“Good news?” Ye Qiu perked up at once. “Have you heard something about my father?”
“No.” Long-browed Daoist shook his head.
Ye Qiu’s excitement faded. “Then what’s the good news?”
Long-browed Daoist lowered his voice. “While you and Yun Xi were gone, this poor Daoist chatted up the Azure Cloud disciples and found out that Yun Xi’s status is no small matter.”
“Little brat, care to guess her true identity?”
Ye Qiu replied, “Her father is the current sect master of Azure Cloud Sword Sect.”
“How did you know?” Long-browed Daoist was flabbergasted.
Ye Qiu said, “Xi’er is already my woman. She told me everything about her background.”
“Bloody hell, DaNiao was right. You two really went off to make babies.” Long-browed Daoist beamed. “Little brat, now that you’re with Yun Xi and her father runs the top sect in the Eastern Desolation, you’ve landed yourself a mighty backer.”
“With your father-in-law watching your back, we’ll never have to fear the Yin-Yang Sect or the three holy lands again.”
“Little brat, you’re eating the softest rice in history.”
“Soft rice my arse!” Ye Qiu was not pleased at all. “Xi’er is the treasure of her father’s heart. The moment he learns about us, he’ll mince me into paste.”
“What’s there to be scared of?” Long-browed Daoist scoffed. “The rice is already cooked. As long as Yun Xi is dead set on you, her father can rage all he likes, but it won’t change a thing.”
“When you meet him, just be polite, sweet-talk him a bit, and who knows, he might even approve the marriage.”
“Become the son-in-law of Azure Cloud Sword Sect and your future will be golden.”
Ye Qiu remained pessimistic. Being a son-in-law was tough enough these days, never mind the son-in-law of Azure Cloud Sword Sect.
If Azure Cloud were a mortal clan, it would be the pinnacle aristocratic family. Marrying their precious daughter was no simple task.
Ye Qiu muttered, “As long as her father doesn’t kill me, I’ll count myself lucky.”
“Little brat, you worry too much. If he dares lay a finger on you, I guarantee Yun Xi will threaten to die for you. Just watch.” Long-browed Daoist sized Ye Qiu up and sighed. “Sometimes you have to admit, being handsome really does make girls fall for you.”
“If I get another life, I want to be reborn good-looking.”
“You?” Ye Qiu shot him a contemptuous glance. “Even if you reincarnated, you’d never be handsome.”
“Good looks are in the genes.”
“You’re just too ugly!”
Long-browed Daoist exploded. “A dog’s mouth can’t spit ivory!”
Ye Qiu laughed, glanced around, and asked, “Where’s Wu Qianfan? Did he wake up? I don’t see him.”
Long-browed Daoist answered, “The kid woke up, heard the whole story, then bolted off without a word. I asked where he was going, but he wouldn’t say. Didn’t even thank us once.”
“Little brat, I’m telling you, you need to keep a tighter leash on Wu Qianfan from now on.”
“That ungrateful bastard.”
Ye Qiu frowned, thinking, “He didn’t go after Wu Hua for revenge, did he? If so, the kid’s probably still in danger.”
“Damn it, this servant of mine is nothing but trouble!”
Just then, the barbecue was ready.
“Little brat, come on, let’s taste some Thousand-Li Scarlet. I’ve lived this long and eaten every delicacy under the sun, but never demon beast meat.”
The two rejoined the crowd and tucked into roasted snake together.
Though the Thousand-Li Scarlet was a demon beast, its flesh was silky and exquisite. Having reached peak Dongtian realm, eating it made everyone feel heat flood their bodies, their blood roaring, their cultivation slowly climbing.
The Azure Cloud disciples produced fine wine brewed from spiritual springs and shared it with Ye Qiu’s group.
Now that they knew Yun Xi was with Ye Qiu, they treated him with utmost respect.
“Little brat, the Azure Cloud brothers are so generous. You can’t be stingy. Bring out some beer for them to try,” Long-browed Daoist urged.
Ye Qiu produced dozens of cases of beer in one go and handed cola to the female disciples as well.
These cultivators had never seen secular-world drinks. After tasting beer and cola, they all raved about how good they were.
Everyone sat around the fire, tearing into huge chunks of meat, gulping down drinks, utterly carefree and merry, exactly like a New Year reunion feast.
Ye Qiu sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Yun Xi. Quietly he pulled a bottle of yoghurt from his Qiankun pouch and passed it to her. “Try this.”
Yun Xi took a delicate sip, her eyes sparkling. She then drank a big mouthful.
“Nice, right?” Ye Qiu asked with a smile.
“Mhm, really good.” Yun Xi leaned to his ear and whispered, “But I still prefer the salty kind, heehee~”
Ye Qiu grinned wickedly. “If you like it salty, next time I’ll let you drink until you’re full.”
“Annoying!” Yun Xi gave him a flirtatious glare.
Long-browed Daoist and Lin DaNiao were clinking cups with the Azure Cloud disciples nonstop. Long-browed Daoist even taught them drinking games. Everyone was having a blast.
“Big brother, a toast to you.” Mo Tianji approached and raised his cup.
“Tianji, in the secular world, kids your age aren’t allowed to drink,” Ye Qiu teased. They shared a smile and drained their cups.
Mo Tianji glanced back at Long-browed Daoist, who was mingling with the disciples like an old playful child, and said enviously, “I really admire Master. If I ever reach his age, I hope I can be that carefree too.”
Ye Qiu noticed the shadow on Mo Tianji’s face and comforted him. “Tianji, don’t worry. I’ll exhaust every means to help you.”
“If fate is decreed by heaven, then we’ll overturn heaven itself!”
“But life comes only once. You have to stay strong and never give up.”
Mo Tianji said gratefully, “Thank you, big brother. I won’t give up.”
Ye Qiu laughed heartily. “That’s the spirit. Young people should always believe hope lies ahead.”
Mo Tianji nodded firmly.
Suddenly, Long-browed Daoist stumbled over, clearly drunk. “Little brat, let me show you something amazing.”
He pulled out a red bead roughly the size of a baby’s fist. It was smooth, perfectly round, and glowing crimson, exactly like a spirit pearl.
“Little brat, guess what this is?” Long-browed Daoist asked.
“It’s the demon core of the Thousand-Li Scarlet,” Yun Xi recognised instantly. “A demon beast core can be refined into top-grade spiritual medicine.”
Ye Qiu’s eyes lit up. “Old man, hurry and give me that core.”
But before the words left his mouth, Long-browed Daoist shoved the demon core straight into his own mouth. In the next second, everything changed!
