by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
“Meng Qi replied that she wasn’t planning on becoming partners with anyone, which was the first time she had ever refused her master’s wishes. The pavilion master was displeased to say the least. Although he never displayed it, Meng Qi could clearly sense it. Later, Feng Xiao-zi repeatedly came to express his goodwill to her, but he was refused by Meng Qi every time.
“After being nagged for so long, Meng Qi finally said she was already engaged and hoped for them to drop the matter.
“But who would have thought, Feng Xiao-zi didn’t give up and instead, stealthily sent people to Meng Qi’s family to investigate that engagement.
“One day, Meng Qi heard that there was someone secretly reporting on every single one of your movements within Phoenix Cry. In fact, Feng Xiao-zi was even planning on secretly eliminating you along with your entire Long family, all so that Meng Qi would no longer have an excuse to refuse him.”
“That bastard!” Long Chen couldn’t hold back any longer, and dense killing intent surged out of him, instantly chilling the air.
Lu Fang-er sighed. “I didn’t know about this back then. Meng Qi only told me the whole story afterward.
“She said she was truly sorry towards you, feeling as if she had deeply wounded you. However, she couldn’t tell you her own difficulties for fear of implicating your entire Long family.
“The fact that you actually straightforwardly handed over the marriage contract, and instead of blaming her actually consoled her and took pity on her, made Meng Qi cry several times after she returned.
“Later, when I brought back that medicinal pill you gave her, she didn’t hesitate at all to consume it.
“When I asked her why she would just directly consume it without investigating what it was first, why she wasn’t afraid of the results, do you know what she said? She said she trusted you completely.”
Now Long Chen truly felt ashamed of himself. He had never dreamed that there were so many secrets revolving around why Meng Qi had withdrawn from their engagement.
Previously, he had been greatly impacted by Meng Qi’s beauty, infatuated with her immortal, fairy-like temperament, and adored that perfect charm of hers. But it seemed he had forgotten that no matter how beautiful the woman, she still needed to be cherished.
Now that he learned how much Meng Qi was carrying on her shoulders, he was filled with pity and self-blame. Compared to Meng Qi, he had been far too selfish.
“In truth, I shouldn’t have said so much. I know you would give up anything for Meng Qi. The only thing I wanted you to know is that even Meng Qi is in a pitiful situation. Within the entire Wind Spirit Pavilion, she has no one she can rely on. All her grievances and helplessness have to be hidden inside her heart.
“Only I know all her sufferings, but I also don’t have the power to help her. However, I know that Meng Qi does love you. I’ve seen her secretly staring at that comic of you in Phoenix Cry several times. Sometimes she would be both crying and smiling all by herself.
“Although I don’t know exactly what happened between the two of you when you were alone, I know that you are in Meng Qi’s heart.
“However, it is precisely because she loves you that she is in even greater pain. She is helpless. She likes you, but she doesn’t dare accept you. Do you understand?” Lu Fang-er couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.
“Thank you, sister Fang-er. I will definitely get stronger so I can help resolve Meng Qi’s predicaments. I swear, I will let Meng Qi become a free woman who won’t suffer from any restrictions,” swore Long Chen.
Lu Fang-er wiped away her tears and nodded. “Originally, I shouldn’t have said these things to you. But seeing your combat ability as well as your rate of growth, I can finally feel some hope for her. Perhaps in this world, you’re the only one who can change Meng Qi’s fate. Perhaps this was all set up by the will of the heavens. Meng Qi went to withdraw from your engagement, but you didn’t resent her at all and instead consoled her. What kind of fool would do something like that?”
“I suppose I’ll take that as praise?” Long Chen forced a smile.
Lu Fang-er laughed, “Of course, it’s praise. If you hadn’t done that, how could you have left such a deep impression on Meng Qi? Although she is considered a heavenly genius in the Wind Spirit Pavilion, everyone in that nasty living environment is selfish. You were the first person who was so kind to her. If it were me, I think I’d also be emotionally moved by you.”
Although Long Chen did his best to control his face, he still felt as if his cheeks were burning so hotly he could easily fry an egg on them.
He had simply put on a miserable act back then because he hadn’t been able to control himself in the face of Meng Qi’s beauty. And yet, even Lu Fang-er had been moved by it. Long Chen truly felt as if he were becoming more and more reprehensible.
Is it because I’m getting infected by Guo Ran? But it seems that at that time, I didn’t know him yet... Was I contaminated through the air?
“Long Chen, I know this will put a lot of pressure on you, but Meng Qi is truly too pitiful. I hope you can help save her.” Lu Fang-er pulled on Long Chen’s arm.
“Even if I have to give up my life, I will definitely save Meng Qi. My woman definitely can’t be bullied by anyone.”
Although such words were a bit vulgar and a bit domineering, they were an extremely trustworthy promise in Lu Fang-er’s ears. They gave her a strong sense of security.
“Is that Crazy Brat[1] very powerful? Will he go crazy and start biting people?” asked Long Chen.
“Crazy Brat? Feng Xiao-zi?”
Hearing that, Lu Fang-er laughed and winked at Long Chen. “You really are good at coming up with nicknames. If he heard that, he would definitely die from fury.”
After laughing, Lu Fang-er once more became serious. “Feng Xiao-zi is the pavilion master’s son, and his cultivation base has reached the ninth Heavenstage of Tendon Transformation. As for his Spiritual Strength, it is as vast as a sea, and he has opened six spiritual spaces for six powerful fourth rank Magical Beasts.
“Furthermore, he himself is proficient in soul arts. Although he is the son of the pavilion master, he actually went through even harsher training than others, and he has never tasted defeat against someone in the same realm.
“Some time before entering the secret realm, he compared notes with your Xuantian Supermonastery’s top expert’s brother, Han Tianfeng. However, the two of them were clearly holding back, and they ended up in a draw.
“However, it was said that Feng Xiao-zi had already forced Han Tianfeng into a disadvantage. He only stopped to give him face.
“I don’t know the exact details, but I am sure that at that time, neither of them went all-out, and yet their auras were so powerful that they made it so even other Chosen had difficulty breathing.
“Long Chen, if you want to pursue Meng Qi, then you’ll definitely have to face off against Feng Xiao-zi one day. You can’t be careless as he really is terrifyingly powerful.”
Long Chen nodded. The fact that he could fight to a tie with Han Tianfeng was enough to prove that he was truly powerful. Long Chen had been shocked by Han Tianfeng’s skills back when he had fought the Barbaric Wind Beast.
But if he was only on the same level as Han Tianfeng, Long Chen wouldn’t fear him. As long as he wasn’t on the same level as his brother Han Tianyu or Yin Luo, he wouldn’t be a problem.
That was because Long Chen hadn’t felt the mountain-like pressure from Han Tianfeng that he had felt from Han Tianyu and Yin Luo.
Although he had advanced to the Tendon Transformation realm, he still had no assurance in being able to match Yin Luo and Han Tianyu.
Yin Luo was able to control natural energy, a power that could destroy the world. He wasn’t someone an ordinary person could block.
As for Han Tianyu, since he was equally as famous as Yin Luo, he also had to have his own shocking trump cards. Although he didn’t know what they were, Long Chen was sure that Han Tianyu was
not weaker than Yin Luo.
Currently, Long Chen was most worried about Yin Luo’s ability to control natural energy. That was especially true since Yin Luo’s cultivation base was so powerful. Fighting head-on with him was definitely a bad idea.
Up to now, other than those two, Long Chen was sure he could defeat anyone else here.
“That’s right, a couple days ago, I ran into a heaven-shaking battle,” brought up Lu Fang-er suddenly.
[1] Feng Xiao-zi is is Fēng xiào zi, the Feng being the same character as ‘Wind’ in Wind Spirit Pavilion. Here, Long Chen calls him Fēng xiǎo zi, meaning crazy brat.
Chapter 361 White Jade Soul Grass
“A heaven-shaking battle?” Long Chen involuntarily felt some interest.
Lu Fang-er nodded. “Three days ago, within a mountain valley outside the Forest of Darkness, your Xuantian Supermonastery’s number one expert, Han Tianyu, fought an intense battle with another man. That was truly a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering battle.”
Although it had been three days, that scene was still deeply imprinted in Lu Fang-er’s mind.
“Han Tianyu fought with someone? Was it Yin Luo?” asked Long Chen.
Lu Fang-er shook her head. “It wasn’t Yin Luo. That man was wearing a cloak, and from what I could see of his face, he was pretty handsome. His lower chin was a bit round. I think he called himself…”
“Mo Nian?” Long Chen couldn’t help but blurt out.
“Yes! He called himself Mo Nian. What an odd name. Wait, you know him? Were you also there?” asked Lu Fang-er.
“I wasn’t there. Of the people who can fight on the same level as Han Tianyu, and who also like that kind of attire, perhaps he is the only one.”
However, Long Chen felt curious. Although Mo Nian liked to fight, why would he fight with Han Tianyu in the Jiuli secret realm, where danger was lurking on every side?
“How did they start fighting?” he asked.
“I don’t know. But Mo Nian was continuously cursing Han Tianyu for being an idiot. He said something about how he had never worn a mask and he would disdain doing any shady, shameful business. There was also something about hurting his dogshit brother? I don’t really know.” Lu Fang-er’s expression was a bit odd.
In her eyes, a person like Han Tianyu was a high and lofty existence who wouldn’t easily talk with anyone else.
And that man had also been on the same level as him, a top expert. But he had actually wildly cursed Han Tianyu, something which should have been beneath his dignity. So she found it particularly bizarre.
“A mask?”
Long Chen’s expression stiffened as he thought of a certain something.
It couldn’t have been because of that, right? Calculating the time, it seemed that their battle had happened after the time he had worn a mask and almost played Han Tianfeng to death.
At that time, Han Tianfeng had used his teleportation talisman to flee at a critical moment, while Long Chen had never taken off his mask during the battle.
Later when he was provoked by a group of Corrupt disciples, he had led an army of Magical Beasts to slaughter over half of them. The Corrupt Chosen had told him to tell them his name.
He had then extremely flashily left behind Mo Nian’s name for them. Now hearing about this battle from Lu Fang-er, he could immediately think of what had happened.
There had definitely been someone who had recorded his dramatic self-introduction. Who knew what divine channels Han Tianfeng had in order to learn that the masked man had been Mo Nian.
Most likely, he had sent out an arrest warrant for Mo Nian. At the same time, this news must have also reached Han Tianyu.
For a genius on Han Tianyu’s level, being able to fight with a genius on the same level as himself was definitely extremely exciting, and he had definitely heard Mo Nian’s name before.
With how much Mo Nian enjoyed being in the spotlight, he would never hide his whereabouts. Adding on the first monastery’s vast number of followers and spies, as well as their special communication abilities, finding Mo Nian wouldn’t be difficult.
Reaching that point in his thoughts, Long Chen’s expression became odd. It seemed that after he had messed around, it was Mo Nian who had taken the blame.
“Do you know Mo Nian?” asked Lu Fang-er.
“Yes, I know him. We can count as friends.”
After all, Mo Nian had already received a gift from him. That leg he had given him was definitely enough to make them friends, right? Even if Mo Nian learned the truth, he wouldn’t actually get angry… right?
“Long Chen, I am really unable to understand you. How did you manage to become friends with someone on that level?” praised Lu Fang-er.
This was what it meant for birds of a feather to flock together. The stronger a person was, the fewer friends they had by their side. That was because those that could be friends with them had to have a corresponding strength themselves.
A horse does not share the same trough as sheep; a phoenix does not fly with sparrows. Those who were not on the same level were unable to become true friends.
For Long Chen to say that they could count as friends meant that he had a strength that Mo Nian looked favorably upon. Even if he wasn’t on the same level as Mo Nian, he was definitely not far off.
“That’s right, what was the final result. Who won?” Long Chen cared more about the result.
Previously, Mo Nian had fought an intense battle with Yin Luo. Once he had gone home and gone into seclusion, it was unknown how much his strength had advanced.
“The two of them fought a shocking battle. The ground for many miles collapsed, and all the mountains in the vicinity were razed to the ground. It was an incredibly fierce battle. However, neither of them used their full strength. I’d guess they were just testing out their opponent. Han Tianyu had very likely been looking for a pretext just to appraise Mo Nian ever since entering the secret realm.
“The two of them only fought for an hour, and neither of them managed to get an advantage over the other. From the way they fought, it seemed they had too many misgivings, and they didn’t bring out their true fighting strength.
“In the end, Han Tianyu said he would settle this debt with Mo Nian later, while Mo Nian furiously cursed Han Tianyu for being shameless, and that if he wasn’t convinced, they could have a real fight. Han Tianyu was also infuriated, but he still endured. After a couple sneers, he left.
“Once he left, Mo Nian cursed repeatedly for a while before also leaving. He said something about being unlucky to run into a mental case.” Towards the end, Lu Fang-er began to cover her mouth since she was laughing, feeling that for a genius on his level to openly curse someone like that was extremely funny.
As for Long Chen, he wasn’t able to laugh. If Mo Nian learned that it was Long Chen who had set him up in secret, then Long Chen really didn’t dare be sure that he wouldn’t turn hostile.
However, Long Chen also wasn’t afraid of him. If he really was shameless enough to turn hostile against him, then he had better hand over that leg first.
“Let’s stop talking about that. Since I’ve run into you, we should team up. With you here to protect me, I’ll definitely feel much more at ease,” laughed Lu Fang-er. She intimately pulled on Long Chen’s arm.
Long Chen’s expression stiffened slightly. Lu Fang-er was also a rare beauty. It was just that by always being beside Meng Qi, her beauty was naturally eclipsed. But that didn’t change the fact she was also a beauty that could only be found every thousand miles.
Having such a beauty holding his arm, Long Chen couldn’t help but have his heart pound quicker, and his face was feeling warmer and warmer.
When Lu Fang-er sensed that change in Long Chen, she laughed mischievously, “I really like your current expression, hehe. This means you haven’t been completely corrupted. If you had appeared all natural, I really would have to carefully interrogate you.”
Long Chen felt an urge to both laugh and cry. It seemed Lu
Fang-er was still playing the role of Meng Qi’s top advisor. He would definitely have to be a bit more careful around her.
“Hehe, you’ll have to learn to become accustomed to this. Meng Qi and I are the best of sisters, and we swore to never part. So if you want to marry Meng Qi, you’ll have to bring me along and marry me as well.” Lu Fang-er put on an expression of not caring either way, but there was clearly some nervousness deep within her eyes.
“There was also such a good thing for me? Then it seems I really did profit,” laughed Long Chen.
Long Chen could sense that after he laughed, that nervousness in Lu Fang-er’s eyes diminished a great deal. It seems Lu Fang-er wasn’t as free and careless as she appeared.
To Long Chen, Lu Fang-er was one of those ‘little sister’-like people. She had a kind heart, touched with some mischievousness, which made her easy to approach and become friends with.
“Let’s go deeper into the Forest of Darkness. With you by my side, I’ll feel much safer.” Lu Fang-er pulled Long Chen, jumping onto the Golden-Scaled Bull’s back.
Long Chen thought for a moment and decided to return Little Snow to his spiritual space. He could clearly sense that in Little Snow’s presence, Lu Fang-er’s Magical Beasts felt extreme terror.
The two third rank Magical Beasts opened the path, while the Two-Tail Spirit Cat was guarding its back. On their way, they went past that Corrupt Chosen’s corpse, and Long Chen found his spatial ring.
Little Snow’s attack had been extremely powerful and could easily destroy a spirit ring. The fact that this spirit ring was still intact meant its quality was quite high.
Putting away the spatial ring, they continued deeper into the Forest of Darkness.
“Beast Tamers have one advantage within forests: with Magical Beasts by your side, the pressure they release will scare away most of the poisonous insects. But a human, no matter how powerful, is unable to scare away those bugs and will constantly be attacked,” explained Lu Fang-er from atop the bull.
