Chapter 723 - 475: Awakening Lion and Demon Country

After concluding the first round of talks with Tu Dai’Er, Fang Qingyuan reserved the remaining time for Huo Yao’Er.

Fang Qingyuan had a pretty good idea why Huo Yao’Er had come. She was here to propose a marriage alliance.

The Huo Family had been facing great hardship lately. With Yue’e Ancestor commanding her own faction to forge a path into Awakening Lion Valley, the Huo Family couldn’t escape having its Cultivators conscripted.

While they wouldn’t send every member of the Huo Family to the front lines—it was necessary to leave some roots at the Beast Taming General Mountain—two of the family’s four Golden Core Cultivators had to be deployed.

The Huo Family’s veteran Golden Core Cultivators, Huo Cheng and Huo Wu, had been dispatched to the front lines, leaving only Huo Bai and Huo Yao’Er behind with the family.

A few years ago, Huo Bai had been severely wounded while deep in the Barbaric Wilderness. Even after all this time, his injuries had yet to fully heal, and upholding the Huo Family’s prestige at Zongshan was an immense struggle.

With Huo Cheng and Huo Wu fighting for their lives in Awakening Lion Valley, the once-mighty Huo Family, a clan with a Nascent Soul Ancestor, was now teetering on the brink. Huo Yao’Er saw all of this, and her heart grew anxious.

In the first half of the year, the Lechuan Sect, which had also been just barely holding on, suddenly came into a massive fortune. They used their most practiced method—bribery—to influence Di Yuanpu, the one who assigned battlefronts, allowing their sect to rotate to a position further in the rear.

Any discerning eye could see that the Lechuan Sect had previously offended Di Yuanpu. To win back his favor now, the price they paid must have been astronomical.

The Lechuan Sect had been completely destitute, so how could they suddenly acquire such immense wealth? Although the sect said nothing, the fact that Fang Qingyuan had previously sent a birthday gift had clearly not escaped the notice of certain observant parties.

And so, after Fang Qingyuan had rejected her twice, the persistent Huo Yao’Er came to him for a third time.

Inside the main hall, the faint, sweet scent of Tu Dai’Er still lingered in the air. It now mingled with the fragrance from Huo Yao’Er, creating a surprisingly pleasant aroma.

Gazing at Huo Yao’Er’s stunning beauty, Fang Qingyuan remained perfectly calm. He understood quite well that her reasons for being here were anything but simple.

"Fellow Daoist Huo, you’ve come a long way. Is there an important matter you wish to discuss with me?"

Seeing Fang Qingyuan feign ignorance, Huo Yao’Er shot him a reproachful look and retorted,

"I’ve always been curious. Am I not beautiful?"

"Fellow Daoist Huo, your grace is like a secluded orchid, your aura is elegant, and your features are exquisite. You are, of course, exceptionally beautiful."

"Then why do you avoid me as if I were a viper and refuse to draw any closer?"

Faced with Huo Yao’Er’s bluntness, Fang Qingyuan was momentarily at a loss for a good excuse to deflect her. More importantly, he couldn’t bring himself to insult both of their intelligences with a flimsy pretext.

Huo Yao’Er was indeed a rare beauty. At the Beast Taming General Mountain, she was an object of desire, pursued by numerous Golden Core Cultivators. Unfortunately, these Cultivators were not the leaders of their respective families and thus couldn’t provide the Huo Family with the substantial help it so desperately needed.

However, the circumstances surrounding his Immortal Mansion truly made Fang Qingyuan hesitate. As beautiful as Huo Yao’Er was, he didn’t dare get involved.

’Unless we didn’t live together all the time. I could just go and find her when I thought of her, and she would have no influence over the Qingyuan Sect. But in that case, wouldn’t she just become my secret lover, kept in a gilded cage?’

At this thought, Fang Qingyuan’s gaze upon Huo Yao’Er warmed slightly. Who wouldn’t want to possess such a beautiful thing for themself?

Huo Yao’Er keenly sensed this shift. Her expectations for this visit were even lower than they had been last time.

"Fellow Daoist Fang, what will it take for you to help the Huo Family overcome this crisis? Please, state your terms. As long as it’s something I can do, I will not refuse."

Looking at the delectable Huo Yao’Er, Fang Qingyuan regained his composure. He felt her words were a blatant invitation for him to take advantage of her family’s plight.

’Isn’t this clearly a transaction?’

’And an exploitative one at that, taking advantage of someone in peril. Huo Yao’Er might be beautiful, but not beautiful enough to make me commit an act so damaging to my reputation and morals. If the Huo Family knew I had coerced Huo Yao’Er under these circumstances in exchange for support, given their temperament, they’d probably be the first ones lining up to challenge me to life-or-death duels once the pioneering war was over.’

"How can you say such a thing, Fellow Daoist Huo? The Huo Family was very kind to me in the past. There’s no need to put yourself in such a difficult position. If there is anything I can do to help, I certainly won’t refuse."

The moment Fang Qingyuan spoke, a look of disappointment flashed across Huo Yao’Er’s eyes. She realized she had been too hasty. Even if she intended to offer herself as part of a trade, she shouldn’t have been so blatant about it.

It made sense. After all, Huo Yao’Er had no experience with such things. She felt no love for Fang Qingyuan at present, only calculation. How could she possibly hide such intentions from his keen senses?

Fang Qingyuan wasn’t one to pursue purely carnal pleasures. The path of cultivation was filled with temptations; if he couldn’t even resist the mere desires of the flesh, then what had all his years of cultivation been for?

The atmosphere grew a bit cold. Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan took the initiative and asked about the Huo Family’s situation in Awakening Lion Valley. In response, Huo Yao’Er gave him the latest, first-hand report:

"We’ve already pushed into the middle of Awakening Lion Valley. We were just about to reach the Old Lion’s lair when Yue’e Ancestor ordered a halt. The main army is now amassed in the middle section, locked in a standoff with the Banshan Primordial Monarch. Although large-scale battles have ceased for now, small-scale harassment is constant. The situation at the front is not good."

’They stopped? Does Yue’e Ancestor have some other plan?’

’Or is she not yet ready to fight the Yuanhou Lion Dance? But what’s strange is, why hasn’t the Yuanhou Lion Dance made a move either?’

......

Deep within Awakening Lion Valley, inside the lion’s lair, the Yuanhou Lion Dance was sleeping soundly. Its enormous body lay sprawled within the nest. The Spiritual Qi here was so dense it was nearly condensing into liquid, which was why the Yuanhou Lion Dance was generally unwilling to leave its den.