Miss Fairy, Please Hear Me Out

At the blade sheer cliff, ten thousand fathoms high, the wind screamed past without end. The moment that voice fell, the slightly frozen atmosphere loosened at once.

The Eldest Young Master had actually rushed back from the Ancient Abyss. Now that his order had arrived, there was naturally no reason for anyone present to keep humoring the Third Young Master in this childish little game.

Of the four figures standing in midair, three vanished in an instant. Only the woman called Ying’er remained where she was.

After a brief silence, Ying’er looked at the blood-colored figure standing at the cave entrance and spoke softly again.

“Third Young Master, please come with me. The Eldest Young Master is waiting for you at the summit.”

Xu Yuan did not lower the hand at his throat right away. He kept staring at the figure hovering in the air, then called out quietly, “Miss. Ran, we can go now.”

At the sound of his voice, Ran Qingmo slowly stepped out from the cave dwelling. Silent as ever, she came to stand at his side with her sword in hand. The sudden sunlight outside clearly took some getting used to for her eyes. She closed them, then opened them again.

Below Suspended Heaven Cliff, beneath the blazing sun, clouds and mist churned across the heavens with the wind. The world stretched vast and boundless, impossible to see to the end. And yet she could see him clearly, standing right beside her.

Her beautiful eyes lowered slightly as she said in a soft voice, “I’m leaving.”

“Mhm. Take care.” Xu Yuan turned his head to look at her, his tone calm and even. “What I said before still stands. If you change your mind, come find me in Stillwater.”

He was referring to the offer of cooperation he had made to her back in the Buddhist hall.

Ran Qingmo parted her red lips, fell silent for several seconds, and in the end only gave a slight nod. “All right.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she turned away. Invisible icy cloud steps formed beneath her feet, and she rose lightly onto them.

“Oh, right.”

The voice from behind made her pause mid-step.

Xu Yuan looked at her slender back and said softly, “My name is Xu Yuan.”

Ran Qingmo glanced back at the man behind her, surprise flickering in her eyes.

Xu Yuan smiled and repeated himself. “I said... my name is Xu Yuan.”

“Mhm. All right. I’ll remember it.” Her sparse reply was just like when they first met. Then she left.

With just a few bounds through the air, Ran Qingmo was reduced to a tiny dot before disappearing into the horizon.

Only after watching her vanish completely did Xu Yuan slowly lower his hand from his throat. He had now repaid the favor Ran Qingmo had done for him.

Turning back to look at Ying’er, who still stood in the air, Xu Yuan said flatly, “Take me up.”

The clouds and mist rolled endlessly ahead, then suddenly opened up. A stretch of clear blue sky came into view.

In a blur, Xu Yuan had already been brought back to the top of Suspended Heaven Cliff by the veiled Ying’er. He was about to see Xu Changge, yet his mind remained fairly calm. By now, he had inherited the Third Young Master’s memories, and they had also been fused and tempered by the Blood Origin Heartfall Art. His identity as Xu Changtian was now unshakable.

After bringing Xu Yuan up, Ying’er did not say another word. She simply walked ahead on her own.

Xu Yuan followed her with his eyes, then his black pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints. There, on the mountaintop, he saw another gigantic Seven Life Python’s head. And the reason he thought another was simple.

Compared with Ji Qingyue, the seven lotus flowers on this python head had all fully bloomed, and on top of its head there was an extra massive dark green horn.

Xu Yuan stared at it for a long time before finally confirming its identity. Well, great. Another heroine killed prematurely.

Judging from its features, this python head most likely belonged to Ji Qingyue’s elder sister, Ji Fenghua.

The plot of Azure Point had only just begun, and the serpent demon princess sisters of the Ancient Abyss had already been wiped out to the last one. That whole Immortal cultivation White Snake Romance route he used to enjoy in Azure Point was now completely dead.

Still, that bit of internal snark only lasted for a moment. Very quickly, Xu Yuan realized how serious this was. The direct deaths of two major heroines meant that the butterfly effect he had brought with him was already sending Azure Point’s storyline into full-blown chaos. The future was becoming harder and harder to predict.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, then shifted his gaze again. In the end, his eyes came to rest, quite naturally, on a handsome young man.

Xu Changge sat there quietly beneath Ji Fenghua’s enormous python head. He wore azure robes with dark-patterned cloud sleeves. His skin carried a faint sheen, his deep eyes were like a cold, still pool, and his long hair drifted lightly in the mountain breeze behind him.

He was only sitting there, doing absolutely nothing, yet he still made others feel shabby by comparison. It was as if some people were simply born like the bright moon in the night sky, gentle and never glaring, yet enough to make everyone around them understand just how small they were.

But none of that mattered to Xu Yuan right now. What mattered was this. Why was a man like that holding a long, thick rattan stick?

A deeply ominous feeling rose in Xu Yuan’s chest. Searching his memories, he immediately slipped into the original owner’s tone and shouted,

“Xu Changge, I’m warning you...”

SMACK! Before he could finish, the man across from him narrowed his eyes, and the rattan stick in his hand lashed out at Xu Yuan like a coiling snake come alive.

Xu Yuan froze. What kind of big brother is this? Still using corporal punishment on his younger adult brother? He hurriedly circulated his cultivation art and poured source qi into his eyes. Only then did he manage to see the path of the incoming strike clearly.

He twisted aside and dodged it.

SMACK! The whip struck the ground right beside him and instantly kicked up a cloud of dust.

When the rattan stick snapped back, Xu Yuan saw that it had left a deep lash mark gouged into the ground.

He turned and shouted, “Xu Changge, you’re actually serious?!”

SMACK! Xu Changge calmly swung out a second strike. His expression remained peaceful, and his voice was as mild and refined as ever, “If you think I’m being serious, then let’s call it that.”

This time, the rattan stick came even faster. Xu Yuan had to use every ounce of strength he had just to dodge it.

And this time, the lash mark it left in the ground was powerful enough to split a small stone near the cliff’s edge.

At that sight, Xu Yuan really did get angry. He opened his mouth to keep cursing, but Xu Changge’s third strike was already on its way.

Xu Yuan drew in a sharp breath. His soul sense spread out, and threads of crimson source qi seeped from his hand as he reached up and caught the incoming switch in midair.

The instant that bloody-red source qi appeared, Xu Changge’s narrow eyes thinned even further.

As the crimson qi poured from Xu Yuan’s hand, a blood-colored flame burst to life along the rattan stick. The scarlet fire raced up the length of it, burning all the way toward Xu Changge at the far end.

Xu Changge, however, remained seated exactly where he was. He calmly waited for the strange blood flame to reach him, then simply let it dance in his hand. Looking at the fire, a flicker of surprise passed through his deep eyes. He closed his fingers casually, and the flame vanished at once. This cultivation art is quite good.

Xu Yuan parted his lips, about to say something, but before he could speak, Xu Changge stood and flicked a sleeve at him.

In an instant, fierce winds sprang up out of nowhere from every direction. Xu Yuan’s body was immediately swept up like a tiny skiff caught in a storm at sea, flying helplessly toward Xu Changge. In the end, he came to a stop, suspended in midair two meters away from him.

Xu Changge stood with his hands behind his back, calmly watching him.

Xu Yuan struggled to speak, only to discover that under Xu Changge’s pressure, he could not even move a single finger.

The two stared at each other.

After a while, Xu Yuan gave in first and looked away. He had the vague feeling that if this staring match went on any longer, this big brother of his was going to hang him up and beat him properly.

While Xu Yuan’s thoughts were wandering in that direction, Xu Changge also shifted his gaze and said softly to the monk standing nearby, “Master Juexing, please trouble yourself to examine Changtian’s body for me.”

The moment he heard the name Juexing, Xu Yuan’s wandering thoughts snapped back into place, and his heart tightened sharply.

Monk Juexing was one of the very few cultivators capable of detecting when a person’s soul and body did not match.

This might be called a physical examination, but in truth, Xu Changge was questioning his identity. Why? Because of his cultivation art? Or because of that stunt where he had threatened death? But in the Third Young Master’s memories, Xu Changtian had pulled absurd tricks like threatening suicide before.

Xu Yuan had no time to think further. A kind-faced bald monk slowly walked up to Xu Yuan, who still hung suspended in midair.

“Third Young Master, forgive this humble monk’s offense.” The monk bowed slightly and pressed his palms together in greeting. He lifted a hand slightly, and a strange current of source qi entered Xu Yuan’s body from a distance.

This force did not move through his meridians. Instead, it traveled through him along an eerie and unfamiliar path. Although Xu Yuan knew Juexing would most likely find nothing, he still began circulating his cultivation art to resist the invading qi, if only to stay true to the Third Young Master’s temperament. The result, naturally, was that it did absolutely nothing. That strange source qi still forced its way into his body.

For a time, the mountaintop fell completely silent. And as that bizarre current of qi continued to seep through Xu Yuan’s body, the look on Juexing’s face grew more and more astonished.

At the same time, seeing Juexing’s expression, Xu Changge’s gaze darkened by the second.

After a long while, Juexing slowly stepped back and once again gave Xu Yuan an apologetic bow. Then he turned to Xu Changge, clearly wanting to speak, yet hesitating.

Xu Changge seemed to have prepared himself for some conclusion. He drew in a breath, and when he spoke, his calm voice carried a trace of chill. “Master Juexing, if you found something on Changtian, just say it.”

As he said this, he cast a sidelong glance at Xu Yuan, who was still hanging in midair.

Juexing froze slightly when he heard that tone from the Eldest Young Master. Then he immediately realized that his expression had made Xu Changge misunderstand, and he hurried to explain. “Eldest Young Master, the Third Young Master is perfectly fine. It is only...”

At the words perfectly fine, it was as if something heavy inside Xu Changge finally dropped into place. His expression eased at once. “Only what?”

Juexing glanced sideways at Xu Yuan, still suspended in the air, considered his words for a moment, and then said softly,

“Only... the Third Young Master, well...” He stalled for quite a while before finally speaking, still sounding uncertain. “At present, the Third Young Master seems to have... somehow become an Innate Dao Physique”.

“What?”

At the words Innate Dao Physique, even Xu Changge, who always carried himself like polished jade and perfect composure, finally showed a flash of genuine shock.

The next moment, Xu Yuan suddenly felt the pressure around him vanish, and his body dropped straight down.

But before he could hit the ground, a gentle current of wind caught him. Then a vast surge of azure source qi poured into his body like a flood.

That familiar feeling of invasion struck again. Xu Yuan could not even be bothered to resist this time. At this point, it felt like every person he ran into could casually send source qi into his body and take a leisurely stroll around inside.

A moment later, the azure source qi withdrew.

Xu Changge stepped back two paces and stared at Xu Yuan from head to toe without blinking.

Xu Yuan’s body had regained its freedom by now. He lifted his chin and glared right back at this big brother of his, imitating the Third Young Master’s tone as he snapped, “Xu Changge, what are you looking at? Just wait until my cultivation catches up to yours. Once it does, you’re dead!”

At that, Xu Changge’s thin lips curved ever so slightly. It looked as though he wanted to laugh, but stopped himself. In the end, he flicked his sleeve and let out a cold snort through his nose.

“You? A worthless thing like you? You get the slightest bit of fortune and your tail shoots straight into the sky. Because of all the outrageous filth you’ve been pulling in Stillwater, Father had to mobilize people on this scale just to come save you. Forget it... There’s no point talking to you. Ying’er, bring me my whip.”