Chapter 136
Chapter 136: Clash in the Peach Blossom Grove
What Yu Ruan Ruan had not expected was that Rong Shu refused outright.
Rong Shu cupped the Little Hamster’s cheeks and said with an apologetic smile: “Sorry, Senior Sister Yu, he is shy and already asleep; if we accidentally wake him, I will be coaxing him for a long time.”
Hearing Rong Shu, the Little Hamster became very clever and lay perfectly still. Yu Ruan Ruan and the two men could not tell whether he was truly asleep or only pretending, but Rong Shu’s refusal was unmistakable.
Feng Lin glanced at the Little Hamster and said carelessly: “Such a waste of time over toys; it is only an ordinary mouse.”
Qin Yuan, however, looked at Rong Shu with a complicated expression and said: “Junior Sister Rong, if you like pets, another day I can help you catch a cute spirit beast to keep as a pet.”
Yu Ruan Ruan was not ready to give up. [It is just a little mouse, and she will not even let me hold it. Now she is stealing the attention of all three Senior Brothers, and even wants them to find her a beast pet?] She coaxed in a soft voice: “Junior sister, I will just hold him lightly, I absolutely will not—”
Rong Shu cut her off and asked back with a straight face: “Senior Sister, do you keep a snake? My pet is terrified of snakes; you must carry some snake scent on you, and it will scare him.”
Yu Ruan Ruan choked on her words.
Rong Shu immediately raised the identity token at her waist, made a show of checking it, then said with polite finality: “Senior Brothers, Senior Sister, someone is looking for me, so I will take my leave; please, carry on.”
With that, she looked at the three of them, inclined her head slightly toward Qin Yuan’s side in greeting, and turned to go.
“Junior Sister Rong—” Yu Ruan Ruan called after her, but Qin Yuan’s gentle reassurance came first as he said to Yu Ruan Ruan: “Forget it, Ruan Ruan. If you want small animals, your senior brother can buy you eight or ten.”
Hearing Qin Yuan comfort Yu Ruan Ruan, Rong Shu quickened her pace. In a short while, she disappeared from their sight.
After walking a long distance, Rong Shu suddenly spoke to the Little Hamster with unusual gravity: “Remember those three people.”
[Huh? Remember what?] The Little Hamster lifted his head, looking up at Rong Shu in confusion.
Rong Shu repeated the instruction, firm and slow: “Remember them. If you run into them again in the future, you must run far away at once, understand?”
She herself did not know why she said this to warn the Little Hamster. He was only an ordinary Little Hamster; by rights, no one should covet him. Yet when she thought of that madman Feng Lin’s killing intent toward her, and the strange, unnameable feeling Yu Ruan Ruan gave her from beginning to end, Rong Shu silently tightened her hold around the Little Hamster.
Rong Shu was not afraid of being targeted herself; she was afraid the Little Hamster would be dragged into it.
The Little Hamster only grew more bewildered. [Why run? I do not understand.] Even so, he nodded obediently. Since Shu Shu said so, he would run.
On the other side, after Rong Shu left, a thought flashed through Yu Ruan Ruan’s mind, one she herself did not quite believe. She hesitated and asked the System: “Could it be that the long-sought heaven-favored one has already been snatched by Rong Shu?”
Although she disliked admitting it, “Rong Shu” had indeed possessed better fortune than others to begin with. If not for her living this life again and seizing the initiative step by step, she would not have managed to make that fortune her own. Therefore, Yu Ruan Ruan very much wanted to remove Rong Shu.
The System replied: [In theory, that is unlikely.]
[Because that is not Rong Shu’s destined opportunity. Destiny is hard to change; there is an ordained number in the dark.]
The System’s cold tone carried a trace of disdain and superiority. Not just anyone who wants to change fate can change it.
Yu Ruan Ruan’s heart loosened as she said: “Really? You can be certain?”
[Absolutely.]
Hearing such a firm guarantee, Yu Ruan Ruan slowly set her mind at ease. Even if she could not find the heaven-favored one herself, as long as Rong Shu did not get even a trace of it, Yu Ruan Ruan could accept that. She asked again: “By the way, is there still no news of that heaven-favored one?”
“…”
…
After returning to her new residence, Rong Shu did not relax. With past experience in mind, she made a full circuit of the house, inspecting inside and out. Only after confirming there were no traces of intrusion did she let out a long breath. The very next moment, she took out several formation discs and began installing them around the residence. She worked until the entire place was turned into an ironclad fortress before she finally stopped and muttered: “With this, no one should be able to break in again, right?”
If someone truly could break in, then that was not someone Rong Shu could deal with.
At these words, the Little Hamster felt a twinge of guilt, but quickly calmed himself. [As long as I pretend I do not know, Shu Shu will not know!]
Rong Shu’s gaze swept the room and finally landed on the Little Hamster perched on her shoulder. He was very quiet and very well-behaved—too quiet.
“Yan Yan,” Rong Shu said as she held out both hands to cup him and looked him straight in the eyes, then asked with seeming casualness: “As far as I know, every spirit beast or demon beast that cultivates to a certain point has a chance to take human form. Are you a spirit beast or a demon beast? Can you turn into a person?”
The Little Hamster opened his mouth, on the verge of speaking, but realizing his current predicament, he closed it again and only looked at Rong Shu with wide, innocent eyes.
Rong Shu stared at him in silence for a moment, then smiled a little: “Come to think of it, I have never seen you use any ability, Yan Yan.” She pressed softly: “Are you a spirit beast or a demon beast? You should have some racial trait or some kind of ability, right?”
The Little Hamster’s gaze flickered. [Do I… have a racial trait? How would I know?]
Seeing no response, Rong Shu extended a finger to poke his forehead and asked in a wounded little voice: “What is the matter? You do not want to tell me? I thought Yan Yan and I were already companions, but it turns out you still treat me as an outsider…”
The Little Hamster panicked at once. [N-no, that is not it.]
Rong Shu set him down on the stone table in the courtyard and turned back to tinker with the formations. Left alone on the table, the Little Hamster spun in anxious circles, a great wave of fear swelling in his chest. [Has Shu Shu decided… to stop wanting me?] His two tiny paws twisted together as he racked his brains for any racial trait a “Little Hamster” might have, but he truly could not think of one. He seemed like nothing more than an ordinary Little Hamster. If he had any ability, he would not have been chased in such a sorry state that day and stumbled into meeting Rong Shu.
[So… has Shu Shu suddenly decided I am useless? But if I take human form… no, I cannot say that. My human form is ugly and frightening; it would scare Shu Shu. What should I do… abilities… what abilities do I even have?]
Rong Shu casually checked the formations once more and, turning her head, saw the Little Hamster tied up in knots. She could not help a secret smile. She had only wanted to test him a little.
In truth, she did not know what abilities the Little Hamster had, nor whether he could take human form. The first time, the Little Hamster had inexplicably disappeared from the room where the formations were set. The second time, there had been clear traces of someone moving on the bed, yet when the Little Hamster was on the bed he had sensed nothing at all. Very strange.
Rong Shu had considered that someone might have entered, but she had also wondered whether the Little Hamster had caused it. Hmm… perhaps he could not take full human form, but could enlarge his body? That would also explain the disordered bedding. Yet if there were no third party, how had the Little Hamster left a room guarded by formations?
Rong Shu was very curious.
Deep in the Northern Coldlands, within a peach blossom grove, the melodious music of strings and flutes still drifted through the trees. On the main seat of the banquet, Ancestor Yun Xie lounged lazily, his peach-blossom eyes languidly sweeping over the dancers swaying below. A cup of wine was offered from the side by a pair of pale, jade-white hands, and the woman cooed in a honeyed voice: “Ancestor.”
Ancestor Yun Xie took the cup, but did not drink, setting it on the table instead. Seeing this, the two women attending on either side paused, then realized something and withdrew in silence.
Fixing his gaze on the distant grove, Ancestor Yun Xie called out, voice smooth and clear: “A guest has come; why not come out and meet me?”
Petals the color of sunrise fell through the air and carpeted the ground, lending bright color to the dark soil. Then a white-robed man stepped from the trees. Amid that sea of pink, he was strikingly bright, like the only unique hue between heaven and earth. Ancestor Yun Xie’s eyes flickered when he saw the man’s face.
“I did not expect a young junior. To find your way here means you have some skill.”
As the white-robed man appeared, the women playing music and dancing quietly withdrew. The grove, once filled with the sound of strings and flutes, fell into sudden silence.
Watching the white-robed man walk toward him step by step, Ancestor Yun Xie said in a deep tone: “My sect disciples reported long ago that six months ago Scarlet Sun City changed hands. The Central Continent reacted quickly, and someone took over at once. This old one guessed then that people from the Central Continent had come.”
The white-robed man halted and lifted his eyes as he said faintly: “Since you know where I come from, you should also be very clear why I am here.”
Ancestor Yun Xie smiled lightly, his voice threaded with subtle temptation as he said: “This world has ever revered the strong. Envoy, why trouble yourself to intervene?”
Lin Dao did not answer; he asked coldly instead: “So you have truly set your heart on violating the agreement?”
“It has already been five hundred years,” Ancestor Yun Xie replied with a smile that did not reach his eyes. “The agreement of those days was only between me and that person. If you intend to discuss this matter with me, junior, I fear you are not qualified.” His gaze took on a hint of contempt. The name of the Central Continent was indeed imposing, but Ancestor Yun Xie had roamed it in his youth and did not share the native Southern Wilds cultivators’ instinctive fear. He added with a lazy drawl: “Or perhaps that person is already dead and cannot come…”
Before the words had fallen, the aura around the white-robed man changed in an instant. The Snow Sword that had previously remained sheathed had already flown forth at some unknown moment, condensing a soaring, awe-inspiring sword intent that cleaved straight toward Ancestor Yun Xie on the dais.
A faint gold glimmer lit Ancestor Yun Xie’s eyes, and a golden barrier blossomed before him, catching the blade-light head-on. Everything beyond the shield, however, was ravaged to ruin by that single simple stroke. In midair, the petals severed by the sword continued to whirl and scatter.
Seeing this, Ancestor Yun Xie laughed instead of growing angry as he said: “Nascent Soul? And early stage? Who gave you the courage to break in before this old one? Even if you hail from the Central Continent, as an elder I have every reason to teach you a lesson. Still, for one at early Nascent Soul to breach a dozen checkpoints in succession, leaving several mid and late Nascent Soul cultivators unable to stop you…” His smile faded.
The white-robed man said unhurriedly: “Do you want to know how?” He stepped forward, and a formation rose beneath his feet; with its emergence, the cultivation that had been only early Nascent Soul began to climb without pause. Mid Nascent Soul… late Nascent Soul… early Divine Transformation… mid Divine Transformation… until it finally settled at late Divine Transformation.
Leveling his sword at Ancestor Yun Xie, the white-robed man arched a brow and said: “They say that five hundred years ago, you, then at early Void Refinement, were defeated across realms by a junior who was only at early Divine Transformation. After that, your state of mind was shaken, and for five centuries your cultivation did not advance an inch.”
Hearing the white-robed man speak out those past details, Ancestor Yun Xie’s face sank at once; his prior calm was gone. He sprang to his feet, eyes narrowing dangerously as he demanded: “Who are you? This array… do you know him?!”
The white-robed man’s expression remained even, his tone light yet edged with sharpness as he said: “Junior disciple Wu Hua, conveying the regards of Senior Brother Leng Ming Jing to Ancestor Yun Xie of Demonic Heart Valley.”
After so many years, hearing that name again made Ancestor Yun Xie’s pupils contract; a shiver he could not suppress rose in his heart. He stared at the white-robed man, suspicion and alarm warring in his gaze as he said: “You…”
Wu Hua’s lips curved in a slight smile as he said: “It ought to have been my senior brother who made this trip, but he dislikes going out, so I can only labor in his stead. My talent is ordinary; I cannot do as my senior brother did back then—challenging an early Void Refinement cultivator as an early Divine Transformation and even winning. But if Senior Yun Xie insists on his own way, then fighting you with late Divine Transformation should not be excessive, should it?”
Having lived for over a thousand years and been lauded by juniors in Demonic Heart Valley for centuries, Ancestor Yun Xie now tasted a long-lost urge to grind his teeth. He snapped: “Back then… I did not lose either!”
The moment he said it, even he felt ashamed. A Void Refinement Stage cultivator failing to defeat a Divine Transformation Stage cultivator—if that is not a loss, then what is it?