Lu Jiuyuan had not had time to reply before Feng Qing'er started grilling him.
[Feng Qing'er: Come clean. Have you been flirting with girls again these past few days?]
[Yan Lingji: Exactly! Spill it! Were you off keeping that beauty company again?]
[Zi Nu: Just what kind of beauty is the group owner's woman? I'm so curious!!!]
[Yun Yun: I'm curious too.]
[Medusa: +1]
[Bibi Dong: +2]
Lu Jiuyuan stared at the screen full of questions, the corner of his mouth twitching.
These women usually barely gave him, their group owner, the time of day, but when there was gossip, they were more enthusiastic than anyone.
[Lu Jiuyuan: She's just an ordinary person.]
[Feng Qing'er: Don't believe you!]
[Yan Lingji: Don't believe you +1!]
[Zi Nu: Group owner, did you know you sound especially fake when you lie?]
Lu Jiuyuan: "..."
[Lu Jiuyuan: Believe it or not.]
[Yan Lingji: Ooh, getting defensive?]
[Feng Qing'er: He's definitely feeling guilty!]
[Zi Nu: Group owner, the more you act like this, the more suspicious it seems~!]
Lu Jiuyuan decided to change the subject.
[Lu Jiuyuan: What were you talking about just now? What manga?]
The group fell silent again for a moment.
Then Yan Lingji sent a message, her tone unmistakably teasing.
[Yan Lingji: Group owner, do you really want to know?]
The group fell silent again for a moment.
Then Yan Lingji sent a message, her tone unmistakably teasing.
[Yan Lingji: Group owner, do you really want to know?]
[Lu Jiuyuan: ...]
[Yan Lingji: A new feature the system just added: the Adult Manga Library.]
[Yan Lingji: There's a ton of content. Want to take a look, group owner?]
[Feng Qing'er: Let him see! Open his eyes a little!]
[Yun Yun: Group owner... do you really want to look?]
[Zi Nu: The group owner is a respectable man. He shouldn't be interested, right?]
Lu Jiuyuan stared at the message and fell silent for two seconds.
Was she trying to provoke him?
Or test him?
He thought it over, then sent a reply.
[Lu Jiuyuan: Send it over.]
[Yan Lingji: !!!]
[Feng Qing'er: Hahahaha, I knew it! All men are the same!]
[Yun Yun: Hmph. Men.]
[Medusa: Hmph.]
[Bibi Dong: Hmph.]
[Zi Nu: Hmph.]
Lu Jiuyuan looked at the screen full of "hmphs," his expression unchanged.
[Lu Jiuyuan: I'm the group owner. Isn't it perfectly normal for me to learn about the group's features?]
[Yan Lingji: Sure, sure, you're absolutely right!!!]
[Yan Lingji: Link: Adult Manga Library · Selected Collection · Volume One!]
[Yan Lingji: Take your time, group owner. No need to thank me!]
Lu Jiuyuan tapped the link and took a look.
The moment the page opened, his eyebrows lifted.
The illustrations were indeed exquisitely detailed. The characters looked lifelike, and even the texture of each strand of hair had been drawn with painstaking care. As for the scenes in the images...
He closed the page.
[Lu Jiuyuan: ...]
[Yan Lingji: Well? Well?]
[Lu Jiuyuan: The art's pretty good.]
[Feng Qing'er: That's it? That's your review?]
[Lu Jiuyuan: What else? Should I write you a three-thousand-word review?]
[Yan Lingji: I mean, I wouldn't say no!]
[Feng Qing'er: Write it! I want to see what you can come up with!]
[Yun Yun: Group owner, if you really write one, I'll... respect you as a real man.]
[Zi Nu: +1]
[Medusa: +2]
[Bibi Dong: +3]
Lu Jiuyuan looked at the women egging him on, the corner of his mouth twitching.
[Lu Jiuyuan: Do you have nothing better to do?]
[Yan Lingji: Nothing at all!]
[Feng Qing'er: Plenty of free time!]
[Yun Yun: Don't you need to cultivate?]
[Yan Lingji: Cultivation's nowhere near as fun as watching the group owner get teased!]
He was about to say something when Wen Min called from the camp: "Eldest Senior Brother! We're setting off!"
He looked up and saw that the Qingyun Disciples were already packed and ready to go.
Lu Xueqi stood at the front of the group with her back to him, dressed in white as pure as snow, her long hair fluttering gently in the morning breeze.
She seemed to sense his gaze and turned her head slightly without looking back, but the tips of her ears had turned red again.
Jin Ping'er toyed with the Purple Glow Blade in her hand, a faint smile playing on her lips as her gaze flicked between him and Lu Xueqi.
Lu Jiuyuan withdrew his consciousness and quickly sent a reply in the group.
[Lu Jiuyuan: We're setting off. We'll talk later.]
[Yan Lingji: Running off again?]
[Feng Qing'er: You do this every time!]
[Zi Nu: Be careful on the road.]
[Yun Yun: +1.]
[Medusa: +2.]
[Bibi Dong: +3.]
He closed the group chat, stood up, brushed the dust off his robe, and headed toward the group.
"Move out," Xiao Yicai said gravely.
The group started forward.
Lu Xueqi walked beside him, silent the whole time and refusing to look at him.
But beneath the cover of her sleeve, her hand quietly found his fingers.
Lu Jiuyuan glanced down without saying a word and gently squeezed her hand.
Behind them, Jin Ping'er watched their hands clasped together and licked her lips, a glimmer flashing through her eyes before vanishing.
Another group message sounded in his mind.
[Yan Lingji: Oh, right, group owner. Remember to read a few more volumes of that manga!]
[Yan Lingji: Learn a few moves. They might come in handy later!]
Lu Jiuyuan nearly tripped over his own feet.
He closed the group chat without changing his expression, pretending he had seen nothing.
Beside him, Lu Xueqi noticed something was off and finally looked up at him, puzzled.
"Senior Brother? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Lu Jiuyuan replied, his expression unchanged. "The wind's strong. It got in my eyes."
Lu Xueqi did not press him. She simply tightened her hold on his hand.
Some time passed.
Walking at the front of the group, Lu Jiuyuan suddenly furrowed his brow.
At that moment, his Taiqing Realm senses picked up on something.
In the distant forest, countless auras were stirring, as if some force had awakened them all at once.
Not one. Not ten. Hundreds of them, packed together and lurking in the shadows, their breathing heavy and frenzied.
The auras were moving, converging from all directions at ever-increasing speed. The ground's tremors could already be faintly felt from several miles away.
"Enemy attack." Lu Jiuyuan's voice was quiet, yet every Qingyun Disciple heard him clearly. "Everyone, prepare for battle."
As soon as he spoke, a deep beast's roar came from the distant forest.
More roars joined it, rising and falling until they gathered into a deafening wave of sound.
Then the ground began to shake.
Lu Xueqi had already drawn the Tianya Sword. Blue swordlight shimmered in the sunlight as she stood at the front of the group, her white robes billowing and her expression stern.
Wen Min gripped her sword, watching the front with a serious expression. Jin Ping'er gently swung the Purple Glow Blade in her hand, calmly gazing at the approaching tide of beasts.
Lu Jiuyuan stood in front of everyone, his gaze sweeping over the beasts.
Giant Wolves, Venomous Lizards, Iron-Back Bears, Crimson Flame Birds...
All sorts of beasts were mixed together, their eyes an unnatural crimson, saliva dripping from their mouths as they charged this way like mad.
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