A Chance to Meet Miss Xue Ruo

You Su crawled two steps on his knees and stopped just in front of the jade steps.

The rising heat from the earth's veins dampened his scalp, making it appear as if it were being scorched by some unspeakable heat.

"What happened to your left eye?" the female immortal asked softly, her gaze full of concern.

"It is God's left eye."

"Allah?"

He Shutong frowned slightly, as if searching her memory for this unfamiliar word, but to no avail.

"This is a long story."

Smelling the lotus fragrance emanating from the female fairy, which was even more intense due to the heat of the day, You Su decided to make no further attempt to conceal anything.

He began his story from the very beginning, in Chuyun City, He Shutong truly learn the truth about that catastrophe. It turned out that all the forces involved were there to revive the True Lord, the source of Evil Demon.

Then he began to recount the unpredictable events on the Immortal Island in the South China Sea. Guided by the True Immortal Zhengyang, he chose to sever the shackles of his own destiny, faked his death, fell into the sea, and embarked on a completely unknown path.

He Shutong didn't ask any questions during this time; she just listened quietly.

You Su had no idea what his Mistress was thinking. He assumed that this gentle yet stubborn Fairy was angry with him for concealing such an important matter, so he didn't dare to stop talking and continued to tell the story of what happened after he was stranded in Bei Ao.

He Shutong was indeed angry, but not only at You Su, but also at herself.

She was completely unaware of the deep collusion between You Su and the evil spirits. She was angry that she could only lie in the Lotus Birth Pool and know nothing. She was also angry at herself for sealing her realm in order to melt her Ice Heart. Thinking of this, she was even angry that she should not have practiced the Ice Heart Technique in the first place.

"Who else knows that you possess the True Lord's Power?" the female immortal suddenly spoke, interrupting You Su's narration.

You Su was taken aback. "Junior sister and senior sister both know..."

Ji Lingruo, being a fellow participant, naturally knew the truth, but Wangshu didn't care about the meaning or impact behind these events. She simply took it as her junior brother's heartfelt conversation with her, listening with great interest and praising him, "Junior brother is so amazing."

Upon hearing this, He Shutong remained silent for a long time.

So I was the last one...

For some reason, in addition to being angry, He Shutong also felt a sense of loss.

You Su felt a surge of nervousness, guessing that his Mistress might really be angry this time.

"Go on."

You Su swallowed hard, then quickly continued telling the story of their trip to Bei'ao.

The boy spoke softly, yet his voice was like fine snow falling into lava, exploding into countless white mists in her heart.

The secret of God's left eye, the adventures in the underwater world, the contempt for human life at the Bei Immortal Ancestor Temple —those events that should have been thrilling were glossed over by him with the simple phrase, "Mistress, don't worry."

She recognized the mysterious senior the boy mentioned in the underwater evil nest as the one he had encountered— the Venerable Kaishan.

But perhaps only she knew the true name of this fleeting genius cultivator— Guan Chujun.

That is to say, You Su's true master, who has been wandering since eight years ago and has not returned...

He Shutong did not tell You Su about this relationship with the mysterious senior, because it was something she had promised Guan Chujun.

She just kept wondering, could even Guan Chujun help You Su in his most critical moment?

He Shutong felt a sense of unease. She felt a deep connection with her disciple Wangshu, and realized that protecting the young man required immense power.

The copper bells on the eaves jingled in the hot wind. You Su kept her head down, nervously waiting for He Shutong to continue her questioning.

"You and Ganlong Venerable are in love?" The female immortal's voice broke the silence, clear and crisp like cracking ice.

You Su looked up in surprise, just in time to see the fleeting ripple in He Shutong's eyes. He pursed his lips, but ultimately nodded, without denying it.

"The Northern Ao Sovereign Lord has lived for over four hundred years, and even I have to call her 'Senior.' Do you know what that means?"

He Shutong's gaze was extremely complicated; even she herself couldn't understand why she was meddling in You Su's private affairs. The question she should be asking right now was about the situation in Bei'ao.

The young man sat cross-legged on the futon in front of her, his eyes suddenly bright as stars, and he spoke slowly and deliberately, as if making a momentous decision:

"Disciple understands. But status can be compensated for, and age is not a problem. 'Greed is not wrong, but if you want something, you must pay the price for that greed'—this is a principle that my master's Mistress taught me."

Before he finished speaking, He Shutong's eyelashes trembled. The boy's voice overlapped with the words in her dream, "Now this disciple only has his Mistress left," and she suddenly felt a tightness in her throat, as if thin vines were wrapping around her heart.

It seemed as if the boy wasn't talking about himself and Ganlong Venerable, but rather expressing his own obsession and determination.

"Then, that's going too far... I treat Ganlong Venerable as an equal, but you... How is she supposed to present herself when they meet in the future?"

He Shutong gave a soft rebuke, but the last syllable of her voice was as faint as mist. As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them, realizing that being so calculating made it seem as if she really cared.

You Su chuckled softly at He Shutong's first complaint. He had never seen his Mistress so flustered before. A pinkish wrist was visible beneath her snow-white wide sleeves, and even the tips of her ears were tinged with a light red, like a jade statue being bathed in the warm glow of the sunset.

"Mistress is Mistress, Mistress will always be the most important," he said.

He Shutong's fingers suddenly clenched. This was reality, not a dream. She didn't have the courage to listen to You Su continue.

She pulled her sleeves back up, transforming once again into the meticulous and holy Fairy.

"I shouldn't interfere in your affairs with the Sovereign Lord, but..." She paused, ultimately swallowing the rest of her sentence, and turned to look at the churning volcanic clouds outside the window, "Since Henglian dared to cross borders to pursue us, he must have received the tacit approval of the Immortal Ancestor Temple. Bei Ao has openly betrayed the Immortal Ancestor system, and the balance that the Five Continents have maintained for thousands of years is already in grave danger."

You Su's smile faded, and his gaze turned serious. When the conversation turned to business, he became earnest as well.

"I support Ganlong Venerable. Bei Ao dared to overturn the altar because he saw through the so-called 'Mandate of Heaven' as nothing more than a pretext for the strong to eliminate the weak. The Immortal Ancestor Immortal Ancestor Temple claims to be the Mandate of Heaven, yet it is aloof and has long been detached from the reality of the Five Continents. And those who are appointed by the Immortal Ancestor Temple are nothing more than puppets who use faith to amass power. If the Immortal Ancestor Temple of Bei Ao is like this, then the other Immortal Ancestor Temple are probably not much better."

"So, in my opinion, Henglian captured you not only because of your so-called mystery about your origins, but also to make an example of you. After all, no one could have imagined that your trip to Bei'ao would cause even the prestige that the Immortal Ancestor Temple had built up over five thousand years to collapse."

As soon as he finished speaking, You Su's pupils contracted. He Shutong's speculation gave him a new perspective.

If that's really the case, wouldn't it mean that the fact that the Heng Lian First Seat wanted to arrest him could be... instigated by the Immortal Ancestor?

You Su found the world increasingly terrifying, yet also invigorated. He looked up at her and suddenly smiled, "The True Lord's right eye is on Heng Lian's body. I'm afraid the Immortal Ancestor is indeed not as wonderful as people think. Do Mistress know what I saw when I used my left eye to fight his right eye that day?"

Before she could answer, the blood-red lines in his left eye suddenly shifted. "The Eye of God can distort space and time. When the two forces of the same origin collided, I glimpsed the fear deep within his soul—he was afraid of me."

He Shutong's breath hitched. When the young man spoke these words, a sharp edge appeared between his brows, which overlapped with the image of Guan Chujun pointing his fists at the sky in her memory.

Is audacity something passed down between this master and his apprentice?

"Don't underestimate your enemy." She shook her head and sighed softly. "The True Lord's Power is ultimately an Evil Demon possession. Only personal strength is true strength. And it won't be easy for Henglian to find you. This is a good opportunity for you to lie low."

"This disciple will follow Mistress's teachings." He Shutong was very satisfied with You Su's obedience.

As dusk settled, moonlight streamed in like flowing water.

He Shutong then realized with a start that she had unknowingly talked with You Su for an entire day.

Such a long chat was something she had never experienced even in her dreams. He Shutong felt that she had been too unrestrained, as if she were trying to make up for all the words they hadn't spoken in the six months they had been separated.

Does he think I'm annoying him by dragging him along?

But the boy still stood tall, showing no sign of fatigue, and didn't even ask for a sip of tea.

A sudden surge of joy welled up in He Shutong's heart. She slowly rose, her white gauze robes brushing against the top of You Su's hair.

"It's getting late. Come find me again when your Feather Transformation Realm is stable. Your breakthrough was sudden, and your understanding of Feather Transformation is still shallow. At that time, I will teach you the ability to fly."

The bamboo door opened and closed, and a young man stood against the light, bowing respectfully.

"Then this disciple will take his leave."

He Shutong stared blankly at his departing figure, her palm pressed against her heart, which was filled with a faint sense of loss. She felt that the day had passed far too quickly...

Will he appear in my dreams tonight?

The bamboo forest rustled softly in the night breeze. You Su, feeling content, stepped out of the bamboo forest, his feet dangling like scattered silver fragments. There he saw Ji Lingruo sitting slumped on a blue stone, her head nodding as she dozed off, a plum blossom petal still stuck in her hair.

He suppressed a laugh and leaned down to observe the girl's adorable dozing posture.

However, he also knew that although his junior sister was lazy and loved to eat, she would work hard to do what she decided to do.

So she definitely wasn't dozing off because cultivation was boring; she was genuinely exhausted.

Thinking of the girl's patience in taking care of him, and how she probably hadn't had a good night's sleep during his six months in exile, You Su felt extremely guilty.

He tenderly touched the corner of the girl's lips and prepared to gently carry her back.

The girl suddenly opened her eyes, her face flushed, and grabbed his collar. "Didn't I tell you not to disturb my cultivation!"

You Su smiled wryly, "I didn't intend to wake my junior sister."

Knowing she was in the wrong, Ji Lingruo turned her head away, too lazy to argue with him anymore.

He tried to break free and walk on his own, but You Su held him tightly.

"Junior sister is very tired, senior brother will carry her back."

"But it's a long way to go!"

"It's alright, although it's heavy, Senior Brother can bear it."

"Get lost!" Ji Lingruo pounded on You Su's chest and muttered, "Put me down when we're almost there, so no one sees us..."

"What's there to be afraid of? Who in this snake clan doesn't know about us? I'll let them know that even though I, You Su, am a ruthless Evil Demon kills without blinking an eye, I still love my junior sister the most!" You Su said, lifting the girl in his arms up as if playing a childish game of lifting her high in the air.

Ji Lingruo found it Da Guo amusing than embarrassing. "You're crazy. How old are you? Do you really think you're some kind of invincible demon who's at the mercy of the world?"

Although she was blunt with her words, the girl thought that the feeling of being held in the arms of the person she liked and fighting the world together, though childish, wasn't it also a kind of romance?

So they decided to let him take it home.

She was given no chance to indulge in fantasies, and before she could return to the clan, she nestled in You Su's arms and fell asleep.

As the morning light shone through, You Su stepped onto the damp, moss-covered stone steps, her fingertips tracing the vines hanging from the rock face.

My junior sister's words from this morning, "My sister said she doesn't want to see you," still lingered in my ears. Dewdrops condensed on the vine leaves dripped onto my neck, and a chill ran down my spine.

He wanted to pay his respects to Miss Xue Ruo, but was turned away by his junior sister.

He roughly guessed that Miss Xue Ruo had already instructed her junior sister not to take him to see her.

Fortunately, although Ji Lingruo was jealous that her sister had also fallen for her man, she saw her sister's worry and dedication during You Su's disappearance.

Now that things have come to this, how could she bear to let her sister, who has shouldered the heavy responsibility of clan leader since childhood, refuse the happiness that has come knocking on her door? In any case, she would rather share her senior brother with someone else than have that person be her own sister.

"Go outside and walk east until you reach a camphor tree. You might be able to see your sister there. Before you woke up, she was troubled by this matter for quite some time."

Ji Lingruo patted the boy's shoulder, revealing an attitude of entrusting him with her life.

"My sister probably wants to see you, but... sigh, anyway, don't make her unhappy!"

You Su was deeply grateful for her junior sister's generosity and hesitated for a long time before finally going out to find an opportunity to visit her.

The air in the snake-infested region was filled with the scent of plum blossoms and women's perfume, yet it couldn't mask the whispers coming from afar—the snake women hiding behind the pillars would always fall silent as he passed by, their vertical pupils reflecting the hem of his dark robes.

You Su paused at the corner of the green-tiled, white-walled house, where the camphor tree stood.

The conversation of several snake-wielding women with fans drifted into my ears like falling leaves. The scales beneath their thin gauze dresses shimmered with iridescent light in the sunlight, yet they could not conceal the sorrow between their brows.

"Hey, hey, hey, did you see that? It's him, You Su is here!"

"He dared to come! It's all his fault! If he hadn't come, the clan leader would have already sent someone to invite a formation master to repair the formation plate. Now, we don't even have ice to use."

It turns out this is the Ice Room of the snake tribe.

The Ice Room of the Serpent Clan are not their lifeblood, but at the foot of this volcano, in the sweltering heat, the ice stored in the Ice Room is the best comfort.

A week ago, the Formation Technique in the Ice Room suddenly broke down, and large chunks of ice began to melt, causing the snake women, who were hoping to cool off with ice, great distress.

Although the snake race cultivates Technique Method, it is by no means easy to condense ice using Technique Method in this fiery place near the volcano; at least most snake women cannot be self-sufficient.

Now that You Su has appeared, these snake women seem to have found an outlet to release their pent-up frustration.

You Su didn't care, but instead understood why his junior sister had asked him to come here.

Because he is very good at calming people down.