Fate's Shackles

He makes it sound so easy for him. It's like he's treating treasures like weeds, saying you can just pull one up anywhere on Shuntian Island.

Bi Changchun glanced at him coldly. This guy would go crazy from time to time, so he couldn't be bothered with him and turned to walk towards the center of the island. Unexpectedly Nong Zhu stepped in front of him relentlessly and said in a deep voice, "Ziyi is still your junior. It's not unreasonable for you to give her a treasure as a gift!"

Bi Changchun stared at him, feeling both annoyed and amused. Even if someone wanted to give a gift, he had never seen someone so shameless as to ask for it! He slowly said, "I have no treasures here."

Nong Zhu was taken aback. He believed that, though. Bi Changchun was the kind of person who would say anything, except lie. So he said somewhat sullenly, "How about I find a treasure, and you write an inscription on it in front of Ziyi, and then give it to her?"

"I'm not as bored as you!" Bi Changchun hissed. "Get out of the way, or don't blame me for being impolite."

"I'd rather die than let him have it... wait a minute, I think I actually have a spirit-treasure level sword here." Nong Zhu checked his Storage Bag on his own, feeling confident that even if Bi Changchun dealt with him, he wouldn't go too far.

Bi Changchun's face instantly turned cold. He hated it most when someone exploited his weaknesses. His right palm made a feint, with a faint aura swirling around it, clearly intending to teach Nong Zhu a lesson, though he wouldn't kill or cripple him.

Just then, the woman in Ziyi, who was holding Furong and shouting, suddenly said seriously, "Furong, why don't I be like you and become Yue Qianchou's woman! Then I can also call Elder Bi master, and maybe Elder Bi will give me something."

Wood Lady Mu, standing to the side, froze, Furong was also stunned. The two women, seeing her serious expression, couldn't tell if she was joking or serious. Ziyi grabbed Furong's arm and shook it, saying, "What's wrong? Furong, don't you want to?"

Furong shook her head in disbelief and replied with difficulty, "No, as long as Yue Qianchou is willing, I will listen to whatever he says."

These words were incredibly hurtful. Bi Changchun's anger vanished completely, his face displaying an indescribable expression. He didn't look at the girls, but stared directly at Nong Zhu. Time flew by among them, and none of them seemed to realize how precious it was.

Nongzhu, Nong Zhu in examining the Storage Bag, was stunned and froze in place. After a long while, as if awakening from a slumber of millions of years, she slowly raised her head, inch by inch, and met Bi Changchun's gaze. His eyes were somewhat unfocused, and he seemed quite frightened. Then, he slowly turned his head to look at the women...

A mocking expression slowly spread across Bi Changchun's face. This expression hadn't appeared on his face for over two thousand years. He pointed and said, "Nong Zhu, did you hear that? It's very simple for me to send you a treasure with an inscription. Ziyi, just write it according to your own words."

Given their cultivation levels, it would be incredibly easy for the two men to prevent the women from overhearing their conversation. The three women exchanged glances, each lost in their own thoughts, paying no attention to the movements of the two senior experts.

Upon hearing Furong's reply, Ziyi's face suddenly flushed red. She was stunned for a moment before bursting into a smile and giggling, "I was just kidding! I won't be that liar's woman. Furong, I scared you!" With that, she shoved the sword back into Furong's hand.

Even so, the guilty conscience in his shifty eyes was something even Furong noticed, let alone the others.

Furong opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. Suddenly, a deafening roar rang out, "You didn't scare anyone else, you scared me!"

Nong Zhu teleported over instantly, staring intently at Ziyi and said, "Ziyi, tell your master, were those your true feelings just now?"

The woman in Ziyi avoided eye contact, not daring to meet her master's gaze. She pouted and said, "I was just kidding." Though she replied casually, Nong Zhu thought to herself: Oh no!

He was a seasoned veteran of the pleasure quarters, having dealt with countless women; he'd seen it all. His daughter's words and actions had betrayed her true feelings completely. Nong Zhu felt a little dizzy. Of all people, why did it have to be that extremely despicable man, the one she hated most?

Heavens above! Is this your retribution for my life? I have been cultivating my character for my daughter's sake, why... Nong Zhu silently raised her head, speechless as she questioned the heavens, but the heavens remained silent as well.

"Nong Zhu, what kind of treasure do you want me to inscribe? At worst, I'll risk everything and personally go to Xuanxuan Island to find Nanming." Bi Changchun said with a serious expression, adding insult to injury, and rarely used dry humor.

The woman in Ziyi blushed even more, understanding the subtext of Elder Bi's words. Nong Zhu glanced at his daughter's face and felt truly dizzy, the world spinning around him. He clutched his forehead with one hand and roared, "Bi Changchun, shut up!"

"Hahaha..." For the first time in its history, the most ruthless Punishment Envoy of the Demon Ghost Domain let out a hearty laugh on Shuntian Island. With a flash, he disappeared into the doorway of the large house in the center of the island...

"Master, what's wrong?" Ziyi asked somewhat guiltily, worried that she had upset her master.

"It's nothing!" Nong Zhu waved his hand, not saying much. He knew that forcibly stopping such things would be useless; it probably wouldn't affect that brat at all, but would only hurt his daughter's feelings. He had hurt too many women in his life, but he didn't want to hurt his daughter.

"Retribution... I lost. I lost so badly..." Nong Zhu muttered to himself, his face pale, as he walked dejectedly towards the main house, his back hunched and his steps faltering. The renowned Mr. Nongzhu, known throughout the cultivation Cultivation World as the most handsome Mr. Nongzhu in the Cultivation World, seemed to have aged a thousand years in an instant...

He had long sensed that his daughter's feelings for Yue Qianchou were unusual, but his daughter had always been his precious darling, and he couldn't let that scoundrel easily steal her away. So, Nong Zhu had been holding back his anger, wanting to teach Yue Qianchou a lesson from time to time to vent his frustration.

He remembered that when Yue Qianchou first arrived at the South Sea Purple Bamboo Forest, he had warned Yue Qianchou not to have any improper thoughts about his daughter. It seemed the boy had indeed followed through; he could tell Yue Qianchou had no designs on his daughter. However, fate seemed to favor the boy, aiding and abetting him in binding his daughter with an inescapable Fate's Shackles.

The person, Yue Qianchou miles away, did nothing to him, yet struck at his weakest point. His secretly pent-up frustration was utterly crushed. This led to his words, "I lost, I lost so badly." The feeling of losing his most precious possession left him utterly lost and dejected.

Ziyi stared blankly at her master's retreating figure, wondering if she had done something wrong...

Nong Zhu swayed weakly into the main room. She collapsed to the ground, seemingly without any strength left, lying there with her limbs spread out.

Bi Changchun, sitting cross-legged, stared at him, frowning. He knew Nong Zhu's affection for Ziyi and understood his feelings, but he wanted to say something but remained silent. Silence fell between them...

After a long while, Nong Zhu sighed softly, "Old Bi, you figured it out?"

"What?"

"Ziyi and Yue Qianchou!"

"I never worry about that stuff. Worrying about it is pointless; it only makes things worse." Bi Changchun shook his head slightly. Then he sighed, "Nong Zhu, let go! Ziyi isn't a child. Keeping her tied to your side all the time isn't loving. She needs her own life, good or bad, bitter or sweet, those are all things she must experience in her life, things she needs to taste for herself. You've filtered out all the flavors, only giving her sweets. You should know that too much sweetness will become cloying, and even sweetness can turn bitter."

Nong Zhu stared blankly at the roof beam and murmured, "I didn't mean to restrict her, I just wanted her to have a good home."

"The world is vast, and all things proliferate endlessly, but in the end, they all come to the same destination. There is no such thing as eternity without eternity. So what kind of destination is considered a good destination?" Bi Changchun countered, "Do you think that Yue Qianchou's destination is not good for Ziyi?"

"Of course you'd say that! Yue Qianchou is your disciple! Of course you'd say he's good." Nong Zhu rolled his eyes as he lay there. After someone offered a few words of comfort, he felt a little better, and his spirits returned, unlike before when he was as lifeless as a piece of rotten wood.

"Let's not talk about this anymore, you won't listen anyway. Go and do me a favor," Bi Changchun said.

Nong Zhu, lying on the ground, tilted her head and asked, "What is it?"

"Find Yue Qianchou and ask him what exactly happened in the Misty Forest. Also..." Bi Changchun paused after a moment's thought and said, "Ask him why he can enter and leave the Misty Forest at will."

Nong Zhu's eyes lit up, and he jumped up, slapping his forehead. "How could I not have thought of that? If the treasure of the Myriad Sword Demon Lord is really in the Misty Forest, then the failure to refine the spiritual treasure this time is not a big deal. With Yue Qianchou's ability to freely enter and exit the Misty Forest, there should still be a way to get the Myriad Sword Demon Lord's sword. Maybe that kid has already succeeded. Tsk tsk! Did you think of this a long time ago? No wonder you didn't react at all when the refinement failed."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Bi Changchun sneered. "The Misty Forest is somewhat related to the Myriad Sword Demon Lord. But there's no way the Myriad Sword Demon Lord could have any of his treasures there. Don't let your imagination run wild."

"Uh..." Nong Zhu raised her hand and pinched her chin, looking at Bi Changchun suspiciously, "How do you know that the Misty Forest is related to the Myriad Sword Demon Lord? And how do you know that the Demon Lord of Myriad Sword Demon Lord's treasure could not be in the Misty Forest? Did the previous Chief Punishment Envoy tell you something?"

"Don't be too curious. Whether you know these things or not is none of your business, and I won't tell you. Don't ask either," Bi Changchun said decisively.

Nong Zhu scratched his head and ears, having long forgotten his earlier annoyance. He tentatively asked, "Is there some big secret hidden in this matter? Is it related to the secret of the Myriad Sword Demon Lord? Give me a little hint!"

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