Deep in the damp abyss, the fresh vine branches continued to burn, and everyone could see that this fire was no ordinary flame.
The large and small chunks of charcoal scattered around from the collapse were still burning as well.
Yu Qing secretly heaved a sigh of relief, figuring that the vine demon surely could not survive this. By taking action forcefully despite the danger, he had finally managed to silence her. Xiang Lanxuan suddenly spoke up, “Sect Leader Zhao, please handle the aftermath in your sect as soon as possible. I will take care of things here.”
Zhao Dengzi nodded slightly, then waved his sleeve to gather his fellow disciples and leave together. Yu Qing and his senior and junior brothers grew increasingly surprised and suspicious, clearly sensing that the relationship between Xiang Lanxuan and the people from Kunling Mountain was abnormal. However, this was not something they were qualified to question. Qin Fujun, Yan Yao, and the others, who were flying away, also occasionally looked back at the few people remaining in place, similarly sensing that something was off.
Yu Qing looked up and watched Qin Fujun’s retreating figure until she disappeared, unable to look away for a long time. His expression was somewhat complicated. He had fought hard to ensure Qin Fujun could come out alive, never expecting that upon her escape, she would actually want him dead.
Xiang Lanxuan noticed his reaction, strolled over to his side, and said indifferently, “That woman knows too much. Do you want to get rid of her? I will find an excuse to send her over, and you can handle it yourself.”
Yu Qing was taken aback and then immediately refused, saying, “Forget it. It is useless. Yan Yao and the others have already come out, so what is the point of killing just her?”
“I did not expect you to be such a romantic.” Xiang Lanxuan scoffed, her tone full of mockery, and then shook her head. “You abandoned literature for martial arts, and I thought you might have great ambitions. I was overthinking it. You will never become a formidable hero, nor will you be truly wicked. You just do not look like someone who will achieve much, nor do you seem like someone who has read many books.”
“Hmm,” Yu Qing stammered in a daze and subconsciously asked, “Then what kind of person do I look like?” Adopting the air of someone who had seen countless people, Xiang Lanxuan replied, “A country bumpkin.”
Yu Qing was left speechless. He wanted to speak but held his tongue, desperately wanting to ask her how someone like him could look like a country bumpkin. He had been to three immortal mansions, acquired a property in Youjiao Port, and as the dignified leader of a sect, how could he resemble a country bumpkin?
However, as the words reached his lips, he felt there was no point in arguing with this kind of person, as it would only put him at a disadvantage, so he silently endured it.
Over on Nan Zhu’s side, he was stifling his laughter, experiencing firsthand what it meant to bring humiliation upon oneself. Still wearing her light attire, Xiang Lanxuan stepped a little closer to a large pile of burning charcoal. Staring at the blazing firelight, she said as if giving a warning or murmuring to herself, “Calm down in the future. Live a quiet life and stop meddling everywhere. It does not suit your nature.”
Yu Qing still tried to make excuses, saying, “We did not want to join this commotion. We were truly tricked into coming here by this vine demon.”
Xiang Lanxuan let out a soft sound of acknowledgment and flicked her finger. A burst of energy caused the pile of charcoal to collapse, sending sparks flying everywhere. “You were in such a hurry to kill this vine demon. Were you trying to silence her?” “Silence her? What do you mean silence her?” Yu Qing played dumb, feeling inwardly restless and uneasy.
Xiang Lanxuan tilted her head and looked at him with a half smile, saying, “What do you think?”
Yu Qing immediately denied it sternly, “No, absolutely not. The reason I killed her is that I hated this demon’s malicious intentions. She actually dared to deceive us. If I did not kill this demon, it would be hard to quell the hatred in my heart.”
Nan Zhu also nodded repeatedly in agreement, “Yes, yes, yes. This demon is truly hateful and almost cost us our lives. We must take revenge.” Xiang Lanxuan turned her head to look at them and said, “Too much nonsense. What are you looking at?”
Nan Zhu quickly said to those beside him, “Where are the things? Where is our stuff? Come on, let us go take a look.”
He quickly led Mu Aotie and Baili Xin away.
Once the few of them had walked away, Xiang Lanxuan tilted her chin in their direction and asked, “Do you trust them a lot?”
Yu Qing did not know what she meant by this, so he gave a perfunctory hum and said, “Naturally, I trust my own people.”
Xiang Lanxuan asked, “Is that female disciple from the Longguang Sect sent by Ying Xiaotang?” “Ying Xiaotang?” Yu Qing was taken aback, not knowing why she would say such a thing.
Xiang Lanxuan said, “Stop playing dumb with me. Even a fool can see it. If she was not sent by Ying Xiaotang, how could a great archer suddenly appear by your side? Would the Longguang Sect cooperate with you to put on an act? Who do you think you are? Do you think your trivial false reputation can command the cultivation world?”
Yu Qing was speechless. Fine, since the other party insisted on thinking this way, he had no choice but to tacitly agree. He was just puzzled about what she meant by saying all this.
Xiang Lanxuan added, “Can you guarantee that she will not report the matter of this immortal mansion to Ying Xiaotang?”
Yu Qing felt that her words today were a bit uncharacteristically indirect, which was not her usual style, so he tried asking, “What does the Grand Envoy mean?”
Xiang Lanxuan said, “I happen to be right here. It is simple to get rid of the three of them, which can save you a lot of trouble. You can go up first.”
Yu Qing was greatly alarmed and quickly cupped his hands, saying, “Please show mercy, Grand Envoy. I can handle our own affairs myself.”
“I do not know exactly what you are planning.” Xiang Lanxuan glanced at the burning fires all around and said, “Since you managed to silence the vine demon, I believe you can handle things yourself. As for the matter of this immortal mansion, treat it as if it never happened. Do not breathe a single word of it to the outside world. I believe you are not that foolish.”
Yu Qing sensed that she was going to let them off the hook. Finding it hard to believe it could be brushed aside so easily, he asked cautiously, “Can we leave now?”
Xiang Lanxuan said, “Wait here first. Someone from Kunling Mountain will come to escort you away in a moment.”
Yu Qing suddenly felt inexplicably that this woman was helping him, and as if driven by some unseen force, he blurted out, “Last night, no, the night before last, we were all poisoned by bee venom. Between us, did we…”
“Did we what?” Xiang Lanxuan turned back to stare at him. The firelight reflected in her bright eyes carried an aggressive edge, but in an instant, it transformed into a gentle smile. “Are you worried that I saw something I should not have seen? I did not want to see it either. You know my condition at the time. I was poisoned by bee venom and severely injured beforehand, so I had long passed out and could not do anything. When I woke up, I found you stripped bare and lying there. I do not know what you did. I am not blind, so I casually took a couple of glances and then left. As a grown man, you would not care about this, would you?”
Hearing her say this, Yu Qing thought it made sense. Given her state of severe injury and unconsciousness at the time, that possibility could indeed be ruled out. Feeling that he was being a bit overly sentimental, he immediately gave an awkward laugh and said, “I do not care, I do not care, as long as I did not defile the Grand Envoy’s eyes.”
Xiang Lanxuan gave a playful scoff and said, “I am helping you this time out of gratitude for you saving me inside. It also counts as fulfilling the promise to spare you once you opened the exit. From now on, we owe each other nothing.”
Yu Qing quickly cupped his hands and said, “Thank you for your great kindness, Grand Envoy. I will never forget this for the rest of my life.”
Xiang Lanxuan looked up. The mist above had cleared, revealing the moonlight. She said slowly, “Do not remember it for the rest of your life. Forget everything about the immortal mansion. This encounter between you and me never happened.” Yu Qing flattered her, saying, “Yes, yes, yes. I understand. As soon as I leave here, I will forget it completely.”
Gazing intently at the bright moon, Xiang Lanxuan asked, “Have you fallen for that Qin Fujun?”
Feeling conflicted inside, Yu Qing verbally denied it, saying, “Nothing of the sort.”
“Whether you have or not, you had better understand one thing. Although your marriage to the Earth Mother’s disciple is in the past, it remains an insurmountable hurdle in today’s world. Very few women in the world can withstand such pressure. If you truly like her, stay away from her. Otherwise, you will harm her. You will not have an easy time either, so why harm both others and yourself?” Xiang Lanxuan turned to look at him and advised him earnestly.
Yu Qing thought to himself that she was overthinking things.
Xiang Lanxuan’s gaze flashed, and she stared at the other end of the canyon again. She saw that Nan Zhu and the other two had returned, each carrying a large vat on their backs. They did not approach to disturb them but waited at a moderate distance.
Unexpectedly, Xiang Lanxuan moved towards them, flashing over in an instant. She spread her sleeves, and a powerful burst of air blasted out, forcing the three of them to desperately steady themselves. The large vats they were carrying shattered and flew apart, torn honeycombs flew everywhere, and honey splashed messily onto the uneven ground, the iron chains, and the cliff walls.
In an instant, the rich aroma of honey filled the air.
Xiang Lanxuan herself gracefully spun and landed on an iron chain, looking down at the few people below from her high vantage point.
The iron chains swayed for a while before coming to a stop. The three of them, having steadied themselves, looked at the spilled honey and were dumbfounded. They all looked up at her, angry but not daring to speak out.
Yu Qing also flashed over, looked up, and asked, “Why are you doing this, Grand Envoy?” Xiang Lanxuan replied, “It would be fine if you just took a little for your own use, but you actually want to take a whole bunch out to sell. What are you thinking? Do you really think others are blind? What is more important, money or your lives? If you earn this money, will you have the life to spend it?”
Having finished speaking, she flicked her sleeves, and her figure shot into the sky, disappearing into the night above in the blink of an eye.
The few people stared blankly at the dripping honey everywhere. Saying the loss was worth hundreds of millions would be an understatement. Was all their hard work just gone like that?
Nan Zhu could not help but hold his head in his hands and cursed in a low voice, “Is this bitch crazy?”
After cursing, he quickly and stealthily looked around, appearing fearful and anxious.
Regarding Xiang Lanxuan’s blunt and forceful way of handling things, Yu Qing could not help but sigh. He also felt a sharp pang of regret. True, it was unwise to take the honey out to sell directly, but they could have thought of other methods. Had he not taken out and sold the items produced in the Small Cloud Realm?
Nan Zhu suddenly called out, “Should we salvage whatever we can?”
Yu Qing asked him, “What are we going to put it in?”
The few of them looked around but indeed could not find anything suitable to hold it. Nan Zhu took off the water flask he had brought out from the immortal mansion, poured out the water he had been reluctant to use before, and began collecting the honey…
Under the divine tree, two five coloured bees, one large and one small, flew around to inspect the area before flying straight up to the upper branches. When they landed on the flat ground, they released their demonic aura and revealed their original forms as the Bee King and A Chi.
The two of them only took a quick glance at the scene before immediately fixing their eyes on the centre of the vine canopy above.
It was hard not to notice a vine hanging in mid air, which had clearly been pulled down by an external force.
The two walked over quickly, looked up, and saw the black coagulated substance at the broken end of the hanging vine. Their expressions both turned gloomy. Inside a pavilion at the peak of Kunling Mountain, Xiang Lanxuan, Zhao Dengzi, and the others saw several dark shadows taking off from the Spirit Valley. They were large birds carrying Yu Qing and the others away.
After the dark shadows flew far away, Zhao Dengzi turned his head and asked Xiang Lanxuan, “Is it really safe to let these few people leave?” Xiang Lanxuan said indifferently, “I have my own plans. You just need to handle the aftermath here properly.” Zhao Dengzi nodded, “Rest assured, Grand Envoy, everything at Kunling Mountain is taken care of.”
Xiang Lanxuan said no more. With a flash, she darted into the high sky and flew away rapidly, heading straight for the capital of the Yin Kingdom.
The several high ranking members of Kunling Mountain present watched her go for a moment. One elder asked in surprise and doubt, “Helping us cover this up only brings her disadvantages and no benefits. Why would she do such a thing?”
Indeed, Grand Envoy Xiang had no intention of reporting the matter of the immortal mansion to the Great Enterprise Department. As soon as she came out, she sought out Kunling Mountain to discuss it, planning to join forces to keep the matter hidden.
Seeing Xiang Lanxuan come out, Kunling Mountain originally felt as if the sky was falling and the earth was splitting apart, mourning as if they had lost their parents. Who would have dreamed in their wildest dreams that Xiang Lanxuan would actually do this? How could they not agree? Naturally, they cooperated with all their might.
Zhao Dengzi said indifferently, “How could she do something that brings her no benefits? She must have obtained some indescribably massive benefits from the immortal mansion. Just wait and see. Perhaps in a few years, another supreme being will emerge to rival those few.” The few people beside him suddenly looked as if they had realised the truth.
Wan Liqiu suddenly said with worry, “I am only worried that she will not be able to keep it hidden from the Great Enterprise Department.”
Zhao Dengzi said, “She is familiar with the operations of the Great Enterprise Department. Since she dares to hide it, she naturally has her own confidence. We just need to cooperate well. Besides, do we even have a choice?” He turned his head to look at the few people and said, “Go ahead. Deal with anyone who should not be kept around.” This meant silencing some disciples of their own sect. The others sighed softly, all feeling a sense of reluctance. After a brief discussion, the few people dispersed, each going about their own tasks.
Qin Fujun, who had been waiting nearby, had put her sect coat back on. Seeing her master appear, she quickly stepped forward to greet him, “Master, I really did not speak out of turn.”
Wan Liqiu immediately raised his hand to stop her, his expression cold and grim. “Girl, you remember this well. That immortal mansion never existed, and nothing related to it ever happened. Do you understand?”
Logically speaking, this disciple’s life should not be spared either, as it had not been easy for him to protect her. Qin Fujun stood there speechless in a daze. She was not stupid and probably realised something…