Chapter 415 - 60: Not Suitable for Children
Deep within the dense forest, Lord Sha Xi and her Maid were entwined by numerous Ancient Vines of the Black Forest, suspended upside down between two ancient trees like two silkworm cocoons.
"Goddess, do not be angry. Just now, I already felt the Divine Son’s Heavenly Auspicious Light, and the Song Envoy has also sent a Divine Sense transmission, they are rushing over," Lord Sha Xi and her Maid found themselves immobilized in this gloomy dense forest since dawn.
"Not be angry? How can I not be angry, just look at my current state," Lord Sha Xi was not just angry, she was absolutely furious, it was a wonder she hadn’t fainted from outrage.
Her Goddess attire had been stripped off, leaving only a thin layer of undergarments clinging to her body.
And on her undergarments, someone had scrawled a few bright red characters: "A pretentious lot raised by a whore."
The set of Divine Needles given to her by her mother, Lord Sha Yan, along with all her personal belongings had disappeared, to be seen in this state, she would rather die.
"Goddess, it’s a blessing in disguise. Think about it, haven’t you always fancied the Divine Son? As long as he arrives today and sees you in this state, when you return to Divine Mountain, you can report everything to Lord Sha Yan. Then you would have a legitimate reason to marry the Divine Son," the Maid had many cunning ideas, and upon her suggestion, Lord Sha Xi immediately went from anger to joy.
Footsteps could be heard approaching closer from outside the dense forest. Lord Sha Xi’s face flushed with shame, and she didn’t dare to lift her gaze forward.
With two tearing sounds, Lord Sha Xi was secretly pleased, her body already resting in a pair of strong arms. Just as she was about to express her gratitude, an anxious voice came from above: "Lord Sha Xi, are you alright?"
In front of her swayed the unattractive large face of Li Rui—nothing like the person she held dear in her heart. Lord Sha Xi felt both anger and urgency, her eyes went dark, and she fainted.
In the forest, several nimble cloud larks chirped sweetly.
Zong Shaoqing walked under the sunlight, his silver-white hair billowing with the wind. The closer he got to "her" location, the more tense he became. Considering her temperament, he feared she would not be kind to him this time, having interfered with her affairs.
In the few times they had met, aside from the first time...
She was as beautiful as a serene lotus standing quietly in the water, each encounter ending with bows drawn and crossbows ready.
Remembering their first time, Zong Shaoqing’s fair face flushed with a bashful red.
A few bold pine mushrooms hopped up to his long robes, tugging at the hem with their paws.
He paused briefly, lifting one of them, and gazing at the pine mushroom, he muttered to himself: "They say when dealing with ladies, you should give them something they like. Perhaps I should bring a small cat or a small rabbit."
After a moment of eye contact with the pine mushroom, Zong Shaoqing’s lips curled into an attractive smile, as he tossed the pine mushroom into some nearby bushes: "Forget it, I suppose she might prefer roasted rabbit more."
From the bushes, something suspicious stirred. Zong Shaoqing stepped forward and with one hand each, he pulled out two people.
Following Yue Jinghua’s instructions, Ye Zi and Yue Chen, who were keeping watch outside, attempted to break free, but once Zong Shaoqing grabbed them, both felt their veins and muscles frozen by a strange Dark Energy, their bodies turning limp, unable to exert any force.
"When adults are talking, children should stay far away," said Zong Shaoqing as he lightly tossed them. Ye Zi and Yue Chen felt as if they were riding the clouds and sailing through mist, thrown several yards away. Yet, when they landed on the ground, they did not feel any pain.
As the two regained their senses and tried to run back, they collided with an invisible Dark Energy Wall. Clearly, Zong Shaoqing had set up a Prohibition around the area.
Whatever was said or done inside, could not be heard or seen from the outside.
"That person’s Cultivation is incredibly powerful. Is it the Heavenly Dark Realm or the Dan Realm? Does the Eastern Continent have such a young Dan Realm Expert? What’s his relationship with Yue Jinghua? Something feels off. Ye Zi, with her keen intuition, smelled a hint of misalignment—as her Human Race friend Yun Luo would say, it was the unmistakable scent of drama."
Seeing that Yue Chen remained silent, Ye Zi suspiciously glanced back at him.
Yue Chen’s face was pale, his hands clenched tightly, his eyes seemed to be shooting fire as he stared in the direction Zong Shaoqing had left.
That expression... it was as if... Ye Zi seemed to realize something, and she bit her lip, silent.
This was a Birch Forest with not very tall plants. This season, the birch leaves were growing nicely, the brilliant sunlight casting the green leaves in an amber hue, reflecting on people’s faces, creating a beautifully hazy aesthetic.
When Zong Shaoqing saw Yue Jinghua, Yiren was sitting quietly in the forest, her eyes tightly closed, apparently in meditation.
Her delicate face, the color of amber honey, under the interplay of light and shadows from the leaves, looked even more exquisitely picturesque.
There was a moment when Zong Shaoqing simply watched quietly from the side.
Born in the Divine Court, raised by the Great Elder, from a young age he was taught not to harbor superfluous emotions towards anything or anyone.
Even his favorite foods could only be tasted once, and enjoyable pastimes had to be given up one by one, eventually shaping the character he possesses today.
Unmoved by honor or disgrace, indifferent to wealth and rank; to him, all desires and riches are fleeting like passing clouds.
He became the most outstanding Divine Son in the history of the Divine Court, and he thought he would live his entire life this way.
However, it wasn’t until that night with Yue Jinghua that he inadvertently left behind his personal clothing, and unknowingly lost something of his own as well.
That something grew stronger every time he saw her again.
Months without meeting, it was not that he didn’t long for her, nor that he didn’t miss her; he simply chose to lock her away deep in his heart.
In the quiet of the night, he would carefully lift a corner, slowly savoring the feeling.
At this moment, that place in his heart throbbed more and more loudly, as if it were about to leap out at any moment.
Zong Shaoqing thought to himself that perhaps this was what liking someone felt like.
His long robe trailed past, falling on the grass, rustling softly.
Zong Shaoqing walked straight up to Yue Jinghua.
He stood, while she sat.
He opened his eyes, while she closed hers.
There was a moment when neither of them spoke.
Outwardly, they both remained silent.
But at that moment, their Spiritual Senses had already briefly interconnected.
"Whoosh," Yue Jinghua pointed her sword at Zong Shaoqing’s chin, the blade emanating intense killing intent.
Her eyes, dark as night, were cold and devoid of emotion.
In that instant, Zong Shaoqing’s brows furrowed tight; the two were so close, yet he felt as though there was a vast chasm between them.
He did not like this feeling.
"Hinder me again, and I will kill you," Yue Jinghua said, tilting her head up, her eyes filled with intense discontent.
In planning the previous night’s event, she had stealthily managed to capture Li Rui and his group. She had no intention of killing Sha Xi because the timing was not right – challenging Sha Yan and the Divine Court would be like hitting a rock with an egg given her current strength.
But Li Rui was someone she had not wished to spare.
After this incident, the Divine Court would surely send someone to retrieve Sha Xi, but Li Rui would not be able to leave Five Saints Town.
A moment of negligence leading to an ambush didn’t mean that Li Rui wouldn’t later vent his anger on the Second Generation Soldier Mercenary Team.
Yue Jinghua considered herself a lazy person, and lazy people often dislike leaving troubles for later, especially ones that could bring disaster.
She did not like having to strike twice when one blow could be lethal.
"Life holds no attachment; death bears no appeal. If you like, take my life, that will be the end of it," not only did Zong Shaoqing not evade, he leaned in closer, his strikingly handsome face ambiguously approaching Yue Jinghua.
He, a man without desires or wants, had long since forgotten life and death.