Chapter 77: Extra 3
After spending some time with Feng Chiyue, Ming Jian Su began to suspect she had been deceived.
How could a phoenix’s combat ability be “worse than a goose”? She was probably just lazy and pretending to be weak so that she wouldn’t be kicked out.
There were many suspicious points, such as those “guests” who had brought her Cinnabar Jade and the fact that she had come from the Abyss of the Milky Way. Ming Jian Su hadn’t known what the Abyss of the Milky Way signified before. She hadn’t sensed anything unusual when she had entered it. But as she learned more about the Immortal Realm and the Heavenly Court, she realized that the Milky Way was actually a part of the Sui River, which served as the boundary between the Immortal Realm and the Demon Abyss. Pure energy belonged to the immortals, turbid energy to the demons. The abyss was filled with undifferentiated primordial energy. How could anyone survive there for years without some power?
She didn’t hesitate to ask.
Feng Chiyue’s answers were simple, three-word phrases designed to deflect, such as “I’m sorry,” “I don’t know,” and “I forgot.”
Ming Jian Su wanted to get angry, but meeting those misty, alluring eyes, her anger dissipated.
She adjusted Feng Chiyue’s collar, covering her snow-white collarbone, and frowned. “Think harder,” she said.
“Okay,” Feng Chiyue replied, then added, “My hair is messy.”
Feng Chiyue, since emerging from the abyss, had always kept her hair loose. Ming Jian Su, finding it unbearable, had obtained a dressing table from the Heavenly Prosperity Department, but Feng Chiyue claimed she didn’t know how to use it.
She didn’t care about her disheveled appearance.
Ming Jian Su had no choice but to style her hair every day. After all, if it bothered her, she had to be the one to fix it. Her skills weren’t particularly good, and there were always strands of hair scattered around the dressing table.
Feng Chiyue would always look at her with an unspoken complaint in her eyes.
Ming Jian Su felt a surge of frustration, waiting for her to voice her displeasure so that she could retort, “Then do it yourself.” But Feng Chiyue never said anything. She simply collected the fallen hair and, on a sunny day, in front of Ming Jian Su, “buried” it, using her sword as a shovel.
Ming Jian Su: “…” She could only resign herself to her fate.
Her suspicions grew.
When she could no longer suppress them, she decided to test Feng Chiyue.
But after several attempts, she still couldn’t get the answers she wanted. Finally, she decided to try something drastic.
Faced with a life-or-death situation, she didn’t believe Feng Chiyue wouldn’t reveal her true nature.
A fence surrounded the hut in their cave.
A few similar-looking spiritual herbs grew in the garden.
Feng Chiyue was too lazy to tend to them, and Ming Jian Su didn’t want to, so the task of watering them fell to Undefeated.
As Ming Jian Su stealthily entered the hut, Feng Chiyue was engrossed in the Chaos Mirror, her laughter echoing through the room, completely oblivious to the approaching danger.
When Ming Jian Su unleashed her attack, Feng Chiyue suddenly rolled over, her smile vanishing, her expression unreadable.
Ming Jian Su’s heart skipped a beat. “I’ve caught you!” she thought. But even after striking Feng Chiyue, she didn’t encounter any resistance.
Seeing Feng Chiyue coughing up blood on the bed, she panicked, ignoring the inconsistencies, and hurriedly helped her up, stuffing an elixir into her mouth.
She channeled a stream of spiritual energy into Feng Chiyue’s body, her brow furrowed. She hadn’t even used her sword. Surely she hadn’t hurt her that badly? But the results of her examination shocked her.
Feng Chiyue was severely injured! Her fragile immortal body seemed as if it would shatter at the slightest touch.
Panic surged within her. She had wanted to test her, not kill her.
Feng Chiyue blinked at her, as if finally registering the pain.
Confusion flickered in her eyes, but she didn’t say anything.
Guilt overwhelmed Ming Jian Su.
Although she was now a Heavenly Court official, her salary wasn’t high. Feng Chiyue refused to consume the elixirs from the Supreme Palace, so Ming Jian Su had to search for rare and valuable ingredients, depleting not only her salary but also her savings. But Feng Chiyue didn’t seem to be getting better. She discreetly inquired with some immortals from Phoenix Mountain and learned that some phoenixes were born with flaws and were difficult to care for.
But what could she do? She had to take responsibility.
If one job wasn’t enough, she would take two.
Her cultivation level was unmatched among the officials, and with conflict erupting on the battlefield between gods and demons, she was naturally dispatched there.
She was gone for over six months.
It wouldn’t have normally taken so long, but she had grown impatient. The immortal leading their forces was incompetent, spending his days shouting insults at the demons but fleeing like a rabbit whenever a real battle broke out.
She was just a lowly Heavenly Soldier, powerless to influence the overall strategy. Looking at the desolate Demon Abyss, so close yet so far, she thought about Feng Chiyue back in the unnamed mountain. She had provided her with everything she needed, but judging from past events, it was too early to relax.
After being ordered to go and taunt the demons, her patience finally snapped.
Disobeying orders might result in a deduction from her meager salary, but she could handle it.
She had wanted to be a patient person after ascension, but killing was her true calling!
She drew her sword and, instead of exchanging insults with the demons as instructed, charged into their camp, decapitated their general, and returned to the Heavenly Court’s camp, his head in her hand.
The immortal leading their forces was horrified. “Are you trying to provoke a war?” he shouted, pointing at her. “If the demons retaliate, what are you going to do? You—” His voice cracked, and he collapsed onto his chair, his face pale, his hand trembling as he wiped the blood from his cheek.
She slammed the demon general’s head onto the table, shattering it, blood and bone splattering.
“Do I get credit for this?” she asked casually.
The terrified immortal nodded rapidly. “Yes, yes, yes.”
She was satisfied.
If the demons retaliated, so be it. She would kill anyone who stood in her way.
After that minor skirmish, she was promoted.
Her new position didn’t matter. What mattered was that her salary and elixir allowance had increased.
Returning to her cave, her joy quickly vanished.
Her dwelling, after some renovations, had finally started to resemble a proper immortal’s abode.
But now the grass was torn up, trees were broken, the fence had collapsed… it was a mess.
For a moment, she suspected that they had been robbed, but the barrier she had erected outside the cave was intact.
She walked back, her steps heavy, and picked up a piece of metal from the ground, a fragment of what appeared to be an alchemy furnace.
Most of the spiritual herbs in the garden had been uprooted. Thankfully, she hadn’t been the one tending to them. Otherwise, she would have been furious.
“Junior Sister? Feng Chiyue?” she called out, frowning, but there was no response.
Panic surged within her, and she scanned the area with her divine sense, finally detecting a familiar aura. Her heart settled, but then a wave of anger washed over her.
She marched towards the source of the aura.
Behind the hut was a bathhouse.
She had built it specifically for Feng Chiyue, channeling spring water into it, hoping to help her recover.
A slender figure was silhouetted against the screen.
She pursed her lips and called out softly, “Feng Chiyue?”
No answer.
Her eye twitched, and she rushed forward, her heart pounding, rounding the screen.
Black hair cascaded down, covering her snow-white skin, creating a soft, ethereal beauty.
Feng Chiyue’s right hand rested on a pile of black stones beside the pool. A deep gash, several inches long, ran across her palm. The blood had dried, but the wound was a jarring sight.
Ming Jian Su’s expression changed. She didn’t hesitate. She stepped into the pool and, scooping Feng Chiyue into her arms, carried her out. The robe hanging on the screen fell, covering her naked body. She held Feng Chiyue close, her hands wet, her strong fingers pressing against the skin on the outside of her knee.
Feng Chiyue opened her eyes slightly and yawned. She glanced at Ming Jian Su, her eyes still heavy with sleep. “You’re back?” she mumbled, then, as if sensing nothing amiss, nestled closer.
Ming Jian Su: “…” Her cheeks flushed red.
“Feng Chiyue.”
“Junior Sister.”
She whispered her name.
Seeing Feng Chiyue’s injury, she had thought she was dead.
Feng Chiyue stirred impatiently, swatting at her, then mumbled, “Sleepy.”
Her movement caused the robe to slip, revealing a glimpse of her bare skin. Ming Jian Su reacted quickly, but she still saw it. The blush on her cheeks deepened. She lowered her gaze, no longer disturbing Feng Chiyue, and carried her back to the hut.
Fortunately, the hut was still tidy, just as she had left it.
Several small jade bottles, labeled, sat on the table.
She smelled a faint fragrance and guessed they contained elixirs.
She had no time to examine them. She resigned herself to her fate, helped Feng Chiyue get dressed, tucked her into bed, and waited patiently for her to wake up.
She waited until late at night.
“You’re back?” Feng Chiyue asked, seemingly unaware of what had happened earlier.
Ming Jian Su looked up. Feng Chiyue was sitting up now, her robe slipping, her body like a wisp of smoke. She quickly averted her gaze, her accusatory words transforming into a gentle question. “How did you get hurt?”
“I wasn’t paying attention,” Feng Chiyue said, shrugging. “The alchemy furnace was poorly made and exploded.” Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and jumped out of bed. Moonlight streamed through the open window, bathing her in a silvery glow.
Ming Jian Su couldn’t possibly help her get dressed. She simply used her magic power to dry her. The robe, barely clinging to her body, trembled, threatening to fall.
She pursed her lips and walked towards Feng Chiyue. She adjusted her collar and retied her loose sash, her gaze lingering on her long, white legs, barely concealed by the red fabric. As if burned, she took a step back and, her voice sharp, said, “Get dressed properly.”
Feng Chiyue looked at her, confused, then smiled. Sitting back down on the bed, she said cheerfully, “I made you some elixirs. They’re on the table. They’re much better than the ones you get outside.”
Ming Jian Su made a noncommittal sound. The unexpected surge of desire still lingered, and at this moment, Feng Chiyue’s every smile and gesture was a temptation, her beauty intoxicating.
“Oh,” Feng Chiyue exclaimed.
Ming Jian Su couldn’t help but look at her.
Her eyes sparkled, her smile alluring, her beauty so captivating that it eclipsed the sun and moon.
“Why are you blushing?” she asked.
Lately, Ming Jian Su had been troubled.
She should have been the one causing Feng Chiyue trouble, but in moments of quiet, she found herself thinking not about her junior sister’s boldness but about those alluring eyes. How beautiful would they be, washed by rain, misty and dreamy?
She couldn’t understand, finally concluding that it was because she had been away from Feng Chiyue for too long, distance amplifying her longing and appreciation for her beauty.
There had been no recent activity on the battlefield, and she and Feng Chiyue had been spending every day together. Surely she wouldn’t be affected anymore? After all, even the most beautiful things lost their allure after prolonged exposure.
Her hopes were high, but reality defied her expectations.
Feng Chiyue was always watching her, her eyes filled with a new meaning, a silent seduction.
Sitting beside the pool, staring at her reflection in the water, Ming Jian Su cursed her own arrogance.
Was she becoming like those vulgar people?
“Elder Sister…” A drawn-out voice came from behind her.
Her body reacted before her mind, turning to face Feng Chiyue, who was lounging on a swinging wicker chair, playing with the Chaos Mirror. “What is it?” she asked.
Feng Chiyue put away the mirror and, after studying her for a moment, said, “Nothing.”
“Nothing” meant something.
Ming Jian Su walked towards her, her arms crossed, her gaze fixed on her.
Feng Chiyue shifted, half her body leaning out of the chair. Afraid she might fall, Ming Jian Su reached out to steady her. Feng Chiyue grabbed her hand and, catching her off guard, pulled her closer.
Ming Jian Su stumbled, falling into her arms. She tried to get up, but a pair of strong arms held her waist, preventing her from escaping.
How had she gotten so strong?
Warm breath brushed against her cheek, trailing down to her earlobe.
Her mind went blank.
“Why are you…”
Feng Chiyue stopped mid-sentence, leaning back in the chair, creating some distance between them.
Ming Jian Su’s long hair fell forward, tickling her cheek.
“Why am I what?” she asked, her voice stiff, her body tense. Could Feng Chiyue read her mind? Impossible. Feng Chiyue was too lazy to care about what others thought. She only cared about finding comfortable places to lounge and fiddle with that damned Chaos Mirror, her laziness and extravagance boundless.
Feng Chiyue’s gaze swept over her, then she asked lazily, “Aren’t you going to earn some Cinnabar Jade?”
Ming Jian Su: “…” The string in her mind, instead of loosening, snapped, and she heard a distinct “twang.”
She had never lost a battle since embarking on the path of cultivation. She sought immortality, but now, she might die of frustration at the hands of Feng Chiyue.
Feng Chiyue smiled, watching her tremble with anger. She didn’t let go but leaned closer, her voice sincere. “I was just kidding.”
Ming Jian Su wasn’t appeased. She frowned at her, her displeasure evident.
Back in the lower realm, her junior disciples had all feared her cold expression.
But Feng Chiyue didn’t. Well, she was trapped in her embrace now, their robes rustling as they moved. How could she possibly maintain a cold demeanor?
“Why are you afraid to look at me now?” Feng Chiyue finished her sentence.
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