Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 358 - 301 Shuying, You Have to Take Responsibility for Me_1

Chapter 358: Chapter 301 Shuying, You Have to Take Responsibility for Me_1

When Xue Yunrou fired the second Crimson Thunderbolt, blowing another massive hole in the already damaged ship in the sky, Li Xuan couldn’t suppress his hunger any longer. He took out a bottle of elixir from his Sumi Ring and poured it into his mouth.

This was the ’Marching Pill’ made by the Daoist, which could replace food and satiate hunger.

Yet after downing a hundred Marching Pills, Li Xuan still felt famished. He could only ask Zhang Shenye next to him, "Is there any food here? Can you have some brought over quickly? I’m not picky. Anything edible will do."

Li Xuan felt that at this moment, even if a dragon were in front of him, he could swallow it whole.

Zhang Shenye looked doubtful, but still had food brought over from the kitchen.

Spell cultivators at the Fourth-Floor Territory could go for half a month without food or water, sustained merely by the intake of the wind and the dew. But in and out of Shangqing Palace, there were tens of thousands of Zhang clan members, Taoist boys, and outside disciples. They also had to provide for the lodging pilgrims, so the scale of the Shangqing Palace kitchen was quite large.

And the incident yesterday happened suddenly, so there were still a lot of prepared food left over. Although it was from the previous night, it was still edible.

So when Zhang Guanlan fled far away, and Ao Shuying and Xue Yunrou gradually descended to the ground, they saw Li Xuan devouring a cold whole-roasted pig without any manners.

He finished off the entire pig, bones and all, in less than half a teacup’s worth of time and then picked up another one.

Seeing this, Ao Shuying couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows slightly, her gaze revealing a hint of admiration. She thought to herself, not bad. Even though he’s a human, he can eat a lot, and he is no less than her in that respect.

Xue Yunrou, however, looked perplexed as she turned to Zhang Shenye, "What’s this about?"

"The Earl Jingan likely needs food to replenish his Yuan Qi. Not for himself, but for something external that his life depends on," Zhang Shenye explained.

Zhang Shenye had all the disciples nearby leave, then put his hands behind his back and stared intently at Li Xuan, "I sensed the power of Taotie from him, but it was somewhat different. And there’s another odd thing. I felt part of Li Zhetian’s essence and soul were forcefully absorbed by Earl Jingan.

"Additionally, all those who died at the hands of Earl Jingan had their Shenpo completely wiped out. What I mean is, there isn’t a single trace of their residual spirit left. I guess they might have been devoured by that external thing."

"An external thing? Taotie?" Xue Yunrou knitted her brows in a perplexed manner, but then she suddenly went rigid.

Li Xuan, who was feasting voraciously, also momentarily paused, his expression shifting.

Upon hearing ’Taotie’, he was reminded of the two immortal treasures he had seen in Emperor Tai of Jin’s tomb.

"Eating this stuff won’t solve the problem."

Zhang Shenye shook his head and then offered Li Xuan a pill bottle, "Take this. Eating the contents of this bottle should suffice."

Without thinking further, Li Xuan took it and guzzled it down. After a little while, the hunger welling up from his core started to subside.

"What is this? It’s rather tasty," Li Xuan smacked his lips. The item was a bit greasy but it tasted very good.

"Jiuyou Oil, produced from the depths of three thousand zhang below the Earth in Jiuyou territory. It’s said to be the essence of the Flame Stone. It tastes fine, but ordinary people can’t tolerate it. It can be used directly as puppet fuel. The people of the Mohist School use it frequently. We Daoists only dare to use it when we need to cultivate some spells that require immense Yuan Qi."

While Zhang Shenye was talking, he handed a few more identical pill bottles to Li Xuan, "Always carry a few more bottles. Since that thing is tied to your life, situations like this probably won’t be rare in the future."

He hesitated briefly, then asked, "I wonder if the Earl Jingan would find it convenient to inform me what the extraordinary instrument related to your life is?"

"Well..." Li Xuan wasn’t sure if Zhang Shenye could be trusted. He immediately recalled, however, his battle with Yu Yanjun that day had been witnessed by many individuals outside the tomb. If someone was interested, they could easily inquire and find out the truth.

Also, as the head of Longhu Mountain, Zhang Shenye surely had no shortage of immortal treasures. Thus, Li Xuan lowered his guard and sent a string of words directly into Zhang Shenye’s ear.

Even though there was no one else present, Li Xuan remained extremely cautious.

"Is that so? You are indeed fortunate." Zhang Shenye’s expression and eyes changed subtly after hearing Li Xuan’s words.

The Heavenly Master pondered for a moment, then responded in a hushed tone, "In that case, Earl Jingan, you’ll need to be careful. The Taotie is a ferocious beast known to devour its owner. I guess the beast’s essence and soul embedded in that instrument is likely to be that of a pure-blooded ’Taotie’. As for the ’Wuqu Pojun’, I guess the main gods Emperor Tai of Jin used to refine this instrument were Lan Yu and Fu Youde.

"Both of them were divine generals during the founding of the Jin Dynasty, their merits unparalleled. They were both forced to their deaths by the Great Ancestor, dying full of resentment. Their resentment, hardly dissipated over the centuries, is hard to suppress without a strong divine consciousness and exceptional fate."

Zhang Shenye paused, "It’d be best to seek out Jiang Yunqi and have him examine it for you. It is indeed an immortal treasure, but also a weapon of harm. Earl Jingan, it would be wise for you to take precautions in advance. Later, I will have a few items sent to you that should strengthen your control over this instrument."

Actually, Zhang Shenye could help Li Xuan suppress the magical instrument phenomenom, but he was severely injured at this point and found it difficult just to stand here. Without a long period of recovery to gather five chi and restore the three flowers, it was impossible for him.

Though Jiang Yunqi might not be particularly adept in the field of magical instruments and arrays, Zhang Shenye knew of the importance of these two immortal treasures. Except for Jiang Yunqi, Li Xuan would probably not dare to disclose this matter to anyone else.

Following this, hustle and bustle commenced inside and outside of the Tianshi’s mansion.

Despite Zhang Guanlan’s defeat, there remained much cleaning up to do in and around Tianshi’s mansion. Wounded individuals needed to be treated, the bodies of dead disciples had to be collected, the pilgrims had to be comforted, and the ruins had to be cleaned up, among other tasks.

Ao Shuying, however, decided to take her leave at this point. She had originally come here out of concern for Li Xuan, fearing he might be in danger. Since the crisis at Longhu Mountain had been resolved, she felt at ease and decided to depart.

Zhang Shenye was too incapacitated to move, so Xue Yunrou and Li Xuan accompanied Ao Shuying’s departure from Longhu Mountain together.

However, they had barely reached the foot of the mountain when Ao Shuying asked Xue Yunrou, "Miss Xue, could you please go ahead? I have something I want to discuss with Li Xuan privately."

Xue Yunrou was utterly reluctant and somewhat wary, but Ao Shuying was their benefactor, the savior of their entire family and Tianshi’s mansion. Xue Yunrou realised she could not deny Shuying this request.

So, giving Li Xuan a warning glance, she reluctantly withdrew, looking back over her shoulder every three steps as she departed.

"Throughout today, I’ve been waiting for a chance to talk to you privately."

Ao Shuying first bowed to Li Xuan. "Allow me to first offer my gratitude for your aid at the bottom of Poyang Lake," she said.

Li Xuan hastily waved his hand, feeling he did not deserve her gratitude. "If you are talking about the evil Yinsha, that was not my doing. You may be thanking the wrong person, Lord."

"Call me Shuying," Ao Shuying interrupted him, shaking her head. "I know it was Princess Changle. But the Jin Royal Family already owes me, and her absorption of the evil energy was voluntary, not intentional. You not only brought her to me, but you also ended up bearing the consequences of her actions. Therefore I will only remember this favor from you, Qianzhi."

She then solemnly handed Li Xuan a piece of black-red dragon scale. "This is a dragon scale imbued with my blood. If you ever encounter a powerful enemy or need my assistance, you can smear your blood on it. I’ll sense it, even from a thousand miles away. If you crush it, I can immediately come to your aid in my manifestation form possessing seventy percent of my power. However, make sure this dragon scale does not fall into the wrong hands or be seen by others."

Li Xuan did not take it right away, instead giving a bitter smile. "I should be the one thanking you for your help today, my Lord."

Ao Shuying only laughed. "That doesn’t count. Today, my battle with Zhang Guanlan involved a debt owed to me by Longhu Mountain. Longhu Mountain is the rightful ancestral home of Taoism. This favor is actually very beneficial to me.

Take it. Even in peace times, this object can be beneficial to you. The jurisdiction of Immortal Master Shuide, a title bestowed upon me by the court, extends beyond the Yangtze River and includes all waterways. When you are within the territory of Jin State, you can borrow power from me wherever there is a water system.

Li Xuan, your life is unusual, and you love to meddle in others’ affairs, so you will inevitably face numerous strong enemies and dangers in the future. If not for yourself, think about your family and your loved ones. Be prepared."

Li Xuan reasoned that she was right. Ever since he crossed worlds a few months ago, he had faced numerous crises, so he decided to accept her help and concealed the dragon scale in his sleeve.

By this point, he could see Ao Zhihui in the distance and the Red Thunder Chariot hovering in the air. This Poyang Dragon Lord did not depart but instead waited patiently.

Li Xuan halted as well, then, with a solemn expression, asked, "Shuying, tell me what exactly happened last night when we were in your bed."

"Last night?"

Ao Shuying was nearly choked by her own saliva. Remembering the ’taste’ of Li Xuan from last night and how she almost didn’t know how many times she had licked him throughout the night, her face turned crimson. She almost regretted sending Xue Yunrou away.

Should she admit that she licked Li Xuan all night?

All she managed to do was cough lightly and stammer, "Ahem. Nothing... nothing happened last night! That Yangzhou Dragon King who pulled that prank and put you in my bed was punished by me with 100 lashes—"

"How you choose to punish Ao Gun is completely up to you and has nothing to do with me."

Li Xuan looked at her with a serious expression, his eyebrows furrowed. "So, nothing really happened? That’s not right. When I woke up, I found myself all sticky and wet. It was strange. I was thinking, if you did do something to me, Shuying, then you should take responsibility for it."

In fact, Li Xuan knew he had been treated like a lollipop, but he was still not pleased about being licked all night, so he decided to tease the Dragon Lord a bit.

He had said before that he would get revenge on this troublemaker.

Upon hearing his comments, Ao Shuying blushed furiously. "Wha...what responsibility? I didn’t do anything! You’re so annoying! I’m not playing your games."

Without another word, she transformed into her dragon form and flew off.

Li Xuan was taken aback. He had only intended to joke with her, but he hadn’t expected the Dragon Lord to be so flustered. His interest was now piqued, and he called after her. "Shuying, wait! We need to clarify what you did to me last night. As the ruler of the Yangtze River, how can you lack such accountability? Remember, ’He who doesn’t avenge his wrongs isn’t a gentleman.’ Whatever you did to me, I’ll pay you back—"

Ao Shuying didn’t dare to answer. As she flew past Ao Zhihui, she yelled, "What are you looking at? Move!"

Ao Zhihui finally snapped out of his daze, but not before giving Li Xuan an awed look. His brother-in-law had actually managed to make Ao Shuying blush and flee in embarrassment. This man deserved respect. Ao Zhihui decided that he needed to get closer to them in the future.

And that dragon scale was probably an expression of Ao Shuying’s affection for Li Xuan, right?

He then gave an amiable fist-and-palm salute to Li Xuan before transforming into a gigantic golden dragon and taking off after Ao Shuying.