Battle Through the Heavens: Beauties Abound Starting with Yunlan and Her Disciples

326: Section 326He raised his eyes, his usually gentle gaze now calm as water. ”This is a colossal entity entrenched in the Central Plains, unfathomable in its depth. All of us must seize every available opportunity to constantly grow stronger.”

Yun Ziyi did not have a very clear understanding of distant concepts like the Central Plains and the Hall of Souls; her knowledge as the Amethyst Winged Lion King was mostly limited to the Northwest Continent. Yet, there was not a shred of hesitation in her eyes as she looked at Yun Xiancheng, only a firm nod. ”I do not understand those complex matters. But whatever decision you make, Husband, I will follow you.”

”Indeed,” Green Savage also put aside her seductive air, leaning against Yun Xiancheng as she said seriously, ”Wherever you are, Husband, is our home.”

But the serious atmosphere did not last long. Changing the subject, she resumed her charming smile, her eyes sparkling with mischief. ”However, besides official business, there should be some diversions. In these days, I have scouted the beauties of Qi Huo City and discovered that under Han Fenger’s command, there is a stunning Chief Auctioneer. Is Husband interested in going to see her?”

Yun Xiancheng looked at her eager expression and couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. This elder of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion was truly more dedicated than anyone when it came to finding sisters for him.

He pondered for a moment and nodded. ”Very well. In that case, let’s bring Qing Lin, and… Xiao Qing, we shall go and take a look together.”

In the corner of the living room, Zi Yan was eating a spirit fruit sent by the Medicine Emperor’s mansion. Hearing Yun Xiancheng’s arrangement, her amethyst-like eyes widened, and she let out a wail in her heart. [Green Savage is green, Qing Lin is also green, and that Xiao Qing is a new green-haired girl! We of the purple faction are going to lose today!]

Zi Yan was eager to try, seemingly wanting to slip away. Seeing her like this, Yun Yan didn’t have much of an opinion; since Qing Lin and the others couldn’t accompany Yun Xiancheng back to Jia Nan Academy, what was the harm in spending more time together now that they had reunited?

Purple Wing noticed the little purple dragon looking eager to move. Although she didn’t know what she wanted to do, she kept her gaze fixed on Zi Yan. In no time at all, Zi Yan wilted. ”Wuwu, Zi Yan will be good.”

374 Qian Yao Workshop Mistress Yao

”Greetings, Mistress Yao.”

Green Savage’s voice carried the unique, soft charm of the women of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion. She stepped forward first, bowed gracefully, and smiled as she parted her lips.

The mature woman opposite, dressed in elegant cross-collared Hanfu, immediately returned the bow. Her gaze swept over Green Savage, and she smiled generously, ”Greetings. You must be the Mansion Master of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, Green Savage, right? I have long admired your name.”

This place was the most prosperous central area of Qi Huo City, housing a trading firm called ”Qian Yao Workshop.” It specialized in selling fifth-grade and sixth-grade medicinal pills personally refined by the Medicine Emperor Han Fenger. Their rarity was enough to make experts throughout the Black-Corner Region flock to them.

Therefore, this small shop was almost the lifeline and main source of funds for the entire Qi Huo City. The Medicine Emperor Han Fenger was obsessed with the Dao of Alchemy but knew nothing about business. Previously, these precious medicinal pills were all outsourced to other merchant teams for sale, resulting in significant profit loss. Fortunately, Qian Yao Workshop took the initiative to join, and this problem was finally resolved.

The person in charge of Qian Yao Workshop, Mistress Yao, was herself a mature Beauty with considerable charm. Her black hair was tied up high with a simple hairpin, making her look capable and efficient. The cross-collared Hanfu accentuated her slender figure, and her mature, moving face held a pair of beautiful eyes that, when she looked around, swirled with the shrewdness and scrutiny unique to a merchant.

Her gaze swept lightly over Green Savage and her group. When it touched those figures in varying shades of green, she couldn’t help but secretly praise them in her heart. The Heavenly Serpent Mansion was truly a good place for nurturing people, to be able to cultivate so many stunning beauties with such different temperaments. ”Mistress Yao is truly beautiful.”

A crisp, soft, and sweet compliment pulled Mistress Yao’s thoughts back. She saw a well-behaved young girl dressed in a light green dress walk forward, holding a delicate brocade box in both hands, looking up at her with a pure and flawless face, gazing at her sincerely.

Qing Lin’s pure and lovely nature instantly increased Mistress Yao’s favorability. The caution and polite pleasantries of the business world melted away in an instant. She smiled and reached out to take the brocade box; it felt warm to the touch, and it was clear the gift was not cheap. She smiled gently at Qing Lin and then looked at Green Savage. ”The Mansion Master and this little sister are the true great beauties.”

Green Savage covered her lips and laughed softly, her charming eyes curving into lovely crescents. Her words were both flattery and a clarification of their purpose. ”You and I will be allies from now on, and there will be many places where we will need to trouble Mistress Yao.”

”Mansion Master is too kind.” Upon hearing this, Mistress Yao’s attitude became even more enthusiastic. ”Your personal visit has already made my little shop shine; it is my great honor. Quickly, everyone, please take your seats, I will brew tea for you right away.”

After speaking, she turned around personally, walking with light steps to prepare tea for everyone, without a shred of a manager’s airs. Soon, cups of steaming, fragrant tea were served. When Mistress Yao handed the last cup of tea to Yun Xiancheng, she bowed respectfully and said softly, ”Young Master, please have some tea.”

As she raised her eyes, her gaze inadvertently collided with Yun Xiancheng’s. It was this one glance that left Mistress Yao stunned in place, her hand holding the tea tray freezing.

At this moment, a young girl dressed in a dark green dress was standing quietly behind Yun Xiancheng, her slender fingers gently massaging his shoulders and neck. Her head was slightly lowered, her nose almost touching his hair, like a butterfly craving nectar, secretly and contentedly inhaling the cool, pleasant scent on him.

Yun Xiancheng seemed completely unaware of this, merely extending his hand, his fingertips passing through her seaweed-like dark green hair, massaging it gently. Then, he turned his head slightly and planted a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

This small, intimate, and natural action fell entirely into Mistress Yao’s eyes, making her heart tremble again. That indulgence and the girl’s attachment were as natural as breathing, without a hint of calculation or performance.

And when Yun Xiancheng turned his head slightly, those perfect side profile lines were plated with a soft halo under the warm lights of the tea room. Mistress Yao felt her heartbeat skip a beat. Her heart, which she thought had long been ground into a withered tree by the ups and downs of the business world, was now uncontrollably rippling.

[Such a handsome and otherworldly man… Heavens, the women of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, they eat too well on a daily basis!] An absurd thought emerged from the bottom of Mistress Yao’s heart without any warning.

She was immediately startled back to her senses by this sudden, almost ”thirsty” thought. A wave of heat rushed straight to her cheeks, causing her mature and charming face to be instantly dyed with a thin layer of blush.

What kind of keen eyes did Green Savage have? How could Mistress Yao’s subtle change in expression escape her? With a curve of her lips, she quietly leaned over to Mistress Yao’s side, lowered her voice, and whispered something into her ear with breath as fragrant as an orchid.

The blush on Mistress Yao’s face spread at a speed visible to the naked eye, burning from her cheeks all the way to her ears. She hurriedly shook her head, as if trying to shake away those inappropriate thoughts, her voice somewhat embarrassed. ”Mansion Master, this, this won’t do. The Young Master is so young and handsome, I… I am an old thing with half my body already in the grave, how could I harbor such thoughts? The red thread you are pulling is too… too strange.”

Green Savage shook her head dismissively, took her hand, and said seriously, ”Mistress Yao, you are wrong. You and I are both cultivators with long lifespans; how can we be compared to ordinary mortals? Upon reaching the Dou Wang or Dou Huang level, one has a lifespan of two or three hundred years. If calculated by this ratio, the Mistress is currently in the prime of her youth, a good age of budding Beauty!”

Hearing a genuine Dou Zong expert praise her like this, Mistress Yao felt overjoyed, and that bit of embarrassment faded a bit. She couldn’t help but peek, then quickly glanced at Yun Xiancheng, who was sitting calmly in the main seat. Her heart, which had been silent for many years, was truly stirred to life by Green Savage’s words.

In all fairness, Mistress Yao was well-maintained and still had charm; there were not many traces of time on her mature face. Compared to a young woman in her twenties, she had more of a settled allure. This mature charm inadvertently reminded Yun Xiancheng of Ya Fei, who was far away in the Jia Ma Empire. Nowadays, Ya Fei was already the true helmsman of the Mittel Clan, and even the Minister of Finance for the entire empire. Because of him, her cultivation talent was no longer what it used to be, and she would not be stuck at a mere Dou Master or Great Dou Master.

Thinking of his old acquaintances in the Jia Ma Empire, Yun Xiancheng’s thoughts stirred.

A wisp of his divine sense sank into the invisible family network constructed from the affection and longing of his women.

He found that familiar, charming, and enchanting aura, gently touched it, and transmitted a tender thought of longing.

In the distant Imperial Capital, Ya Fei, who was reviewing documents, trembled slightly, and a smile that could topple nations bloomed on her face.

She immediately put down the pen in her hand, her divine sense surging as she replied in the network with a long string of heart symbols representing love, coquettishly reporting to him how much wealth she had recently brought into their ”small treasury.”

Immediately after, an incredibly clear image constructed from divine sense was transmitted over separately.

In the image, Ya Fei had changed into a new type of garment with an extremely bold design.

The perfectly placed tailoring outlined her mature and full chest curves vividly, almost bursting out of the clothes.

A thought that was charming to the bone followed: ”Little brother, elder sister has designed this new garment again. Look, isn’t it convenient? Open the lid and drink, isn’t it amazing?”

A smile escaped Yun Xiancheng’s lips involuntarily. His divine sense transformed into two short and powerful words, responding to her enthusiasm: ”Mm, I like it!”

It was this smile, like the spring breeze breaking the ice or a snow lotus blooming for the first time.

Falling into the eyes of Mistress Yao, it was no less than a bolt of heavenly lightning, striking directly at her heart.

That immortal-like figure, it turned out, could also have such a gentle smile.

In just an instant, Mistress Yao felt a burst of heat in her nasal cavity, and a warm current surged out uncontrollably.

She actually, in front of everyone, lost her composure and had a nosebleed.

”Ah!”

With a short exclamation, Mistress Yao hurriedly pulled a folding fan from her sleeve, opened it with a ”snap,” and awkwardly covered the lower half of her face, hiding that extremely unsightly embarrassment.

Green Savage took all of this in, but did not tease her, only keeping a knowing, faint smile on her lips.

She knew her husband’s charm better than anyone.

This Mistress Yao before her had a gentle and kind character, and even in a hellish place like the Black-Corner Region, she still retained a sense of conscience; the fact that she could take the initiative to join the Medicine Emperor was proof of this.

What was even rarer was that she was still a maiden.

No matter how you looked at it, she was fully qualified to become their sister.

Lü Man rested her chin on one hand and smiled: ”For a Beauty like Mistress Yao to waste her youth in vain would be a pity.”

Hearing Green Savage’s words now, how could Mistress Yao not understand the meaning behind them?

This idea of Mansion Master Lü Man playing matchmaker was truly undisguised.

She hadn’t expected that she, an old tree that had never had a love history, could actually be fancied by someone.

Hmm... and it was this peerless young Master, just one look at whom could extend one’s life and turn one into a young person again.

However, marrying someone she met for the first time was still too...

Mistress Yao said with a blushing face: ”Allow me... to prepare myself. If I am to marry such a peerless person as the Young Master, no matter how I think about it, there should be a sense of ceremony, and even more, a sense of uniqueness...”

Yun Xiancheng nodded: ”Mm, I will still be in Qi Huo City for these days, so anything can be taken slowly...”

She wasn’t in a hurry, and Yun Xiancheng wasn’t in a hurry either.

Anyway, the one who would lose out by dragging it out was her.

For the next half month, Yun Xiancheng stayed in Qi Huo City.

The days were just like the continuous herb fields on the gentle slopes outside the city, so plain that they were almost stagnant.

The residents in the city mostly remained at the Dou Practitioner stage.

Occasionally, one or two Dou Masters were respected experts, while Great Dou Masters were already rare; Dou Ling were even rarer than phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, who would believe that in this hinterland of the Black-Corner Region, known for chaos and slaughter, such a secluded and harmless corner could be hidden.

Qi Huo, Qi Huo.

It was truly an apt name; on this blood-stained land, humbly begging for a right to survive.

The livelihood of the city’s residents was almost entirely tied to those patches of fragrant herb gardens.

Working at sunrise and resting at sunset, they were the most diligent herb farmers on this land.

The entire city, rather than being a fortress, was more like a giant herb garden enclosed by high walls.

People relied on the gifts of the Medicine Emperor to multiply and thrive from generation to generation.

And the medicinal materials harvested by the herb farmers would eventually be collected in the hands of Han Fenger.

She would refine them into pills and then trade them through the Qian Yao Workshop to exchange for the cultivation resources and food needed for the city’s operation.

This was a fragile and delicate cycle that sustained the lives of tens of thousands of people.

Yun Xiancheng’s mornings were mostly spent in Han Fenger’s simple yet tidy alchemy room.

This pair of senior sister and junior brother, who had never met before, were silently repairing the broken bonds between them with an almost wordless tacit understanding.

Soon, Han Fenger realized that she was becoming increasingly dependent on the time spent by Yun Xiancheng’s side.

As long as this junior brother was there, the surrounding air became exceptionally warm and peaceful.

That was a sense of peace that could penetrate the bone marrow, allowing her heartstrings, which had been tense for decades, to finally relax for a moment.

Even the most ordinary conversation became a soothing enjoyment.

”If only... Master had met you sooner.”

One day, gazing at the warm daylight outside the window, Han Fenger sighed in a low voice, her words carrying a slight, lingering melancholy: ”Then, perhaps there wouldn’t have been so many tragedies later on.”

Yun Xiancheng was reading an ancient Medicine Ceremony book.

Hearing this, he raised his head, looked at her with clear eyes, and shook his head gently: ”If Master had never arrived in the Northwest Continent, the trajectories of our lives would not be what they are today.”

He closed the book, his voice calm and gentle: ”You would still be that rising genius Alchemist in the Central Plains, and you and I would be destined never to meet in this life.”

”If not for the events of that year, I would never have met Master either.”

His statement contained no blame, nor consolation, but was just calmly laying out a fact.

Hearing these words, a bitter smile appeared on Han Fenger’s lips: ”Do not add any positive value to my crimes. Betrayal is never worth forgiving.”

She shook her head, the pain in her eyes too thick to dissipate: ”I, in the end, have... hurt Master.”

Seeming to have made up her mind, she tremblingly touched her storage ring and took out another ring with an ancient style, handing it to Yun Xiancheng.

”This is Master’s body.”

Her voice was hoarse, every word seemingly squeezed out from the depths of her throat, ”After that chaotic battle that year, I was worried that those scums from the Hall of Souls would desecrate Master’s remains, so I... I snatched it out during the chaos, fled all the way here, and have been living in disgrace until now.”

Yun Xiancheng took the storage ring that still carried her body heat and said nothing more.

With a slight movement of his divine sense, a crystal-clear ice coffin appeared out of thin air, quietly floating in front of the two, emitting a chilling coldness.

Through the translucent coffin lid, one could clearly see the figure lying inside.

It was a petite body, like that of a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, and was identical to Yao Chan’s current soul body form.

Only, in her sleep, she had shed her usual liveliness and playfulness, and there was a sense of peace between her brows.

That serenity actually added a bit of ice-sculpted, snow-carved coldness and sweetness to her.

Yun Xiancheng gazed at the figure in the ice coffin, and a thought couldn’t help but rise in his heart: So, only at this time did this unreliable Master have a bit of the calm appearance of a teacher.

”Is Master... doing well?”

Han Fenger’s voice carried a hint of slight expectation and trepidation.

Yun Xiancheng nodded, a light, shallow smile escaping his lips: ”She is very well, very comfortable.”

As the only person in the world who could directly interact with her soul body, the soul nourishment and intimate moistening that Yun Xiancheng provided in his daily life could be described as endless, and Yao Chan’s life was currently more comfortable than anyone else’s.

Perhaps because of this, her mindset always maintained an extraordinary state of relaxation and optimism, and she did not harbor too much resentment or hatred for Han Fenger’s past deeds.

”Master is doing well...”

Having received an affirmative answer, Han Fenger seemed to have unloaded a heavy burden, and her whole body relaxed.

She bowed deeply to Yun Xiancheng, her voice slightly hoarse: ”With Junior Brother taking care of Master, Fenger is extremely grateful.”

Yun Xiancheng just watched her quietly, watching this senior sister who, in her words and actions, was constantly paving the way for her own death.

He did not speak to stop her.

This heavy sense of sin was the shackle that kept her alive; if she wanted to do something to repay it, how could he deprive her of this last obsession?

At the same time, deep in Yun Xiancheng’s Sea of Consciousness, Yao Chan’s soul body was excitedly floating around the synchronized image of the ice coffin, emitting laughter like silver bells from her mouth: ”My good Fenger... hee hee, Master has never really blamed you, you know.”