《The Two-Faced Side Character Fantasizes that I Love Him Everyday》


 Chapter 1

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Wen Ran was facing a life and death situation.


    In front of her was a demon who was still laughing arrogantly even though he was severely injured. He was covered in blood and looked extremely pathetic.


    However, it was as if the sword was pointed at her, and the person whose life was in danger was not him.


    He glared at the young Immortal Master who was holding the sword and said, ¡°I heard that one of these two girls is your fianc¨¦e and the other is her cousin. They are the kind-hearted eldest disciple of the Immortal Ascension Mansion. Who do you want to save?¡±


    The white-clothed youth holding the sword stood tall and straight. The wind at the edge of the cliff was very strong, and his clothes fluttered, outlining his thin figure.


    Wen Ran, who could not move, glanced at the other girl beside her from the corner of her eye. She thought to herself, ¡®As expected of the female lead, she¡¯s so calm even in the face of death. Unlike her, I¡¯m so nervous right now!¡¯


    The story started two hours ago.


    Wen Ran and her cousin, Qin Susu, were both taken to the Giant Abyss Valley by the devil. The devil cast a ¡®You die, I live¡¯ curse on them, which literally meant that only one of them could live.


    Only when one of the cursed people was thrown into Giant Abyss Valley as a sacrifice to the demon would the other cursed person be freed. This was a death curse.


    Apart from this method, the only way to dispel the spell was for the caster to dispel it voluntarily. Otherwise, there was no other way.


    Not long after, a young man descended from the sky, but with just one move, he managed to injure this devil who had no way to escape from the Myriad Immortal Mansion¡¯s pursuit and was on the verge of death.


    The young Immortal Master was about 17 or 18 years old. He had a handsome face and extremely fair skin. His black hair was tied into a ponytail with a white hairband, and the ends of his waist-length hair fluttered in the wind.


    His extremely dark eyes looked indifferently at the devil on the ground, with a kind of fierceness, but also a sense of nobility.


    At this moment, Wen Ran could not help but sigh in her heart. As expected of the male lead, he could remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him.


    Yes, after living in this world for 16 years, she suddenly remembered that she had transmigrated into a novel called ¡®After my death, the young Immortal Master cried and said he loved me¡¯, which was about a wife-chasing story.


    The male protagonist was a rare genius in cultivation and was also the future of his sect. Coupled with his good looks, there were many women who liked him, but he had never had any feelings for them.


    Until one day, he suddenly mentioned that he wanted to become Dao companions with his master¡¯s daughter.


    This person was Wen Ran. Although she did not have much talent in cultivation, she was beautiful and had a soft and weak appearance. Anyone who saw her would pity her.


    In the words of modern people, she had the typical temperament of a white lotus. In the plot, the purer she looked, the more poisonous she was inside.


    The reason why the male lead wanted to marry her was not without reason. It was because he was seriously injured in a battle with the demon race.


    While he was unconscious, he could feel how gentle and considerate the person who took care of him was, so he, who only wanted to cultivate, was suddenly moved.


    However, he did not know that he had made a mistake. The person who had taken care of him was actually Qin Susu, not Wen Ran.


    Qin Susu¡¯s status was not as noble as Wen Ran¡¯s in the Myriad Immortal Mansion, but like many young girls in love, she had long been secretly in love with the male lead. She had done a lot for the male lead behind his back, but the credit was snatched away by her cousin.


    It was not that she did not feel resentful before. Every time she saw the person she liked being gentle with another woman, her heart would hurt.


    And now, Qin Susu was looking at the young man in white in silence, as if she was waiting for the judgment of fate.


    Both Wen Ran and Qin Susu were affected by the spell and could not speak. Wen Ran was extremely anxious. In the plot, her tragic ending had been played out in her mind thousands of times!


    Why did she have to think of this plot at this time?


    She felt that her little heart could not take it!


    The demon started to get arrogant. He wiped the blood off his face and laughed, ¡°This is what you are like. You can¡¯t watch an innocent person die!¡±


    Indeed, for the Immortal cultivators who had received the orthodox education of the Immortal Sect since childhood, they could not sit by and watch any innocent person die. Especially if they could do something about it.


    The demon had this idea.


    What Eldest Senior Brother of the Immortal Ascension Mansion?


    Did he not say that he wanted to save the world?


    He chose his fianc¨¦e¡¯s life, and that was only natural. No one could blame him.

 Chapter 2

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    However, he definitely could not get past his own conscience. As time passed, why would he worry that he would not develop inner demons?


    He had destroyed the most highly anticipated disciple of the Immortal Ascension Mansion, so even if he died, it would not be a loss as he would have caused great emotional damage to the main lead!


    Wen Ran tried to mobilize the spiritual power in her body to make herself move, but no matter how she tried, she failed. Realizing that she could not change the current situation, she eventually became despondent.


    So far, things had developed exactly the same as in the plot. Next, the male lead would choose to let Wen Ran live after hesitating for a long time, suffering from the torment of his conscience. Qin Susu had completely given up.


    After being pushed down the Giant Abyss Valley by the man she loved, Qin Susu seemed to have heard him muttering ¡®sorry¡¯ that drifted away with the wind.


    However, Qin Susu, who was the most sorrowful person in the world right now, only twitched the corners of her mouth in a self-mocking manner. In the end, she shed a tear for this man.


    She should be happy that Wen Ran was able to survive, but when she thought of how the male lead would find out that the person who saved him was Qin Susu not long after the female lead ¡®died¡¯, and that the person he had always loved was Qin Susu, she was relieved.


    He had fallen into the pain of losing his lover, and Wen Ran had become the first person he would take revenge on. She could not be happy!


    The ending of Wen Ran, the vicious supporting character, should be very satisfying for the readers. Her arms and legs were cut off and she was thrown into Giant Abyss Valley by him. Her part in the book ended there.


    After that, the male protagonist fell into the demonic path. He stubbornly searched for a way to resurrect Qin Susu, until one day, he met the still alive Qin Susu.


    However, at that time, Qin Susu had already lost her memory. Moreover, she was being pursued by the big boss of the demon race. Hence, the male protagonist completely started his wife-chasing story mode.


    ¡°What, have you decided?


    ¡°Shen Wu, who do you want to save?¡± The demon evilly laughed.


    It could be said that this demon hated Shen Wu, who was also the male lead, to the bone. This was because during this period of time, no matter where he hid, Shen Wu would almost always be able to find the place he hid immediately.


    If it was not for the fact that he had been using the people who passed by as hostages and had thought of a way to escape, he would have long been killed by Shen Wu¡¯s sword.


    The young man raised his eyes slightly, and his gaze seemed to fall on the two girls.


    Qin Susu stood in the wind, unyielding and unfazed.


    On the other hand, Wen Ran, who was too beautiful for her attitude, had an obviously pale face and a trembling body. She was at a disadvantage.


    How did the original text describe it?


    Wen Ran was as beautiful as a beautiful rose, stunning people. However, Qin Susu was like an orchid in an empty valley, her temperament was extraordinary. There were many beauties in the world, but only a few had an outstanding temperament.


    In front of the latter, even a beauty like Wen Ran fell into clich¨¦.


    Bah!


    Wen Ran was most satisfied with her face. Everyone¡¯s aesthetic was different, so there was no need to belittle her like this!


    Shen Wu retracted his gaze as if he was considering what choice he should make.


    The more he hesitated, the more the demon saw a glimpse of light in surviving. His eyes burned with the light of survival.


    ¡°Shen Wu, saving one person and killing one person, I think this choice is indeed too difficult for you. I can help you solve this predicament. As long as you swear to spare my life and no longer pursue me, I will remove the evil curse on their bodies. This way, it¡¯s the best of both worlds, isn¡¯t it just right?¡±


    An oath made by an Immortal cultivator was different from an ordinary person¡¯s oath. Once they made an oath, they would be punished by the heavens if they went against it.


    This demon had reason to believe that as long as Shen Wu was not hunting him down, it would be as easy as turning his hand to escape from those Immortal cultivators.


    In the plot, Shen Wu indeed had no choice but to agree. However, while he was distracted, the demon tried to sneak attack him. He subconsciously moved his sword, and the demon died. After that, he could only choose to sacrifice Qin Susu.


    Wen Ran had already given up on struggling and was beginning to think about how to survive. Suddenly, she heard the young man¡¯s chuckle.


    The young man in white curled his lips. His cold aura was no longer there. Instead, he seemed to be frivolous. He smiled faintly.¡±Are you threatening me?¡±


    In Wen Ran¡¯s memory, Shen Wu was a person who did not smile. She had only seen Shen Wu¡¯s smile occasionally. It was a kind of light smile, very faint, and would not reveal too much emotion, much less reveal such a sarcastic expression.


    Perhaps he realized that the atmosphere was not right, and the joy on the demon¡¯s face disappeared.


    He laughed sinisterly, ¡°Shen Wu, have you thought it through? If I die, one of these two delicate girls must die with me. No matter which one dies, will your conscience let you go? Besides, you can¡¯t even decide which one you want to kill¡­¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Shen Wu take two steps forward unhurriedly and stop in front of Qin Susu.


    Qin Susu was not surprised as she had a premonition. A look of desolation appeared on her face. There was nothing more sorrowful than a dead heart. Perhaps that was what it was.


    She looked at the person in front of her and wanted to tell him with her eyes that she did not regret what she had done for him because she liked him. However, this kind of love would end here.


    How despairing was that look, but it also carried a sense of relief?


    Even if it was a person with no intentions, once they met her gaze, they would still be unable to forget it. No wonder later on, whenever Shen Wu closed his eyes, he would think of this gaze of hers, it was extremely heart-wrenching.


    Wen Ran felt that he was about to be touched by the female lead¡¯s lofty emotions. However, in the next moment, when she saw Shen Wu raise his foot and Qin Susu fall into Giant Abyss Valley with a stunned gaze, Wen Ran¡¯s expression froze.


    Not only her.


    Even the demon was dumbfounded.


    The young Immortal Master had kicked a woman down the cliff without any hesitation!


    Shen Wu looked at the demon on the ground as if he was looking at an ant.


    He laughed, but his dark eyes were like a pool of calm dead water. There was no smile at all. He said casually, ¡°It¡¯s just one of the two. What¡¯s so difficult about it?¡±


    Before the demon could say a word, a sword light flashed. He opened his eyes, and his vision was confused. In the end, he saw his headless body.


    At the last moment of his life, he realized that it was his head that had fallen to the ground.

 Chapter 3

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Wen Ran watched as Shen Wu walked toward her step by step. Although he had already kept his sword, she still felt an inexplicable sense of danger from him.


    The red dot on her forehead had disappeared, which meant that the curse on her body had been removed. However, she still could not move because the spell that had imprisoned her had not been removed.


    Shen Wu did not even seem to have the slightest interest in looking at her. He raised his hand and his fingertip lightly touched the space between her brows. In this instant, Wen Ran felt a piece of memory being poured into her mind.


    Qin Susu had not been kicked into the abyss by him. Instead, she had bravely and fearlessly proposed to sacrifice herself. Hence, he had no choice but to give up on saving Qin Susu.


    This time, his image did not collapse as much.


    But after a moment, Shen Wu retracted his hand and took out a white handkerchief to slowly wipe his hands. His pair of smiling eyes were slightly curved as he looked at the girl who still had a dazed expression. ¡°What just happened?¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s eyes were dull. ¡°Qin Susu and I were captured by the demon. Qin Susu decided to sacrifice herself. Shen Wu had no choice but to give up on her and save me.¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± Shen Wu threw his handkerchief and said with a smile.


    In an instant, Wen Ran¡¯s mind recovered its clarity. Her body went soft and powerlessly fell forward. Shen Wu, who was in front of her, reached out and held her shoulder, not letting her lean on him.


    He glanced at her and, perhaps thinking that she would dirty his clothes, he clicked his tongue in disgust.


    When Wen Ran woke up again, she was already lying on the bed in her room. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was her old father¡¯s worried face.


    ¡°Ranran, you¡¯re finally awake!¡± Wen Xun¡¯s expression was very excited. Although he was already more than two hundred years old and had such an old daughter, Immortal cultivators all had techniques to maintain their appearance. Wen Xun looked like a handsome young man in his twenties or thirties.


    Wen Ran took a moment to recover. He pressed on his head, which was hurting a little, and frowned.


    ¡°Ranran, are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?¡±


    ¡°How did I come back?¡± Wen Ran sat up and leaned against the headboard.


    ¡°It was Shen Wu who brought you back.¡± At the mention of this proud disciple, Wen Xun¡¯s tone was filled with relief, ¡°I knew he was a good person. Whether it was his cultivation or character, he was the best among the young people. He was able to personally enter a dangerous situation to save you. He really has deep feelings for you. Just based on his feelings for you, he will also be your ideal husband.¡±


    Hearing the words ¡®ideal husband¡¯, Wen Ran¡¯s mouth twitched.


    Wen Xun sighed again, ¡°Right now, Shen Wu has requested to be punished in the cave of fortune. Ranran, when your body is better, you can go and see him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s asking to be punished?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he thinks that Susu¡¯s death was his fault. He can¡¯t get over it, so he can only choose to be punished. At least he can feel better. Your Aunt Qin is devastated. Don¡¯t have any conflicts with her for the time being.¡±


    The so-called Aunt Qin was Wen Ran¡¯s stepmother, Qin Wanwan. Qin Susu was the niece that Qin Wanwan had brought over. In reality, Qin Susu called Wen Ran her cousin, but the two of them were not blood-related at all.


    After all, Qin Susu was not his own daughter. Wen Xun only sighed at her death.


    Although Wen Ran had promised to visit Shen Wu, she had not visited him even once in these past few days. She was quite popular, and many people had come to visit her when they heard that she had almost died and was now bedridden.


    After lying in bed for some time, Wen Ran had almost fully recovered. Although she was the daughter of an elder of the Immortal Ascension Mansion, she was also a disciple of the Myriad Immortal Mansion. It was impossible for her to lie in bed and not cultivate forever.


    Just as she was thinking about which day to go out, someone came up to her in a hurry.


    ¡°Junior Sister Wen!¡± A young man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes saw Wen Ran sitting on the swing in the courtyard, bored to pass the time. He looked anxious.¡±Hurry up and go help Eldest Senior Brother!¡±


    This young man was the second disciple of the Immortal Ascension Mansion, Yan Qing. Like many other disciples, he respected and admired the powerful and upright Eldest Senior Brother, Shen Wu. For them, the Eldest Senior Brother was the role model they were working toward.


    Yan Qing usually treated Wen Ran quite well. Even if he did not want to care about Shen Wu¡¯s matters, Wen Ran had no choice but to take into account their relationship in the past and asked, ¡°Second Senior Brother, what happened?¡±


    ¡°Madam Qin went to find Eldest Senior Brother, and Eldest Senior Brother was punished and returned. His body is currently weak, so Madam Qin is probably looking for trouble!¡±

 Chapter 4

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Ever since he was a child, Yan Qing had followed the rules and called Qin Wanwan ¡®Madam¡¯ and was sounded by Wen Ran three times before he changed. After that, he started to call Qin Wanwan ¡®Madam Qin¡¯.


    Thanks to his ¡®good example¡¯, the disciples all tacitly addressed Qin Wanwan as Madam Qin.


    Wen Xun did not care. Now that he thought about it, it was a thorn in Qin Wanwan¡¯s heart.


    Wen Ran only stayed in her courtyard and did not go out, so Qin Wanwan could not find trouble with her. Did she hear that Shen Wu had come out of the cave of fortune, so she went to find trouble with him?


    She did not need to think to know why she wanted to find trouble with Shen Wu.


    Yan Qing thought that Wen Ran had encountered a life and death crisis, so she was still traumatized and had not recovered. However, he could not ignore Eldest Senior Brother.


    He could only try to reason with her. ¡°Junior Sister Qin¡¯s death was an outcome that none of us wanted to see. However, there is a difference between close and distant people. You are Eldest Senior Brother¡¯s fianc¨¦e, so Eldest Senior Brother should definitely save you. If it were me, although I couldn¡¯t bear to see innocent people sacrifice themselves, I would definitely make the same choice as Eldest Senior Brother. Because of Junior Sister Qin¡¯s death, Eldest Senior Brother is not only willing to be punished but he has also been tortured by his conscience until now. Junior Sister, during this period of time, Eldest Senior Brother has really had a hard time¡­¡±


    After hearing that Shen Wu had invited himself to the cave of fortune to be punished, Yan Qing and a few other junior brothers had secretly gone to see Shen Wu. There were twenty-four hours in a day, and every six hours, there would be an extremely harsh change in the environment of the cave of fortune.


    Sometimes it was a world of ice and snow, sometimes it was a scorching sun, and the people in it were suffering physical torture at all times.


    Yan Qing and the others persuaded Shen Wu to leave, but Shen Wu only said that it was the pain he should suffer.


    Just as Yan Qing had said, there was a difference between close and distant people. In their hearts, Qin Susu could not be compared to their Eldest Senior Brother, who they had grown up with.


    Seeing that Yan Qing was about to cry, Wen Ran thought of the time when she was young, this Second Senior Brother had climbed a tree to pick fruits for her. She helplessly rubbed the space between her eyebrows and finally got up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Yan Qing could not care less about his sadness and quickly led the way.


    There were already many people standing at the back of the mountain. These young people were all dressed in white, and the woman in the middle, who was wearing a bright red dress, was particularly eye-catching.


    Qin Wanwan was a beauty, but she could not be considered a peerless beauty. However, she had the cuteness of a young girl.


    Back then, it was also because of this that Wen Xun was able to be head over heels for Qin Wanwan even after he had the number one beauty as his wife.


    Qin Wanwan was just an ordinary mortal who could not cultivate. All these years, she could maintain her appearance from when she was young because Wen Xun had thrown her a lot of elixirs. She had true feelings for her niece, who she had raised by her side since she was a child.


    Because of this, when she saw the person who had given up on saving Qin Susu, Qin Wanwan was truly furious. She said angrily, ¡°I¡¯m his elder. It¡¯s only right for me to teach him a lesson. Get out of my way!¡±


    It turned out that a few disciples had blocked in front of Shen Wu, not allowing Qin Wanwan to get close to him. As a result, Qin Wanwan was even more furious.


    The third disciple, Luo Huai, tried his best to show a respectful attitude. He bowed and said, ¡°Madam Qin, Eldest Senior Brother has just come out of the Cave of Fortune. His body can¡¯t bear to be punished anymore. If Eldest Senior Brother is really in the wrong, he will still need to be punished. Madam Qin, please tell master and let him deal with it.¡±


    At this moment, Qin Wanwan felt that the words ¡®Madam Qin¡¯ were particularly harsh on her ears.¡±I am your master¡¯s wife and his equal. Why? do I not have the right to punish a disciple?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, you have the right to punish me. However, my mother has passed away many years ago. Could it be that she had sent Concubine Qin in her dreams to deal with Eldest Senior Brother on her behalf?¡±


    Hearing this, Qin Wanwan¡¯s face stiffened.


    The young girl¡¯s sudden voice made everyone look over.


    Wen Ran was also dressed in a white dress. It was obviously pure and flawless white, but because of her beautiful appearance, it made her look even more beautiful.


    When he walked over, Wen Ran also glanced at Shen Wu who was protected behind everyone. His white clothes were already quite dirty, so weak that he needed someone to support him, but he did not seem to be in a sorry state.


    At the same time, he also looked at Wen Ran. His eyes were still mixed with silence and guilt. It seemed that he had not gotten over the guilt of Qin Susu¡¯s death.

 Chapter 5

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    His tense brows relaxed a little when he saw that Wen Ran was safe and sound.


    Yan Qing and Luo Huai exchanged glances and figured that the situation would not be so tumultuous with Wen Ran around.


    When Qin Wanwan saw Shen Wu and Wen Ran looking at each other, she started to think about Qin Susu¡¯s tragic death even more.


    However, she forced a kind smile on her face and said, ¡°You¡¯re not feeling well, Ranran. Why don¡¯t you rest in the room a while more?¡±


    Ever since Wen Xun brought Qin Wanwan to the Immortal Ascension Mansion, she had been trying her best to play the role of a virtuous stepmother. Alas, her efforts repeatedly failed in all those years because Wen Yu was exceptionally predisposed to angering her!


    Wen Xun loved addressing her as ¡®Concubine Qin¡¯, which was exactly how those in the mortal world addressed concubines!


    She, however, was Wen Xun¡¯s wife and not a concubine!


    However, when Qin Wanwan complained about it to Wen Xun, he scoffed at her in a displeased tone, ¡°Doesn¡¯t concubine have the word for ¡®mother¡¯ too? [1] Don¡¯t be unreasonable and make such a big fuss about it. Ranran is clearly quite fond of you.¡±


    Qin Wanwan, who had been deemed ¡®unreasonable¡¯, was so angered that she found it hard for her to sleep.


    ¡°If I had rested a little more, I wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve had to see Concubine Qin making a big scene here now, would I?¡±


    There she was being unreasonable again!


    Qin Wanwan gritted her teeth. ¡°Ranran, do you not realize that Shen Wu chose to sacrifice Susu to save you? Like it or not, Susu was like a sister that grew up alongside you. Don¡¯t you feel any guilt for her death?¡±


    ¡°I feel guilty, of course.¡± Wen Ran turned her face slightly, lowered her eyes, and wiped the corners of her eyes as if she was wiping away some tears.


    In fact, she was just using her fingers to rub her eyes and turn them red to make her sadness look more convincing.


    Wen Ran looked at Qin Wanwan with reddened eyes and choked between sobs. ¡°Susu chose to sacrifice herself! Her actions were so noble! How can anyone not feel moved by it? Do you see me as a stone-hearted person? Do I leave such a bad impression in your heart? Am I that big of a failure as a person?¡±


    She had just recovered her strength and her face was still a little pale, making her look as delicate as a peach blossom after rain.


    Her senior brothers quickly consoled her.


    ¡°Junior Sister, we all know that your heart is the kindest!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You even placed a small bird back to its nest when it fell off. No one is as kind as you!¡±


    ¡°None of us wanted Junior Sister Qin to die. The main culprit was that devil, and we can¡¯t possibly blame you for what it did!¡±


    ¡­


    Fortunately, the consolation they made was enough to calm the desolate and sorrowful Wen Ran.


    Qin Wanwan¡¯s eyelids twitched. She was proficient at stirring pity to her advantage countless times in the past, and she never would have expected Wen Ran to do it right in front of her eyes!


    At that moment, Shen Wu broke free of his junior brother and took two steps forward. Even though his body was covered in blood, he still straightened his back and bowed to Qin Wanwan.


    He said in a firm, clear, and cold voice, ¡°It¡¯s my fault for not being able to save Junior Sister Qin. This matter has nothing to do with Wen Ran. I sincerely hope you won¡¯t take out your anger on her, Madam Qin. I¡¯m willing to bear all the blame.¡±


    ¡°Eldest Senior Brother!¡± The group of junior brothers called out anxiously.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware that all of you have good intentions, but¡­¡± Shen Wu lowered his head slightly, as if recalling the scene of Qin Susu valiantly falling off the cliff that day. In the end, there was a slight change of emotion in his tone. ¡°It¡¯s my fault that I couldn¡¯t save her. I should be punished.¡±


    Everyone knew what kind of person Shen Wu was. He could be too righteous at times, and that quality was a part of him that no one could hope to change. Everyone then turned to look at Qin Wanwan.


    Their gaze seemed to warn Qin Wanwan that they might not be able to control themselves from stopping her if she decided to act on Shen Wu.


    Qin Wanwan was startled. She had always known that Shen Wu had a good reputation in the Immortal Ascension mansion, but she did not expect him to have so strong an influence that the entire group of disciples would go so far as to rebel on his account!


    Wen Ran glanced at Shen Wu. He stood there like a Jade Tree, but he was still lowering his gaze slightly as if he was still unable to break free of the guilt and self-blame. It was hard for anyone to see such an agonized emotion in someone so noble and virtuous.


    It was no wonder that the group of senior brothers and junior brothers were more than willing to act on their impulse for his sake and ¡®go against their superiors¡¯.


    Wen Yu then turned to Qin Wanwan. ¡°We understand how uneasy you must feel when Eldest Senior Brother couldn¡¯t save junior sister Susu. Do you perhaps feel that he should¡¯ve saved her and just leave me to die?¡±


    Qin Wanwan could not care less if Wen Ran died, but it would be imprudent of her to reveal that in her emotion. ¡°Why would I think that way, Wen Ran? I would never want anything to happen to either of you. Everyone was in a tight spot that day, but I do feel that the devil only captured you to try and seek a way out. If Shen Wu had been more patient when handling the situation, perhaps Susu wouldn¡¯t have to die. ¡±


    TN:


    [1] ÒÌÄï ¨C This was the word used and it means concubine. The latter character (Äï), when taken on its own, can be understood to mean ¡®mother¡¯. There is no equivalent in English.

 Chapter 6

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Qin Wanwan could be a bright woman at times. Had it not been for the fact that there was not a fourth person around at that time, Wen Ran would have wondered if Qin Wanwan had actually witnessed the situation at the time.


    To put it bluntly, Qin Wanwan could only make herself feel better after venting her anger.


    And under the pressure of being ¡®saved¡¯ and by virtue of being ¡®Shen Wu¡¯s fianc¨¦e¡¯, Wen Ran would have been viewed as a heartless person if she just sat by and did nothing when something happened to Shen Wu.


    Wen Ran¡¯s face paled slightly to reveal a look of lingering fear. She said, ¡°That devil used us to threaten Eldest Senior Brother into letting it go, but it then took the opportunity to sneak an attack on Eldest Senior Brother and take his life. Eldest Senior Brother had no other choice in that situation.¡±


    ¡°Does Susu deserve to die, then?¡±


    Wen Ran had already lost her patience when dealing with Qin Wanwan. She looked up and laughed. ¡°Have you forgotten that I¡¯m Eldest Senior Brother¡¯s fianc¨¦e, Concubine Qin? He acted subconsciously in that situation. Let¡¯s be honest, if he had saved me instead of Qin Susu, do you think you¡¯ll still be Old Wen¡¯s wife?¡±


    Qin Wanwan was rendered speechless.


    Everyone knew how much Wen Xun treasured his daughter, Wen Ran. If the person who had been involved in the accident was Wen Ran, then the surviving Qin Susu would definitely receive the undeserved brunt of anger, and that was not all. Qin Wanwan might even be kicked out of the house if that happened.


    ¡°I heard that Old Wen sent a large number of rare items to you after what happened to Susu,¡± Wen Ran continued.


    From another perspective, she wanted to end the matter while she had the upper hand so no one would have to keep pulling a long face.


    Qin Wanwan gritted her teeth and recalled the first time she was brought back by Wen Xun. Back then, she viewed Wen Ran as nothing more than an insignificant little girl.


    Wen Xun can dote on Wen Ran all he liked, but as long as Qin Wanwan gave birth to a son, it was almost certain that Wen Ran would have to make way.


    Little did she expect that she would remain childless even after so many years had passed. Moreover, not once did she ever gain the upper hand after countless confrontations over the years.


    Qin Wanwan forced a smile and said, ¡°What are you talking about, Wen Ran? I¡¯m not that unreasonable a person. I can¡¯t blame you for what happened when everything has been explained clearly. I¡¯m well aware that it was a very tense situation. I just felt a little too heartbroken over what happened to Susu. You understand how I feel, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. Don¡¯t worry, Concubine Qin. I¡¯ll still take care of you when you get old even if Susu is no longer around.¡±


    Qin Wanwan¡¯s expression changed again. As an ordinary person who could not cultivate, death was the one thing she feared and hated most. However, she could not blame Wen Ran either or else she would leave the impression of looking for trouble.


    Qin Wanwan forced a smile.¡±I¡¯m not feeling well, so I¡¯ll head back and get some rest.¡±


    No one kept her.


    As soon as she left, the other disciples heaved a sigh of relief. Their master was exceptional at everything except women.


    ¡°We still have homework to do, Junior Sister,¡± Yan Qing said. ¡°I¡¯ll leave Eldest Senior Brother in your care.¡± As he said that, he glanced at the others and they all tacitly followed Yan Qing and left. At that point, only Shen Wu and Wen Ran were left.


    Wen Ran thought to herself that those guys did not have to try and act ¡®smart¡¯, but her group of senior and junior brothers all left so quickly that she did not have the chance to stop them.


    Just as she was thinking of an excuse to escape, she suddenly heard Shen Wu¡¯s elegant voice, ¡°Do you blame me, Ranran?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± When Wen Ran looked at Shen Wu¡¯s grief-tainted eyes, she felt for a moment that she had become one of those heartless girl who played with people¡¯s feelings.


    Shen Wu was never good with words. He lowered his eyes as his eyelashes trembled slightly. Seemingly unable to hold himself back anymore, he raised his eyes again and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been worried sick about you this whole time.¡±


    Every junior brother had come to visit Shen Wu, but she had never once came to see him. He was under the belief that she was unwell, but it seemed to have recovered long ago.


    Shen Wu asked again, ¡°Do you blame me for failing to save Junior Sister Qin and causing her to die?¡±


    Other than Qin Wanwan, everyone else felt that Shen Wu¡¯s made the right decision to save Wen Ran. It was Shen Wu himself who could not get past that barrier.


    Seeing a young and innocent life disappearing in front of his eyes was a huge blow to him.


    Wen Ran used to be very satisfied with her perfect marriage partner, Shen Wu. She could also feel that Qin Susu had the same feelings for Shen Wu and so frequently pestered Shen Wu to anger Qin susu.


    Although they were engaged, Shen Wu seemed to treat her the same as he did to other people, with the addition of being a little more patient with Wen Ran.


    Why, then, did he look as if he had been hurt by her?


    Their relationship was never that deep!


    Wen Ran tried to be more polite. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. Like what the others have said, Qin Susu¡¯s death isn¡¯t¡­ Well, to put it another way, I guess you can only call it an accident. To be honest, I¡¯m very grateful that you chose to save me. Don¡¯t burden yourself so much. Qin Susu could have been lucky and survived. What if fate had other plans in store for her?¡±


    Shen Wu¡¯s eyes curved slightly as he let out a shallow smile. ¡°Thank you for comforting me, Ranran.¡±


    A gust of wind blew past and Wen Ran saw Shen Wu taking a step closer to her. She subconsciously retreated and avoided his outstretched hand.


    Shen Wu¡¯s hand stopped in mid-air and there seemed to be a strange atmosphere.


    He slowly retracted his hand and lowered his gaze to look at her and hid his loneliness.¡±I just wanted to brush away a fallen leaf on your shoulder.¡±


    Wen Ran looked down. There was indeed a leaf on her shoulder, which she brushed away with a raise of her hand. She smiled and said, ¡°Thanks for the thought, Eldest Senior Brother.¡±


    ¡°Ranran, are you afraid of me?¡±


    ¡°Why would I be?¡± Wen Ran immediately retorted and continued to speak from the bottom of her heart. ¡°You¡¯re a man of integrity, righteousness, and selflessness, Eldest Senior Brother. You taught our junior brothers in the Immortal Ascension Manor and you can also kill demons and devils outside of it. What reason do I have to be afraid of you?¡±


    Shen Wu looked at her quietly for some time before suddenly saying, ¡°Will what happened to Junior Sister Qin be some sort of barrier for us?.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯ve never had a good relationship with her anyway.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, were you scared when I kicked her off the cliff that day?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a brave person. I won¡¯t get scared that easily¡­¡± Wen Ran froze instinctively after saying that.


    The cold young immortal master suddenly curved his lips and his temperament suddenly changed.


    Shen Wu¡¯s bright eyes seemed to be filled with warmth and his smile was gentle yet moving. His delicate voice seemed to be laced with firmness as he said, ¡°You do remember what happened that day.¡±

 Chapter 7

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Wen Ran did remember what happened that day. She also recalled when Qin Susu had fallen unexpectedly into the Great Abyss Valley, as well as how that white-robed immortal master had tried to tamper with her memories.


    Wen Ran did not know why his method of tampering with her memory had failed, but her intuition toward him had always been accurate and she decided it was better for her to pretend that she did not remember.


    It never occurred to her that her act would be exposed at that moment!


    Shen Wu looked at Wen Ran¡¯s increasingly ugly expression and smiled as if he could not understand why she reacted that way. ¡°What are you afraid of? I chose to save you, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    If one likened the previous Shen Wu to a flower on a mountain peak, then the current him was a much livelier individual when talking and laughing. He no longer had that steadfast expression and gave off a youthful spirit instead.


    All that Wen Ran sensed from him, however, was danger. She took another step back and sported a look of gratitude on her face. ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you chose to save me, but¡­¡±


    She left her sentence unfinished, as if to keep him in suspense.


    Shen Wu seemed to be confused. ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°I feel fear and uneasiness in my heart, as you have mentioned.¡±


    ¡°Were you really frightened?¡± There was some concern in his tone, but he posed that question with a smile on his face. It was more like he was reveling in her uneasiness and smirking at a joke rather than showing genuine concern for her.


    Wen Ran had no choice but to let out a few drops of tears. ¡°Why did you say back then that you wanted to be my Dao companion?¡±


    Shen Wu blinked. ¡°Because I like you, of course.¡±


    To think he could say something so affectionate as if it was nothing more than going about his daily tasks.


    Wen Ran was stunned for a moment. ¡°You like me only because you thought I was the girl who took care of you when you were seriously injured and wandering outside.¡±


    Shen Wu had a pensive expression on his face.


    Wen Ran¡¯s thoughts were very simple. Rather than waiting for Shen Wu to discover that fact himself and kill her if he turned evil, it was better for her to put on a good attitude and admit her mistake.


    Perhaps then he would spare her life on account of their camaraderie in their senior brother, junior sister relationship.


    Wen Ran paused for a while before continuing, ¡°The person who saved you was Qin Susu. I¡¯m not sure why you mistook that person as me, but the bottomline is, my engagement to you was a mistake. I will find a way to break it off.¡±


    When Shen Wu said that he wanted to become Wen Ran¡¯s Dao companion, Wen Ran¡ªbeing the ordinary girl that she was¡ªstill had a sense of vanity.


    She genuinely thought that Shen Wu liked her, and there was no reason for her to refuse since he was an excellent marriage partner.


    She did not even ask why Shen Wu wanted to marry her, since she always believed that it was natural for him to develop feelings for her over time due to her unparalleled beauty.


    Shen Wu tilted his head slightly. ¡°Why do you have to break off the engagement with me if the person who saved me wasn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Because the person you like is the one who saved you!¡±


    He flashed a half-smile. ¡°By your logic, I¡¯m supposed to like her simply because she saved me? Is that right? If such rules exist, will I then have to marry a roadside beggar or a grey-hair old man if they were the ones who saved me that day?¡±


    This was the first time she had heard such a uniquely refreshing take on the statement. Wen Ran did not know how to continue the conversation. Puzzled, she asked, ¡°Does that mean you don¡¯t like the person who saved you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you say you want to marry me?¡±


    ¡°Because I like you.¡±


    His answer was so casual and natural that Wen Ran could not bring herself to actually believe his words. She still had some doubts. ¡°Now that you know the person who saved you was Qin Susu, do you feel bad that you didn¡¯t choose to save her?¡±


    ¡°I do feel a little apologetic, to be honest.¡± Shen Wu sighed faintly. ¡°If I¡¯d known that she saved me before, I ought to have repaid her kindness.¡±


    In other words, he would have saved Qin Susu.


    It was quite natural for Wen Ran to think along those lines, but Shen Wu¡¯s next sentence caught her by surprise.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve at least figured out a way to leave her corpse intact.¡±


    Wen Ran was speechless.


    ¡®Is he some kind of nutjob?¡¯ she wondered.

 Chapter 8

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    There was a twinkle in Shen Wu¡¯s clear eyes. ¡°Are you worried that I¡¯ll have a fickle heart? Relax, I¡¯m not like other men. If one day after I marry you and end up getting involved with other women, you may get involved with just as many men too. I value fairness more than anything, and I hereby make a solemn oath to uphold my promise. ¡±


    It was not a small matter for a cultivator to make an oath.


    His concept of ¡®fairness¡¯ made Wen Ran¡¯s eyelids twitch.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to think about breaking off the engagement with me. After all, I saved you not long ago, and yuo have to bear the torture of your conscience because of it. I think that any reasonable person would find it quite disgraceful that you¡¯d want to break off the engagement with me and just abandon me like that.¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s expression froze when she heard that and she felt certain that she had been threatened.


    ¡°Ranran.¡± He smiled and raised his hand to touch the top of her head. Then, he said with the most gentlemanly, warm, and elegant smile, ¡°Let¡¯s get along well in the future.¡±


    He had already retracted his hand before Wen Ran could slap it away. She watched as he produced a handkerchief, seemingly from thin air, and wiped the hand that touched her head.


    Wen Ran nearly laughed in anger.


    She had known this eldest senior brother for more than ten years, but this was the first time she found out about his terrible personality.


    She could not stand it.


    She had to call off the engagement!


    ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten or drank anything for days, Ranran. Do you want me to die worrying about you?¡± Wen Xun stood outside his daughter¡¯s room and knocked on the door anxiously. Ever since the mansion master was in seclusion, every single issue¡ªbe it big or small¡ªhad fallen on the elder¡¯s shoulders. It exhausted him both mentally and physically, since he was busy all the time and still had to worry about whether his daughter ate anything.


    The young girl¡¯s voice came from the room. ¡°I won¡¯t eat until you let me break off my engagement with Shen Wu!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already been decided! How can it be be broken off on a whim? Besides, Shen Wu looks like a person who will dote on his wife. Didn¡¯t you get along well with him before? Why do you insist on breaking off the engagement with him?¡± Wen Xun really could not understand what his daughter was thinking.


    Qin Wanwan reveled in the schadenfreude from beside for some time. What she could not stand the most was how much Wen Xun pampered Wen Ran, because that pampering was the cause of her Wen Ran¡¯s willfulness!


    Qin Wanwan walked over and held the hand that Wen Xun used to knock on the door. Her heart ached as she said, ¡°Darling, you¡¯re being overly worried. Ranran has long passed the fasting period, and it won¡¯t harm her if she doesn¡¯t eat or drink. There¡¯s no need for you to be so anxious.¡±


    ¡°What do you know? Ranran loves eating. She¡¯ll be in a bad mood if she doesn¡¯t eat, and her bad mood will affect her body. Do you think she¡¯s as thick-skinned as you?¡±


    ¡®Thick-skinned?¡¯


    The gentle expression on Qin Wanwan¡¯s face immediately crumbled. How things have changed! He was the one who said that she was pretty and adored her youthful personality, yet he called her ¡®thick-skinned¡¯ even after only a dozen or so years!


    Wen Xun might still consider coaxing his alluring wife when Wen Ran was not around, but no amount of allure could sway the man to devote his time to her when Wen Ran was around! Worried, he asked his daughter from the outside, ¡°Ranran, even if you want to break off the engagement with Shen Wu, you should at least have a reason for that, right?¡±


    Inside the room, Wen Ran was eating the beef jerky she had secretly copped. She cooked up an excuse and said, ¡°I realized that I don¡¯t like him, so marrying him is naturally out of the question.¡±


    ¡°Feelings can slowly be developed.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t I see you and my mother developing any feelings for each other back then?¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s words made Wen Xun feel like there was a fishbone stuck in his throat.


    Back then, Wen Xun and Wen Ran¡¯s mother had an arranged marriage in which Wen Xun had done lots of foolish things.


    ¡°Or do you think that it¡¯s better for me to be like you? Would you prefer me to fool around with another young man after I get married to him?¡± Wen Ran asked sarcastically.


    Wen Xun pondered for a moment and then nodded. ¡°That¡¯s not entirely impossible.¡±


    Wen Ran was speechless.


    What other word can she describe the old man with other than ¡®scumbag¡¯?


    For Wen Xun, it was permissible for his daughter to seek excitement elsewhere, but he would not accept it if his daughter¡¯s husband wanted the same thing!


    ¡°Darling, can¡¯t you tell that she¡¯s making an indirect accusation toward me?¡± Qin Wanwan stomped her foot and said coquettishly.


    ¡°It¡¯s because there¡¯s a reason for her to make that accusation!¡± Wen Xun said impatiently. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt when I¡¯m talking to her. You¡¯re getting more and more insensible!¡±


    Qin Wanwan gritted her teeth so hard that she almost broke them. The man who once said that he liked her for being innocent and naive was now despising her due to her insensibility!


    Wen Ran finally opened the door, stood there, and reiterated to Wen Xun, ¡°I don¡¯t want to marry him!¡±


    Wen Xun advised her earnestly, ¡°You¡¯re still young. You don¡¯t know good from bad. Think about it. Hasn¡¯t Shen Wu been very kind to you since you were young? It shows that he¡¯s been concerned about you from a young age. You¡¯d definitely live a blessed life if you marry him!¡±


    More importantly, if his daughter wanted to seek pleasure elsewhere, Shen Wu was the kind of person who would not go so far as to exterminate everyone.


    ¡°Shen Wu is insincere! Everything he did was fake. I can sense that he has a motive for being good to me!¡±


    In a situation where everyone was praising Shen Wu for being a good person, Wen Ran¡¯s words were¡ªsimply put¡ªabsurd.


    ¡°Bad news, Master!¡± The second disciple, Yan Qing, ran over all of a sudden. ¡°Eldest Senior Brother went to the forbidden area!¡±


    Wen Xun was shocked. ¡°What! His body hasn¡¯t recovered yet! What is he even doing there?¡±


    There were many demons imprisoned in the forbidden area, and even Wen Xun would not dare enter without being fully prepared.


    Yan Qing looked at Wen Ran.


    Wen Ran was just as clueless.


    Yan Qing said, ¡°Eldest Senior Brother said that Junior Sister wanted a devil pet when she was six. He made her really unhappy recently, so he wants to find a suitable devil pet for her just to cheer her up.¡±


    Wen Xun wanted to point his finger at Wen Ran, but could not bear to do so when he saw Wen Ran¡¯s beautiful face. He slapped his thigh and said resentfully, ¡°See? He¡¯s willingly putting himself in danger for you! How can you still call him insincere?¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s face darkened.


    She did not even remember saying that she wanted a devil pet when she was six!


    There were other priorities, and Wen Xun did not have the luxury of coaxing his daughter anymore. Shen Wu was a disciple that he was proudest of, not to mention the pride of Immortal Ascension Mansion. Nothing should be allowed to happen to him!


    Wen Xun hurriedly organized a group of people to split up and look for Shen Wu. He also repeatedly instructed them not to use force in the forbidden area so as not to anger those demons.


    With all her fellow disciples staring at her, Wen Ran had no choice but to join the search team.

 Chapter 9

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    As they were anxiously looking for Shen Wu¡¯s figure, Yan Qing turned to Wen Ran and said, ¡°Junior Sister, I know it¡¯s hard to guess the thoughts of girls like you, but you need to be more sensible. Eldest Senior Brother has been feeling really down recently, and whatever the conflict you may have with him, you shouldn¡¯t be choosing this time to get angry with him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Junior Sister,¡± Luo Huai chimed in. ¡°Times are tough for Eldest Senior Brother right now. You need to be more understanding of him.¡±


    Although those two senior brothers spoke in a very tactful manner, it was clear that they were implicitly blaming Wen Ran for being insensible and causing Eldest Senior Brother to put himself in danger for her!


    Wen Ran was speechless when she heard that. She was almost certain that she would get questionable stares of ¡®how could you think like that¡¯ from her senior brothers if she put forth her view Shen Wu directed and acted out that entire charade.


    Under the wishy-washy persuasion of several senior brothers, they finally entered a dense black forest. Since a large number of demons were sealed there, demonic and devilish Qi gathered there all year round, so much so that the sky was still dusky even though it was daytime and the sun was shining high up in the sky.


    Waves of pressure came bearing down on them the moment they walked in.


    The plot never mentioned that Shen Wu would come to the forbidden area, and Wen Ran was unsure if she would encounter any danger here. In light of that, she decided not to get separated from her senior brothers since she was still quite aware of the extent of her abilities. She was filled with regret at that moment, because she would have trained harder if she had known earlier that it would happen!


    ¡°Eldest Senior Brother!¡± Luo Huai suddenly looked ahead and called out. ¡°Is that him?!¡±


    Suddenly, a figure in white flashed in front of them. Luo Huai was about to catch up, but Wen Ran held his hand. ¡°Third Senior Brother, there are many demons in the forbidden area that are capable of tricking us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Junior Sister.¡± Yan Qing was the oldest one there, and relatively speaking, he was also the calmest. ¡°Luo Huai,¡± he reminded, ¡°don¡¯t be impulsive.¡±


    Luo Huai nodded and calmed down.


    The two senior brothers had a tacit understanding and walked in front of Wen Ran. Despite being Shen Wu¡¯s die-hard fans, their love and care for her as their junior sister was genuine and she felt touched by that.


    The further they went, they began to get clearer views of several demons that revealed their true forms. Those demons looked coldly at them as they passed by without making any attacks. It went without saying that they hated those in the Immortal Ascension Mansion for imprisoning them there, but they were also aware that they might lose much more than their freedom if they fell into the hands of other sects.


    All the demons and devils imprisoned here had done evil things in the human world, but that did not mean they were stupid. Once they hurt the people of the Immortal Ascension Mansion, the elders would come looking for them and there was a possibility that they might even lose their lives.


    Nevertheless, it was still a test of one¡¯s mental strength to walk through those demons¡¯ dangerous gazes.


    At that moment, a white-robed figure flashed past Luo Huai¡¯s line of sight. He wanted to chase after him, but he remembered what Wen Ran and Yan Qing had said earlier and refrained from being so impulsive. Instead, he said, ¡°Could that be Eldest Senior Brother?¡±


    ¡°We can head over and check, but remember to be careful,¡± Yan Qing said.


    Luo Huai had no objections, so Wen Ran had no choice but to follow them.


    As they went in the direction that the white-robed figure disappeared to, they began venturing deeper into the dense black forest. The gloomy air there was even thicker, and what appeared in front of them was a demonic beast lying on the ground.


    It had a huge all-black body that looked like a wolf but was not. It had two horns on its head and scarlet-red eyes, and it was lying under the tree as if at rest.


    That was the most imposing and dangerous-looking demon they had encountered on their way there. Fortunately, it only glanced briefly at the three people who approached it before looking away in disinterest and closing its eyes to take a nap.


    Generally speaking, they could remain on peaceful terms with such demons on the surface, but Yan Qing and the others still could not help but raise their guard. Just as they were about to walk past the demon, a short but crisp sound of the flute was heard from inside the forest.


    The demonic beast opened its blood-red eyes and roared to reveal the fangs inside its mouth. Then, it seemed to have lost control and charged right toward the three white-robed figures.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Yan Qing was the first to react. A long sword appeared in his hand and he immediately blocked the sharp claws of the demonic beast. The force of the attack even sent him staggering back a couple of steps.


    Luo Huai brandished his long sword and rushed forward to support Yan Qing in defending against the assailant.


    Wen Ran stood there and frowned. It was inevitable that they would sustain injuries in a fight. Once the smell of blood appeared, the high-level demons might still be able to control themselves, but low-level demons would almost certainly spiral out of control. A prolonged fight would only be disadvantageous to herself and her senior brothers.


    ¡°Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, please hang in there for a moment!¡± Wen Ran called out:


    Yan Qing and Luo Huai had only just fought with the demonic beast for the first time, but they could already sense its sheer strength. It was already a little difficult for them to block the demonic beast¡¯s sharp claws and the attack was almost a thousand pounds strong. ¡°Go ahead, Junior Sister,¡± Yan Qing said, ¡°we¡¯ll stall it!¡±


    Wen Ran did not reply. She had just picked up a stick from the ground and was continuously drawing something on the soil. Before long, it was obvious that she was making the preliminary preparations for a formation. Instead of being idle when she ¡®starved¡¯ herself and locked herself in her room, she spent her time reading all sorts of life-saving spells and paid special attention to preserving her life ever since she found out that she was going to be killed by Shen Wu at the end of the story.


    More and more cold sweat appeared on Wen Ran¡¯s forehead as she drew on the ground. Her movements also became increasingly slower. Her cultivation level was still rather low, so it was really difficult for her to draw such high-level formations. However, she looked at her two senior brothers who were already injured and immediately gritted her teeth to force herself to move.


    At long last, she finished the last stroke of the formation.


    Wen Ran¡¯s face was already pale. She threw away the branch, took out a round bead from her storage bracelet, and tossed it over. The bead struck the demonic beast¡¯s head and a white mist emerged to temporarily blur the demonic beast¡¯s vision.


    ¡°Hurry up and come over here!¡± she yelled.


    Yan Qing and Luo Huai did not waste any time and quickly flew to Wen Ran¡¯s side. Yan Qing was experienced and could tell at a glance that the pattern on the ground was a teleportation formation. He looked at Wen Ran in surprise.


    Wen Ran stood outside the formation. Her hands formed a seal as she said heartbreakingly, ¡°Tell Old Wen to save me!¡±


    ¡°Wait! Junior Sister!¡± Yan Qing protested.


    In the blink of an eye, Yan Qing and Luo Huai had disappeared from the formation.


    A metallic taste gushed up from Wen Ran¡¯s throat, but she resisted the urge to vomit that blood. After all, she would be doomed if the smell of blood began to spread and attract other demons!

 Chapter 10

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    All of a sudden, the demonic beast charged out of the white mist.


    Wen Ran dodged it by instinct. As she dragged her heavy body out of there to run for her life, she did not hesitate to use the life-saving magic treasures that the old man had given her.


    She was not yet skilled enough. Teleporting one person using one formation was already extremely difficult for her, let alone two people! She was already so exhausted that she would not have been able to last a minute if she did not have those treasures with her.


    The demonic beast behind her did not stop chasing, but Wen Ran was afraid to turn her head around and look. Deep down, she began cursing that darned Shen Wu and could not help herself from but she could not help herself from forming the most malicious preconceived notion about that heartless person.


    She wondered if he lured her there on purpose so he could take her life.


    As soon as that thought popped up in her mind, Wen Ran saw Shen Wu and discovered that she must have had it all wrong.


    The young man that appeared before her was dressed in blood-stained white robes. He had one hand on the tree and lowered his head slightly, and his thin body seemed even weaker than ever before. His pale complexion was also stained with blood, and it was absolutely frightening to see so many scars on him.


    There really was no reason for him to make himself look like that if he wanted to harm her, so could he really have gone there to catch a devil pet for her?


    The forest was actually quite huge, so it was almost certainly fate that led Wen Ran to meet Shen Wu even as she was running away in a panic.


    Shen Wu heard the movement and raised his head to look at who had arrived. When he saw that it was the once dainty damsel who had since looked so miserable, he curled the corners of his lips slowly and said, ¡°Wen¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish greeting her, Wen Ran came up to him and pushed him behind a tree.


    ¡°I owe you, Shen Wu! Stay here and don¡¯t come out!¡± Wen Ran stomped her feet and ran off in another direction.


    The demonic beast that had been angered by her also made a turn and followed right behind her.


    As she walked out from behind the tree, Shen Wu slightly tilted his head with a slightly dazed expression.


    Wen Ran felt really touched by her actions, almost as if he was excluding a saintly halo all over the earth. Before that moment, she did not even know that she could sacrifice herself for someone else, and it was such a pity that she had to be the vicious supporting actress for that plot!


    A gust of cold wind appeared behind her head. Wen Ran dodged to the side, but an ancient tree beside her had already been snapped in half by a sharp claw. Her entire body was cold, and she fell to the ground from the force of the wind. When she looked at the demonic beast that was charging towards her, she raised her hand by instinct to protect her head.


    All of a sudden, she heard the clanging sound of a blade.


    The person who appeared in front of her was holding a long sword and was easily able to block the attack from the demonic beast¡¯s sharp claws.


    His nonchalant attitude seemed to have infuriated the demonic beast even more, and it revealed its terrifying fangs with a roar.


    All of a sudden, countless sword formations appeared in the air and trapped the demonic wolf like an inescapable net. It had nowhere to escape, and in the time it took to take one breath, blood was already starting to drip. Its flesh and blood were removed alive, leaving only a skeleton that slowly fell into the pile of minced meat on the ground.


    Still, a drop of blood accidentally fell on his fair face.


    The nauseating smell of blood began to spread.


    He turned around in the dark environment with a strange and indecipherable expression on his face. However, he still asked with concern, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Wen Ran felt that something was not right and resisted the urge to vomit. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be injured?¡±


    Shen Wu seemed puzzled at her question. After a while, he looked at the blood stains on his body and chuckled lightly as if he had come to a realization. ¡°I was too excited from killing all the demons and dirtied my clothes by accident.¡±


    ¡°Something wrong? Did I scare you again?¡± he blinked innocently.


    His black eyes were limpid and his smile was oozing with innocence. The few drops of blood on his face resembled a beautiful flower blooming in the snow.


    There was something so strangely beautiful about it.

 Chapter 11

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    An emotionless Wen Ran got up quietly from the ground and patted the dust off her clothes. She felt that her foolishness was directly proportionate to how big of a grin Shen Wu had.


    She felt like the biggest idiot ever.


    Wen Ran forced herself not to look at the pile of flesh on the ground and turned to leave.


    However, Shen Wu followed behind her like a shadow and continued to jabber on and on. ¡°Are you angry?¡±


    Wen Ran walked forward as if she had tunnel vision and did not once turn back to look at him or say anything.


    ¡°Are you unhappy because I dirtied my clothes?¡± Shen Wu rattled off questions like a curious three-year-old child. ¡°What were you trying to do when you told me to hide? You¡¯re not thinking of sacrificing yourself to save me, are you?¡±


    Wen Ran wondered why he insisted on asking about that!


    She felt like dying of embarrassment. As upset as she was, she could not show it on her face. She turned around coldly and denied it decisively. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking. I just thought you were injured and was afraid that you would drag me down.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I see.¡±


    He seemed to believe her words completely.


    ¡°You look really tired. Would you like to rest?¡± he asked considerately after seeing Wen Ran¡¯s ugly expression.


    Wen Ran stopped in her tracks, pointed at the pile of flesh that looked like mud and asked, ¡°Can you tell me what that is?¡±


    ¡°A demonic beast.¡±


    ¡°Correct. It¡¯s a demonic beast that you killed. A bloody demonic beast.¡± Wen Ran put down her hand and glared at him. ¡°The demons in this forbidden area are extra sensitive to the smell of blood. If I stay here and rest instead of leaving right now, won¡¯t I be a prime target for the demons to gather and eat me?¡±


    That was why she could not rest! She could not afford to even if she was absolutely exhausted!


    Shen Wu¡¯s eyes lit up slightly when he heard that.¡±You¡¯re quite smart.¡±


    Wen Ran felt that he was mocking her in his own strange way, so she snorted at him and turned around to continue walking.


    Shen Wu did not ask any more questions at that time. He quietly followed behind Wen Ran like an elementary school student who was being led on an outing by his teacher.


    After walking for some time, Wen Ran returned to her original spot and stopped. She took a few deep breaths and smiled as she turned back to look at him. ¡°Do you remember the way out, Eldest Senior Brother?¡±


    She was more than capable of changing her demeanor whenever she saw fit, for she was speaking to him with a smile even though she was previously cold to him.


    To her disappointment, however, Shen Wu shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡±


    The bright smile on Wen Ran¡¯s face vanished instantly. She crouched on the ground dejectedly and frowned so severely that it made one wonder if she had already lost her desire to live.


    The next moment, she heard the sound wind whistling past her ears.


    Not long later, the sound of a heavy falling object resonated throughout the surroundings. Waves of dust filled the air, and a group of low-level demonic beasts that were lying dormant in the dark nearby were so frightened that they ran around.


    Wen Ran stared blankly at the empty space around him and was blank for some time.


    Shen Wu put down his hand and the spiritual energy gathered on it slowly dispersed. He lowered his eyes to look at Wen Ran and smiled warmly at her. ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem if we don¡¯t remember the way. There¡¯s a way now, right?¡±


    Wen Ran was speechless.


    She wondered whether she had offended him in any other way over the past ten years, other than in that incident with Qin Susu. One of the questions that lingered in her mind was whether he would have the impulse to treat her like these trees and slash her a couple of times.


    Wen Ran remained silent for a long time. Shen Wu took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood stains on his sword while faintly asking, ¡°DId I scare you again?¡±


    ¡°Eldest Senior Brother¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you use your brain to think before you attack?¡± Wen Ran stood up in anger. ¡°Or do you think that the commotion you caused earlier wasn¡¯t big enough?¡±


    At that moment, the roars of wild beasts could be heard repeatedly. Shen Wu¡¯s exaggerated movements were as good as telling them, ¡°Hey! There¡¯s people there! Hurry up and come over!¡±


    Wen Ran was shocked, angry, and vomited blood!


    She spat out a mouthful of blood, and it was the same mouthful she held in since she used the teleportation formation. It was difficult for her to hold it all in front of that weirdo!


    Shen Wu looked at Wen Ran spitting out blood and used a handkerchief to wipe her face. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Ranran! You¡¯re not pretty when you¡¯re angry.¡±


    Wen Ran covered her chest when she looked at the handkerchief that he had used to wipe his sword. ¡®Don¡¯t be angry, don¡¯t be angry, don¡¯t be angry!¡¯ If she got angry again, she would probably die of anger!


    Shen Wu could act recklessly by virtue of his strength, but she could not!


    Wen Ran turned around and left.


    Shen Wu followed behind and called out, ¡°Ranran¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that!¡±


    ¡°I wanted to tell you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear a word from you!¡±


    ¡°Hold on¡­¡±


    ¡°You shut up!¡± All of a sudden, Wen Ran lost her footing and screamed. In just a moment, she had fallen into a deep, dark pit.


    Shen Wu sighed as he stood by the pit. He wanted to tell her that there was a pit in front of her but she was just too stubborn to listen to him.


    Wen Ran fell into the pit of water. Her body began to sink deeper because she did not know how to swim, and it was so sudden that she had no time to prepare. Her mind was in a daze, and she was just about to choke on a mouthful of water when she was immediately lifted out of the water.


    She really had been ¡®lifted¡¯ out because she was dragged out by the back of her collar. As soon as she was out of the water and came into contact with the air, she regained her feeling of her entire body. The bone-piercing cold then caused her body to tremble uncontrollably.


    Wen Ran coughed incessantly, and for a moment, she felt like she was going to die from coughing.


    ¡°Are you alright, Ranran?¡±


    Wen Ran swayed as she was lifted by someone. Due to her height advantage, her feet did not touch the ground when she was lifted by Shen Wu and she looked just like a drenched chicken.


    Her feet were dangling and swaying too, and the dripping water inside that cave was particularly deafening.


    Wen Ran strained to open her eyes. When she saw Shen Wu¡¯s concerned face, she almost spat out another mouthful of blood, but she was fortunately to have held it all in. ¡°Shen¡­ Shen Wu¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m going to¡­¡±


    Shen Wu¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°You¡¯re going to cry tears of joy because you¡¯re touched by what I did?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be choked to death by you!¡±


    Shen Wu looked at her flushed face and only realized later that her collar was strangling her neck uncomfortably. He offered her a genuine apology and then released his hand.


    Wen Ran fell to the ground with a plop and remained motionless for some time.


    Worried, Shen Wu immediately squatted down and reached out for a branch to poke Wen Ran¡¯s body. ¡°Ranran! Are you still alive, Ranran? If you¡¯re dead, would you like me to bury you right here?¡±


    Wen Ran sat up in shock despite being in a near-death state. ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet!¡±


    Shen Wu heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re still alive.¡±

 Chapter 12

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Wen Ran¡¯s life had been smooth sailing in the past ten years or so after being pampered by Old Wen and her senior brothers. She did not know what kind of misfortune she found herself running into, but nothing good had ever happened to her since she met Shen Wu in the Great Abyss Valley!


    Wen Ran¡¯s chest hurt even more and she trembled as she got up from the ground. ¡°Could you move further away, please? I need to change.¡±


    Shen Wu did not say much and obediently walked a few steps away. He even consciously turned his back and said, ¡°Go ahead. I won¡¯t peek.¡±


    Wen Ran walked silently to a corner and glanced at Shen Wu¡¯s back before taking out some clothes from her storage bracelet.


    Shen Wu, on the other hand, was considerate enough to start a conversation with her, since he probably sensed that she was still feeling uneasy and nervous. ¡°Do you know where we are?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Wen Ran really had no idea. She had never heard Old Wen or anyone else mention that there was a cave in the forbidden area. The atmosphere there was cold and eerie, and she had no idea what kind of danger was hidden here.


    Wen Ran had just taken off her wet clothes when she suddenly saw a black shadow moving on the wall from the corner of her eye. As soon as she saw what it was, she could not help but scream, ¡°Snake!¡±


    As soon as she let out that yell, a sword flew over and stabbed into the stone wall, cutting the black snake in half.


    Shen Wu raised his hand slowly and the sword flew straight in front of him. He grabbed the sword hilt and produced another handkerchief as he wiped the sword and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m here.¡±


    Wen Ran tried to control her crumbling expression and immediately covered her body with her clothes. Even so, her white arm was still visible, and it could easily make a person¡¯s imagination run wild. With a hopeful tone, she smiled and asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t see anything, did you?¡±


    Shen Wu thought for a second, as if he was pondering over her question. A moment later, he understood and replied with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re still young, so don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t do anything to you.¡±


    After saying that, he retracted his gaze from below her neck and began to clean his sword after turning around again.


    Wen Ran wondered what he was talking about when he said that she was ¡®still young¡¯.


    She stood there in a daze, probably because she did not hear any movement behind her. not daring to move when she didn¡¯t hear any movement from behind her. The understanding and considerate Shen Wu spoke with an innocent smile, ¡°Don¡¯t scare yourself. Your waist isn¡¯t as thin as mine, your legs aren¡¯t as long as mine, and your skin isn¡¯t as fair as mine. I haven¡¯t reached the point of desperation yet.¡±


    Wen Ran was speechless.


    She felt that his remark sounded really strange.


    ¡°Hurry up and put on your clothes,¡± Shen Wu said, ¡°we have to keep moving.¡±


    He did not know what other dangers lurked in that cave and there was no time to waste.


    Wen Ran was about to continue wearing her clothes when she suddenly thought of something. She glanced at Shen Wu from behind as he wiped the sword and asked, ¡°I¡¯m curious if you can use your sword as a mirror if you clean it so well all the time?¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Shen Wu replied modestly.


    ¡°If you say you¡¯re able to use it as a mirror, then you should be able to see reflections quite clearly, right?¡±


    ¡°Usually, yes.¡±


    Seconds later, he moved to one side and dodged a stone that came flying over.


    Wen Ran¡¯s flustered and exasperated voice reverberated in the cave. ¡°Shen Wu! You said you didn¡¯t peek!¡±

 Chapter 13

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Shen Wu wanted to assure her that he did not peek on purpose, just that his five senses happened to be sharper than most ordinary people. In addition, he had no interest in Wen Ran because she was still young. Unfortunately, Wen Ran did not believe his words, and she only put on her clothes after chasing Shen Wu some hundred meters away.


    She took out a Clear Heart Pill and ate it. Those pills were used by disciples to clear their minds and vision during cultivation. Wen Ran felt that she could use that pill in place of blood pressure medication because she did not have the luxury of getting the latter at that kind of place.


    The fact that she had to take blood pressure medication as a young, 17-year-old girl was solely Shen Wu¡¯s fault.


    Shen Wu walked over some time later and was seemingly unaware of her aversion to him. He still had that clear smile on his face as he said, ¡°There¡¯s a path over there, Ranran. Let¡¯s go that way.¡±


    Wen Ran didn¡¯t want to leave. She pointed to the hole above her and said, ¡°Can¡¯t you send me up there with your sword?¡±


    It was the norm for cultivators like them to ride their flying swords, and since they could fly out of the cave, there was really no point in searching for another exit.


    Wen Ran might not be able to ride a flying sword since did not have much spiritual energy left in her body, but Shen Wu could still do it!


    To her surprise, there was a look of dejection in Shen Wu¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ranran. I encountered a few demonic beasts when I was scouting the path earlier, and my sword ended up breaking when I was dealing with them.¡±


    Wen Ran was shocked. ¡°That¡¯s the sword Old Wen gave you!¡±


    Shen Wu¡¯s sword was called Flawseeker, and it was a treasured sword that had existed since the establishment of the Immortal Ascension Mansion. It could even be said that the sword remained strong even as more than a dozen mansion masters had come and went. How could it have broke?


    There was no doubt that the sword was supposed to be broken, but that was supposed to occur later in the plot, when Shen Wu¡ªwho went through so much torment just to win the female lead¡¯s heart¡ªeventually turned into a demon. Flawseeker was a sword that slayed demons and devils, which naturally meant that it could no longer be used by him.


    Shen Wu then destroyed the sword himself, symbolizing that he had completely embarked on a radical path to court his wife and was no longer on a righteous path.


    However, the sword was supposed to be broken in the later stages of the plot instead of at that moment.


    Shen Wu stretched out his hand and showed that the Flawseeker had been broken into half.


    Wen Ran was speechless. She could almost imagine how devastated Old Wen would be when he saw the broken Flawseeker. ¡°Eldest Senior Brother, do you know that there is a saying amongst sword cultivators like us that our sword is one half of our life, and there¡¯s also a rule that says, ¡®live by the sword and die without it¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I have heard of it.¡±


    ¡°I have a proposition¡­¡± Wen Yu smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s make a Deal. I won¡¯t tell anyone that your sword is broken, but you have to break off our engagement after we get out of here. After that, you can secretly find a skilled craftsman to repair the sword. Do we have a deal?¡±


    That was one way to get out of the engagement!


    Shen Wu¡¯s black pupils twinkled like the night sky and flickered with light. ¡°That¡¯s a good suggestion.¡±


    ¡°Does this mean you agree?¡±


    Shen Wu nodded. ¡°I agree.¡±


    It was an offer he could not refuse! Wen Ran had thought to herself and remembered that she and him lacked any deep affection with each other. When taken with the fact that the broken sword would become a stain on his life as a swordsman, it was more worthwhile to choose to break off the engagement with her.


    The broken sword in Shen Wu¡¯s hand disappeared, and he seemed distressed again. ¡°But you wanted me to ride the flying sword and bring you out through the cave entrance. I¡¯m unable to do that because I don¡¯t have a sword.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you can use mine.¡± Wen Ran conjured her own sword, named Sunset. Although Sunset sword was not as good as the Flawseeker, it was still a rare sword. The old man had spent a lot of effort to get it for her, and it was the most suitable sword for her cultivation method.


    ¡°That¡¯ll do.¡± Shen Wu smiled.


    He took Sunset from her hand and a ¡°crack¡± sound was heard all of a sudden.


    Wen Ran froze. ¡°Did you hear anything strange?¡±


    Shen Wu¡¯s face was blank. ¡°No.¡±


    A series of cracking sounds was then heard.


    Shen Wu lowered his head to take a look and came to a sudden realization. He then kindly reminded Wen Ran, ¡°Your sword is broken.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the cracks on Sunset began spreading and it broke into two.


    The corners of Wen Ran¡¯s mouth trembled. ¡°My sword¡­ What happened to my sword?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s broken.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s broken?¡±


    ¡°Your sword.¡±


    Shen Wu kindly helped her to see the reality that she refused to accept.


    ¡°My sword!¡± Wen Ran held Sunset, which had been broken in half. She wanted to cry, but the tears did not come. The sword that had accompanied her since she was six¡ªbe it when she was catching fish in the water or prodding bird nests from the trees¡ªhad broken so easily! She glared at the white-clad, innocent-looking young man. ¡°SHEN WU!¡±


    ¡°Ranran, I can understand how you feel, but let¡¯s look at it from another perspective: Sunset has gone Flawseeker. They were born in this world without being by each other¡¯s side, but they have now died together. It is a blessing for them.¡±


    It was not a blessing for Wen Ran though!


    Shen Wu thought of something.¡±Speaking of which, we sword cultivators have a saying that the sword is one half of our life, and there¡¯s a rule that says live by the sword and die without it¡­¡±


    ¡°The path you just discovered is over there, right? Let¡¯s not waste any more time then. We should start moving and find a way out. Who knows, we might even make it for dinner.¡±


    Wen Ran was quite the pragmatic person.


    Shen Wu gazed admiringly at her.

 Chapter 14

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Wen Ran once again held back the urge to vomit blood. She reminded herself that she could only suck it up since she could neither win against him in a fight or find any help!


    The surrounding became darker and darker as they ventured deeper into the cave. Wen Ran tried to cast a simple fireball spell to light up the cave, but as soon as she ignited that wisp of fire, it turned into a huge flame and it was almost as if it had been sprinkled with a burning elixir. Had she not stopped herself in time, she might have been charred to a crisp.


    ¡°There¡¯s something unusual about the air here, so it¡¯d be best not to act rashly,¡± Shen Wu said from beside her.


    Wen Ran was aware that she had been reckless. She let out a low ¡®oh¡¯ and did not dare to use any more spells. Following that, the only sound that could be heard was her gasping in pain from hitting the cave walls.


    When she was about to hit something again, someone grabbed her hand through her sleeve.


    Wen Ran thought to herself, ¡®Is this man finally going to show his gentlemanly side?¡¯


    However, all she heard was a low voice in the darkness. ¡°We can¡¯t go any further.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked nervously.


    ¡°There are a lot of snakes up ahead.¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°A lot¡­ How many is a lot?¡±


    ¡°A lot more than the grains of rice you eat in a whole day.¡±


    Wen Ran shivered as she imagined what it would be like. She could already feel her claustrophobia acting up.


    Shen Wu began to calmly analyze the situation, ¡°It appears that all those snakes might be venomous, but even with that sort of number, I wouldn¡¯t have much trouble charging through by myself. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    Wen Ran understood what he meant before he could finish his sentence¡ªshe was a burden to him.


    She might be aware of that, but she still did not want to die. Her greatest strength was being able to adapt to circumstances.


    She sobbed a few times and said pitifully, ¡°I understand the situation we¡¯re in now. Fret not, Eldest Senior Brother! I won¡¯t blame you if you leave me behind. I can only lament that we were not destined to be husband and wife in this life. But I can die in peace if I can reminisce on the past and all those happy days that I and my other senior brothers have spent with you.¡±


    Recalling the beautiful memories in his heart was a tactic that she could use to advance her position by seemingly taking one step back. As far as she knew, Shen Wu was a person who valued relationships the most.


    Of course, after he was caught up in the plot, he placed no importance on any other feelings aside from those that he had for Qin Susu.


    Wen Ran¡¯s heart was filled with apprehension, and Shen Wu surprised her as she said, ¡°Alright. If you insist, then I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    Wen Ran could feel Shen Wu¡¯s hand loosening its grip. Speechless, she stood frozen there and did not dare to move. More time passed, and she still did not hear any movement. That would only mean that he had left her behind!


    She gritted her teeth and came to realize that she brought such a dangerous predicament upon herself. He, on the other hand, just left without so much as a thought!


    Wen Ran, however, was not one to wallow in self-pity. She took a few deep breaths and decided to continue fumbling forward on her own. Her nerves were in a state of high tension in the pitch-black darkness, and even the slightest movement would cause her to panic.


    All of a sudden, she felt something warm on her hand.


    Wen Ran retracted her hand in shock, but before she could scream, a familiar-sounding masculine voice said, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    Then, a faint light appeared.


    Wen Ran¡¯s vision finally recovered. She almost cried tears of joy when she saw the light, but as soon as she saw that the person in front of her was a grinning Shen Wu, she immediately turned indignant. ¡°I thought you left me behind?¡±


    ¡°I was just messing with you. Did you really buy that?¡± There was a match in Shen Wu¡¯s hand, and although the fire was small, it was bright enough to set her heart at ease in that dark place.


    ¡°You can¡¯t light a fire here!¡± Wen Ran hurriedly said.


    ¡°Relax. It¡¯s okay to do it along this path.¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s tense nerves finally relaxed after she saw that the fire was not causing any other problems. She then looked around and asked suspiciously, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say there were a lot of snakes here?¡±


    He laughed and said, ¡°I was lying. Who would have thought that you¡¯d be so gullible?¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hurry up and leave this damned place.¡± Shen Wu did not give her a chance to get mad at him and immediately turned around to continue moving forward.


    Wen Ran had no choice but to follow him. The nervousness in her heart did not decrease in the slightest, and she could not help but keep her guard up against her surroundings. The cave did not seem to have been formed naturally, and there were countless strange patterns on the stone walls. After a prolonged period of silence, her gaze landed on Shen Wu up in front.


    He had a tall figure and looked good even from behind. For some reason, however, Wen Ran did not think that his waist was slender. She also did not feel that his legs were long, and she felt that his buttocks were not that firm.


    Her pace was becoming increasingly slower, and the man walking in front turned around to check on her. With his face half-lit and half-obscured in the flickering light, there was a hint of concern in his pleasant-sounding voice as he asked, ¡°Are you alright? Do you feel tired?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to confess something to you since there¡¯s no one here.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I actually like women.¡±


    His expression went blank for a moment, and he flashed his characteristic smile after a moment. ¡°You got me there, Ranran.¡±


    Wen Ran was certain that the person in front of her was not Shen Wu, because the real Shen Wu would respond to her confession by smiling and saying, ¡°What a coincidence. I happen to like women too.¡±

 Chapter 15

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Everything seemed to come to a standstill.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Wen Ran suddenly snorted. She crossed her arms and said, ¡°You lied to me earlier, didn¡¯t you? You shouldn¡¯t be offended if I lied to you.¡±


    Shen Wu sighed. ¡°It was my mistake. Don¡¯t get mad at me, Ranran.¡±


    ¡°Then promise me you won¡¯t lie to me anymore.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t lie to you again.¡±


    That was when Wen Ran finally had a satisfied expression on her face. She no longer walked slowly but kept up with him at normal speed from behind. At the same time, she was silently forming seals with her hands that were behind her back. The only thing she could be grateful for at that moment was the little bit of talent she had even in sorcery even though she was not very good at swordsmanship.


    The man walking in front of her seemed concerned for Wen Ran¡¯s feelings and said, ¡°You wanted to break off our engagement, right? Why did you come all the way to someplace so dangerous just to look for me?¡±


    Whoever that person was, he had been secretly observing them right from the beginning. There was no other reason for him to ask that question other than to gather information.


    Wen Ran told the truth. ¡°I wanted to break off our engagement because I don¡¯t think I¡¯m good enough for you. You deserve a better girl.¡±


    ¡°But you still came to find me.¡±


    ¡°Engagement or not, you¡¯re still my senior brother. You¡¯ve saved me once too, so I can¡¯t possibly just leave you behind.¡±


    ¡°In that case, are your feelings toward me limited only to our relationship as seniors and juniors?¡±


    ¡°You can say that.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m of the opinion that you¡¯re the one who is most worthy of me.¡±


    They walked to an open area. The stone walls there were lit with candlelight, and there was a small path leading to the stone platform in the middle. There was water everywhere, causing the place to shimmer under the candlelight. The moist, cold water vapor permeated through the air and added a sense of pressure.


    Strangely, there were carved beams and painted rafters there, and it appeared to be a large house that had not been completed.


    The man put out the fire in his hand. He turned to look at her and said in a gentle tone, ¡°I¡¯m very touched that you braved such a dangerous place to look for me. Humans, unlike plants, can never be heartless. Ranran, I don¡¯t want to break off our engagement. I¡¯ll go so far as to say that I want to be your husband. ¡±


    Consider a situation where a handsome man was looking affectionately at a woman and confessing their love for her in such a sincere manner. Could any woman in the world say for certain that they were not moved?


    However, Wen Ran felt that she would rather listen to Shen Wu¡¯s eccentric statements from time to time than look at the fake affectionate display of whoever it was that stood in front of her. She took a step back and asked, ¡°Have you forgotten about Qin Susu?¡±


    No one who had entered the forest had ever mentioned that name, so when Wen Ran mentioned Qin Susu, the man needed some time to figure out a response.


    ¡°To me, no woman in this world can compare to you.¡± His statement was so general that it could be applied to any situation.


    He walked slowly toward Wen Ran and said in a gentle voice, ¡°Ranran, we¡¯re the only ones here right now. I know that I have a special place in your heart, so why don¡¯t you be a little braver and reveal what you really feel in your heart?¡±


    His voice had a strange charm and Wen Ran¡¯s mind entered a brief state of Rans. She seemed to be longing for something from the bottom of her heart, and her entire body trembled as a result.


    At that moment, the man was already leaning close to Wen Ran. ¡°Show me all your desires and don¡¯t hold back. You¡¯ll soon receive the greatest happiness you¡¯ll ever get in your entire life.¡±

 Chapter 16

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The person stretched his hand out and was just about to touch her collar when a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky all of a sudden. Although the person reacted immediately and took a few steps back, his hand was still charred black by the bolt.


    The gentle face that the man had been faking immediately disappeared. His appearance changed slowly, and he opened his mouth with fangs to roar.


    Wen Ran, however, had since taken advantage of the unforeseen event and made a run for her life.


    As she ran, she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. It was incredibly difficult for her to use her Lightning Summoning Art, because there was not much spiritual power left in her body and it was not enough to support her for another spell.


    For some reason, the path which she initially felt was rather short seemed practically endless. Under the candlelit light, a black shadow spiralled over her head, and she soon saw a huge snake¡¯s head hanging down from the stone wall above her.


    ¡°Cunning human. I wanted to let you enjoy your last moments so you¡¯ll die in bliss, but you refused my kindness and now have to pay for it!¡±


    It was a monster with a human head and a snake¡¯s body. Although it looked like a human head, it was actually just the shape of a human head. Its face was covered with black scales, and there was a long wound on the right side of its face that marred the neatly arranged scales.


    With green slit pupils and a red tongue, anyone who saw it would be beyond terrified.


    ¡°I know who you are,¡± she said, forcing herself to calm down.


    ¡°Oh? You do?¡±


    ¡°You were personally subdued by our mansion master back then. The wound on your face was inflicted by his sword.¡±


    The head of the Immortal Ascension Mansion was a kind man. He was the first who suggested setting up a forbidden area at the mansion to imprison those demons and reform them. However, the snake demon had caused a lot of trouble for the human world because of its strong demonic magic, and in the end, the mansion master had to personally imprison the snake demon in the forbidden area.


    The incident had become something of a bedtime story for the little Daoist children, and everyone in the Immortal Ascension Mansion knew about it.


    ¡°The master of the Immortal Ascension mansion¡­¡± The snake demon gritted his teeth as he said those words. It stood to reason that he was extremely resentful of the person who had captured and imprisoned him!


    Wen Ran continued, ¡°Our mansion master once said that any demon who has turned over a new leaf can be released from the forbidden area and regain their freedom. You¡¯re one of the great demons and you used to be an overlord. Don¡¯t you want to be free of this place?¡±


    ¡°Freedom? What freedom? It¡¯s all lies! None of the demons here have been able to leave after so many years!¡±


    That was only natural. Demons and devils were naturally bloodthirsty, which made it difficult for any of them to be reformed.


    The snake demon coiled up and landed on the ground. That was when Wen Ran realized how much larger it was than she initially imagined. It was so large that it could probably swallow ten of her without a problem!


    The snake demon¡¯s greedy eyes sized up the white-clad young lady. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen such a dainty little lady for a long time. You must taste delicious.¡±


    For the record, the snake demon might not have been able to meet someone as delightful as Wen Ran even when it used to be at large outside of the forbidden area and had freedom to do as it pleased.


    Wen Ran ran out of ideas to stall for time, but she knew that her life was depending on it. The giant snake kept approaching and she was forced to retreat back into the open area surrounded by water.


    ¡°I¡¯m the Mansion Master¡¯s most beloved junior. You¡¯d better give this a second thought, because he won¡¯t forgive you if you so much as dare to lay a finger on me!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Why would I care? I¡¯d love to see his expression of pain before he dies!¡±


    The snake demon continued to approach Wen Ran and she retreated bit by bit. ¡°My father is the second elder of the Immortal Ascension Mansion and I¡¯m his only daughter. I¡¯m certain that he¡¯s anxiously looking for me right now. There¡¯s still time for you to stop!¡±


    ¡°Who are your other backers?¡± the snake demon laughed in disdain.


    He had been hungry and thirsty for several years. No matter what, he wanted to enjoy this top-grade beauty in front of him.


    Wen Ran had been forced to retreat to the stone platform in the center. She said, ¡°My fianc¨¦ is the most powerful eldest disciple of the Immortal Ascension Mansion. His strength will allow him to ascend immortality in the future. I should warn you that he loves me deeply. If you lay a hand on me, he¡¯ll slice you into eight pieces, burn your bones, and scatter your ash everywhere!¡±


    ¡°Are you referring to that brat by the name of Shen Wu?¡± The snake demon laughed sinisterly. ¡°A brat who abandoned a woman and ran for his life has no guts, and I wouldn¡¯t want to eat him even if he delivered himself to my door.¡±


    A laugh was heard. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Whether or not I have guts is for Ranran to decide. You have no business overstepping your boundaries.¡±


    The voice came from above.


    A young man sat on the beam with one leg dangling from the wooden beam and the other resting casually on it. He rested his hand on his knee, which in turn supported his chin, and he tilted his head slightly so that the ends of his hair were swaying with the breeze. He was the perfect embodiment of a free and unrestrained spirit that existed in the young man.


    No one knew just how long he had been looking at her, but his black eyes glimmered as his gaze fell on the girl. ¡°Am I right, Junior Sister Wen Ran, the girl who led me to fall deeply in love with you?¡±


    The slight tonal rise at the end of his sentence indicated that he was in a good mood after watching what happened.


    Wen Ran felt like dying in embarrassment and raised her hand to cover her face. She was just making everything up to stall for time and she never expected him to hear her!


    It might be better to say that he had been deliberately hiding there all along. Perhaps he had been reveling in her miserable situation the entire time!.


    Wen Ran started stomping her feet like a monkey as she pointed at him angrily. ¡°Shen Wu!¡± You¡¯re doing this on purpose!¡±


    He had deliberately left her behind because it would lure out the snake demon that had been lurking in the shadows. As he expected, it showed up in front of Wen Ran as soon as Shen Wu parted ways from her.


    Furthermore, Shen Wu also killed two birds with one stone¡ªhe was also enjoying the embarrassing and silly things that Wen Ran did in order to survive. He had a blast when watching her make a fool out of herself.


    Shen Wu flew down gracefully and his hair swayed along as he landed right in front of Wen Ran. When he saw that her face was red from anger, he tilted his head and said with an innocent face, ¡°I came to save you, didn¡¯t I? Why do you look like you¡¯re blaming me for what happened?¡±


    ¡°You could¡¯ve showed up earlier if you really wanted to save me. Why didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Because you didn¡¯t call my name?¡±


    When she revealed her backers, the first person she mentioned was the Mansion Master, then Old Wen, and finally him. He appeared the moment she mentioned him, which showed that he was actually a good person?


    Wen Ran became speechless due to anger. Like a puffer fish, she puffed up her face, glared at him, and clenched her hands into fists as they hung by her sides.


    Shen Wu had a sudden impulse and wondered how it would feel if he poked Wen Ran¡¯s ¡®puffer fish¡¯ face.


    His fingers moved slightly and he was just about to do so when the snake demon ruined their ¡®affectionate¡¯ moment.


    ¡°How did you manage to survive the clutches of my descendants?¡± the snake demon questioned as its eyes turned red.

 Chapter 17

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The snake demon was naturally going to enjoy a gem like Wen Ran all by itself. Shen Wu, on the other hand, was given to its group of starving snake descendants.


    No one would have dared to believe that Shen Wu would be unscathed after being attacked by such a large group of black snakes.


    ¡°I just walked out,¡± Shen Wu said indifferently.


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean impossible? Can¡¯t I just kill them all and walk out?¡±


    The snake demon was furious upon hearing that. ¡°You¡¯re asking to be killed!¡±


    Shen Wu grabbed Wen Ran¡¯s collar and dodged the sudden strike from the snake¡¯s tail. A crack had already appeared on the spot where they were standing earlier.


    He asked Wen Ran, ¡°Were you actually deceived by this ugly thing after he took on my appearance?¡±


    He seemed to be asking her, ¡®How stupid can you be to be fooled by such an ugly thing?¡¯


    Wen Ran protested, ¡°I wasn¡¯t fooled by it!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not as dumb as I thought then.¡±


    Wen Ran wanted to kick him but decided to hold it in after she recalled how she still had to rely on him to survive!


    This snake demon¡¯s ability to transform was truly top-notch, else it would not have caused so much trouble for so many people in the past. It could transform into anyone to trick its targets, and those with a weak heart would only be transformed into a slave of desire.


    The snake demon was incredibly angry when they spoke with such disregard for its presence. With reddened eyes and an open mouth, its huge body began slithering around and occupying almost two-thirds of the open space. Its aura alone was extremely terrifying.


    Shen Wu held onto Wen Ran¡¯s collar and dodged a few attacks in succession, causing the giant snake to slam into the stone wall from time to time and causing holes in it.


    Wen Ran felt dizzy after being carried around by Shen Wu. She endured the discomfort and said, ¡°I can try to draw another teleportation formation.¡±


    ¡°You plan to escape?¡± Shen Wu asked curiously.


    ¡°WE have to escape!¡± Wen Ran¡¯s face was pale and her voice was weak. ¡°We¡¯re no match for this great demon now that you don¡¯t have your sword and I¡¯m injured. Our Mansion Master used all sorts of methods in the past to subdue this great demon. I know that you¡¯re very strong, but this is the kind of situation where we have to run!¡±


    Shen Wu suddenly stopped moving and stared at her strangely for some time.


    Wen Ran did not know what was up with him. When she saw that the giant snake was swinging toward them with immense force, she cried out in shock, ¡°Shen Wu!¡±


    The young man raised his hand casually and an air shield appeared in the air, blocking the snake¡¯s attack with ease.


    Wen Ran was stunned, as was the snake demon. Its scarlet eyes stared at Shen Wu and it realized that the white-clad young man¡¯s aura remained calm even when facing its attacks. His approach to the situation could more accurately be described as enjoying a game, rather than escaping for his life.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually very strong,¡± he said faintly as he blinked his limpid eyes.


    Wen Ran could not help but think of those kindergarten children she saw in her previous life. Shen Wu had the same eager expression of those children when they told the teacher that they had eaten two bowls of rice that day.


    ¡°Do you remember what you said earlier?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°I said plenty of stuff. Which one are you referring to?¡±


    ¡°The one where you said that I love you deeply.¡±


    Wen Ran was overcome with shame and her pale face turned red. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember the last part of the sentence I said when I was deeply in love with you?¡±


    His expression was too serious, and he didn¡¯t seem to be making fun of her.


    ¡°If it lays a hand on me, you¡¯ll slice it into eight pieces, burn its bones, and scatter its ashes¡­¡± Wen Ran thought for a moment before replying awkwardly.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± he said.


    ¡®What¡¯s so perfect about it?¡¯ Wen Ran wondered.


    Shen Wu laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll slice it into eight pieces, burn its bones, and scatter its ashes.¡±


    He walked slowly out of the air shield¡¯s protection. His body was thin and frail compared to the giant snake that was coiled up to strike with its head nearly touching the stone wall above


    Just as Wen Ran was about to speak, she saw a sharp saber appear out of nowhere from his hand.


    It was an extremely black straight saber that glimmered coldly under the candlelight. The blade was straight, long, narrow, upright, and undecorated. It did not match his white clothes at all, and the jarring contrast of black and white made for a unique sight.


    The young man raised his saber and pointed it at the giant snake. He looked into the snake¡¯s scarlet eyes and laughed, ¡°You look stronger than the other demons. I hope you can hold on for a little longer so that I can have fun.¡±


    ¡°How arrogant!¡± The scales all over the snake demon¡¯s body seemed to have stood on end. It raised its head to the sky and let out a long howl. Two horns actually appeared on its head, and four legs grew out of its long body. No one had expected the snake demon to have the inclination of transforming into a Flood Dragon!


    Wen Ran, who was watching from the side, started to panic. Not once had she encountered such a great demon in all her life!


    The corners of Shen Wu¡¯s lips curled into a smile and a satisfied expression appeared on his picturesque brows. When the great demon arched down, he tapped the tip of his foot slightly and flew up.


    As soon as Wen Ran saw Shen Wu rush up, she realized that something was gravely wrong.


    Each and every one of Shen Wu¡¯s moves were sharp and overbearing, and every single one of them carried a single purpose¡ªto charge recklessly forward and kill. He usually spent little effort to dodge, yet his reckless and unorthodox style could only force his opponent to retreat, defend, and be unable to use a single killing move.


    Wen Ran had learned swordsmanship before as well. Although the usage of a saber and a sword was different, she still had some knowledge of the moves. However, she could not see what move Shen Wu had used, because he was attacking at his own discretion and without any textbook moves, making it impossible for anyone to guess what his next move would be.


    He was a lunatic!


    The snake demon had lived for hundreds of years, but this was the first time it had been suppressed by a young man¡¯s aura. The young man¡¯s body was agile even when it was defending itself, and it could easily dodge its tail. He hopped a couple of times across its huge body and was already on top of its head in the blink of an eye.


    The snake demon watched as Shen Wu approached closer and closer, and it could even see the young man¡¯s smile unfold as he came along with his saber.


    The next moment, the pointed end was pierced into the giant snake¡¯s eye.


    With a hiss, the snake demon frantically twisted his body and threw Shen Wu off his head. However, Shen Wu¡¯s figure was as graceful as an apparition, and he gently tapped the tip of his feet on the stone wall before launching himself forward with the saber once more. The snake demon¡¯s other eye was thus blinded.


    Blood splattered on Shen Wu¡¯s body, leaving behind more stains on his already-bloodstained white clothes.


    The blood-red color seemed to have stimulated him even more, and the innocent smile on Shen Wu¡¯s face was gradually replaced by excitement. There was a glint in his dark expression and anyone who saw him could feel that he was savoring a rare moment of joy.

 Chapter 18

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The giant snake that had lost its eye hissed and wailed as blood splattered all over the ground. Instead of having its life end quickly, it had to face the repeated waves of torture.


    The young man¡¯s ghastly figure continued to move.


    It was an absolute bloodbath that showed just how great the disparity in strength was.


    The air shield¡¯s protection did nothing to stop the smell of blood from spreading in the air. Wen Ran¡¯s face turned even paler as a result.


    Shen Wu, who finally stopped moving, pointed to the several pieces of flesh on the ground and counted them. Then, he turned to look at Wen Ran, flashing a kind and friendly smile. ¡°There¡¯s your eight pieces.¡±


    His white clothes had turned red and the smell of blood was strong, but he did not seem to mind at all. He was a clean freak and always wiped his hands when he touched someone else. His current indifference could only mean that he was still so immersed in excitement that he did not bother to care about anything else.


    Those few drops of blood embellished his perfect face and added a bit of charm to his mien.


    The ground was covered in broken limbs and internal organs, but the snake demon¡¯s head was still intact and panting slightly. It was still alive, and it started to feel fear when it looked at its cut-up body.


    The corners of Wen Ran¡¯s mouth twitched into a smile. ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡±


    Shen Wu was finally content after getting her response. He lifted his saber and walked toward Wen Ran, but he suddenly thought of something. He turned back and smiled. ¡°I almost forgot. I still have to burn its bones and scatter its ashes.¡±


    After a snap of his fingers, the broken body on the ground was covered in blue flames.


    ¡°S-spare my life ¡­¡±


    The head struggled to say a few words, but the young man had already stepped on it, crushing it with a few cracks.


    Wen Ran could only resist the urge to vomit after covering her mouth and turning her gaze away.


    As a result, she did not see Shen Wu squatting down and reaching rummaging through the pile of burnt flesh to get a green pearl. That was the demonic core.


    He seemed to be quite satisfied with the big demon¡¯s inner core, so he put it away. Then he stood up. The snake demon¡¯s body was burned by the blue flames on the ground and became invisible dust after the flames were extinguished.


    The bloodstains on the ground were the only proof of how gory the scene was.


    Shen Wu flicked the straight saber in his hand, sprinkling away the blood on the blade. It then disappeared from his hand. He was in a good mood as he walked over to Wen Ran. When he saw Wen Ran¡¯s pale face, he asked with concern, ¡°Did I scare you again?¡±


    Although he said that he was concerned, the smile on his face clearly showed that of happiness.


    His lack of control led to the blood being splashed everywhere across the open area. Blood splatters adorned the stone walls and himself. He was like a madman who had just walked out of a blood-red Asura battlefield.


    The only clean place was the central area where Wen Ran was. It was almost like a Pure Land in the middle of that Asura battlefield.


    Wen Ran needed a moment to calm herself down and adjust her emotions. She knew what to ask and what not to ask, because knowing too many secrets would not do her any good. All she did was mutter flatteringly, ¡°You¡¯re really quite amazing, Eldest Senior Brother¡±


    He seemed pleased by her response and a childlike pride appeared in his delighted expression. ¡°I told you. I¡¯m very strong. You¡¯re not going to tell anyone what you saw, right?¡±


    Before Wen Ran could reply, he laughed again. ¡°No one will believe you even if you tell them.¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s brows twitched.


    Her attempt to convince everyone that the just, selfless, and virtuous Eldest Senior Brother was actually a brutal madman who would wreak havoc when he got into a fight would only backfire and cause everyone to think that there was something wrong with Wen Ran¡¯s brain. Wen Ran herself would not have believed it either if she had not seen Shen Wu fight with her own eyes.


    Why was Shen Wu able to move in such a dark environment like he was walking on flat ground? Why did he have a saber as a weapon and wielded it with such proficiency? She stopped herself from thinking about these questions because it was abundantly clear that he had many dangerous secrets.


    Wen Ran smiled, ¡°All you did was kill a few demons. Did anything unusual happen after that?¡±


    Although she was not strong enough, she was still going to try her best to be smart so she would not have to die so quickly.


    Shen Wu narrowed his eyes and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re right. The forbidden area is dangerous, so I¡¯m going to kill a few more fiendish demons to protect you.¡±


    For the first time ever, Wen Ran actually felt a burst of worry for those demons.


    The stones above her head collapsed and made a crackling sound. The bigger the stones were, the louder the sound became.


    Wen Ran raised her head and saw that the stone wall above him had cracked. ¡°This place is going to collapse!¡±


    When she looked back at the path they came from earlier, she saw that it had been blocked by a falling boulder.


    Wen Ran looked around in a panic. There were stone walls everywhere, and the only way out was through the path that was blocked.


    In the end, Wen Ran¡¯s gaze fell on the surface of the water. Since there was no other way out, she decided it would be better to just take a gamble.


    She walked towards the water and began to realize that something was wrong. She immediately walked right back and asked, ¡°Why are you standing there like a fool?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired. Let¡¯s have some rest.¡±


    How could he still rest in such a situation!


    Sane people could never understand the inner workings of an insane person¡¯s mind.


    Wen Ran did not have time to waste on him. She walked toward the water and was met with a problem: she could not swim!


    Once again, she turned her head to look at the person some distance away. Shen Wu¡¯s white clothes were already soaked with blood and he merely stood there without a word. Compared to his usual irksome behavior, he appeared especially well-behaved at that time.


    For some reason, his calm demeanor made Wen Ran recall how some people would enter a sage-like state after indulging in debauchery.


    Although what Shen Wu had just done was completely different from what other men did in private, the theory behind it was the same¡ªhe experienced unparalleled excitement, resulting in emptiness and dullness once the thrill ended.


    She looked at her clean clothes, then at Shen Wu¡¯s bloodstained clothes, and gritted her teeth as she walked over to grab his hand.


    Shen Wu seemed to have finally returned to his senses. He lowered his eyes and blinked slowly as he laid eyes on her hand that was holding him.


    Wen Ran pulled him forward. ¡°There¡¯s no other way out. We can only try to see if there¡¯s an escape route through the water.¡±


    Shen Wu did not reply. He raised his hand to grab a stone that was about to fall on her head and threw it away casually.


    Wen Ran did not notice his small action. When they came to the water¡¯s edge, she pointed at the water and said, ¡°Dive in, Eldest Senior Brother.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Wen Ran was shocked. She turned around and looked at him. ¡°This is our only way out!¡±


    However, the young man who had been so engrossed in his killing spree not long ago was throwing a child-like tantrum. ¡°I don¡¯t want to dive into dirty water.¡±

 Chapter 19

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°You¡¯re just as dirty!¡± Wen Ran said in disbelief as she glanced at his clothes that were no longer recognizable by its original color.


    Shen Wu shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not jumping.¡±


    The sound of rocks collapsing beside them became even louder and served as a reminder of how dangerous it was.


    Wen Ran was going ballistic. ¡°Then what do you propose we do?¡±


    He did not seem too concerned with cleanliness when he was killing the demon snake, yet he somehow started to pay attention to it at that life and death moment. Could there actually be something wrong with his mind?


    Shen Wu thought for a while. ¡°I¡¯ll fly you out.¡±


    Wen Ran nearly laughed in her anger. ¡°Look up. Neither of us know how thick the stone layer above us is¡­¡±


    There was a sudden rumble, and the stone ceiling that Wen Ran was pointing at received a blast of intense and overbearing saber Qi. It collapsed and formed an entrance. The dim light poured in, but it was impossible to tell whether or not it was day or night.


    Shen Wu placed down the hand that was holding the saber and smiled resplendently at Wen Ran. ¡°There. We can fly out now.¡±


    She had forgotten that he was a ruthless man who liked to create his own option when there was no other.


    Wen Ran awkwardly retracted the hand that was pointing at the area above her. Then, a large rock fell and snapped her out of her senses. ¡°Do you want this place to collapse faster? Your Flawseeker and my Sunset are broken! How do you suppose we fly out?¡±


    ¡°I can use Iron Pillar.¡±


    Iron Pillar?


    Wen Ran¡¯s gaze fell on the black saber and fell silent. It was obvious that the extraordinary looking blade was the one he called ¡®Iron Pillar¡¯. Compared to the usually elegant names that cultivators liked to give their weapons, the name ¡®Iron Pillar¡¯ stood out.


    Shen Wu let go of the hand that was holding the handle of the saber and it began to float in mid-air. He smiled slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have good saber controlling technique too.¡±


    Judging from the way he had killed the snake demon with a saber, it was clear that he was very familiar with them.


    Wen Ran looked at him suspiciously.


    Shen Wu grabbed her by the collar and brought her along to stand on the Iron Pillar¡¯s blade. The blade remained stable and did not sway in the slightest, allowing Wen Ran to quietly heave a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Stand firm now, Ranran.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the black saber flew up in an instant, as if he had just floored the gas pedal.


    Wen Ran, who was standing at the back, subconsciously grabbed onto the corner of Shen Wu¡¯s clothes. In all fairness, she had yet to completely feel at ease with him, and in view of his penchant for going berserk, she was very worried that he would suddenly go crazy.


    In just a moment, they had already flown out of the opening and left the collapsing cave.


    The wind that whistled past was cold, and one could see from above that the dense forest in the forbidden area had gone bald. That was the work of Shen Wu, and it might even become a road sign in the forbidden area in the future.


    Shen Wu As sensed her nervousness and decided to give Wen Ran some confidence in him. He said warmly, ¡°Ever since the very first day I learned how to fly on a magic weapon, I¡¯ve never failed¡ªnot even once. So don¡¯t worry. I promise I¡¯ll bring you out safely.¡±


    Seeing that he was not lying, Wen Ran slowly let go of his hand that was holding on to the corner of his shirt.


    Inside that silent forbidden area, the sound of a search party was heard from a distance.


    ¡°Eldest Senior Brother!¡±


    ¡°Junior Sister Wen!¡±


    There was also Old Wen¡¯s firm voice. ¡°Where are you, Ranran?¡±


    ¡­


    The birds in the forest were so startled that they began flying off in all directions.


    Wen Ran was so happy that she nearly cried tears of joy. ¡°They came for us!¡±


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Shen Wu said softly.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Just as Wen Ran had some questions, she felt the blade beneath her feet shake. She immediately had a bad feeling. ¡°I thought you said you¡¯ve never failed since the first day you learned how to fly?¡±


    Shen Wu turned around and smiled. ¡°Men can¡¯t help but boast in front of girls. That¡¯s human nature.¡±


    ¡®Normal, my foot!¡¯


    Wen Ran felt like she was about to fall, and to her surprise, Shen Wu came crashing down too. The wind whistled in her ears, and she yelled angrily as she was tumbling down from midair, ¡°SHEN WU!¡±


    He chuckled and seemed to be enjoying himself.


    Seconds before they were about to land on the ground, he reached out and pulled her right into his arms. Wen Ran could still smell the scent of blood on his body, and he subsequently turned his body around so he was underneath her.


    Under Wen Ran¡¯s disbelief, she heard the loud thud of his body hitting the ground. Shen Wu landed on his back and immediately spat out blood. Although Wen Ran could also feel the impact, she did not feel any pain because he had cushioned her fall.


    ¡°Eldest Senior Brother!¡±


    ¡°Junior Sister Wen!¡±


    ¡°Ranran!¡±


    The search party cried out in alarm.


    The dazed Wen Ran was helped up from the ground.


    ¡°Are you alright, Ranran?¡± Wen Xun said worriedly as he helped his daughter up.


    Wen Ran¡¯s expression was not too good, but at least she did not vomit blood.


    ¡°Eldest Senior Brother!¡± The disciples vied with each other to be the first to help Shen Wu up. Each and every one of them nervously asked, ¡°Eldest Senior Brother, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± Shen Wu coughed a couple of times and more blood began to drip from the corners of his mouth. No one dared to touch him when they looking at his blood-stained white clothes, for he was probably so heavily injured and weak that there was not long left for him to live.


    Wen Xun had also noticed Shen Wu¡¯s miserable state. The young man was his eldest disciple whom he had watched grow up, so it was only natural for him to feel sentimental. He hurriedly took out a bottle of pills from his bosom and handed it to Yan Qing. ¡°This is a Blood-Replenishing Pill. Feed it to your Eldest Senior Brother!¡±


    Yan Qing did not waste a second more and immediately poured out a pill for Shen Wu to eat.


    The disciples¡¯ eyes all reddened slightly. They had witnessed how Shen Wu had protected Wen Ran in his arms when they fell from the sky. Even Wen Xun¡¯s old face had a somewhat apologetic expression.


    The Blood-Replenishing Pill was a high-grade item of exceptional quality!


    Wen Ran reached out her trembling hand to the old man. She had vomited blood several times before and needed some nourishment. However, the old man grabbed her hand and said excitedly, ¡°Your Eldest Senior Brother loves you deeply. You must not let his dedication to you be in vain!¡±


    He would stand to suffer the greatest loss if such an exceptional son-in-law was to be taken away by someone else¡¯s daughter!


    Wen Ran understood at once. He did it deliberately just so she could not say anything about it. After all, everyone saw with their own two eyes that Shen Wu had used his body to protect her.


    She glared at Shen Wu.


    Wen Xun frowned. ¡°Ranran!¡±


    A guilty expression appeared on Shen Wu¡¯s indifferent face. He pursed his lips slightly and said in a low voice, ¡°Ranran only entered the forbidden area to find me, Master. It¡¯s my fault for putting her in danger. She deserves to blame me.¡±


    Shen Wu was like the purest white lotus.

 Chapter 20

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Wen Xun felt guilty for what his daughter did. ¡°Please don¡¯t take her attitude to heart, Shen Wu. She¡¯s only showing her displeasure because she was frightened.¡±


    Wen Ran knew that she was being targeted with anger when everyone looked disapprovingly at her. She had been wondering why he would be so kind as to hold her in his arms to protect her and she finally got the answer¡ªhe was just doing that to gain sympathy.


    She secretly gritted her teeth. When Shen Wu¡¯s clear and cold gaze looked over, she could clearly feel that he was savoring her schadenfreude.


    Shen Wu had an otherworldly appearance that transcended the mortal world, and hidden under it was a malicious soul that only Wen Ran knew about.


    Wen Xun asked worriedly, ¡°What did you two encounter here? Why was there such a big commotion?¡±


    They would not have come in that direction had they not heard the rumbling sound of the collapsing cave.


    Shen Wu¡¯s face slowly regained some color after he ate a Blood-Replenishing Pill, but his blood-stained clothes were still a shocking sight to behold. When compared with Wen Ran, her clothes¡ªthough soiled¡ªseemed too clean compared to Shen Wu¡¯s.


    One could not even begin to imagine how much effort Shen Wu had put in and how much danger he had experienced in order to protect Wen Ran.


    He loved Wen Ran so much that he would use his body to protect her even when he was in danger. All the junior brothers could not help but gasp in admiration. If they were women, they would most certainly marry a man with a sense of responsibility like their Eldest Senior Brother.


    It was a pity that Junior Sister Wen was still young and insensible at times. They made up their mind to persuade Junior Sister Wen if she threw a tantrum with Eldest Senior Brother in the future.


    Wen Ran received stares from all her senior brothers, and she proceeded to look at Shen Wu¡¯s blood-stained clothes. At long last, she understood why Shen Wu did not seem to mind his clothes being dirty. It happened to one of the methods he was using to gain sympathy from them.


    Shen Wu was careful with his words. As he faced his master¡¯s question, he lowered his eyes and said slowly, ¡°Ranran and I fell into a cave and met a snake demon there. That snake demon had strong demonic art, so Ranran and I had to fight with the snake demon several times before we were able to kill it and make our lucky escape.¡±


    ¡®Lucky¡­¡¯


    Wen Ran looked at Shen Wu¡¯s indifferent posture. His cold expression had never changed, and she would have believed his words had she not experienced it personally.


    ¡°That should be the snake demon that my senior brother caught from the mortal world.¡± When Wen Xun heard this, he could not help but feel a lingering fear in his heart.¡±That snake demon can transform and entice a person, making it extremely troublesome to deal it. I¡¯m thankful the two of you were lucky to come out alive.¡±


    ¡°Was it the same snake demon in the story that the Third Master once told us?¡± a junior Brother asked excitedly.


    The third master was the one who lived in the medicine garden. She was the only female elder in Wen Xun¡¯s generation. Because of her meticulous mind, she was usually responsible for logistics work in addition to making medicinal pills. Almost every budding disciple who had just entered the sect had been under her care.


    During her medicinal theory classes, she would often tell stories to the children of how the Mansion Master had subdued the snake demon with a single sword strike. It was from then on that the Mansion Master became a hero-like figure in the children¡¯s hearts.


    ¡°There¡¯s a sword mark on its face,¡± Shen Wu said. ¡°It should be that snake demon.¡±


    ¡°Did you kill that snake demon, Eldest Senior Brother!¡±


    ¡°Which move did you use to end that snake demon¡¯s life?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Eldest Senior Brother!¡±


    One after another, everyone praised Shen Wu to the heavens.


    Wen Xun¡¯s face was filled with satisfaction too. His disciple Shen Wu had lived up to his untiring efforts to train him. Given time, Shen Wu would definitely be able to lead them to achieve even greater heights in the Immortal Ascension Mansion.


    Although Shen Wu previously said that he had taken on the snake demon with Wen Ran, everyone believed that Wen Ran was nothing but a burden. It was probably good enough that she did not hold him back in her weak state, making it even more unlikely that she could fight side by side with Eldest Senior Brother.


    At that point, Yan Qing interrupted their bustling conversation. He looked at Wen Ran and said in a somewhat unnatural tone, ¡°Junior Sister¡­ You should take care of yourself first if you encounter a similar situation in the future. I don¡¯t think I can live in peace for the rest of my life if something were to happen to you.¡±


    Luo Huai came over too, and he was a little mor energetic when compared to Yanqing. ¡°You scared me when you sent us away and stayed behind yourself! I¡¯m your senior brother, so if there¡¯s ever a situation, I should be the one to take action. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re fine now though, otherwise I¡¯d have to offer my life as an apology for Master!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m safe now, right?¡± Wen Ran was feeling a little scared, and in hindsight, she had no idea where she mustered the courage to stay behind and stand guard there.


    Wen Xun had already heard about how Wen Ran had sent his two senior brothers out, and he could not help but reprimand her. ¡°Do you think a teleportation formation is something you can just casually use? Have you taken a look at your cultivation level? If there¡¯s a backlash, you¡¯ll end up dying from exhausting your spiritual energy!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± replied Wen Ran.


    Shen Wu glanced indifferently at Yan Qing and Luo Huai, who did not surround him like the other junior brothers. The color on his face faded and it once again became as pale as paper. ¡°I¡¯d like to ask for your forgiveness, Master.¡±


    On the other end, Wen Xun was just about to continue chastising his daughter about the consequences of her impulsiveness when he heard Shen Wu¡¯s words.


    ¡°The sword that Master gave me broke when I was fighting the demonic beast.¡±


    Wen Xun inhaled sharply after seeing that the treasured sword in Shen Wu¡¯s hand had broken into two.


    Shen Wu continued. ¡°Sword cultivators like us live by the sword and die without it. It is my fault that the sword is broken. I ask that you punish me.¡±


    His thin body swayed slightly as he spoke, and he was already about to kneel when the responsive Wen Xun supported him up.


    Wen Xun¡¯s heart ached so much that it was almost bleeding, but he knew that it was not easy for Shen Wu to escape from the hands of that snake demon with his daughter. He could not bring himself to blame Shen Wu just because of the sword, so he forced a kind smile on his face. ¡°I can¡¯t blame you for this, Shen Wu, and you don¡¯t have to blame yourself either.¡±


    The junior brothers beside him comforted him hurriedly too.


    ¡°It was an accident, Eldest Senior Brother. Don¡¯t blame yourself.¡±


    ¡°If I were in your shoes, I probably wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve survived even one attack from that snake demon.Your life is so much more precious than a sword!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You don¡¯t have to feel guilty. Master will definitely find a way to repair the sword.¡±


    ¡°Even if it can¡¯t be fixed, Master will still be able to find a sword that¡¯s better than Flawseeker for you.¡±


    ¡­


    Wen Xun could not hold his expression any longer.


    A sword like the Flawseeker was a once-in-a-century gem. Did those disciples think that such swords were like carrots just waiting to be harvested from the soil?


    He took a few deep breaths before he managed to calm himself down.


    ¡°Father,¡± the young girl called out.


    It had been many years since Wen Xun heard his daughter call him that. He first felt shocked, followed by ecstatic joy. He could not care less that the Flawseeker was broken and immediately turned to look at his adorable, well-behaved daughter. He then asked her happily, ¡°Yes, Ranran?¡±


    Now, if Wen Ran asked for a star from the sky, he would think of a way to go up and pick one.


    A Broken Sword also appeared in Wen Ran¡¯s hand. She blinked,¡±my sword is broken too.¡±


    Wen Xun looked at the broken sword in his eldest disciple¡¯s hand and then at the broken sword in his daughter¡¯s hand. He immediately forgot how to breathe and began to collapse backward.


    ¡°MASTER!¡± the crowd shouted.

 Chapter 21

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The farce ended with Wen Xun being supported by his group of disciples just as he was about to fall to the ground.


    The third elder later sent several people to deliver elixirs and medicines to Wen Ran and Shen Wu, and another set was sent to Wen Xun as well.


    Over the few days, Wen Xun had been so anxious that he had a sore in his mouth and felt uncomfortable all over. He had insomnia rather frequently every night, and he went to the ancestral hall in the middle of the night several times to pay respects to the grandmasters and ancestors. In that short span of time, he suddenly seemed to have aged by ten years.


    It was Wen Xun received a letter from Hidden Abyss Valley informing him that their blacksmiths could try to reforge Flawseeker and Sunset that he had a good night¡¯s sleep.


    Wen Ran had taken the medicine that the third elder had sent to replenish her energy and spirit, and her body felt much better after that. In order to avoid seeing Shen Wu, she used her injuries as an excuse to shut herself in her room. Yan Qing and Luo Huai had sent her a lot of small toys for her to relieve her boredom.


    Nevertheless, she felt that she would be happier if they did not mention Eldest Senior Brother words when they came to see her


    As she was reading in the courtyard, Qin Wanwan somehow decided to come over and poke around.


    ¡°I made this chicken soup, Ranran. Go ahead and try it.¡± Qin Wanwan placed the fresh and hot chicken soup on the table. She smiled kindly and said, ¡°I heard that you went through numerous perils in the forbidden area. You need to nourish yourself.¡±


    Wen Xun did not sleep well and had been tossing and turning the past few nights. Qin Wanwan had difficulty sleeping as a result, so she applied some thicker makeup to cover the dark circles under her eyes.


    Would she have any good intentions for visiting Wen Ran though? One might well describe that visit as a weasel paying the chicken coop a visit.


    Wen Ran smiled. ¡°Third Master said that I have to avoid eating meat and fish during this period, but I appreciate your good intentions, Concubine Qin¡±


    Qin Wanwan did not express her dissatisfaction and instead seemed to show some guilt. ¡°It was my fault for not being considerate enough. I didn¡¯t know that you couldn¡¯t eat meat and fish. Shen Wu probably can¡¯t eat these either, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Wen Ran lowered her head and gave a nonchalant reply as she flipped through the script that Luo Huai had given her.


    Qin Wanwan sighed. ¡°Your father is stubborn, Ranran, and I¡¯m more meticulous than him because I¡¯m a woman. I can judge a person and a situation more clearly.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean you approached Old Wen all those years ago because you knew he was a married man?¡±


    ¡°Now why are you bringing up all these things from the past?¡±


    Wen Ran flipped another page of the book and ignored her.


    A smile appeared once more on Qin Wanwan¡¯s face. ¡°Ranran, your father doesn¡¯t agree to break off your engagement with Shen Wu, but I have to give you a piece of advice from a woman¡¯s point of view. If you get married, you must marry someone you like. That¡¯s how you can get happiness after marriage.¡±


    Wen Ran looked up and smiled. ¡°Are you happy in your current marriage, Concubine Qin?¡±


    Qin Wanwan felt a fire burning in her everyday because Wen Xun was becoming more and more impatient with her. It would be ludicrous of her to claim that she was happy!


    However, Qin Wanwan smiled and affirmed, ¡°Of course I am.¡±


    ¡°But your new wrinkles show otherwise.¡±


    Qin Wanwan covered her face in a panic. ¡®Do I have wrinkles?¡¯ she wondered. She originally planned to sow discord with Wen Ran but that remark threw her off guard and made her unable to care about anything else. She left with a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ll come and chat with you another day, Ranran.¡±


    She left in a hurry soon after. It looked as though she was planning to go back and take a good look in the mirror before seeking the third elder to ask if there was any elixir that could beautify her face.


    It was peace and quiet at last for Wen Ran.


    Wen Ran placed one hand on the table and rested her chin on it. Out of boredom, she flipped through the book about the dominating sword immortal falling in love with the little monster. A branch fell on her head, which she brushed away, and in the next moment, something else fell on her head.


    It was a small red fruit that fell on the table.


    Wen Ran raised her head. She cocked her eyebrow when she saw the figure sitting on the tree on the other side of the courtyard wall.


    A young man was sitting lazily on the tree branch. The sun shone through the leaves and illuminated his body, seemingly decorating his white clothes with patches of light.


    When he lowered his eyes to look at her, his slightly fluttering long eyelashes seemed to be sprinkled with a layer of gold dust. The small red fruits in his hand made his skin look even fairer.


    Wen Ran stood up. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    The young man tilted his head slightly, and the ends of his hair became a blur amongst the mottled shadow. He flashed her an easygoing, warm smile, ¡°I came to see you because I was afraid that you¡¯d miss me.¡±


    He popped a red berry into his mouth as soon as he finished speaking. It seemed to dye his pale lips red, adding an abundant touch of gorgeousness to it.


    Wen Ran, however, was reminded of the color of blood. The bloody scenes that she remembered seemed to be bright red too.


    She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him and picked up the book on the stone table before turning around to return to her room. All of a sudden, a white-robed figure appeared in front of her.


    Shen Wu was all smiles as he stood in her way. ¡°You don¡¯t seem very happy to see me.¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s tone was far from good. ¡°I must be sick in the head if I¡¯m happy to see someone who threw me down from the air just to create the impression of having deep feelings for me.¡±


    Shen Wu slowly ate another fruit and looked at her, ¡°Why must you fuss over every single little thing, Ranran? Do you remember what¡¯s written in the Immortal Ascension Mansion¡¯s sect rules? If I remember correctly, it¡¯s ¡®Be strict on yourself and be kind to others¡¯¡­ Can¡¯t you be kinder to me after I¡¯ve saved you all those times?¡±


    He still had the cheek to say that!


    Wen Ran¡¯s temper flared up at the mention of that. She slammed the book on the stone table and began to argue with him, ¡°You have the cheek to say that you saved me? I wouldn¡¯t have gone to the forbidden area in the first place if it weren¡¯t for you, and I wouldn¡¯t have encountered the resulting danger. Why would I want to go through so many life-threatening situations and eat all this medication to recuperate every day?¡±


    Shen Wu seemed to be frightened by her fierce appearance and took a step back. He completely forgot about his fresh fruit and blinked. ¡°But I went to the forbidden area to find a devil pet for you. I wanted to make you happy.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®make me happy¡¯?¡± Wen Ran advanced forward in anger. ¡°I never said anything about wanting to raise a devil pet. You were clearly lying about this!¡±


    Shen Wu clutched his little heart and took another step back. Her face was reflected in his dark eyes, as if to reveal a small ounce of fear. By then, she was advancing step by step while he retreated like a weak, pitiful, and helpless child.


    Wen Ran took one final step forward, forcing him to lean against the tree and preventing him from retreating any further


    She raised her head and narrowed her eyes at him while sneering. ¡°You think I can¡¯t guess what your plan was? You¡¯re just using me as an excuse! Your entire purpose was to go to the forbidden area, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Shen Wu was clearly much taller than her, but at that moment, he felt like a delicate flower that was powerless to prevent itself from being destroyed in the face of a storm. He then lowered his eyes and looked at Wen Ren with the most innocent look ever.

 Chapter 22

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Wen Ran could not stand the way he was pretending to be innocent, and she glared at him without an ounce of compassion. ¡°I dare you to tell me I¡¯m wrong!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± As he spoke, he raised his hand suddenly and poked her puffed-up cheeks.


    Wen Ran was so stunned by his action that she forgot what she wanted to say.


    Before she could even react, she felt him poke her other cheek.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Wen Ran slapped his hand away and immediately retreated three steps, for she recalled the moment he used the saber to slice the snake demon into eight pieces. In her anger, she had acted rashly and completely forgot that he was a dangerous person.


    Shen Wu could not describe the kind of softness he felt when he poked her cheek, but safe to say it was much smoother and tender than the fruits he was still holding in his other hand.


    He did not pull out his saber after she smacked his hand away but had an aggrieved look instead. ¡°Everyone knows that my feelings for you run deep, but you¡¯re the only one who doesn¡¯t appreciate it. I feel really hurt by that.¡±


    Wen Ran had never met someone like him who could lie without batting an eye. She was not one to be swayed so easily, and she merely said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯d be a fool to believe you.¡±


    ¡°Luckily for you, I¡¯m a carefree person. I¡¯m not going to anything stupid even if you doesn¡¯t believe in the truth of my feelings.¡± He was carefree indeed, for he was already smiling despite the acerbic remark she made earlier. He took out something and said, ¡°this is for you.¡±


    In his hand was a small black cloth bag, the contents of which remained unknown.


    Wen Ran looked at it suspiciously for some time and did not reach out to take it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the contents won¡¯t bite you. ¡±


    Wen Ran looked at him again. After some more hesitation, she reached out to take the small bag and opened it to see a white bird¡¯s egg inside. She looked up at him curiously. ¡°You went searching for the bird¡¯s nest?¡±


    His eyes curved into little arcs as he smiled. ¡°The others knew that I entered the forbidden area to catch a devil pet for you, so it didn¡¯t seem right if I had nothing for you.¡±


    As it turned out, his visit that day was not because he was worried that she would miss him¡ªit was to give her the bird egg.


    It was amazing to think that he paid so much attention to the details in his attempt to maintain the impression that he loved his fianc¨¦e deeply.


    Wen Ran returned it to him. ¡°I don¡¯t want it.¡±


    However, Shen Wu had already distanced himself from her in the blink of an eye. He leapt up and stood on that tree again. ¡°I¡¯ve already given it to you, so it¡¯s up to you whether you want it or not. You can choose to throw it away or cook it. Do what you will with it.¡±


    ¡°Shen Wu!¡±


    He flashed an extremely childish smile at her and disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    Wen Ran looked at the little bird¡¯s egg in her hand and felt conflicted as to how to deal with it. She sat back down on the stone bench and wondered whether she should do as he said, that is, throw it away or cook it.


    Just as she was figuring out what to do, a bright red color attracted her attention. It was the small red fruit that Shen Wu left on the table.


    She had seen such wild fruits during her childhood when she went to the mountains to play. However,she did not know that they were actually edible because she had never tasted them. She remembered seeing Shen Wu eating it with great relish, so she began to wonder whether it tasted delicious.


    Wen Ran was inexplicably curious. She picked up the small red fruit from the table and sniffed it. There was no smell, so she decided to take a small bite. Her entire face then scrunched up.


    It was ridiculously sour!


    She wondered how he was able to eat it with a straight face!


    Since Shen Wu and Wen Ran¡¯s swords were broken, Wen Xun¡ªwho had finally stopped foaming at the mouth¡ªhanded a letter to Shen Wu and Wen Ran. The two of them were instructed to bring their respective broken swords to the Hidden Abyss Valley.


    When she received the news, Wen Ran¡¯s entire body was averse to the idea. ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡±


    Wen Xun felt a headache coming on. ¡°Sunset is your sword, isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t you want your sword to be mended? If you do, you need to go!¡±


    Wen Ran tried compromising. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go by myself. I¡¯m not going with him.¡±


    ¡°Ranran, your eldest senior brother suffered such a heavy injury in order to protect you. He might be nearly recovered now, but it¡¯s still better to have someone going with him to take care of him. You shouldn¡¯t be ungrateful. Think about how your senior brother has treated you, he¡ª¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine. He doesn¡¯t need me to take care of him. ¡±


    Wen Xun could indulge his daughter in anything she wanted, but he put his foot down when it came to choosing his future son-in-law. He therefore put on a straight face and said, ¡°I¡¯ve given all the expenses for this trip to your eldest senior brother for safekeeping. If you don¡¯t want to go with your eldest senior brother, then you can eat and sleep out in the wilderness.¡±


    She was speechless.


    For the past 17 years, Wen Ran had been eating the best food and using the best items. She had always been raised to the point where she could not bear any hardship. Letting her eat and sleep in the wilderness was equivalent to taking half of her life away!


    At the mountain gate of the Immortal Ascension Mansion, a group of disciples came to send Shen Wu off. Shen Wu¡¯s temperament was indifferent and polite, and he seemed particularly eye-catching among the many young and handsome gents. Shen Wu would respond to every single remark that his junior brothers made, but he never took his eyes on Wen Ran when he saw her walking out angrily.


    The bystanders felt that his actions were pretty typical. After all, he was infatuated with his junior sister, and it was only during his junior sister¡¯s presence that his coldness and indifference would melt.


    ¡°Ranran.¡± Shen Wu gently called out.


    Wen Ran glanced at him unceremoniously after hearing his voice and immediately turned his head away, refusing to look at him.


    Since she had to go down the mountain, there was a lot of foul air in the mortal world that would dirty her clothes easily. Therefore, she wore not the white clothes stipulated by the Immortal Ascension Mansion, but a green dress that she donned very rarely.


    The top of her dress was thin and apricot-colored, exposing her fair shoulders and arms vaguely. White-and-green lace was wrapped around her chest, pairing wonderfully with the light-colored cloud pattern embroidery on the green dress. When she stood there, it was as if she was bringing forth a burst of spring.


    Many of the young disciples¡¯ eyes lit up when they saw Wen Ran in that dress, and they finally understood why their eldest senior brother was so infatuated with her.


    On the other hand, Shen Wu¡¯s expression remained unchanging as usual, which befitted his usual nature of restraint. Gazing intently at a girl like Wen Ran was probably the most indulgent thing he had ever done, and he would never allow himself to reveal any more imprudence.


    Eldest Senior Brother was truly a gentleman!


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late,¡± Shen Wu said. ¡°Let¡¯s head down the mountain, Ranran.¡±


    Wen Ran said not a word and just walked past Shen Wu. She took the lead and left the mountain gate. As soon as she brushed past Shen Wu, the golden wings of her butterfly-shaped pearl hairpin that was embedded with green gems seemed to move along with her movements, as if it was about to flap its wings and fly up at any time.


    Shen Wu retracted his gaze and stepped out of the mountain gate, much to the reluctance of his junior brothers.

 Chapter 23

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    There were a total of 999 steps on the mountain path leading down the mountain from the Immortal Ascension Mansion. All the disciples who wanted to join the Immortal Ascension mansion had to climb those 999 steps, but those steps were no longer a burden after they started cultivating and learnt how to ride a flying sword.


    Unfortunately, Wen Ran¡¯s sword was broken.


    She started slowing down after about 20 steps, and she eventually just sat down on the ground.


    The young man¡¯s voice came from behind. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you walking?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± Wen Ran was enjoying the wind on the cliff. She rested her hand on her chin and stared unhappily at the clouds and mist that floated past her.


    ¡°It¡¯s normal for you to feel tired after walking down the stairs. ¡±


    The voice came from above.


    Wen Ran looked up and saw him smiling as he stood atop a floating sword. She stood up excitedly and asked, ¡°Where did you get it?¡±


    ¡°Your father said that journeying without a sword is out of the question, so he found a sword for me to use temporarily. What¡¯s wrong? Didn¡¯t your father tell you?¡± His pair of black eyes were filled with glee, and childishly youthful gloating was vividly displayed through his expression.


    Wen Ran¡ªwho had gone down all those steps¡ªforced herself to take a few deep breaths and was successfully able to suppress the urge to pick up a stone and throw it at him.


    Shen Wu¡¯s white clothes fluttered in the wind. He was far from his usual cold self and narrowed his lazy eyes slightly while crossing his arms. He had a leisurely posture and said casually, ¡°I might consider bringing you along with me if you beg.¡±


    Wen Ran was not a spineless person. She turned around and snorted.


    However, the young man stood on the sword and flew in front of her again. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not going to beg?¡±


    Wen Ran turned around again.


    He flew to her again. ¡°Are you really that firm and unyielding?¡±


    Wen Ran pursed her lips and turned her back to him.


    He did not tease her with another mischievous question, and she was just about to worry that he had really left her behind when she suddenly felt a touch on her head.


    Wen Ran raised her head subconsciously and looked right into a pair of sparkling eyes that were just inches away from him.


    He reached out to straighten her beaded hairpin and her image was reflecting in his eyes. The two of them were now so close to each other that they could feel each other¡¯s breaths.


    Shen Wu¡¯s mouth curled up when she stared at him motionlessly for a long time. He was filled to the brim with youthful energy yet was also extremely narcissistic. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did you just realize that you¡¯ve fallen in love with me?¡±


    The only response he got was Wen Ran¡¯s fist in his face.


    Wind Moon City was far more prosperous than other nearby towns by virtue of its proximity to the Hidden Abyss Valley. Voices of peddlers peddling their ware on the streets characterized the city¡¯s soundscape. There were also roaming swordsmen and immortal cultivators coming in and out of the area.


    Passers-by on the street would usually do a double take when they saw a man walking with a woman. Their temperament and demeanor suggested that they should be immortal cultivators too. The green-clothed young girl was naturally dainty and beautiful, but the tall white-clothed man¡¯s face was a little obscured from view because of the white straw hat that he wore. No one could guess his age either.


    It was strange, because if anyone had to wear a straw hat to cover their face, it should be the woman. They wondered why it was the other way around with the woman showing her face openly while the man appeared shy.


    Along the way, Wen Ran had already gotten used to the probing gazes of the surrounding passers-by and she chose instead to ignore them. She then picked up a candy figurine from a roadside stall and said to the person next to her, ¡°Pay up.¡±


    Rather than pay for it, Shen Wu reminded her, ¡°From the moment we entered the city, you¡¯ve already eaten a bowl of noodles, a bowl of wontons, a serving of deep-fried dough sticks, and two skewers of candied haw.¡±


    The peddlers all looked curiously at Wen Ran¡¯s stomach.


    It was one of those rare occasions that Wen Ran felt embarrassed. She had only eaten that much because it had been a while since she enjoyed those little food.


    Money made the world go round, whether it was in the mortal world or the cultivation world. With Old Wen leaving all the money in Shen Wu¡¯s hands, she had to request money from Shen Wu if she wanted to buy something.


    Wen Ran glanced at Shen Wu, then at the cute butterfly-shaped sugar figurine in her hand. She still could not bring herself to put it down.


    ¡°You eat more than the demonic beasts in the forbidden area,¡± Shen Wu muttered.


    He took out two copper coins and handed them to the peddler, who immediately smiled.


    Wen Ran acted as if she did not hear Shen Wu¡¯s words and took a bite of the butterfly figurine¡¯s wing. It was sweet and absolutely satisfying.


    ¡°You two aren¡¯t from Wind Moon City, are you?¡± the peddler asked upon seeing Wen Ran¡¯s beautiful appearance.


    Wen Ran shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re from another city.¡±


    ¡°There have been many cases of young men and women going missing in Wind Moon City recently,¡± the peddler said. ¡°The people from the Hidden Abyss Valley have made several attempts to get to the bottom of it, but they haven¡¯t found anything yet. I can see that both of you have an extraordinary air, so I suggest that you should be careful.¡±


    Wen Ran glanced at the people on the streets. It was no surprise then that she felt something was amiss when she entered the city. As she walked, she remembered seeing very few ordinary young men and women; the only young people she saw were patrolling the streets in bright yellow clothes.


    Judging from what they wore, they were probably the disciples from the Hidden Abyss Valley.


    The Hidden Abyss Valley was filled with riches, and even the most ordinary disciples wore lots of gold, silver, and jade ornaments. Just looking at them was enough to make a person envious.


    The peddler continued, ¡°Several cultivators who tried to find out the perpetrators behind the chaos ended up disappearing. The people from the Hidden Abyss Valley said that¡­a great demon might be hiding in Wind Moon City, which led a lot of people to fear going out.¡±


    ¡°You look very young. Aren¡¯t you afraid of being captured by that great demon?¡± Wen Ran asked, puzzled.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably unaware of this, but those missing men and women were young and good-looking. Guys who look like me are safe.¡± The peddler beamed with optimism.


    Wen Ran nodded. ¡°Thanks for your reminder. We¡¯ll be careful. What do you think about that, Eldest Seni¡ª¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s sentence stopped abruptly because she turned around and saw that no one was beside her. She looked around and saw the straw-hatted young man hat in front of a steamed buns stall.


    The old man selling the steamed buns looked very excited. ¡°Young Master, are you saying that you¡¯re going to buy all of my steamed buns?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Shen Wu nodded coldly and very generously paid a silver coin.


    The old man was happy to accept it, of course! He hastily put one steamed bun into a paper bag, and the buns that he had for sale were more than enough to fill a few paper bags.


    Whenever the old man was done packing a bun, the white-clad young master would pick it up and it would immediately disappear in his hand. It was not something surprising for the old man because he knew that cultivators possessed unique abilities. He focused his attention on packing the buns as fast as he could, as if he was afraid that the young master would suddenly decide not to buy them anymore.

 Chapter 24

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Wen Ran walked over with her sugar figurine in hand and looked blankly at Shen Wu before asking coldly, ¡°You complained that I was a big eater and yet you¡¯re buying all these steamed buns?¡±


    Shen Wu still maintained his indifferent, polite, and gentlemanly demeanor. ¡°Ranran,¡± he said in a gentle voice, ¡°this old gentleman is still here even though it¡¯s almost noon.¡±


    Steamed buns were usually breakfast food, but the old man had not gone home yet even though it was already noon. The only conclusion is that business was bad for him.


    Wen Ran looked at the old man. The wrinkles on his face were like deep ravines and his hands were full of calluses. His face had also turned red due to the prolonged hours under the sun.


    Wen Ran looked at Shen Wu suspiciously again. Although she was surprised that there would be times when he would be so happy to help others, she could no longer chastise him for spending so much money on so many steamed buns.


    Shen Wu, who was holding a steamed bun, suddenly froze.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Wen Ran asked.


    He turned around, and even the white straw hat that obscured his face was unable to cover the innocent look he was directing toward her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t fit any more of these buns,¡± he said.


    What he meant by that was his storage space was already full.


    Wen Ran could not believe what she heard. ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡±


    Old Wen previously gave her and Shen Wu a bracelet and a jade pendant, respectively. Although they were small, the space inside those magical items was at least the size of three rooms and two halls. Although Wen Ran brought a lot of things, she never once managed to fill the space completely.


    Shen Wu tilted his head slightly again. Despite not being able to see his expression, one could feel the helplessness that was radiating from his body.


    Wen Ran had been tricked by him countless times and she was not going to believe him that quickly. She stretched her finger, touched the jade pendant hanging on his waist, and released her spiritual power. Generally speaking, magic equipment that had recognized its master would allow other people to explore it unless that other person had a higher level of cultivation.


    Wen Ran¡¯s cultivation was not as high as Shen Wu¡¯s of course, but since Shen Wu did not reject her, Wen Ran saw the situation within the jade pendant¡¯s space after releasing her burst of spiritual energy.


    She was stunned by what she discovered.


    The large space was filled to the brim with stuff, including the steamed buns he had just put in, a myriad of plants she did not recognize, and a plethora of wild fruits. Among the pile of wild fruits was the little red fruit that she had tasted earlier. That red fruit was so sour that Wen Ran felt like her teeth was being corroded, yet he seemed to eat it with relish. She hardly expected that so much red fruit would be stored in it.


    As she looked at the piles of green plants, Wen Ran suspected that they were also edible. Tastewise, she was certain that they did not taste good.


    Wen Ran looked at Shen Wu with a shocked expression. ¡°Are you a hamster?¡±


    Shen Wu was at a loss. ¡°Do I look like a demonic rat?¡±


    ¡°Why are you storing so many wild fruits and vegetables?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried I¡¯ll go hungry.¡±


    Wen Ran could not understand how his mind worked. ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, you should¡¯ve stored some normal food, rather than those unpalatable fruits.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like they¡¯re poisonous. What¡¯s to stop me from eating them?¡±


    She felt that there seemed to be a generational gap between them. Wen Ran frowned, and she wondered why she never noticed that Shen Wu loved eating.


    ¡°Do you still want the remaining steamed buns, Young Master?¡± the old man asked nervously.


    Shen Wu looked at Wen Ran without answering.


    Wen Ran gritted her teeth and said, ¡°We¡¯ll take them.¡± The remaining steamed buns were all placed into her storage space, which seemed quite out of place when viewed alongside her pile of clothes and jewelry.


    After Wen Ran stored the steamed buns, she finally realized what was really going on and stopped to narrow her eyes at Shen Wu. ¡°Did you really decide to buy all the steamed buns because you were trying to be nice?¡±


    Shen Wu, who was currently eating a steamed bun, was puzzled. ¡°Nice?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you buy all the steamed buns because you felt sorry that the old man had been at his stall since morning?¡±


    ¡°Is that what you thought, Ranran?¡± The young man¡¯s voice had an innocent touch of cheeriness to it. ¡°The weather is getting hotter and hotter, so I bought the buns before they went bad. You¡¯re gonna get diarrhea if you eat a spoiled bun.¡±


    It was all for the sake of the steamed bun. After all, steamed buns were filling and easy to carry around. It had nothing to do with helping the old man.


    Wen Ran, who had previously thought that Shen Wu might not be that evil, began to feel as if she was some kind of idiot.


    She bit down on the crunchy sugar figurine as if she was biting someone with all her might.


    As she walked, she noticed that the figure beside her had disappeared yet again. Wen Ran immediately turned around and saw Shen Wu¡¯s figure in front of a nearby stall.


    The stall sold little toys, such as cloth tigers, puppets, and other little toys that children liked.


    When the peddler saw that Shen Wu was standing there motionlessly, he immediately shook the rattle-drum in his hand and said with a smile, ¡°These are all good quality items! Would you like to buy some and bring them back for your child?¡±


    Shen Wu nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Wen Ran rushed over and stopped him from taking out the money. She smiled and asked, ¡°When did you have a child?¡±


    He laughed too. ¡°You¡¯re still a young girl, Ranran. Doesn¡¯t that make you a child?¡±


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re going to tell me that you bought this for me?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± he said, pretending to be serious. ¡°I¡¯ll try it out for you and see if it¡¯s fun.¡±


    He was just about to withdraw his hand from her grip to make payment, but Wen Ran held his hand down and reminded him in a low voice, ¡°We haven¡¯t even reached the Hidden Abyss Valley and we¡¯ve already spent a lot of money. We need to control ourselves.¡±


    After saying that, she dragged Shen Wu and walked forward. The last time she played with something like a rattle-drum was when she was three; there was really no point wasting that money now that she was already an adult.


    Shen Wu dragged his feet and kept turning around, seemingly reluctant to part with that rattle-drum.


    A child by the roadside cried in front of a pastry shop, ¡°Mom! I want to eat this one! I won¡¯t eat my meals if you don¡¯t buy this for me!¡±


    The mother¡¯s hand was being pulled by her child and she said in a frustrated tone, ¡°Okay, okay. Stop shouting. I¡¯ll buy it for you, okay?¡±


    The child¡¯s stopped crying and smiled at once. He pulled his mother¡¯s hand and hurried into the pastry shop.


    Shen Wu suddenly stopped walking.


    Wen Ran could not pull him anymore, and she had a bad feeling when she looked up at him.


    He must have been building up his emotions because he remained silent for a moment before speaking pitifully, ¡°I want that, Ranran. I won¡¯t eat my meals if you don¡¯t let me buy it.¡±


    He looked even more dejected than the crying child.


    The passers-by cast curious gazes over.


    Wen Ran covered her face with her hands and felt utterly embarrassed!

 Chapter 25

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Hidden Abyss Valley was different from the Immortal Ascension Mansion in that the latter was built on an immortal¡¯s mountain, while the Hidden Abyss Valley was built on the lakeside of East Lake. It was more like a manor than a valley, and the name Hidden Abyss Valley because it was taken from the meaning of ¡®a person¡¯s heart is as deep as a valley¡¯.


    The difference between the Hidden Abyss Valley and other immortal cultivation sects was that it was built near the river and was not too far from human habitation. According to the founder of the Hidden Abyss Valley, all mountains have a similar scenery. The East Lake, on the other hand, was far more beautiful¡ªin spring, there was misty rain; in summer, there were lotus flowers; in autumn, there were bleak waves; and in winter, there was white snow.


    As a result, the Hidden Abyss Valley was founded by the East Lake.


    Wen Ran stared at Shen Wu shaking the rattle-drum in front of the Hidden Abyss Valley¡¯s gate. Annoyed by the noise, she said, ¡°Can you please stop shaking it?¡±


    She ended up buying that rattle drum from the stall because she did not want to embarrass herself any more than she already was. Shen Wu then played with that thing throughout their journey, eliciting quite a few stares from the public.


    ¡°No,¡± Shen Wu said. ¡°I haven¡¯t experienced it fully yet.¡±


    ¡°Experience what?¡±


    ¡°The fun of it.¡±


    Wen Ran was blank. ¡°So you don¡¯t think it¡¯s fun? How were you able to play for so long, then?¡±


    He kept quiet for a moment, probably because he was angry at himself for not getting any joy from that little thing.


    They handed the letter Wen Xun gave them to the disciple who was guarding the door. The disciple went in briefly, and another refined-looking young man came out.


    ¡°Young Master Shen and Miss Wen. We are honored that you have graced our humble Hidden Abyss Valley with your presence.¡±


    Wen Ran glanced at the man. Although he was dressed rather plainly compared to the other members of the Hidden Abyss Valley, his yellow clothes had touches of gold silk.


    She glanced at the Hidden Abyss Valley¡¯s Gate, which was inlaid with gold and gemstones, and thought to herself, ¡®If this is what you call humble, wouldn¡¯t that make our Immortal Ascension Mansion a beggar¡¯s home?¡¯


    This person looked at Shen Wu, who was wearing a straw hat and holding a rattle-drum in his hand. A strange expression then appeared on the person¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s with the hat, Young Master Shen?¡±


    Wen Ran explained, ¡°My Eldest Senior Brother caught a cold, so it¡¯s better not to let him be exposed to the wind.¡±


    ¡°I see. What about that thing in his hands?¡±


    On that occasion, Shen Wu answered before Wen Ran could. ¡°Ranran¡¯s still has a childish temperament. I bought it for her because she wanted to play with it.¡±


    He stuffed the rattle-drum into Wen Ran¡¯s arms and said in a cold and clear voice, ¡°Tale good care of it, Ranran.¡±


    Everyone looked at her, as if to say, ¡®Ah, she¡¯s still young, innocent, and childish¡¯. Wen Ran endured it and restrained the urge to punch her.


    The man smiled. ¡°My sworn brother went to the Buddha Sound Temple to meet his old friend not long ago, but fret not as everything has been explained in the letter. We will do our best to help you repair your swords.¡±


    The Hidden Abyss Valley was a family-based business, and those who managed the business were all from the Qiu family. The only exception was the person before them, as he did not have the surname Qiu.


    He was Ye Sui, the valley master¡¯s sworn brother, and he was in charge of various matters in the Hidden Abyss Valley. Everyone respectfully called him Mr. Ye.


    Wen Xun had made a point to explain the who¡¯s who in the Hidden Abyss Valley to Shen Wu and Wen Ran before sending them off on their journey. After all, his greatest fear was that they¡ªin particular, Wen Ran¡ªwould offend the people there.


    Shen Wu dropped his crazy antics and cupped his hands in greeting. He said in a refined and polite manner, ¡°Thank you for the trouble, Mr. Ye.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. The Hidden Abyss Valley and the Immortal Ascension Mansion have a long friendship with each other and share the same goal in working for righteousness. It¡¯s only right for us to help each other.¡±


    Ye Sui was a friendly person who did not put on any airs. He led Shen Wu and Wen Ran through the door, and he responded to every single greeting by the disciples while walking in.


    All of a sudden, a disciple ran over and broke the harmonious atmosphere. ¡°Mr. Ye! Young Miss and Young Master are fighting again!¡±


    Ye Sui massaged his brows helplessly, as if another terrible headache was coming. He apologized to Shen Wu and Wen Ran before leaving hastily with the disciple who had reported to him.


    Wen Ran looked at Shen Wu, who was about to follow him, and grabbed his hand. ¡°That¡¯s their private business. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right for us to meddle.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean meddle? We just happened to walk there and saw their fight.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being unreasonable,¡± Wen Ran said disapprovingly.


    Shen Wu smiled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious? The Hidden Abyss Valley is rich, and gold might even fall from their bodies when they fight.¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s shameless heart wavered, and Shen Wu immediately dragged her to the direction that Ye Sui had gone.


    The people of the Hidden Abyss Valley had a great preference for gold color. Lanterns were hung on the eaves, and even the trees in the manor were maple trees that had yellow leaves all year round.


    At first glance, it was really yellow!


    Wen Ran hid behind a thick-trunked maple tree and peeked out quietly, with Shen Wu situated just above him. The two of them shared a very tacit understanding, and they focused their attention on the lively scene over there.


    The girl in yellow was petite and extremely beautiful. Her heavy sword was even taller than her, and probably even several times heavier than her. However, she had a lot of strength as she caused a pit to form on the ground when she struck her heavy sword down.


    The other young man, who was also dressed in yellow, looked somewhat similar to the girl. He looked somewhat androgynous for a man and seemed somewhat feminine too. He dodged the heavy sword and immediately used his light sword to offset the force of the heavy sword. He shouted, ¡°Are you for real, Qiu Shui!¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m playing house with you?¡± Although her name embodied all that was gentle and soft, her personality was anything but. Her beautiful eyes glared and she swung her heavy sword again, but someone had appeared beside her and grabbed her hand.


    The young man immediately took a few steps back and kept a safe distance from the young girl.


    Qiu Shui frowned and said angrily, ¡°Ye Sui!¡± Let me go!¡±


    Ye Sui sighed. ¡°Qiu Shan is your cousin. You¡¯re siblings, so you should¡ª¡±


    ¡°So we should fight to see who is better! That will convince the others!¡±


    Ye Sui could not find the appropriate response after being interrupted.


    On the other end, Qiu Shan appeared unwilling to be outdone. ¡°It¡¯s clear that there¡¯s a problem with the sword you forged. You lost to me, yet you refused to admit defeat and insisted on fighting me!¡±


    ¡°Well, of course it had flaws! I told you I¡¯d be forging in the furnace for seventy-two hours, but you took it out after only seventy!¡±


    ¡°Seventy-two hours? You¡¯re just using that as an excuse not to admit defeat!¡±


    Ye Sui had a general idea of what happened. ¡°You guys made a bet again, didn¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 26

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Conflicts were a natural conclusion whenever Qiu Shui and Qiu Shan made a bet. They were around the same age, and neither would give in to the other if they were to have a conflict. In the dozen years that Ye Sui had been in the Hidden Abyss Valley, he spent most of his time handling that pair of siblings.


    Behind the tree.


    ¡°Who do you think would win if Mr. Ye didn¡¯t stop them?¡± Wen Ran asked in a low voice while quietly observing the situation.


    ¡°The girl.¡±


    His strange words prompted Wen Ran look up at him. She could see the young man¡¯s delicate jaw from that angle.


    Shen Wu, who was currently munching on some melon seeds, tilted his head in puzzlement. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    He could not understand what Wen Ran¡¯s gaze meant.


    ¡°Why would the girl win?¡± Wen Ran decided against correcting him because she was unsure if he was trying to playing dumb again.


    The heavy sword had no edge and was not fully refined, while the light sword was flexible and adaptable. The pair of siblings were about the same age, and their cultivation also seemed to be about the same, so how could Shen Wu be so sure that the young lady would win?


    Shen Wu munched on another melon seed and said slowly, ¡°Her basic skills are much more solid.¡±


    A light sword focused more on technique, while a heavy sword relied on absolute strength. There was no need for any technique in a battle, because any opponent who was struck would either die or be crippled.


    Although the young man was agile, his basic skills were not as good as the young girl ¡®s. As time passed, his physical strength could not keep up, and his speed would naturally slow down. At that time, it would be difficult to avoid the young girl¡¯s heavy sword.


    Wen Ran could not help but nod her head in realization when she thought of that. She then extended her hand towards Shen Wu.


    Shen Wu lowered his head and counted the remaining melon seeds in his hand. He hesitated for a long time before finally picking out three melon seeds and placing them in Wen Ran¡¯s outstretched hand.


    Wen Ran¡¯s expression turned stiff.


    He looked at his hand that was holding the melon seeds. ¡°I don¡¯t have much left, Ranran.¡±


    He clearly still had a pile of them in his hands!


    Wen Ran turned her head around and ignored him. She bit the three melon seeds he had and watched the situation up ahead.


    Ye Sui put on a serious face. ¡°I¡¯ve told you many times, and your father has emphasized it just as frequently too. You¡¯re not allowed to make any bets in private. Have you forgotten that?¡±


    Qiu Shan hurriedly shifted the blame. ¡°It was Qiu Shui who suggested it!¡±


    Ye Sui looked at the girl. ¡°Qiu Shui.¡±


    Qiu Shui did not stop there. ¡°Bets take two people. I couldn¡¯t have gambled on my own if Qiu Shan didn¡¯t agree. He was in the wrong too! How could you blame me alone?¡±


    As she said that, she immediately shed a few tears.¡±You¡¯re hurting me!¡±


    Ye Sui immediately let go of her hand. Qiu Shui was about to rush toward Qiu Shan the next moment, but Ye Sui grabbed her collar and lifted her up. Even someone with as good a temper as him was already fuming with anger. ¡°Go and write lines, Qiu Shui!¡±


    Qiu Shan was gloating, while Qiu Shui was crying for real.


    Wen Ran saw no gold on the ground, only family drama. She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a pain to have too many children.¡±


    ¡°Having one child is best. Would you still like some?¡± It was a rare occasion that Shen Wu was so generous to ask. He probably felt that it was fated that they both shared the same thoughts.


    Wen Ran stretched out her hand without looking up, and she soon felt him placing something on her hand. She then popped them into her mouth as she continued watching.


    After that one bite, her entire face scrunched up from the sourness. Wen Ran immediately turned around and threw a punch without so much as another word.


    Shen Wu, who had been slugged by her once before, held her fist and asked innocently. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it taste good?¡±


    ¡°Shen Wu¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    She threw another punch but he caught that too.


    He tilted his head and smiled. ¡°You can¡¯t hit me.¡±


    Wen Ran chuckled.


    In the next moment, her leg kicked him in his weak spot.


    Shen Wu inhaled sharply. He only managed to keep himself from falling down by relying on his willpower. He complained, ¡°Are you going to throw away your bliss?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone to give me bliss. I can create it with my own two hands.¡±


    Shen Wu pondered for a while. ¡°Did you just say something lewd?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by lewd?¡± Wen Ran mimicked his previous innocent look and blinked. ¡°I don¡¯t understand that kind of stuff, Eldest Senior Brother.¡±


    Shen Wu blinked too. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t either.¡±


    Wen Ran and Shen Wu had a tacit understanding and did not pursue the question of whether they understood their own remarks. They were arranged to stay in the guest room.


    ¡°Forgive our rudeness for letting our two distinguished guests have such a simple and crude stay,¡± the young disciple who led them to the guest room said apologetically.


    Wen Ran looked at the gold decor in the room, then at the screen made of white jade, and then at the gold embroidered pattern on the bed curtain. She suddenly felt that the room she had lived in for more than ten years was probably only fir to be regarded as a doghouse in the eyes of those people.


    An embarrassed expression appeared on the Hidden Abyss Valley disciple¡¯s face. He was not trying to ¡®humblebrag¡¯, but he truly felt that letting Wen Ran and Shen Wu stay here was an injustice to a guest.


    Shen Wu maintained some level of propriety in front of them and said in a warm voice, ¡°It¡¯s good enough that we¡¯re staying here. Thank you for your trouble.¡±


    ¡°Not at all!¡± The young disciple that was dressed in bright yellow clothes looked at Shen Wu with an adulating expression. ¡°My name is Qiu Ming. It is not my intention to offend you, so I¡¯d like to ask if I could address you as Senior Brother Shen?¡±


    Shen Wu nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    His face could not be seen clearly because he was still wearing his straw hat. With his tall stature and extraordinary temperament, he was very much like a gentleman who had transcended the secular world.


    Qiu Ming¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, Senior Brother Shen. You subdued the tiger demon that wreaked havoc in the human world by yourself, and everyone in the Hidden Abyss Valley knows about it!¡±


    Wen Ran glanced at Shen Wu.


    ¡°It¡¯s a minor issue that¡¯s not worth mentioning,¡± Shen Wu said, unruffled by the admiration.


    ¡°But it is!¡± Qiu Ming almost could not control the veneration in his body. ¡°Senior Brother Shen, may I come and ask you for advice on swordsmanship another day?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Qiu Ming left in satisfaction with a gleeful expression on his face. Unbeknownst to him,Shen Wu immediately collapsed into the chair, leaning back, and curled into a ball while yawning due to boredom.


    His dispirited demeanor was hardly a shadow of the masterful expert his fan viewed him as.


    Shen Wu took out a small fruit and ate it slowly. When he saw Wen Ran staring at him, he offered generously, ¡°Would you like some, Ranran?¡±


    Wen Ran moved her feet.


    Shen Wu immediately retracted his hand and put his two long legs together, as if the traumatic experience from earlier had rattled him deeply.

 Chapter 27

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°Scram. I¡¯m going to bed. ¡±


    Wen Ran chased him to his guest room, closed the door shut, and had her first good night of sleep after several days¡¯ worth of traveling.


    The next morning, Ye Sui¡¯s led them to the sword furnace and they met with the Hidden Abyss Valley¡¯s master swordsmith.


    Master Lu was an energetic middle-aged man who had a strong physique. Anyone who saw his arms could feel the explosive power contained within.


    He was rumored to spend most of his time in the sword furnace, and his only interest was in forging swords. He had even mentored many excellent swordsmiths in the Hidden Abyss Valley, and he was also a very easy person to talk to.


    Master Lu clicked his tongue in wonder as he examined the two broken swords. ¡°These two are high-grade swords. The force that broke them must have been extraordinary.¡±


    Wen Ran looked at Shen Wu.


    ¡°They were broken when we encountered a thousand-year-old snake demon.¡± Shen Wu said indifferently.


    Master Lu took a few more glances at Shen Wu and Wen Ran before his gaze finally landed on Shen Wu. ¡°You have extraordinary strength. You managed to stay alive and suffered only a broken sword when facing the thousand-year-old snake demon. That is a victory in itself.¡±


    ¡°Are you able to repair the two swords?¡± Ye Sui asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, but these are two extraordinary swords. We would require high-quality black iron as supplementary materials.¡±


    Ye Sui frowned. ¡°Black Iron is very rare. It would take some time to find it.¡±


    Master Lu laughed. ¡°There is no need to go far. If I remember correctly, Qiu Shui was given a piece of high-quality black iron by her father when she reached a marriageable age.¡±


    Ye Sui¡¯s frown deepened.


    Even Wen Ran could guess that it would be an uphill task to get something from Qiu Shui.


    However, Ye Sui smoothened his frown and said politely to Shen Wu and Wen Ran, ¡°I¡¯ll find the black iron as soon as possible. You may stay a few more days in the hidden abyss Valley.¡±


    Wen Ran and Shen Wu bowed. ¡°Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Ye.¡±


    Ye Sui left first, while Wen Ran and Shen Wu were requested by Master Lu to stay and recount the situation when they dealt with the snake demon.


    Shen Wu explained the situation but kept some details from Master Lu, who did not ask any further since he was unaware that the details were kept from him. According to Shen Wu, he and Wen Ran were the lucky ones who had escaped.


    ¡°What luck you both have. I¡¯ll try my best to mend your swords,¡± Master Lu assured after he saw them out of the sword furnace.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Shen Wu replied.


    Master Lu admired the young and promising Shen Wu and could not help but envy Wen Xun for having such a good disciple. Master Lu saw that Wen Ran was staring ahead, so he turned and looked over.


    Under the maple tree was a young man with red lips and white teeth. He was holding Ye Sui¡¯s hand and acting childishly.


    ¡°Qiu Shan is different from Qiu Shui. Qiu Shui butts heads with Mr. Ye, but Qiu Shan is very clingy with him and they¡¯re on very good terms with each other,¡± Master Lu said.


    Wen Ran glanced a few more times at the lively young man and felt an inexplicable sense of unease in his heart.


    ¡°Ranran.¡±


    Wen Ran retracted her gaze after hearing her name being called. When she looked up, her hand had been stuffed with a steamed bun.


    ¡°Eat up. You don¡¯t usually eat a lot for breakfast, and we wouldn¡¯t want you going hungry,¡± Shen Wu said considerately.


    Master Lu¡¯s admiration for Shen Wu grew even more and he could not help but lament how good it was to be young. It even reminded him of his past when I fought with my senior and junior brothers over the dudou [1] of those brothel ladies.


    After having a good chuckle, Master Lu returned to the sword furnace because he felt that he should not be disturbing the young man and woman.


    Wen Ran studied the steamed bun in his hand and recalled that it was probably the steamed bun he bought from the old man. It remained fresh even after a day because anything that was placed in the storage space would remain in the exact same condition that they were first stored there. However, only inanimate things could be stored in it.


    His generosity in giving her a normal meal prompted Wen Ran to suspect that he was up to no good. ¡°Why should you worry about whether or not I go hungry?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal to be concerned about my fianc¨¦e?¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s eyes were filled with doubt.


    Shen Wu sighed faintly. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t always think of me as a bad person, Ranran. If I really wanted to harm you, I wouldn¡¯t have saved you in the cave in the forbidden area.¡±


    It was true that he saved her, but in the process, he had toyed with her little heart until it was beating wildly.


    Qiu Shan was hopping and skipping as he followed Ye Sui over at the tree. Ye Sui smiled and brushed away the fallen leaves on Qiu Shan¡¯s head, which led Qiu Shan to smile even more. Seeing their interaction from behind made it clear enough that they had a good relationship with each other.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange¡­¡± Wen Ran muttered.


    Her line of sight was suddenly blocked by a figure. ¡°What¡¯s strange?¡± Shen Wu asked curiously.


    ¡°Qiu Shan.¡± Wen Ran peeked out to take another look but was blocked by him again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve taken a fancy to that sissy, Ranran?¡± Shen Wu asked, puzzled.


    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯ve only met Qiu Shan twice, and I haven¡¯t even spoken a single word to him. How do you expect me to take a fancy to him?¡±


    There was a hint of mischief in his tone. ¡°You think he¡¯s a sissy too.¡±


    If she did not think that, she would not have known that he was talking about Qiu Shan the moment he mentioned the word ¡®sissy¡¯


    Wen Ran stiffened for a moment. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that¡­¡± she mumbled as she took a bite out of her bun. Talk about other people behind their backs was something she did not like doing.


    All of a sudden, her face scrunched up because she tasted a familiar sour taste.


    Wen Ran immediately opened the steamed bun in her hand and saw the small red fruit wrapped inside. She stretched out her hand with the steamed bun and asked, ¡°What¡¯s this, Shen Wu?¡±


    ¡°A stuffed steamed bun.¡±


    When he saw the increasing anger on Wen Ran¡¯s face, he felt that he had not answered her question correctly. His gaze landed on her hand and he added, ¡°And your little chubby hand.¡±


    By the time that little chubby hand was about to punch him, he had already run far away.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡±


    He was never going to stop, of course.


    Wen Ran chased him for more than an hour that day, but she was still far from being able to touch the corner of his clothes!


    For the next few days, Ye Sui, who previously said that he was going to look for black iron, had not come back with any news. It was obvious then that Qiu Shui did not want to help. After all, it was hers, and no one could force her to give it up if she did not want to.


    Wen Ran, on the other hand, could not just sit there doing nothing because the issue was directly connected to her. To that end, she deliberately dragged Shen Wu one morning as he was sleeping in and went to the courtyard where the eldest miss of the Hidden Abyss Valley lived. She very politely told a young maidservant that she wanted to pay a visit to the eldest miss.


    ¡°She¡¯s refusing to see people.¡± The young maidservant returned almost immediately.


    Wen Ran and Shen Wu returned empty-handed, but as they walked, Wen Ran stroked her chin and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense ¡­¡±


    ¡°What doesn¡¯t make sense?¡± Shen Wu asked curiously.


    In the plot, the Hidden Abyss Valley¡¯s eldest miss was also one of the supporting actresses that was infatuated with the male lead. In fact, she was supposed to have yearned for him through name alone even though they had not met yet.


    However, the male lead liked Qin Susu, so Qin Susu naturally became her target. As unruly as she was, she was not an evil person, which culminated in her having a much better ending than Wen Ran¡¯s.


    TN:


    [1] The dudou (¶Ç¶µ) is sort of like the Chinese version of a camisole.

 Chapter 28

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Given that Shen Wu was practically being served on a silver platter, it did not seem reasonable for Qiu Shui to show a lack of interest in the name ¡®Shen Wu¡¯.


    Wen Ran ignored Shen Wu¡¯s words and sighed, for she wondered just how long she would have to stay in the Hidden Abyss Valley.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Shen Wu blinked curiously and asked again, ¡°Is repairing Sunset really that important?¡±


    What kind of question was that?


    Was he clueless to the significance of a sword to a swordsman?


    Wen Ran only felt that he was deliberately acting like a dummy. She said irritatedly, ¡°Well, duh. That¡¯s my sword. It has been with me for so many years!¡±


    Wen Ran did not know what expression Shen Wu had under the straw hat. He only heard him say,¡±alright then. I¡¯ll think of a way to restore Sunset sword to its original state.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Wen Ran was stunned for a moment. She thought she was hallucinating, so she asked waveringly, ¡°You can come up with a way?¡±


    He held his head high, puffed out his chest, and exuded a masterful air. ¡°Of course I can. I¡¯m smart.¡±


    Wen Ran did not buy it entirely.


    In the silence of the night, a maidservant¡¯s panicked shriek pierced through the air. ¡°Eldest Miss has been taken away!¡±


    In an instant, the entire Hidden Abyss Valley was brightly lit and all the disciples immediately set forth.


    Wen Ran, who was jolted awake, immediately sat up on the bed. She needed some time to come to her senses, and she clearly heard the conversation of those disciples that were walking past her room¡ªthey were all talking about Qiu Shui¡¯s disappearance.


    Wen Ran¡¯s mind cleared up in an instant, and she had a bad feeling. She hurriedly put on her clothes and went to the room next door, only to see that Shen Wu had disappeared.


    Her bad feeling came true.


    She should have known that a lunatic like him would never have been able to think of a good idea!


    Wen Ran forced herself to calm down. She needed to figure out where Shen Wu had taken the young girl to, but doing so with a normal person¡¯s line of thought was definitely not going to cut it. What she needed to do was put herself in his shoes and ask herself, ¡®What would Shen Wu do?¡¯


    ¡°Is there some sort of dangerous place near the Hidden Abyss Valley?¡± Wen Ran walked out of the room, grabbed a random disciple who was hurrying by, and questioned him.


    The disciple was stunned. ¡°A dangerous place?¡±


    ¡°Like a place with steep terrain, for example.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a waterfall behind the Hidden Abyss Valley,¡± the disciple answered immediately.


    ¡°I understand. Let me borrow your sword. I¡¯ll save your eldest miss!¡± Wen Ran snatched the sword from the other person¡¯s hand. The next second, she was already flying into the air on the sword. She once again said to the stunned disciple, ¡°I¡¯ll save your eldest miss!¡±


    In the dark of night, the sound of roaring water was endless in the waterfall that seemed to fall from a thousand zhang [1] above.


    Qiu Shui¡¯s hands and feet were tied with ropes and she hung upside down on the cliff. She was drenched by the running water, which was much colder then because it was late at night.


    She was facing a bad situation yet her temper was very bad too. She said stubbornly, ¡°Just wait until I go up there! I¡¯ll definitely tear you into pieces! Cough cough!¡±


    She choked on a few mouthfuls of water as soon as she opened her mouth. The running water that washed down and gushed against her body was absolutely painful. But the young miss simply refused to admit defeat.


    Standing on the edge of the cliff was a masked man dressed in black. His voice had been deliberately lowered to make it sound hoarser than it was. ¡°You¡¯re brave for the eldest miss of the Hidden Abyss Valley. You want to tear me into a thousand pieces, do you? Well, that¡¯ll depend on whether you¡¯re even able to come up here.¡±


    ¡°If you have what it takes, you should come down here and confront me face to face! Cough cough! You¡­ Cough¡­ You¡¯re a man¡­ Hiding yourself makes you a coward, not a man!¡± Water began flowing into her nasal cavity because she was hanging upside down, and the feeling was nothing short of uncomfortable. She could not even open her eyes! Even so, she still refused to lose to him in terms of character.


    The man laughed sarcastically. ¡°Rather than being stubborn, you should be thinking about what you¡¯ve done to deserve this.¡±


    ¡°I am a righteous young woman!¡±


    The man¡¯s voice was low. ¡°You¡¯re the eldest miss of Hidden Abyss Valley and you¡¯re usually arrogant. Haven¡¯t you done a lot of arrogant and despotic things? I¡¯m sure you have¡±


    ¡°I do everything with a clear conscience!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re unrepentant.¡± The man untied the rope tied to the tree and flung one end of the rope with his hand. Since the rope had been lowered slightly, the girl who was hanging upside down fell some distance down too.


    Qiu Shui¡¯s first instinct was to yell when she felt that weightlessness. She was already in the middle of the waterfall, so she was unable to say anything and could only cough incessantly.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    A third person called out in a flute-like voice. Qiu Shui struggled to open her eyes, and all she saw in the night was the figure of a green-clothed girl flying over on a sword.


    Wen Ran landed steadily on the ground and assessed the situation at a glance. She thought that Shen Wu had captured the little girl and used words to threaten her, but it came as an absolute shock that he would actually be that ruthless to torture such a little girl!


    Wen Ran saw the situation through a woman¡¯s eyes and was absolutely furious. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a conscience for doing something like this to a young girl?¡±


    Her sudden arrival surprised the black-robed man who was standing at the edge of the cliff. However, that surprise lasted only a moment, as he asked impatiently, ¡°What does this have to do with you?¡±


    ¡°It has everything to do with me!¡± Wen Ran could not help but feel the heartache for her old man when she thought about how their reputation at the Immortal Ascension Mansion¡¯s reputation would be sullied if news got out that Qiu Shui was once kidnapped by Shen Wu!


    Wen Ran said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so stubborn. I believe that there will always be a way out. Even if Miss Qiu Shui is unwilling to cooperate, we can always find another way. She¡¯s free to do whatever she wants. You and I have no right to interfere.¡±


    Wen Ran was not so corrupt in terms of morality that she would allow a person to be threatened into handing over their belongings.


    ¡°You¡¯ve lived in the Hidden Abyss Valley for a while now, so I¡¯m sure you know that she¡¯s a hopeless person. I¡¯m just teaching her a little lesson. This is nothing compared to her bullying.¡±


    ¡°You can justify it all you like, but what you¡¯re doing now is wrong. I¡¯m not going to reason with you anymore. Let her go.¡±


    He laughed. ¡°If you want me to listen to you, you might as well win in a battle against me.¡±


    ¡°Shen Wu!¡± Wen Ran took a step closer and yelled angrily.


    A voice suddenly rang out from a tree not far away. ¡°Why did you call my name?¡±


    Everyone there was shocked.


    Wen Ran looked up and saw a white-robed figure sitting among the mottled shadows of the trees.


    The young man was sitting lazily against the trunk. His legs were dangling down and he stuck a nonchalantly casual posture. The white veil of his straw hat fluttered occasionally in the wind, revealing his handsome side profile in the briefest of manners.


    He held a green plum in his hand that looked rather fresh. It was probably plucked from the tree not too long ago. Had he been dressed like that at the right place and the right time, he would have looked like a primary school student who had indulged in monkey business during a school trip.


    TN:


    [1] About 3.33m per zhang (ÕÉ).

 Chapter 29

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Wen Ran stared in shock at the person on the tree before glancing again at the man in black that was standing at the edge of the cliff.


    Only then did she notice that the black-clothed man¡ªwhose face was covered with a black cloth¡ªlacked the scar on his eyes that she once inflicted on him. When Wen Ran realized that she had gotten the wrong person, she immediately took a few steps back.


    She would have been able to act a little more impudently if the man in black was Shen Wu, since he was someone that she knew. However, she did not know what kind of character that black-clothed man was, and she was afraid that she would lose her life if she were to act rashly.


    She had always cherished her life, more so after knowing that she was the supporting female in that role.


    The black-robed man¡¯s gaze was heavy as he fixed his eyes on the tall young man. ¡°When did you arrive?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± Shen Wu landed casually on the ground. His white clothes fluttered in the wind, and he had a celestial air to him in the middle of the night.


    However, his next remark infuriated the man. ¡°So you didn¡¯t notice me? When I followed you after you left the young miss¡¯s room, I thought knew but were just too lazy to care.¡±


    Shen Wu¡¯s eyes revealed a look of innocence. He seemed genuinely curious to know and showed not the slightest intention of mocking him.


    The black-clothed man¡¯s eyes turned cold.


    Wen Ran hurriedly moved behind Shen Wu and tugged at the corner of his shirt. ¡°What are you doing outside someone¡¯s room in the middle of the night? Shouldn¡¯t you be sleeping instead?¡±


    Shen Wu was so smart that he did not answer and asked instead, ¡°His waist isn¡¯t as slender as mine, his legs aren¡¯t as long as mine, and his skin isn¡¯t as fair as mine. Why did you call him by my name?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you recognize your own fianc¨¦? I¡¯m really disappointed in you, Ranran.¡±


    Wen Ran was speechless.


    There were a gamut of factors that led to her recognizing the wrong person, all of which stemmed from her anger and anxiousness. Firstly, it was the middle of the night. Secondly, she had seen just how scared Qiu Shui was after being caught. Finally, he had said something so misleading earlier in the day!


    She did not want him to make her out to be the unreasonable party with just that sentence.


    Wen Ran gritted her teeth. ¡°Didn¡¯t you sneak into her room in the middle of the night to catch her and threaten her?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Shen Wu spoke innocently. ¡°Am I that brainless of a person to you, Ranran?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Dejected, Shen Wu could only bite down on his green plum.


    ¡°Oh?¡± after the black-clothed man observed Shen Wu for a while, he finally smiled and said, ¡°The young master who came from the Immortal Ascension Mansion doesn¡¯t seem to be as humble and polite as the rumors say.¡±


    Shen Wu kept quiet for a moment.


    Wen Ran translated it for him, ¡°He¡¯s bad-mouthing you, Eldest Senior Brother.¡±


    ¡°First of all, I never hit you. Second of all, I didn¡¯t curse you. Who are you to speak ill of me?¡±


    The black-clothed person seemed to be very unaccustomed to such childish way of speaking. He did not follow through with Shen Wu¡¯s conversation and instead said straightforwardly, ¡°What happened today has nothing to do with you at all. You all can just pretend you didn¡¯t see anything. The smart thing to do is leave, and quickly.¡±


    Shen Wu looked at Wen Ran.


    Wen Ran immediately interpreted it for him, ¡°What he¡¯s saying is that people like you who are timid and weak shouldn¡¯t even think about going against him. He will attack us if we don¡¯t escape.¡±


    The black-clothed man¡¯s eyelids twitched. That was probably the first time he had seen someone being so good at fanning the flames.


    ¡°If I run away, then I won¡¯t be considered one of the strong anymore,¡± Shen Wu said unhurriedly.


    Wen Ran¡¯s probing gaze fell on Shen Wu. He seemed to always care about whether he was strong or not, including that time in the cave of the forbidden area when she wanted to drag him out and escape. He even had to specifically emphasize that he was very strong.


    ¡°Who cares if he¡¯s strong or weak?¡± the man in black laughed. ¡°That¡¯s just an empty title in this game of life. What¡¯s so important about it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, but it¡¯s very important,¡± Shen Wu said as he extended his hand towards Wen Ran, ¡°because only the strong can make women fall for them.¡±


    His one-of-a-kind answer caused the sage-like aura that was created by his fluttering white clothes to disappear completely.


    Wen Ran was already used to Shen Wu¡¯s strange way of thinking, so she did not find it strange at all. However, the black-clothed man opposite her was utterly speechless.


    Shen Wu, who still had his hand stretched out, called out unhappily to her, ¡°Ranran.¡±


    Wen Ran looked at the green plum in his hand for a few seconds and took it moments later.


    Shen Wu was satisfied with her actions at last. ¡°Help me keep it safe. I still feel like eating it later.¡±


    The color of the green plum¡¯s flesh made it easy for anyone to tell that the green plum was very much unripe and still very sour.


    Wen Ran was still wondering why he valued this fruit so much when a gust of wind rose from beneath her. Shen Wu had already taken the sword from her hand and his figure flickered. In a breath, he had completely disappeared from her side.


    The next moment, there was a sound of clashing weapons.


    As soon as Shen Wu¡¯s ghost-like figure appeared, the black-clothed person relied on his extraordinary reaction speed to conjure up a long sword and block the attack.


    After that attack came an immediate slash, and no one had the chance to breathe.


    The black-robed man could originally still stand firm and withstand the attack, but he frowned soon after. Shen Wu had an agile figure, and every move that he made was full of killing intent. However, the black-robed man could not sense the killing intent on Shen Wu¡¯s body, which meant that he was completely unable to rely on his cultivator¡¯s instincts to judge Shen Wu¡¯s position based on the the killing intent.


    Moreover, the moves used by this youth were indeed the orthodox swordsmanship of the Immortal Ascension Mansion, but in each of his moves existed an unpredictable and dangerous modification that was impossible to guard against. Lo and behold, the most senior disciple of a famous sect actually possessed a certain sense of devilishness.


    The black-clothed man¡ªwho was deep in thought¡ªwas caught off guard and a cut was inflicted on the sword by his arm. Blood immediately began dripping to the ground and he took two steps back right at once.


    Shen Wu stopped as well and had an amazingly calm aura on his body.


    Something was not right though.


    The black-clothed man¡¯s frown deepened.


    Shen Wu chuckled and swung his long sword. The fresh blood dripped to the ground like a blooming red plum blossom and he said, ¡°Your blood smells even better than the blood of many other creatures I¡¯ve encountered before. I like it very much.¡±


    Every single word was spoken with a smile in his voice to reveal the joy that he was feeling at that moment.


    The situation felt even more dangerous.


    The black-clothed man did not even blink, and the young man took advantage of the pervading smell of blood to appear right in front of him. It was too late for him to block the attack, so he could only turn around to avoid it. It inadvertently led the rope in his injured hand to fall from his hand.


    Wen Ran, who had just taken the opportunity to sneak to the edge of the cliff and save the Qiu Shui, saw the rope slide rapidly down the cliff. In a moment of desperation, she immediately pounced over and tried to grab the rope.


    However, she had underestimated the weight of the person on the other end. She did not manage to pull the rope up, but instead ended up being pulled down by it.


    The night wind resonated with the words that she blurted out before her figure disappeared, ¡°DAMN!¡±

 Chapter 30

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The morning wind blew cold air through the open window and brought a delicate fragrance that refreshed a person¡¯s heart.


    The person sleeping on the bed unconsciously turned over and wrapped the blanket tighter around her body. Such a pleasant time was a good time to sleep in.


    However, someone rudely lifted the blanket and pulled up the person lying on the bed.


    Wen Ran was jolted awake from her dream. She looked at the young girl¡¯s bright and beautiful face and was frozen stiff for a moment.


    ¡°Did you hurt your brain or something when you fell from the cliff?¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s mind became clear and she said expressionlessly, ¡°You¡¯ll have to take care of me for the rest of my life if I hurt my brain from the fall.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me on purpose!¡± Qiu Shui sat on a chair and crossed her legs. ¡°I never asked you to fall with me, so I¡¯m not responsible for you if you hurt your brain from the fall.¡±


    ¡®This ghoul of a girl!¡¯ Wen Ran cursed.


    Wen Ran did not have the mood to argue with her. She looked around the room and noticed the rather simple yet elegant decor. The wooden table and cabinet were all made of good-quality wood, and the owner of this room had to be someone unique.


    Qiu Shui had the same reaction as Wen Ran when she woke up earlier. As soon as she saw Wen Ran scrutinizing the room, she said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to bother looking. I¡¯ve already checked the entire house and didn¡¯t find anything strange. The only unusual thing is that I can¡¯t use my spiritual power right now.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Wen Ran tried to lift her hand to form a seal. Nothing resulted from the seal, which clearly demonstrated that she would not be able to use any spells. She frowned and said, ¡°What is this place?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. All I remember was falling from the cliff. I was already here when I woke up.¡±


    Wen Ran noticed something different about her body. She looked down and saw that she was wearing a yellow dress that was not what she originally wore. She looked at the Qiu Shui, who was also wearing the representative color of Hidden Abyss Valley, and asked, ¡°Did you change my clothes for me?¡±


    Qiu Shui crossed her arms and raised her head in a pampered manner. ¡°Your clothes were all wet after falling from the waterfall. I can¡¯t just watch you die of illness, can I?¡± she remarkedunhappily.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Qiu Shui felt a little uneasy for some reason. She glared at Wen Ran, who was sitting on the bed, and said in a louder voice, ¡°I¡¯m not actually worried that you¡¯ll fall sick. I just¡­ Well, I remembered that you were to be the eldest miss of the Immortal Ascension Mansion. If something happens to you, the Immortal Ascension Mansion will definitely cause trouble with us at the Hidden Abyss Valley. We¡¯re not afraid of trouble, of course, but if word gets out that I¡¯ve bullied you, it¡¯ll affect my reputation as a young lady who is beautiful on the outside and smart on the inside. That isn¡¯t good.¡±


    Wen Ran wondered if Qiu Shui misunderstood the words ¡®beautiful on the outside but smart on the inside¡¯?


    She stared at Qiu Shui for a moment. ¡°All I said was ¡®oh¡¯. Did you have to explain everything to me?¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t explain, you might mistakenly think that I¡¯m a nice person.¡± Qiu Shui turned her face away. She avoided Wen Ran¡¯s gaze and mumbled softly, ¡°I¡¯m not a good person.¡±


    Wen Ran did not know whether to laugh or cry because Qiu Shui was thinking the complete opposite of what she said.


    Wen Ran decided to act as if she believed her words. She got down from the bed and tried to push the locked door, but it did not seem to open. Undeterred, she tried mobilizing her spiritual power again but still there was no response.


    Qiu Shui was able to take out clothes from her storage space to change into, but her cultivation levels were somehow restricted.


    Wen Ran walked to the slightly opened window, and through the crack, she could see a large patch of pear trees outside. The white pear flowers swayed in the wind, creating the impression that they were a pure and spotless white ocean.


    Strangely, however, the trees seemed to be so tall that they covered the sky.


    The pear trees made Wen Ran think of someone.


    Seeing that Wen Ran had been standing by the window in deep thought for a long time, Qiu Shui could not suppress her curiosity and walked over. ¡°What¡¯s gotten you in such deep thought?¡±


    ¡°The master of this place has restricted our freedom, but he doesn¡¯t seem to want to hurt us.¡±


    ¡°Then why did he save us from the cliff and lock us up here?¡±


    ¡°My only guess is that he¡¯s plotting something against us,¡±


    Qiu Shui immediately covered her chest and trembled in fear. ¡°Are you saying that he¡¯s coveting my beauty?!¡±


    Wen Ran glanced at the young girl¡¯s slightly immature face and still girlish face. She asked curiously, ¡°You were so full of confidence when you were tied to the waterfall earlier and had to face a life and death crisis. Why do you seem as timid as a mouse right now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I can¡¯t lose my composure when I¡¯m facing off against someone. Now that the person who imprisoned us isn¡¯t here, what¡¯s the point of putting on that bravery and fearlessness?¡±


    Wen Ran nodded. ¡°I see. You do have a point.¡±


    Qiu Shui¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You think I¡¯m right, don¡¯t you?¡±


    When Wen Ran looked over, Qiu Shui quickly turned her head away and put on an arrogant posture. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand that I¡¯m happy because you agreed with me. I have always been a rational person, and a lot of people tend to agree with my thoughts.¡±


    ¡°I understand. You¡¯re saying that very few people acknowledge the way you think.¡±


    Qiu Shui turned back and shot Wen Ran a look. ¡°You!¡±


    However, Wen Ran ignored her and pushed the window open completely.


    Qiu Shui¡¯s anger disappeared suddenly and she looked at Wen Ran as the latter lifted her skirt in an unladylike manner. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked in confusion.


    ¡°Finding the exit.¡± Wen Ran placed her hands on the window ledge and propped herself up to climb out the window.


    Qiu Shui immediately reminded her, ¡°I¡¯ve already seen the place. It¡¯s as high as a four or five-story building! And besides, none of your magic equipment will be effective.¡±


    In other words, even flying magic weapons could not be used here.


    She would have tried jumping down from there if she could, but they had turned into ordinary people because they could not use their cultivation anymore. If they fell from such a high place, they would be seriously injured at best, and dead at worst.


    ¡°Go get the bedsheets,¡± Wen Ran said to Qiu Shui after observing the environment outside.


    Qiu Shui immediately did as told. After she handed the item over to Wen Ran, she then realized something was wrong. ¡®Why am I so obedient to her?¡¯ she thought.


    Seeing that Wen Ran had torn the bedsheet into strips, Qiu Shui had a rough idea of Wen Ran¡¯s plan. She pouted. ¡°I thought you had some spectacular idea, but I¡¯m sorry to say that this is just a waste of effort. Even if you did that, the bedsheet isn¡¯t long enough.¡±


    Wen Ran kept quiet. She tied the cloth strips up and tugged them hard. After making sure they were secure, she asked, ¡°Do you have anything heavy or strong on you?¡±


    Qiu Shui was a little confused. After thinking for a while, a pot appeared in her hand. It was separated in the middle, and it looked just like one of those yin-yang pots. ¡°Will this do?¡±

 Chapter 31

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Wen Ran was aghast. ¡°Why do you carry a pot with you?¡±


    ¡°I like to eat hotpot.¡±


    It really was a yin-yang pot!


    ¡®What an odd little girl,¡¯ Wen Ran thought to herself. After glancing at the sparkling and translucent pot, she asked, ¡°And what is this made of?¡±


    ¡°Ultra-compressed carbon.¡±


    Wen Ran knew what ultra-compressed carbon was by their other name¡ªdiamonds.


    She was silent for a while. ¡°It¡¯s a little too big. Change it to a smaller one.¡±


    Qiu Shui¡¯s diamond pot turned into a diamond bowl. ¡°Is this better?¡±


    Wen Ran took the bowl and felt that the size was just right. She wrapped the cloth around the bowl a few times and tied it up without hesitation. She then looked out of the window and locked her eyes on the pear tree next to her.


    Wen Ran remained motionless, and Qiu Shui could not help but hold her breath.


    All of a sudden, Wen Ran thrusted her hand out. The bowl that was tied to the cloth flew out, circled around the branch of the tree a couple of times, and caused the cloth to wrap itself around the branch.


    Wen Ran pulled a few more times to make sure it was sturdy. She then turned around and said, ¡°Tie this other end to the corner of the table.¡±


    Qiu Shui was stunned for a while before she came back to her senses. She hurriedly followed Wen Ran¡¯s instructions. The table was moved to the window and leaned against the wall. The cloth was tied firmly to the leg of a table.


    ¡°I¡¯ll head over first. You can follow my instructions later,¡±Wen Ran said.


    ¡°What if something goes wrong?¡± Qiu Shui was still a little worried.


    ¡°We still have to take a chance.¡± Wen Ran, who was sitting on the window ledge, gave the remaining piece of cloth to Qiu Shui while putting a piece of cloth on her makeshift ¡®zipline¡¯.


    Grabbing tightly to the piece of cloth that acted as a ¡®hanging tool¡¯, she made a point to wrap it around her hand. She smiled and said, ¡°You can¡¯t just sit here and wait for the bad guy to covet your beauty, right?¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s figure had already disappeared from the window after she finished speaking. All that could be seen was the hem of her dress, which fluttered in the wind like a butterfly.


    Qiu Shui quickly leaned over the window and looked down. The girl in yellow had already landed on the tree. Not long after, she nimbly climbed down the tree trunk and stood firmly on the ground.


    Wen Ran stood in the midst of the pear trees and smiled while waving to the person above.


    For some reason, Qiu Shui¡¯s ears were a little hot and her face was a little red. It might be because of Wen Ran¡¯s joke of being coveted for her beauty.


    Qiu Shui waited for the unusual expression on her face to be blown away by the wind before she followed Wen Ran¡¯s lead and escaped from the room.


    When she landed, she looked back at the building and realized that the tower-like structure was much taller than she had imagined.


    She then looked at Wen Ran, who was trying to figure out which way to go.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel scared?¡± Qiu Shui could not help but ask.


    ¡°Of course I do. This is a foreign place.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t look scared at all.¡±


    A strange expression appeared on Wen Ran¡¯s face. ¡°If you¡¯ve been with a lunatic for a long time, you¡¯ll realize that fear is nothing compared to being angry. Anger is what¡¯s harmful to the body and mind, especially when it happens often.¡±


    Qiu Shui was very confused.


    At the bottom of the cliff were rivers and lakes with flowing water.


    A young man in blood-red clothes was walking in the forest when he suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose and raised his head to look at the sky.


    The weather seemed a little cold, and it would be terrible if he caught a cold. He decided to come and collect the corpse when the sun was warmer.


    He took two steps back as soon as he had that thought, but he then stopped and touched his chin. ¡°No,¡± he said to himself, ¡°my plums are still with her.¡±


    It would be such a shame if the green plum he had just taken a bite of went to waste.


    The pear forest was so vast that one could not even begin to see the end of it.


    Wen Ran and Qiu Shui walked for hours on end but still could not find a way out. Furthermore, it was easy for anyone to lose their way in that forest because every tree seemed to look the same.


    Regardless of how strong a person¡¯s physical strength was, no one could bear having to walk for two to four hours. The two of them had to eventually stop and rest.


    Qiu Shui looked at the pear trees around her. Her head hurt badly, and she gritted her teeth as she said, ¡°I¡¯m going to set this place on fire once I get out!¡±


    Wen Ran looked up at the sky. ¡°The sky hasn¡¯t changed at all even though we¡¯ve been walking for hours.¡±


    Qiu Shui raised her head when she heard that. As soon as she saw that the clouds in the sky did not move, a thought popped up in her clever mind. ¡°Something must be wrong!¡± she said.


    ¡®Duh!¡¯ Wen Ran looked at her silently.


    Qiu Shui felt a little embarrassed because of how slow she was. She followed Wen Ran and asked, ¡°I heard that you¡¯re very close to Shen Wu. He¡¯ll definitely come to save you if you go missing, right?¡±


    Would Shen Wu come to save her?


    ¡°I think so,¡± Wen Ran replied ambiguously.


    To be honest, she doubted that Shen Wu would come to save her.


    Shen Wu¡¯s personality was unpredictable. He could be a madman during a massacre, but flip a switch and become a modest gentleman in front of outsiders. In private, however, he often resembled a playful child.


    Even though he called her ¡®Ranran¡¯ every single time, there was no true senior-junior relationship to them.


    That was why Wen Ran never thought of waiting for Shen Wu to save her after waking up in that strange place. The only person she could rely on was herself.


    Qiu Shui pulled Wen Ran behind a tree and whispered, ¡°There¡¯s someone up ahead.¡±


    Wen Ran looked in the direction that Qiu Shui was pointing at, only to see two men and a woman under the swaying shadows of the trees in front of them.


    The two men were both dressed like scholars and had handsome faces, while the Woman in white would stun anyone at first sight if they saw her beauty.


    With only a little makeup on her face, her eyes were full of emotion and there was even a little touch of sadness to them. She also had full red lips. Her sleeves were quite loose, and her waist was slender, lending her a delicate and moving look.


    The scholar in blue seemed to be eager to show off himself. He said nervously, ¡°Miss Bai, my loyalty to you is the only constant. I have no other requests in this life other than to marry you!¡±


    Before the woman they called Miss Bai could say anything, the green-robed scholar beside her became anxious. ¡°Don¡¯t believe him, Miss Bai. He only wants you for your beauty. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s truly loyal to you. If I¡¯m given the chance to marry you, I vow never to disappoint you down in this life!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough from you two.¡± The lady¡¯s voice was as gentle as an oriole, but there was a hint of sorrow in it. Her demureness was like the reflection of a delicate blossom in the water, and her actions were like a willow tree in the breeze. She said worriedly, ¡°Thank you for your company these few days, but our destiny ends here. Please leave.¡±


    The blue-robed scholar pleaded bitterly, ¡°Miss Bai, we might have known each other for only a short time, but I can already feel that you¡¯re the one for me. I have decided from the start that I won¡¯t marry anyone else but you!¡±


    The green-robed scholar was not to be outdone. ¡°You are my whole life, Miss Bai! Asking me to leave you is worse than killing me!¡±


    ¡°You two¡­¡± Miss Bai looked back and forth between the two of them and sighed deeply in embarrassment.

 Chapter 32

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    As it turned out, the two young men were fighting over a woman. Their personalities aside, those two young masters were extremely good-looking and it was incredibly difficult for the young girl to make a choice.


    Qiu Shui, who was watching from there, put herself in the lady¡¯s shoes and could not help but sigh. ¡°Can¡¯t these two young masters compromise for her so the three of them can live happily together?¡±


    Wen Ran looked at Qiu Shui in disbelief.


    Qiu Shui felt Wen Ran¡¯s gaze on her and remarked curiously, ¡°That way, the lady won¡¯t have to worry about who to choose. Isn¡¯t that good?¡±


    Wen Ran nodded. ¡°It is.¡± Nevertheless, she felt that Qiu Shui¡¯s future husband would have it quite hard.


    Miss Bai did not seem like a cruel person, and after struggling for some time, she said helplessly, ¡°Alright then. You two stay here for a few more days and leave whenever you want to.¡±


    The two young masters were overjoyed. At the same time, they glared at each other. It was obvious that they would not admit defeat in the matter of winning Miss Bai¡¯s heart.


    The two scholars attentively accompanied Miss Bai away. From their conversation however, there was nothing to suggest that the battle of love would end so easily.


    Wen Ran and Qiu Shui walked out after the trio left, and Qiu Shui was still captivated by the brief glimpse of Miss Bai¡¯s beauty. ¡°I never would¡¯ve expected to see such a beautiful lady in such a place.¡±


    Wen Ran, on the other hand, was pondering over something. Other than the charismatic looking woman, the two male scholars seemed just like ordinary people.


    Since Wen Ran and Qiu Shui were looking for an exit while avoiding anything that would alert the enemy, they were naturally going to avoid anyone they met as much as possible. Moreover, it did not seem that Miss Bai was forced to stay here, which was a contrast to their predicament.


    They had been walking for another hour when they heard the voices of several women up ahead.


    Wen Ran and Qiu Shui glanced at each other and hid behind a tree.


    ¡°Are you looking for something, Young Master Bai? We¡¯ll help you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t butt in! I can help Young Master Bai just fine!¡±


    ¡°Your eyes are smaller than a bean. I don¡¯t think we¡¯d be able to find it by nightfall if you¡¯re the one helping him!¡±


    ¡°Go away, all of you! I¡¯ll help Young Master Bai!¡±


    ¡­


    A few gorgeously dressed women were huddled around a man in white.


    The handsome white-clothed young man had skin so fair that even women would be envious of him. His face was chiseled, and he had a pair of affectionate-looking, peach-shaped eyes that would easily cause anyone to fall for him if they were not careful.


    That man¡¯s facial features were even more exquisite and perfect than a woman¡¯s, and it was no exaggeration to say that he had a devastatingly beautiful appearance. Any woman¡ªbe it old or young¡ªwould definitely not forget him once they saw him.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t feel good¡­¡± Qiu Shui stared at the person over there and clutched the tree trunk tightly. She said agonizingly, ¡°I¡¯m going to lose control and walk toward him ¡­¡±


    Wen Ran also felt that something was not right with her.


    That man exuded an irresistible charm from head to toe, and the sheer strength of that charm was more than enough to attract the fairer gender into having the mindset of approaching him so he could hug them¡­


    Wen Ran suddenly recalled the time she fell from midair in the forbidden area and was pulled into Shen Wu¡¯s embrace. She was also reminded of those bloody means that Shen Wu had used to slice that snake demon into eight pieces the other day. Her entire body quivered and her mind instantly regained its clarity.


    Young Master Bai was surrounded by so many girls that he seemed troubled by it. ¡°My notes are gone.¡±


    His remark elicited a discussion among the women.


    ¡°Is it the book that Young Master Bai always has in his hand?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Young Master Bai¡¯s favorite book!¡±


    ¡°I remember that Young Master Bai would read that book a lot!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Whoever finds Young Master Bai¡¯s notes first can travel with him for a day!¡± someone shouted.


    No one knew which girl made that remark, but it immediately sent those girls into a frenzied enthusiasm. They rushed to find the book as they were afraid someone else might get to it before them.


    Young Master Bai was left all alone. He reached out his hand to the air and mumbled, ¡°I didn¡¯t say I agreed to it¡­¡±


    The girls had already dashed off and none of them seemed to care whether or not he agreed.


    He put down his hand and sighed with a worried look in his eyes.


    He looked even more pitiful when he sighed.


    Qiu Shui knew that something was not right with her, but her eyes were glued to the young master and she could not control her urge to get closer. It was not right because she was never one to be influenced by good looks!


    A ¡®bang¡¯ was heard.


    Wen Ran jumped in shock. She turned around to see what happened and saw Qiu Shui¡¯s body collapsing slowly to the ground.


    The girl had knocked herself out by hitting her head against the tree!


    How ruthless could she be?!


    Unfortunately, the commotion she caused had also attracted the attention of the white-robed young master.


    ¡°What are you guys doing here?¡± The young master walked closer. Wen Ran could feel his unrivaled handsomeness as he approached her, and his face was truly perfect and flawless.


    The impact of his beauty at such close distance made Wen Ran¡¯s heart skip a beat, and she pinched her own thigh to prevent herself from losing her mind. Since she did not sense any dangerous aura from him, she forced herself to calm down and asked, ¡°Do you know who were are?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a clue, but I was the one who brought you two back. Why is she sleeping on the ground? She¡¯ll catch a cold like this.¡± The young master bent down worriedly and tried to help the woman up, only to be blocked by Wen Ran.


    He looked at her in confusion. There was a clear and pure look in his eyes and he did not seem to have the slightest bit of ill intent.


    However, Wen Ran still did not let her guard down, because she was still suffering from past-traumatic stress disorder thanks to Shen Wu¡¯s antics.


    At this moment, Wen Ran regretted not knocking herself out first. She forced a smile and said, ¡°We haven¡¯t had the opportunity to thank you for saving us. My friend prefers to use the sky as her blanket and the ground as her bed. Let her rest a little more. She didn¡¯t sleep too well.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The young master actually believed Wen Ran¡¯s nonsense that easily. He stood up and said happily, ¡°I also enjoy using the sky as my blanket and the ground as my bed. I must have a good chat with that lady after she wakes up.¡±


    He looked as if he had finally met a genuine confidant in his life and was as pure as a little white flower.


    Wen Ran¡¯s eyes were dazzled by his smiling face and her little heart began beating wildly. She hurriedly covered her chest and was finally able to suppress her frantically-beating heart after forcing herself to remember how Shen Wu slaughtered the snake demon.

 Chapter 33

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Wen Ran was unsure if he was really a pure soul or was merely faking it, so she tried probing, ¡°Why did you lock us in the room if you saved us?¡±


    She might as well ask since there was no longer any need to hide anything from him after he spotted them.


    ¡°I locked you in the room?¡± the young master in white asked, puzzled.


    ¡°We wanted to go out of the room and see the rest of the house when we woke up, but the door just wouldn¡¯t swing open when we tried opening it.¡±


    The young master had a look of surprise on his beautiful face. ¡°That door doesn¡¯t swing open. It¡¯s slid open, like this¡­¡±


    He stretched out his hands as if he was holding the door, and then slid them from left to right.


    Wen Ran¡¯s eyes widened.


    In all her years in that world, she could not believe that she had forgotten about the existence of sliding doors!


    The young master asked again, ¡°How did you get out then, if you can¡¯t open the door?¡±


    Wen Ran was speechless.


    She suddenly felt as if she was a monkey with her quick-witted escape earlier.


    The young master was still waiting for Wen Ran¡¯s answer.


    Wen Ran was astute enough to change the topic. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you that we were saved after falling accidentally from the cliff that day. May I ask for your name, Young Master? we¡¯ll repay you for your kindness in the future.¡±


    ¡°They all call me Young Master Bai. You may call me that too.¡±


    ¡°Young Master Bai,¡± Wen Ran addressed him courteously, ¡°we will never forget your kind act of saving our lives. We will most certainly send you a gift of gratitude after we get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Are you in a hurry to leave?¡±


    Wen Ran observed his expression for a moment. His question sounded like he was just casually asking and his expression was simple and ignorant. She said, ¡°Our family and friends must be very worried about our sudden disappearance. I fear they are anxiously searching for us right now, so we should not stay here any longer.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re different from the other girls I¡¯ve met before,¡± he said.


    Wen Ran thought of the group of beautiful girls who had surrounded him not long ago and laughed dryly. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°They never want to leave. You and the sleeping girl are the only ones who wanted to leave.¡±


    The ¡®sleeping girl¡¯ he mentioned was Qiu Shui, who still remained unconscious on the ground.


    ¡°Those girls ¡­ Were they all people that the young master saved?¡±


    Young Master Bai nodded again and started to count with his fingers. ¡°Miss Li sold herself to pay for her father¡¯s funeral expenses. I gave her some money because I felt sorry for her, and she then said she wanted to stay by my side. When Miss Wang was walking on the road one day and nearly tripped, I was quick enough to catch her and stop her fall. She said she wanted to repay me and would do so by devoting herself to me. Miss Zhao said that her heart disease was cured without the need of any medication because I walked past her, so she wanted to repay me for the great favor that I did to her¡­¡±


    Wen Ran looked at him speechlessly for a moment before asking, ¡°Didn¡¯t you reject them, Young Master Bai?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± He sighed at the mention of that. ¡°But if I don¡¯t let them follow me, they¡¯ll cry and cry and cry. They look so sad when they cry and I can¡¯t say anything to chase them away. Is the outside world that scary? Why aren¡¯t they willing to go back?¡±


    Young Master Bai could not understand those girls.


    Wen Ran suddenly felt that the color white really suited him. She surmised that the scholarly-looking men she had met before had used the same reason to stay there.


    Young Master Bai cast away his sorrow and looked around before asking, ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful, Young Lady. Can I ask you a few questions before you leave?¡±


    Wen Ran found it a little strange to be called beautiful by a man who could surpass any woman in terms of appearance. ¡°What do you want to ask, Young Master?¡±


    ¡°What kind of person do beautiful girls like?¡±


    Wen Ran blurted out without thinking, ¡°Guys who aren¡¯t lunatics and look decent.¡±


    She did not mention qualities like being gentle, patient, knowledgeable, or ambitious. In fact, it was the first time he ever heard of such a standard, which refreshed his view of things.


    Out of habit, he wanted to take out his notes and jot them down, but then he remembered that he had lost the notes that recorded his experiences.


    He could only say longingly, ¡°You¡¯re both so beautiful. I¡¯m sure she shares the same thoughts as you.¡±


    ¡°Who are you talking about, Young Master?¡±


    ¡°A kind lady.¡± Young Master Bai¡¯s beautiful face blushed. ¡°She saved me once.¡±


    ¡°This lady you¡¯re talking about, does she like to wear red?¡±


    The young master¡¯s eyes lit up.¡±Yes, do you know her?¡±


    His tone became a lot sharper at the end of his question, almost like a woman¡¯s voice. One could surmise that it was probably because his emotions had been stirred. It was not only his voice that had changed, but his personality too.


    His facial features became more feminine and beautiful, and his figure became thinner. Wen Ran saw with her own two eyes how that charismatic man turned into a woman of absolute beauty.


    The woman was the same one that the two scholars had been fighting over.


    Wen Ran¡¯s guess was confirmed. As soon as she saw the large pear forest there, her first guess was that the owner of that place was the third male lead in the plot who was infatuated with the female lead.


    It was a tree demon that had just undergone transformation and still remained inexperienced in the world. As a result, it was as innocent as a child.


    When Qin Susu was still a young girl and Qin Wanwan had yet to bring her to the Immortal Ascension Mansion, she had seen a pear tree that was about to wither. She would occasionally water that tree from time to time and the tree was eventually saved.


    Said tree was the third male lead after the first male lead and the second male lead, who were the young immortal lord and the demon lord, respectively. It was a little tree demon that could stimulate the maternal instinct of someone else.


    Pear trees were hermaphroditic, and before he decided on a gender, he would constantly switch between the two different genders.


    However, the girl of uncertain gender was asking impatiently, ¡°You know her, right? Then you must know what kind of person she likes!¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s pounding heart finally calmed down when she faced the female tree demon. ¡°I¡¯m quite sure that the person she likes is a man,¡± she said calmly.


    He was enlightened. ¡°I see. She likes men.¡±


    Tree demons would choose their gender when they first transformed, but since he was unsure if the girl he liked preferred a man or a woman, he had not been able to settle on a gender.


    It would take pointers from men for a while, and then later from women. It was all for the sake of winning the lady-in-red¡¯s heart when he finally reunited with her.


    That was also the reason why more and more young men and women went missing from Wind Moon City in recent days. The young men and women who disappeared were all good-looking, and the tree demon must have assumed that all beautiful people thought alike.

 Chapter 34

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    However, the tree demon still failed to understand why the passers-by had to cry and follow it back to the pear forest after only saying a couple of words to them.


    ¡°Thank you for giving me an answer, Miss. I finally know what I need to do,¡± the gentle and affectionate girl said gratefully.


    It should have decided on a gender long ago, but having suppressed itself repeatedly like that would be very inconducive to the growth of its cultivation foundation. Besides, it was also inconvenient for it to constantly change its gender.


    ¡°Do you know where she is now?¡± it asked expectantly.


    Wen Ran shook her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her in a long time.¡±


    The plot had been a mess since the beginning, and Shen Wu showed no tendency to go crazy over his future wife.


    The tree demon, which was originally supposed to appear in the middle of the plot, had appeared rather early on without even deciding on its gender yet. Furthermore, Wen Ran had no clue where Qin Susu and that demon lord were.


    The tree demon was a little disappointed, but it quickly cheered up. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll find her eventually!¡±


    The wind blew, and for a time, the fragrance of pear flowers filled the air. The white flowers on the surrounding pear trees started drifting down, and it began raining flowers as if she was welcoming a great event.


    Wen Ran was dazzled by the flowery fragrance.


    ¡°I¡¯m finally going to transform,¡± the tree demon said happily.


    The lady in white¡¯s figure was wrapped in petals and she seemed to have become one with the flowers. Gradually, her figure disappeared and was replaced by the figure of a tree with luxuriant branches and leaves.


    The white flowers in the air disappeared one by one, and the surrounding pear trees were left with only green leaves. Only the pear tree in the center had a small flower bud waiting to bloom on the highest branch between the green leaves.


    That was the first time Wen Ran had seen the tree demon transform. She looked up at the towering tree and remembered that it had saved her life, prompting her to advise it, ¡°You haven¡¯t seen her for so long. Who knows if she already has someone she likes.¡±


    The tree branches swayed and an androgynous voice came over. ¡°I¡¯ve learned how to win a girl¡¯s heart from many men. I won¡¯t lose.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the issue. The people she knows now are all powerful people who are involved even with the underworld. You¡¯ll be in danger if you go to her.¡± The danger that Wen Ran was talking about was the end of this tree demon. It was willing to be buried in a sea of fire for Qin Susu and was burnt to the point that not even ashes were left of it.


    ¡°Alright, please don¡¯t distract me by talking to me. I¡¯m trying my best to grow my stamen.¡±


    They tried their best to grow stamen¡­


    Wen Ran¡¯s mind went blank. She figured that a stamen of a flower was what genitals are to a man.


    She would feel really guilty if something happened to its stamen because of her interruption,.


    Wen Ran chose to be quiet for the time being and decided that she would have a good talk with it later. In addition, she surmised that time had stopped after noticing that something was not quite right with the sky.


    In other words, that world was something of a boundary that the tree demon had created.


    She could not understand how that weak tree demon could create such a large barrier, but it was obvious that she could not use any spells yet. It was only if the tree demon was willing to let them go that an exit would appear in the barrier. Neither Qiu Shui nor herself could use their cultivation, thus precluding them from just smashing a hole in the barrier with their bare hands.


    The sudden sound of glass shattering startled Wen Ran, who was quietly waiting for the process to be over.


    She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a web-like crack in the sky, almost as if there was a broken mirror in the air.


    Not long later, she heard another smashing sound and the crack became bigger and bigger.


    Wen Ran nervously grabbed a stick from the ground to defend herself.


    A hand reached out from the other side of the crack. It grabbed hold on one side, as if it was grabbing the edge of a thin piece of paper, and began tearing an even bigger hole.


    The young man¡¯s head poked in and he grinned. ¡°Good evening, Ranran!¡±


    Wen Ran was so shocked by his loud voice that she threw the stick in her hand. ¡°You¡¯re trying to scare me to death, aren¡¯t you, Shen Wu!¡±


    What kind of a monster was he to break the barrier with his bare hands!


    Shen Wu dodged the wooden stick that was thrown at him and said in a heartbroken voice, ¡°I saw you fall off the cliff, and I¡¯ve been looking for you for so long that I didn¡¯t eat or sleep. How can you be so heartless to me?¡±


    ¡°At least wipe the grease off your mouth before you say that!¡±


    Shen Wu wiped the corner of his mouth when he heard that. He did not seem the least bit embarrassed as he smiled innocently and said, ¡°I¡¯m just afraid you¡¯ll go hungry, so I roasted a chicken on my way here for you. ¡±


    ¡°And where is that roast chicken?¡±


    ¡°You probably wouldn¡¯t like it because it didn¡¯t taste good, so I decided to deal with it myself.¡±


    Wen Ran chuckled.


    Shen Wu jumped out of the crack. It scene behind him was already night but the land he was standing on was still day. The sight made him gasp in awe like a child who had never seen the world. ¡°How magical!¡±


    Wen Ran wondered which was more magical: that barrier, or Shen Wu who had smashed a hole in the barrier with his bare hands!


    Shen Wu no longer had his straw hat but there was a slight bruise on the right corner of his eye. He did not look disheveled though, and instead had his usual youthfulness. In addition, the white clothes on his body were stained with blood that was not his.


    Wen Ran looked at his dirty body and stopped him from getting closer. ¡°Stay away from me!¡±


    Shen Wu stopped in his tracks and had a sorrowful expression. ¡°A day without you feels like three autumns. My longing for you is constant, yet I am repaid with such heartlessness.¡±


    ¡°Where did you learn all this prose?¡±


    ¡°I picked up an interesting little book on the way here.¡± Shen Wu¡¯s serious expression only lasted for a second. He took out a book and casually flipped through it. There was a twinkle in his eyes and an inquisitive spirit, but Wen Ran seemed to view him as a lunatic. He said, ¡°The book also says that it¡¯s best to bring a meeting gift when meeting a young lady that I haven¡¯t seen in a long time.¡±


    Before Wen Ran could react, she felt a gust of wind as the young man¡¯s figure appeared suddenly in front of her.


    ¡°This is for you, Ranran!¡±


    Wen Ran looked at the tree branch in his hand. On the branch was a little white flower that had just bloomed.


    ¡°I came in a hurry and didn¡¯t bring a meeting gift,¡± he said enthusiastically, ¡°so I¡¯ll make do with this.¡±


    Wen Ran raised her head. There was only a patch of lush green left on the large tree. The sole white flower was currently being held in Shen Wu¡¯s hand.


    Her eyes widened slowly. ¡°You pulled out his stamen!¡±


    Shen Wu blinked in confusion.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t I just pick a flower?¡¯ he wondered. ¡®Why did she make it sound like I had just taken a person¡¯s life?¡¯


    Wen Ran hurriedly reached out to save the flower, but when she remembered that the flower with the stamen was actually the male genitals, she could not bring herself to touch it. All she could do was plead and hope that it could be stuck back on. ¡°It¡¯ll be back to normal if you stick it back on, right?¡±


    Shen Wu kindly reminded her, ¡°It won¡¯t.¡±

 Chapter 35

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    At that moment, Wen Ran did not understand whether he meant that it could not be stuck back on or whether it would no longer function even if he stuck it back on. In short, it was a very huge problem. She shouted fiercely at him, ¡°SHEN WU!¡±


    Shen Wu tilted his head slightly. ¡°I¡¯m here, Ranran.¡± ¡®Why do you have to shout so loudly?¡¯


    ¡°Do you know what this flower represents?!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°A stamen! Like¡­ You know¡­ The thing that only men like you have!¡±


    Shen Wu very cleverly understood. ¡°Ah, you mean leg hair.¡±


    ¡°Leg hair, my foot! Women have leg hair too!¡±


    He was skeptical. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. Show me.¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s rising anger suddenly came to a peak and her forehead began to twitch when she realized that he was about to change the topic. She could not fathom how he was still trying to tease her at such a time. ¡°Be serious!¡±


    Shen Wu immediately cooperated with her and put on a serious expression. He blinked and looked behind Wen Ran, then said something surprising without so much as even a look of surprise. ¡°The tree has turned into a human, Ranran.¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s scalp went numb when she turned around and saw a girl in white.


    The girl¡¯s figure was delicate, as if she could be blown away by a gust of wind at any time. Her flower-like face was already on the verge of tears.


    Her red eyes were filled with endless grievances and sorrow. There were no words to describe that pity.


    Even though Wen Ran was a woman, she could not help herself from feeling heartache for that pitiful young lady. For some reason, she instinctively looked at Shen Wu standing beside her.


    There was no change in Shen Wu¡¯s dazed expression. His gaze fell on the white-clothed girl and he remained quiet.


    Wen Ran understood why he was so stunned. In fact, she had also lost her ability to speak when she saw Young Master Bai¡¯s looks.


    All of a sudden, a sword light flashed in her eyes.


    Wen Ran stared in shock at the person who pulled out the sword.


    On the young man¡¯s originally expressionless face was a little smile. It was a warm smile that instantly gave off the impression that he was a lot livelier.


    There was some element of surprise in his tone. ¡°A tree demon! I like it.¡±


    Wen Ran was flabbergasted. There was clearly something wrong with his concept of the word ¡®like¡¯. After all, who would draw their sword when they saw a person they liked?


    ¡°You evil man! Give me back my stamen!¡± Bai the tree demon demanded anxiously and angrily.


    Qiu Shui, who had been lying unconscious on the ground for a long time, finally began to move. She rubbed her forehead and got up slowly, whereupon she looked at the three people standing not far away in a daze.


    Wen Ran nervously glanced at the sword in Shen Wu¡¯s hand. ¡°Just return what you took from her, Eldest Senior Brother.¡±


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Shen Wu turned around, pursed his lips slightly, and asked in dissatisfaction, ¡°Do you think I can¡¯t beat her?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s just that¡­this belongs to her. She wants it back, so just give it to her.¡± Wen Ran carefully approached Shen Wu. ¡°If you really like flowers, we can pick some more beautiful flowers another day!¡±


    Shen Wu finally felt happy after being coaxed. He glanced at the little white flower in his hand and nodded after feeling that its plain color was nothing interesting. ¡°Alright.¡±


    He threw the flower to the ground.


    Bai hurriedly went to pick it up, but a snap was heard as soon as she reached for it. A young girl¡¯s embroidered shoes had stepped merciless on it.


    Her figure froze.


    There were really no words to describe the expression on Wen Ran¡¯s face.


    ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± Qiu Shui was still in a daze as she did not understand what was going on. She eventually lifted her foot off the ground when she finally noticed that the girl in white had bent over without moving.


    She plucked the flower that was stuck to her sole and looked at it in her hand. It was already ruined beyond recognition, so she said embarrassedly, ¡°You¡­like this flower?¡±


    Bai stood up stiffly. She stretched out her trembling hand to reach for the miserable lump in Qiu Shui¡¯s hand, but was unable to do it.


    Qiu Shui saw that Bai¡¯s hand was hesitating somewhat , so she kindly grabbed the latter¡¯s hand and stuffed the lump into it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll use my money to buy you a garden once I return home!¡±


    Bai held the lump with both hands and stared at it for a long time until it eventually cried out in grief and indignation. ¡°My stamen!!!¡±


    The bright sky turned gray all of a sudden. The trees in the forest moved despite the lack of wind and the leaves in the forest rustled. All those trees absorbed a large amount of spiritual power from God-knows-where and everything was gathered on Bai.


    Bai¡¯s hair was growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, resembling a black waterfall that was flowing down the green grass.


    Her white clothes fluttered like butterflies, and the terrifying aura she had made Qiu Shui¡ªwho was standing closest to her¡ªtake a few steps back.


    The excitement in Shen Wu¡¯s eyes grew, as that tree demon¡¯s spiritual energy had increased greatly and finally looked like it could take a good beating.


    He could not hold back the impulse in his body and was about to rush forward with his sword, but a girl leapt forward and clung to him.


    ¡°Calm down! Don¡¯t be impulsive! He¡¯s very powerful, and you¡¯ll get hurt!¡±


    Shen Wu¡¯s movements stopped. He lowered his head in a daze and looked at Wen Ran, who was clinging onto him with all her might like a sloth hanging on a tree. His expression turned blank for a moment.


    It was as if his brain had short-circuited.


    Qiu Shui covered her face and cried out, ¡°You¡¯re hugging a man in public! How shameless!¡±


    Even though she said that, Qiu Shui couldn¡¯t help but secretly look through the gaps between her fingers at what was going on. She was not a direct party to what was happening, but her heart was beating wildly as she watched on.


    Wen Ran¡¯s sudden movement halted Bai¡¯s surging spiritual power.


    Wen Ran was sacrificing every shred of her dignity. Other people might not know what kind of person Shen Wu was, but she was well aware of his character. She knew from what happened at the forbidden area that day that no one would be able to tell him to stop if he went crazy.


    She knew in her heart that she lacked the courage to shield Bai from his sword if she had waited to act after they started fighting. Moreover, she did not have that much charm to stop Shen Wu from attacking once he had been overwhelmed by his bloodlust.


    As a result, her only choice was to resort to such methods in a moment of desperation. There would not be any further issues so long as Shen Wu and Bai did not come to blows!


    In order to prevent Shen Wu from throwing her off, Wen Ran clung even harder around his neck and waist.


    She did not really mind if he had killed any other evil demon, but Bai was not a bad demon and had even saved her life. Even if she had no conscience, she could not sit by and watch Bai be killed by him.


    Shen Wu slowly put down the hand that was holding the sword. The eyeballs in his pitch-black eyes rolled a few times, as if he had come to understand something. He then said in a strange tone, ¡°Do you like me that much, Ranran?¡±

 Chapter 36

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°What?¡± Wen Ran, whose entire body had tensed up, did not know how to react after raising her head and gazing at the young man¡¯s refreshingly serious gaze.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m very popular. It¡¯s only natural for you to like me, care about me, and worry about me, but you need to control yourself.¡±


    Wen Ran was speechless.


    ¡®What the hell is he talking about?¡¯ she thought to herself.


    Shen Wu blinked his eyes coldly. The sword in his hand disappeared, and he raised his hand. As he poked her face, he said in a solemn tone, ¡°You¡¯re blocking me right now because you¡¯re afraid I¡¯d be injured by the tree demon. But there might come a day when I¡¯ll make enemies out of everyone in the world. If you still shield me then, you might end up turning to ash. That is why you need to control your love for me.¡±


    ¡°You might have misunderstood something ¡­¡± Wen Ran muttered.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you talking to me when you said you didn¡¯t want anyone to get hurt?¡±


    Wen Ran smiled. ¡°I was talking to you, of course.¡±


    Hearing this, the sword that had appeared in his hand disappeared and Wen Ran let out a sigh of relief.


    Shen Wu grabbed Wen Ran¡¯s collar and pulled her down from his body, but fortunately for Wen Ran, he did not let go of her immediately like he did in the cave. She was placed gently on the ground.


    Then, Shen Wu patted Wen Ran¡¯s head. She could feel her head going numb from the pats, ostensibly because Shen Wu never did anything like that before and therefore could not control his strength well.


    ¡°Although I am second to one else in this world, You shouldn¡¯t be obsessed with me. Nad And besides, I don¡¯t like women who take the initiative.¡±


    Wen Ran glanced at him and snorted in her heart. His dirty and messy white clothes, the bruises on his face, and his clumsy expression did not match his age at all.


    Bai, who was still feeling aggrieved from what happened, could not help but say, ¡°I can¡¯t just let this slide!¡±


    Shen Wu¡¯s interest was piqued again. ¡°Do you want to fight?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Wen Ran stopped him hurriedly. ¡°She saved my life!¡±


    Shen Wu uttered a rather disappointed, ¡°Oh¡±.


    Bai¡¯s eyes were red with anger. ¡°You¡¯re plucked my stamen! You need to compensate!¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it just a flower?¡¯ Shen Wu nodded his head generously. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll compensate for it.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Wen Ran was the one who shouted that time.


    Everyone looked at her.


    Wen Ran restrained herself from looking at the area below Shen Wu¡¯s waist and said uneasily, ¡°This is not something you can just ¡®compensate¡¯, Eldest Senior Brother.¡±


    He would not have a blessed life if he did so.


    Shen Wu had a blank expression.


    Bai stomped her feet anxiously at Wen Ran. ¡°Why can¡¯t you make him compensate?¡±


    Wen Ran was embarrassed. ¡°Even if he did, I don¡¯t think¡­it¡¯ll match.¡±


    Qiu Shui could not bear to see them fighting over a flower. The people in the Hidden Abyss Valley used gold in carving practice, so she found it quite pathetic to see them being entangled over a little flower. She said arrogantly, ¡°Alright, stop fighting. It¡¯s just a flower, isn;t it?¡± Bai, do you like gemstones or gold and silver? Our people in the Hidden Abyss Valley can carve flowers out of them for you!¡±


    Bai covered her face and sobbed. ¡°This is an insult to me! How can you compare my stamen to those rocks and metals?¡±


    Qiu Shui silently took a step back when she saw Bai crying. She had no experience in coaxing women, let alone a beautiful woman who seemed predisposed to crying.


    Wen Ran was riddled with guilt. ¡°Don¡¯t cry,¡± she said, ¡°we can still find a way to remedy this.¡±


    ¡°But how?¡± Bai said in despair.


    It had taken such great pains to cultivate into human form because it wanted to see the girl it loved and live with her. When it finally found out that the girl it loved preferred men, it tried its best to transform its stamen to become a man. With stamen plucked and crushed, there was nothing it had to compete with those other men!


    Wen Ran racked her brain and an idea popped up suddenly in her mind. ¡°The third elder of our Immortal Ascension Mansion is the best at medicine. I was told that she can bring the dead back to life and grow flesh from bones. Come with us to the Immortal Ascension Mansion. Perhaps our third elder will have a way.¡±


    Bai stopped crying. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve also heard of the spiritual master Mu Xi,¡± Qiu Shui added. ¡°They say she has a good relationship with the island master of the Wonder Fragrance Island. She has reached exceptionally high attainment in her medical skills, and perhaps she really is capable of restoring a broken flower to its original state.¡±


    Bai stopped crying. Her watery eyes seemed to be glowing as she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and find that¡­ Spiritual master whatever-her-name-is!¡±


    In fact, Wen Ran was very nervous. Their spiritual master Mu Xi was indeed a master when it came to medicine, but she had never done any procedure to regrow a person¡¯s genitalia. Wen Ran also could not predict what kind of trouble would be stirred up if she brought Bai back.


    In the end, everything was still Shen Wu¡¯s fault!


    Wen Ran glared at the spaced-out young man beside her, who then flashed an innocent smile to her.


    Wen Ran did not know if he was really stupid or just pretending to be stupid. She decided not to waste time arguing with a lunatic and said instead, ¡°First things first, we need to leave this place.¡±


    At that moment, Shen Wu pointed at a tree. ¡°I want to bring it back.¡±


    Wen Ran had a strange intuition that he was up to something and facepalmed helplessly. ¡°What are you trying to do now, Eldest Senior Brother?¡±


    ¡°This pear tree seems to be rather fine. I¡¯m sure it will bear some very delicious fruits.¡±


    ¡°If you want to eat some pears, I¡¯ll bring you to buy some when we leave.¡±


    Shen Wu then acted like an innocent child throwing a tantrum. ¡°No! I want this exact tree.¡±


    Qiu Shui, who was watching from one side, could not help her puzzlement. That man ought to be young and promising Shen Wu, yet the way he carried himself was the complete opposite of the rumors!


    Bai was still angry at Shen Wu and she snorted. ¡°The trees here don¡¯t want to go with you. They¡¯re growing very happily here.¡±


    No other trees in that forest had successfully cultivated into demons except for Bai, but Bai could communicate with those trees because she was a tree demon.


    ¡°We can buy better trees when we¡¯re out,¡± Wen Ran said.


    Shen Wu¡¯s IQ seemed to have regressed by a few years as he said in a matter-of-fact manner, ¡°I¡¯m not the kind that does things half-heartedly, Ranran.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So I can¡¯t settle for second best when it comes to love.¡±


    Wen Ran was marveling at how that frivolous guy could occasionally say such philosophical words when a sword Qi brushed past her shoulder. The trees collapsed with a loud bang, and a cloud of dust rose.


    Cracks then appeared on the ground.


    ¡°I think I used a little too much strength,¡± Shen Wu said in hindsight.


    On the other end, Qiu Shui hurriedly pulled Bai and a few steps. Wen Ran also pulled Shen Wu and ran a few steps back. When they were out of the affected area, she couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and snapped at Shen Wu, ¡°Can¡¯t you use your brain before you attack?¡±


    Shen Wu felt wronged. ¡°You snapped at me, Ranran.¡±

 Chapter 37

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Wen Ran came back to her senses and immediately controlled her emotions. Shen Wu was a lunatic, and she might be cracked open next if she provoked him.


    ¡°What is this?!¡± Qiu Shui cried out all of a sudden.


    Qiu Shui¡¯s remark drew everyone¡¯s attention to a secret passage in the cracked ground. There were traces of golden spiritual power spreading from the depths of the secret passage to the other side. Said spiritual power was so pure and abundant that anyone who was not an immortal or a cultivator could still tell at a glance that it was good news.


    Wen Ran looked at it for a while and said hesitantly, ¡°This spiritual power is so rich. I wonder if this is the leakage of some family¡¯s spiritual stream?¡±


    Qiu Shui¡¯s face paled.


    Wen Ran was shocked. ¡°I wasn¡¯t serious¡­¡±


    Shen Wu clapped his hands proudly. ¡°Amazing, Ranran! You got it right without even trying.¡±


    Wen Ran secretly gave Shen Wu a kick. Even an idiot would know that the problem they were facing was a huge matter. It would be a real big issue if the spirit stream had leaked out!


    Following Shen Wu¡¯s previous attack, the barrier shattered, and the independant space was immediately enveloped by the dark night. The men and women who had willingly stayed in the pear tree forest walked out in twos and threes, each of whom had a confused expression on their face.


    ¡°You!¡± Qiu Shui grabbed Bai¡¯s collar and asked fiercely, ¡°Did you steal our spirit stream?¡±


    She could see that the direction the spiritual energy was pouring out from was the direction of Hidden Abyss Valley!


    Bai was so anxious that her eyes turned red. ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡±


    Wen Ran hurriedly walked over to stop the argument. ¡°Calm down. Let¡¯s all just calm down. Miss Qiu, let¡¯s hear what Miss Bai has to say first.¡±


    Qiu Shui clenched her fists so tightly that one could hear some cracking sounds. She stared at Bai¡¯s pitiful face and felt no pity at all. ¡°Stop crying! Tell me the truth!¡±


    Bai thought to herself that all the women in the world were bad people except the one she liked most. She wanted to whine a few more times, but did not dare to do so any longer when she saw Qiu Shui¡¯s fist. She could only say unwillingly, ¡°I pass by this place occasionally and found out that the spiritual energy here was really abundant. That¡¯s why I decided to cultivate here. I don¡¯t know anything about the spiritual stream, and I¡¯ve never stolen your spiritual stream. I don¡¯t know anything about it!¡±


    It also explained why a little tree demon like her could build such a large barrier. She had borrowed the spiritual energy gathered from the underground. According to Bai¡¯s simple and ignorant mind, she decided to stay there because she felt that it was a good place. However, she never bothered to dig into the more intricate reasons of why the area was so conducive.


    Qiu Shui still had some doubts. ¡°Dare to swear on it?¡±


    ¡°I swear! May I never grow a stamen for the rest of my life if I¡¯m lying!¡± Bai said immediately.


    Wen Ran had a complicated expression as she patted Qiu Shui¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s a really solemn oath.¡±


    Qiu Shui looked at Bai a few more times and let go of her collar after confirming that she was not lying. ¡°I have to hurry back to the Hidden Abyss Valley and tell my father about this.¡±


    Spiritual streams were directly related to the rise and fall of a sect. Qiu Shui was no idiot¡ªshe knew that the theft of spiritual power was not something a junior like her could handle, so she did not hastily say that she would investigate it herself.


    Wen Ran stared at the secret passage underground and studied it carefully. She frowned slightly and felt that streams of spiritual power flowing on the stone wall were a little familiar.


    A hand reached out to her.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Wen Ran¡¯s thoughts were interrupted.


    ¡°I had you safeguard something, remember?¡± Shen Wu pursed his lips and said unhappily.


    Wen Ran had to spend some moments in deep thought before she realized what he was talking about. She took out the half-eaten green plum, placed it in his palm, and mumbled in confusion, ¡°Did you really spend all that time fretting over a sour green plum?¡±


    However, Shen Wu¡¯s eyes slowly widened as he looked down at the green plum in his hand.


    ¡°What is it now?¡± Wen Ran asked when she saw his shocked expression.


    He looked at her and said in a faint voice, ¡°You fell from the cliff and almost died, but you still safeguarded my belongings. You¡¯re terrible, Ranran.¡±


    Wen Ran had a puzzled look. ¡°I¡¯m terrible?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re terribly in love with me.¡±


    Wen Ran was speechless. ¡®Is there a hole in his brain or something?¡¯


    The moon was already high in the sky when everyone returned to the Hidden Abyss Valley.


    A group of people surrounded Qiu Shui the moment she entered the manor.


    Someone expressed their concern. ¡°Are you alright, Eldest Miss?¡±


    Another person was worried. ¡°Did that evil person hurt you?¡±


    There were also people who were filled with righteous indignation. ¡°Who on earth dares to kidnap the eldest miss of our Hidden Abyss Valley!¡±


    Among the many voices, there was one voice that was particularly ear-piercing.


    ¡°Like I said, scourges live on for millennia. Nothing¡¯s going to happen to her so easily.¡± Qiu Shan crossed his arms, stood nonchalantly at the edge of the crowd, and swept his gaze unceremoniously at Qiu Shui from head to toe.


    Qiu Shui glared at him. If she had not been that exhausted, she would have definitely raised her heavy sword and swung it at him.


    After all, Qiu Shui and Qiu Shan would pick fights with each other whenever they met. It did not surprise anyone there.


    Ye Sui had a refined air about him and he stood out in the crowd. ¡°Qiu Shan,¡± he said helplessly, ¡°you¡¯re making sarcastic remarks now, but who was it that was so anxious to find her after hearing that she was kidnapped?¡±


    Qiu Shan¡¯s face reddened. ¡°Wasn¡¯t me!¡±


    Although he denied it completely, it was clear that he had spent a lot of effort to find her. After all, his clothes and shoes were rather dirty and he did not have the time to change them yet.


    Qiu Shui raised her head and scoffed, ¡°Who cares if he came searching for me?¡±


    Qiu Shan immediately retaliated, ¡°Don¡¯t be so smug. I¡¯ll be the first to celebrate if something happens to you. Why would I possibly waste time looking for you!¡±


    Anyone with eyes could see that these two people didn¡¯t mean what they said.


    Wen Ran watched with great interest from the side and even thought to herself how those two cousins were blood-related.


    At this moment, a burst of hearty laughter could be heard. ¡°Hahaha, did you all gather at the door just to wait for me because you knew I would be back today?¡±


    Following that loud laughter, a tall and sturdy figure appeared at the entrance of the manor. He was also dressed in bright yellow clothes and looked particularly eye-catching.


    ¡°My sworn brother is back,¡± Ye Sui walked over and said.


    It was Qiu Bujian, the head honcho of the Hidden Abyss Valley.


    Qiu Bujian was a burly man with a beard on his face. He had an unkempt look that made the exquisite clothes he wore seem a little out of place on him. At first glance, he looked no different from an ordinary blacksmith.


    Wen Ran glanced a few more times at Qiu Shui and immediately thought of something. ¡®Just how beautiful was Qiu Shui¡¯s mother that her genes could overwhelm her husband¡¯s looks and produce someone as good-looking as Qiu Shui?¡¯

 Chapter 38

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Qiu Bujian was a brash person who cared little about trivial things and did not know how to read the room. He patted Ye Sui¡¯s shoulder and laughed. ¡°My sworn brother! It must have been hard for you to take care of the Hidden Abyss Valley when I wasn¡¯t around. So, did my precious daughter cause you any trouble?¡±


    Qiu Bujian was using practically all his strength to pat Ye Sui, and the poor man¡¯s thin body trembled from the shock.


    Bai¡ªwho had been following Wen Ran from behind while trying her utmost best not to make her presence known¡ªhad never seen someone so unsophisticated before! Her eyes widened, as if she viewed Qiu Bujian as a monkey.


    ¡°Sworn Brother,¡± Ye Sui mumbled helplessly, ¡°Qiu Shui was kidnapped by an unknown person and we just only managed to get her back.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Who kidnapped you?!¡± Qiu Bujian yelled. He seemed to be aware that his daughter was in the crowd, so he turned to look and found her pulling a long face. He walked over quickly and asked, ¡°Who kidnapped you, my daughter!¡±


    However, Qiu Shui dodged her father¡¯s loving hug first. She did not particularly like her father¡¯s fiery passion.¡±Father, I have something very important to tell you in private.¡±


    Qiu Bujian became nervous. ¡°Are you considering marriage?!¡±


    Qiu Shui was speechless. ¡°It¡¯s not about me! It¡¯s about the Hidden Abyss Valley! The point is, I¡¯ll be waiting for you in the study!¡±


    With that, Qiu Shui turned around and walked away.


    ¡°My dear daughter, please tell me that you weren¡¯t bullied! Darling¡­¡±Qiu Bujian¡¯s hugefigure followed behind Qiu Shui as if he was her shadow.


    Qiu Bujian might be someone who ignored insignificant issues, but Ye Sui was not.


    Ye Sui looked at the girl in white behind Wen Ran. Even though the cultivation world had no shortage of beautiful women, those who had a little more experience in life would know that there were not too many of them.


    Although the white-clothed girl¡¯s face was a little obscure, one would know that she was one of those rare beauties just by looking at her figure and posture.


    Bai shrunk behind Wen Ran again and muttered softly, ¡°That person keeps staring at me. Does he want to marry me too?¡±


    Ye Sui was speechless.


    He was not someone who was easily charmed by beauty, and he only did a double-take because she was quite a rare person.


    Wen Ran had been kind to Bai, so the latter was instinctively clingy to her in a foreign place. The only problem was Bai¡¯s inexperience and ignorance of the real world, and that would occasionally lead to trouble.


    One could use the present scenario as an example.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Wen Ran smiled apologetically at Ye Sui before turning to Bai and whispering, ¡°Hush! Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±


    The next moment, Wen Ran was lifted up by the collar, but she was soon placed back down before she could react to what happened and begin struggling.


    She turned around and saw a young man who exuded a celestial aura and was dressed in a whiter-than-snow robe.


    Ever since Shen Wu had won the sympathy of the crowd with his bloody and pitiful appearance, Wen Ran knew that she had to walk in front of him. In order to prevent him from using that trick again, she specifically prepared a few more sets of the Immortal Ascension Mansion¡¯s male disciple uniforms.


    She recalled having asked him to change his clothes while on the way back, but he jumped up the tree and shook his head. ¡°Nope. I¡¯m not going to change.¡±


    Wen Ran glared at him.


    Shen Wu had already changed his bloodied clothes into clean ones, and they happened to be the exact same ones that Wen Ran had kept in her storage bracelet.


    Shen Wu was as slippery as a loach in water, and Wen Ran would never be able to catch him if he didn¡¯t let her.


    She used her clever little brain and finally thought of a good idea. ¡°I know a place where we can pick wild fruits. Change your clothes and I¡¯ll bring you there.¡±


    The eyes of the person on the tree lit up.


    Wen Ran had never seen such a childish person before. Even the youngest cultivator in the Immortal Ascension Mansion was more obedient and sensible than Shen Wu.


    When he held Wen Ran by the collar and moved her a few steps to the side, she was bracing herself for the possibility that he might act up again.


    There seemed to be no explanation for Shen Wu¡¯s action. He maintained his gentlemanly demeanor as he pointed to the air and said in a polite and warm voice, ¡°The leaves are going to drop there.¡±


    Wen Ran looked up and saw a few yellow leaves falling down and landing on the spot where she had been standing. She looked at Shen Wu expressionlessly again, almost as if she was wondering if he was sick in the head.


    Was it worth lifting her up for a few withered leaves?


    Shen Wu had an innocent expression as he faced the reproachful gaze of his beloved junior sister.


    ¡°You love Miss Wen dearly, Young Master Shen,¡± Ye Sui said with a smile and viewed it all as their youthful interaction with each other.


    Shen Wu seemed a little embarrassed. He lowered his head slightly and said softly, ¡°Before we left, I promised my master that I¡¯d take good care of my junior sister.¡±


    Ye Sui smiled kindly. ¡°Perhaps this isn¡¯t as simple as a senior brother protecting a junior sister.¡±


    Wen Ran¡¯s face turned stuff. She was already used to everyone getting the impression that Shen Wu was deeply in love with her.


    There were a lot of people there, and Bai did not want to be exposed to everyone¡¯s gazes. She moved quietly to the side and tried to stand behind Wen Ran again.


    All of a sudden, Bai let out a cry and fell to the ground.


    It was really pitiful to see such a beautiful woman landing on the ground.


    Wen Ran wanted to help Bai up, but the ever-helpful Shen Wu also happened to turn around and was about to help her up. The two of them therefore bumped into each other.


    Shen Wu, being the nearest to Wen Ran, grasped her arm and helped her up. He even asked worriedly, ¡°Are you alright, Ranran?¡±


    Wen Ran frowned at him.


    At that moment, Qiu Shan¡ªwho had been watching the entire spectacle¡ªhelped Bai up. Qiu Shan might be young, but he was very gentle with and protective of women. He asked, ¡°How did you fall, Young Lady?¡±


    Bai¡¯s eyes reddened after she fell. ¡°Someone kicked me.¡±


    There was little light present because it was late at night. The ones closest to Bai were Wen Ran and Shen Wu, but since Wen Ran had been carried away by Shen Wu, it could not have been her.


    As for Shen Wu, a handsome gentleman who was magnanimous, gentle, and polite would never do such a thing!


    The rest of the crowd consisted of the other disciples who could not stop themselves from staring at Bai because they rarely saw women.


    Ye Sui glanced at the disciples who were close to him. They quickly stepped back and shook their heads in denial. ¡°We didn¡¯t do it, Mr. Ye!¡±


    ¡°The wind in the Hidden Abyss Valley is very strong,¡± Shen Wu said. ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been them.¡±


    Shen Wu had many dazzling achievements at such a young age, and this group of young people had already regarded him as an idol. When he spoke up for that group of disciples, they began worshipping Shen Wu to unheard of heights.


    ¡°But someone really did kick me¡­¡± Bai said in a daze:


    ¡°Miss Bai.¡± Shen Wu¡¯s clothes were snow-white and spotless. It was just as clean as he was. He said gently, ¡°You must be tired after traveling for such a long time. You should rest more.¡±


    Everyone seemed to agree.


    ¡°You must be tired too,¡± Qiu Shan said.


    Bai twisted the handkerchief in her hand and she innocently began to doubt herself.


    Wen Ran was the only one who stared intently at Shen Wu, so much so that her eyelids began to twitch.

 Chapter 39

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°We¡¯ll arrange a guest room for this lady to rest in later,¡± Ye Sui said. ¡°However, I still have a few questions for you.¡±


    ¡°What would you like to ask, Mr. Ye?¡± Shen Wu asked.


    ¡°I wonder who and where Young Master Shen and Miss Wen saved Qiu Shui from?¡±


    ¡°It was a masked man dressed in black. Miss Qiu fell off the cliff as I was battling him, and my junior sister dived off the cliff as well in order to save Miss Qiu.¡±


    Ye Sui immediately gave Wen Ran a grateful look.


    Wen Ran felt a little awkward, ¡°Speaking of which, I¡¯m thankful to Miss Qiu for taking care of me after I fell off the cliff.¡±


    Ye Sui smiled. ¡°You¡¯re taking this too seriously. We¡¯ve been protecting Qiu Shui a little too much and she¡¯s a playful character. We¡¯re helpless against her antics most of the time and she is the one who has caused you trouble on this occasion.¡±


    Qiu Shan expressed his agreement from one side. ¡°Qiu Shui has a bad temper. We¡¯ve spent so much time and effort searching for her and worrying about her all these days, but she didn¡¯t so much as look at us the moment she returned.¡±


    Truth be told, Wen Ran felt that Qiu Shui was a good person, who¡ªdespite having a young lady¡¯s temper¡ªwas not as hopeless as everyone described.


    Then again, she did not have much of a relationship with those from the Hidden Abyss Valley, and she had only interacted with Qiu Shui for a short period. As a result, she neither had the right nor was in a position to evaluate Qiu Shui in front of those people.


    Ye Sui rubbed Qiu Shan¡¯s head, indicating to the latter that there was no need to say anything more. He then looked at Shen Wu. ¡°You mentioned having exchanged blows with that masked man, Young Master Shen. Did you see that person¡¯s face?¡±


    After all, no ordinary person could just waltz into the Hidden Abyss Valley in the middle of the night and kidnap their eldest miss of the Hidden Valley.


    It was only natural for them to wonder which enemy of theirs dared to be so bold.


    If Shen Wu could see what that person looked like and draw a portrait of him, there was a possibility of finding out who the other party was.


    Unfortunately, Shen Wu shook his head. ¡°He was wearing a face cloth, so I couldn¡¯t see his face. His movement and technique was superb, and it was the first time I¡¯ve ever seen something like that. However, I was too worried about my junior sister and Eldest Miss Qiu, so I rushed down the cliff to find them instead of chasing after him when he fled.¡±


    ¡®Sure. He was so worried about us that he roasted a pheasant to eat while searching for us!¡¯ Wen Ran jibed in her heart.


    She genuinely admired his ability to lie through his teeth. Had it been the first time he saw him, she might have really believed all that nonsense.


    Ye Sui looked at the strange girl in white.¡±And you are?¡±


    Wen Ran hurriedly explained, ¡°Miss Bai was someone we met at the bottom of the cliff. She was the one who saved me and Miss Qiu because she wanted to go out and look for her family. It was very inconvenient for someone like her to be all alone, so we decided to bring her with us.¡±


    Ye Sui bowed to Bai. ¡°On behalf of Qiu Shui, I sincerely thank you for saving her life.¡±


    ¡°She stepped on my flower and crushed it,¡± Bai said unhappily.


    ¡°We will make the necessary compensation for what Qiu Shui has damaged,¡± Ye Sui immediately said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not something you can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ahem! Cough, cough!¡± Wen Ran coughed and interrupted Bai¡¯s complaint. She even turned his head slightly and gave Bai a few glances.


    It did not understand why, but it still shut its mouth.


    A pair of hands turned Wen Ran¡¯s face back to its original position. The force was rather firm, and she felt a little pain on her face. The other party, however, still asked concernedly and kind-heartedly, ¡°Are you feeling unwell, Ranran?¡±


    Wen Ran flashed a fake smile. ¡°A little.¡±


    AYe Sui knew that he was no longer able to get anything out of them, so he said, ¡°Thank you all for your trouble. It¡¯s already late, so please feel free to go back to your rooms and rest. If there¡¯s anything else we need to talk about, we¡¯ll do so tomorrow.¡±


    Wen Ran and Shen Wu remained in the adjacent guest rooms, while Bai¡¯s room was arranged on the other side from Wen Ran¡¯s room.


    Once the people from the Hidden Abyss Valley had left, Bai stood at the door while clenching pitifully at the hem of her clothes. ¡°There are so many men here and I¡¯m scared of sleeping alone.¡±


    She previously lured many good-looking people¡ªboth men and women¡ªin order to understand the preferences of good-looking people.


    The women were not too difficult to handle, but the men had gone so far as to follow her toher room door. She might not have been very skilled, but she had no problem dealing with ordinary people.


    By contrast, the Hidden Abyss Valley was full of cultivators, and Wen Ran had warned Bai countless times not to use the demonic arts. As a weak and easily-bullied damsel, what was she to do if someone tried to sneak into her room in the middle of the night?


    Wen Ran consoled her, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. I¡¯m living right next door. Just shout my name if anything happens. I¡¯ll rush over immediately.¡±


    Bai became coquettish. ¡°But¡­¡±


    There were no buts. She was pushed into the room and the door was closed with a slam.


    She wanted to open the door and come out, but a smiling young man who was snacking on a green plum said, ¡°I¡¯ll chop you up if you make any more noise.¡±


    There was no longer any movement inside.


    Wen Ran looked at him speechlessly.


    Shen Wu glanced at the half-eaten green plum in his hand and hesitated for a while before handing it to her.


    Wen Ran smacked his hand away. ¡°No thanks.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± he said. He retracted his hand happily and continued munching on the sour green plum.


    He was glad that she did not accept it because he no longer had to worry about sharing the food with her.


    Wen Ran was used to Shen Wu¡¯s unruly personality. She crossed her arms and looked at him with a frown. ¡°Can¡¯t you be gentler to girls?¡±


    Shen Wu¡¯s paused. ¡°Gentle?¡±


    ¡°Well, you pushed her in so violently and threatened her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s lucky I didn¡¯t kick her.¡±


    Wen Ran recalled the scene on the cliff that day and fell silent, almost as if she came to realize that Shen Wu¡¯s words made some sense. After all, he could easily kick a beautiful woman without the slightest hesitation.


    ¡°Did you really let the masked man run off?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t let him run off. He fled because couldn¡¯t win against me.¡± He had a strong desire to win and so corrected her.


    ¡°But he did run away, didn¡¯t he?¡± Wen Ran asked.


    He pursed his lips. ¡°Fled. F-L-E-D.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, whatever you say.¡±


    Shen Wu lost interest in his plum and threw the core away. Moments later, something else appeared in his hand. ¡°See? He fled because he just couldn¡¯t beat me!¡±


    Wen Ran was greeted by the sight of a severed arm. She was completely unprepared for that and her expression was one of confusion.


    ¡°This is my trophy,¡± he said proudly.


    Seeing that Wen Ran still did not react, he waved the broken arm in front of her eyes like a child who had won a quarrel. ¡°Ranran,¡± he called out to her with a smile. Even the corners of his eyes had curved into arcs. ¡°Did I scare you again?¡±


    Wen Ran kicked him. ¡°You¡¯re crazy! Hurry up and throw that thing away! And stop eating!¡±


    Shen Wu dodged her kick with ease and was just about to take a bite out of a steamed bun when he heard her words. His face was filled with confusion. ¡°Why should I?¡±


    ¡°Who the hell keeps broken limbs in their storage space?!¡± Wen Ran felt like she was losing her mind. ¡°It¡¯s unclean! Everything¡¯s unclean! You need to discard everything you kept in your storage space! Don¡¯t come running to me if you get sick after eating that!¡±


    ¡®Was that all she cared about?¡¯ he wondered.


    Shen Wu looked at the broken arm in his left hand, then at the steamed bun in his right hand. Finally, he looked at Wen Ran, who was hugging her head and was on the verge of breaking down.


    He blinked, let go of everything slowly, and allowed it to fell onto the ground. He then negotiated pitifully with her, ¡°Can I not throw the rest?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Shen Wu¡¯s expression sank.

 Chapter 40

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    In the dark of night, the young man¡¯s pitiful voice resonated inside the room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this, Ranran¡­¡±


    ¡°This is insane! I can¡¯t take it anymore!¡±


    ¡°Sob sob, Ranran. You¡¯re so mean¡­¡±


    Finally, the girl let out a voice that belied her impatience. ¡°THAT¡¯S ENOUGH, SHEN WU!¡±


    Shen Wu stopped acting after being yelled at. He seemed to have been scared out of his wits as he looked at Wen Ran with a dazed expression. He might have been crying earlier, but on closer inspection, his eyes had not even turned red.


    Wen Ran looked at him coldly. With a swish, she took out a bag of unripened fruits from his storage jade pendant and threw it mercilessly out the window.


    ¡°Sob¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Wen Ran warned.


    He closed his mouth and stared straight ahead.


    Wen Ran could not stand the way Shen Wu cherished those worthless little things. When his insignificant stuff was thrown out, he acted as if his life was being sucked out of him. To make things worse, he just had to make those weird sounds that would only cause other people to get the wrong idea!


    Wen Ran held the jade pendant in his hand as if he was holding the Imperial Jade Seal of the kingdom. Shen Wu felt so intimidated by her that he did not dare to move.


    She took out another bag of steamed buns and threw it out of the window without hesitation.


    Shen Wu¡¯s gaze followed the trajectory of the buns, and he pursed his lips into a thin line when he heard a plop in the water.


    Wen Ran knew that Shen Wu was good at bluffing, and he would have definitely ignored her words if she did not personally watch over him.


    Besides, he had been gathering all that stuff for God-knows-how-long, and a deep cleaning was long overdue!


    In the end, Wen Ran walked to the window in front of Shen Wu, and extended her hand with the jade pendant before giving a little shake.


    Everything was poured out in one go and was accompanied by the endless plopping sound.


    Shen Wu suffered such a huge blow that his figure swayed as he looked at Wen Ran in disbelief. His face became so ashen that one would have thought he had lost all hope in life.


    His pitiful and helpless look reminded one of when the White-Haired Girl was bullied by Huang Shiren, with Wen Ran playing the role of Huang Shiren. [1]


    There was nothing else to throw, so Wen Ran put the jade pendant in his hand.


    His hand trembled when she placed the jade pendant in it.


    Wen Ran had seen all sides of him, from his demeanor in front of outsiders to his madman-like tendency when fighting. However, it was the first time he had seen him look so fragile, almost as if he would fall with a gust of wind.


    However, her heart still did not soften.


    Wen Ran placed her hands on her hips and warned him seriously, ¡°You will have to throw away all your food if you store any broken limbs with them.¡±


    He sniffed and pursed his lips. ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°Why? Because it¡¯s unclean! Don¡¯t you have any common sense?¡±


    Shen Wu had only one sentence, ¡°Anything that isn¡¯t poisonous can be eaten.¡±


    Wen Ran marveled at how he managed to develop such a strange concept of food.


    Wen Ran asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone teach you that you can¡¯t eat things that are unclean?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No.¡±


    Wen Ran could not figure out if he was telling the truth, but that was not the point. She crossed her arms again and said sternly, ¡°Then I¡¯ll teach you. You need to be more careful in the future and not eat any unclean things.¡±


    Shen Wu¡¯s pitch-black eyes stared straight at her. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t like me that much, Ranran.¡±


    Wen Ran was speechless.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t want me to eat all this because you don¡¯t want me to get sick.¡±


    ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    Shen Wu then conjured a book out of nowhere, and it happened to be the same book he had picked up in the pear forest. He then pretended to flip through it, perused the notes jotted down on the paper, and said with a sudden look of realization, ¡°That¡¯s what it means by ¡®feeling agony when the other person is hurt¡¯.¡±


    Shen Wu sighed and said, ¡°Your concern for me makes me feel so embarrassed.¡±


    The teenager was clearly expressing words of distress, but the pride that was practically overflowing from his bright eyes hardly looked like someone in distress.


    ¡°Alas, I am but a kind person who can never bring himself to reject a girl¡¯s request,¡± he said helplessly.


    Wen Ran watched in silence as he performed his act, after which she grabbed the book from his hand and smashed it on his face.


    ¡°Keep dreaming!¡±


    Shen Wu caught the book that was thrown at him and he tilted his head slightly. ¡°Are you shy?¡±


    ¡°As if!¡±


    Wen Ran was so incensed by him that she stormed back to her room.


    She was unsure if Shen Wu really had those dreams at night, but in any case, she was awoken by a nightmare in the middle of the night.


    In her dream, everyone was telling her that Shen Wu was a good man who treated her very well. They insisted she would stand to gain a lot if she married him. Shen Wu even spoke to her with a deeply-affectionate expression, ¡°Our love for each other runs deep, Ranran. There is no time like the present to consummate our marriage.¡±


    Wen Ran was startled awake by that.


    ¡®No, no, no! Am I somehow affected by that madman Shen Wu and came under the illusion that I liked him?¡¯


    She sat on the bed and slapped her face hard to wake herself up. Once she was finally awake, she recalled what had happened in her dream and felt a twinge of pain in her abdomen.


    She wanted to continue sleeping, but the plopping noise from outside was disturbing her sleep. Unable to endure it any longer, Wen Ran got off the bed, pushed open the window, and yelled at him, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare try fishing it up again, Shen Wu!¡±


    The young man who was squatting on the shore could not care less about his image as a cultivator and held a simple self-made tool in his hand to try and fish something from the bottom of the water.


    He stopped when he heard Wen Ran¡¯s voice.


    After a long while, he slapped his neck and killed a mosquito. He then looked at the fierce girl through the window. ¡°Ranran,¡± he said softly, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡®What kind of freak is he!¡¯ Wen Ran was appalled.


    She regarded herself as a big eater, but not to his extent.


    Wen Ran wanted nothing more than to hug her head and scream her anger. She gritted her teeth and thought to herself that she would not have been able to sleep well if she did not deal with his hunger.


    ¡°Come here!¡±


    Shen Wu carried the simple bamboo tools he made and walked up to her in a few strides.


    Wen Ran stuffed a packet of dried meat into his hand through the window. ¡°Here! Don¡¯t eat anything that¡¯s unclean.¡±


    That was the last bag of dried meat she had brought out from the Immortal Ascension Mansion and she could feel her heart ache when she handed it to him.


    Shen Wu¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°It looks like you really do like me, Ranran¡­¡±


    Wen Ran mercilessly slammed the window shut.


    The next day, one of the disciples that came to deliver breakfast looked curiously at the little red dot on Shen Wu¡¯s neck. ¡°What happened to your neck, Senior Brother Shen?¡±


    Shen Wu touched his neck that was still a little itchy. ¡°I stayed up too late to play with my junior sister.¡±


    The young disciple seemed to have understood something and his face turned red.


    Wen Ran, who had just pushed the door open, had blue veins popping out on her forehead.


    TN:


    [1] The White-Haired Girl (°×ëŮ) is the titular character from an opera of the same name who was abused by her landlord Huang Shiren (»ÆÊÀÈÊ). Huang Shiren had earlier forced the white-haired girl¡¯s father into selling her in order to repay the debt owed to him.