At the sound, Sang Nian turned around.
A young cultivator stood by the lake, his face as flawless as jade, his brows and eyes striking and handsome.
Clusters of ice-roses bloomed competitively beside him, their petals as clear and transparent as crystal. As a gentle breeze swept past, the blossoms drifted down to settle upon his sleeves and the hem of his robes.
Lowering his gaze to pick up a flower, his finger joints were as slender and pale as jade.
Sang Nian stared, utterly transfixed.
So… so gorgeous.
Is this what a genuine immortal looks like…?
With a teasing, half-smile, Xie Chenzhou offered a reminder: “Your drool is showing.”
Hastily using her sleeve to wipe her mouth, Sang Nian realized halfway through that she was being played with, and snapped indignantly, “Nonsense, there’s no drool at all.”
Xie Chenzhou let out a cold, soft huff.
Threatening him with a shake of her fist, Sang Nian smoothed out her expression and asked the cultivator politely:
“Was it you, Young Hero, who saved us just now?”
The cultivator nodded. “I am Xiao Zhuochen of the Longevity Palace.”
Hastily making introductions, Sang Nian said, “My name is Sang Nian, and this is my friend Xie Chenzhou. Thank you so much for saving our lives, Young Hero Xiao.”
With that, she gave Xie Chenzhou’s sleeve a firm tug to prompt him to express his gratitude.
With a haughty, aloof glance at the other man, Xie Chenzhou let out another cold huff.
Massaging her temples, Sang Nian diverted the topic:
“By any chance, did Senior Brother Xiao see our companions on your way here? They are disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect and carry tokens at their waist.”
“I was ordered by my master to investigate the anomalies in the Sumeru Realm, and I only encountered the two of you.”
Xiao Zhuochen said calmly:
“As for why you two ended up here—”
“It must have been intentional on the Chidi bird’s part,” Sang Nian reasoned. “Her lifespan was running out today, so she was probably trying to seize a body.”
“No wonder she targeted only me,” Sang Nian realized. “She kept badgering me to offer her my body.”
Xiao Zhuochen explained:
“Without an entry key to the Sumeru Realm, you shouldn’t have been able to use your spiritual energy inside. To have survived unscathed is truly a rarity.”
Sang Nian blurted out:
“Actually, I have at least three broken ribs and coughed up a basketful of blood. The only reason I look so full of life right now is just a final burst of lucidity before death.”
Xiao Zhuochen paused for a moment:
“Do you have any last words you wish to leave behind? I can pass them on to your family and friends.”
Sang Nian froze mid-thought.
Coolly, Xie Chenzhou chimed in:
“Hurry up and share your last words, then. If you delay, you won’t get the chance.”
Shooting him a vicious glare, Sang Nian coughed twice:
“By the way, why was that Chidi bird imprisoned here in the first place?”
In a steady tone, Xiao Zhuochen recounted:
“Back then, she wreaked havoc in the mortal realm, turning thirty thousand miles into a sea of fire. Fifty cities were reduced to ashes because of her, leaving not a single soul alive among the citizens.
“After capturing her, the Myriad Immortals Alliance intended to execute her on the spot, but my master felt that such a punishment was too lenient. Following discussions, the Alliance decided to secretly imprison her within the Sumeru Realm to suffer the agony of piercing pain for all eternity.”
Sang Nian clicked her tongue in shock.
So that was the real reason Qiezhi spent five hundred years rotting in prison?
“She also claimed the Immortals Alliance stole her child. Is that true?”
Xiao Zhuochen replied, “Chidi birds are born to obey only the Zhuyu tribe and cannot be tamed by humans. The nestlings are of no use to us.”
“What about the Zhuyu tribe, then?” Sang Nian asked.
Xiao Zhuochen’s voice grew faintly chilling:
“According to ancient texts, the Zhuyu clan possessed a savage and cruel nature, with a fondness for consuming humans. There was a time when one hundred thousand cultivators perished on Mount Xiaohua.”
Sang Nian: “…”
Fine. So the entire story was a fabrication from start to finish.
She had been played completely for a fool.
She silently spent three seconds repenting for her previous misunderstanding of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
I’m sorry, Myriad Immortals Alliance. I wronged you.
“Now that the Chidi bird has been brought to justice, I should take my leave.” Xiao Zhuochen summoned his spirit sword. “Farewell.”
Nodding vigorously, Sang Nian said:
“Safe travels, Young Hero Xiao! Thank you so much for saving us!”
Xiao Zhuochen stared at her quietly, standing completely still.
Perplexed, Sang Nian tentatively asked:
“Is there something else?”
Could he be expecting a reward?
Just as she reached into her storage bag to fetch some spiritual stones, Xiao Zhuochen spoke up abruptly:
“I am waiting for you to say your last words.”
Sang Nian: “……”
Beside her, Xie Chenzhou let out a sharp snort of laughter—a sound so exaggeratedly loud it startled a cluster of accumulated snow loose from a tree branch overhead.
After finally seeing Xiao Zhuochen off, Sang Nian glared at Xie Chenzhou.
“Was it really that funny?”
The corners of Xie Chenzhou’s lips curled upwards as he drawled lazily:
“Funny? How could it not be funny? Elderly Young Lady Sang really should have looked in a mirror just now to see what she looked like.”
Tilting her chin up with confidence, Sang Nian declared:
“I handled myself perfectly fine. Stop teasing me.”
Xie Chenzhou remarked, “Miss Sang, your soul was practically snatched away by that handsome young hero.”
Righteous and confident, Sang Nian shot back:
“Who told him to be so good-looking? My reaction was completely normal for any human being.”
Xie Chenzhou’s smile faded slightly, his words slowing down.
“I see.”
[Ding~ Xie Chenzhou’s Affection: -10]
Sang Nian: “!”
She stated with absolute conviction:
“No matter how good-looking he is, he isn’t as good-looking as you.”
Xie Chenzhou scoffed.
Laying the flattery on incredibly thick, Sang Nian pandered:
“Our Little Xie is the pride and joy of Qingzhou; Xiao Zhuochen can’t even hold a candle to you.”
Xie Chenzhou: “Heh.”
Scratching her head in frustration, Sang Nian couldn’t figure out why he was acting so out of character.
“Because this place is connected to the Sumeru Realm. It has gathered too much of Qiezhi’s resentful energy, which in turn affects your state of mind and amplifies all your emotions.”
Liu Liu’s voice rang out abruptly.
It sighed with relief:
“Oh my god, I finally have an internet connection! I didn’t miss anything, did I?”
Sang Nian sneered.
“So you know to swerve after the car hits the tree; you know to blow your nose after the snot falls in your mouth; and you finally know how to log online after the dungeon boss is already defeated.”
Laughing awkwardly, Liu Liu said:
“Seeing that you’re still alive, Host, my heart is greatly comforted. Very comforted, haha.”
Sang Nian retorted:
“I can never count on you when it actually matters, so what use are you? I might as well wash you, send you to the Golden Arches, coat you in breadcrumbs, and deep-fry you until golden brown.”
Liu Liu: QAQ Sniff, what a vicious woman!
A flying ship slowly approached.
From a distance, Chuyao shouted at the top of her lungs:
“Sang Nian, you’re not dead, are you?”
Sang Nian shouted back:
“I’m perfectly fine!”
As soon as the flying ship steadied, Wen Buyu and the others strode over to her.
“Miss Sang, are you two alright?”
Sang Nian shook her head.
“It’s a long story, but we’re fine now.”
Su Xueyin let out a heavy sigh of relief.
“When we saw you and Young Master Xie fall, we were absolutely terrified.”
Sang Nian didn’t mention the fact that Xie Chenzhou possessed cultivation. Keeping it vague, she explained:
“A young hero from the Longevity Palace named Xiao Zhuochen saved us.”
Xie Chenzhou cast a glance at her but didn’t contradict the lie.
Hearing her words, Su Xueyin let out a short shriek. Covering her mouth, her eyes shone with an alarming intensity:
“Xiao Zhuochen?!”
Sang Nian didn’t understand why she was reacting so intensely.
“Yes, him. What’s wrong?”
Thrilled, Su Xueyin gushed:
“His name is known by absolutely everyone in the cultivation world! Everyone dreams of just catching a glimpse of him.”
Xiao Zhuochen, the undisputed favored son of heaven in the cultivation world, perfect beyond mortal bounds.
Born into a prestigious sect, possessing peerless good looks and a natural-born sword bone, he was the well-deserved number one among the younger generation of cultivators.
Su Xueyin elaborated:
“The cultivation world even specifically compiled an ‘Outstanding Heroes Ranking,’ and he sits at the very top.”
Sang Nian understood.
So he’s the top-tier superstar idol of the cultivation world.
Seeing Chuyao looking completely dismissive, she felt a bit puzzled.
Chuyao saw through her thoughts and stated bluntly:
“Xiao Zhuochen’s younger brother and I are sworn enemies. Just seeing anyone from the Xiao family annoys me. I much prefer Yue Qingxi, who clashes with the Xiao family. He ranks second on the Outstanding Heroes Ranking.”
Su Xueyin couldn’t help but mutter softly:
“What is there to like about a dandy like Yue Qingxi?”
Sang Nian realized.
Ah, rival fandoms.
“Our Eldest Senior Brother and your brother are also on the ranking,” Chuyao added.
Now interested, Sang Nian asked:
“What ranks are they?”
“Eldest Senior Brother is third, and your brother is tenth.”
So Sang Qiyan is actually that famous.
Sang Nian began to seriously calculate how many spiritual stones she could make by scalping Sang Qiyan’s official autographs.
“But if you ask me, Young Master Xie is not the slightest bit inferior to those people,” Su Xueyin said with a smile. “Given time, Young Master Xie will definitely have his name on that ranking.”
Xie Chenzhou spoke up nonchalantly:
“It’s nothing but an empty title.”
Nothing worth caring about.
Only a superficial, fickle woman like Sang Yunling would care about such things.
Heh.