Chapter 46.1

◎ By her side was a person dressed in a red wedding robe ◎

Chi Lu wiped the mark on Jing Shuxing’s forehead, and rubbed away the crimson blood with her fingertips. The palace mark disappeared in an instant.

On his smooth and beautiful forehead, at first glance, there seemed to be nothing. Only when a cultivator mobilized spiritual power could they perceive the subtle mysteries within.

Her fingertips brushed over the beautiful long eyelashes of the person in her arms. Chi Lu raised her eyebrows and eyes, smiling softly like a fluffy red fox. “Is this okay now?”

Jing Shuxing shrank into her embrace, his hand sliding down from her shoulder to grasp her forearm hidden under the wide sleeve. His breathing was as rapid as that of a young beast gravely injured during a hunt. He half-closed his eyes, and a brief flash of surprise and excitement passed through them.

Chi Lu finally heard the long, steady breathing.

She tilted her ear and listened patiently, but her expression darkened again.

When he was lying on her lap earlier, his breathing wasn’t like this. Could it be that Jing Shuxing was pretending to sleep back then?

— He was definitely pretending to sleep! She had even been fooled, letting him lie there quietly for who knows how long.

Chi Lu felt displeased in her heart and was just about to pinch Jing Shuxing’s face and give it a good rub to vent her frustration. But on second thought, she couldn’t help but laugh at herself.

What was there to be angry about? Or was it that she simply wanted an excuse to pinch this face?

After searching thoroughly, she finally found the Cloud Boat in her space pouch. She kneaded and shaped it in her hands, then casually tossed it into the air.

Under the astonished gazes of everyone, the Cloud Boat rapidly expanded, growing larger until it took the form of a soft bed, then drifted downward.

The surrounding spirit creatures couldn’t help but whisper among themselves, “Isn’t this just a ready-made bridal chamber?”

They then saw Chi Lu lift Jing Shuxing, cupping him in her hands, and toss him onto the Cloud Boat.

“So practiced!” the spirit creatures exclaimed in shock. “Just how many times has that powerful cultivator done this before?”

A group of little creatures huddled in the corner, stretching their eyes wide with their fingers, eagerly anticipating what would happen next.

According to the storyline, the next step should be—!

Unfortunately, they saw nothing. After Chi Lu finished setting up the small cloud house, she grabbed the top corner of the cloud and pulled it down, drawing the cloud curtain to block everyone else’s view.

After all this was done, Xu Shiling approached Chi Lu.

Chi Lu asked, “How is it?”

Xu Shiling looked downcast as she held Yun Pianpian’s hand. “The spiritual energy on her body is useless.”

With that, her gaze fell on Jing Luoyun, then shifted to the small cloud house.

“Young Sect Leader, why are you hiding your man?” Xu Shiling’s face turned pale, looking somewhat grim.

“My friend’s spiritual platform is damaged, and his energy is chaotic. I’m afraid that taking his spiritual energy recklessly might harm his body,” Chi Lu explained, pointing at Jing Luoyun. “He and my friend are half-brothers, sharing the same bloodline. If his spiritual energy is useless, then my friend’s spiritual energy won’t work either.”

Xu Shiling’s tone was stiff. “Why should I trust you?”

Chi Lu pointed to the spiritual platform she had used for the ritual. “That Dao platform was brought from the Linghua Sect by your father, wasn’t it?”

“I am the Young Sect Leader of the Linghua Sect, so I naturally understand how it operates. If you trust me, I can perform the ritual and help you find the person you are looking for.”

Xu Shiling gently stroked the Dao platform, her expression shifting several times. Finally, she gritted her teeth as if making a great decision.

“You’re right about everything, Young Sect Leader. I trust you.” With that, she stepped aside, witn her face subtly revealing a hint of plea and hope.

Chi Lu silently sighed and squatted in front of Jing Luoyun, who was sitting on the ground with a bruised and swollen face. “I want to take a strand of your spiritual energy for a ritual. Would you be willing?”

Jing Luoyun, who had just managed to recover, wiped the nosebleed from his face and dizzily stood up from the ground.

He glanced at the soft Cloud Boat and then at the good-natured Chi Lu, suddenly jumping up from the ground. “You, you all? How did you get out of Fengyue City?”

As she recalled what happened in Fengyue City, Chi Lu’s expression instantly turned unfriendly. “What, do you want to settle the score with us over Fengyue City?”

Jing Yi had used Jing Shuxing as a living sacrifice and treated her as a mere tool to activate the formation. Every time she thought of this, Chi Lu’s anger would flare up.

She had no intention of settling old scores with Jing Luoyun here, but who would have thought he would bring up the most sensitive topic, reigniting Chi Lu’s fire once more.

Jing Luoyun was even more shocked. “The Young Sect Leader was a distinguished guest of Fengyue City, and my father held you in high regard. Why did he let you leave so early? Besides, Jing Shuxing, being so…”

Under Chi Lu’s undisguised anger, Jing Luoyun changed his wording. “…so gravely injured, shouldn’t he be resting and healing? Why did you come to the spiritual vein?”

He stammered and stuttered, but suddenly heard a few dry laughs from the young woman.

“Oh, so you didn’t know?” Chi Lu looked him up and down.

While holding a whip in her hand, she casually lashed it against the ground, causing a surge of spiritual energy that made Jing Luoyun shrink back. “Your father wanted to kill me and Jing Shuxing.”

“What?”

“But he was killed instead.” Chi Lu toyed with the Red Soul Whip. “The cultivators of Fengyue City have suppressed Jing Yi’s soul at the bottom of the Nine-tiered Xuan You Tower. By now, he’s probably already been completely devoured by the evil spirits.”

Since Fengyue City was mentioned, Chi Lu decided to be frank with Jing Luoyun and lay everything out clearly.

Jing Luoyun’s eyes widened, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

He suddenly dropped to his knees. “What about my mother? What happened to Lady Ning?”

Chi Lu furrowed her brows, recalling, “The evil spirits only harmed the Jing family members. As long as the people of Fengyue City didn’t harm her, your mother should be fine.”

Hearing this, Jing Luoyun let out a long sigh of relief and got up from the ground. “That’s good to know.”

He trembled all over. “I knew something was off—why my mother always avoided giving me direct answers. So that’s how it is… No, maybe it was Father who hid the truth from Mother, and then Mother hid it from me, which is why I knew nothing.”

“I always thought the Nine-tiered Xuan You Tower was just a library…”

Jing Luoyun’s expression was sincere, not seeming false at all. Chi Lu observed him for a long time before finally believing that he truly knew nothing.

She softened her tone. “Once we leave the spiritual vein, you should return to Fengyue City quickly to check the situation. But if you dare to come to the Linghua Sect seeking revenge, I won’t give you a chance to escape.”

If the events were to unfold as demonstrated in 《Heavenly Fate》, Jing Luoyun’s growth would still have a long way to go, especially since in the distant future, he would break through the void to avenge his father.

As someone partially responsible for the counter-kill of Jing Yi, Chi Lu was fully justified in defending herself.

She shed her gentle and sweet demeanor, and with a stern voice, she threatened him while secretly gathering the spiritual energy from the vein, and her power steadily increasing.

However, Jing Luoyun slowly shook his head, his eyes dim, showing no intention of starting a conflict.

After a long pause, Jing Luoyun quietly said, “Young Sect Leader, please forgive me for what happened before. If you need my spiritual energy, then go ahead and take it.”

A look of surprise appeared on Chi Lu’s face.

Before she could say anything, a short, sharp scream came from Yun Pianpian.

No one noticed when she had run to the corner, but now she was rushing toward Jing Luoyun, crying out, “Brother Yun, save me!”

Behind her, a thick, rolling wave of evil energy was approaching. These evil energies were different from the evil spirits of Fengyue City; they had all dispersed their forms and no longer resembled human shapes.

Chi Lu, in an instant, released all the spiritual energy she had gathered for self-defense, forming an impenetrable barrier to block the evil energy.

Xu Shiling let out a startled cry and immediately shielded the Dao platform. “What are these things? How did they get into the spiritual vein?”

Yun Pianpian crawled and stumbled into the barrier, clutching Jing Luoyun’s arm, her whole body trembling.

Jing Luoyun was initially startled as well, but seeing Yun Pianpian so terrified, he mustered the courage to draw his longsword. “Don’t be afraid, Sister Yun. I’ll take care of them for you.”

Chi Lu, quick as lightning, used the Red Soul Whip to pull Jing Luoyun back. “Are you crazy? The evil spirits only attack people from Fengyue City. If you go out—”

Her voice abruptly stopped.

How could it still be “only attacking people from Fengyue City”?

Those evil energies deftly sought gaps in the barrier, finding thin spots in the supposedly impenetrable wall and burrowing through with all their might. It was clear that they were being controlled by someone, unlike the mindless evil spirits from Fengyue City.

Amid Yun Pianpian’s screams, Chi Lu pulled the Cloud Boat closer, sending out spiritual energy to envelop the spirit creatures.

She called out loudly, “Xu Shiling, disable the spiritual vein.”

“If we disable the spiritual vein now, both the living and the dead will die from the massive spiritual energy surge,” Xu Shiling retorted.

Chi Lu patiently tried to persuade her. “Trust me, I can control all the spiritual energy and manipulate it to prevent harm. If we don’t disable the spiritual vein now, once the barrier is breached, we’ll be stuck in the same space with these evil energies.”

“I am the Young Sect Leader of the Linghua Sect.”

Although her talent was extremely high, she was not among the top cultivators and couldn’t achieve perfection. With one hand controlling the spirit creatures and the other the Cloud Boat, she used her divine sense to manipulate the long whip to ensnare Xu Shiling’s spiritual sense, while also sending out spiritual energy to sense Yun Pianpian and Jing Luoyun. She was already at her limit.

Xu Shiling looked around in a panic, unconsciously muttering to herself, “These evil energies bear a resemblance to the aura clinging to the Jing family members. Could it be—”

Chi Lu raised her voice and called Xu Shiling’s name again, snapping her out of her daze.

Xu Shiling hugged the Dao platform tightly and drew a talisman with her fingers. “Young Sect Leader, I trust you.” With that, she formed a seal, her lips moving as she chanted.