Only Bulang Can Win

Chapter 32

An Bulang steadied his mind with effort, looked at the white veil over Ji Yinyin's face, and asked again, "Why are you wearing that?"

"I'm afraid of scaring other people," Ji Yinyin said.

"Are you really that scary?" An Bulang asked in confusion. "You're not the Ugly Monster you used to be."

Ji Hongxue explained from the side, "Actually, Ji Yinyin like this is even scarier. To say nothing else, she's already fainted from her own beauty three times."

An Bulang: "..."

"I'm planning to give Father King a surprise at his birthday celebration!" Ji Yinyin said, waving her delicate fist.

An Bulang silently glanced at the disciple before him, thinking that this girl was probably going to give her father king a fright instead...

Sigh, when would Yinyin's repayment ever end?

Ji Yinyin had managed to draw qi into her body, making her a cultivator. Though she had started somewhat late and was currently only at the first level of the Mystic Body Realm, with her Water-Fire Dual Spiritual Root aptitude and the Yin-Yang Feather Ascension Art family cultivation method An Bulang had given her, her path of cultivation was destined to be anything but ordinary.

But right now, she had none of a genius's instincts. Her head was filled with all sorts of strange and bizarre ideas!

For example, cooking for An Bulang.

For example, washing An Bulang's clothes.

For example, warming An Bulang's bed...

And truth be told, Ji Yinyin was quite capable. She knew how to do so many things.

It was only because she had been ugly before that no one had noticed these virtues of hers.

Now that she had become beautiful, aside from having a somewhat fiery temper, she truly had an abundance of shining qualities!

Escorted by the two flower-like sisters, An Bulang returned to where Ji Hongxue lived.

Not long afterward, King Ji Yonghao seemed to have heard the news and angrily sent someone to summon Ji Hongxue.

Ji Hongxue refused to go. She was determined to stick with An Bulang.

King Ji Yonghao grew even angrier and sent someone to summon An Bulang instead.

Ji Hongxue had thought An Bulang would refuse, but after pondering for a moment, he actually nodded in agreement.

"Bulang, my father king is still angry right now. Isn't it a bad idea for you to go?" Ji Hongxue asked, concern written across her face.

"Don't worry. If he dares curse at me, I'll curse right back," An Bulang said, giving the Woman in Red beside him a resolute look to reassure her.

Ji Hongxue wanted to speak but held herself back, thinking, Didn't you say that in extraordinary times, we should cause less trouble?

A eunuch led An Bulang to meet King Ji Yonghao.

Entering a side hall decorated with grandeur and luxury, An Bulang saw a middle-aged man seated upon carved-dragon agarwood. He was dressed magnificently, rather handsome, and quite powerfully built, yet his face bore an unnatural pallor. His body was terribly weak, and a faint aura of death lingered around him.

"An Bulang pays his respects to Your Majesty," An Bulang said with a slight cupped-fist salute and a beaming smile.

"Presumptuous! Before the king, why do you not immediately kneel?!" an elderly eunuch shouted.

An Bulang merely smiled without replying. Not even the Immortal Emperor who ruled an entire starfield could make him kneel. If he knelt before a mortal king, his father would be very saddened.

"Hehehe... There's no need to fuss over such formalities. He is my daughter's savior, after all. Besides, cultivators have a tradition of not kneeling before kings," King Ji Yonghao said amiably, paying no mind whatsoever to An Bulang's perfectly straight back.

He continued warmly, "Daoist An Bulang, your cultivation is profound. What are your thoughts on my birthday banquet tomorrow, and what plans do you have?"

An Bulang was rather surprised by King Ji Yonghao's attitude. He had thought King Ji Yonghao's fury would be waiting for him.

But now, it seemed King Ji Yonghao's anger had likely been an act for others to see.

With that thought, An Bulang felt somewhat gratified. Only someone like this was worth cooperating with.

He immediately said, "My plan is this: thus and so, this and that."

King Ji Yonghao's eyes widened as he sucked in a breath. "Are you insane?!"

Half an hour later.

An Bulang returned to the princess's palace.

It was already evening.

Ji Yinyin had transformed into a chef, making delicious dishes for An Bulang such as stir-fried Heavenly Deer Wings in sauce and kung pao Flame Chicken.

And truth be told, they really did taste quite good.

An Bulang ate to his heart's content, while Ji Hongxue ate with cries of amazement, having never imagined her little sister possessed such culinary skill.

Ji Yinyin lifted her snow-white neck proudly. "I inherited the true teachings of the core culinary art passed down by the Beggars' Sect—the secret technique Eat Anything. It teaches you how to use the fewest ingredients to make a meal as delicious and down-to-earth as possible."

"Famous dishes like Beggars' Chicken, Beggars' Stew, and Beggars' Roast all had their core concepts and methods developed from the Eat Anything secret technique I learned."

An Bulang picked up a piece of chicken that was charred on the outside yet tender within, eating it with great relish. "So what I'm eating now is beggars' cuisine?"

Ji Yinyin smiled. "The most authentic beggars' cuisine!"

An Bulang was both moved and excited. "Wonderful!"

Hadn't they run away from the Immortal Emperor Palace precisely to experience the wonders of the mortal world? Beggar's vegetables could be called an essential check-in item!

The three ate, drank, and spent a wonderful night together.

Late at night, An Bulang began absorbing spirit stones again.

That was right, he had changed his mind.

He had originally planned to steady himself for a day or two before absorbing the spirit stones.

But now, he felt that since he would be stirring up trouble tomorrow, gaining a little more strength would be safer.

That was right, growth was the most important thing! Keeping spirit stones around only meant more chances for unforeseen changes. Only by absorbing them into his body early could they truly become his!

To borrow An Bulang's motto: Only by not being reckless could one win!

Facing a whole box of spirit stones, An Bulang revealed a warm smile. "Babies, tonight, Brother Lang is going to shower you with love. Not one of you will escape! Hehehe..."

As he spoke, he activated Devouring Sorcery on the spirit stones in the box.

The spirit stones struggled and resisted, but in the end, their crystalline, tender-green bodies were still sucked dry by An Bulang, reduced to shriveled stone dregs.

Advancing from the Body Refinement Seventh Level to the Profound Body Eighth Layer required a great deal of spiritual energy—more than double what it took to advance from the sixth level to the seventh.

But that was fine. He had three hundred spirit stones now, so there was still hope of taking his cultivation a step further!

Tonight was destined to be anything but peaceful.

Crack... boom...

A sudden disturbance came from the room!

As spiritual energy surged wildly, An Bulang broke through to the Profound Body Eighth Layer!

He stretched lazily in satisfaction, when another sudden crack rang out.

"Holy crap! I broke through again?" An Bulang jumped in fright.

But he soon sensed that the breakthrough had come from next door!

"Ji Hongxue broke through?" A smile appeared on An Bulang's face.

Ever since Ji Hongxue had begun using the breathing cultivation technique he gave her, the spiritual energy within her body had grown increasingly condensed and pure. Breaking through once more in such a short time was as natural as water flowing into a channel; there was nothing particularly surprising about it.

Ji Hongxue's cultivation had reached the Body Refinement Seventh Level. At that realm, she already counted as a powerhouse in the Azure Kingdom's cultivation world.

Wasn't that chief disciple of one of those three major sects—the one whose name he had forgotten—also at the Body Refinement Seventh Level?

Ji Hongxue had cultivated An Bulang's breathing technique, and her spiritual energy had undergone a qualitative transformation. She should be able to utterly crush that chief disciple now.

An Bulang was somewhat pleased and was about to continue cultivating.

Crack, boom!

Another wild surge of spiritual energy startled him.

"Again?" An Bulang said in shock. "Who is it this time?"

He sensed carefully, then was shocked all over again.

The one who had broken through was actually Ji Yinyin!

That little cultivator who had only been at the first level of the Mystic Body this morning had broken through to the Mystic Body Second Layer by nightfall!!

Even with An Bulang's breadth of experience, he found it rather astonishing.

"Could it be that my disciple... is even more outstanding than I imagined?" An Bulang stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.