Chu Zhenshan was in a wretched state. The corners of his robes were scorched black, clearly the result of a heavy injury caused by the backlash of his own attack.
When Chu Linfeng finally regained his senses, he immediately rushed to the elder’s side, his voice cracking with panic.
“Gre— Great Elder! Are— Are you alright???”
Chu Zhenshan shoved him aside and took a deep breath. He turned toward Chu Yunlan, his voice raspy.
“Young Master Yunlan, this old man… is incompetent. I must ask the Young Master to step forward and try.”
The members of the Chu Clan all turned their gaze toward Chu Yunlan, their eyes filled with expectation.
‘The Young Master is the sole heir of the main line!’
‘As the only child of the Holy Lord, he must have a way!’
Chu Yunlan’s smile instantly froze.
He could indeed see that this formation was extraordinary, but for him to personally step onto the field? What a joke!
Even an Array Grandmaster like Chu Zhenshan had been reduced to such a state; if he went up there, wouldn’t he just be asking for humiliation?
From the corner of his eye, he saw Ji Xuanyuan watching him, seemingly waiting for his answer as well. Beside her, Chu Yuan stood with a faint smile on his lips, looking completely at ease.
Chu Yunlan felt a surge of irritation.
However, on the surface, he remained composed. He cupped his hands with a smile and said, “Since the Great Elder has already given his all, how could I, Yunlan, dare to be so bold? Besides, I previously suggested that our Chu Clan would only send one person. If we send another now, wouldn’t it look like the Chu Clan can’t afford to lose? I am willing to accept defeat. Great Elder, for my sake, could we perhaps…”
The Great Elder of Chu waved his hand dismissively.
“Say no more! Young Master Yunlan, I, Chu Zhenshan, am not one to go back on my word. The mystery of the formation within this mountain is something this old man must admit inferiority to. I have lost this battle!”
As he spoke, he didn’t forget to cast a deep, lingering look at Chu Yuan. Though his voice was hoarse, it remained resolute.
Chu Yunlan raised an eyebrow.
Everything was currently proceeding according to his plan. He intended to use this situation to gain favor with the Crown Prince.
Chu Linfeng, however, was hopping mad with anxiety.
“Why! It’s clearly—”
The Great Elder glared at him, rebuking him in a low, sharp tone.
“Be quiet! Haven’t you embarrassed us enough already?”
The pressure emanating from that gaze silenced Chu Linfeng instantly.
Chu Zhenshan then turned his gaze toward the elegant youth standing beside the red-haired Crown Prince.
“You! Chu Yuan, follow me back!”
His gaze was complex. Aside from anger, it actually contained a trace of approval.
Only Chu Yuan could decipher the complexity in the elder’s eyes. He knew all too well that the old man before him was actually the eyes and ears of the Taixu Sacred Realm’s Supreme Guardian—that Thousand-year Burning Fox.
Back in Xuanji City, the Great Elder had appeared to make things difficult for him on the surface, but in reality, he had provided a great deal of assistance in the shadows.
Seeing the Great Elder attempt to take Chu Yuan back, Ji Xuanyuan’s heart tightened.
She knew very well that by following her here, Chu Yuan had invisibly declared his side for the Immortal Dynasty. Since he had just humiliated the Great Elder and caused the Chu Clan to lose face, what kind of good treatment could he expect once he returned?
Especially that fellow Chu Linfeng—he was likely already sharpening his blades.
She took a step forward, her voice cold yet measured.
“Great Elder of Chu, I have just arrived in Xuanji City and am unfamiliar with the place. I happen to be lacking a guide. Could you allow him to stay with me for a few days?”
Hearing this, Chu Yunlan’s brow furrowed slightly.
‘Is Her Highness protecting that waste?’
This realization felt like a tiny thorn lodged in his throat. It wasn’t excruciating, but it made his entire body feel uncomfortable.
He carefully scrutinized Ji Xuanyuan’s expression.
Under the moonlight, her enchanting face remained cold and distant, as if Chu Yuan were nothing more than a useful pawn to her.
But Chu Yunlan didn’t believe it; he was far too skilled at reading people.
When Ji Xuanyuan spoke those words, her gaze lingered on Chu Yuan for half a second longer than it did on anyone else.
That mere, insignificant half a second weighed as heavy as a mountain in Chu Yunlan’s heart.
Why?
Why was that waste able to make Her Highness look at him for an extra half a second?
He recalled the brief moment of intimacy that had surfaced during the eye contact between Chu Yuan and Ji Xuanyuan just as the Great Elder entered the formation.
But when the Crown Prince looked at him, had there ever been any spark? No!
Ji Xuanyuan’s phoenix eyes held nothing but polite distance for him.
As soon as this thought surfaced, Chu Yunlan felt the Dao Heart seed known as “Envious Passion” within him begin to stir restlessly.
On the other hand, Chu Zhenshan gave Ji Xuanyuan a deep look. His gaze shifted between Chu Yuan and her before he finally nodded.
“Since the Crown Prince has spoken, how could this old man refuse?”
With that, he prepared to lead his group away.
However, Chu Yuan cupped his hands toward Ji Xuanyuan and said, “Your Highness, it is late. Perhaps I should fulfill my duties as a guide tomorrow instead?”
“What?”
Everyone was stunned by his words.
The Crown Prince was clearly trying to save him, yet this waste was actually showing no gratitude?
Ji Xuanyuan’s brow knitted tightly.
“Master Chu Yuan, I was still waiting for you to take me on a night tour. What is the meaning of you wanting to leave now?”
Facing that cold and peerless jade-like face, alarm bells rang in Chu Yuan’s heart.
He knew very well that the only reason she viewed him differently was because he still had utility. If he stayed too close, he would eventually become “sustenance” for her to improve her cultivation.
Perhaps on some late night, he would be drained dry by the Crown Prince until not a single drop was left.
By comparison, returning to the Chu Clan was actually the wiser choice. At most, he would have to endure a few idle taunts from that fly, Chu Linfeng.
Chu Yuan clasped his hands.
“Please do not misunderstand, Your Highness! I… I simply feel a bit unwell…”
This clumsy excuse immediately made the Great Elder of Chu chuckle.
“Heheh! Your Highness, since that’s the case, why don’t we wait until tomorrow?”
Ji Xuanyuan, however, became rather displeased.
Reflecting on her two lifetimes, she had rarely taken the initiative to help anyone. Yet, upon her rebirth, her first attempt to save someone was flatly rejected by the very person she tried to help?
If it were anyone else, Ji Xuanyuan would have let it go.
But the person before her was very likely the Junior Brother she had been pining for.
Anger and anxiety swirled in her heart, leading her to remark sarcastically, “Oh? Is that so? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were repulsed by me.”
Those words, spoken in a fit of pique, carried a strangely different flavor to those listening.
As an onlooker, Chu Yunlan’s Dao Heart became even more turbulent.
‘What kind of charm does that waste have?’
‘Why is it that I, Chu Yunlan, the only son of the Holy Lord and the Young Master Yunlan praised by everyone in the Immortal Realm, am less capable of swaying Her Highness’s heart than an abandoned branch of the family?’
He felt indignant, yet he was also more than happy to see how Chu Yuan would pacify the Crown Prince’s rising anger.
Meanwhile, Gu Qingwan, watching Chu Yuan trapped in his predicament, suddenly had a thought.
‘I… perhaps I still have a chance to make things right?’
As soon as the thought appeared, a secret sense of joy welled up in her heart.
Like a drowning person grasping at a piece of driftwood, she knew it might not bring her to shore, yet she couldn’t help but clutch it tightly.
“Since Ah Yuan is unwell, why not stay at my house?”
Chu Yuan looked up and met a pair of gentle eyes.
Gu Qingwan took a step forward, her skirt fluttering softly in the night breeze.
“It is late. You… and the Crown Prince, if you don’t mind, why not rest at my place for the night?”
Her tone was casual, as if she were merely offering a common courtesy.
But only she knew how fast her heart was beating at that moment.
Especially when the words “at my place” rolled off the tip of her tongue, she could almost hear the sound of her own blood racing.
She didn’t dare look at Chu Yuan. She kept her eyes lowered, staring at the dark patterns on his clothes.
She had spent three months embroidering that pattern. She remembered every stitch and every thread clearly, yet at this moment, they blurred into a messy clump as her heart raced with turmoil.
‘Will he refuse?’
‘Of course! He will definitely refuse!’
‘What right do I have to let him near me again?’
‘But what if… he agrees?’
‘What if he is still willing to give me a little more time…?’
‘What if he is still willing to look at me?’
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