Chapter 956: A Sweet Reward

The evil spirits grew in numbers and strength the higher they went. But reaching the eighteenth floor felt strenuous. Ye Wenxin and Long Qingyue were mage types. They needed to be more mindful of managing their stamina, so having Big Baby and Liuli help would save them more time and energy.

“Master, I’m going too.” After getting spoiled, Liuli appeared full of energy and quickly threw herself back into the fight.

That left Long Qingyue and Ye Wenxin alone, staring boldly at each other.

“……”

“……”

The silence spread between them until Long Qingyue suddenly asked, “How far have you gotten?”

“Uh, what do you mean?”

“The Colored Flags have taken human form. You made a move on her, didn’t you?” Long Qingyue’s second question was much more specific. Ye Wenxin felt even more awkward. Had she become a humanoid harvesting machine in Long Qingyue’s eyes?

“I didn’t make a move, Yue’er. What kind of person do you think I am?”

“A heartless flirt,” Long Qingyue answered without hesitation.

The image of an elegant and talented lady gradually collapsed. She now gave off the impression of being sharp-tongued.

Ye Wenxin considered her own complicated situation but didn’t say anything. Who would believe that someone had been in this world for over fifty years before their cheat finally appeared, only for it to vanish after they’d used it to live a wild life for a time? If she were Long Qingyue, she wouldn’t believe such a story either.

Sure enough, Long Qingyue said nothing more after hearing her explanation. She steadied her mind again. After the anger earlier, she unexpectedly felt a suffocating kind of sorrow. But if it was this bad for her, how was Ye Wenxin fine?

As they climbed higher, the ghosts became harder to deal with. It took Big Baby and Liuli’s combined effort to defeat them. With the eighteenth floor now before them, Liuli felt fear and refused to take another step forward.

Although Big Baby preferred to save face, she didn’t want to die. She quickly returned to the spirit pet bracelet after warning the two women about the eighteenth floor.

“Let’s go,” Long Qingyue said first, as though she’d always set the example on every journey. Yet, despite her words, she would shove Ye Wenxin in first like a lab rat.

Hence, Ye Wenxin became much faster than the average cultivator, all thanks to Long Qingyue. Recalling the ways Long Qingyue had treated her in the past, Ye Wenxin felt it was a miracle that she’d survived this long.

As Ye Wenxin had expected, she ended up at the front not a few steps later. Her lips curving, Long Qingyue slowed her pace.

Though she had never told anyone this, Long Qingyue liked feeling protected. Whenever she saw Ye Wenxin instinctively rush in front of her, always prioritizing her safety no matter what happened, Long Qingyue felt genuinely happy.

At first, she thought Ye Wenxin did it to please her. But Long Qingyue very soon realized it was an unconscious reaction. Even if Ye Wenxin wanted to trick her, she would still be the first to stand up for her.

So, Long Qingyue grew increasingly reckless, knowing Ye Wenxin would be by her side even if the sky fell.

Ye Wenxin had no idea about this. Long Qingyue had kept it secret, thinking they could never do anything together again. She hadn’t expected that this wish would come true so quickly.

“Yue’er, can you tell what this thing is?” Ye Wenxin had been thinking about how to get revenge. Yet, worried that her scheme might harm Long Qingyue, she still put her safety first without realizing it.

As Ye Wenxin’s reflex surfaced again, Long Qingyue gently took her hand, murmuring, “This is probably the Phoenix Feather Robe.”

“Phoenix Feather Robe? What the hell is that?”

Ye Wenxin searched through her memories, but Celestial Master Zhong’s vast memory archive now seemed pathetically small. There was no record of the Phoenix Feather Robe.

“The robe is said to be made from real phoenix feathers,” Long Qingyue explained, “then washed in phoenix blood and, after being air-dried for 49 days, becomes a true Phoenix Feather Robe. It can take the form of any clothing, is impervious to blades, and immune to water and fire.”

One of her hobbies was buying clothes, and this Phoenix Feather Robe perfectly matched her pursuit of beautiful garments. Regardless of the gruesome crafting process, if the outfit looked gorgeous, that was enough for Long Qingyue.

“Which begs the question—why is this robe in the Treasure Pavilion?” Ye Wenxin was confused. She had determined that the Treasure Pavilion belonged to the emperor. How could Long Qingyue place her clothing here?

“Did you forget what’s coming up next month?”

“Uh…” Ye Wenxin racked her brain and managed a textbook answer, “Your birthday?”

“Take off your question mark—it is my birthday. This robe is the birthday gift my adorable little brother prepared for me. But as you can see, it came with a few added ingredients.” Long Qingyue gave a chilling smile.

Ye Wenxin now understood why the robe needed layers of seals. She sighed and said, “The resentment in this Phoenix Feather Robe is so intense. Whoever took the feathers probably tortured the phoenix to death.”

“A phoenix is a divine creature. Tormenting one like that goes against the natural order. And with so many things added into it—things even I don’t recognize—this is the result.” Long Qingyue sighed tiredly. “That foolish brother of mine plotted to harm me, and now he’s sick and bedridden. So his dear older sister has to take matters into her own hands.”

She sounded frustrated about her brother’s actions. However, Ye Wenxin was certain the emperor lying sick in bed was Long Qingyue’s doing. She shuddered involuntarily and forced a smile. “So what should we do now? If I’m not mistaken, this box can no longer contain the Phoenix Feather Robe’s resentment.”

“I felt helpless before, too. But the moment I saw you, Qingcheng, I knew we could turn this situation around.” Long Qingyue smiled again, beautiful like a celestial maiden. But Ye Wenxin felt a chill crawling up and down her spine, convinced nothing good could come from that smile.

Long Qingyue had come to the Treasure Pavilion with her at the right time to trick her into doing the hard work again.

Accepting her fate, Ye Wenxin asked, “Go on, what’s the plan?”

“Destroy the robe,” Long Qingyue ordered, yet it sounded almost like a joke. How could one destroy a robe made from phoenix feathers and blood?

But Long Qingyue seemed serious, so Ye Wenxin didn’t ask more questions.

Seeing Ye Wenxin’s displeasure, Long Qingyue affectionately stroked her face. “Don’t look so glum. I’ll reward you once you’re done.”