Chapter 93: Chapter 86: Treasure Queen and the Flower Boy

"Watch out!"

Zheng Xiu, flying mid-air, reversed course like a bolt of lightning. The chain sabers he’d thrown had a tracking ability, forcing Feng Bei’s evasive maneuvers to become a bit rushed. She started using her feet.

With one kick, she knocked a chain aside, altering its trajectory. But the other chain saber, pulled taut by its chain, unfurled into a shadow of dark blades.

The blade-shadows resembled two black dragons emerging from the sea, striking straight for Feng Bei’s chest.

Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes!

Double Dragon Water-taking!

Zheng Xiu’s [Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes] had already reached the "Masterful" realm. He had thought he could no longer grind Experience Level from it. However, as Zheng Xiu tried to execute the Treasure King’s famous technique with his new weapons by indirectly manipulating the chains, he was pleasantly surprised to find that his bottlenecked Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes was earning experience again!

’It wasn’t that Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes had hit a bottleneck, it was that the Immortal Lady was too weak!’

’But using it on Feng Bei, there’s no bottleneck at all!’

His excitement caused some disorder in his swordsmanship. He couldn’t help it; Zheng Xiu was just too thrilled at this moment.

Feng Bei was like a giant experience pack.

Even if Zheng Xiu just stuck his butt out in mid-air, it would count as an evasive maneuver and increase his [Step Technique] Experience Level.

Whenever Feng Bei made the slightest move, it would trigger Zheng Xiu’s crisis intuition, increasing his [Intuition] Experience Level.

Later on, Zheng Xiu got bolder. He asked Feng Bei to open her Ghostly Realm—the same move that had flattened Danglang Mountain—but just to keep it active without striking down. Under the direct gaze of his [Spiritual Vision], his [inspiration] Experience Level shot up.

Zheng Xiu was already weeping tears of regret in his heart. ’Why didn’t I find Feng Bei to grind experience sooner!’

’This experience pack is epic-grade!’

’Feng Bei, oh, Feng Bei!’

’I, Zheng Xiu, dub thee the new Treasure King!’

’The Treasure Queen, Feng Bei!’

...

The two of them fought until dawn.

Feng Bei was only breathing slightly heavily, her clothes dotted with dewdrops, steam rising from her body.

The youth, however, was already sprawled on the ground, exhausted. The two chains lay limp and twisted around his arms.

He had overexerted himself.

Even within Feng Bei’s perpetually active Ghostly Realm, where his Incarnation’s activity time was unlimited, fighting her until dawn had left Zheng Xiu utterly drained. He could clearly feel a pulling sensation from his Main Body.

He struggled to maintain his form, as if a single moment of distraction would cause him to dissolve into smoke right before Feng Bei’s eyes.

"I’m heading back for now! I’ll be back tonight!"

Unwilling to expose his biggest secret just yet, Zheng Xiu took a leap. A single wing extended as he jumped off the mountaintop.

Feng Bei started to reach out toward the spot where Zheng Xiu had jumped, wanting to remind him that he had forgotten his orange cat.

The youth was gone.

"Meow?"

Xiaofeng, who had been left in the cold wind all night, suddenly looked up, its feline face a mask of confusion.

The orange cat and its former mistress stared at each other.

Feng Bei sighed softly and pointed at the house, gesturing for Mao’er to go inside.

’It’ll freeze to death out here.’

Mao’er was initially unwilling. As if it understood her words, it curled up and let out a pathetic meow. Feng Bei tightened her black silk gloves and asked with a soft sigh, "You’d rather die?"

WHOOSH!

The nimble Xiaofeng zipped into the house.

In the early morning, Feng Bei went down the mountain, chopped some firewood with her bare hands, and started a fire to boil water.

A short while later, a large wooden tub in the house was filled with hot water. Feng Bei submerged herself completely, enjoying a moment of peace.

Mao’er huddled in a corner, shifting restlessly. Feng Bei hadn’t mistreated the orange cat, at least; she had used some old clothes to make a temporary nest, letting Mao’er sleep there for the time being.

It wasn’t just that Mao’er was not used to it; Feng Bei was also a little unaccustomed.

She was used to being alone, used to the solitude, used to the quiet, used to the absence of any sound from living creatures around her.

Now there was a cat in her house—one he had promised to raise, only to abandon it the moment he left.

After some thought, Feng Bei made up her mind. The next time the youth came, she would definitely make him take it back.

Definitely.

Steam wafted from the wooden tub. With a towel wrapped around her head, Feng Bei rested her arms on the rim.

Only at times like this could she shamelessly reveal the Omen in her right eye.

On other nights, she would sit alone on the roof, quietly watching the moon.

But last night was different. The youth’s shouts still seemed to echo from the summit, and that lively feeling had added a touch of mortal warmth to this solitary peak.

Feng Bei soaked quietly in her bath.

Until the water grew cold.

"Xiaofeng, do you think..."

Feng Bei stood up abruptly, water dripping from her pale, glistening body. Through the pervading mist, Feng Bei faced Mao’er.

It was less a conversation with the orange cat and more her muttering to herself.

"Is that boy really the son of Senior Zheng Shan?"

"Or perhaps,"

"he... is Zheng Shan?"

...

[Divine Travel] expeditions were extremely draining on one’s spirit.

「Early morning.」

Atop Heaven-Gazing Prison.

Zheng Xiu yawned repeatedly as he opened his eyes to the morning light.

In the distance, civil and military officials were heading to the morning court, and the common folk were starting their day.

Scarface Liu brought breakfast, which seemed to have become his daily duty.

"Say, in the future, could my family handle this instead?"

After washing up and changing into fresh clothes, Zheng Xiu wearily finished his breakfast, elegantly wiped his mouth with a silk napkin, and asked the question casually.

Scarface Liu saw the weariness in Zheng Xiu’s brow and attributed it all to lonely, sleepless nights tossing and turning in his cell. He said, heartbroken, "Master Zheng, that’s really difficult! The restrictions in Heaven-Gazing Prison are several times stricter than in the Earth Cell. Lord Jiang is already in a tough spot. If word of this got out, I’m afraid it would implicate Lord Jiang!"

How the tables have turned. Back in the day, Scarface Liu had paid Jiang Gaoyi no mind, but now he was considerate of Jiang Gaoyi’s position in every way.

"Fine."

Zheng Xiu was a bit helpless. Using the Evil Child to pass messages would be hard to explain—how could the Evil Child meet with him? He glanced at Scarface Liu. ’Making this blockhead memorize a complex secret code would be asking too much of him.’