Chapter 315 - 208: In the Clouds and Mist, No More Risks

Chapter 315: Chapter 208: In the Clouds and Mist, No More Risks

At the mountain gate, the disciple on duty completed the registration and spoke politely.

"...This shouldn’t be happening?"

Xie Yuan stepped out of the mountain gate, muttering to himself with a bewildered expression. The disciples on duty looked at each other in confusion, having no idea what he was talking about.

He walked to Cloud Mountain Town, then passed through it. Looking back, he could no longer see Cloud Mountain’s gate. Xie Yuan wore a strange expression.

"This shouldn’t be happening... Maybe they’re up ahead."

...

"This shouldn’t be happening?"

Staring at the gates of Yunzhou Prefecture, Xie Yuan’s face was blank. He had lost count of how many times he had uttered those four words.

The entire way, he expected someone to stop him, but no one ever came looking for him.

He grew paranoid, and whenever he saw someone looking at him, a strange sense of anticipation would even rise in his heart.

But in the end, they would just brush past him, dashing his expectations once again. He actually started to feel disappointed.

"This shouldn’t be happening..."

Xie Yuan sat there, frowning and muttering to himself.

"Master Xie, what are you talking about? Is something wrong?"

In Situ Qin’s large residence, the ever-expressive girl asked with a curious look on her face.

Xie Yuan hadn’t seen Situ Qin in a long time. Today, she wore a lotus-root-colored long dress with a snow-white fox-fur shawl. A pink sash was tied at her waist, giving her a fresh and playful look. With her slender waist, she was utterly captivating.

Having not seen her for several months, Situ Qin seemed to have lost a little weight, making her chin look a bit sharper. Paired with her snow-white skin and picturesque features, the sight of her was enough to make one’s heart tremble with the desire to protect her.

However, Situ Qin’s aura had also grown faintly stronger. Her almond-shaped eyes were exceptionally lively, darting back and forth as she stared at Xie Yuan. She was curious, but also seemed to be scheming something.

Xie Yuan snapped back to his senses. Seeing Situ Qin’s face nearly right in front of his, his gaze flickered, and he looked away.

"Uh, it’s nothing, really."

"Ooh~ You’re hiding a secret from me!"

Situ Qin drew out her words, her charming voice tinged with dissatisfaction.

Xie Yuan gave a helpless smile.

"What secret would I dare hide from you, Miss Qin? I just can’t figure something out."

"Tell me about it. Maybe I can help you solve it."

Situ Qin said, looking very interested.

Xie Yuan thought for a moment before speaking.

"Well, it all starts in the West Desert."

"Isn’t that even better? That’s what I wanted to hear about! Someone, bring tea for Master Xie! Brew three pots to start, and bring more if it’s not enough."

Situ Qin’s eyes curved into crescents as she spoke with a grin.

Xie Yuan chuckled and shook his head, taking a sip of the fine tea that Situ Qin had poured and served with her own hands.

’Feels nice.’

"You can start now, right?"

Seeing the look of enjoyment on Xie Yuan’s face, Situ Qin rolled her eyes at him and nudged his hand, urging him to begin.

"Alright. It all started when I accepted the mission, left the mountain, and arrived at Fengsha Collection outside the West Pass..."

Xie Yuan thought for a moment and began his story.

Since he was telling the story to Situ Qin, he naturally told it from his own perspective, not Zhang Mountain’s, so she heard the full account from him.

There were no powerful experts in Fengsha Collection. When she heard how Xie Yuan, in order to cover for his sect-mates, had to deliberately take a face-plant in the dirt to pretend to be caught, Situ Qin clapped her hands and burst out laughing.

"GIGGLE GIGGLE GIGGLE~ Master Xie, you really are creative, but that was still a bit risky!"

Although she found it funny, Situ Qin still expressed her concern tactfully.

"I assessed the risks. See? Aren’t I here now, safe and sound, mooching off your food and drink?"

Xie Yuan smiled faintly and continued his story.

The events that followed grew progressively more perilous. When she heard that Xie Yuan had infiltrated the horse bandits’ camp, discovered the city ruins, and even tricked Lu Tianyong to his face before blowing up the ruin’s entrance, Situ Qin covered her mouth with her small hands, looking especially worried.

"You really crossed moves with that Qi Blood Third Transformation Realm Lu Tianyong? Reckless!"

Situ Qin was both astonished and a little reproachful.

"If you think that was reckless, there’s even wilder stuff later."

Xie Yuan chuckled, like a greenhorn showing off in front of a girl he liked, which earned him another eye-roll from Situ Qin.

Next came the earth tremor and the pursuit. Grandmasters arrived one after another, forcing Xie Yuan’s group to jump into the ruins in a desperate struggle for survival. He was "lucky" enough not to get stuck in a wall. The only thing Xie Yuan didn’t—and couldn’t easily—mention to Situ Qin was the Black Celestial Book.

As she listened to the strange sights and mysterious structures within the ruins, and how Xie Yuan had seen through all the various traps with his keen eye, Situ Qin’s eyes sparkled. She stared intently at Xie Yuan, making him unconsciously puff out his chest and raise his voice.

Then, talented Martial Artists from both the Western Regions and the Great Li Empire poured in, and a chaotic battle began. Relying on his Celestial Concealment Skill, Xie Yuan weaved through the chaos like a dragon in water, single-handedly turning the tide for the experts from Great Li. In the end, he even fought two opponents at once, injuring one and killing the other to seize the treasure.

Xie Yuan took out his sword and made it shift and change freely in front of Situ Qin. He was as excited as a child sharing a fun new toy with a friend. Situ Qin’s eyes were like tranquil water, but she wasn’t looking at the Profound Weapon.

"What do you think? Impressive, right?"

Xie Yuan said, not without a hint of pride.

"It is impressive. Even if I had gone, I couldn’t have achieved what you did."

Situ Qin said in a low voice, the shock still lingering on her pretty face.

He really had, by himself, defeated two Qi Blood Third Transformation Realm experts from the Western Regions, and even collected some "interest" from his enemy, Lu the Third...

Situ Qin considered her own talent to be second to none. After all, as the daughter of the King of Pingxi and the Demon Sect Saintess, the blood of two peak Martial Artists flowed in her veins—one was almost certain to become a Grandmaster if he didn’t die first, and the other already was.

She was practically a seedling for a Grandmaster; even if she trained with her eyes closed, she would at least reach the Grandmaster realm. But at her current level, achieving the same results as Xie Yuan was nearly impossible.

Even she couldn’t help but feel a trace of admiration for Xie Yuan.

Never before had there been a peer who could earn Situ Qin’s admiration in the Martial Dao.

And never before had there been someone whose safety she worried about so much that it overshadowed everything else, even making her feel annoyed at the mention of interesting ruins.

Situ Qin’s small face tightened.

"Master Xie, showing off is one thing, but don’t you ever take such risks again."

"It wasn’t really a risk. Everything was under my control..."

"’Under control’? What was under control? Didn’t you just say you were sent flying and spitting blood? The rumors outside said you were the one making others spit blood—I knew that was just bragging! Don’t think you can underestimate others just because you have a calm head and a powerful Secret Technique. No matter how clever you are or how high your skill is, if you ran into an expert like Aunt Hong or Tai Bo, how many lives do you think you’d have to escape with?"

Situ Qin cut Xie Yuan off with a torrent of words, her tone stricter than ever before.

Seeing Xie Yuan open and close his mouth, looking somewhat at a loss, she couldn’t bear it and stomped her foot hard.

"We’ll let it go this time!

"But from now on, I forbid you from taking any more risks!"