Chapter 258

Chapter 258: Yu Zhao, Little Sister, I’ve Heard of You for a Long Time
Bai Ling kept his head down and walked in front. Nine-Tails trailed an arm’s length behind him, smiling like a flower as she coaxed him in a soft voice: “Bai Ling, don’t be angry anymore. You were so pretty just now.”

Yu Zhao pretended she did not exist.

She sensibly fell back several zhang from them, keeping a very polite distance.

It was the first time Bai Ling had ever spread his tail screen in front of a female. Other than being shy, he was still just shy. He fidgeted and refused to talk to Nine-Tails.

Nine-Tails coaxed him for a while, but when she saw it was not working, she suddenly stopped walking.

Bai Ling was clearly walking in front, yet the moment she stopped, he also stopped at once.

Nine-Tails could not help but laugh. She reached out a finger, hooked Bai Ling’s robe hem, and gently swung it as she said: “Alright, don’t be mad. I prepared a gift for you. I was planning to send it to you in a few days, but since you came today, you can take it with you.”

Bai Ling turned his head, not daring to believe it: “A gift? For me?”

“Yes, for you.”

Hearing that, Bai Ling could not hold down the curve at the corner of his mouth.

Nine-Tails raised her brows and said: “Want me to take you to see it?”

Nine-Tails had thrown out the bait.

“Mm!”

Without any hesitation, Bai Ling bit down on it.

He obediently followed behind Nine-Tails.

In an instant, their positions swapped.

Yu Zhao clicked her tongue in amazement. Who would have thought that the chieftain of the White Peacock Clan was actually a lovestruck fool.

Only when Yu Zhao saw the so-called gift in Nine-Tails’s mouth did she realize she had been surprised too soon. An even bigger shock was still behind it.

“This…”

Bai Ling simply could not believe his eyes.

What was he seeing?

Master Qing Yan’s disciple Quan Ye, who carried the Azure Dragon bloodline, was completely naked and tied to a tree. His whole body was covered in marks from being toyed with and abused.

[Am I dreaming?]

Yu Zhao, a step behind, saw Quan Ye’s miserable state a moment later. She was also shocked beyond words.

Even at her lowest point, she had never been tied to a tree and tormented, and in such a humiliating way at that.

Besides, Yu Zhao knew how revered Quan Ye’s position had been in the demon race in their previous life.

Compared side by side, it was even more ironic.

Nine-Tails pointed at Quan Ye and smiled at Bai Ling as if asking for credit: “Didn’t you always want to find a descendant of the Azure Dragon bloodline? That’s him. I already sent his master and fellow disciple away. You can take him away right now.”

Bai Ling was dumbfounded.

He was moved, yet he also felt a kind of absurdity he could not put into words.

Of course he knew Quan Ye carried the Azure Dragon bloodline. In fact, if Yu Zhao had not stopped him in time, Quan Ye would already have become Spirit Mountain’s honored guest and be enjoying Bai Ling’s full care right now.

With a single different choice, Quan Ye had fallen from a noble candidate for Beast King to a plaything of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan.

The gap was so great that it made one sigh.

Bai Ling frowned and asked: “Did he awaken again?”

Things had come to this. There was no point in digging into the cause anymore. Bai Ling was more worried about Quan Ye’s current condition.

Nine-Tails nodded in surprise and said: “Yes. But he didn’t finish awakening. He passed out from the pain.”

How could the Azure Dragon bloodline be something an ordinary mortal could bear?

If Quan Ye could not get help from the demon race, he had only one ending: to die in the process of awakening.

Bai Ling fell into worry and said: “Master Qing Yan entrusted him to you. When he comes back, how are you going to explain this?”

“Explain?” Nine-Tails gave a soft snort and said: “When Qing Yan and I set our three rules, I already said I would only help him through the danger period. I don’t care about anything else. Even if he wants to make trouble for me, he has no way to pin it on me.”

“But…”

Bai Ling wanted to say more but stopped.

Speaking of it, Nine-Tails and Master Qing Yan were somewhat alike. Both were the kind of people who put themselves above all and could not stand anyone going against them.

If they wanted to make trouble for someone, they did not need to make up excuses. Why would they care about whatever rules they had agreed on?

The more worried Bai Ling looked, the more unrestrained Nine-Tails’s smile became.

“You don’t need to worry about me. This is Qingqiu Mountain. It’s my Nine-Tailed Fox Clan’s territory. If he wants to make a scene, he has to think about how much weight the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan carries.”

Seeing Bai Ling still frowning, Nine-Tails simply had a few little foxes carry Quan Ye back to a room. Then she led Bai Ling and Yu Zhao to the guest quarters on Qingqiu Mountain.

In fact, if Yu Zhao had not been here, Nine-Tails would have rather brought Bai Ling straight back to her cave.

She had scared him away last time. This time, she had to behave well.

Yu Zhao bowed and said: “Junior Yu Zhao greets Clan Leader Nine-Tails.”

Nine-Tails’s attitude toward Yu Zhao was fairly friendly. She nodded lazily and was just about to keep pestering Bai Ling when she suddenly realized something and turned her gaze back to Yu Zhao.

“You are Yu Zhao, the one who took first place in the Cultivation World Grand Tournament?”

“Yes.”

Nine-Tails’s eyes lit up. She immediately gave up on Bai Ling, sat down beside Yu Zhao, took her hand, and said softly: “Yu Zhao, Little Sister, I’ve heard about you for a long time. Now that I see you, you really are extraordinary.”

Yu Zhao was stunned.

Bai Ling was baffled.

“Clan Leader Nine-Tails…” Yu Zhao began.

“Don’t call me Clan Leader Nine-Tails. That’s too distant. From now on, just call me Sister Nine-Tails.”

Yu Zhao followed along smoothly and changed how she addressed her: “Sister Nine-Tails.”

“Ay, my good little sister, your elder sister has finally gotten to see you.”

Nine-Tails held onto Yu Zhao and refused to let go, smiling even sweeter than when she had seen Bai Ling.

Bai Ling felt jealous. He cleared his throat a few times, trying to use the sound to draw Nine-Tails’s attention.

But Nine-Tails did not even look at him. Her whole heart was focused on Yu Zhao as she asked with concern where she had come from and what she had gone through.

Bai Ling was anxious and flustered.

[He knew it. Nine-Tails didn’t have him in her heart at all!]

[Everything she said before was just to coax him!]

[Yet he had taken it seriously, even happily spreading his tail screen!]

[He really couldn’t keep his composure at all!]

Bai Ling’s heart felt so sour it was bubbling. He had no extra attention left to guess why Nine-Tails was trying so hard to please Yu Zhao.

But Yu Zhao was not fooled by Nine-Tails’s behavior. Her thoughts turned quickly, and she soon had a guess.

Just like how Bai Ling had pinned his hopes on the descendants of the Azure Dragon Clan, was Nine-Tails also treating her as the person most likely to ascend to the Upper Realm, and that was why she was trying so hard to get close?

So Yu Zhao spoke frankly and asked what was in her heart.

Nine-Tails’s voice stopped at once.

Bai Ling looked at Nine-Tails with hidden expectation.

Nine-Tails thought quietly for a long time, then suddenly laughed and said: “What are you talking about? Whether you can ascend to the Upper Realm has nothing to do with me. I just feel like we hit it off at first sight, so I want to be closer to you.”

“So you also don’t know about the Heavenly Ladder breaking?” Yu Zhao asked.

The smile on Nine-Tails’s face melted away like snow and ice. Her charming eyes turned sharp.

“How did you learn about that?”

After speaking, her eyes flashed with understanding. She said: “You came here on purpose to find me. You want to know things related to the Heavenly Ladder.”

The Nine-Tailed Fox Clan was indeed the wisest race among the demon race. Just from Yu Zhao’s two questions, Nine-Tails had already guessed her purpose.

Her expression suddenly turned cold. She let go of Yu Zhao’s hand and said calmly: “I don’t know anything about the Heavenly Ladder. You came to the wrong demon.”

“Sister Nine-Tails…” Yu Zhao called.

Bai Ling could not help wanting to step in and speak for her, but Yu Zhao cut him off.

Yu Zhao said: “Sister Nine-Tails, since you are willing to take the initiative to win me over, that means you also care a lot about this matter. Why don’t you join hands with me and talk about a plan together? That would be better than bearing it all by yourself.”

“Who said I am bearing it all by myself? I still have him, don’t I?”

Nine-Tails lifted her eyelids and gave Bai Ling a light glance.

Bai Ling actually felt a hint of pampering in her eyes.

He instantly grew shy again.

Yu Zhao was speechless.