Su Chan’s words made Li Yundong pause, completely unable to reconcile the title of "strongest young expert in the cultivation world" with the stunning woman standing before him.
Zi Yuan wore a pure white, long dress that managed to appear both classical and strikingly modern. Any other woman wearing that gown would have faded into the background, yet on her, it exuded an ancient elegance.
It seemed a faint fragrance of sandalwood and old books perpetually enveloped her, dissipating slowly, giving every gesture and movement an air of detached grace that wafted over Li Yundong.
Zi Yuan approached Li Yundong with a graceful glide, and with every step she took, a singular thought flashed across the minds of the surrounding crowd: Ling Bo Wei Bu, her silk-stockinged feet barely stirring the dust!
Li Yundong instinctively took a step back, not intimidated by Zi Yuan’s reputation, but utterly stunned by her breathtaking beauty and ethereal aura. He couldn't help but muse: This woman must be a celestial fairy fallen from the Nine Heavens to the mortal realm! Otherwise, how could she possess not a single trace of earthly dust about her?
Zi Yuan fixed her gaze upon Li Yundong, coming to a complete stop. It was as if a babbling brook had instantaneously solidified into a clear, cool, pristine pool—ice-cold, jade-clear, utterly still, as if she had never moved at all, serene and tranquil enough to soothe any anxious heart.
“Li Yundong?” Zi Yuan’s lips parted slightly, her voice melodious and clear, like birdsong in the woods, amplifying the quiet, transcendent quality that clung to her.
Though Li Yundong knew this woman was Su Chan’s adversary, he was shocked to find that he could not muster even a flicker of hostility toward her.
“I am!” Li Yundong watched her warily, subtly shifting his body to shield Su Chan behind him. “What do you need?”
Zi Yuan noticed his minute defensive movement, offering a faint smile. “No need to be tense. If I intended harm, neither you nor Su Chan would have a chance to fight back. I mean no ill will; I merely wish to speak a few words with you.”
Had anyone else uttered such a statement, Li Yundong would have felt instant resentment and the urge to challenge them. Yet, coming from Zi Yuan, the words felt entirely natural, almost an indisputable truth!
This is bizarre! Li Yundong muttered inwardly, though aloud he responded, “Whether I can win or not is one thing, but if you intend to touch Su Chan, you will have to step over my dead body first!”
Su Chan poked her head out from behind Li Yundong, staring at Zi Yuan with tense vigilance. “I stole the Human Essence Golden Elixir, don't trouble Li Yundong!”
Li Yundong shot her a glare. “Shut up!”
Startled by Li Yundong’s sharpness, Su Chan recoiled slightly, but she quickly stiffened her neck and stubbornly insisted, “It’s true, one person’s actions, one person answers for! You’ve been chasing me for so long—isn't it all about the Human Essence Golden Elixir?”
Zi Yuan smiled lightly. “Su Chan, if I wanted to capture you, do you think I’d have allowed you to run this far? Besides, without your master, could you even manage to snatch the Human Essence Golden Elixir with your current abilities?”
Saying this, Zi Yuan’s gaze returned to Li Yundong, brimming with curiosity and confusion. “I came here only to clarify one matter.”
Li Yundong held Zi Yuan’s gaze tightly, terrified she might move against Su Chan. “What matter?”
Zi Yuan stared at him steadily, her expression somewhat distant, lost in thought. She said nothing. For a moment, Li Yundong didn't know what to say either. The entire grand hall seemed paralyzed, utterly silent, where even a pin drop would resonate.
After a long moment, Zi Yuan finally broke the silence with a soft laugh. “Forgive me, I drifted off. As for the matter, you don’t need to know it; even if you did, you wouldn’t understand. But I want to tell you this: I did not come here to reclaim the Human Essence Golden Elixir… moreover, since you’ve already consumed it, reclaiming it is impossible anyway.”
Li Yundong asked, “Then what is it you want?”
Zi Yuan glanced around the room. “Shall we move elsewhere? This is hardly the place for conversation.”
With that, she gracefully walked out of the hall.
Li Yundong hesitated for a moment before following, but Su Chan tightly clutched the fabric of his clothes behind him, shaking her head frantically, her expression terrified. “Yundong, don’t go! She definitely wants to lure you to a secluded spot to strike!”
Li Yundong smiled, gently caressing Su Chan’s cheek. “Silly girl, some things can’t be avoided by hiding. You wait here; I’ll see what she wants. Since there are many people here, she likely won’t dare do anything to you.”
Su Chan refused to let go, clinging tightly to his arm, shaking her head like a rattle drum. “No! I have to go with you! You can’t leave me behind! Have you forgotten? We made a pinky promise!”
Saying this, Su Chan stuck out her little finger, looking pleadingly at Li Yundong. “Pinky swear, a hundred years hanging, no backing out! You promised!”
Li Yundong’s heart warmed. He linked his finger with the little girl’s. “You silly girl, if anything seems wrong later, don't worry about me—just run! Hear me!”
Su Chan nodded vigorously, but in her heart she thought: If you tell me to run first, where can I run to without you beside me? I might as well face death alongside you!
Seeing the little girl’s look of heroic resolve, Li Yundong guessed Su Chan’s intentions. He said nothing more, merely offering a smile before following Zi Yuan outside.
Though Zi Yuan walked ahead and couldn't see Li Yundong, as a practitioner of profound magic, her celestial eye at the back of her head allowed her to see everything behind her clearly. Witnessing the way Li Yundong and Su Chan clung to each other, she sighed inwardly: What a complete fool for love!
Outside the grand entrance of the Shengyuan Hotel, Li Yundong walked with Zi Yuan for a short distance until they reached the street behind the building. Seeing that there weren't too many people around, he stopped. “You said you needed to speak with me—just say it directly!”
Zi Yuan stopped as well, her voice soft. “My junior sister visited you last time and had her magical artifact confiscated. Can you return it now?”
“Your junior sister?” Li Yundong frowned, but quickly understood, his voice immediately growing angry. “That crazy shrew last time was your junior sister? You want me to return her artifact? Not a chance! I haven’t even settled the score for her injuring Su Chan!”
Zi Yuan smiled faintly. “You also shook her soul and took her artifact; aren't those two things balanced now? You must know, having one’s magical artifact seized is a profound humiliation for a cultivator. It’s better to resolve enmity than to deepen it, wouldn't you agree?”
Li Yundong sneered. “I didn’t intentionally seek her out to steal her artifact! She brought trouble to our doorstep! Losing the artifact and having her soul shaken—that’s on her! What does it have to do with me!”
Zi Yuan stated calmly, “But humans and demons cannot coexist. You keep company with a fox spirit. As a cultivator, seeing that incurs the duty and responsibility to uphold heavenly justice, so Hong Ling’s actions were not entirely unwarranted.”
Li Yundong erupted in fury upon hearing this. “Nonsense! Utter nonsense! What human-demon coexistence! Su Chan has never harmed a single person. I love her, and she loves me. What business is it of yours if we wish to be together? Are you people just bored senseless?”
Su Chan muttered softly from behind Li Yundong, “They don’t have any balls!”
Li Yundong almost burst out laughing, but he whirled around and shot Su Chan a fierce glare. Only when Su Chan stuck out her bright red tongue did he turn back to Zi Yuan.
Zi Yuan seemed to ignore their small interaction, maintaining her composed demeanor as she asked, “Then what will it take for you to return my junior sister’s artifact?”
Li Yundong considered it. “If she comes here to offer a sincere apology to me and Su Chan, and promises never to harass us again, I will give it back!”
Zi Yuan thought for a moment, then shook her head slightly. “My junior sister’s temperament means she won’t apologize. How about this: I will apologize on her behalf, would that suffice?”
Li Yundong was about to object when Su Chan tugged at his sleeve, whispering, “Yundong, just give her the artifact back. Zi Yuan has a very high reputation and prestige in the cultivation world. She never apologizes to anyone; her willingness to say this today is already incredibly difficult. Besides, the Zheng Yi Sect is powerful; it’s best not to provoke them if we can avoid it.”
Li Yundong countered, “Does being powerful give them the right to bully others? Justice travels the world, but injustice can’t take a single step! They were wrong in this matter from the start. There are so many injustices in the world they could address, yet they insist on meddling in our affairs, all under the noble banner of ‘upholding heavenly justice’!”
Li Yundong said coldly to Zi Yuan, “Everyone should be responsible for their own actions. Whoever is wrong should apologize. What does it mean for you to apologize in her stead?”
As soon as his words fell, Ruan Hong Ling suddenly materialized next to Zi Yuan out of thin air, shouting angrily, “Sister Zi Yuan, why waste breath arguing with this kind of person? Apologize? Are you afraid the Spirit Palace Sect of the Zheng Yi Sect will lose face if word gets out? Besides, I did nothing wrong—why should I apologize!”
The moment Li Yundong saw the girl who had injured Su Chan and nearly caused him and Su Chan permanent separation, rage surged through him, hardening his resolve. His entire body pulsed with furious energy, and he glared fiercely at Ruan Hong Ling. “You still have the nerve to claim you’re right! Fine! Bring out whatever tricks you have! I’d like to see what true capability your so-called Zheng Yi Sect possesses!”
Saying this, he started rolling up his sleeves, clearly ready for a fight.
Su Chan whispered from behind him, fanning the flames: “Yundong, use the Divine Thunder Talisman!”
Seeing the immediate sparks fly the moment Ruan Hong Ling and Li Yundong met—truly enemies seeing each other with eyes burning with hostility—Zi Yuan felt a headache coming on. She shot Ruan Hong Ling a look of rebuke. “Why did you follow me?”
Ruan Hong Ling snapped back, “If I hadn’t followed, you would have disgraced both the Zheng Yi Sect and our Spirit Palace Sect!”
Zi Yuan’s anger flared slightly. “How dare you speak to me like that!”
Ruan Hong Ling, having lived long under Zi Yuan’s protection, felt the weight of seniority and immediately trembled, daring not speak further, merely turning her face away and grunting, “Didn't I?”
Zi Yuan’s voice turned cold. “If you still respect me as your senior sister, apologize immediately! Don’t you want your artifact back?”
Ruan Hong Ling sharply turned back, as if she couldn't believe her ears. Her face registered shock and disbelief as she cried out, “Sister Zi Yuan, are you mad or possessed? You want me to apologize to him? What did I do wrong?”
Ruan Hong Ling fixed Li Yundong with a look of absolute hatred, grinding her teeth. “Forget the artifact, you keep it! I’d rather die than apologize to you!”
Li Yundong was about to deliver a cold retort when suddenly an Audi A6 pulled up by the roadside. The window rolled down, and a woman of exquisite beauty leaned out—it was Zhou Qin.
Zhou Qin looked from Li Yundong to Su Chan, Zi Yuan, and Ruan Hong Ling in confusion. “Li Yundong, what are you all doing here?”