"Didn't the handbook say Demon Beasts generally wouldn't appear within fifty li of the sect?"
"What's going on today? Why are there so many Demon Beasts?"
Ye Fei's brows knitted tightly as he muttered, fleeing with Jiang Yiyun.
Just moments ago, he had spotted dozens of Fire Crows flying toward them in a dense swarm.
Against so many Fire Crows, never mind two novices at the third and fourth levels of Qi Refining-even Inner Sect Disciples at the eighth or ninth level could only flee.
Although they had started running early, they were still more than ten li from the Mountain-Guarding Formation.
At their speed, shaking off these Fire Crows, which were renowned for their swiftness, would be difficult.
Sure enough, despite Ye Fei pushing his speed to the limit, the Fire Crows drew ever closer. Before long, they were less than ten zhang away.
Yet they were still five or six li from the Free and Easy Gate's Mountain-Guarding Formation.
Reaching the formation before the Fire Crows caught them was clearly impossible.
Nor were there any other disciples of the Free and Easy Gate nearby.
"Martial Niece Yiyun, run! I'll hold them off for a while."
Steeling himself, Ye Fei suddenly exerted force with his right hand as he spoke, flinging Jiang Yiyun forward.
With that throw, he sent Jiang Yiyun more than ten zhang ahead.
Then he could spare her no more attention. Drawing his longsword, he mustered all the true qi in his body and slashed horizontally behind him.
This move was called Golden Goose Across the Sky, the second of the Nine Leaning Luo Swords.
It was even more powerful than the first move, Golden Rainbow Piercing the Sun.
As his sword swept out, a golden ripple of Sword Qi surged toward the approaching flock of Fire Crows.
The strike was so fast that the incoming Fire Crows had no chance to dodge.
Splat! Splat...
Several clouds of bloody mist burst forth in succession as the ripple of Sword Qi cut down a number of Fire Crows.
But the Fire Crows struck down were only a small portion. The vast majority continued at undiminished speed, reaching Ye Fei in the blink of an eye.
Faced with this life-or-death crisis, Ye Fei could no longer worry about anything else and prepared to hide inside the Azure Dragon Sword.
He had hurriedly thrown Jiang Yiyun farther ahead not out of tender concern for a beauty, but because he did not want her discovering his secret.
Before Ye Fei could enter the Azure Dragon Sword, however, Jiang Yiyun's anxious shout came from a distance:
"Aunt, I know you're nearby! Hurry and help, or it'll be too late!"
As it turned out, Jiang Yiyun had not fled after Ye Fei threw her away. Instead, she had stayed nearby to watch.
Hearing Jiang Yiyun's shout, Ye Fei's heart stirred. He pushed off with his toes, forcing himself to execute Mistlike Step and opening up some distance from the Fire Crows again.
Ye Fei abandoned his plan to enter the Azure Dragon Sword.
At that critical moment, a yellow figure suddenly appeared before Ye Fei.
It was a woman in a yellow dress.
Her back was to Ye Fei, so he could not see her face, but her graceful silhouette alone set his heart racing.
With a flick of her delicate hand, countless tiny swords of true qi shot out, flying straight toward the approaching Fire Crows.
Splat! Splat! Splat...
Bloody mist sprayed everywhere. All those dozens of Fire Crows were struck by the tiny true qi swords and tumbled from the sky, annihilated to the last one.
At this astonishing sight, Ye Fei's face filled with shock.
"Martial Uncle Ye, are you all right?"
Just then, Jiang Yiyun ran over from a distance, took hold of Ye Fei's arm, and asked with a worried expression.
"I... I'm fine."
Ye Fei smiled awkwardly and quietly withdrew his arm.
Then he stepped forward and bowed to the woman in yellow before him. "Thank you for saving my life, Senior."
"There's no need for thanks. You were an innocent victim of this calamity."
The woman in yellow turned around leisurely, her beautiful eyes shooting a glare at Jiang Yiyun beside Ye Fei.
Jiang Mengyun
Under the woman in yellow's gaze, Jiang Yiyun's pretty face flushed scarlet. She shrank back, not daring to utter a sound.
But when Ye Fei saw the woman's face, his eyes immediately glazed over in a daze of infatuation.
With moth-wing brows and a finely shaped head, she was as lovely as jade and flowers, her full breasts more than a hand could encompass. One glance was enough to leave Ye Fei hopelessly entranced.
"Martial Uncle Ye, your drool is dripping onto your shoes."
Just as Ye Fei was losing control of himself, Jiang Yiyun hurriedly tugged at his clothes and teased him.
"Huh?"
"Where?"
"There's nothing there!"
Roused from his spellbound state by Jiang Yiyun, Ye Fei cried out and hastily looked down at his shoes.
Finding no drool on them, he turned a puzzled gaze toward Jiang Yiyun.
"Heehee!"
"You're so funny, Martial Uncle Ye!"
Seeing Ye Fei's foolish reaction, Jiang Yiyun covered her cherry lips with her hand, laughing so hard she trembled like a flowering branch.
Even the woman in yellow standing opposite him wore a smile, showing not the slightest inclination to blame Ye Fei for his lapse.
It was as though she had grown thoroughly accustomed to such things.
"I've made a fool of myself, Senior."
Seeing their expressions, Ye Fei finally realized what had happened. His face flushed crimson, and he bowed to the woman in yellow, no longer daring to raise his head and look at her face.
"You're the new nominal disciple Senior Sister Luo Ying took in?"
The woman in yellow nodded slightly and asked softly.
"Yes, I am."
"Your martial nephew Ye Fei pays his respects, Martial Aunt. Thank you for saving my life."
At her words, Ye Fei understood at once. He immediately changed how he addressed her and bowed to her again.
"You're young, but quite quick-witted."
"I'm Yiyun's aunt. You may call me Uncle-Master Jiang from now on."
"But don't mention saving your life again. This girl caused all the trouble, so don't take it to heart."
Pleased with Ye Fei's response, the woman in yellow could not help giving Jiang Yiyun another glare.
Jiang Yiyun pouted angrily, looking thoroughly wronged.
"You've misunderstood, Uncle-Master Jiang. Junior Sister Yiyun didn't cause any trouble. This was merely an accident."
Ye Fei hurried to speak up for Jiang Yiyun.
As far as he could see, that was indeed the truth.
After learning that Jiang Yiyun was the woman in yellow's niece, he no longer dared call her his martial niece.
"You don't know the full story, Martial Nephew Ye. Yiyun was born with a bewitching fragrance body, which naturally attracts Demon Beasts."
"Wherever she goes, Demon Beasts within fifty li can sense her and follow her fragrance."
"She was also the cause of the Demon Beasts' unusual activity this time."
The woman in yellow gave a soft sigh and explained to Ye Fei.
For some reason, seeing Ye Fei reminded her of that person. She felt an even greater warmth toward him and became more talkative.
"So that's how it is."
Although Ye Fei did not know what a bewitching fragrance body was, he understood the woman's explanation.
It made him quite curious about Jiang Yiyun, and he could not resist stealing a glance at her.
He even deliberately drew a deep breath, trying to detect whether there was any special fragrance in the air.
Ye Fei's gesture, of course, did not escape Jiang Yiyun's notice.
Her pretty face reddened with embarrassment, and she buried her head against her chest.
"All right, there's nothing more to do here. I'll take this girl back. Keep the Fire Crow claws and beaks here to turn in for your mission."
"Also, take this Storage Pouch. It'll make carrying out sect missions easier."
The woman in yellow waved her delicate hand, and a Storage Pouch flew out of the ring on her finger, landing in Ye Fei's hand.
Then, with a sweep of her broad sleeve, she vanished from the spot with Jiang Yiyun.
"Thank you for the gift, Uncle-Master Jiang."
Although he did not know which direction the woman in yellow had gone, Ye Fei still bowed toward the Free and Easy Gate.
This Uncle-Master Jiang is far better than that so-called master of mine.
Looking at the Storage Pouch in his hand, Ye Fei felt a jumble of emotions.
After calming himself, he walked over to the Fire Crow corpses.
Since this place was too close to the Free and Easy Gate, he did not dare put the Fire Crow corpses inside the Azure Dragon Sword.
Thus, Ye Fei simply cut off the Fire Crows' claws and beaks and piled them together.
When he tried to put the Fire Crow beaks and claws into the Storage Pouch, he suddenly discovered that it already contained several items.
Before you continue