'You bastards used me again...'
It all made sense now.
The higher-ups hadn't guided him here for some glorious power-up or opportunity to steal her essence.
No, they'd manipulated him into healing her.
Those bastards have used me… again!
But what could he do? He couldn't lay a finger on her without getting zapped by the heavens.
The thunder was growing stronger with each strike, and even his divine Sky Serpent bloodline wouldn't protect him for long.
His thunder veins, though powerful, were reaching their limit.
One more hit, and he'd be fried for good.
He couldn't afford to push his luck anymore.
Su Xiaobai sighed internally.
Maybe it was time to change his strategy against the higher-ups... Play their game, pretend to follow along, and then strike when the opportunity was right!
Mind made up, he turned his attention to his real reward—the treasure map.
He opened it, scanning the ancient text. "Thousand Beast Forest, huh…"
It didn't sound like the opportunity for evolution they had mentioned, but this forest was over a thousand kilometers away. A month's journey, at least.
Glancing at the unconscious Fairy Lianhua, the heroic beauty he met by chance, Su Xiaobai couldn't help but smirk. *
Maybe healing her was part of the reward...
A plan hatched in his mind. If the higher-ups wanted to play games, he'd gather all the rewards he could—then one day, shove this very treasure map up their collective asses!
"Humph! Let's go." Su Xiaobai grabbed Xiao Lu's hand and pulled her along.
But just as they were about to leave, he stopped.
His eyes gleamed with wickedness.
"Wait a second..."
Gasp!
"Huh?!" Xiao Lu covered her mouth in shock as Su Xiaobai leaned down and planted a kiss on Fairy Lianhua's soft lips, not just once, but 'several' times.
Her tender, sweet mouth was shamelessly soiled by him.
"Sweet," Su Xiaobai muttered, chuckling to himself. He glanced up at the sky and, with a sly grin, raised his middle finger. 'What? You want a taste too? Hah! Too bad... Fuck you!'
If they wouldn't let him take her virginity, at least he could still taste some tofu.
"Master!" Xiao Lu finally voiced her protest, eyes wide with disbelief.
Whoosh!
Before she could say more, Su Xiaobai grabbed her and left the scene in a hurry, a smug grin on his face.
____
On the horizon of the Silverwolf territory, several flying beasts tore through the sky, each mounted by powerful experts.
Before blacking out, Feng Lianhua had crushed a 'jade amulet,' an artifact that allowed members of the clan to send a distress signal, and the troops from the Vermillion Phoenix Dynasty and Phoenix Hall were already on their way.
_____
Thirty Minutes Later...
On the ground where Su Xiaobai had left Feng Lianhua...
"Ugh..." Feng Lianhua's long lashes fluttered as she slowly regained consciousness. Her head throbbed, but her sharp instincts kicked in immediately.
"Who?!" she barked, her hand shooting out, grabbing a wrist—someone was too close.
"Miss Feng, it's me!" came a familiar, panicked voice.
Her fierce gaze locked onto her maid, Xiao'er, who stood by her side, worry etched across her face. Feng Lianhua immediately released her grip, letting go of the wrist.
"Xiao'er… what happened?" she asked, pressing her hand to her forehead. Her robes, torn and disheveled, revealed glimpses of her pale skin, her beauty effortless even as she sat up.
"We arrived ten minutes ago," Xiao'er explained, hesitating. "You were unconscious, but someone had treated your wounds..."
Feng Lianhua's eyes narrowed. She glanced down, noticing the damage to her clothes and, more importantly, the missing treasure map.
That... pervert!
She recalled the shadowy figure in her fading memory, before blacking out. Her cheeks flushed with a mix of anger and disbelief.
"He touched me," she muttered, darkly. Her hand instinctively moved to her chest, where his hands had been.
Thankfully, her 'Maiden Lotus Talisman', an ancient artifact passed down in her clan, had safeguarded her chastity, forming an invisible barrier to protect her purity. She wasn't concerned about that—but had no idea the talisman had given Su Xiaobai a literal nightmare.
"Should we pursue him, Miss? We can call for reinforcements," Xiao'er asked, seeing the flicker of anger in Feng Lianhua's eyes.
Feng Lianhua took a breath, regaining her composure. 'No real harm was done,' she thought. The stranger had healed her wounds, after all.
"No need," she said coolly. "But... find out where he's headed." A dangerous glint flickered in her eyes.
He healed her, but he stole her treasure map! Without the map, she couldn't recall the exact location—it was somewhere in the Thousand Beast Forest of Yue Country. She had spent years searching for that map, and now it had been stolen from her?
'He won't get away with this,' she thought with determination. There was an eerie similarity between the silhouette she remembered before blacking out and the perverted man who had ogled her back at Red Flame Fortress.
As Xiao'er handed her a fresh set of clothes, Feng Lianhua stood, her flawless figure barely concealed by the tattered robes. A quick shimmer of light surrounded her as she changed, leaving Xiao'er momentarily breathless at her mistress's ethereal beauty.
Even in the calm after battle, Feng Lianhua's beauty could rival the greatest women of the dynasty—graceful and fierce, like a goddess walking among mortals.
_______
Fifteen minutes Later...
After changing into fresh robes, Feng Lianhua's attention shifted to an approaching figure. Her brows furrowed in distaste.
It was none other than Patriarch Li, ruler of the Red Flame Fortress—a frail, sickly-looking man. His cultivation had reached Nascent Soul, but his lifespan was nearing its end. What he lacked in physical strength, he made up for in sharp, calculating eyes and cunning. He ruled this remote region not through power, but by outmaneuvering those stronger than him.
"Miss Feng, rest assured, we will hunt down the rat who caused this," Patriarch Li said, his voice low and respectful, head slightly bowed. He dared not meet her gaze—he knew their difference in status was vast.
"We've already prepared portraits of him. He killed my son, Li Gong, and many elite guards. The city guards are on high alert, and we'll track him down within a month! He uses demonic techniques, which makes him an even bigger threat."
Patriach Li had already sent Xiao'er her portrait while Feng Lianhua was changing clothes, and sure enough, it was the same person.
However, though his tone carried grief, beneath it simmered a quiet ambition. He saw this as an opportunity to leverage the backing of the Phoenix Hall, a supreme force within the Vermillion Phoenix Dynasty, to his advantage.
Li Gong's death wasn't just a family loss—it was an insult to their pride.
But Patriarch Li's thoughts wandered. Li Gong... worthless in the end. His second son had only reached the Core formation realm through endless pills and resources, a disappointment in combat.
It was his first son, however, who was the true cornerstone of the Li family's future. He clenched his jaw, frustration building. His plan had been simple—let his talented first son grow stronger while his weaker brother managed the family. Together, they would raise the Li family to prominence.
Now, that plan was shattered. His second son was dead, and Feng Lianhua—the woman they had hoped to align with—seemed utterly unaffected.
Feng Lianhua's frown deepened. "When did I ever say 'he' attacked me?" Her gaze turned icy, pinning the patriarch in place. "It was the Silver Wolf that attacked. If you want to kill something, go kill that."
Before he could respond, she mounted her flying eagle beast.
SWOOSH!
Without a word, she soared into the sky, her guards from the Phoenix hall following closely behind.
Patriarch Li stood there, fists clenched, watching her disappear into the horizon. 'This woman...' She had shown no concern for his son's death and dismissed any effort to build ties between their families.
A cold bitterness spread through him. 'She will regret underestimating the Li family.'
"Master, should we let this slide?" one of his chief guards asked, clearly unnerved by Feng Lianhua's reaction.
BAM!
Patriarch Li's hand lashed out, delivering a stinging slap to the guard's face. "Didn't you hear Miss Feng?!" he snarled. "Are you a fool? Suggesting we go against the Phoenix hall? In broad daylight, no less?"
The guard dropped his head in submission, trembling under his master's anger.
Patriarch Li's fury was real, but so was his survival instinct. Challenging the Phoenix hall directly would be suicide. Yet, he wasn't the type to forget a slight. No, he would bide his time, wait for the right moment.
At night, he would send word to his eldest son, currently training in one of Yue Country's top sects—the Xiantian Sect.
Li Gong's death, he was certain, would ignite a fire in his elder brother.
Even if he had forsaken mortal ties in favor of cultivation, blood still ran deep.
Patriarch Li's lips curled into a thin smile. 'Revenge could be a powerful motivator.'
If used correctly, Li Gong's death could be the stepping stone to elevating the Li family to power.
"Patience," he muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing. "The Li family will rise. When it does, neither the Phoenix hall nor anyone in this insignificant country will be able to stand in our way."