On Mystic Sword Peak, Mo Chenxue was locked in fierce combat with the Demonic Cultivators when a notification suddenly came through his Sea of Consciousness—the rankings had changed.
The favorability of the code-named “Ming” had risen to 60%, now ranking first!
Mo Chenxue’s face instantly darkened.
A thought struck him, and his long sword lashed out violently. In the distance, Xie You Mingyao’s figure dissolved into black smoke.
That was a fake!
The Xie You Mingyao who had attacked Mystic Sword Peak was an impostor. Then the real Xie You Mingyao…
“Damn it!”
Mo Chenxue dissolved his sword and flew toward Joyful Peak without hesitation.
Seeing him suddenly turn and leave, Huo Li quickly called out, “Senior Brother, where are you going?”
But Mo Chenxue didn’t even acknowledge her, vanishing into the distance.
He arrived at the grove where Luo Qingyan cultivated. Sure enough, she was no longer there, and traces of demonic energy lingered in the woods.
The veins on Mo Chenxue’s hands bulged.
So that bastard Xie You Mingyao was the “Ming” in the system. His earlier claim of capturing Huo Li was merely a ruse to deceive everyone. His true target was Luo Qingyan!
But how had that demon, a sworn enemy of the Immortal Sect, managed to raise his favorability to 60% in one go?
Mo Chenxue couldn’t figure it out, nor did he have time to dwell on it. The priority was to get Luo Qingyan back as quickly as possible.
He immediately reported the matter to Perfected Master Wuji, the Sect Leader, and requested permission to search for the captured junior sister.
“What? That girl ranked last on Joyful Peak was taken?”
Perfected Master Wuji was also taken aback. “Didn’t the Demon Race say they were after Huo Li?”
“That was just a smokescreen,” Mo Chenxue said. “We were fooled. Xie You Mingyao was feinting east while attacking west—making us focus all our attention on Junior Sister Huo, then striking at others when we weren’t looking.”
“Joyful Peak’s defenses were lax, so naturally they became the primary target.”
The various Peak Masters wore grim expressions. The Demon Race was truly despicable, resorting to such tricks!
No matter which female disciple was taken, it was a disgrace to the Immortal Sect. Even one of meager cultivation must never be allowed to fall into Demon hands!
Huo Li’s face turned extremely ugly.
—So the Demon Race hadn’t come for her at all! They’d only used her as an excuse!
The honor of being coveted by the Demon Prince had been the talk of the disciples for quite some time.
And now, in the end, Ask-Immortal Sect’s attention and protection of her had actually been a mistake?
For the first time in her life, Huo Li felt extremely embarrassed.
Perfected Master Wuji said to Mo Chenxue, “Immediately select elite disciples from each peak. You must bring her back!”
“Yes!”
…
On the other side.
Luo Qingyan had already crawled out of the box and clasped her hands in salute. “Thank you for saving my life, sir. May I ask which sect you belong to?”
Xie You Mingyao sighed. “I am but a wandering cultivator, belonging to no sect.”
“A wandering cultivator?” Luo Qingyan was slightly surprised.
The Demonic Cultivators who had just captured her were all quite powerful—especially the lead Guardian, who seemed to be at the peak of Golden Core. Yet this wandering cultivator had sent them all fleeing in defeat.
“Yes,” Xie You Mingyao’s tone carried a hint of sorrow. “I was born under a cursed star. Though I have some talent, no sect was willing to take me in, so I’ve had no choice but to wander the world.”
One of the methods to gain favorability: play the victim, earn her sympathy.
Luo Qingyan could only console him. “Being a wandering cultivator is fine too. You’re free and unrestrained.”
Xie You Mingyao seemed to have been struck by a painful memory, tears welling in his eyes. “Though I’m free, it’s also terribly lonely. Do you know how much I long for a home?”
“I lost my parents when I was young. An old grandmother took pity on me and adopted me, but good times never last—before long, she too passed away from illness, leaving me all alone. And then later #￥%@&, #￥@￥%@#%&…”
He rambled on and on about his life experiences.
To sum it up in one word: tragic!!
Luo Qingyan: “…”
Though she couldn’t remember everything he said, she felt that he really did seem quite unfortunate?
Her savior had such a troubled fate—out of both courtesy and conscience, she should express sympathy and concern.
[Favorability +2]
Xie You Mingyao sneered inwardly. Success. Heh heh.
[Current favorability: 62%.]
After listening to his tragic story, Luo Qingyan asked, “What’s your name?”
Xie You Mingyao’s eyes flickered. “I have no name. Just call me A-Ming.”
“A-Ming?” Luo Qingyan found it a bit awkward, so she discussed it with him. “How about I call you Xiao Ming instead? Is that alright?”
Xie You Mingyao smiled and said, “Sure.”
Xiao Ming—it sounded rather endearing.
“Alright, Xiao Ming.”
Luo Qingyan pulled out a blank piece of paper and a brush she carried with her, and skillfully wrote out an IOU.
Then she handed it to Xiao Ming, saying solemnly, “Xiao Ming, you saved my life. Though I have no way to repay you now, maybe I will in the future! If you ever need anything, you can bring this IOU to Ask-Immortal Sect and find me. Anything within my power, I will not refuse!”
Xie You Mingyao accepted the empty promise.
On it was written a single line:
Luo Qingyan of Ask-Immortal Sect owes Xiao Ming a life-saving debt. This note serves as proof.
The corner of Xie You Mingyao’s mouth twitched.
What the hell is Xiao Ming?
Luo Qingyan cupped her hands in a salute and said, “A great favor need not be repaid with words. Keep the IOU safe! I’m off now—farewell!”
With that, she turned and left, taking not a single cloud with her.
Xie You Mingyao: “…”
After saving her life, she just leaves like that?
He had repeatedly emphasized that he was single and longed for companionship!
Having been rescued by a handsome and charming man like himself, shouldn’t she want to offer herself to him in gratitude?!
But Luo Qingyan’s thinking was quite practical. Xiao Ming’s cultivation appeared to be at the mid-to-late Nascent Soul stage, and with her current abilities, there was nothing she could do for him. Staying to spout empty words of thanks would be meaningless.
And if he wasn’t a good person, then it would be even more unwise to get entangled with him. The jianghu was vast and full of all sorts of evil forces. The fact that he saved her from the Demon Race didn’t mean he was a genuinely good man.
Intuitively, she even felt that this Xiao Ming was rather strange—his gaze carried a hint of sinister cunning, like someone prone to unpredictable moods. The best course was to keep her distance from such a person.
Watching the young woman walk away without a trace of hesitation, Xie You Mingyao: “…”
Suddenly, Xie You Mingyao let out a pained groan and collapsed to the ground.
Hearing the sound, Luo Qingyan turned her head. “What’s wrong with you?”
Xie You Mingyao clutched his chest and violently spat out a mouthful of blood.
“I sustained internal injuries from the earlier battle. Go on—don’t worry about me.”
Luo Qingyan walked over to his side. “Where are you hurt? Is it serious?”
“Not serious. At worst, I’ll just die.”
“…”
Xie You Mingyao breathed laboriously, his expression desolate. “You’re in such a hurry to leave, so you must have something important to attend to… Go ahead, truly don’t worry about me. Just let me die here alone.”
Luo Qingyan: “If you die, then I suppose I won’t have to repay that life-saving favor anymore?”
Xie You Mingyao: “…”
What a mischievous little girl. Talk like that makes it very hard for this lord to keep up the act.