Flower Civet's Illness

"Are you Ye Zhen?"

With a casual lift of her slender hand, Fairy Caiyi seized Ye Zhen as though he were a doll. He could not move in the slightest; aside from his eyes, which could still turn, he could not even utter half a word.

Is this the might of a True Disciple? A True Disciple who could deal with me even more easily than crushing an ant? Ye Zhen was utterly shocked.

Though Outer Disciples and True Disciples were separated by only the rank of Inner Disciple, the gap between them—no, they were not even fit to be mentioned in the same breath.

"Speak. Are you Ye Zhen?" Fairy Caiyi frowned, her lovely brows drawn together in urgency.

Ye Zhen wanted to answer, but Fairy Caiyi's power had him completely restrained. He could not even open his mouth. How was he supposed to reply?

Hong Bao, whom Fairy Caiyi had sent flying with a flash of green light, struggled to his feet. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, a flash of fury passed through his eyes.

As second on the Earth Ranking, he naturally knew the reputation of Fairy Caiyi, a True Disciple. Thus, no matter how unjustly he had received that slap, he did not dare utter a single word of anger. In fact, he was even thinking of currying favor with her. Within the Qi Yun Sect, Fairy Caiyi's reputation was no empty boast.

Seeing that Ye Zhen did not reply, Hong Bao hurriedly answered, "Fairy Caiyi, this bastard is Ye Zhen. You were in such a hurry to find him—could it be that he did something to desecrate—"

Slap!

At that moment, a streak of sword light descended from the sky and smashed fiercely into Hong Bao's cheek. Though the sword light struck him flatly, the sharp sword qi still carved his face until it was drenched in blood.

The enormous force contained within that sword light sent him flying outright. As he tumbled backward through the air, blood sprayed wildly from his mouth.

"If not for Elder Hong's sake, that one sentence alone would have been enough for me to cripple you!" A young man in flowing white robes suddenly descended from the sky. A jade crown bound his hair beneath a headpiece, and a jade pendant hung at his waist.

"In the entire Qi Yun Sect, who would dare desecrate Caiyi? And who could desecrate Caiyi?" The vicious gleam in the white-robed young man's eyes frightened Hong Bao, who had been about to curse loudly, into snapping his mouth shut. He did not dare say another word.

"Caiyi, you have restrained him so tightly that even opening his mouth is difficult. How can he answer you?" the white-robed young man said softly as he walked to Fairy Caiyi's side.

Then he added, "Caiyi, don't seek a remedy in desperation. This boy may well be another fellow trying to claim the reward. In half a month, the Black Water Medicine King will return from Yi Province. When the time comes, I will accompany you to ask the Black Water Medicine King to treat Su'er."

"But half a month... Su'er is neither eating nor drinking now. I fear she will not last until then..." As Fairy Caiyi spoke, tears shimmered faintly in her eyes. At the same time, Ye Zhen felt the terrifying power restraining him vanish abruptly, and his entire body suddenly became light.

"That's right. I am Ye Zhen."

When Ye Zhen spoke, a trace of delight appeared on Fairy Caiyi's beautiful face, her bright eyes rippling. "You are Ye Zhen? You are the Ye Zhen who said he had once seen Su'er and had an eighty percent chance of curing Su'er—the Flower Civet?"

"That's right." Ye Zhen nodded again.

"You're Ye Zhen, are you? If you dare spout nonsense and make Caiyi sad again, hmph!" The white-robed young man stepped forward with a cold snort. His voice was not loud, but in Ye Zhen's ears, it sounded like a thunderclap, making his entire body tremble.

"Let me ask you this. Since you have an eighty percent chance of curing Su'er, tell me—what illness does Su'er have?" the white-robed young man asked.

"Well..." Ye Zhen hesitated. This matter might seem simple, but if he failed, the consequences would be hard to predict. Besides, he had not seen the Flower Civet for a month and had no idea whether anything had changed.

"That day, I only saw her from afar and noticed something unusual about the Flower Civet. Now, a month has passed..."

"Caiyi, look. This Ye Zhen is certainly another glib-tongued fool trying to strike it lucky. You must not—" The white-robed young man directly interrupted Ye Zhen.

"Senior Brother Fan, let him finish." Fairy Caiyi's brows knitted faintly.

Hearing Fairy Caiyi's form of address, Ye Zhen cried out inwardly. So this white-robed young man was Fan Chuyu, the one the Sect Deacon had mentioned.

The Fan Chuyu who had ended up with his nose in the dirt while trying to please Fairy Caiyi.

"To determine exactly what is wrong with the Flower Civet, I need to examine her carefully first," Ye Zhen said. For the sake of caution, he felt it would be better to proceed prudently.

"Fine. I'll take you to Fairy Maiden Peak."

Without giving Ye Zhen a chance to say anything, Fairy Caiyi grabbed his shoulder and shot into the sky, speeding toward Fairy Maiden Peak.

The sudden ascent frightened Ye Zhen badly. Though he had always dreamed of soaring freely through the heavens ever since he was young, this was the first time he had truly flown into the sky.

Especially when he glanced down, his nerves tightened at once. Panicking in midair, with no footing for his hands or feet, he flailed wildly, trying to grab hold of something.

With only Fairy Caiyi beside him in the air, what else could Ye Zhen possibly grab for support?

After grabbing once, then again, Ye Zhen suddenly felt something soft beneath his hands. As a fragrant scent filled his nostrils, his arms wrapped around Fairy Caiyi's waist, and his body clung tightly to hers.

Fan Chuyu, who had just shot into the air to follow them, saw this scene. His fists clenched instantly, and fury blazed in his eyes. "Bastard, what are you—"

Before Fan Chuyu's furious curse could leave his mouth, before Ye Zhen's first romantic encounter in his life could even begin, it was already over.

The instant Ye Zhen's arms circled Fairy Caiyi's waist and he felt that softness beneath his hands, Fairy Caiyi's body trembled slightly. A great expanse of green light surged over her body, and Ye Zhen felt as though he had been struck by lightning.

His entire body went numb and sore, so much so that he nearly spat blood. The hands he had just placed around Fairy Caiyi's waist were so numb they no longer seemed to belong to him. That feeling from earlier on the ground descended upon him once more.

His body tightened, and Ye Zhen became completely unable to move again. The fierce wind whipped up by their flight rushed into his slightly open mouth, which he could not close, nearly suffocating him.

Ye Zhen was carried all the way into Fairy Maiden Peak by Fairy Caiyi in this stiff, wooden-chicken posture. Still, Fairy Caiyi was kind-hearted and did not toss him onto the ground. Instead, he was met by Fan Chuyu's gaze, as though the man wanted to devour him alive.

Fairy Maiden Peak was Fairy Caiyi's place of cultivation. It was said that every True Disciple of the Qi Yun Sect had an independent mountain peak as their cultivation grounds.

"This is Su'er. Take a good look. For some reason, a month and a half ago, Su'er's temper suddenly became violent. She even bit me. Later, she stopped eating and drinking. By now, Su'er has gone mad, biting everyone she sees. I had no choice but to lock her in a cage."

Fairy Caiyi brought over an exquisitely crafted iron cage. The Flower Civet, once so adorable and lovable, now bared two sharp fangs and roared madly at Ye Zhen.

Ye Zhen's expression shifted. He steadied his mind and listened intently.

"Boy, if you fail to cure the Flower Civet today, I'll make you regret it!" Fan Chuyu said viciously.

After a long while, Ye Zhen slowly straightened. "Fairy Caiyi, I am seventy percent certain what caused the Flower Civet to become like this."

"What is the cause?" Fairy Caiyi asked anxiously.

"Before I answer, Fairy Caiyi, I need to ask you a few questions to confirm it," Ye Zhen said.

"Ask away. As long as Su'er can be cured, anything is fine."

"Fairy Caiyi, has the Flower Civet ever had this happen before?"

"Never, not since she began following me!"

"How many years has the Flower Civet been with you? How old is she?"

"More than four years. The Flower Civet is four and a half years old. I found her in the back mountain over four years ago. She seemed to have only just been born, pink and chubby. From the age of one, she was very understanding and kept me company."

"If that is the case, then I am even more certain." Confidence grew in Ye Zhen's eyes. If he had only been seventy percent sure before, he was now ninety-nine percent certain.

"Oh, you've figured it out? Quickly, tell us. What illness does the Flower Civet have?" Fan Chuyu urged. Fairy Caiyi also looked at Ye Zhen anxiously, her lovely face full of expectation.

"Fairy Caiyi, the Flower Civet is not actually ill. It is because..."

Halfway through his sentence, Ye Zhen abruptly stopped. Fairy Caiyi looked young and innocent—how was he supposed to explain to her that the Flower Civet had become frenzied and irritable because she had entered heat?

The Flower Civet had reached the time when instinct demanded she mate. How could Ye Zhen possibly say that aloud?

What was more, beside him stood a great killing god—Fan Chuyu, the white-robed young man.

Ye Zhen reckoned that if he said the Flower Civet was in heat and needed to mate, the white-robed young man would certainly think he was desecrating Fairy Caiyi. Unable to contain himself, he might very well strike Ye Zhen dead on the spot.

Hong Bao's treatment from earlier suddenly flashed through Ye Zhen's mind. Hong Bao had merely uttered the word "desecrate," and he had been beaten into that state.

If Ye Zhen were to...

Fan Chuyu was also a True Disciple of the Qi Yun Sect. He could kill Ye Zhen with the flick of a finger.

As Ye Zhen paused, his gaze shifted uncertainly toward Fan Chuyu. Fan Chuyu froze, not understanding why.

But Fairy Caiyi, who was staring at Ye Zhen expectantly for the cause, mistook his actions for fear of Fan Chuyu's earlier threat and believed he did not dare speak.

"Senior Brother Fan, please leave Fairy Maiden Peak for now," Fairy Caiyi said. In truth, she was also somewhat annoyed by this Senior Brother Fan who kept pestering her and following behind her all day long.

"What?" Fan Chuyu was stunned.

"Senior Brother Fan, I need to treat Su'er. Please leave quickly!" Fairy Caiyi looked quite displeased.

Fan Chuyu glared at Ye Zhen and understood in an instant. Rage flared in him, but he suppressed it.

He knew well that Caiyi was gentle on the outside but resolute within, and he also knew how dearly she loved the Flower Civet. If he offended Caiyi at this critical moment, she might truly come to despise him in the future, and he would never have another chance.

After shooting Ye Zhen a resentful glare, Fan Chuyu flashed away and rose into the sky.

Watching Fan Chuyu fly away, Ye Zhen inwardly cried injustice. He had never intended to make Fan Chuyu avoid the matter.

"Ye Zhen, what is the reason? You can tell me now, can't you?"