravity. "Nichang understands."

With such an influential figure on her side, and with her own cultivation talent being second only to Xue Yanluo’s, the position of Young Master was now as good as hers.

Cyan Blood Master murmured an "Excellent," then dissolved into a mist of blood and departed.

The Town Elder had also been at that battle. He asked curiously, "What do you plan to do with this painting?"

Xue Nichang didn’t speak. She simply led her people and stood on the edge of the island.

As if waiting for someone.

「Another day and night passed.」

An ink-wash longboat approached from across the sea. Seated upon it was an old man wearing a bamboo hat and a straw cloak, holding a paintbrush.

Only then did Xue Nichang explain, "This is Zi Hua Master of the Qingluo Painting Palace."

The Qingluo Painting Palace, one of the Demon Sects of the Nine Gates and Twelve Palaces.

The Town Elder asked in disbelief, "How did you manage to summon him? Was it... the painting?!"

For the Qingluo Painting Palace, which achieved the Dao through painting, a scroll related to the Painting Demon was, of course, of immense interest.