The Pearl Must Never Be Covered in Dust Again

The vermilion doors closed quietly behind them, and wisps of smoke rose from the gilded incense burner inside the warm pavilion.

With a gentle flick of her wide sleeves, Qianhua Venerable's Snow Silkworm Silk wrapped around You Su's waist as if it were alive, the force as light as a lover's sigh. Her jade-like legs crossed at the slit of her Black Gold Qipao, and her gold-rimmed glasses reflected a dangerous light in the candlelight.

"After a month's time, I never expected that not only would your master not bring back your senior sister..." She traced the rim of the teacup with her fingertips, causing ripples to spread across the amber tea, "But she did bring back a new master who is as beautiful as a flower."

You Su gripped the Snow Silkworm Silk with his backhand, removed the felt hat covering his face, revealing a resolute face that immediately caught the eye of Qianhua Venerable:

"You know it's fake; she just doesn't want to reveal that I'm You Su. Nobody wants to be standing next to a wanted criminal when they're calling for help."

"I don't think so." Qianhua Venerable leaned back on the soft couch like a lazy yet wise cat. "She's afraid you'll become the target of everyone's criticism, so she has to ensure your safety at all times. Otherwise, if she's so afraid I'll eat you up, why does she insist you stay by her side? Couldn't she send you somewhere else to rest?"

You Su's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. "She feels guilty towards me, so she naturally wants to protect me."

With graceful rise and fall, the cheongsam-clad fairy had already flown to You Su's side along the silken threads:

"Feeling ashamed? To make the Sovereign Lord of Bei'ao feel ashamed before a mere youth, my master is truly remarkable..."

"You're meddling a bit too much," You Su said coldly, glancing at the woman.

Qianhua Venerable was not intimidated by You Su's imposing manner. The silk thread that You Su was holding suddenly tightened, pulling the boy in front of her. The fragrance from her sandalwood mouth enveloped You Su's nose.

You Su saw the woman's eyes clearly, so close to his own, but they weren't the frivolous, playful look he expected. Instead, they held a hint of... resentment?

"You bring another woman to bully me, and you still complain that I'm meddling? You Su, do you really think I'm a harmless spider?"

You Su raised an eyebrow, surprised that this woman was actually jealous.

"I don't want to order you around again because of the form of address." His answer was simple and concise; in fact, he hadn't given a single order since they met.

"Hmph!" Qianhua Venerable snorted coldly, abruptly taking half a step back, as if the one who had just been softly leaning on her was not her.

"No need to pretend. You haven't suffered the slightest grievance. And you act so recklessly in front of her. She must feel even more aggrieved than you think." You Su casually poured herself a cup of tea.

"So you think I went too far?" Qianhua Venerable rolled his eyes.

"It's understandable that you're trying to protect your own interests, but you've gone too far with me. If City Lord Nalan is any smarter, he might guess that we're actually acquainted."

"I went too far?" Qianhua Venerable suddenly tilted his head back and chuckled, his neck arching like a swan's outstretched neck. "But when Master first saw me, her eyes were like they were on fire. If I hadn't been a bit more aggressive, how could she have let you and me be alone? Isn't this exactly... what you've been hoping for?"

She traced her fingertips across the boy's Adam's apple, feeling the rapid pulse beneath her palm.

You Su felt slightly embarrassed and annoyed that his thoughts had been seen through. It was the first time he had seen this beautiful and dangerous woman with his own eyes. In addition, considering that he could have whatever he wanted from such a woman, it would be hypocritical to say that he was not excited by her charm.

He reached out and grabbed her outstretched wrist. "Playing with fire will only get you burned. Even a puppy shouldn't be too confident in its own cuteness."

Yes, that's right...

Qianhua Venerable pressed his back against the cold screen, yet a poppy-like smile bloomed on his face.

Her jade-like foot lightly hooked the young man's knee, the Black Gold Qipao billowing:

"It's been a while, and my master has become so gentle! If you want anything, just use your sure-fire way of keeping your word to make the little dog obediently follow your orders."

You Su glanced at her and saw through the woman's thoughts. She was only scratching the surface; what she wanted was for You Su to be unable to resist ordering her around, which was tantamount to admitting that You Su had succumbed to her temptation.

"I advise you not to push your luck. I'm just surprised that such a shrewd woman like you didn't run away after the outbreak of the Evil Tide, but instead stayed here as promised."

"Run? I have no doubt about your ability to escape from desperate situations. If I run away and you find me again, I'll probably be torn to pieces."

That being said, no one knew whether she was afraid of You Su's retaliation or whether she never intended to leave in the first place.

"You guessed correctly."

You Su spoke with certainty, but a hint of ferocity flashed in his eyes. His aggressive gaze seemed to regard the woman in front of him as something that could never escape his grasp.

Such a gaze would be offensive to other women, but to Qianhua Venerable, it was quite the opposite.

Her smile grew even more alluring. Her toes hooked around the gold buckle on the boy's waist belt, and her black satin high heels embroidered with gold clattered to the ground as she sat down on the table in front of You Su.

You Su wasn't the only one who immediately thought of being alone with her upon meeting her. In fact, she was already looking forward to their reunion even before You Su came to Fei City, so it was she who couldn't wait any longer.

"Now you can see without your eyes turning completely black?" She had long since noticed that You Su's eyes were no longer so dazed.

"Yes, I got fortuitous opportunity."

You Su admitted to regaining his sight, but his composure in the face of such a woman was completely unlike someone who could see the fiery and beautiful fairy before him.

"Congratulations, Master." Qianhua Venerable's jade-like legs, adorned with pearl-embroidered garters, hooked around the boy's waist. "You won't need to use the Law Artifact I gave you to cover up anymore."

Upon hearing this, You Su took out the gold-rimmed glasses from her Universe Bag, her fingertips tracing the fine lines on the frame. "They're also good for sun protection; I'll keep them."

His calm tone revealed a restrained appreciation, causing the woman's eyes to flicker slightly. Unfortunately, women are excellent at acting, and no one could tell whether her emotion was genuine or feigned. Only her knees, bent even deeper, were real, almost to the point of clashing.

"If you have any difficulties, please tell me, so I can help you relieve your worries and solve your problems."

Outside the window, the wind and snow howled, while the heated floor in the warm room crackled and popped.

You Su suddenly leaned forward, and the woman's heart tightened. But to her surprise, the young man simply held up her gold-rimmed glasses that were hanging on her nose and pushed them back up, turning her deliberately seductive look back into a serious one.

Qianhua Venerable frowned slightly. "You deliberately spilled the tea I had carefully prepared. Now... why don't we taste it while we talk?"

As she spoke, she flicked the trim of the thin stockings.

Others may not know why the tea that Qianhua Venerable had specifically instructed You Su to "sip carefully" had such a wonderful fragrance, but You Su knew perfectly well that he would not drink it regardless of whether the tea was spilled or not.

"My senior sister is still trapped in the Kong Yuan Divine Mountain, I must save her."

Qianhua Venerable paused, loosened his curled-up arches, and said unhappily:

"You should listen to that Sovereign Lord and discuss business first before having tea."

You Su laughed. This woman wanted to play hard to get, but he was determined to tease her and make her realize who was truly attracted.

"She wasn't lying. Her power has indeed declined somewhat, but it's still far beyond what an ordinary Void Realm cultivator could achieve. Moreover, we still have spies within the Divine Mountain. This Evil Tide can't be kept secret from the people of the Divine Mountain. By now, the Divine Mountain must have split into at least two factions. With our inside help, we're bound to take down the dissidents within the Divine Mountain."

"A major reason why you haven't left is that you've realized these Evil Tide aren't that powerful; they're completely under your control. If the three Evil God were to come in person, you would probably have already boarded the first ship to leave. So, once you regain control of the sacred mountain, it won't be difficult to purge Bei Ao."

"The impact of this Evil Tide on the Northern Ao Continent was smaller than expected. She probably wasn't lying; once the sacred mountain is captured, the source of the Evil Tide will be cut off. Although Bei Aozhou suffered some damage, as long as it's dealt with quickly enough, it won't be crippled. After all, the number of people who froze to death in the Northern Ao Continent every year in the past was no less than the number who were being devoured by evil spirits now."

"What you want me to do is just a matter of a word, why waste so much breath?" Qianhua Venerable poked the boy's heart with his jade finger.

"You said I couldn't touch Qianhua Pavilion." You Su loosened the buttons on her cheongsam, causing the woman to pause in surprise. She seemed surprised that the young man had kept his promise to her in mind, and this unexpected respect moved her.

"This deal is likely to be profitable, but there's also a possibility of loss. If I force you to help her and things go wrong in the end, that would be my responsibility. I don't want to..."

"Don't want what?" The woman narrowed her beautiful eyes, but the smile on her lips seemed to indicate that she already knew the answer—she didn't want to provoke a desperate counterattack from her, and she didn't want to lose her one and only companion.

"I don't want to take responsibility." You Su grinned mischievously.

Upon hearing this, the woman immediately gripped You Su's wrist, knowing that the man was deliberately going against her wishes, and laughed angrily:

"You're even more shameless than I thought."

"I have never considered myself a gentleman." You Su was very frank, otherwise he wouldn't have three dao companion.

"You're quite the schemer. You want me to spend money and effort, and you want me to warm your bed and drink your wine? Where in the world can you find such a good deal?"

"Didn't you say we hit it off immediately? Given our current situation, you should be the one warming my bed and sharing my wine."

"It seems you already planned this when you came, intending to sacrifice yourself and become that woman's bargaining chip." She pushed her knee forward, smiling alluringly.

You Su thought to himself, "This woman may look like a venomous spider, but she has a good conscience."

"If sacrificing myself can bring the help of Qianhua Venerable to the people of Bei'ao, then if I don't go to hell, who will?"

Qianhua Venerable smiled, amused by You Su, and grew even happier with his master, though he also felt secretly embarrassed and annoyed.

Back then, I was an unyielding and virtuous woman, forced to do this out of necessity due to my family ties. But gradually, I've become like this, taking it all for granted even without orders.

But even though a slap feels good, a little treat now and then isn't so bad...

Snowflakes struck the windowpane, shattering into fine silver sand.

"My Sovereign Lord, all cultivators at the Water Condensation Realm or above are on the city walls."

Ganlong Venerable showed no intention of getting up. "I understand... First, tell me how he met that woman."

City Lord Nalan hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "Young Master Da was brought by Archimedes Venerable a month ago to participate in the Qianhua Pavilion's anniversary celebration. As far as I know, he was one of the gifts Archimedes Venerable presented... Many guests gave similar gifts that day, but Qianhua Venerable only chose Young Master Da, which is quite fortunate..."

"A fortunate event?" Ganlong Venerable sighed, not dwelling on the title of Young Master Da. "The memorial criticizing Qianhua Venerable mentions him, Archimedes Venerable, the most. Why would he give her a gift?"

"Just as Young Master Da said... I hope she can focus on improving people's livelihoods and teaching them how to fish, instead of only thinking about making money off Bei'ao..."

"So he gave the person to that woman as a gift?" Her voice was as soft as snow falling into a deep pool, yet it carried the force of a thunderbolt.

City Lord Nalan quickly lowered his head and said, "Such things are not uncommon throughout the Five Continents... It's easy for beautiful people to find powerful backers..."

"He's different from them!"

City Lord Nalan was startled by the loud voice and caught a glimpse of the woman's clenched knuckles, which had turned white.

"City Lord Nalan, have you ever seen a young man of this age dare to speak frankly to a Void Glimpse Venerable for the sake of the suffering people?"

City Lord Nalan shook his head.

"So you should understand that he is fundamentally different from those who are all show and no substance." Ganlong Venerable sighed deeply. "In fact, he Non-Self disciple..."

City Lord Nalan nodded slightly, indicating that he was not surprised at all.

"He wasn't even from the Northern Ao Continent, yet this outsider had been running around for the refugees of Bei Ao. Those with ulterior motives blocked all communication channels into the sacred mountain, but they never expected that such an outsider would risk his life to cross the Evil Tide and deliver the message to me, who was being misled. If it weren't for him, perhaps Bei Ao would really have gotten what those people wanted!"

City Lord Nalan and Ganlong Venerable had known each other for a century, yet this was the first time he had ever seen the Sovereign Lord praise someone so True Intention. In fact, it wasn't just praise, but a genuine recognition from the heart and soul. And because of the vast difference in their status and cultivation, such recognition was all the more precious.

"I still remember hearing from the Archimedes Venerable that he could even recite lines like 'Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, frozen corpses lie.'" City Lord Nalan was also moved by the Sovereign Lord's words. "Young Master Da is indeed a person of noble character, like the Snow Mulberry Flower..."

"Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste; on the roads, the frozen dead lie scattered..."

The woman with the most beautiful face murmured the poem. She should have applauded the noble humanistic concern expressed in the poem, but instead, she could only feel utterly shocked and heartbroken.

The scene of the boy standing in front of her and cursing, the image of the boy killing the person she had always wanted to get rid of but dared not in the long street... all these images floated into her mind, like lava wrapped in ice shards piercing her heart.

In her eyes, You Su was a more idealistic and righteous person than herself, yet he had experienced the humiliation of becoming a plaything for women. How was this any different from a pearl being covered in dust?

However, what she found even more unacceptable than the pearl being covered in dust was that she had personally caused this pearl to fall into the mud again!

It was as if she had personally transformed her ideals, which she valued above all else, into something that could be trampled upon at will by the very kind of person she despised most.

No! No matter the cost, I absolutely cannot let him fall into their clutches again!

The tea reflected the Ganlong Venerable. She immediately stood up, but City Lord Nalan pressed down on her trembling wide sleeves, his voice as soft as a sigh:

"That child... may not necessarily feel bitter."

Ganlong Venerable's figure swayed slightly. She suddenly remembered the way the boy wielded his sword on the frozen plains of Shuo City. When the black blood splattered when the Ink Pine Sword shattered the head of the evil spirit, it landed on his eyelashes, but he smiled more brightly than the rising sun.

How could someone like that willingly become a plaything? The one worthy of him should be a pure and innocent Fairy like his senior sister Wangshu Fairy...

You might not succumb the first time, but what about the second or third? If even this kind of willpower is crushed into dust...

Suddenly, a crisp sound of shattering porcelain came from behind the screen. The Mystic Ice Chi Armor instantly covered his entire body, Ganlong Venerable transformed into a streak of cold light and burst out of the door!

City Lord Nalan stopped in his tracks, sighed, and muttered to himself:

"These two are older than me, aren't they?"