The Bet with Ji Xueruo

Ji Xueruo looked closely and indeed found a very fine crack on the Lotus Root Heart on the left.

Although Lotus Root Heart are a precious healing treasure, they lose all value to Ji Xueruo she cannot take them with her.

Rumor has it that the Golden Peng Clan desperately needs Lotus Root Heart because their holy Golden Peng Clan got into a fight with the top genius of the Divine Mountain Spiritual Treasure Sect while searching for treasure in a secret realm. The two fought fiercely and both suffered extremely serious injuries.

Therefore, with the Spiritual Treasure Sect in power, it was impossible to allow the Golden Peng Clan to set foot on the land of the Central Yuan Continent at will. That is why the Golden Peng Clan went so far as to issue missions in the form of the Divine Mountain Trial, but even so, not a single demon succeeded.

"If it can't be taken away, then it can only be brought in by those who need it?"

You Su frowned. Sending his Mistress away from the Lotus Birth Pool on Lotus Peak to such a far place was probably more of a loss than a gain.

"Theoretically speaking, that is indeed the case." Venerable Chengtao took two steps and stood directly in front of the invisible and colorless water curtain. "I believe that Young Master You and Miss Ji are seeking the Lotus Root Heart to save someone. I will not ask who you are, and I can even assure you that the identity of those who come to Jade Ring Pool for treatment will be kept absolutely confidential. Therefore, I can only trouble you two to decide who will receive this intact Lotus Root Heart."

Ji Xueruo glanced at You Su and noticed that You Su was also looking at her apologetically. She knew the answer in her heart. It seemed that they both had reasons for not allowing the seriously injured person to come to the Jade Ring Pool.

She pursed her thin, pink lips, her body suddenly felt lighter, and she said calmly:

"I don't need to save anyone; I simply want to leave myself a chance to escape from a desperate situation. In that case, I'll give this intact Lotus Root Heart to Young Master You. When I'm too badly injured to heal and crawl to the entrance of Jade Ring Pool, I hope Venerable Chengtao can save my life."

After saying that, the girl even gave a forced, relaxed smile.

Venerable Chengtao could easily discern the girl's thoughts. His gentle gaze swept back and forth between Ji Xueruo and You Su's faces, and he understood the girl's determination.

Since she went to such lengths for this boy... why would she want to sever ties with him?

He grinned and glanced at Venerable Cuihe. Even after living for hundreds of years, he still couldn't fathom a woman's mind...

"Etc!"

You Su abruptly interrupted him sternly. He didn't believe that Ji Xueruo had ulterior motives. If she were truly just looking for a trump card for him, why would she risk her life? Wasn't that putting the cart before the horse?

"Your Excellency has only stated the theory, but it seems there are other methods. Your Excellency may wish to tell us."

"I think Shenxi should have told you that Lotus Sword Venerable has an extremely high affinity with Jade Ring Pool, and the Mystic Qi water in her spiritual platform is fully capable of preserving the Lotus Root Heart. Therefore, the only way is to have Lotus Sword Venerable preserve it for you. Although his true purpose was to lure Lotus Sword Venerable to Jade Ring Pool and make her a follower of the Hidden Earth, he did not lie to you about this."

You Su fell silent upon hearing this. His previous agreement with Shen Xi was merely a delaying tactic, as he could not bear to watch Yu Die die before his eyes for the sake of the Lotus Root Heart. However, he could no longer agree to it now.

"Master is still in seclusion, and the person who needs the Lotus Root Heart is in imminent danger. I'm afraid Master cannot help."

You Su sighed. The more Ji Xueruo wanted to give it to him, the more guilty he felt. If it were a stranger, You Su might have shamelessly accepted it for his Mistress. But the other party was Ji Xueruo, who was in an awkward period with him.

Caught between the two options, he was indeed in a dilemma.

Seeing his conflicted expression, Ji Xueruo was about to offer further advice when she was interrupted by Venerable Chengtao.

"Young Master You possesses a unique Lotus Immortal Seed, which should theoretically give you an extremely high affinity with the Jade Ring Pool. Perhaps you... also have a chance to take the Lotus Root Heart away."

Venerable Chengtao gazed at You Su's brow, and in a place unseen beneath You Su and bones, a lotus-like immortal seed shone brightly.

"Me? But I'm only at the Spirit Platform Middle Stage Realm. My Mystic Qi isn't enough, is it?" You Su didn't lose his composure due to his joy at the turn of events.

"It seems that Young Master You truly has no understanding of his own strength."

Venerable Chengtao made no attempt to hide the admiration in his eyes. His only son, who had been corrupted by the Evil God, was also exceptionally talented, but compared to You Su at the same level, he paled in comparison.

"Although you are only at the Spirit Platform Middle Stage, the amount of Mystic Qi within you is more than that of an average cultivator at the middle stage of the Spirit Platform Realm. Moreover, you also possess a Celestial Seed equivalent to a second Spirit Platform Realm cultivator. All of this Mystic Qi combined is enough to rival that of a cultivator who has touched the threshold of the Condensing Water Realm."

Ji Xueruo's beautiful eyes sparkled. You Su's strength had indeed exceeded her expectations. Perhaps there were indeed such people in this world who would always stand out from their peers. But Ji Xueruo would not feel inferior, because she was definitely one of them.

"How long can I maintain this fake Condensing Water Realm?" You Su asked with concern. Even if he were to ride the Green Boat lent to him by the Third Elder, it would still take him four days to return to the Xuanxiao Sect.

"At most two days, Young Master You, are you going back to the Divine Mountain?"

You Su nodded.

"That's not what Young Master You should be worried about. What you really need to worry about is whether your mind can truly accept the Lotus Root Heart. I need to report to the Divine Mountain Evil Warding Department, so I will personally escort you back to the Divine Mountain. Two days should be enough."

What if you can't let go?

"At best, the effect will be greatly reduced; at worst, it will be completely ruined. Although the Lotus Root Heart is a spiritual object, spiritual objects possess a spirit and are extremely picky about their living environment. Whether Young Master You can be accepted by it is uncertain. Therefore, the choice is still up to you. If it fails, I assure you that Young Master You will still have a share of the next batch of Lotus Root Heart a hundred years from now."

Venerable Chengtao didn't really want to take this risk, but it was the only option he could find. He couldn't bear to let these two young people, who had made outstanding contributions to Jade Ring Pool, leave disappointed.

You Su lowered his head and hesitated. He dared not gamble, for if he gambled wrongly, his Mistress's cultivation level would be gone forever. But he could not bear to Ji Xueruo give up her goal and let him have it. She had been able to persist until now, so she must have had a reason why she had to obtain the Lotus Root Heart.

Just as he was about to give up, suddenly, the Little White Fish that had disappeared from his pitch-black vision reappeared!

It hovered around the cracked Lotus Root Heart, but strangely, neither of the two Venerable Ones around it noticed its presence!

You must know, the Little White Fish is an evil spirit Dream Master Type! These two Void Glimpse Venerable of the Evil Warding Department would never allow an evil spirit to live in the Jade Ring Pool!

You Su then realized a crucial point: the Little White Fish wasn't like the hidden earth, lurking deep at the bottom of the lake; its activity range was entirely within the water. Yet, even so, it hadn't been discovered by the Venerables...

Doesn't this mean its rank is so high that it doesn't actively reveal itself, and even those at the Void Glimpse Realm cannot see it?

You Su stared at the Little White Fish in shock. The Little White Fish then exhaled a bubble that enveloped the Lotus Root Heart, and then nodded at You Su, as if to say: Don't worry, I've taken care of everything for you.

Then, the Little White Fish happily swam away in circles.

"Stop thinking about it. I said I'd give it to you, so I will. If you keep dawdling, the person you want to save will die."

Ji Xueruo pursed her lips; the last thing she wanted to see was You Su struggling like this.

"No." You Su took a firm step forward. "I'm willing to try."

A refreshing autumn breeze blows, and the forest ripples, but the Jade Ring Lake beside the harbor remain still.

You Su and Ji Xueruo stood on Old Yu's fishing boat. They had come in on this boat, and now they would go back on it.

However, Old Yu seemed to be in poor health and was still recuperating under Xiao Yu's care. But they didn't need to row themselves on this part of the journey out of the lake.

The dock was filled with the Jade Clan who had come to see him off. Leading them were two Venerable Ones, followed by Yu Meng, Yu Long, and other maids. At this moment, all of them had tears in their eyes and waved their colorful handkerchiefs at You Su with reluctance, creating a vast expanse that resembled the colorful clouds in the sky.

"Young Master You! Remember to visit Jade Ring Pool often!"

Yu Long cupped his hands around his lips like a megaphone and shouted with all his might, as if this were You Su's hometown.

You Su smiled and waved goodbye to the two sisters.

Ji Xueruo glared at him, then turned to Venerable Cuihe in a cold voice and said, "Aunt Yu He, it's getting late, so Xue Ruo will be leaving now."

Venerable Yuhe covered her face and smiled faintly, "Yes, yes, it's time to go. I won't see you off to Yongning Port. Remember to write to let me know you're safe. As long as you say it's official business, the Divine Ark will take you there. Young Master You, the ship is about to set sail, please be careful!"

She seemed to be reminding You Su that the ship was about to start, but she was actually warning You Su to be careful of a woman's jealousy.

She also wanted to send Ji Xueruo to the port to board a ship, but the sacred land of Yichi really couldn't be without a Void Glimpse Venerable in charge.

"Thank you for reminding me, Aunt." You Su turned around and sat down properly on the side of the boat.

Ji Xueruo raised her head and sat down, smoothing her skirt.

The old fishing boat slowly disappeared from everyone's sight under the operation of the underwater Magic Array.

"Wasn't Venerable Chengtao supposed to escort you? Why didn't you come along?" Ji Xueruo asked curiously. Of course, she didn't feel that Jade Ring Pool had treated them unfairly because of this.

He said he needed to tell his people a few things, and that he would come looking for me after we left the lake.

You Su knew very well that Venerable Chengtao actually wanted to board the ship together, but Venerable Cuihe stopped him. Presumably, that gentle and beautiful woman wanted to give the two of them a little time alone before they were about to part.

Ji Xueruo placed her hands between her legs, pressing down her black skirt which was billowing in the lake breeze. Her smooth, white legs beneath the skirt were like jade pillars, gleaming brightly.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

Ji Xueruo asked abruptly, as if she didn't care about it and was just asking casually.

"Good."

You Su could feel a spiritual pearl gently spinning within his spiritual platform, absorbing the Mystic Qi he had stored there.

Ji Xueruo rolled her eyes playfully. "Was it Little White Fish who helped you?"

"How did Miss Ji find out?"

In You Su's opinion, Ji Xueruo shouldn't have been able to see the Little White Fish either. The Little White Fish's rank should be higher than that of Zangtu, which is why even the Venerables who had seen Zangtu couldn't see it. He should be able to see the Little White Fish because he had seen the Dream-Eating Ghost.

"You could have guessed it. You should thank it; it inadvertently gave you the opportunity to manifest your divine power before others. You didn't see how shocked Venerable Chengtao was when he discovered you had actually placed the Lotus Root Heart into your spiritual platform. I think he almost wanted to make you the new eldest son of the Jade Ring Pool."

You Su, however, habitually reflected, "I wonder what the Little White Fish's purpose is."

She came to see me last night.

Ji Xueruo shifted her gaze to the Jade Ring Lake, seemingly searching for the Little White Fish:

"Hidden Water is dead. She has become the new Water God of Jade Ring Pool, just as she wished. She was a creature born of Jade Ring Pool itself, destined to guard this place. Putting aside Hidden Water's ancient and heavy memories, she was just a mischievous little girl who loved to talk nonsense. If you're really worried that she might have any bad intentions, just come back and check on her often. Anyway, Zangtu Hidden Water can't outmaneuver you, so a little girl is probably even less of a problem. Besides..."

"Besides what?"

"Besides, aren't there two sisters here waiting for you?"

Upon hearing this, You Su felt no embarrassment whatsoever, nor did she even have the slightest thought of explaining. She simply sat quietly, the corners of her mouth involuntarily turning up in a smile.

Seeing this, Ji Xueruo felt strange, finding You Su's laughter nauseating.

"What are you laughing at?! I... I'm not jealous!"

As if holding a grudge, You Su replied, "But I didn't say you were jealous."

Ji Xueruo remembered that she had teased him like that that morning, and felt that this man was really petty. She wanted to scold the blind man a few times, but then she suddenly saw that the lake shore was not far away.

This trip to Jade Ring Pool is truly coming to an end...

She had already decided that once she got ashore, she would leave without hesitation, fearing that if she lingered any longer, she would change her mind.

In these final moments, she shouldn't be making insincere jokes anymore.

The lake breeze tousled her black hair, revealing her exquisitely beautiful features, yet also a sharp and heroic air—a unique quality belonging to this snake-woman.

"You Su."

You Su was taken aback for a moment, then sat up straight.

In his memory, this was the first time Ji Xueruo had called him by his full name in real life, no longer calling him "Hey" or the distant Young Master You.

"I admit, I've mostly fallen for you, though only a little. There was a time when I loathed all male human cultivators, but now I've developed feelings for the man my sister has her eye on. Looking back on the past two weeks, it all feels so unreal. Everything seems to have been pushing us together, as if we were destined to love each other. But I don't believe in fate. Compared to this sudden attraction, I have so many things to accomplish, so many concerns to consider. Right now, they all seem more important than this romantic feeling. So, I want to make a bet with you."

"What kind of bet?"

"If I still love you after I've done everything, then I'll accept my fate and let you enjoy the bliss of having two wives."

You Su remained silent.

"You have so little self-confidence?"

Ji Xueruo glanced at You Su with disdain.

"I'll bet you."

You Su stood up, as firm as a rock.

Ji Xueruo also stood up, her eyes crinkling at the corners, smiling brightly.

Like a dragonfly skimming the water, their lips touched briefly before parting.

She leaped to the shore, her black dress swaying in the lush reeds, like a black snake gracefully departing.

"They're gone."

You Su opened his dark eyes, taking in the girl's back view, his heart filled with endless thoughts about the future.

Ji Xueruo said that she would wait until she finished everything, but did not say that he could not help her.

Perhaps some things don't necessarily need to be held onto immediately. You Su believes that with the passage of time, this feeling won't cool down, but will instead become even more precious.

You could write a story about a woman chasing after her husband until he dies! ^^