Chapter 206 The Mysterious Handsome Man, XuanjiHua Qiyue gazed indifferently in the direction of that voice. She saw a woman in purple robe staring coldly at her, with a young man by her side who was also deriding her. “Yes, he has contributed greatly to the defeat of the Gnawing Devils Sect. Wasn’t this Qi Artist sent by the Changlong Emperor?”
So they were admirers of Yun Shimo. Hua Qiyue did not care for them. After all, since that battle, she had been the victim of Yun Shimo’s actions! Especially after he had eloped with Princess Qianyang, the cad.
That woman in purple remembered something suddenly and started to shriek. “Ah… she couldn’t be that Hua Qiyue, could she?”
Her words aroused the curiosity of everyone. All their attention turned to Hua Qiyue.
“Would you like the a.s.signment to be long-term or short-term?”
“A long-term one,” Hua Qiyue said quietly. She took out her only banknote, equivalent to 1,000,000 taels of gold.
“After you have spent this, you can notify me again,” Hua Qiyue said. Her nonchalant att.i.tude astounded everyone in earshot.
1,000,000 taels of gold!
Only a few high-level Qi Artists in the entire Yuewu Kingdom could have 1,000,000 taels of gold. It was beyond the imagination of ordinary Qi Artists.
The woman’s eyes lit up – such a valued customer would mean a large wage increase. “Thank you. Please affix your thumbprint here and sign your name.”
After going through the necessary procedures, Hua Qiyue finally departed from the Legion Agency.
In the meantime, several people had started to watch her. Ignoring the question of whether she was really Hua Qiyue, her easy payment using a banknote worth 1,000,000 taels of gold attracted a lot of attention.
The hare on Hua Qiyue’s shoulder started to pout disdainfully. “These people aren’t afraid of death. They know that you are Hua Qiyue, yet they’re still tailing you.”
At the end of the alley facing the sea, Hua Qiyue stared at the ocean. There were specks which might be ships on the distant horizon. Sunlight showed up as scattered, scintillating glints on the surface.
“Stay where you are, girl. Hand us all your banknotes! Otherwise… hehe, we will abduct you as our little maidservant!”
Two bald men had come after them. Their Qi Art was at the Great Completeness of Dragon Diagram—far inferior to Hua Qiyue’s.
Hua Qiyue stared at the two burly men with a scornful look.
“Brother, she’s ignoring us! Look at her expression… she doesn’t seem in the least afraid. She can’t be Hua Qiyue, can she?”
“Humph, would Hua Qiyue turn up in such a small place?” The other man remarked. When he saw Hua Qiyue still as nonchalant as before, he noisily unsheathed his sword from its scabbard.
“Stinking girl, if you aren’t willing to hand your money over, we will kill you. Then, everything you owned will be ours!”
The burly man gritted his teeth. The two of them glanced at each other and moved to strike Hua Qiyue.
Hua Qiyue waved her slender fingers, her sleeves drifting in the windless air. She coalesced her anima energy to her fingertips. “Deity-slaying Finger!”
Anima energy erupted out of her fingertips, streaming toward the two men like meteorites.
The two men were extremely shocked. They had not expected Hua Qiyue to be so swift. They immediately shielded their bodies with anima energy, but the Deity-slaying Finger was far more powerful than they had antic.i.p.ated.
Two soft noises let Hua Qiyue know her attack had pierced through the two men’s arms, causing blood to spray wildly!
“Ahhh!” The two men shrieked in unison. That finger had pierced through the meridian in their arms. Instantly, they were shattered. They could no longer cultivate!
The two men’s countenances were ashen white. They took two steps backward, their faces masks of terror. “Quick… run!”
They were so terrified that they almost p.i.s.sed themselves, running off with their tails between their legs. Hua Qiyue was not interested in slaying these two lechers. She was just teaching them a small lesson.
The dozens of hidden Qi Artists observing the scene were dumbstruck. They did not expect Hua Qiyue to be so powerful. They had thought that they might benefit from being a third-party after a fight, but the attackers’ meridians had been shattered instead. They could never be Qi Artists again in their lives.
“She’s so powerful! She must be Hua Qiyue!” The woman in purple was also there. The derision in her eyes had vanished, to be replaced by sheer admiration.
The man in white was flabbergasted. He mumbled, “I didn’t expect to meet such a woman outside our clan. It’s hugely unexpected. Looks like we need to get acquainted with her. That will be a truly great gain.”
While they spoke, Hua Qiyue had already left for the sea.
Hua Qiyue was quite bored and not as madly anxious as she was three months ago.
She knew that getting anxious and angry won’t help. Yun Shimo would not allow himself to be found so easily.
But Hua Qiyue’s footsteps halted. Under a coconut tree in front of her, there was a Taoist tree leaning against the tree. He was in a teal Taoist robe and looked straight and proper. But a faint smile lingered on his handsome face.
The priest had deep-set facial features. His smile was graceful as the wind, complementing the attractive, leisurely look on his face.
Although he was a Taoist priest, his handsome face still caused the woman in purple, observing in the near distance, to feel an inward stirring.
“It’s been a long time, Miss Hua. I didn’t expect your Qi Art to have improved so much in these months!”
The Taoist priest smiled lightly. He left the coconut tree and stood erect. His back was facing the deep blue sea, making his entire person look even more dreamy and mysterious.
“Master Xuanji!” Hua Qiyue gasped softly. This mysterious priest was the man who had given her the green jade gourd. But the gourd had mysteriously disappeared.
Now, he had appeared again.
“I didn’t expect Miss Hua to remember me. It’s my blessing.” Xuanji retracted his smile, his gaze landing quietly on Hua Qiyue’s waist.
“Your green jade gourd…”
“… had been taken away by Yun Shimo. I’m looking for him now. Master Xuanji. Could I ask you to divine the future?”
Hua Qiyue knew that this man was mysterious and unfathomable. She advanced a few steps and said respectfully.
Xuanji’s profound eyes were glittering with a mysterious light. He smiled faintly. “I am just a simple Taoist priest. I won’t know how to divine.”
“But in the capital, you used to be an exceptional seer.” Hua Qiyue frowned. What did this man mean?
He was obviously a brilliant seer. He must know where Yun Shimo was. But Xuanji did not look too keen to help.
“Amitabha, the oracles of heaven cannot be divulged. But I can help you search for him.”
Xuanji gave a mysterious smile. His eyes were as profound and unfathomable as the deep sea.
Hua Qiyue stared baffled at the priest. He said that he would be searching together with her. What did he mean?
The hare yawned lazily and patted Hua Qiyue’s shoulder. “Girl, you are in for a romantic encounter again.”
A romantic encounter?
Xuanji stared at the little hare in some surprise. Yet he was not too surprised. This man had surely seen many spirit animals. He would not be surprised by a talking hare. He had concealed himself well.
“If Master Xuanji helps, I’m sure I will locate my man. Actually… it doesn’t matter if I locate Yun Shimo or not. Tianci is the important person. My adopted son who will help change my life.”
Hua Qiyue said quietly, a tone of disappointment in her voice.
“If you want to locate somebody, I have a way. But I have a condition,” Xuanji said.
Hua Qiyue’s eyes lit up. “What condition?”
“Be my disciple.”
Hua Qiyue almost vomited blood. Why did all these men want her to become their disciples? It was the same with Xuanji, as with Tianci.
She felt upset for a moment, then thought about it. Perhaps she should acknowledge him as her Master first. After all, there wasn’t anything bad to it. And Tianpi did not dictate that he must be her only Master!
“Very…. well.” Hua Qiyue agreed reluctantly.
Xuanji gave a mysterious smile. “Follow me to a place. It is the best place to cultivate.”
Cultivate? Cultivation again?
Hua Qiyue felt quite tired by it. But when she recalled her battle against the Gnawing Devils Sect, she still felt quite terrified. If she met a Qi Artist at the Great Completeness of Round Sun, surely she would be dead?
“Fine, I will practice well!”
In Yuewu Kingdom, more than in Changjing Kingdom, she must practice well. Otherwise, even if she wanted to roam the kingdom, her heart would be in her mouth. She would be awfully fearful.
Xuanji turned and left. His speed was exceptionally fast. Hua Qiyue only managed to keep up with him using Mourning Steps.
He’s surely not an ordinary Taoist priest, Hua Qiyue sighed to herself.
The two of them were like two streaks of lightning, disappearing from the sight of the other Qi Artists. The others were dumbstruck. So fast? They had departed in a flash?
“d.a.m.n it! Keep up with them! Hua Qiyue’s an eminent Qi Artist worth roping in!” The man in white said. He executed his quickest footwork and went after them.
The woman in purple also went after them quickly.
The remaining Qi Artists were ordinary ones. They could not execute any special footwork and could only watch and sigh.
Hua Qiyue followed closely behind Xuanji. For some reason, she trusted him very much. When she suddenly recalled Yun Shimo, she felt a sharp thorn stinging her heart. It was so very, very painful.
When she was just about to stop, Xuanji said quietly. “We’re here.”
Oh, so fast?
It was south of the vast sea. In the near distance, there was a huge castle occupying nearly 200 acres of land. Its boundaries seemed boundless. Hua Qiyue was greatly astonished. She had just arrived at this place and had no time to roam around.
She had not expected such a large castle in this place.
“This castle is called the Spirit Heaven City. Its anima energy is ten times that of the outside. But not everyone can get in. One person will need 10 seventh-grade demonic beast’s crystal cores and five eighth-grade crystal cores,” Xuanji remarked quietly.
Hua Qiyue started. She looked at her crystal cores. She had enough.
“I have enough. Hares, I think, are exempted,” Hua Qiyue said quietly.
“But in Spirit Heaven City, there are many Qi Art experts. If they don’t get along, they fight. Qiyue, are you sure you want to enter?” Xuanji said quietly.
Hua Qiyue was shocked. Since when did this man start addressing her as Qiyue instead of Miss Hua? It sounded so odd, like a nickname used by an intimate person.
“Yes, I’m certain…. Where else can one find such a great place? Besides, if someone gives me trouble, won’t Master Xuanji intervene and help me?” Hua Qiyue gave a slight smile. Since Xuanji was brave enough to take her inside, he must have nothing fear about then.
Xuanji gave a start, staring at Hua Qiyue’s emaciated but pretty face. They had not seen each other for some months, yet her once rosy face was now extremely pallid and haggard.
The almost scientific expression on his face and his deep profound gaze made her not dare to take him lightly.
“Qiyue, we’ve finally found you!”
Someone behind her suddenly shouted agitatedly. Hua Qiyue turned her head back in surprise.