Chapter 390: Demon Claw (Part 1)
"Ah ah!"
Without a doubt, upon hearing Yun Che's words, the Xueyue sisters simultaneously let out a startled cry, nearly jumping up like cats whose tails had been stepped on.
"Ch-chest... chest?" Feng Hanyue instinctively clutched her snow-white garments tighter over her chest, her voice turning stammered.
"If we want to open up the Yuchi Gate, we have to place our hands... just like on the back—on the chest?" Feng Hanxue's beautiful eyes widened.
Yun Che looked innocent as he nodded.
"How can this be!" Both sisters cried out in unison.
"Yes, yes..." The overlapping screams of the two young maidens had such a high decibel level that Yun Che's body instinctively shrank back. He quickly said, "I know both of you senior sisters are pure and chaste, and would never allow such a thing to happen... so... so I have no other choice either."
"You you you... you wouldn't be trying to bully my sister on purpose, saying this deliberately, would you?" Feng Hanxue's gaze scrutinized Yun Che, hitting the truth squarely.
Feng Hanxue's words also suddenly reminded Feng Hanyue: "Right, right! Are you doing this on purpose? You... that night you even peeked at us bathing, clearly... clearly... you're exactly the kind of 'big pervert' Qianxue and Lianqie senior sisters talk about!"
"!@#$%^..." Yun Che's mouth twitched as he said indignantly, "I've explained many times already; that night I really didn't mean to peek. Qingyue even testified for me. If you don't believe me, you should at least believe my wife Qingyue, right? Most importantly, I'm so handsome, upright, and extraordinarily talented that even your Supreme Palace Master broke a thousand-year sect rule to recruit me into the Bing Yun Fairy Palace. How could someone like me possibly be a 'big pervert' like you say!"
"Mm..." Yun Che's indignant expression and words startled the two sisters a little. The content of his speech also made them begin to think they had wronged him. Feng Hanyue grabbed her snow garments and held them against her chest, speaking softly, "You... you really aren't lying to me just to take advantage of me?"
Yun Che's eyes turned serious as he said with great ease, "If you don't believe that the Yuchi Gate is the most concealed gate, then you can go outside and find any person skilled in medicine to examine you. What they say will be exactly the same as what I said!"
"But we sisters have never left the Bing Yun Fairy Palace, and we don't know anyone skilled in medicine at all," Feng Hanyue said weakly.
"Oh? You've never left the Bing Yun Fairy Palace?" Yun Che was astonished. They were among the famous and renowned Ice Cloud Seven Immortals, yet they had never left the sect in their entire lives?
"That's right... Because the Palace Master said that if we went out, we would easily cause trouble and might even affect the Bing Yun Fairy Palace's reputation." Feng Hanxue's voice turned plaintive: "Wuwu... my sister and I have always obeyed the Palace Master the most and have always gotten along well with all the sisters and disciples. Other sisters can go out, but we are never allowed to leave every single time... the Palace Master is so biased."
Yun Che could fully understand why Gong Yuxian didn't allow these two sisters to leave the Bing Yun Fairy Palace and go out into the outside world.
The reason was simple... The women of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace were known to outsiders as cold and aloof, keeping people at a distance, especially with their icy eyes that could almost freeze one's soul. But although Feng Hanyue and Feng Hanxue also cultivated the Ice Cloud Art, their temperaments had nothing to do with the words "cold" and "aloof." Moreover, they were among the Ice Cloud Seven Immortals. If they came into contact with people of the same level from the outside world and revealed their true natures, they would probably distort others' impressions of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace.
"Actually, the Palace Master doesn't want you to go out not because she's biased but because she cares for you." Yun Che said seriously, "The outside world is full of dangers you can't imagine, especially countless 'big perverts' as you call them. But within the Bing Yun Fairy Palace, you two senior sisters are not only the most beautiful but also have the most likable personalities. For example, I've only known you two for three days, but whenever I see you, I can't help but feel happy inside. The Palace Master must also like you the most, which is why she worries too much about your safety and doesn't feel at ease letting you leave the Bing Yun Fairy Palace."
Loving praise—this is an innate trait of humans, especially women. A few words from Yun Che made both sisters beam with joy as they asked happily, "Everything you said... is it true?"
"Of course it's true." Yun Che nodded earnestly and continued, "If I were really the big pervert you say I am, I would have long since made a move on your senior sisters Qianxue, Lianqie, Lan Yi, Yueli... but they all successfully completed Tongxuan. You two senior sisters are so likable, so I certainly wouldn't have the idea of bullying you. If you still don't believe me, then I have no choice."
As he spoke, Yun Che quickly put on a hurt expression.
"No, no... it's not that we completely doubt you. It's just, it's just... wuwu, what should we do? Only the Yuchi Gate is left... The other senior sisters all opened theirs and achieved the Heavenly Spirit Divine Meridian, but I'm not..."
Feng Hanxue bit her fragrant lips and hesitated before saying, "Yun Che, my sister has opened fifty-three of her fifty-four mystic gates, missing only the Yuchi Gate to open them all. If only one is missing, the difference shouldn't be that great, right?"
Yun Che's eyes were clear as he shook his head with extreme seriousness: "If it were fifty-three gates compared to fifty-two, the difference would indeed be small. But comparing fifty-three gates with fifty-four gates—it's like the difference between heaven and earth! Because opening all fifty-four gates results in the Heavenly Spirit Divine Meridian, while missing even one means it's not the Heavenly Spirit Divine Meridian. The reason the Heavenly Spirit Divine Meridian is called that is because when all gates are opened, the circulation, condensation, and release of profound energy enter a whole new, higher-level law of the world. The profound meridian breaks away from the 'human' level and reaches an entirely new realm... One gate represents a difference in realm, just like the difference between the ninth and tenth level of the Heavenly Xuan Realm isn't big, but the difference between the tenth level of the Heavenly Xuan Realm and the first level of the King Xuan Realm is like mud and clouds."
"Senior Sister Hanyue has now opened fifty-three gates, and the strength of her profound meridian has increased nearly twofold. But compared to your senior sisters who have achieved the Heavenly Spirit Divine Meridian, your cultivation speed, circulation speed, and condensation speed might be at least 50% slower."
"Fifty... fifty percent?!"
Yun Che's words stunned the two sisters, especially when he brought up the other Ice Cloud Seven Immortals like Murong Qianxue and listed the so-called huge gap between them. Feng Hanyue almost burst into tears on the spot... They were fellow disciples and ranked among the Ice Cloud Seven Immortals. They had similar talents and grew up together, but now, because of a single Yuchi Gate, there was such a huge gap. Her simple yet competitive heart simply couldn't accept it.
"Wuwu, Xuexue, what should I do? If this goes on, I'll be left behind by the senior sisters, and the gap will only grow wider." Feng Hanyue said helplessly.
"...It's okay. Once I have the Heavenly Spirit Divine Meridian, I'll work hard for both my sister and myself. That way, combined, we won't be left behind by the senior sisters." Feng Hanxue comforted her with great sympathy.
Her simple and thoughtful words of comfort, however, instead of providing any consolation, only made Feng Hanyue feel even more helpless... Because not only would the senior sisters leave her behind, but even her younger sister would have the Heavenly Spirit Divine Meridian. Not only would she be left further and further behind by the senior sisters, but even by her sister...
No, no, no! I absolutely cannot be so far behind them! I'm just one step away from being like the senior sisters... I absolutely cannot...
Feng Hanyue turned her head to look at Yun Che, speaking pitifully: "Yun Che, is there really no other way to open the Yuchi Gate?"
Yun Che said guiltily, "If there were, I would do everything in my power to accomplish it for you, Senior Sister Hanyue. But... the position of the Yuchi Gate is too special; I truly have no other way."
Feng Hanyue didn't speak again. Her pearl-like teeth bit down on her lip, gradually biting harder and harder. After a long while, she finally made the most difficult decision of her life. With a face full of grievance, she said, "If... if I let you help me open the Yuchi Gate... can it be done with my clothes on?"
"Huh? Sister, are you really going to?"
Feng Hanyue buried her face in her snow garments and whimpered, "I'm just a little bit away from having the Heavenly Spirit Divine Meridian... If I don't open the Yuchi Gate, I might not be able to remain among the Ice Cloud Seven Immortals with Xuexue before long... Besides, that day, he already saw me... In any case, compared to the Heavenly Spirit Divine Meridian, this doesn't matter!"
"This..." Yun Che cautiously leaned in: "Senior Sister Hanyue, are you sure you want to do this? However, doing it with clothes on carries great risk, and there's a possibility of completely destroying the Yuchi Gate."
"Then... what about closing my eyes?"
"If I close my eyes and can't see, what if something goes wrong..."
"~!@#$%%... Forget it, forget it!!" Feng Hanyue, who had been facing away from Yun Che, suddenly turned around. Although she still held her snow garments in front of her chest, the graceful curves of her fair, jade-like shoulders were already breathtakingly beautiful. Her beautiful eyes stared straight at Yun Che, her face clearly showing a determined expression like someone about to face death: "If we just open the Yuchi Gate like this... how long will it take?"
"...Three minutes."
"That long... Then... then... After you help me open the Yuchi Gate, you can't tell anyone about what happened today! Don't tell anyone! Not even Qingyue! No one at all!"
Yun Che nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "Mm, mm. This concerns your honor, Senior Sister. I absolutely, absolutely will not tell anyone!"
Nonsense! If someone on the level of Gong Yuxian found out about this, I'd be completely exposed!!
"Then... then... then... come on!!"
Feng Hanyue's little hands gripping her snow garments trembled for a while before she finally closed her eyes and let go completely. Immediately, the snow garments slid down, revealing a dazzling expanse of snowy white that gently bounced into view, like a pair of tender, unopened flower buds quivering amidst crystalline, fragrant snow-white skin, making Yun Che's eyes dazzle and his mind spin.
"Ah!" Feng Hanxue covered her mouth with both hands... She never expected Feng Hanyue would be so bold as to actually...