Duanmu Ning preferred tall, sturdily built men. He claimed that only such men could keep up with him.
In his previous life, Xu Zirong had met this man once. Later he heard that Duanmu Ning had abducted a righteous cultivator and was being hunted by the man’s sect. Nobody seemed to know where he had hidden, and Xu Zirong never heard of him again before the Blood Demon Palace fell.
Some claimed to have seen Duanmu Ning with that cultivator on an isolated island in the outer seas, but none of this had interested Xu Zirong then.
Originally, Zirong had merely been cautious of the man. But after seeing how he addressed his brother…
Killing intent surged through Xu Zirong. His eyes darkened toward red. If the opportunity arose, he would eliminate anyone who dared threaten Xu Ziyan.
“Zirong! If we ever encounter that man again, be extremely careful. If he tries anything against you, strike first!” Xu Ziyan said grimly.
What a vile creep! Who knew how many people he had harmed? Xu Ziyan swore he would stop him if they crossed paths again.
Xu Zirong nodded, amused by his brother’s misunderstanding. Xu Ziyan thought the stranger was interested in Xu Zirong. That was fine; at least Zirong did not want his brother to develop prejudice against relationships between men.
The brothers stepped onto the transport formation, and a flash of white carried them to an enormous vortex. This was the entrance they had used to enter the Azure Spirit Secret Realm. Passing through would return them to their original departure point in the Xuanyu Domain.
Several cultivators had gathered near the passage. The expedition was a rare opportunity for the elite disciples of righteous sects to meet, and some of them might one day become sect masters.
Most were willing to establish friendly connections with one another, so the atmosphere remained harmonious.
Xu Ziyan failed to notice a handsome man in white who, even while chatting with others, kept stealing glances at him.
It was Bai Hua, whom Xu Ziyan had rescued. He stood with a Tianyu Sect disciple who was enthusiastically inviting him to visit their sect.
Although Bai Hua smiled politely, he had grown impatient. The cultivator in front of him was a low-ranking disciple of Tianyu Sect who had gained entry to the realm mostly through good fortune.
Bai Hua had little interest in him. The man was already over thirty and had only just reached Foundation Establishment; his aptitude gave little promise of future advancement.
Bai Hua was ambitious. Ever since discovering the secret of his dragon-shaped jade pendant, he had come to believe heaven favored him. Even a jade pendant purchased by chance possessed astonishing power.
The pendant had not fully awakened because he lacked true-dragon blood, but what it had already revealed was enough to make him ecstatic.
The pendant identified his constitution as the extremely rare Essence-Origin Dao Body, a special physique associated with paired cultivation. Its methods promised cultivation progress comparable to a heavenly spiritual root.
Unlike predatory techniques that stole another cultivator’s power, this physique could allow both participants to benefit, removing the danger of being condemned as a demonic cultivator solely for practicing it.
To Bai Hua, paired cultivation was another means of becoming stronger. He cared most about gaining power and protecting his future.
Since paired cultivation benefited both people, Bai Hua naturally thought it wiser to seek out someone powerful, handsome, and capable of protecting him.
Someone like Xu Ziyan of the Flowing Light Sect.
Bai Hua’s eyes flickered, and he lowered his lashes to hide his ambition. A tall, handsome, capable person like Xu Ziyan appealed to him; if they became partners, surely it would benefit them both.
Unfortunately, Bai Hua glanced secretly at Xu Ziyan and looked away again. That younger brother of his was truly irritating. He had never met such an unpleasant child.
Xu Ziyan was devoted to the boy. Approaching him now would be unproductive.
Still, Zirong was only twelve. It was natural for an older brother to look after a child for now, but surely the brothers would not remain together forever. One day they would go their separate ways, and then…
Bai Hua touched the jade pendant hanging at his neck and smiled with quiet certainty. His Essence-Origin Dao Body could draw on essence energy to cultivate, and it also had the power to deepen a close partner’s attachment to him. If Xu Ziyan became devoted to him, Bai Hua expected Xu Ziyan himself to put an end to his younger brother’s interference.
“Fellow Daoist Bai… you… you…” The cultivator opposite Bai Hua was so dazed by his smile that he could barely form words. “You’re really beautiful.”
As soon as the words escaped, the man realized how forward they sounded. He blushed and fell silent.
Bai Hua felt annoyed, but maintained a gentle smile.
Ever since his constitution awakened after a past encounter with his senior brother, he had developed a natural ability to attract others. It was less powerful than a demonic cultivator’s charm art, but subtly increased others’ goodwill toward him.
The cultivator blushed even more when Bai Hua smiled instead of taking offense. He stammered for a long time without managing another word.
While Bai Hua spoke with him, Xu Ziyan spotted several disciples from Flowing Light Sect.
He did not recognize most of the senior brothers and sisters, but Le Hu’s distinctive, partially bare-chested clothing stood out unmistakably among all the neatly dressed cultivators.
Xu Zirong frowned when he saw Le Hu. How irritating. Yet another person was about to demand his brother’s attention.
“Hey, Le Hu! How did it go? Find anything good?” Xu Ziyan greeted him with a grin.
Le Hu’s eyes brightened at the sight of him. He had little in common with the other new disciples, let alone the older ones.
He hurried over, scratched his head, and laughed. “Pretty good luck. I received an inheritance.”
Xu Ziyan did not press for details. Inheritances were private, and many cultivators kept them as trump cards. Only an idiot would insist on learning another person’s secret techniques.
“Getting that excited over one measly inheritance? How provincial,” an arrogant voice said behind Xu Ziyan.
Le Hu’s expression darkened, and Xu Ziyan could only smile helplessly.
Wei Qing stood there with the same proud demeanor as always, making no effort to hide his contempt for Le Hu.
Xu Ziyan rubbed his forehead. Wei Qing was normally too haughty even to speak to most people. Why did encountering Le Hu suddenly activate his talent for provocation?
“Looking for another beating?” Le Hu was a man of few words and disliked pointless arguments. In his view, settling matters with fists was faster.
Among his people, disputes were commonly decided by strength. There, the stronger fist carried unquestioned authority.
Wei Qing’s face darkened at the threat. He remembered the black eye Le Hu had given him a month earlier. For someone so proud, losing face was far worse than a minor injury.
“You want to fight? I’m ready whenever you are,” Wei Qing replied coldly. His spiritual power stirred as if he were about to attack.
Xu Ziyan was exasperated. Hearing the other cultivators whisper, he promptly rapped both troublemakers on the head. “Are you addicted to fighting now? You can fight all you like when we get back! Do you want everyone to know the Flowing Light Sect’s disciples brawl in a place like this?”
Le Hu rubbed his head and grimaced without answering. Wei Qing maintained his lofty pose, though Xu Ziyan thought he saw an aggrieved look in his eyes.
Behind Xu Ziyan, Xu Zirong clutched the hem of his brother’s robe. His face remained cool, but the upward curl of his lips showed how pleased he was.
“How old are you two? You’re acting like little children! No, next to Zirong you’re worse than children. How can you quarrel over something so childish? Are you two and a half?” Xu Ziyan dragged them aside for another scolding. Weren’t people in this dangerous cultivation world supposed to mature early? Why were these two so impossible?
Or perhaps Xu Ziyan had simply been unlucky enough to meet the only two troublesome boys of their kind.
Then again, maybe neither was normally like this, and only meeting each other turned them into troublemakers.
In other words, perhaps their personalities were fundamentally incompatible?
Every time Xu Ziyan compared the two unfavorably with himself, Xu Zirong acted even more obediently. He stood silently behind his brother, showing only Le Hu and Wei Qing the mocking smile Xu Ziyan could not see.
Le Hu and Wei Qing were speechless.
With fresh bumps on their heads, the two finally behaved after Xu Ziyan’s lecture.
They followed him dispiritedly toward the gathering place for the Flowing Light Sect disciples. Neither understood why they, an unruly fighter and a proud young master, became so childish around Xu Ziyan despite ranking among the best of their peers.
Whenever they were with Xu Ziyan, however, their immature sides seemed to emerge of their own accord.
They exchanged several more murderous glances behind his back, only to look up and find Xu Ziyan glaring sharply at them again.