Rong Shuo, who was busy imagining things, suddenly heard a sentence.
"I can't afford it."
Rong Shuo: ?
Yun Zheng immediately put on a pitiful look, rubbing her face against Rong Shuo's arm as she lamented, "Brother Shuo, I have no money. Why don't you support me for three years? Once I resolve the entangled fate in my destiny after three years, I'll earn money to pay you back."
Reaching the strength of a Spirit Emperor within three years was by no means an easy task.
It was an enormous undertaking!
But Rong Shuo didn't even hear her last words. His attention had been entirely captured by the words "Brother Shuo."
"Brother Shuo, will you, please?" Yun Zheng blinked at him, acting coquettishly.
Rong Shuo felt a rush of blood, his heart beating faster.
He shot her a quick, startled glance, then roughly pushed her away. In the next instant, his figure vanished without a trace.
Yun Zheng frowned, feeling baffled.
Though he was handsome and dashing, he was truly a stingy miser—she had completely misjudged him.
Fine. If just asking for a loan scared him off, he was probably even stingier than her. Best not to mention it again!
When Yun Zheng snapped back to reality, she noticed the scene around her was a complete mess. Corpses of many cultivators and beasts lay scattered, rivers of blood flowed, broken wood and leaves were everywhere, and fierce gales howled relentlessly.
She realized she had been protected by a small barrier.
Yun Zheng curled her lips. That Rong Shuo guy, stinginess aside, was actually quite thoughtful.
With a loud "boom," the sky seemed to split open. A bolt of silver lightning, as thick as an arm, struck toward the cave.
The cave collapsed instantly, sending up a cloud of dust and scattered rocks.
It was Yun Zheng's first time seeing such a sight, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.
One thick lightning bolt after another struck the crumbling cave. Regrettably, there was no sign of the divine beast.
Humans and beasts continued fighting each other. Some strong individuals hid on the sidelines, waiting for an opportunity.
Suddenly, Yun Zheng's attention was drawn to two figures—a handsome man in a white brocade robe and a beautiful yet ragged woman. The two stood back to back, fending off spirit beasts together.
They were none other than Chu Yunheng and Su Rong.
It was no surprise to Yun Zheng that they were working together.
After all, in the original owner's memories, Su Rong had often exchanged flirtatious glances with Chu Yunheng. The original owner had been too naïve and simple to notice.
"A scumbag paired with a white lotus—what a perfect match..." Yun Zheng smirked.
If she didn't do something, she would feel guilty for not addressing this pair of shameless lovebirds.
Raising her right hand, she held two tender green leaves between her fingers. Her phoenix eyes glimmered mischievously as she gave a light flick.
"Whoosh, whoosh—"
"Ahhh!" Chu Yunheng and Su Rong screamed in unison.
The leaves pierced the backs of their right hands, nearly going through. They were stuck painfully in place, neither fully embedded nor easily removed.
Chu Yunheng roared like an enraged wild dog, "Who is it?"
"Who dares to attack from the shadows?"
Su Rong dropped her sword and clutched her bleeding hand, shouting hysterically, "Come out! I know it's you! Why do you keep targeting me?"
The seemingly ordinary green leaves had become deadly weapons in the hands of the mysterious woman in the dark robe and face veil.
With her years of scheming, Su Rong naturally sensed the woman's malice toward her.
If not for her father's stern warnings to suppress her anger, Su Rong would have long plotted against the mysterious woman.
Hearing this, Chu Yunheng frowned and asked angrily, "Who is 'she' you're talking about?"
Su Rong bit her lip. "A woman who targets me for no reason."
"Why would she target me too?"
"Maybe she thinks our relationship is unusual."
Chu Yunheng was momentarily speechless. He glanced at Su Rong, thinking that if not for her, he wouldn't have been injured.
Gradually, his anger shifted toward Su Rong.
"Why did you provoke her? If you hadn't, why would she come after us?" Chu Yunheng shouted at her.
Su Rong looked up in shock at his scolding, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief and hurt.
Her tears fell like a waterfall, streaming down her face as she sobbed, "How could you yell at me like that?"
Seeing Su Rong crying so pitifully, Chu Yunheng panicked. He shouldn't have blamed her.
Su Rong was so kind and delicate. It must be that woman's jealousy driving her to target them.
Chu Yunheng used his uninjured hand to pull Su Rong into an embrace, speaking gently, "Rong Rong, it was this prince's fault. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was just too anxious earlier. Please don't take it to heart."
Leaning in his arms, Su Rong lowered her eyes. A flicker of dissatisfaction and anger passed through them, but she quickly concealed it.
If not for her genuine feelings for Chu Yunheng, why else would she forgive him?
Meanwhile, Yun Zheng, hiding in a corner far away, felt like a herd of alpacas was stampeding through her mind.
The two of them, injured in such a dangerous environment, still had the audacity to flirt, misunderstand, and then reconcile.
If not for their subordinates shielding them from the spirit beasts, Su Rong and Chu Yunheng would've died long ago!
Suddenly, something nudged Yun Zheng's foot. Startled, she almost attacked, but upon seeing a small, fluffy white spirit beast nudging her with its head, she redirected her strike elsewhere.
Strange. Why was there a low-level spirit beast here?
Yun Zheng squatted down and patted its head.
So soft, so cozy.
It was tiny, just slightly larger than her fist, resembling a little ball due to its short limbs.
Its eyes were particularly beautiful, like glass marbles.
Yun Zheng picked it up and placed it in her palm, saying, "Little one, are you lost? This isn't a place for you."
"Squeak, squeak," the little fluff ball whimpered faintly.
Yun Zheng was utterly charmed by its cuteness.
At that moment, an even larger bolt of lightning struck the cave, shattering it completely.
The little fluff ball, seemingly frightened, darted into her sleeve.
Yun Zheng could feel it clinging to her arm, tickling her slightly.
"Don't worry, it won't hit you." Yun Zheng lightly patted it through her dark robe.
The fluff ball seemed to calm down and stayed still.
The clouds dispersed, revealing a clear sky. Sunlight poured down.
The beasts, as if receiving an order, scattered in all directions.
Everyone was astonished and rushed to the scorched, gray remains of the cave to investigate.
Some, unwilling to give up, began digging.
"What's going on? Where's the divine beast?"
"The tribulation lightning has passed. Where did it go?"
"The cave's been reduced to ashes. Could the divine beast have been struck dead?"
"Ridiculous!"