Chapter 423: Leaving Qifeng Valley
After a long while, Yun Che had finally figured out the next part of his story. He cleared his throat and was about to begin telling it when the Phoenix God Jade hanging on Feng Xue'er's chest suddenly flashed with a red light.
Feng Xue'er picked up the Phoenix God Jade, and her expression suddenly became somewhat gloomy.
“Xue'er, what’s wrong?” Yun Che immediately asked.
Feng Xue'er looked at Yun Che, her eyes pitiful as she said, “It’s my father… he’ll be arriving here soon, and then he’ll take me back to Shenhuang City. Brother Yun…”
“…Why is he taking you back now? Your father let you stay here alone because he had to be busy with the Ranking Battle and the Primordial Mystic Ark. This should be the busiest time for him.” Yun Che asked, somewhat puzzled.
Feng Xue'er gently shook her head. “Father said that since this is the first Seven Nations Ranking Battle since I was born, he would take me to the scene, and if I wanted, he could even take me on the Primordial Mystic Ark. Father coming to take me back now means everything should be ready.”
“You’re going… to the scene of the Ranking Battle?” Yun Che’s heart trembled slightly.
“Mm… Brother Yun, you need to leave here quickly. If Father sees you here, it would be… terrible.” Feng Xue'er stood up, looking a bit flustered. She grabbed Yun Che’s arm but didn’t push him away; instead, she unconsciously tightened her grip.
There were still three days until the Ranking Battle began. He should have left long ago. The reason he hadn’t left was clear in his heart… he couldn’t bear to part with Feng Xue'er. Her face, her voice, her heart, every expression, every look—they all firmly attracted him, pulling him in like being sucked into an infinitely beautiful starry sky, sinking deeper and deeper.
No one in this world could resist her charm… and Yun Che, by a twist of fate, had been incredibly lucky to be the first person to have close contact with her.
“I really should go.” Yun Che sighed inwardly, fixing his gaze on Feng Xue'er’s shimmering eyes. He raised his hand, placed it on her head, and slowly let his fingers slide down her long hair… This overly intimate gesture only made Feng Xue'er’s eyes tremble; she didn’t resist. “Xue'er, I will remember these days forever. Thank you, and thank heaven for letting me meet you.”
“…Brother Yun says such strange things.” Feng Xue'er pouted lightly. “We’ll see each other again in the future, right?”
“Of course.” Yun Che smiled and nodded. “Because I’ve already promised to take Xue'er to see the snow falling for a thousand miles. I will never forget my promise to Xue'er.”
“Mm!” Feng Xue'er nodded, her expression finally brightening a little. There was reluctance in her eyes, but she gently pushed Yun Che with both hands. “Even though I’m very reluctant to let Brother Yun go, Brother Yun really should leave… Father will be here in less than half an incense stick’s time. If you don’t leave now, you’ll really be discovered by Father.”
“…I’m leaving.” Yun Che’s hand left Feng Xue'er’s shoulder. After giving her one very serious look, he finally turned around and called for the Snow Phoenix Beast.
The Snow Phoenix Beast flew in front of him. Just as he was about to leap onto its back, Yun Che stopped, turned around, and quietly clenched his fists. Finally, he spoke softly, “Xue'er, if… if one day, you find out that I’ve deceived you about some things… would you hate me? Would you still acknowledge me as Brother Yun?”
“Ah?” Yun Che’s sudden words left Feng Xue'er a little bewildered. “Why would Brother Yun say such strange things? How could Brother Yun deceive me?”
“I mean, if… if there really are some things I’ve lied to you about, would you hate me?” Yun Che’s voice was even lower, and these few words were spoken with unusual difficulty.
“I… I don’t know.” Feng Xue'er shook her head, her eyes lost, as if she couldn’t understand the question Yun Che was asking. She said softly, “But during the days I’ve spent with Brother Yun, all I’ve felt is Brother Yun’s kindness towards me. Making snow fall for me every day, teaching me to build snowmen, making me delicious food, telling me many wonderful stories… Brother Yun’s smile is beautiful, and his eyes are very gentle. These days, I’ve been so happy every day, and even the dreams I have when I sleep have become wonderful.”
Yun Che: “…”
“A Brother Yun like this, I don’t believe he would willingly deceive me. Even if… even if he really did deceive me, it must have been out of necessity, not to hurt me.” Every word from Feng Xue'er was gentle and sincere—the voice of her heart. “I will always remember Brother Yun’s kindness to me, and the things he promised me… No matter what happens in the future, I believe Brother Yun will never hurt me, and I will never do anything to hurt Brother Yun.”
Feng Xue'er’s last sentence made Yun Che slightly puzzled, but it struck his heart deeply. He didn’t speak again, because under Feng Xue'er’s pure, snow-like gaze, any words would be utterly pale. He leapt onto the Snow Phoenix Beast’s back, and with the beast carrying him, he rose into the air, flying straight toward Feng Jue Cliff. Feng Xue'er had already told him that the other three directions of Qifeng Valley would likely be guarded. If he wanted to leave safely without alerting anyone, he still had to go through Feng Jue Cliff.
“Brother Yun, I’ll come here often from now on… I’ll wait for Brother Yun to appear again…”
“Brother Yun, you must not forget what we said. After I turn twenty, you must take me to the Ice Extreme Snow Domain…”
“Brother Yun, Little Bai Bai, I will miss you very much…”
The wind whistled past his ears, and Feng Xue'er’s shouts came from below, carried against the wind. Towards the end, her voice even carried the sound of suppressed sobbing.
A thousand zhang in height was nothing for the Snow Phoenix Beast. Soon, they arrived above Feng Jue Cliff.
“Young Master, I didn’t expect that you, who are usually so ruthless and merciless, actually have such a soft and tender side. And to have won the heart of a girl like Feng Xue'er… If your wives knew, I wonder how they would feel.” Mo Li’s voice sounded in his mind.
Yun Che: “…Are you speaking sarcastically or sincerely?”
“Heh.” Mo Li let out a soft, ambiguous laugh.
“I have a feeling she might have already noticed something.” Yun Che said, shaking his head with a bitter smile. “She’s just too pure, too kind. She’s like a flawless piece of white jade, making any deception towards her feel like a heinous crime…”
“Hmph! Fickle!” Mo Li snorted coldly. “Since you know it’s wrong, why did you still go and provoke her?”
“…” Yun Che was silent for a moment before he responded, “Maybe because, in this world, no man could resist her charm… and also because, of all the women I’ve ever met, she is the one who makes me feel the most… guilty and afraid.”
“Afraid? You’re afraid of her discovering your identity? Then why not just kill her directly? With your strength, killing her would be easier than crushing an ant to death.” Mo Li continued.
“Mo Li, are you going to keep saying things like that? You know very well I can’t bring myself to kill her.” Yun Che gradually calmed his mind. “My meeting with her was a complete accident. When I was forced to jump off the Feng Jue Cliff, I never expected to meet her, nor did I expect she would save me, nor did I expect that she would be so… perfect. I know very well that I shouldn’t have any relationship with her, but I don’t regret it… However, when we meet again in the future, I don’t know how I should face her.”
“Heh, when that time comes, she might just be so heartbroken that she wants to kill you. But that’s still a long way off; there’s no need to think about it now. What you should be considering at this moment is the upcoming Ranking Battle.”
“Mm.” Yun Che nodded. “If my guess is correct, after your Phoenix bloodline was discovered by the Fenghuang God Sect, your biggest worry wasn’t actually the Fenghuang God Sect itself, but the true ancestor of the Fenghuang God Sect… another Phoenix Spirit, just like the one you encountered in the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range.”
Yun Che paused in his steps, then slowly nodded. “You’re absolutely right. Back then, when I left the Phoenix Trial Ground, the Phoenix Spirit also gave me a serious warning, telling me to be careful of the existence of another Phoenix Spirit. The Phoenix Spirit of the Fenghuang God Sect always believed that the Phoenix Spirit who gave me its inheritance had been destroyed long ago. If it finds out that my Phoenix bloodline comes from another Phoenix inheritance… then it won’t just be me who suffers. The Phoenix Spirit of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, and the Phoenix clan that just broke free from its curse, will both face a great disaster.” Yun Che sighed softly. “But now that my bloodline has been exposed, I have to face the Fenghuang God Sect as soon as possible. Otherwise, the people around me will be implicated… So, all the way from the Cang Feng Kingdom to here, I’ve been praying that the Phoenix Spirit would stay in the shadows and not be interested in what happens during the Ranking Battle.”
“You don’t need to worry about that Phoenix Spirit anymore.” Mo Li said, her voice devoid of emotion.
“Why?”
“Because… it’s already dead!”
“What? Dead?” Yun Che’s steps came to a complete halt. “Are you sure? Wait! How do you know it’s dead?”
“Heh…” Mo Li laughed eerily. “You don’t need to know how I know. Although it probably hasn’t been dead long, I’m certain it’s dead! But even though it’s dead, its bloodline and memories have most likely been passed down. So, in this world, there might still be someone who can recognize that your bloodline comes from another Phoenix inheritance.”
Yun Che’s spirits lifted. He wouldn’t doubt anything Mo Li said with such certainty. “Excellent! If the Phoenix Spirit of the Fenghuang God Sect is really dead, then my biggest worry is gone! That way, during the Ranking Battle, I can go all out without any concerns!”
“So? How confident are you now that the Fenghuang God Sect will stop causing you trouble, and that you’ll survive?”
“Seventy percent!” Yun Che said with full confidence. “And maybe, I’ll even get to take a stroll on that mysterious Primordial Mystic Ark!”
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