Chapter 118: Female Yao

　　Qiu Shuang saw Kong Hou come over and pulled her to sit by her side. “We spoil this child, and she is getting worse and worse.”

　　Pentad spirit base talent, Base Building at fourteen—this was called getting worse?

　　Shuang Qing gritted his teeth and forced a smile. “Celestial Kong Hou’s talent is such that not many in the cultivation world can compare. Elder, you are too stringent.”

　　Stringent was a more derisive phrase than strict. It appeared that Spirit Master Shuang Qing still had opinions about being unable to join Splendid Cloud Sect back then. Otherwise, he would not have used such a term. Kong Hou peeked at Elder Qiu Shuang who still looked cold and lazy, as though she did not care what Shuang Qing said.

　　Of course, as one of the top ten cultivators in the entire cultivation world, Elder Qiu Shuang had this confidence.

　　Zhou Xiao, who was sitting next to Shuang Qing, could not hear the emotions in Shuang Qing’s words and gave an honest smile to Kong Hou. Kong Hou nodded slightly at him and stood to pour tea for Qiu Shuang and Shuang Qing.

　　Shuang Qing had predicted all kinds of reactions of Qiu Shuang, but hadn’t expected a complete lack of reaction. It felt as though all the struggles and hard work he had performed in these years were nothing and ineffective. He was so angry he raised the tea cup and poured it into his mouth. But the tea was so hot his tongue was in pain. In order to avoid embarrassing himself, he swallowed it all without even a frown.

　　In front of Qiu Shuang, he was too embarrassed to heal with a minor spell and pretended to look at ease.

　　Qiu Shuang looked at him. Her hand, fingernails painted, flipped, and a bottle of green pills appeared in her palm. She placed the pills in front of Shuang Qing. “Stop trying to bear it. The boiled water came from Splendid Cloud Mountain’s springs and is unlike ordinary water. If you are burned, I do not know how long it will take you to heal without the special medicine of Splendid Cloud Mountain.”

　　Looking at the bottle of medicine, Shuang Qing’s face flushed red. His lips trembled. A long moment later, he said, “Elder Qiu Shuang has such good eyes to see everything.”

　　“Do you know why I was not willing to let you join Splendid Cloud Sect back then?” Elder Qiu Shuang did not mind when she saw him not pick up the medicine bottle. She continued speaking. “You are diligent and work hard, you also have good talent, and that is more than enough to be a disciple of Splendid Cloud Sect. But most disciples of Splendid Cloud Sect are free in their personality, unrestrained in their emotions, and do not care about trifles. That kind of atmosphere did not suit you. If I had kept you back then out of selfishness, it would have buried your talent.”

　　Shuang Qing was not suited to Splendid Cloud Sect, and Splendid Cloud Sect was not suited to Shuang Qing. For a person who cared about good manners and had good control of himself, it would be all right if he stayed a while in Splendid Cloud Sect. If he stayed too long, he might go crazy.

　　“Don’t you think that I do not qualify for Splendid Cloud Sect?” Qiu Shuang easily said the question that had been in his mind for many years, as though all his persistence was a joke.

　　He pushed aside the teacup and medicine bottle in front of him and turned to leave.

　　“Diligent, not concerned about trifles, strategic, and open-minded are all good traits; there is no discrimination between them.” Qiu Shuang took a sip of tea and did not try to keep Shuang Qing. “I have never looked down on you. Right now, you are the sect master of Primary Luck Sect. People in the cultivation world would only say Splendid Cloud Sect has no foresight, and nothing about you. Put down the past.”

　　Shuang Qing paused in his steps. A moment later, he looked back at Qiu Shuang and sneered. “Elder Qiu Shuang thinks too much. I am a master of a sect now and do not have much energy to spare for past events.”

　　Qiu Shuang spun the teacup and said wryly, “That is good. Kong Hou, see Sect Master Shuang Qing off.”

　　“Yes.” Kong Hou walked behind Shuang Qing and bowed. “Sect Master, please.”

　　“Celestial Kong Hou is a pentad spirit base genius of your honored sect. This one is lowly and cannot bear Celestial’s please.” Shuang Qing left, sweeping his sleeves. He did not even step on the bridge that Qiu Shuang had made with spirit energy and flew through the air to Primary Luck Sect’s ship.

　　Zhou Xiao looked embarrassed and he bowed to Kong Hou. “Celestial, please do not be offended. Master has no intentions of targeting you. This one bids farewell.”

　　“Walk slowly.” Kong Hou smiled and did not think much about Shuang Qing’s conduct.

　　As Zhou Xiao turned to leave, he saw a white-robed man nearby. Wasn’t that… Spirit Master Huan Zhong of Radiance Sect? Why was he on Splendid Cloud Sect’s flying palace? He heard that a couple of years ago Splendid Cloud Sect and Radiance Sect were close, but hadn’t thought that an apprentice of Radiance Sect would still be staying at Splendid Cloud Sect before an important conference.

　　He had no time to think. He raised his hands to Huan Zhong and then bowed to Qiu Shuang before returning to the ship. “Master…”

　　“Shut up!” Shuang Qing glared at him. “Go away!”

　　“It is so busy here.” The laughter of a woman traveled on the wind and seemed to come from all directions.

　　Shuang Qing looked around and said to his disciples, “Return to your rooms.”

　　“I have just come. Why are you hiding? Is my voice not pleasing, or am I not beautiful enough?” The laughter of the woman grew more seductive as she said, “A person with this kind of cowardliness can be a good sect master? It seems the cultivation world is in decline. I cannot find many useful people.”

　　“All right, just a fox who lived a thousand years. Who are you pretending for?” Qiu Shuang slapped the table and threw out the teacup. The dense clouds on the left suddenly scattered and revealed the seductive woman leaning against a lotus flower cushion.

　　The lotus flower was a flying talisman that Buddhists liked to use. It represented cleanliness, benevolence, and nobleness. Yet the fox forged a talisman like this. One did not know if this was to humiliate the Buddhist cultivators, or if she simply felt that a talisman like this was good-looking.

　　“I wondered who is so bitter in their words. So it is a woman.” The charming woman sat up from the lotus flower and brushed back her hair. “You orthodox female cultivators are all jealous of my beauty but pretend to be righteous. You are so fake it is nauseating.”

　　“This miss.” Kong Hou coughed and said, “Confidence is good, but it is not good to be too proud. Anyone with eyes can see that our Elder Qiu Shuang is better-looking than you. However, we orthodox sects are generous. If you are happier feeling the elder is jealous of you, then we can allow it.”

　　“Little girl, you should not interrupt this seat from talking.” The charming female yao flipped her hand. A powerful wave of yao energy came over. Qiu Shuang waved her fan and destroyed the yao energy. She slowly stood up. “Little Granddisciple Kong Hou, do you like a fox cape? I will make one for you.”

　　“Elder, foxes have a great odor; this junior doesn’t like it,” Kong Hou said with a smile. “You are great and generous—no need to argue with an animal.”

　　Qiu Shuang waved her fan and said sarcastically, “You are logical.” Then she glanced at Huan Zhong who had flashed next to Kong Hou. Her eyebrows rose slightly but she did not ask.

　　She was able to live to such an old age, have such great cultivation, and still look to be in her twenties because she was not meddlesome.

　　Zhou Xiao swallowed and looked with fear back at Shuang Qing. He whispered, “Master, Elder Qiu Shuang and Celestial Kong Hou were very polite to us just now.” If they had used this manner of cursing without a swear word on Master, Master might have jumped off the flying palace in anger.

　　Shuang Qing’s expression flickered back and forth. He glared at Zhou Xiao but didn’t speak.

　　The charming woman was disheveled by Qiu Shuang’s fan attack, her hairpins in disarray, and unable to put on the appearance of indolence any longer. She took her talisman and stood up. When she was about to attack, her gaze landed on Huan Zhong who was next to Kong Hou.

　　“It’s you.” She looked with hate and anger at Huan Zhong. She suddenly laughed and said, “All without effort. I had not expected you to be here. Zhong Xi, I will repay the humiliation you gave me a century ago with even more.”

　　Zhong Xi?!

　　The cultivators who didn’t know Huan Zhong’s true identity looked in shock at Huan Zhong. He was Spirit Master Zhong Xi?

　　“Oh, mother.” Jin Ling, who had been hiding in the corner, heard the words “Zhong Xi” and couldn’t help but peek at Huan Zhong. She sighed repeatedly. If she had known that he was Spirit Master Zhong Xi, even if he did not know how to live and fed spirit grasses worth several hundred spirit stones to horses, she would not have looked down on him.

　　This physique, these legs, this presence—all were unlike ordinary sword cultivators’. As expected of Spirit Master Zhong Xi.

　　Kong Hou heard something different from the female yao and looked back at Huan Zhong. Huan Zhong hurriedly explained, “I do not know her!”

　　“Do not know?” The female yao‘s smile grew cold. “Back then in the secret realm, I followed you all the way. What did you do? You saw me fall into a cold pond, and then turned to leave. I have never met another man as ruthless as you in my lifetime.”

　　Huan Zhong had no impression of what the female yao said. He said emotionlessly, “This one has no memory of such a matter. If you had such cultivation then, even if you fell into a pond, you could climb out—why would you need other people’s aid?”

　　“Tsk.” Ling Hui, who was listening at the side, said to Wu Chuan, “Wu Chuan Shixiong, I finally know why Spirit Master Zhong Xi still has no partner even as good-looking and powerful as he is. Seeing a beauty fall into water, he can leave without hesitation. We do not have such strength.”

　　Wu Chuan wanted to speak but chose silence in the end.

　　No, actually Spirit Master Zhong Xi was already not single. The one who had saved him was our little shimei.

　　“Good, good, good.” The female yao became furious. “A century ago, West Mountain Secret Realm—you really do not remember?”

　　Huan Zhong frowned. “You are the yao who followed me and attempted to steal the treasure? I pitied you as cultivation is not easy and spared your life. Yet you harbor hatred?” He spread his hand and the Dragon Roar sword appeared in his palm.

　　This evil yao was full of fiendish energy and had numerous lives on her hands. It was better to kill her early.

　　The other cultivators: “…”

　　They did not know whether to pity the female yao or Spirit Master Zhong Xi.

　　In the corner, Jin Ling shook her head. No, no, even if this was Spirit Master Zhong Xi, she could not accept someone who could not understand the mood.

　　“Maybe she didn’t want the secret treasure, but you,” Kong Hou whispered by Huan Zhong’s ear. “Huan Zhong, weren’t you so beautiful back then?”

　　“You are correct. This yao has blood energy on her. She must be in the habit of eating people,” Huan Zhong said coldly. “I should not have spared her back then.”

　　“Back then, you were just a two centuries old cultivator. You want to kill me?” The female yao smiled coldly. “Zhong Xi, today I will dig out your heart and see what it looks like…”

　　“Wait!” Kong Hou interrupted the female yao. “Miss, you feel you alone can defeat all of us?”

　　“Of course not. Who says I am alone?” The female yao raised her hand slightly and countless evil cultivators appeared out of the thick mist behind her. “With me present, do not think you will reach Radiance Sect.”

　　Kong Hou couldn’t help but cover her face. She finally knew why the yao fell in love with orthodox disciples so easily.

　　These evil cultivators were really so casual in their appearance.