CH 20

After leaving the hall, Ling Jinye couldn’t resist his curiosity and asked, “Why did Immortal Shen tap your forehead? It didn’t seem like punishment; instead, it looked like he was being affectionate.”

Zhou Xuanlan touched his forehead. Immortal Shen’s slightly cool fingertips had landed there and flicked him again, making him wince. His gaze then fell upon a pair of phoenix eyes.

The corners of those eyes were slightly upturned, showing a satisfied mischievous smile.

He knew Zhou Xuanlan was in pain, so he found pleasure in it.

Zhou Xuanlan felt a little flustered and didn’t know how to react. It felt as if something inside him was about to burst out at this rate.

He collected his thoughts. Initially, he planned to return to Chaoyun Peak, but instead, he rushed to the side of the Juechun River, meditating for an hour to calm his restless mind.

The Juechun River’s water came from the mountains behind Qingling Sect, and its quality was excellent, crystal clear.

Zhou Xuanlan squatted by the river, scooping up water and splashing it onto his face. Water droplets rolled down his jawline, disrupting the reflection of his handsome features, creating ripples on the water’s surface.

Not far away, a group of female disciples blushed, whispering among themselves.

Zhou Xuanlan overheard parts of their conversation and frowned. He grabbed his sword and left without looking back.

He disliked being disturbed during his cultivation, but some people insisted on following him. Because of this, he had changed his cultivation location many times. Juechun River was filled with cold energy that most people couldn’t bear, so it had helped him shake off his followers. However, after the disciple’s competition, he found himself back at square one.

Why are they pursuing him?

Ling Musan is the top-ranked, so why not go to him for training?

He single-mindedly pursued the Dao and did not consider matters of romance. Why waste their efforts on him?

…

“Tsk, tsk, come here.”

The lazy puppy lay on the grass, squinting its eyes in the sun. A light breeze blew, lifting some strands of its ash-colored fur.

Seeing this scene as he returned to his residence, Shen Liuxiang couldn’t help but want to play with him. He coaxed, “Come here, I’ll give you something good.”

Ao Yue’s head tilted, and he rolled his eyes.

What good thing can the Evil Ghost Immortal Shen possibly have? Just two days ago, he saw him sell the purple wood-carved table in his room and the exquisite celadon vase on the windowsill. Both have disappeared today.

Ao Yue had never seen a Harmonization cultivator become so poor. It’s like a shame for those in the Harmonization Realm.

He remained motionless, so Shen Liuxiang walked over and pinched Ao Yue’s chubby ear. “You seem to have grown a little. Is your injury better? If so…”

Ao Yue trembled all over and quickly got up, stretching his neck and rubbing against Shen Liuxiang’s hand obediently, “Ao-woo~”

Ao Yue’s liver was in pain.

He’s also becoming a disgrace to the Tengu Clan.

“So obedient. I’ll give you a reward.” Shen Liuxiang took something hot from his star flower bag and tore off a layer of oil paper, revealing a chicken leg. “Here, have a bite.”

He had just bought it from the sect, and his purse was feeling a little tight, so he only bought one.

Ao Yue widened his eyes and took a step back, as if about to escape. But when he heard a cold snort, he helplessly stopped in his tracks.

This person is the Evil Ghost Immortal Shen. He’s already in such a sorry state, yet he still wants to humiliate him more.

Shen Liuxiang tore off a piece of fragrant meat and offered it near Ao Yue’s mouth. “This Lord doesn’t like being rejected. Do you want to open your mouth or not?”

Ao Yue’s eyes were as if they could spew fire.

“A warrior can be killed but not humiliated. If not for this life being the hope of the Tengu Clan… I, Ao Yue, would rather die! I’d jump off a cliff or sink into the river, but I won’t take a single bite of chicken leg!”

His face wrinkled up like a dog’s, and Ao Yue reluctantly bit the end of the meat strip, trembling as he brought it to his tongue. A mix of shame and collapse overwhelmed him. Mundane things were truly tormenting…

“Ao?”

Ao Yue’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he swallowed the chicken leg in one gulp, his tongue lingering on his lips as if he hadn’t had enough.

“Ao ao ao~” So delicious!

He had never tasted anything this good before. The meat’s juices burst in his mouth, and the stimulation spread through his taste buds, as if it had unlocked all his meridians.

Shen Liuxiang watched as the Heavenly Dog turned into a foodie.

After licking his lips clean, Ao Yue moved on to licking Shen Liuxiang’s fingers, seriously working as if he was sucking milk.

Shen Liuxiang’s mouth twitched, and he retracted his hand. “Wipe your mouth, stop staring at the remaining chicken leg. It’s my dinner.”

He then turned to go back inside.

Anxious, Ao Yue bit onto Shen Liuxiang’s clothes and tugged, then sat on the ground. “Give me the chicken leg, and I’ll take you on an adventure through the Great Mountains and Seas someday.”

The Great Mountains and Seas were a famous holy land in the Demon Realm, where countless great demons were born. It was a place that everyone in the cultivation world feared but couldn’t resist exploring. Over the past thousand years, only one cultivator had returned alive from there, the Emperor Xing Yu, the ruler of the Imperial Palace.

Shen Liuxiang squinted, “Deal.”

Ao Yue swallowed his saliva and wolfed down the chicken leg.

As a gust of wind blew on the mountaintop, a green leaf fell and barely brushed against Shen Liuxiang’s ear, causing something to transfer from the leaf to his ear.

Shen Liuxiang froze, standing there rigidly.

A faint itch came from his ear as a small creature crawled inside. His scalp tingled, and his face turned pale as he froze on the spot.

If there was anything that could change his expression, it would be insects. He had been terrified of them since he was young, and even a glimpse of them would make him shiver uncontrollably.

“Master,” came footsteps from behind.

Shen Liuxiang opened his eyes slightly and spoke with a hoarse, pleading tone, “Hurry, come save me…”

Zhou Xuanlan never expected that his master would be scared to the point of trembling by a small insect and couldn’t move.

He lifted Shen Liuxiang’s soft, black hair and noticed the almost translucent earlobe, rarely exposed to the public eye, and it looked flawless. “There’s no insect.”

“Look carefully,” Shen Liuxiang’s voice sounded strained, “It suddenly stopped moving.”

Zhou Xuanlan approached a bit and his gaze suddenly froze.

Shen Liuxiang sensed the breath that scattered near his neck and shoulder become disorderly, and immediately said, “Did you see it?”

Zhou Xuanlan lowered his eyes, his gaze slightly bewildered and flustered, and awkwardly moved to another spot. His voice slightly deepened, “There’s nothing there.”

Shen Liuxiang closed his eyes, his tense nerves on the verge of breaking. Fortunately, at this moment, he felt a slight movement at the junction of his neck and shoulder.

Then, Zhou Xuanlan pinched something and revealed a small ant.

Shen Liuxiang heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it wasn’t the kind of strange and bizarre creature with long tentacles; otherwise, he might have fainted on the spot due to the stimulation.

After calming down, he recalled his previous loss of composure. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Shen Liuxiang clenched his fist and coughed near his mouth, “I think it’s still early. If you’re back at the peak so early, how about practicing a bit longer?”

Zhou Xuanlan was taken aback and reluctantly agreed. He turned around and went back to the banks of Juechun River.

…

The river water flowed loudly as Zhou Xuanlan sat cross-legged on a stone.

The lingering sunset slowly withdrew from the young man’s body, starting from his upright back, then his shoulders, skimming across his resolute chin, and finally dissipating between his handsome brows.

The air around became gradually colder.

However, Zhou Xuanlan suddenly felt hot.

On his master’s white and tender earlobe, there was a tiny black mole.

It exuded a captivating charm.

Hidden amidst the fair skin, it seemed to shout to anyone who discovered it, “Touch me~”. It made people unable to resist the urge to touch it, causing the surrounding snow-white skin to blush alluringly.

Zhou Xuanlan blushed all over.

He exhaled slowly, opening his dark and deep eyes, but his expression turned extremely unpleasant for a moment.

…

As the night deepened, it grew colder.

Shen Liuxiang sneezed and walked back to the peak, carrying freshly picked fruits from the Lingzhu Peak, humming a tune.

Unexpectedly, he stumbled upon a scene.

In the distance, within the pavilion on the lake, two tall figures stood—one was Ling Ye, and the other was a man dressed in dark purple robes, with faint black mist surrounding him.

Senior Brother is having a secret meeting with someone under the moonlight?

Shen Liuxiang couldn’t suppress his curiosity, so he held his breath, followed the winding path, and reached the lake’s edge, using the messy bushes to hide his figure.

He cast his gaze upon the side of the man in the purple robe and noticed the striking scar next to his right eye, which made him gasp in surprise.

“Who are you—”

In the instant Shen Liuxiang’s aura surged, Nan Yaoquan lifted his right arm, extended his palm, and, with his long fingers slightly curled, grabbed Shen Liuxiang from afar.

Thud!

Shen Liuxiang was thrown into the pavilion, and the fruits in his arms scattered and were crushed on the ground.

After regaining his senses, he looked at the mess of fruits around him, then glanced up at the fierce-faced Demon Lord. He fell into silence for a while, and then gritted his teeth in frustration.

“You damn… compensate me for the fruits!”

T/N: it’s one thing to attack Immortal Shen… but it’s another to attack Immortal Shen’s fruits!