Chapter 33

Hearing Lu Qingyu say that Yu Tao complimented everyone on their appearance when drunk, Yu Tao’s face immediately turned red. She hadn’t realized that after drinking, she had been going around saying such things to everyone, even teasing little senior Brother.

But fortunately, Little Senior Brother was a good person and didn’t mind it at all.

As she listened, she suddenly heard Lu Qingyu mention that she had petted a stray dog, and Yu Tao quickly covered her cat’s ears, trying to cover up the conversation. “Senior Sister Lu, the little cat can’t hear that!”

Lili usually wouldn’t let her touch it, and if it heard her talking about touching other fluffy creatures, it would definitely ignore her from now on.

Yu Tao gently squeezed the cat’s ears and softly coaxed it. “Even though I don’t remember, Lili, you’re definitely cuter than a little dog. In my eyes, you’re the cutest cat in the entire cultivation world.”

Yu Li, who had been listening, slowly glanced at her, and the frown on his face relaxed a little.

It was then that Lu Qingyu noticed the small furry bundle in Yu Tao’s arms. The last time she saw it, it was on her shoulder, but now it was quietly resting in her arms, almost unnoticed.

Hmm? The cat’s here, and so is Senior Brother Yu Li.

Lu Qingyu raised an eyebrow slightly, which meant… Senior Brother Yu Li wasn’t the cat. She had misunderstood.

But why did this cat have such powerful cultivation?

Meanwhile, Hua Lian was in line to take the sect’s task and handed the disciples’ jade tokens to the shishu in charge. Zhu Mingyu, who was waiting beside him, glanced at the jade tokens and was momentarily stunned.

Besides her and Senior Sister Lu, the other three were ranked 9997, 9998, 9999… Was this a joke?

With Hua Lian and Yu Li’s cultivation levels, there’s no way they would have such low rankings, which meant they were doing this on purpose.

But why? Was it just to be next to Yu Tao?

Zhu Mingyu couldn’t figure it out. She watched as Hua Lian collected the jade tokens and returned hers.

“Alright, Junior Sister Zhu, let’s go.”

Zhu Mingyu nodded and took back her jade token, pursing her lips. As they walked out, she finally spoke up. “Senior Brother Hua Lian, I’m sorry.”

Hua Lian was a bit confused by the sudden apology and looked at her. “Hm?”

Zhu Mingyu spoke seriously, “I didn’t mean to touch you last night…” She was about to say “your tail,” but then remembered that Hua Lian had been covering his tail the whole way back, clearly trying to keep his identity hidden from passing disciples.

So, she paused and then hummed from her throat. “Well, I didn’t mean to say that you were small. I’m really sorry, please don’t take it to heart.”

Hua Lian was momentarily distracted, and his jade token slipped from his hand, falling to the ground with a “thud.”

His usually lazy and carefree gaze cracked for the first time, and shock shattered in his eyes.

What did Zhu Mingyu just say?

Hua Lian barely managed to pick up the jade token, his hands trembling. “Junior Sister Zhu, are you joking?”

The amount of information in that statement was a bit overwhelming.

Zhu Mingyu furrowed her brows slightly. “So, Senior Brother Hua Lian doesn’t remember? Well, you were drunk last night. This is what happened after you got drunk.”

Hua Lian: “…”

This, this… Give him a moment.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to stay calm and said, “You just accidentally touched it, right?”

Zhu Mingyu was honest. “Not just that, I also tugged on it twice.”

Well, she didn’t expect Senior Brother Hua Lian’s tail to be so short. But when she tugged, it turned out to be surprisingly long.

Hua Lian: “……”

Seeing Hua Lian’s expression turn increasingly complicated, his eyes filled with a kind of hopelessness, Zhu Mingyu felt even more guilty. “I really didn’t expect that white fluff to be… yours. I’m truly sorry.”

Hua Lian suddenly shot up, looking as though he had been struck by a great shock. “Hmm…?”

White fluff? A bundle?

It sounded so much like… Hua Lian swallowed. “Are you talking about my tail?”

Zhu Mingyu glanced around, noticing some disciples passing by. How did he end up saying it out loud? She nodded in confusion. “Yes.”

The young man suddenly let out a breath of relief. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? It’s just the tail, no big deal. I forgive you, Junior Sister!”

As expected, Senior Brother Hua Lian was reasonable after sobering up. Zhu Mingyu relaxed slightly, but still had some lingering doubts. “But Senior Brother, you were just talking about the tail. What did you think it was?”

Hua Lian hesitated for a moment, his tone stiff. “Of course, I thought it was the tail.”

Ignoring Zhu Mingyu’s confused gaze, he quickly changed the subject. “Let’s go, Junior Sister. The others are probably waiting.”

After they gathered with Yu Tao and the others outside, the group set off down the mountain and left the sect.

Normally, sword cultivators travel for missions by flying on their swords, which is fast and convenient. However, the disadvantage is that only cultivators at the Golden Core stage and above can unite their mind with the sword and use their qi to control it. Yu Tao and Zhu Mingyu, one in the Qi Refining stage and the other at Foundation Establishment, couldn’t fly on swords yet.

Hua Lian, who had switched from swordsmanship to alchemy, was a Golden Core cultivator but couldn’t use sword flight either.

The Xuanyue Sea was in the northern ocean region. If the five of them took a carriage, it would take at least half a month to get there, which was far too slow.

Lu Qingyu took the initiative and proposed a plan. “Sword flight can carry people. Senior Brother Yu Li and I will each take one of you three.”

“Senior Brother Yu Li is skilled enough with swordsmanship to carry two people, so I’ll take Junior Sister Yu Tao and her cat while Hua Lian and Junior Sister Zhu can go together.”

Zhu Mingyu glanced at her, feeling like Lu Qingyu’s expression was practically shouting, ‘I want to be close to Yu Tao for the two-day journey.’

Zhu Mingyu had noticed her unprofessional behavior in the library last time. The aloof image she usually projected was just a facade.

Hua Lian found her enthusiasm a bit odd, but didn’t really mind. “Junior Sister Lu’s idea is good, but it’s probably not feasible.”

He pointed to the sword hanging by the young man’s side. “My junior brother’s sword is as stubborn as he is. It won’t allow anyone to step on it, so we should consider a different plan.”

Zhu Mingyu nodded. “I think the plan to take people is feasible. Actually, I’ve been cultivating at home for a while. Although I’m still a bit far from the Golden Core stage, I can already fly on a sword, though I’m definitely not as skilled as Senior Sister Lu.”

She looked up and smiled. “So, how about Senior Sister Lu takes Hua Lian, and I take Yu Tao?”

Lu Qingyu hesitated. “Well, Senior Brother Hua Lian and Junior Sister Zhu are familiar with each other, so they should have plenty to talk about on the way. It won’t be boring, so maybe you should take him instead.”

Zhu Mingyu replied, “If we’re talking about familiarity, it’s probably Senior Sister Lu who’s known Senior Brother Hua Lian for longer and has more in common with him. So you should take him.”

Lu Qingyu insisted, “No, it’s better for you to take him.”

Zhu Mingyu countered, “Senior Sister Lu, you’re more suitable for this.”

Hua Lian: ?

Why did he feel like he was being rejected?

Yu Tao, caught between the two, held her cat and didn’t know what to do.

Just then, a male voice suddenly interrupted. “Hey, you’re all fighting over who gets to take Hua Lian, but no one’s volunteering to take Junior Sister Yu Tao?”

A bright, bald head entered their view. Wen Ming drew a sword and smiled. “Since that’s the case, I’ll take Junior Sister Yu Tao. Although I’m a spell cultivator, I used to fly on a sword.”

Yu Tao stared at his shiny, bald head in surprise and then nervously asked, “Classmate Wen, you’re not planning to become a monk, are you?”

Did something happen between him and the Grand Elder yesterday?

Wen Ming scratched his bald head and gave a shy smile. “No, it’s just that I thought my old hairstyle was ugly, and I couldn’t fix it, so I decided to shave it all off. It’ll grow back, and it’ll be better.”

He nervously pressed his lips together. “Does it look bad?”

Yu Tao breathed a sigh of relief. “No, it’s not bad. The bangs used to cover most of your face and made you look gloomy. Now your face is exposed, and you look much brighter and more cheerful. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Meanwhile, the cold-eyed young man’s gaze flickered, landing on the girl who had captured everyone’s attention.

Wen Ming, completely unaware, blushed slightly. “Hmm.”

“Thanks for what happened yesterday. Uh, let’s not talk about it. Junior Sister Yu Tao is also going to Xuanyue Sea, right? I’ve fallen behind in my cultivation over the years, so I wanted to get a feel for things again. I told my master about it and decided to venture into the secret realm of Xuanyue Sea, so I’ll be traveling with you all.”

Wen Ming summoned his sword and reached out his hand to her. “Come on, I’ll be very steady.”

Just moments ago, Zhu Mingyu and Lu Qingyu had been at odds, but now, in perfect unison, they each took Hua Lian’s hand and placed it into Wen Ming’s palm, successfully making a handoff.

“Wen Ming, leave Senior Brother Hua Lian to you.”

“Senior Brother Wen, safe travels.”

Hua Lian: ?

Wen Ming: ?

Wen Ming looked completely confused. “Weren’t you two just arguing over Senior Brother Hua Lian?”

Are female cultivators really this fickle these days?

Zhu Mingyu squinted. “Now it’s just Junior Sister Yu Tao left, so there’s no need to trouble Senior Sister Lu anymore. I’ll take care of her.”

Lu Qingyu chuckled lightly. “Junior Sister Zhu, your injury still isn’t fully healed. You should rest well. It’s best if I take Junior Sister Yu Tao.”

The two began to argue again, and Yu Tao, holding her cat, found herself once more in a dilemma.

She bit her lip, hesitant to speak up. She felt like it didn’t matter who she traveled with on a sword, but with the current situation, what should she do…?

Hua Lian glanced at Yu Li. The young man’s expression was calm as he drew his long sword and hovered half a meter off the ground. He leisurely stepped onto the sword’s light, appearing completely unconcerned.

Huh, little Junior Sister is being fought over by the two Senior Sisters, and he’s this calm?

Forget it. Hua Lian thought that if he relied on Yu Li, he’d never get this kind of chance in 800 years. With a sigh, he took out the dark-colored turtle shell he had prepared early in the morning for flying.

This thing could carry not just six people, but even sixty people.

Hua Lian tapped the hard black shell with his knuckles, about to activate it when he suddenly heard Yu Tao let out a small exclamation.

“Eh, Lili?!”

Hua Lian looked up in confusion, and saw the black cat in Yu Tao’s arms suddenly jump down, taking a few steps before reaching Yu Li’s side. It nimbly climbed up his clothes and jumped onto his shoulder.

Yu Tao walked over and reached out to take Lili back. “Sorry, Little Senior Brother.”

But the black cat clung tightly to the young man’s clothes, refusing to come down. Yu Tao tried coaxing it twice, but it remained there, as if startled, curled into a little ball.

She spoke apologetically, “Maybe Lili has been on the mountain for a long time and hasn’t seen many people. Seeing so many suddenly, it got scared.”

Hua Lian: …

He had underestimated his junior brother, it seemed he had some skills after all.

Hua Lian coughed lightly. “It seems the cat will need some time to calm down. In that case, Junior Sister, you should go with Junior Brother. You’ll need to tend to the cat’s medicine on the way.”

Yu Tao hesitated. “Eh, but didn’t you say…”

The black cat made a low, growling sound from its throat.

Yu Tao’s heart tightened. She looked at Yu Li. “Little Senior Brother, is it okay?”

The young man’s eyes were as clear and sharp as jade. He glanced at her indifferently and responded in a calm tone, “Since it’s due to special circumstances, it would be too unreasonable for me to refuse.”

Hua Lian: … Tch.

Such arrogance.

The young man extended his hand to her.

Yu Tao, noticing the clear shape of his fingers, suddenly felt a bit nervous. She secretly wiped her hands to make sure they weren’t sweaty from her anxiety, before placing them in his.

His warm fingertips gripped hers, then with a slight tug, Yu Tao stood steadily on the sword light, perfectly positioned in front of the young man.

Watching this scene, the two girls exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with unspoken thoughts, but neither said anything. Each drew out their sword and prepared to fly.

After all, they all knew in their hearts that it was them, not Yu Tao, who had ulterior motives. In a situation where all choices were the same to her, of course, she would choose her spiritual pet.

Only Hua Lian, holding the turtle shell, stood frozen.

So, for his junior brother’s happiness, he had no choice but to give up the comfortable, large turtle shell and squeeze onto a sword with Wen Ming.

Hua Lian silently tucked the turtle shell into his robe. He had given so much for this family.

The journey took two days, and the six of them successfully arrived at the Xuanyue Sea in the Eastern Region.

As the name suggested, the moon in this sea region had a very unusual color.

The moon would change from white to a glowing black at dawn, while large blue spiritual flowers would bloom across the surface of the sea, dazzling and endless.

With still some distance from the harbor, the speed of their sword flight had slowed down. By evening, the clouds were tinged with a halo, creating a dreamy and beautiful scene.

Yu Tao gazed at the sea in the distance.

The familiar sea. The vast waves gave form to the formless, with the rolling tides whispering secrets.

The evening glow whispered to the rushing currents, carrying the endless memories of the world.