The Three-Destinies Old Man was now speeding through the mountain vicinities to search for 'Yue Lingling'. It was because he had suddenly realized there was no sight of her anywhere when the tournament had ended.
"How did she manage to sneak away? She is really an escape artist…"
"Alas, I must be distracted by that Xuan Xiaofeng. She keeps talking nonstop…"
"Is she in cahoots with Yue Lingling?!"
He was suddenly frowning. They were too cunning!
He had suddenly realized that he had fallen into their honey trap and that Xuan Xiaofeng was there to distract him. It was impossible for a mysterious seventh realm expert to appear in this place. Why did he not think of that?
Now it was already too late.
"Xuan Xiaofeng, if I see you again I will surely…"
"What? You are missing me already?" It was the beautiful chuckle of Xuan Danfeng as she had made her way to him. "For an old man, you sure can really run fast."
The Three-Destinies Old Man was perplexed. She had actually dared to appear in front of him?!
If he did not torture her or to force her to tell him the whereabouts of Yue Lingxi, he was not the Great God Yi Ping!
So he said coldly, "You have actually dared to show your face in front of me."
Xuan Danfeng smiled as she asked curiously, "Is there something wrong with my face? You have sped off so hastily so I have a hard time trying to catch up with you. You know, my lightless movement skill isn't weak but yours are much more superior to me. How is it even possible?"
The Three-Destinies Old Man: …
She was still faking in front of him?!
So he said rudely, "I am looking for that earlier Yue Lingling. If it is not for you, she will not have escaped. If I don't teach you a lesson then you will think that I am a fool."
Xuan Danfeng: ???
"What do you mean?" Xuan Danfeng asked curiously. "So you like that Maiden Yue Lingling and you are blaming me now for losing sight of her?"
The Three-Destinies Old Man said weakly, "Who says I like that Maiden Yue Lingling? You are spurting rubbish."
"Then why is your face so red?"
"Have you forgotten that we have been drinking? You really think that I am a young man that will actually flush?" The Three-Destinies Old Man growled.
"It is no wonder why you are so focused on watching the tournament. It is because you are interested in her." Xuan Danfeng said with an annoyed look.
The Three-Destinies Old Man said bitterly, "She may be an enemy of mine. I need to see her face."
"You are just cooking an excuse to go after her, am I right?" Xuan Danfeng said coldly.
The Three-Destinies Old Man: …
Yue Lingxi had the Horizon of the Heavens. This desolate immortal artefact must not fall into the wrong hands or it would be a calamity for the Celestial Realm and even the Immortal Realm. Therefore he had to find the Horizon of the Heavens.
To him, Yue Lingxi was a lower priority threat then the Horizon of the Heavens now.
"I think that you are in cahoots with her, right? Or you won't appear so conveniently." The Three-Destinies Old Man said coldly as he stared at Xuan Danfeng.
Xuan Danfeng was startled, "What are you talking about? You have been babbling about things that I don't understand. If you don't like me, you don't have to say so many nasty things to me. I get it now. You don't like me. Do you know that I was so worried when you had suddenly stormed off earlier just like that?"
With a soft huff, Xuan Danfeng had stormed off.
The Three-Destinies Old Man was startled as he stammered, "Not that…I was talking about my enemy and not you…wait…"
"Xiaofeng, please wait…hear me out first…"
But Xuan Danfeng was already miles already in a few blinks of an eye and she had vanished into the mountains.
The Three-Destinies Old Man began to look left and right. Left was to continue to search for Yue Lingling while right was to look for Xuan Xiaofeng.
In the end, he found himself taking a step to the right…
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In the audience hall of the Heavens Ridge Villa, a group of cultivators were having a closed-door meeting.
Shen Yufeng was now looking coldly at Qiuxiang Huan and Qiuxiang Mei while Qin Keqin and Lu Qingyun were also in the hall.
Behind Shen Yufeng were Feng Xiaoxiao and Tang Xuefeng.
Shen Yufeng said coldly, "Qiuxiang Mei, Qiuxiang Huan. How dare you cheat in the trial tournament!"
She lifted her finger at Qiuxiang Huan, "You are actually a golden celestial and yet you are pretending to be otherwise."
Qiuxiang Huan had turned pale immediately as she hastily bowed to her knees as she stammered, "I am wrong. Please let my mother consort off. I will take full responsibility for it."
Shen Yufeng hummed coldly, "Take full responsibility? Can you? In order to win, you have even conspired with a desolate cultivator? Don't tell me that you really do not know who that Yue Lingxi is?"
Qiuxiang Huan was stammering, "She is a desolate cultivator?! I…really do not know. How is it possible?" She really did not know. Desolate cultivators were too rare in-between in the Nine Celestial Fraternity and mostly existed in the stuff of legends.
"The punishment for conspiring with a desolate cultivator is the extermination of your entire clan." Shen Yufeng said coldly.
When she had said that, even Qiuxiang Mei had fallen to her knees and Qiuxiang Huan had almost fainted on the spot.
Qiuxiang Huan took a pleading look at Shen Yufeng before she pointed a finger at Lu Qingyun, "Then what about him? Yue Lingxi is his sister."
Lu Qingyun had almost forgotten about it and he was looking sheepish.
Shen Yufeng took a secret look at Lu Qingyun as she thought, "Actually Lu Qingyun is also a desolate cultivator but I've promised the Great Saintess Fan to keep it a secret…"
So she said coldly, "That is another matter. As for him, I will deal with him later. But for you and your Qiuxiang Clan, your punishment is death."
Qiuxiang Huan smiled weakly, "I guess that this is what I have deserved…"
Lu Qingyun had suddenly stepped forward to say, "I believe in her. That Yue Lingxi is really too cunning. We should give Qiuxiang Huan a second chance. Moreover…"
He smiled weakly, "It is true that I have concealed the fact that I had met her in the Red Death Valley." He sighed softly. "If it is not for me, Qiuxiang Huan will not have met her."
Before coming here, he had told Shen Yufeng and Qin Keqin what had actually happened inside. At that time he did not tell them was because he did not know how to explain such a most bizarre thing that had happened to him.
Qiuxiang Huan looked quietly at Lu Qingyun and was secretly startled that Lu Qingyun had actually stepped in to plead for her.
Qin Keqin rolled her eyes and said to Lu Qingyun, "Did you not hear that Fragrance Herald Shen is going to deal with you later? And you still have the mood to plead for the others?"
Lu Qingyun smiled weakly, "Then all the more I should plead for her. If the plead is successful then I know that I can also plead later."
Then with a smile he looked at Qin Keqin, "I hope that master will be able to plead for me later."
Qin Keqin chuckled softly, "Fat hope. I will first expel you and let you die alone."
Lu Qingyun: …
He actually knew that Qin Keqin was only joking with him so he was not worried. With the Great Saintess Fan Yuqing pleading on his behalf, he would be alright. Moreover Shen Yufeng did not seem to be angry with him when he had made his confession about Yue Lingxi.
All of a sudden a mesmerizing maiden had suddenly walked into the hall and she was Yin Shisi.
Qiuxiang Huan was startled, "Great Aunt Yin…"
Qiuxiang Mei looked quietly away…
As Yin Shisi walked to Shen Yufeng and Qiuxiang Huan, she had suddenly kneed down in front of Shen Yufeng. "I am here to plead for my niece Qiuxiang Huan and sister-in-law Qiuxiang Mei."
Both Qiuxiang Huan and Qiuxiang Mei were startled. They had never expected that Yin Shisi would actually be pleading for them today.
Shen Yufeng looked quietly at Yin Shisi. She had been here in the Heavens Ridge Villa for a month now and they had secretly become friends. She had found out that Yin Shisi was not interested in playacting or the affairs of the celestials. Moreover she also had an easy and friendly temperament.
Shen Yufeng said quietly, "Shisi, please rise."
Then she said to Qiuxiang Huan, "On account of Supremacy Yin Shisi and Lu Qingyun, I will close an eye to this. But you must tell me everything and surrender whatever items that Yue Lingxi had given to you. I want the whole truth and if you hide anything, I will be vengeful. If you are truthful to me then I will be merciful to you. Is that understood?"
Qiuxiang Huan bowed with her head to the ground and said quietly, "I will be truthful…"
Yin Shisi said quietly to her, "Do you know that your future groom Ling Chong is now kneeling outside now for your sake?"
Qiuxiang Huan was startled, "He…doesn't need to do that…I am the one that have let him down…"
Then she bowed her head on the ground to Yin Shisi, "Great Aunt Yin, thank you for pleading for me today. I know that I can't have your forgiveness…"
"You are wrong." Yin Shisi said quietly. "You are still my Huan'Er. It is good that you know the error of your ways."
"Great Aunt Yin…" Qiuxiang Huan was trembling and she was tearful. "I…am such a badass in the past…"
"No, it isn't your fault." Yin Shisi took a quiet look at Qiuxiang Mei. "You have a bad mother who only teaches you how to scheme. Your potential shouldn't be wasted in schemes but to cultivate yourself to a higher realm. But I don't blame her. It is all my fault. I should not help my brother. If it is not for me, will your mother consort turn up to be such a bad mother to my Huan'Er?"
Qiuxiang Mei was also trembling and she had broken down in tears, "Yes, I…am…really not a good mother…"
–
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–
In the meantime, the Three Destinies Old Man had managed to catch up with Xuan Danfeng and he saw that she was leaning quietly against a tree; her eyes were red and it seemed that she had just cried.
He quietly appeared before her, "Xiaofeng…"
Xuan Danfeng was startled by his sudden appearance, "Why are you here?"
She quickly turned her face away, "I must be looking very ugly right now. Don't look at me now."
The Three Destinies Old Man sighed softly, "No, you are a very beautiful maiden. Earlier, I am really sorry. I was really hunting for my enemy and I shouldn't have said such harsh words to you. Will you forgive me?"
Xuan Danfeng hummed softly, "You have already hurt me twice today. I don't want to talk to you anymore or you will think that I am so cheap."
"Hmm, what about if I add in this heavenly wine to share with you? The name of this divine wine is the Happy Spirits Divine Wine and you can't find it anywhere else." The Three Destinies Old Man said quietly as he uncorked a blue crystal bottle. The aroma that was from the Happy Spirits Divine Wine was really intoxicating.
Xuan Danfeng took an interested look at the blue crystal bottle and her lips were curling into a smile but she was muttering, "Do you think that I can be bribed with a mere bottle of wine?"
"Well if you don't want it then I shall take my leave and I shall drink alone." And the Three Destinies Old Man had really turned around.
"Wait!" Xuan Danfeng panicky said. "Since you are so sincere, I…will accept your apologies."
"But I want you to put that wine into my hands first. I want to sniff it first to see if it is worthy to forgive you." She quickly added with a fluster look.
The Three Destinies Old Man laughed softly as he shook his head, "I've never met such an interesting maiden like you before. Here, take this."
Xuan Danfeng grabbed the wine shyly and said, "I must warn you first. If this wine isn't a good wine, you can forget about my forgiveness."
The Three Destinies Old Man muttered, "It is surely a good wine or I won't bring it along with me. I am just afraid that you may call it a bad wine just to blackmail me for more wines. Then I am really at a loss."
"Fat chance. I will only give you one chance. If it is a bad wine then it is good bye!" Xuan Danfeng laughed cheekily.