Chapter 560 499: Peng Sword Immortal and Ji Shenyun's Secret Transaction (Part 2)

Even in her weakened state, Ji Shenyun was not someone he could oppose.

"This is a stronghold I set up on short notice. I'm afraid there's nothing to be done about its rather shabby state,"

Ji Shenyun gestured for Pei Yuhang to sit.

Pei Yuhang, however, did not take a seat. His tall figure cast a long, slender shadow in the Underground Palace.

Seeing that he wasn't getting any vital information about the outside world, he decided to stop beating around the bush with Ji Shenyun and asked bluntly:

"What do you want, bringing me here?"

Ji Shenyun suddenly covered her lips and coughed lightly. Thin streams of golden blood seeped through her fingers.

She frowned at the blood on her palm. When she looked up again, an unnatural purple light swirled in her eyes:

"I am injured now, and I've lost a great deal of Primordial Qi... And because I have just re-emerged, I've already made many enemies, so I desperately need to recuperate."

"...You harmed Yueqiu. How can you have the audacity to ask for my help!"

Pei Yuhang clenched his fists, his eyes fixed on Ji Shenyun, making no effort to hide his hatred and disgust.

"Qing Yueqiu is not dead."

"..."

Pei Yuhang's expression faltered. He seemed to be asking a question, yet at the same time, he was muttering to himself, digesting the news.

"What did you say?"

"I said, that despicable, insidious, greedy, and lecherous disciple of yours is not dead."

"My reappearance in the mortal world was because of a group... What was that organization of fools and madmen called again? Oh, well. It's not important.

In short, I was not resurrected by seizing your disciple's body. Qing Yueqiu is currently off somewhere, living carefree."

Suppressing her impatience, Ji Shenyun thought for a moment before adding an explanation:

"Of course, only I know where your disciple is now. I can only promise you this: as long as you help me heal.

Sooner or later, I will let you reunite with your disciple."

Hearing Ji Shenyun's words, Pei Yuhang fell silent.

The glow of the Luminous Pearl cast a play of light and shadow across his face. The hand at his side clenched and unclenched.

Pei Yuhang didn't know if Ji Shenyun was lying, but he was willing to cling to even the slimmest possibility that Yueqiu was still alive and well.

Besides, her words held a great deal of credibility.

Thinking back, the level of Cultivation Ji Shenyun had displayed when she attacked the Dao Sect was terrifyingly high, far surpassing the Mahayana realm.

If she had seized Yueqiu's body, it would have been impossible for her to display such terrifying power using it as a vessel.

After a brief moment of thought, Pei Yuhang decided to trust Ji Shenyun for now.

However...

"I don't know any healing arts. If you want to heal, I can't help you."

Pei Yuhang's words trailed off as a sudden realization hit him.

"Wait, you—"

"That's right, Pei Yuhang. You possess the Giant Sun Divine Body. Back in my era, anyone with a constitution like yours was considered the greatest Elixir in the world."

Ji Shenyun extended a fingertip, hooking it under Pei Yuhang's chin and forcing him to meet her gaze.

"A treasure like you—whether used for Alchemy, Artifact Refining, or as a Cauldron Slave—would drive even the most powerful Cultivators to madness.

After all, you are a walking Heavenly and Earthly Treasure~"

"So when I first saw you, a Giant Sun Saint Body, I thought about how you were able to cultivate peacefully until now.

And even attain a significant position in a Major Sect without being coveted... I was truly quite surprised."

Ji Shenyun pinched Pei Yuhang's somewhat battered but still handsome face and said with a wide smile:

"Are the moral standards of Cultivators in this era really so high? To let a great treasure like you grow to this age without being... used."

Seizing the opportunity, Ji Shenyun grabbed his wrist, her cold fingers coiling around it like a snake.

She tilted her head up, her pale lips almost touching his Adam's apple. "Don't be afraid. I don't want your life, and I certainly won't use you for Alchemy..."

"If I really killed you, that old fool Yuan Tianming would come looking to settle scores with me. I need to conserve my strength right now; I don't want to make new enemies."

"However—I will still use you as I must."

Ji Shenyun let out a soft laugh, extended the tip of her fair, lustrous foot, and pressed it against Pei Yuhang's lower abdomen, pushing him to the ground.

"Wait, you just mentioned my master's name. Do you know him... Wait, let me go first! Don't be in such a hurry...

Can't we just talk about this properly first?!"

"If you really want to recover your strength, you can drink my blood!"

Although Pei Yuhang had considered beforehand that in a moment of crisis, he could "offer up his good looks."

But when the moment actually arrived, he still instinctively struggled with all his might.

Unfortunately, even now, in the weakest state of her life, Ji Shenyun was not someone that Pei Yuhang, whose Cultivation was sealed, could hope to challenge.

"Just drinking your blood... that little bit of nourishment is nowhere near enough..."

Ji Shenyun shook her head at Pei Yuhang's proposal, and her expression darkened.

"Besides, do you think I'm one of those foolish women around you who have lost their minds in their infatuation?

If there were any other way, would I, the number one Empress of all time, be willing to give you such a bargain?!"

"When it comes down to it, I only got injured like this because I was trying to capture you!"

Thinking of this, Ji Shenyun resentfully pressed her foot down on Pei Yuhang.

She looked down at Pei Yuhang's face. Even as he gritted his teeth in pain, it was exceptionally handsome, exuding a broken, melancholic aura that only made one want to bully him more.

Ji Shenyun thought to herself, 'Hmph. Good thing you're at least easy on the eyes.

If your looks didn't please me, I would have just refined you directly into an Elixir to heal myself.'

Just as Ji Shenyun took out a black silk cloth, preparing to cover Pei Yuhang's eyes and experience for the first time whether this White-clothed Sword Immortal was truly as intoxicating as Qing Yueqiu dreamed of day and night...

Pei Yuhang suddenly reached out and grabbed her ankle.

"Wait... Whatever you want to do, I'll agree. But I have one condition."

"I don't know why you captured Nangong Jin, but please, don't hurt her."

"Oh?"

Ji Shenyun raised an eyebrow, tapping her chin lightly with a fingertip as if pondering something interesting.

She slowly moved closer to Pei Yuhang, leaning down to whisper in his ear.

"That little girl... she has good aptitude. If she's obedient, I won't harm her.

I might even train her properly."

Her warm breath tickled his ear, and Pei Yuhang's body clearly stiffened for a moment. Ji Shenyun watched with satisfaction as the tips of his ears turned a faint red, and continued:

"However..."

She straightened up, looking down at him condescendingly. "What makes you think you're in any position to negotiate with me?"

Before the words had even left her mouth, she suddenly reached out and tore at Pei Yuhang's collar.

The sound of ripping silk was particularly piercing in the silent Underground Palace.

His well-defined collarbones and a small patch of his chest were revealed, and a fresh fragrance slowly wafted into the air.

The golden glint in Ji Shenyun's eyes intensified, like a top predator about to enjoy its prey. "Right now, you are nothing but my..."

The word "captive" had not yet left her lips when Pei Yuhang suddenly raised a hand and grasped her wrist.

His palm was warm and dry, and his grip was neither too light nor too heavy, yet it made Ji Shenyun freeze for a moment.

"I know."

His voice was soft, but every word was clear. "But Nangong Jin has nothing to do with this. Since you won't hurt her, that's good...

Lastly, can you not let her know... about this? I don't want Junior Sister Nangong to think she survived because of what I'm doing."

Ji Shenyun was stunned for a moment, then the corners of her lips curled up as a strange sense of pleasure and conquest rose within her.

"Heh. Pei Yuhang, you secondhand goods who've been tainted by who knows how many Fairies, and now you're worried about your reputation?"

The black silk cloth cut an arc through the air and landed gently on Pei Yuhang's face.

Ji Shenyun's voice came from the darkness, tinged with a hint of gritted teeth:

"Fine. Then we'll see how you perform."

Then, Ji Shenyun laughed softly again, like a naughty child smiling after discovering something fun.

"Oh, right. Whatever you did with Qing Yueqiu, do it to me, but double. Understand?

And during the process, you must say how incompetent and worthless Qing Yueqiu is compared to me~

I plan to record it and let that little bitch Qing Yueqiu hear it later—how the master she pines for day and night completely disparaged her as worthless.

I imagine the look on that little girl's face will be quite spectacular."

Cold fingertips brushed against his neck.

In the darkness, Pei Yuhang closed his eyes.

He heard the rustle of silk, felt the chill of fingertips gliding across his collarbone, and sensed her quickening breath. He clenched his fists, then slowly relaxed them.

"Remember your promise," he said hoarsely.

His only response was an enigmatic chuckle from Ji Shenyun and a touch on his lips as soft as a feather.