Love & Redemption
Chapter 248: The Final Volume: I am Liuli - Seven: Divine Witch (Part One)

Chapter 248: The Final Volume: I am Liuli - Seven: Divine Witch (Part One)

This is the Heavenly Emperor Mansion at the top of Kunlun Mountain, the sacred palace guarded by the gods.

Xuanji took two steps forward, slightly dazzled by the mist-hidden exotic flowers in front of her eyes, unsure of which direction to go. Liu Yihuan tugged at her sleeve and pointed towards the distant sky, whispering, "Do you see that over there?"

Looking up, Xuanji saw clouds billowing and mists swirling, with a majestic and beautiful palace faintly appearing in the sky. She felt somewhat emotional—it was no wonder Tengshe had said that the Lower Realm’s scenery was nothing to speak of. Indeed, any landscape from the mortal world would become rubbish and rot upon reaching this place.

"Let’s head over there. If the Heavenly Emperor visits Kunlun Mountain for leisure, he must be staying there."

Although Liu Yihuan said this, the palace was floating far in the air, and heaven only knew where there might be a path leading up to it. The two walked for a while, but the palace still hung in the distance, as enticing as it was unreachable.

Liu Yihuan mused, "The last time I came here, it wasn’t like this. By now, we should have seen the path that leads up, with the Heavenly Ladder that goes straight to Heaven. Strange, I haven’t taken the wrong path..."

He searched around for a long time, unable to find the way he had previously taken, growing frantic. He dashed around aimlessly, and upon seeing higher ground, he would climb up. Finally reaching the top of a rise, he saw it was planted with all kinds of flowers and trees, all of which were species he had never seen and could not even name. The myriad of colors dazzled the eyes.

The edge of the flowering woods bordered a clear, azure-blue lake, with tall mountains towering on the opposite shore and beautiful peaks reaching for the sky. A breeze blew gently over the open lake, bringing with it a faint, sweet fragrance that refreshed the spirit and delighted the mind.

Both were seeing such a breathtaking scene for the first time and found it hard to tear their gaze away.

Unable to help herself, Xuanji walked forward two steps and reached out to touch the flowers that looked too beautiful to be real. Suddenly, she felt a jolt in her heart, as if she had sensed something—a very familiar sensation. There was something... not far away!

"Little Xuanji?" Liu Yihuan saw her look troubled and couldn’t help but ask.

Xuanji frowned and said, "I... I think I feel Tengshe! He’s nearby."

Tengshe was her spiritual beast, and she had taken his presence for granted until he was gone—only then did she realize something important was missing. The sense of familiarity that suddenly filled her heart could only be Tengshe; there was no second guess about it. This was the unique connection between a spiritual beast and its master, indescribable to outsiders.

"There... over there." Xuanji pointed in a certain direction and started running. Liu Yihuan called out to her several times, but she ignored him, and with no other options, he had no choice but to follow her.

They ran along the edge of the flowering woods, racing around the lake, until they suddenly saw an open space ahead. A large, fluffy creature was slowly using a hoe on the ground. Upon seeing this creature, both came to a hasty halt.

Liu Yihuan noted that the creature was as tall as three men, and although it had a human body, it was covered all over in yellow and black fur, wearing only a ridiculously simple sackcloth skirt around its waist. From behind, its head was huge and didn’t look human at all—more like a wild beast. He whispered, "This thing... it’s probably not friendly; let’s be careful."

No sooner had he finished speaking when a deep, resonant voice said, "What impudence, to dare malign Lu Wu, the great immortal, in such a manner!"

The two got a big scare and saw the creature drop its hoe and turn around, indeed having a human body but the head of a tiger. Its eyes shone with a golden light as it stared steadily at them, baring sharp fangs and displaying a ferocious visage.

"Who are you? Who gave you the audacity to run wild on Kunlun Mountain?" Lu Wu demanded with a threatening presence.

"A tiger spirit!" Xuanji was utterly astonished—tigers could become spirits and actually became immortals on Kunlun Mountain!

Liu Yihuan coughed and whispered close to her ear, "This is not a tiger spirit; his name is Lu Wu, an immortal specially tasked with tending to the Heavenly Emperor’s flower gardens."

Seeing that Xuanji’s remark about the ’tiger spirit’ seemed to have wounded the immortal’s high self-esteem, and he looked very much like he was itching to start a fight, Liu Yihuan hastily put on a flattering smile. "Ah, the renowned Lu Wu, the great immortal! We were blind and could not recognize the great Tai Shan; we ask for your forgiveness! I was just commenting on how this place was brimming with auspicious energy and radiant glory, all thanks to the immortal’s cultivation here."

It is often said that flattery will get you everywhere, and though they had seen nothing of the sort, as one might say, people tend to inflate the importance of others, and immortals unversed in worldly ways even more so. Thus, Lu Wu was quite pleased with the praise, showing his teeth in a wide grin as he chuckled, "You do indeed have insight! Are you newly ascended little fairies? Hmm, it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen promising little fairies like you!"

They nodded eagerly, and Liu Yihuan added, "We did not intend to disturb your cultivation; we are merely newcomers to Kunlun Mountain, captivated by the beauty of this divine land. In our fascination, we lost our way..."

Lu Wu gestured with an ’I totally get it’ expression and waved his hand, "It’s quite normal! The beauty of Kunlun Mountain is vast! Your previous mortal eyes are seeing all this for the first time, it’s only natural to be stunned. You’re lucky to have met me today; it must be fate. Let me guide you to your path."

He gestured behind him: "Follow the lake to the south. Cross the bridge, and you shall see the road to the divine palace. Don’t be late for registration as new little fairies; make haste."

They hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly; not only had he not uncovered their true identities but also showed them the way. Liu Yihuan quickly showered him with more flattery, elevating him to unmatched grandeur. The immortal Lu Wu clearly delighted in praise, and as Liu Yihuan waxed lyrical, he was pleased from head to toe, barely able to contain his smile.

Once Liu Yihuan’s barrage of compliments came to an end, he tugged at Xuanji’s sleeve intending to sneak away quietly when suddenly they heard Lu Wu call from behind, "Wait! Stop! You shouldn’t leave so quickly! I have not heard Emperor Bai mention the arrival of new Earth Immortals in recent times. Are you truly Earth Immortals who have ascended?"

The two froze in place as Lu Wu approached, leaning forward to sniff them and growing even more perplexed. "You lack the aura of immortals; instead, you carry the scent of mortals! Trespassing in Kunlun Mountain as mortals is a grave offense! State your names immediately, and follow me to meet Emperor Bai!"

Liu Yihuan cursed inwardly, this damned Lu Wu had to go and keep his wits about him despite the flattering words. He had greatly underestimated these immortals.

Lu Wu saw they had been silent for quite a while and grew more puzzled. A vicious glint flashed deep within his golden pupils as he ominously said, "If you two are mere mortals who have dared to intrude upon Kunlun Mountain without permission, do not blame me for being ruthless and apprehending you!"

After speaking, he raised his sharp claws, radiating killing intent.

*****

Azure Dragon continued her "frolicking in the water," and incredibly, her ragged voice even began to hum a tune. Tengshe felt a throbbing pain on his forehead and could no longer endure it. He turned to look at Vermilion Bird, only to find his difficult companion had long ago stuffed his ears with cloth and was now sleeping with his eyes closed.

Crafty! Tengshe cursed silently. Vermilion Bird really had no loyalty, not even giving him a heads-up. He hurriedly tore up a sleeve, frantically trying to plug his ears when suddenly, his heart skipped a beat, and he sensed Xuanji’s presence.

She was here?! Tengshe froze on the spot, his heart alternating between elation and fury, unsure of what to feel. Even the horrible singing of Azure Dragon seemed not to affect him anymore.

As a spiritual beast who had lost his master’s protection, his Divine Power had dwindled, but now that she had arrived, and was nearby no less, Tengshe felt the dried-up Divine Power within him surging back to life! He didn’t even bother to avoid Azure Dragon and rushed straight to the lakeside. Accompanied by Azure Dragon’s indignant and shrill screams, he dipped his head to look at his reflection in the water.

His dark red hair was reverting to silver, strand by strand! His power was truly returning!

Tengshe leaped up, ready to go find Xuanji, when suddenly he sensed movement behind him. He swiftly dodged, expecting a Hidden Weapon, but instead, a splash of water soaked the back of his head. Azure Dragon was furiously splashing water from behind while screeching in her hoarse voice, "Pervert! Philanderer! Die already!"

Soon, his clothes were completely drenched. Tengshe withstood the urge to retaliate and turned around, bellowing, "Who’d want to ogle at your poor, shabby self? Save your energy! Even if you begged me, I wouldn’t look!"

His words were abruptly cut off as he stared at the "beauty" in the water, his eyeballs nearly popping out.

In the water was a bashful and annoyed woman, her skin whiter than snow, her slender phoenix eyes enchanting. She was cloaked in a layer of thin green clothes, and though her figure was a bit frail, she could still be considered delicate and petite.

A genuine beauty, and not just any beauty, but a great beauty, both charming and elegant, not losing out to the reputed number one beauty of Heaven, White Tiger.

It was said that Azure Dragon and White Tiger were two extremes among the four Divine Beasts, with two females among them. While White Tiger was stunningly beautiful, Azure Dragon was shockingly ugly. Azure Dragon had secretly considered White Tiger a rival for many years, but given her own unappealing appearance, not only did the male Immortals keep their distance, but the female immortals also couldn’t be bothered to speak with her. Thus, over many years, she had always been defeated by White Tiger.

Azure Dragon, seeing Tengshe gazing at her with an apocalyptic look, timidly inquired, "After... After cleaning up, do I look pretty? Tell me... will Ying Long be mesmerized by me?"

That ragged voice was indeed Azure Dragon’s. Tengshe hurriedly rubbed his eyes vigorously; after rubbing, he looked again, and it was still the same beauty.

With a click, his jaw dropped to the ground, as if he’d seen a ghost. He turned to push Vermilion Bird, while crying out in a terrifying voice, "Hey! Wake up! We’ve seen a ghost!"

Startled awake, Vermilion Bird leaped up and declared loudly, "What evil spirits dare to run rampant on Kunlun Mountain?!"

Looking around, he saw nothing unusual and gave Tengshe a puzzled look: "What did you just say?"

Tengshe pointed his chin towards Azure Dragon. Vermilion Bird turned around bewilderingly, only to see Azure Dragon already shyly and timidly putting on an overcoat, stepping ashore. Her bare feet upon the ground were like two blossoming lotuses. With a clatter, Vermilion Bird’s sword dropped to the ground. Being an honest man, he turned and ran headlong into a tree, muttering, "I must still be dreaming!"

Only after he had knocked a dent into the tree did he feel reassured enough to look back. Upon seeing Azure Dragon’s seductive phoenix eyes, his hair almost stood on end.

"We really have seen a ghost..." muttered Vermilion Bird softly.

Azure Dragon flicked her hair, and on her graceful face, she wore a sly smile, asking, "Do I look good?"

Tengshe and Vermilion Bird couldn’t help but nod. It was a miracle how someone so beautiful could have made themselves look so ruined.

Azure Dragon laughed proudly, "Now, Ying Long will certainly not run away when he sees me."

Before she could finish, she suddenly felt Tengshe’s Fire Wings unfurl behind him, wrapping around one, binding both her and Vermilion Bird tightly.

Tengshe touched his chin and chuckled, "What’s this? Now that I’ve regained my Divine Power, we truly are seeing ghosts. Come with me, let’s see what that girl is up to."

************

Gu Bo’s new work "Man Chao Fenghua" is currently in a PK contest, book number: 1036674. Watch the transformation of a little woman into a handsome young scholar, as she turns the Emperor, ministers, and generals around her finger! Hurry and vote to support~ (To be continued. To find out what happens next, please log on to www.qidian.com. More Chapters available, support the author, support legitimate reading!)