669 The Master

"Oh my god! I can't accept that. What does Senior Sister Apprentice Qi see in this gigolo?"

"Lin Yue must have used his smart tongue, and he has a charming face too. These surely captured Junior Sister Apprentice's heart."

"How could Senior Sister Apprentice Qi like Lin Yue, that scum? She is a goddess in our hearts. How could she give herself to him?"

None of the Saint's disciples could bear to see what was happening right before their eyes and they found their hearts being rent in pain. They would rather see Qi Feiyu age in solitude than see her throw herself into Lin Yue's arms.

A lot of Saint's disciples were extremely jealous.

"If only I were Lin Yue! If I could hold Senior Sister Apprentice Qi's hand but live for only one day, I would."

"What a piece of luck! Qi Feiyu is the heiress to an Aristocratic Family in the Middle Age. Winning her favor is tantamount to winning their support. His future will be very promising. I'm so envious!"

…

The obvious jealousy and envy did not affect his mood. He looked at Xun Hualiu and Mu Jiji and said, "I have something to attend to. How about you two walk Senior Sister Apprentice Qi to the Pure Jade Palace for me?"

Xun Hualiu and Mu Jiji were flattered, and they straightened themselves up in rapture. Xun Hualiu blurted out, "No problem."

"This is our duty." Mu Jiji beat his chest.

When Xun Hualiu and Mu Jiji walked up to Qi Feiyu and Zhang Ruochen, they immediately felt overwhelmed by an invisible pressure. The watchful eyes of all of Qi Feiyu's suitors were all trained on them.

They quickly stepped back as their faces turned pale.

"Boss, I think it would be better if you escort Senior Sister Apprentice Qi to the Pure Jade Palace yourself." Mu Jiji said.

Xun Hualiu coughed discreetly and waved his hands, as he said, "Senior Sister Apprentice Qi is a divine beauty from heaven. She is not somebody we mortals can touch."

Zhang Ruochen knew it was better for them not to offend Qi Feiyu's suitors, so he did not go back and play football with them on the matter any longer.

One of the suitors, a man named Xie Yunfan, stepped up to Zhang Ruochen. He had a long red sword on his back and a snakeskin iron belt around his waist. With cold eyes, he said, "I am a disciple of the Pure Jade Palace. You can entrust her to me and I will escort her back."

"That would be great."

Zhang Ruochen was determined to hand Qi Feiyu to the man across him.

"You really know what is good for you."

Xie Yunfan pointed his finger at Zhang Ruochen and said domineeringly, "Moreover, I warn you to stay away from Senior Sister Apprentice Qi. She is beyond your reach. Don't be delusional. Otherwise, you are dead meat."

Most of the Saint's disciples around them were watching slyly.

Lin Yue, the scum, should be taught a lesson.

If Xie Yunfan meddled, Lin Yue would be beaten till he was crippled. All of the Saint's disciples who carried a torch for Qi Feiyu all gloated at the prospect.

Zhang Ruochen had intended to avoid conflict so as not fall into Qi Feiyu's trap, so he was going to leave Qi Feiyu in the care of others.

However, the situation was a little different now.

Zhang Ruochen could never submissively hand a lady over to a man pointing fingers at his face and still treat the man with a big smile.

Even if Qi Feiyu was a witch, Zhang Ruochen did not want to hand her over anymore.

Zhang Ruochen gave a perceivable smile in response to Xie Yunfan's warning and slightly nodded his head. What he did next took all of the men by surprise.

He put one of his hands on Qi Feiyu's slender waist, gave it a hard press and said, "I changed my mind. I want to send Senior Sister Apprentice back to the Pure Jade Palace myself."

Qi Feiyu's waist was very slim, plump, and soft. Zhang Ruochen's hand covered half of her waist as his arm wrapped around her.

Qi Feiyu's tender body involuntarily twitched a bit. She also placed her hand on Zhang Ruochen's waist and she clenched her white teeth as her eyes flickered with a chilly light.

Zhang Ruochen turned a blind eye to Qi Feiyu's expression.

"You set a trap for me. How can I not seize the initiative back? "

Zhang Ruochen kept his arm around Qi Feiyu's waist as they and made their way to the Pure Jade Palace, leaving all of the Saint's disciples dumbfounded. Qi Feiyu neither resisted nor refused him the whole time.

Everyone was stunned.

All the way from Ancient Gods Mountain to the Pure Jade Palace, disciples saw Lin Yue and Qi Feiyu cuddling, leaving many of them heartbroken.

Actually, Zhang Ruochen was taking advantage of the opportunity to fumble around her back and check if she was a member of the Immortal Vampires.

Qi Feiyu's hands were seemingly put on his waist, but in fact, she had pinpointed the vital part on his abdomen.

If Zhang Ruochen took any action, her fingers could penetrate through his body in a flash.

Zhang Ruochen also placed his hand on a vital part of her body.

On the surface, they looked like affectionate lovers, but it was a totally different story underneath.

They both loosened their hands when they arrived at the Pure Jade Palace.

Qi Feiyu glanced at Zhang Ruochen and coldly said, "Sooner or later, I will cut off your hands myself."

"I detest women like you who pretend to be victims while plotting against others."

Zhang Ruochen crossed his hands behind his back and left right away without saying anything more to Qi Feiyu.

Back at the courtyard in Zixia Sacred Mountain, Zhang Ruochen greeted Blackie and asked him to continue urging Xun Hualiu and Mu Jiji to practice. Then, he entered the Scroll World.

When he was in the Ancient Gods Mountain engaging with Qi Feiyu, Zhang Ruochen realized the discrepancy between himself and a top Monk with a cultivation of the Eighth Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm.

If he signed up for the martial arts contest, he would hardly make it into the top ten with his current cultivation of the Fourth Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm.

He had to break through to the Fifth Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm no matter what.

However, he had something else to deal with before practicing.

By using a bodily movement, Zhang Ruochen instantly appeared before a cavern.

The cavern owner seemed to have felt his presence. In a moment, the round stone gate opened, and a comely girl walked out.

She was about four feet tall, was wearing a snow-white shirt, and coiled her hair in a bun. She had a slim body and her eyes were free from impurities.

"Greetings, Master."

Han Xue was about to get down on her knees in salute to Zhang Ruochen.

Zhang Ruochen quickly reached out his hands and helped her up before looking her over and saying, "You've grown so fast!"

Only several months had passed in the external world, but in the Scroll World, it had been several years already.

Han Xue was ten years old now. Her facial features were rather delicate as if they were carved in snow. It was flawless. She was born to be a beauty.

Zhang Ruochen asked, "Has your cultivation reached the First Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm?"

"Hmmm!"

Han Xue slightly nodded her head.

She had been practicing the "Scripture of the Dead Gods" of Thousand-bone Empress and had been endowed with the Thousand-bones Physical Quality. Her cultivation had improved by leaps and bounds, much quicker than anyone else, including Zhang Ruochen.

"Come with me."

Zhang Ruochen led Han Xue downhill.

The master and the disciple kept walking until they saw bare land at the foot of the mountain.

Zhang Ruochen said, "You are at the Four Realms of Martial Arts and have reached the Ultimate Realm three times. You also have the Thousand-bones Physical Quality. You are now powerful enough to engage with a Monk with a cultivation of the Ninth Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm although your cultivation is the First Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm. Now, fight with me and let me check out."

Zhang Ruochen subdued his cultivation to the First Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm. He kept his left hand behind his back and used only his right hand.

Han Xue instilled her genuine Qi into the bamboo sword that she held in her hand, and a turn of her arms brought out 36 currents of sword Qi that turned into a circle that encircled Zhang Ruochen.

"Clap!"

Zhang Ruochen poked the circle with his fingers and it fell into pieces. Then, he gave a quick smack against Han Xue's chest that flung her far away.

Han Xue did not give up. She executed a roll on the ground and used her sword technique again to hit Zhang Ruochen's legs.

Grass and mudstone were hurled up, forming a gloomy dust storm.

Zhang Ruochen took a step forward through the dust storm. He hacked Han Xue on her neck using his hand like a sword. Half of her body sank into the ground and she was unable to move at all.

"Master, your sword techniques are so profound that Xue'er could not defeat you."

Han Xue's eyes became dark. She was disappointed that compared to her Master's, her cultivation—her pride and joy—was nothing.

Zhang Ruochen withdrew and pulled Han Xue out of the ground. He brushed off a leaf on her face and said, "In theory, based on your physical quality, if we were in the same realm, you would be stronger than I.

"Yet you were still unable to fend off my move even though I subdued my cultivation to the First Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm. Do you know why?"

"I would like to be enlightened, Master," Han Xue said.

Zhang Ruochen said, "It is because you lack practical fighting experience against people, and you don't understand worldly desires and the ways of the world."

"Do worldly desires and the ways of the world have anything to do with practice?" Han Xue asked curiously.

Zhang Ruochen looked into her eyes and said, "How do people who have no worldly desires and know nothing about the ways of the world differ from stone? Do you think a stone could become a Saint?"

"No."

Han Xue shook her head and asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"You should enter the secular world to gain experience."

Zhang Ruochen crossed his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky. He said, "The secular world is like a dye vat—some people would be dyed black and some white. I hope that you would always be devout in holiness even when you become a Saint and reach the height of the late Thousand-bone Empress."

Han Xue's eyes reddened as she finally understood that her master was asking her to leave to explore cultivation on her own.

Tears trickled down from her eyes. Han Xue dropped her bamboo sword and embraced Zhang Ruochen tightly with her small hands. She said pitifully, "Master, I don't want to leave you and Blackie..."

Zhang Ruochen patted her head and said with a complex expression, "It is not like a life and death kind of parting. You're just going out for experience. I also want you to bring two letters to Evil Emperor City for me."

Though reluctant, Han Xue bit her lips and nodded in agreement even as tears welled up in her eyes.