Chapter 8
Shen Xingyan: ?
Wrong. It was all wrong!
This Yao was not that Yao. The whole thing had been a mix-up. The person who came was not Ye Qingyao, but Luo Bingyao, an Outer Sect disciple of the Kongtong School.
Luo Bingyao was somewhat famous in the sect for looking stunning from behind. Her figure was exquisitely curved and stirred endless fantasies, but her facial features were a little coarse. She lacked Ye Qingyao's delicate beauty entirely, giving her a gaudy air. She was the sort of woman who called herself one of the boys while flirting with them, and also a vicious
female supporting character
in the original book. She was always chasing after Shen Xingyan, pretending they were brothers while flirting with him. Day after day, she made Ye Qingyao miserable, though she often served as a catalyst for the romance between the male and female leads.
After all, jealousy could deepen love.
Shen Xingyan knew this well. Not only did he indulge Luo Bingyao's flirtations, he also kept things ambiguous with the other women who fawned over him. He had Ye Qingyao wrapped around his finger, making her surrender her dignity and principles step by step for love, humbling herself for him until she was lower than dust.
Back when Ye Zhenzhen read "Peerless Furnace Cauldron," every time she saw Shen Xingyan tangled up with Luo Bingyao and Ye Qingyao weeping over it, she got so angry she wanted to stamp her feet.
[Hah, brothers? What kind of man drinks from the same bowl of soup as his "female brother," lets her sit beside him on his Flying Boat, and teaches her Swordsmanship with their bodies pressed together? He's got the whole playboy act down to an art.]
[If Shen Xingyan's fishpond is that big, I'll fish one out and have some fun with him.]
An idea struck Ye Zhenzhen. She had Ye Qingchuan sneak into the Kongtong School's Outer Sect and use a Communication Talisman to send Luo Bingyao the Recording Stone's clip of Shen Xingyan saying, "A-Yao, Spirit Spring Valley at midnight. Don't miss it."
Proud Luo Bingyao had never been content to remain an Outer Sect disciple. But she refused to work hard at cultivation or follow the proper path. Instead, she wanted a shortcut by seducing Shen Xingyan, the young sect leader. When the message arrived, her heart burst with joy. Men could rarely resist a persistent woman. Senior Brother Xingyan really did see her differently! Moving from the Outer Sect to the Inner Sect, then becoming a Personal Disciple, was only a matter of time.
She dressed and made herself up with care, even spending the two hundred Superior Spirit Stones she had saved over half a year on a rose-red gauze dress of heavenly silk. Sheer in places, it traced her curves to perfection. She knew her figure was her greatest weapon. If one overlooked her face, she truly was captivating.
"Senior Brother Xingyan, are you so happy to see me that you've gone silly? What are you talking about?" Seeing Shen Xingyan standing there in a daze, babbling nonsense, she took the initiative and wrapped her arms around his strong waist. Her restless hands roamed over him. "Look how lovely the moonlight is tonight. Why not make the most of this beautiful night..."
A strange birdcall suddenly rang out in the darkness. Shen Xingyan looked around, but saw no sign of any bird or beast. His body grew hotter and hotter, and the flame inside him leapt up.
Heavenly lightning struck earthly fire.
Early the next morning, after spending nearly the entire night in each other's arms, the two emerged from the Spirit Spring glowing with satisfaction, ready to dress and return to the sect.
But their clothes had vanished without a trace.
They say the sea is deep, yet it cannot compare to half the depth of longing. — "Lament of Longing," Li Zhi, Tang dynasty
All my life I knew nothing of longing. The moment I learned it, longing made me ill. — "To the Tune of Moon Palace: Spring Love," Xu Zaisi, Yuan dynasty
Though the Mortal World holds a hundred charms and a thousand shades of red, you alone have captured my heart. — "Farewell My Concubine"
Chapter 8
A Demon Beast with a dragonlike head, a bird's body, and scales covering it from head to toe had draped itself in all their clothes. It even taunted them with a string of "chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp!"
Luo Bingyao's red gauze dress hung around its long neck, much longer on one side than the other, making it look bizarre and ridiculous.
"Oh no. It's a Clothes-Stealing Beast."
A Clothes-Stealing Beast was a Demon Beast that delighted in stealing people's clothes, especially brightly colored fabrics. It had fallen for the red Robe that shed roses at first sight. It wore the Robe around its neck and swung it to and fro in excitement, turning in circles as it chased the falling roses. It also took a fancy to Shen Xingyan's sect uniform, with its golden Flood Dragon Pattern. Wrapping the pattern around itself, it fancied itself a flood dragon and looked terribly pleased with its own magnificence.
"You stinking bird! How dare you steal my clothes? I'll teach you a lesson!" Shen Xingyan was furious. He swung his sword, sending several sharp arcs of sword light at the thief to give it the beating it deserved.
The Clothes-Stealing Beast dodged nimbly and flapped its wings, shooting into the sky like a bolt of lightning and disappearing into the vast sea of clouds. Red roses drifted down from the clouds like a beautiful shower of petals. As it flew, it admired the lovely scene it had created and chirped louder and more merrily than ever.
Shen Xingyan sprang out of the Spirit Spring and sped after it on his sword.
Seeing him give chase only excited the Clothes-Stealing Beast more. It suddenly shot upward at a forty-five-degree angle, plunged downward at ninety degrees, swept through a curving hundred-and-eighty-degree glide, then circled through a full three hundred and sixty degrees. It kept changing direction like an aerial roller coaster, leaving Shen Xingyan dizzy and seeing nothing but roses falling before his eyes.
The roses that had seemed romantic last night gave him a headache today.
"Shen, my love, come back! You aren't wearing any clothes!" Luo Bingyao was still in the Spirit Spring. Watching Shen Xingyan pursue the Clothes-Stealing Beast without a care, she shouted anxiously after him. After their night together, she felt much closer to him, and her form of address had changed from "Senior Brother Xingyan" to "Shen, my love."
Of course Shen Xingyan knew he was stark naked, but he could not swallow the insult. He was the son of an Immortal Venerable, the young sect leader of the Kongtong School. He had been the moon among a host of stars since childhood. How could he let a mere Demon Beast run him in circles? But the Clothes-Stealing Beast was too cunning. It led him darting all over the sky, flying several times faster than his sword. He simply could not catch it.
With no other choice, he returned to the Spirit Spring in a foul mood.
"That bird-bodied beast is infuriating. If it has the nerve, it should face me head-on instead of dodging all the time." In a rage, he fired a blade of energy, sending the spring water around him spraying more than ten meters into the air.
"It's all right, Shen, my love. I have spare clothes. Why don't you wear those for now?" Luo Bingyao soothed him as she opened her Storage Pouch and searched for clothes.