AUOF - 64

Sang Li didn’t want to linger too long and cause trouble for the Spirit Race, so she quietly left Phoenix Hollow before dawn.

Now, she wasn’t sure where to go.

Yan Jinglou was hunting her relentlessly. Apart from the Upper Heavens, neither the mortal realm nor the cultivation world was safe. However, her training wasn’t complete yet, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to return to Gui Xu for refuge just yet. After much deliberation, Sang Li decided to first head to Huashan City to complete her sect training; then she could consider other matters.

As she emerged from the Chaohuang Tree, she looked around nervously, fearing that Yan Jinglou might have people lying in wait here.

Fortunately, after some investigation, nothing unusual was detected, which allowed her to relax slightly as she stepped out of the array.

Sang Li wasn’t afraid of Yan Jinglou showing up either.

She had already instructed Qu You. Now, with the added protection of the Liuyan Pearl, no matter how many troops he sent, they wouldn’t be able to breach the secret array of the Spirit Race.

All things considered, she was still the one who ended up suffering the most.

Just as she was about to leave, a pebble struck her back—not too hard, not too soft.

She tensed up like she was facing a great enemy, secretly gripping her Huagu Ling, but there was no one behind her.

“Look up.”

The sudden voice made Sang Li pause, prompting her to look up immediately.

Ji Hengyu sat on a thick tree branch, his neck slightly bowed, strands of hair falling over his shoulders. His eyes shimmered with a light, and a smile played at his lips, exuding a youthful and carefree air that Sang Li had never seen before.

She wasn’t enchanted by it.

On the contrary, her heart nearly stopped.

Why was Ji Hengyu here? Hadn’t he returned to Gui Xu?

...Could it be that he saw her coming out of the Chaohuang Tree?

The people of the Spirit Race were all very enthusiastic. She had left while everyone was asleep to avoid an elaborate farewell, but she never expected Ji Hengyu to show up. How did he find her? Was it because of that soul strand?

Sang Li’s face alternated between pale and flushed, much to Ji Wu’s amusement.

[This little fox doesn’t want to see you at all.]

Ji Hengyu gradually retracted his smile.

[Hahahaha, you’ve changed outfits multiple times, but she clearly doesn’t want to see you! Hahahaha, it’s like a toad trying to dress up—it’s all for nothing.]

Ji Hengyu: “...”

Indeed.

After realizing his feelings, Ji Hengyu started paying attention to his appearance. Bored while waiting, and not knowing when Sang Li would appear, he changed his outfit every hour, even hanging a sachet he usually didn’t use.

He leapt in front of Sang Li, his gaze sharp.

Sang Li nervously increased the distance between them. Her retreat caused Ji Hengyu’s brows to furrow.

“My lord, why are you here?” Sang Li looked around, asking nervously.

Ji Hengyu’s tone was solemn: “I said I would come find you.”

“...”

Sang Li felt something was off.

She twitched her nose and caught a whiff of a faint fragrance. It smelled nice, but compared to his usual scent, this manufactured fragrance seemed too strong and didn’t suit his demeanor.

Her gaze lowered, noticing a delicate circular sachet hanging from his waist, the source of the fragrance.

“My lord, you should put this away,” Sang Li pointed to the item on his waist, kindly reminding him. “Phoenix Hollow is different from the Upper Heavens; there are many insects. Even if they can’t harm you, having them buzz around constantly would be annoying.”

She explained earnestly. Ji Wu couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into laughter.

The mocking, frenzied laughter filled their minds, causing even the sea of consciousness to ripple.

His spine straightened, silent, but his hands by his sides clenched slightly.

Ji Hengyu removed the sachet and silently put it away.

She cautiously probed: “My lord, when did you arrive?”

Ji Hengyu paused briefly: “Just now.”

“Oh.” Sang Li’s eyes wandered nervously. “So, did you... see anything?”

Ji Hengyu raised an eyebrow, countering: “What should I have seen?”

“No, no, no! I was just asking casually! My lord, please don’t misunderstand.”

Sang Li sighed in relief.

If Ji Hengyu said so, then he definitely hadn’t noticed anything.

Feeling more at ease, she remembered that the villagers had stuffed her pockets with lots of delicious treats last night—things unseen in the outside world. She opened her storage bag and handed a large handful of fruits to Ji Hengyu.

“Actually, I met a few fellow villagers. They gave me these hometown fruits before leaving. My lord, try them.”

The fruits were small, bite-sized.

They were reddish in color, resembling cherries but sweeter with more juice. They were rich in spiritual essence and had skin-nourishing benefits.

Ji Hengyu’s hands were large. The amount she held in both hands was completely covered by one of his palms.

Ji Hengyu fell silent, staring at the fruits.

Thinking he might be disdainful, Sang Li explained: “These are mulberries. Only our hometown folks can grow them. My lord, rest assured, they’re very clean.”

“Mulberries?” He suddenly lifted his eyes, his deep gaze flickering.

For some reason, Sang Li felt her face heat up under his stare. “Their full name is Sang Sang fruit. They’re very tasty...” Her voice trailed off.

“Oh.” Ji Hengyu casually picked up a fruit and ate it, his expression natural, as if the fleeting flicker in his eyes earlier was just an illusion.

“How does it taste?”

He was focused on eating the mulberry, his lips stained with crimson juice, making his jade-like face even more luxurious and cold. “Not bad.”

For Ji Hengyu, “not bad” meant he liked it.

Sang Li brightened up. “My lord, if you like them, I’ll give you all the ones in my pocket.”

Ji Hengyu shook his head. “It’s fine; these are enough.”

“Oh.” Sang Li pinched her storage bag, which was filled with many fruits. If Ji Hengyu liked them, she could always share more later.

“My lord...”

Before Sang Li could finish, Ji Hengyu interrupted calmly: “This isn’t Gui Xu. Just call me by my name.”

Sang Li swallowed her words mid-sentence and, with some awkwardness, called out, “Ji Hengyu…”

He didn’t respond, as if lost in thought. He said, “Everyone in the six realms knows my name well; calling me by it directly isn’t appropriate either.”

“…?”

What did he want, exactly?

Sang Li’s eyes were filled with confusion.

After serious deliberation, Ji Hengyu stated solemnly, “Since we’re in the lower realms, I’ll call you Sang Sang, and you can… address me as Ziheng.”

Ziheng was Ji Hengyu’s courtesy name.

Sang Li had only heard Wuyan Zhaoxu True Lord address him this way.

Their statuses weren’t equal to begin with, let alone such an intimate form of address. Even though Ji Hengyu had suggested it, she didn’t dare use it.

Moreover…

Ji Hengyu wasn’t the type to casually allow others to call him by his courtesy name.

There was only one possibility—

Was Ji Hengyu… pursuing her?

“Lord…” Sang Li silently swallowed the word “My lord” that was about to slip out, “Ji Hengyu, I’ve already said I want to wait until matters are resolved before considering our relationship. You… please don’t be overly familiar.”

She forced herself to finish those four words.

Head bowed, she quietly fidgeted with her fingers.

The smile on Ji Hengyu’s lips gradually faded. “I understand.”

“Then why—”

“It’s just a name. Is even that not allowed?”

His voice was as cold as winter water, carrying a loneliness she’d never heard before.

Startled for a moment, she couldn’t help but look over at him.

Ji Hengyu’s gaze had never left her from start to finish.

He had a pair of beautiful brows and eyes, so exquisite they seemed meticulously crafted by the heavens. Yet they concealed too many thoughts—thoughts that were obscure and dark, rarely seeing the light, shrouding his pupils like mist.

Even when deeply gazing at someone, it felt as though there was a galactic distance between them.

Sang Li opened her mouth and finally called out—

“Ziheng.” Reluctantly, as if coerced.

“Sang Sang.” He was calm, composed, and straightforward, as if it were merely a name, a designation.

However, when Ji Hengyu softly called her “Sang Sang” in his unique tone, a subtle emotion stirred within her, making her stiffen involuntarily for half a moment.

“So, My Lord, what task have you come to assign me?”

Ji Hengyu handled myriad affairs daily. Surely, he hadn’t traveled all this way just to make her change how she addressed him?

Ji Hengyu took out a bag: “Earlier, out of boredom, I happened to exterminate the surrounding demons. There are a hundred demon cores here, which should suffice for your mission. With this, you can follow me back to Gui Xu and undergo the initiation rites of Fumo Palace.”

Sang Li’s expression darkened.

Unhurriedly, Ji Hengyu continued, “If you’re unwilling, then I’ll accompany you back to Huashan City to oversee your mission completion, and then proceed to Xiaozhong Mountain to investigate that… Mrs. Something.” Ji Hengyu really couldn’t remember her name.

When mentioning Cui Wanning, his tone was clearly perfunctory.

Her dim eyes suddenly brightened, “Two! I choose the second option, but why do you want to follow me, My Lord?”

Ji Hengyu replied, “That Mrs. Something is connected to Yan Jinglou. The situation is peculiar. To prevent Yan Jinglou from doing anything detrimental to the Upper Heavens, it’s necessary to personally investigate.”

Ji Hengyu wasn’t surprised by her choice but still tossed the bag containing the demon cores to her: “Whether you keep them or sell them is up to you.”

Sang Li held the fully packed bag of demon cores, her thoughts complex: “I cannot accept unearned favors, My Lord… Ziheng, you should take this back.”

Such a large bag of demon cores, whether used personally or sold, constituted a considerable gain.

Though tempted, as the saying goes, accepting favors makes one obligated. She was just a young disciple with nothing to repay him with.

Obediently, Sang Li placed the bag back into Ji Hengyu’s hands.

His eyelashes drooped, his expression unchanged, yet a faint chill seeped through.

Seeing this, Sang Li felt alarmed, “Or… perhaps when I officially join, you could increase my stipend?”

Ji Hengyu glanced at her askance: “Do you know what this is called?”

Sang Li: “What?”

Ji Hengyu: “It’s called pulling strings.”

Sang Li was momentarily stuck: “But you just…”

Ji Hengyu put away the bag: “Giving you something is my personal action; increasing your stipend would be using my official position for personal gain. These are not the same.”

“…”

Alright.

He certainly knew how to talk.

Seeing Sang Li rendered speechless with a red face and flushed neck, Ji Hengyu’s expression finally softened somewhat.

Casually, he crushed the bag of demon cores into powder, scattering it as fine dust in the air, causing Sang Li’s heart to ache: “My Lord, isn’t this wasteful?”

The man was indifferent: “To me, these are useless things. If you don’t want them, naturally they should be discarded.”

He walked away, noticing Sang Li still gazing sorrowfully at the ground covered in dust, and raised an eyebrow to urge her: “Aren’t you going to hurry?”

Sang Li trailed after him listlessly.

Her dejected appearance resembled a rain-soaked cotton flower—soft-bodied and heavy-footed.

Finally, a smile touched Ji Hengyu’s eyes. He opened his palm, and an identical bag appeared in his hand, “One last time, do you want it or not?”

Sang Li stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

No longer coy, she solemnly accepted the bag with both hands and bowed deeply to Ji Hengyu: “Thank you, My Lord. When I sell it for money, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

A low chuckle came from above. He fanned himself, walking away step by step.

Sang Li hurried to catch up. Having received the gift, her steps became lively, bouncing around. Her silhouette faintly resembled a fox frolicking in the fields.

Though Phoenix Hollow was now desolate, its scenery remained stunning.

Phoenix trees bloomed brilliantly across the sky, resembling wheat fields growing beneath the clouds.

She darted among them, her emerald figure startling amidst the shadows of the phoenix trees.

Ji Hengyu halted suddenly, unmoving.

Far away in Gui Xu, Ji Xun felt a sharp pain pierce his heart.

Not obvious, but very acute. The next instant brought an indescribable sense of sourness and oppression. That oppressive feeling filled his heart, making him want to vomit out the discomfort.

Unable to control himself while working at his desk, he pressed hard with his elbow, actually crushing the desk made of phoenix wood.

Scrolls mixed with wood chips scattered all over the floor.

The brush in his fingertips hadn’t been set down in time. Ink dripped along his thumb, spreading a large stain on his silver-white sleeve.

He clutched the front of his robe, trembling unconsciously.

[So… no more confessing feelings?]

Ji Wu sensed something amiss, setting aside his previous mockery, his tone tinged with nervousness.

Ji Hengyu shook his head slightly, “No more.”

[Why?]

Ji Hengyu remained silent, spotting auspicious clouds spreading, a celestial phoenix riding the clouds, elegantly landing on a phoenix tree to drink the fresh dew.

He gazed deeply at the phoenix for a long time, his eyes gradually clearing: “Plant a phoenix tree, and the phoenix will naturally come.”

[?? ??]

“You wouldn’t understand.” Ji Hengyu left these cryptic three words, folded his fan, and followed after.

Ji Wu: [?]

How could he… not understand?

He wasn’t an idiot!!!