Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect, mountain gates wide open.
Such a grand ceremony was naturally not for Pei Yunqing, nor for “Senior Sister Chu,” but for Chu Mo—who suppressed all her peers.
Chu Mo wore a black robe adorned with golden threads.
The robe accentuated her tall, straight figure and highlighted her proud, alluring curves.
The air around her seemed several degrees colder.
The disciples behind her stood respectfully, their eyes filled with awe and reverence as they looked at her.
Her ink-black eyes stared into the distance, as if waiting for the spiritual boat from Mistveil Pavilion carrying Pei Yunqing to appear.
Only she knew how chaotic her heart truly was.
Yunqing was returning.
Letting the little fox go was naturally the best choice.
The little fox’s mouth was very tight; he wouldn’t go around saying anything reckless.
But just like a year ago at Returning Cloud Mountain, when Chu Mo had encountered Bai Qingran at the very spot where she and Pei Yunqing had met as children.
That face—somewhat similar to Pei Yunqing’s but far more beautiful—had thrown her heart into disarray with just one glance.
Although Pei Yunqing had been abducted by the demon race, it had nothing to do with Bai Qingran.
There was no justification for capturing the little fox.
It was simply that Chu Mo couldn’t bear to let him escape, so she imprisoned him under the pretense of him being a substitute.
Just like last night, Chu Mo’s heart was once again in turmoil.
She couldn’t bear to let him go, yet she couldn’t bear to kill him either.
Thinking back to last night, Chu Mo’s eyes darkened.
What exactly had she wanted to do last night?
Even she didn’t know.
Perhaps she had only wanted to hear one sentence from Bai Qingran: As long as you don’t kill me and keep me imprisoned by your side, you can do whatever you want to me.
That way, everyone could be happy. But why wouldn’t he say a few soft words?
“Stubborn little thing…” Chu Mo cursed subconsciously.
“Senior Sister Chu, did you say something?” the disciple beside her asked in confusion.
“Cough, cough. It’s nothing.” Chu Mo coughed a few times, pulling her thoughts back.
She sighed inwardly.
She really was going crazy.
With Yunqing’s return imminent, why was she still thinking about that little fox?
The spiritual boat from Mistveil Pavilion was quite impressive.
After all, it belonged to the nineteenth-ranked sect in the human race.
Of course, compared to the number one sect, Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect, it still fell far short.
Before the spiritual boat had even fully stopped, a figure hurriedly rushed down from it.
He bore some resemblance to Bai Qingran—black hair and black eyes, though slightly shorter in height.
His overall temperament made him seem less like a devastating beauty and more like the gentle, sweet-smiling boy-next-door who would grin warmly at you.
One was meticulously carved jade with traces of artificiality; the other was a naturally enchanting and alluring fox demon.
“Chu Mo!”
Pei Yunqing pounced toward her like a young rabbit clinging to its owner.
His face was full of smiles, but his peripheral vision subtly swept across the Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect disciples around him, some filled with awe, others with envy.
The moment he confirmed he was the center of attention, that boy-next-door smile grew even brighter.
This should have been a moment of reunion between lovers, yet Chu Mo became lost in thought again.
On the day she first met Bai Qingran, he had also been this lively, hopping and skipping through the forest like an energetic, cheerful little deer.
Chu Mo subconsciously took half a step back.
Spiritual power surged out from her, causing Pei Yunqing’s robes to flutter wildly and forcefully halting his advance.
“Bai… Yunqing.”
Tsk.
How could she… Before she could finish berating herself, a strong, cloying sweet fragrance assaulted her nose, like heavy layers of powder and cosmetics.
It was the scent from the sachet Pei Yunqing loved.
Chu Mo wrinkled her nose slightly and instinctively held her breath.
She absurdly recalled the naturally seductive floral scent on the little fox’s body, especially when he was aroused—his fox tail wrapped around her waist, the person beneath him lost in ecstasy, his vermilion lips slightly parted like flower petals, his delicate little tongue like a stamen, glistening like flower nectar.
That floral fragrance mixed with desire was something she could never get enough of.
When she looked up, Pei Yunqing was staring at her with a wronged expression.
Chu Mo felt embarrassed.
The real person was right in front of her, yet her mind was filled with the substitute.
Feeling she had done something wrong, Chu Mo stepped forward to take Pei Yunqing’s hand, but the moment she touched him, a wave of irritation surged within her.
She withdrew her hand again.
Objectively speaking, Pei Yunqing’s appearance was quite outstanding.
In some gossip circles, he was ranked among the top twenty beauties of the human race.
Many people would love to touch those hands.
Yet Chu Mo only felt his skin was burning hot, nowhere near as pleasing as Bai Qingran’s snow-white, cool neck.
Chu Mo spoke, trying to make her voice as gentle as possible.
“Yunqing, you’ve suffered this past year among the demon race. Later, I have a big gift for you.”
Pei Yunqing hesitated, his eyes brimming with tears, but a flash of greed and calculation passed through them.
His gaze moved past Chu Mo to the many Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect disciples who had come to welcome him.
A trace of satisfaction flickered and vanished instantly.
In the inner sect main hall, once everyone was seated, golden bells rang out in unison.
Chu Mo and Pei Yunqing sat side by side.
Looking at the person quietly eating beside her,
Chu Mo felt a pang of guilt.
She tried hard to recapture the heart-fluttering feeling she had felt as a child back at Returning Cloud Mountain.
Yet that familiar face had lost its innocent purity and gained a faint layer of makeup.
Unlike Bai Qingran, who was always bare-faced yet still devastatingly beautiful.
Thinking of the little fox again, Chu Mo felt flustered.
She touched her storage ring.
The gift was generous enough.
Yes, the person she loved most was still Pei Yunqing.
“Yunqing.”
Chu Mo’s voice was gentle as she took out a jade token and a bottle of pills, placing them in front of Pei Yunqing.
“This is a Heaven-rank mid-grade protective jade token that I obtained from the ruins of an ancient powerhouse. If you encounter danger again in the future, I will definitely protect you. You’re not allowed to put yourself in harm’s way to save me. Even if I’m not by your side, this jade token can protect you in my stead. This bottle contains Heavenly Muscle Jade Dew Pills, eighth-grade immortal pills. I obtained them from Medicine King Valley. They have excellent beautifying and nourishing effects.”
In this world, divine weapons and artifacts were divided into Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow ranks, each further divided into upper, middle, and lower grades.
Pills were divided into five grades: Common, Fine, Superior, Peerless, and Immortal, with nine levels of pill markings.
This gift was indeed extravagant.
The people seated nearby began to cheer and exclaim.
“Has she gone mad?! Eighth-grade immortal Heavenly Muscle Jade Dew Pills! Only the old Medicine King himself could refine something like that, right? Senior Sister Chu is really willing to part with them? I never knew that not only does Senior Sister Chu have incredible cultivation talent, she also knows how to spoil her man!”
“Exactly! Even second-rate sects would find it hard to obtain even a single one of these pills. Such generosity truly befits Senior Sister Chu! And that protective jade token—I believe it belonged to an ancient Spirit Emperor realm powerhouse, right? Immortal Lord Pei is truly blessed! To receive such wholehearted affection from Senior Sister Chu!”
Hearing these words, Chu Mo pressed her lips together.
This bottle of Heavenly Muscle Jade Dew Pills had indeed been specially refined by the old Medicine King at her request.
If she had given even one to the little fox… The terrifying scars on Bai Qingran’s body flashed through her mind again.
Those scars could probably all be removed.
Pei Yunqing’s face flushed with embarrassment, but his eyes never left the items on the table.
He pushed the jade token and pills back toward her.
“Chu Mo, this gift is too heavy. I can’t accept it.”
“Yunqing.”
Chu Mo’s tone became more serious.
Pei Yunqing bit his lip, hesitated for a few moments, then picked up the items from the table. His hands were trembling slightly as his fingertips lovingly caressed them.
Feeling the envious gazes around him, Pei Yunqing raised the items slightly, holding them up for a few seconds before quickly storing them in his storage ring.
“During this past year and more in the demon race, I thought just seeing you again would already be a luxury. I told myself that if the demon race humiliated me, I would rather die than lose my chastity for you. But thankfully, I’ve returned. Chu Mo, perhaps this is destiny. You and I are meant to be together.”
Meant to be?
These four words made Chu Mo’s breath catch.
The joy that should have ignited in her heart was crushed by an indescribable heaviness.
She suddenly found it difficult to look at Pei Yunqing’s face.
She wanted to use wine to suppress the feelings rising within her again.
If only the little fox could soften his stubbornness, the gift she would give him wouldn’t be small either, but… As the wine slid down her throat, bitterness spread.
Chu Mo imperceptibly tightened her lips.
That stubborn little fox would probably smash the gift in her face or mock her with a cold laugh while covered in scars.
Chu Mo pressed her tongue against her teeth, a trace of violence flashing in her eyes.
Little fox, you look best when you’re screaming in pain.