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

328: Section 328Zi Yan’s highly possessive action undoubtedly sounded the horn of war, instantly igniting the competitive spirit of the other two. Qing Lin and Yun Yan exchanged a glance below, and in a flash, they reached a tacit understanding.

They simultaneously released their arms and climbed upwards using both hands and feet, their movements as agile as two nimble cats.

Their coordination had long been incredibly practiced; without needing a single word, they knew exactly how to share this ”high ground” that belonged exclusively to them, jointly expressing the most fervent affection to their husband. Soon, the two occupied Yun Xiancheng’s shoulders, one on each side. Consequently, Yun Xiancheng’s cheeks were met with a sweet ”assault” from both sides.

Qing Lin and Yun Yan moved forward together, leaving moist marks on his face with their soft, delicate lips, one on each side. The kisses carried a possessive nuance like that of a small animal nibbling, as if they wanted to stamp their own mark upon his face.

Their warm breath intertwined as it brushed across his face, and the air was filled with the sweet, soft milky and floral scents unique to Young ladies, wrapping him completely in an airtight embrace.

Seeing her ”territory” being divided and eaten from both sides, Zi Yan, who was at the high point, was not about to let it rest.

She gently clamped her legs to steady herself, and a layer of light purple Dou Qi aura quietly emerged from her body, making her stick even tighter, as if she wanted to merge into his body.

Immediately, she stretched out her arms, wrapped them around Yun Xiancheng’s head from behind, and rubbed her cheek against the back of his neck affectionately, with a hint of provocation.

Soft fabric and warm skin pressed closely together, and with the slight sway of Yun Xiancheng’s stride, that warm sensation became increasingly clear and persistent.

Zi Yan said no more, simply pressing her cheek tightly against him, feeling the subtle undulations of his neck muscles as he walked.

That exclusive intimacy brought a satisfied flush to her small face, and she closed her eyes in contentment, emitting a barely audible hum.

Chapter 378: Rakshasa Gate’s Su Mei

Su Mei, the Sect Leader of the Rakshasa Gate, sat upright on a stone bench in a corner of the courtyard, her fingertips gently rubbing against a warm teacup.

As a Dou Huang expert, she chose to bind her own life and livelihood to the Heavenly Serpent Mansion at this moment; this move was akin to a massive gamble. Beneath the deep waters of the Black-Corner Region, there was definitely more than just that one Dou Zong from the Heavenly Serpent Mansion lurking about.

A single person was not enough to completely overturn the situation here. However, in the gambles of this world, it is never just about the chips on the table.

Was there still a hidden trump card behind the Heavenly Serpent Mansion that hadn’t been shown? And what kind of shocking existences would be dragged into this by the connections of the Medicine Emperor, Han Fenger, as an Alchemist?

It was based on these layers of consideration and deduction that she finally placed her bet on this nascent ”Righteousness Alliance.” But when she truly stepped into Qi Huo City, the scene before her eyes made her heart sink inch by inch. Mediocre, weak; rather than a city, it was more like a medicinal garden. This place did not belong in the Black-Corner Region.

This was where the alliance was located? It was simply a complete farce. A thought uncontrollably exploded in her mind: she had been deceived.

The Medicine Emperor and the Heavenly Serpent Mansion were clearly singing an ”Empty Fort Strategy,” painting a pie in the sky, waiting for people like them who had nowhere else to turn to walk right into it.

If not for the memory of that little green snake from the Heavenly Serpent Mansion she had just seen, she would have already flicked her sleeves and left, ordering the entire Rakshasa Gate to withdraw from this vortex overnight.

Su Mei’s thoughts could not help but drift back to the moment she first met Qing Lin.

That girl was only at the Dou Ling level, yet her body was surrounded by a clear, cold aura that was out of place in this world—limpid, ethereal, and unstained by dust.

Su Mei’s cultivation technique granted her a certain ability to discern people, which was why she could see Qing Lin’s extraordinary nature even more clearly. ”Jade eyes hiding three flowers, five auras upon the neck.”

Such a temperament, such natural aptitude—it was clearly born for stepping into the Dou Zun Realm or even higher.

There is always a type of genius in this world whose brilliance is so radiant that it cannot be hidden at all. Others can perceive their extraordinary nature at a glance, and thus, they are treated with courtesy and respect wherever they go.

However, because of this, they instead lose the opportunity to train in ”playing the pig to eat the tiger.”

After all, one does not hit a smiling face; one cannot simply pick a fight without cause just to create a ”stage for face-slapping.”

It was precisely out of awe for this talent that Su Mei suppressed the urge to turn around and leave, choosing to observe a little longer. What she was betting on was that a faction capable of cultivating such an unpolished gem could absolutely not be as simple as it appeared on the surface.

The Heavenly Serpent Mansion, once supported only by a Dou Wang, had first gained a Dou Zong to oversee it out of thin air, and now it revealed such a Qilin talent; if anyone said there was no heaven-reaching background or support behind them, no one would believe it.

She lifted her teacup and brought the slightly cool tea to her lips. The tea was bitter, much like her current state of mind. All the doubts and calculations filling her belly were swallowed down nonchalantly, along with that mouthful of tea.

Just at this moment, a burst of crisp, playful laughter belonging to Young ladies intruded into the quiet courtyard without warning, completely interrupting her thoughts. Su Mei looked towards the sound, her brows subconsciously furrowing slightly. Then, that furrowing expression froze on her face, replaced by a sense of near-absurd astonishment.

In the distance, a man dressed in snow-white robes was walking over leisurely. And on his body, there were actually three delicately carved, jade-like little girls hanging.

One on his left shoulder, one on his right shoulder, and even on top of his head, one was sitting steadily ”riding” him.

The man’s expression was calm and composed as he tilted his head, whispering and laughing with the girls on his shoulders, his steps steady as if he were not carrying three people, but three light, drifting clouds.

This inconceivable combination made the teacup she held at her lips shake violently, and the scalding tea nearly spilled out. She quickly steadied her mind, blinked, and looked again, confirming that what she had just seen was not an illusion caused by overthinking.

When the man walked closer, Su Mei was finally able to see his features clearly.

At just one glance, she understood what was meant by ”an unparalleled beauty in the human world, unmatched in all the world.”

It was a kind of handsomeness that represented true masculinity while being mixed with the essence of heaven and earth, enough to make the world itself pale in comparison.

She subconsciously held her breath, her heartbeat skipping a beat. But years of storms and experience allowed her to quickly regain her senses. She slowly set down the teacup and tapped her fingertips rhythmically on the tabletop, using this subtle action to forcibly suppress the astonishment and shock in her heart.

As the Sect Leader of the Rakshasa Gate, she absolutely could not lose her composure at this moment like those sheltered, lovesick Young ladies. ”Sister Su Mei!” A crisp call awakened her from her scrutiny. It was the jade-eyed girl, Qing Lin.

She nimbly leaped down from the man’s shoulder, landing steadily on the ground, then ran to Su Mei in a few steps, tilting her small face up and pointing at the man behind her as if presenting a treasure: ”I’ve brought my Master over! His word is as good as gold; if you have anything to discuss, just talk directly to him, you can’t go wrong!”

Su Mei’s gaze followed Qing Lin’s finger, falling back upon the man who was so handsome he didn’t seem like a mortal.

The other party was looking at her with a smile; those eyes were as clear as a deep spring, gentle and peaceful, without a trace of aggression, instantly diluting the intense impact brought about by his face.

”I am Yun Xiancheng, greetings to Sect Leader Su Mei.” The man nodded slightly, his voice clear and gentle, like jade stones striking one another.

Su Mei slowly stood up and bowed to him, her posture upright and dignified, neither humble nor arrogant: ”Greetings, Young Master Yun. I am Su Mei of the Rakshasa Gate. I heard that the Medicine Emperor had raised a call to arms to establish the Righteousness Alliance, so I came to pay a visit. I just don’t know, Young Master, what your role here is…”

She left half of her sentence hanging, her gaze filled with inquiry.

”When Senior Sister acts, as her Junior Brother, I naturally must do my utmost to assist.” Yun Xiancheng responded with a faint smile, his tone calm yet filled with a sense of matter-of-fact certainty.

Senior Sister? Junior Brother? These four short words were like a thunderclap, exploding deafeningly in Su Mei’s mind.

Her pupils suddenly contracted, and a monstrous wave instantly churned in her heart. The Medicine Emperor, Han Fenger… actually had a Junior Brother? What did this mean? It meant that Han Fenger was not alone; behind her, there also stood an unknown sect! The Heavenly Serpent Mansion had a background, and the Medicine Emperor also had a background!

Su Mei looked back at the slightly simple courtyard, at the unadorned Qian Yao Workshop, and the previous feeling of it being ”shabby” or ”weak” had long since vanished. In her eyes now, every blade of grass and every tree here exuded a hidden, profound foundation.

How was this an ”Empty Fort Strategy”? It was clearly a setting where ”great scholars laugh and talk, and no commoners come and go”! What was shabby about it? It was she herself who had been blind!

She immediately felt incredibly guilty and couldn’t help but steal a few more glances at Yun Xiancheng.

Hmm… and with such an incomparably handsome person here, it seems it wouldn’t be so bad to join this Righteousness Alliance, she thought to herself.

It seems the Rakshasa Gate Sect Leader has been influenced to some extent.

Chapter 379: Sect Leader Su, you also wouldn’t want…

The air in the courtyard fell into a strange state of stagnation.

Su Mei steadied herself, withdrawing her fingertips from the cool stone table, her pair of charming phoenix eyes refocusing on the face before her, which was enough to make the stars in the sky lose their luster.

She forcibly suppressed the strange palpitations in her heart, tucking all her emotions into the depths of her eyes, and asked, word by word, that core question which would determine the future of the Rakshasa Gate.

Does the Righteousness Alliance truly have such great ambition, daring to restore order to the chaotic situation of the entire Black-Corner Region?

Yun Xiancheng still had two little girls hanging from his shoulders, and one riding on top of his head; despite this comical appearance, when responding to such a grand question concerning the structure of the world, he appeared exceptionally calm and unconcerned.

He merely nodded slightly, and a single word spilled from his throat. ”Mn.”

Just this one word, without any embellishment. Yet in Su Mei’s ears, it carried strong persuasiveness.

Yun Xiancheng raised his eyes, his clear gaze looking into the depths of Su Mei’s eyes, a gentle smile curling at the corners of his lips.

”However, since Sect Leader Su has asked, that means there is no turning back for you and me. After today, we shall address each other as allies.”

If these words, which carried a hint of ’forced buying and selling’, had been spoken by someone else, Su Mei would likely have sneered at them long ago.

But spoken by the person before her, it inexplicably made her feel a sense of peace. Her earlier doubts regarding an ’empty city strategy’ had long since vanished into thin air.

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushing against her smooth earlobe, her phoenix eyes shifting as she smiled enchantingly: ”That may be so, but I wonder what status my Rakshasa Gate would hold if we were fortunate enough to join?”

The smile at the corners of Yun Xiancheng’s lips deepened slightly. His gaze fell upon Su Mei, from her meticulously styled hair bun to her curvaceous figure, and finally to her eyes that shone with brilliance.

Even a heroine like Su Mei could not help but feel a faint flush of pink spread across the roots of her ears when swept over inch by inch by such a clear and focused gaze.

”Sect Leader Su is in the prime of her youth and is also a Dou Huang expert; I, Xiancheng, will naturally secure a status for you that matches your position.” He spoke slowly, and every word was clearly delivered into Su Mei’s ears.

He paused slightly and cleared his throat; that light cough was exceptionally clear in the quiet courtyard.

His gaze drifted towards the distance as if unintentionally, yet in his speech, he had already placed a huge temptation before Su Mei.

”My Senior Sister is obsessed with the Dao of Alchemy and has never been willing to touch the trivial matters of the Alliance in the slightest. But with such a large alliance, we cannot let the Heavenly Serpent Mansion dominate alone. My Senior Sister, after all, needs a trustworthy person in charge to act on her behalf.”

The words had reached this point, and it could not be clearer. A status sufficient to rival the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, and the identity of an agent with direct access to the core of power.

This was almost the best result Su Mei could imagine. But where in the world would a free lunch fall from the sky?

Su Mei’s breath hitched slightly, and the heart in her chest, which had weathered many storms, was now uncontrollably chaotic. She forced herself to look directly into those clear eyes.

”What does Young Master want?”

Her thoughts spun rapidly. Apart from her, this Dou Huang Sect Leader, what else in the Rakshasa Gate could catch the eye of such a person? Cultivation techniques? Territory? Would he lack such things?

An absurd yet fatally attractive thought emerged without warning from the deepest part of her heart and quickly occupied all her thoughts—could it be that what he wants is me?

Once this thought took root, it could no longer be contained. Su Mei only felt her cheeks burning hot, and even her breathing became somewhat rapid.

If it were an ordinary person, she would certainly not have such thoughts; it was all because this Young Master Yun had such amazing charm that it truly disturbed her heart. She looked at Yun Xiancheng’s smiling eyes and, from that gentleness, actually read a hint of expectation.

Was he expecting an affirmative answer? Su Mei was startled by her own thoughts. Since when had she become so undisciplined? Yet that uncontrollable excitement was truly pounding in her chest.

Yun Xiancheng did not speak, merely maintaining that gentle smile, looking at her with leisure, letting this ambiguous silence ferment between them, giving her ample time to savor and ponder.

Just in this heart-swaying silence, a crisp voice rang out at the perfect moment. It was Qing Lin, who had skillfully slid down from Yun Xiancheng’s shoulder at some unknown time and was now obediently kneeling by his feet.

Beneath her knees, a mass of condensed, non-dissipating cloud energy gently supported her, insulating her from the cold of the ground. The little girl tilted her face up, her emerald eyes filled with worship and adoration for her master, and then she turned to Su Mei, slowly throwing out a question.

”Big Sister Su Mei, can Qing Lin trust you?”

Su Mei looked at the exquisitely carved little person before her, her heart stirred, and she tried hard to squeeze out a smile that was gentle and kind enough, responding softly: ”Little sister is joking, of course Big Sister can be trusted.”

”But Qing Lin is small-minded and always needs a little guarantee before she can truly feel at ease and treat someone as one of our own.” Qing Lin tilted her head, her emerald eyes turning mischievously, and the corners of her lips curled into an arc of a scheme succeeding.

Her heart jumped violently, and a bad premonition arose spontaneously. This was no little girl who didn’t know the ways of the world; she was clearly a little fox that had become a spirit!

She was secretly vigilant, but on the surface, she maintained a gentle smile, following Qing Lin’s words: ”Oh? Then little sister, tell me, what must I do for you to set your heart at ease, little housekeeper?”

As soon as the words fell, Qing Lin stood up lightly from the cloud, ran a few steps to Su Mei, and unceremoniously took her hand.

Su Mei’s body stiffened slightly, but she did not break free. Following that gentle force, she was led step by step by the little girl until she finally stopped in front of Yun Xiancheng, so close she could almost smell the crisp, pleasant cold fragrance on him.

Qing Lin tilted her little face up, looking at her master, then at the curvaceous Sect Leader big sister beside her, and with the most innocent voice, threw out a shocking proposal.

”Qing Lin thinks that for an alliance, there must be something tangible to be reliable. It has to be that Big Sister Su Mei and Master have intimate physical contact for the relationship to be deep! Then we’ll be one family!”

Even though Su Mei had experienced countless storms, she was somewhat stunned by this sudden, direct pitch.

Her beautiful eyes widened, her gaze sweeping back and forth across Qing Lin’s innocent little face, doubting if she had misheard.

A moment later, a wave of heat ’boomed’ directly from her neck to the top of her head, dyeing her cheeks bright red. She hurriedly raised her hand and gave a light, not-too-heavy pat on the little hand Qing Lin was still holding.

”You child, speaking without restraint, what kind of nonsense is this!”

This rebuke, when spoken, had already lost its force; it was soft and limp, not looking like anger at all.

Coupled with the way her cheeks were flushed like clouds, it added infinitely moving charm. Qing Lin let go with a giggle; mission accomplished, she retreated successfully.

She ran back to Yun Xiancheng in a flash, tilted her head to blink her emerald eyes at him as if asking for credit, her face full of ’Aren’t I impressive’.

At this time, Yun Yan, who had been quietly hanging on the other arm, had no expression on her small, always somewhat ignorant face.

Yet she quietly reached out her little hand and gave two light, not-too-heavy pushes on Yun Xiancheng’s waist, expressing her stance with silent action. Only Zi Yan on top of his head did not have the ’magnanimity’ of Qing Lin and Yun Yan.

She stared at Su Mei’s curvaceous and provocative figure, let out a dissatisfied snort from her petite nose, then crossed her arms, turned her head to the side in a huff, and faced everyone with the back of her head.

With the urging force from Yun Yan at his waist, meeting Qing Lin’s expectant gaze, and a little vinegar jar sulking on top of his head, Yun Xiancheng smiled helplessly in his heart, took a step forward, and shortened the remaining distance between him and Su Mei.

He lowered his eyes, his gaze meeting those phoenix eyes that were shimmering with moisture due to shyness and panic, his expression still gentle, but now carrying a sense of seriousness.

”Sect Leader Su, what do you think?” It was not a joke, not a test.

Su Mei read the most direct inquiry from the depths of his clear eyes.

Her throat moved uncontrollably, the swallowing motion exceptionally clear in the silence. The words ’absurd’, which should have been blurted out, were now as heavy as a thousand jun, stuck in her throat.

She did not object. This silence itself was an attitude.

Under the gaze of Qing Lin and Yun Yan’s two pairs of sparkling eyes, and amidst the drum-like beating of her own heart, the shrewdness and decisiveness that Su Mei had maintained for half her life finally declared total surrender.

She lowered her eyelids, her long eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings. ”Then… we can try…”

380 Qing Lin’s Ability

That was how Su Mei, in a state of near-distraction and confusion, agreed to Qing Lin’s scheme, and in a daze, boarded this pleasure boat of Yun Xiancheng’s.

Within this, there was certainly the reason of that green-eyed little girl’s glib tongue, but more so, it was simply her going with the flow of the undercurrent that had long been surging in the depths of her own heart.

The world often says ’a beauty matches a talented man’; Su Mei had been in charge of the Rakshasa Gate for many years and had seen countless people, considering herself worthy of the word ’beauty’.