The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Pushing open the hall doors, Chen Dong found the sunlight inexplicably piercing.

Chen Dong rubbed his eyes and clenched his jaw. 'Dammit! I cultivate the Sun Burning True Skill. How could I be afraid of the light of the rising sun?'

A string of curses and the sound of blows snapped Chen Dong back to his senses.

He saw Zisang Jin's peach-pink embroidered slipper pressing down on Li Zhixuan's body. Poking him repeatedly with the Spirit Sword in her hand, she demanded, "Are you a spy, you brat? Are you a spy?"

Lying on the ground, Li Zhixuan shook his head frantically, pleading, "I'm not! I'm not! Senior, I'm really not!"

Looking like an innocent young girl, a glint of cunning flashed in Zisang Jin's eyes. "Ninth-Layer of the First-Grade Golden Core... Where in the Jiuzhou Realm would someone like you come from? Your cultivation method is hardly ordinary, either. And you still claim you're not a spy? Confess, quickly!"

When Li Zhixuan saw Chen Dong walk out of the hall, he hurriedly cried out for help, "Lao Chen! Brother Chen! Quickly, explain to Senior…"

Chen Dong, however, just glanced over and said coldly, "That's right, he's a spy. Senior, you should kill him!" After speaking, he flew straight off.

Li Zhixuan never imagined Chen Dong would sell him out like that. He immediately started cursing, "Chen Dong, may you die a horrible death! Sooner or later, you'll be struck down by Celestial Thunder! You heartless bastard…"

Seeing Chen Dong had really left, Li Zhixuan had no choice but to change tactics and save himself. "Senior, I'll talk! I'll talk! But can you take your foot off me first?"

Zisang Jin's large eyes narrowed slightly. Grinding her foot down, she said, "You dare make demands? Now hurry up and confess!"

"CRACK, CRACK, CRACK…" A series of sounds rang out. Li Zhixuan was certain several dozen of his bones had been broken. He said miserably, "It was all Chen Dong! That animal Chen Dong made me do it! Senior, go after Chen Dong! I'm innocent!"

Far from believing him, Zisang Jin pressed down even harder with her foot. "Hmph! Chen Dong's cultivation is only equivalent to Foundation Establishment Perfection. How could he order around someone at the Ninth-Layer Golden Core like you? Do you take me for a child?"

Li Zhixuan slapped the ground frantically, choking on a mouthful of fresh blood. "Senior, I'm not lying, really! Everything I've said is the truth!"

A sharp glint flashed in Zisang Jin's eyes as she brandished her Spirit Sword. "It seems you still won't tell the truth. Let's see if you'll be more honest after I poke a few holes in you!"

The Dao rhythm of the Peach Branch Spirit Sword swirled, and it was just about to strike.

Chen Dong's voice suddenly rang out. "Senior, please stay your hand!"

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Li Zhixuan yelled, "You damned bastard, you're finally back! If it wasn't for saving you, I never would have exposed my cultivation! And you just up and left me. I'm so hurt!" As he spoke, tears even began to well up in his eyes.

It was as if Zisang Jin had just been reminded of something. She looked at Chen Dong. "Oh, right! Don't tell me you're a spy too, you brat?"

Chen Dong shook his head. "Senior, you are mistaken. The Floating Shadow Realm is divided into three races: Human, Demon, and Yao. Li Zhixuan and I are both of the Human Race, so how could we be spies?"

Hearing this, Zisang Jin nodded. That seemed to make sense. The two of them didn't have a trace of Yao Qi or Demonic Qi on them; they really didn't seem like spies.

The leaf-shaped Dao emblem on her brow and the sixth-rank Spirit Sword in her hand were both extremely sensitive to the aura of demons and yao. 'If these two had come into contact with any, it's impossible that I wouldn't have noticed. Unless... unless that demon or yao had reached the Mahayana Stage.' But then she reconsidered. 'If there really was a Mahayana Stage demon or yao, the Human Race of the Floating Shadow Realm would have been wiped out long ago. They wouldn't have lasted until now.'

Zisang Jin felt she had made a mistake again, but having been so wrong, there was no way she would admit it. Lifting the foot that was pinning Li Zhixuan down, she poked him with her Spirit Sword and said coolly, "This is all your fault. Why did you have to cultivate to such a high level for no reason? It's bound to make people suspicious. Besides, you're at the Ninth-Layer Golden Core. A few broken bones is a minor issue, right?"

Li Zhixuan wanted to cry when he heard this, but he didn't dare to refute her. "Senior, it's all my fault. I was wrong!"

Zisang Jin flashed a bright smile. "Then it's not my fault! In that case, I shall take my leave!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she vanished like a soft breeze rustling a willow, and Chen Dong and Li Zhixuan could no longer see any trace of her.

Tears were in Li Zhixuan's eyes. "Lao Chen, if you don't compensate me with three Spirit Stones this time, the trauma to my Dao Body and Dao Heart will never be healed!"

Chen Dong looked up at the great hall before them and said flatly, "I'll give them all to you. Give me your ring, and I'll give you back your things."

Li Zhixuan scrambled to his feet, dusting himself off. He asked strangely, "Lao Chen, have you gone stupid? Did someone possess your body?"

Chen Dong sighed, shaking his head. "Fine, forget it if you don't want them." Then he flew off, riding the air.

Li Zhixuan hurriedly chased after him. "Who said I don't want them? Give them to me, quickly!"

In the end, Chen Dong only gave Li Zhixuan four Top-Grade Spirit Stones.

It wasn't that Chen Dong didn't want to return Li Zhixuan's belongings. Rather, Li Zhixuan simply couldn't believe Chen Dong would have such a change of heart. He suspected it was a trick to swindle him out of his large-capacity Storage Ring. Gravely doubting Chen Dong's character, he preferred to just take the four Top-Grade Spirit Stones.

The two returned to their small cabin. With many of his bones broken, Li Zhixuan happily took the Spirit Stones and went back to his room to recuperate.

Chen Dong, however, sat dejectedly on his wooden bed, a sense of loneliness in his heart. He sighed and asked, 'Qingzhu, why have you been so quiet today?'

From within the Jade Embryo came Mu Qingzhu's voice, which sounded as if she were crying. "This is so annoying… *sob*… Don't talk to me! Don't you know we share the same body and feelings?! It was *you* who lost your Dao Companions, but you're making it feel like I did too! Can you please just cultivate in peace from now on? If this keeps up, my Dao Heart is going to collapse!"

Suddenly, Chen Dong realized his heart didn't hurt so much anymore.