Chapter 57
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
For their final meal, it was Young Master Qingfeng who prepared it.
Young Master Qingfeng was closely watched by the three demons, and he prepared the meal in silence. His face and clothes were smeared with ashes, making this usually calm and intelligent person look extremely disheveled. However, with his life in the hands of others, he had no choice but to endure this humiliation. After finally completing the meal under the fox’s command, he was once again tied to the pillar.
Hua Yue wore a stern expression on his fox-like face as he broke a chicken leg and took a bite. After chewing, he nodded, “The saltiness is just right, the spices are not too strong, and it’s well-cooked. We can eat this.”
Only after he spoke did Zhuyou and Bai Lige take their first bites.
Pei Yunshu, still being a mortal in terms of physical needs, wasn’t particularly interested in the wild chickens of Shanshui Sect. After tasting a few bites, he took out a book and started reading it on the side.
Once they finished their meal, Bai Lige personally untied Young Master Qingfeng. He smiled warmly, “It’s better to be a cook than a captive. We can even grant you the power to slaughter chickens. What do you think, Young Master Qingfeng?”
Young Master Qingfeng swallowed the sarcasm that had reached his throat and replied expressionlessly, “I agree.”
The East Sea was indeed far away, and with their current sailing speed, it would take at least five days to reach. During these five days, Young Master Qingfeng didn’t dare to think about what he would go through.
When he was finally untied, Pei Yunshu pointed to the dishes on the table, “Do you still need these?”
Young Master Qingfeng silently came over and started eating the food he had prepared himself.
Pei Yunshu, in a serious tone, said, “Eating meat all the time can be a bit overwhelming. I wonder if Young Master Qingfeng can make some vegetarian dishes?”
Hua Yue raised his paw and said, “If Yunshu wants to eat vegetarian dishes, I can teach him.”
“Then, thank you, Hua Yue,” Pei Yunshu said appreciatively. “And thank you, Young Master Qingfeng.”
Young Master Qingfeng replied in a flat tone, “You’re doing this on purpose.”
Surprisingly, Pei Yunshu nodded in agreement.
After a satisfying meal and some alcohol, Zhuyou lounged lazily at the table, watching Pei Yunshu. After a while, he leaned close to Pei Yunshu’s ear and whispered, “I’m going to take a bath.”
Pei Yunshu replied casually, “Go ahead.”
Zhuyou’s lips curled up with a meaningful look, “No peeking allowed.”
With that said, he stood up with an air of satisfaction and headed for the room.
His robe billowed, exuding an air of dominance. Pei Yunshu wouldn’t dream of peeking at Zhuyou while he bathed, but the fact that Zhuyou reminded him not to peek meant that he had learned some sense of propriety and modesty. This made Pei Yunshu feel extremely relieved, and in a pleasant mood, he took out pen and paper to write a letter to Sect Master Lingye.
After finishing the letter, he summoned a bird from the sky, attached the sealed letter to its leg, and stroked the bird’s pure white feathers. “Please deliver this.”
The bird chirped crisply and flew back into the sky.
Pei Yunshu watched it disappear into the distance. He then took out his sect’s wooden plaque.
This was already his second wooden emblem from the sect. He chuckled self-deprecatingly and crushed the plaque.
**
Hua Yue’s ship was indeed a good magical treasure. It could change in size and had all the necessary facilities on board.
Staying on it for five days didn’t feel tedious at all. When they finally reached the edge of the East Sea, everyone felt a slight reluctance to part with the ship.
The East Sea was turbulent, with waves stretching as far as the eye could see. There was nothing on the shore, not to mention a secret realm.
Young Master Qingfeng said, “The Flower Brocade Sect only knows that the secret realm is somewhere along the East Sea, but they don’t know the exact location.”
“In that case, let’s set up camp here for now,” Bai Lige suggested, looking out at the vast East Sea. “This area is so large, and there should be protective formations around.”
Known as the divine dragon, the people of the world were forbidden to kill dragons and dragons were also the rulers of all beasts. Waiting for a dragon’s secret realm was a rare opportunity. After all, an unclaimed secret realm would only become available after the death of a dragon.
The group rested in this location while Young Master Qingfeng started a fire and prepared a meal. Bai Lige sealed his cultivation and led the others toward the shore.
“The East Sea has merfolk who shed tears that turn into pearls, and when dragon silk enters the water, it doesn’t get wet.”
Hua Yue’s interest was piqued. “Are merfolk beautiful?”
Bai Lige pondered for a moment and replied, “I’ve never been to the waterfront, so I don’t know.”
Pei Yunshu added, “Merfolk are known for their love of weaving. They are said to be beautiful and skilled in singing. If we have the chance, I’d also like to see them.”
“Merfolk like exquisite clothing,” Hua Yue’s amber eyes sparkled with excitement. “Yunshu, you have a very beautiful outfit in your storage bag.”
“That’s a garment from Lord Wu Jiu,” Pei Yunshu shook his head. “I’ll have to return it in the future. It’s not mine.”
He walked to the seashore, and when the water reached his feet, he stopped and looked down at the water’s surface.
The waves were turbulent, and the water was crystal clear where it lapped at his feet, but looking further out, it became a deep blue that was almost intimidating.
Behind him, Young Master Qingfeng had finished preparing the meal and shouted, “It’s ready!”
Pei Yunshu turned around and followed the others back.
Although none of them needed to eat, they had been having meals regularly for the past few days, and they enjoyed making fun of Young Master Qingfeng. A once mysterious and unfathomable demonic cultivator was now cooking faster and without a trace of greasiness. It was truly remarkable progress and made the whole experience enjoyable.
After the meal, Hua Yue persisted in trying to persuade Pei Yunshu to wear the beautiful outfit and entice the merfolk to come ashore. Pei Yunshu allowed him to be coquettish but didn’t yield.
Eventually, Young Master Qingfeng unexpectedly said, “I have an outfit made of dragon silk.”
Dragon silk was similar to mermaid silk, an extremely lightweight fabric that barely occupied space.
Pei Yunshu watched as Young Master Qingfeng retrieved the clothing. It was as if it had been made from crushed red flowers and was so light that it almost seemed like it would be blown away by the wind, a garment truly unlike anything in the mortal world.
“If it belongs to Young Master Qingfeng, then he should wear it,” Pei Yunshu suggested. “Young Master Qingfeng only needs to cover his face with a veil, and he should be able to lure the merfolk to the shore.”
Young Master Qingfeng’s hand stiffened as he held the beautiful outfit. Upon hearing this, Zhuyou’s vertical pupils turned and he said with a faint smile, “Young Master Qingfeng, you should heed his suggestion and do as he says.”
Bai Lige chuckled and said, “Yunshu is truly wicked, and I like it.”
When he made that comment, Zhuyou, with his vertical pupils, glanced over, but Bai Lige didn’t mind. In fact, he smirked and asked, “Zhuyou, why are you looking at me?”
Zhuyou said, “The scholars in this book often have more than three wives and four concubines, even consorting with monsters.”
Bai Lige asked, “Huh?”
Zhuyou turned to look at Pei Yunshu and slowly asked, “Yunshu, do you also want three wives and four concubines?”
His words were spoken leisurely, as if it were a casual question. But Bai Lige felt that if Pei Yunshu had agreed, Zhuyou might have killed all those “three wives and four concubines.”
Pei Yunshu replied, “Have you ever seen any cultivator with three wives and four concubines? Don’t casually look at these things.”
Zhuyou looked at him and suddenly said, “You belong to me.”
Pei Yunshu was caught off guard, and he stared blankly into Zhuyou’s eyes.
Zhuyou’s eyes were deep and unfathomable. Although he was just an ignorant flood dragon, at this moment, he seemed to be able to draw Pei Yunshu into his gaze. Pei Yunshu’s hidden ambitions were suddenly revealed, and along with those ambitions, there was a strong desire.
His gaze seemed to say that if Pei Yunshu fell into his hands, he would be completely devoured.
“….” Pei Yunshu’s eyes quivered, and he shifted his gaze away.
***
After Young Master Qingfeng changed into his outfit and concealed the scar on his face, he walked expressionlessly towards the seashore.
Why did he have to say that extra sentence?
The sea was relatively calm at the moment, and the onlookers followed him. To give Young Master Qingfeng face, they at least refrained from laughing.
However, after standing still for a moment without any activity, Hua Yue suggested, “Young Master Qingfeng, why don’t you sing a song?”
“I’m not a real gigolo,” Young Master Qingfeng replied, his tone somewhat mocking.
Sighing, Hua Yue volunteered, “I can do it! Let me try.”
He stepped into the water, but as soon as he did, he saw a dark figure swimming towards them from below. The figure was extremely fast, and in an instant, it was right in front of them.
Hua Yue was frightened and his fur stood on end. He instinctively leaped onto someone, but his sharp claws accidentally tore the mermaid silk Young Master Qingfeng was wearing.
Pei Yunshu’s eyes were covered with a pair of hands when someone embraced him from behind and held him in their arms.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Zhuyou’s voice was calm as he replied, “The merfolk are here.”
Upon hearing this, Pei Yunshu tried to remove Zhuyou’s hand covering his eyes, but Zhuyou didn’t let go. He spoke with annoyance, “They’re ugly; don’t look.”
Just as he said that, there were several faint cries of children, sorrowful and haunting. The sound of water became turbulent for a moment before everything returned to calm.
Pei Yunshu continued to pull at Zhuyou’s hand, but the grip on his ankle tightened. The next moment, everything spun, and they were submerged in the East Sea.
He quickly erected a barrier, opened his eyes, and looked to the side. Everyone except for Zhuyou had fallen into the sea.
This place was clearly deep in the ocean, but they had been right on the shore just moments ago.
Bai Lige and the others were equally astonished. They exchanged glances and swam toward the surface.
When they broke through the water, they found themselves surrounded by a vast expanse of icy terrain, endless stretches of ice and snow, with floating icebergs and falling snowflakes.
Pei Yunshu’s lips turned blue, ice clung to his hair, and frost formed on his eyelashes. He channeled his spiritual energy to warm himself up, but as soon as he felt some warmth, an even stronger chill engulfed him.
“It’s so cold,” Hua Yue shivered as he hugged himself, and ice was forming on his nose. “This fox is freezing.”
“Quick, get to the shore,” said Bai Lige in a deep voice.
Pei Yunshu stood on the Qingyue Sword, stopping his trembling teeth to speak, “Hurry on.”
The Qingyue Sword soared into the sky and flew towards the coast. Pei Yunshu used his spiritual energy to dispel the wetness on them and took out a few fire charms. With the infusion of spiritual energy, a blazing fire erupted in the air.
The golden flames enveloped them, bringing warmth, but after lighting the fire charms, the Qingyue Sword suddenly leaped upwards to avoid a sea monster’s attack.
The sea monster had two mouths on its face, with sharp teeth covering half of its body. They seemed highly sensitive to the firelight, and after the fire charms were ignited, the Qingyue Sword continuously rose higher. Sea monsters of increasing size leaped out of the water, making desperate attempts to attack them.
In just half the distance to the coast, they flew higher and higher, and the sea monsters leaping out of the water grew larger and more menacing.
Young Master Qingfeng decisively extinguished the fire charms.
The warmth disappeared instantly, but the water surface returned to calm. The sea monsters sank below, with only pairs of hostile eyes glaring at them.
“Where exactly are we?” Hua Yue dared not cry, fearing that his tears would freeze into ice if he did. He sniffled, “Why isn’t Lord Zhuyou here? If Lord Zhuyou were here, these things wouldn’t dare to approach us.”
Pei Yunshu’s face turned pale as he rummaged through their belongings and finally found several thick garments. He said, “Put these on first; they’ll at least provide some protection against the cold.”
Bai Lige sighed, “I never thought there would come a day when we’d need clothing to fend off the cold.”
However, even after putting on the clothes, it was just a drop in the bucket.
The bone-chilling cold penetrated their very core, and Pei Yunshu had to control the sword. He felt like his eyes were about to be frostbitten, and his spiritual energy was constantly circulating. If ordinary people were here, they would likely be frozen into ice corpses within moments.
Finally, they reached the shore, but the area was still a vast expanse of ice and snow. The intensity of the frost here was so heavy that it was hard to believe it was an illusion or formation.
Pei Yunshu spun the tip of his sword and flew rapidly toward the tallest snow-covered mountain.
Upon reaching the summit of the snow mountain, they looked down and were shocked to see that on the other side of the mountain, an entire piece of land had collapsed. There was a massive black hole spanning the area, and it seemed to have no end.
“Wow…”
As they looked down, they felt incredibly small, and the sight was terrifying.
Pei Yunshu spotted a line of dazzling golden characters next to the black hole.
He told the others, “Hold on tight.”
And then, they rushed toward the black hole.
Many hands grabbed him all at once, yet Pei Yunshu’s speed continued to increase. His jet-black hair was blown back by the wind, and his face remained completely exposed.
His gaze was focused, making him appear particularly stern.
The fox had initially been fearful, but watching Pei Yunshu’s profile, he surprisingly felt a surge of warmth amidst the icy wilderness.
This fox, who had dared to say he could make even that rascal Zouyu weak at the knees, now felt somewhat weak in the legs himself.
He even thought about being embraced and undressed by someone like Yunshu. He felt bashful, his red veil lightly slipping away, revealing a partly exposed fragrant shoulder.
Yunshu’s face was equally flushed, but he kept his head lowered. With long, graceful hands, he removed the fox’s delicate robe and gently placed kisses on his body.
Once more, he laid upon him, savoring the fox essence from his chest and complimenting how beautiful he was.
Hua Yue’s reverie was abruptly interrupted when the back of his head was smacked. He raised his head, looking dazed.
Next to the black hole, he noticed four ominous characters that read: “Divine Dragon’s Secret Realm.”
“Dragons are innately sensual, known as the lords of all creatures, and their presence exudes immense pressure,” Bai Lige warned the young fox. “You and I are foxes, inclined to appreciate beauty, and merely a glance at these characters can fill your dreams with amorous thoughts. If you don’t possess strong willpower, it’s possible you won’t even make it into the secret realm, dying in daytime fantasies.”
Pei Yunshu furrowed his brow, unable to approach with his sword. He looked at Hua Yue with concern. “Hua Yue, don’t let your mind wander.”
Hua Yue’s face reddened even more. He covered his eyes with his paws, ensuring he didn’t look at Pei Yunshu.
What was he thinking just now?
Beauty Yunshu was so beautiful, and he should be cherished. Yet, he couldn’t help himself, and thought…..
It was truly a dragon, capable of enchanting with a mere sip of his saliva. The images that had flashed through his mind just now were too much for a fox to handle.
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
