Chapter 405 - 403: Fiancée Lan Yunzhu

Flame Dragon had always held high hopes in this regard, firmly believing he was the most suitable cultivation partner for Lan Yunzhu. Now, a fiancé had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. How could this not send him into a rage? He even felt the impulse to kill Li Qiye.

Therefore, when Li Qiye arrived at the Qianli River, the others managed to stay patient, but Flame Dragon couldn’t. He came knocking, intending to teach Li Qiye a lesson and make him know his place and back off.

Flame Dragon looked down upon Li Qiye. To him, Li Qiye was plain-looking, and his Dao Practice was so shallow it was beneath mention. He sneered disdainfully. ’A common mortal like this thinks he can be worthy of our junior sister? That’s a fool’s dream!’

"So, you’re Li Qiye!" Flame Dragon sneered, looking down on him from on high and speaking with immense arrogance. As the head disciple of the Qianli River, Flame Dragon had always been haughty, especially toward a nobody like Li Qiye. In his eyes, such an insignificant junior was no different from a cockroach.

To Flame Dragon, even crushing a cockroach like Li Qiye would be beneath him—it would only dirty his shoes!

Li Qiye didn’t even bother to glance at him, completely ignoring Flame Dragon’s words. He simply continued to gaze at the statue depicting the back of the Qianli Immortal Emperor.

"Little Ghost, did you not hear me speaking to you?" Li Qiye’s complete disregard sent Flame Dragon into a fury. In his mind, the fact that he was even speaking to a nobody like Li Qiye was an honor for the boy. For this Little Ghost to not even spare him a glance was an outrageous insult.

"Where did this fly come from, buzzing incessantly in my ear?" Li Qiye finally drawled, waving his hand lightly as if shooing away an annoying pest.

Upon hearing Li Qiye’s arrogant words, Lu Baiqiu, who was by his side, could only give a wry smile. ’It’ll be impossible to avoid trouble now,’ she thought.

As for the numerous Qianli River disciples present, many exchanged furious glances. Li Qiye was so arrogant; he was showing no respect for their Qianli River at all. Meanwhile, a few disciples who considered Flame Dragon a romantic rival simply watched from the side, eager to enjoy the drama.

"You’re courting death!" Flame Dragon instantly exploded with rage. His eyes glared, and a torrent of fire shot out from them, roaring like a Fire Dragon as it surged toward Li Qiye.

As Flame Dragon attacked, Li Qiye’s eyes narrowed, flashing with a cold glint. Lu Baiqiu, at his side, jumped in alarm. She wasn’t worried for Li Qiye, however. ’How could I not be aware of how fearsome he is?’ she thought. ’Compared to Li Qiye, Flame Dragon’s ferocity is nothing to look at!’

POP! However, before the Fire Dragon could even reach Li Qiye, it was dispelled with a finger flick. Seeing his Fire Dragon snuffed out by a single finger, Flame Dragon was about to erupt, but when he saw who had intervened, all the fury in his chest instantly vanished like smoke.

A woman had instantly appeared at Li Qiye’s side. Dressed in blue with a transcendent aura, she stood there quietly.

The woman’s spiritual charm was captivating. She possessed a transcendent aura, so ethereal it seemed untouched by dust. While her beauty was enough to make flowers blush and the moon hide, it was her enchanting spiritual presence that truly drew the eye.

"Junior Sister—" Seeing the woman in blue, the anger in Flame Dragon’s heart dissipated. He immediately put on his most dashing and handsome demeanor, flashing a smile he thought could charm a million maidens.

"It’s Senior Sister Lan!" Seeing the woman in blue, many disciples of the Qianli River called out happily. Numerous male disciples were completely mesmerized by the sight of this stunning, nation-toppling beauty.

"The successor of the Qianli River, the Bamboo Fairy," Lu Baiqiu murmured, visibly moved. ’I’m no match for her,’ she thought with a sigh. Lan Yunzhu was truly worthy of her title as the successor of the Qianli River and a Heavenly Pride Girl of Nanyao Yun. She was arguably one of Nanyao Yun’s most famous beauties.

Li Qiye glanced at the woman in blue and couldn’t help but smile. He was all too familiar with her; this was the same blue-robed woman he had met on the Thousand Islands, the one he had jokingly called a "plain-faced woman."

"Junior Sister, you’ve finally broken through!" Flame Dragon said happily. "Congratulations! I knew a small hurdle like this would be nothing for you."

Lan Yunzhu gave a slight nod. "Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. But I wonder, why did you feel the need to attack?"

"Junior Sister, this Little Ghost has no idea of his own limitations! He’s calling himself your fiancé! I was just teaching this toad lusting after a swan’s flesh a lesson on your behalf!" Flame Dragon explained hurriedly.

Li Qiye chuckled, glancing at Lan Yunzhu. "Plain-faced woman," he said with a grin, "since your senior brother wants to teach me a lesson, do you think I should handle it, or should you?"

Li Qiye’s words made Lan Yunzhu grind her teeth in frustration, and she shot him a glare. As for Flame Dragon, he was practically bursting with rage.

"You court death! How dare you insult my junior sister!" Flames erupted all over Flame Dragon’s body, making him look like a true Fire Dragon. He unleashed a monstrous wave of fire, intending to incinerate Li Qiye.

POP! However, before Flame Dragon could harm Li Qiye, his attack was gently blocked by Lan Yunzhu. Although she was grinding her teeth in frustration at Li Qiye, she was a pragmatic person. ’Our senior brother may be a powerful Ancient Saint,’ she thought, ’but against Li Qiye... Forget an Ancient Saint, even a Saint Venerable probably couldn’t gain an advantage.’

Six Palaces and Nine Stars. It was a truly fearsome state of being. Even a Saint Venerable would grow pale at the thought of facing such a Defying Heaven monster.

"Junior Sister—" Seeing his attack blocked by Lan Yunzhu, Flame Dragon’s expression immediately changed. When he saw her protecting Li Qiye, a sour feeling welled up inside him, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of jealousy.

"Senior Brother, our visitors are our guests. This is not the way we of the Qianli River treat people," Lan Yunzhu said coolly.

Flame Dragon resentfully withdrew his power. "For your sake, Junior Sister, I’ll spare this Little Ghost today," he said hatefully. "But next time, I’ll make sure he pays."

Li Qiye didn’t even deign to glance at Flame Dragon. He turned to Lan Yunzhu and said, "Alright, you can slowly sort out your sect’s internal affairs by yourselves. Girl, come see me in a little while." With that, he turned and walked away.

Lu Baiqiu was so stunned she could only stare, her mouth hanging wide open. ’This is the successor of the Qianli River, the Heavenly Pride Girl of Nanyao Yun!’ she thought, aghast. ’Countless geniuses treat her with the utmost respect, worshiping her like a Divine Maiden, yet Li Qiye is ordering her around like his personal servant!’

Li Qiye’s attitude sent Flame Dragon into a towering rage; he wished he could kill him on the spot. Lan Yunzhu, however, could only sigh helplessly. As for the other disciples, they just looked at each other, speechless.

Not long after Li Qiye returned to his private courtyard, Lan Yunzhu arrived. The moment she saw him, she gave him an irritated glare. "Did you come here just to cause trouble?!"

"So what if I did?" Li Qiye said leisurely. "If you all hadn’t provoked me, would I have come looking for trouble with you? In the end, you brought this on yourselves."

"This is the Qianli River! Not a place where you can just come and go as you please! Hmph. If something happens to you, let’s see who comes to save you then," Lan Yunzhu said with a cold snort.

Li Qiye burst out laughing. "Plain-faced woman, you’re wrong. It’s precisely because this is the Qianli River that I can come and go as I please."

"Oh, listen to you, mister. Such big talk. Do you really think you’re invincible?" Lan Yunzhu said, annoyed. She was grinding her teeth in frustration at this Little Ghost; she truly wanted to teach this arrogant brat a lesson herself.

Li Qiye replied with utter composure, "Invincible? Not quite. But if I wanted to leave, no one here could stop me. Not even if those Elder Ancestors you have buried underground were to emerge."

Lan Yunzhu snorted coldly. Although she was annoyed by Li Qiye’s arrogance, she had to admit that this Little Ghost had the capital to back it up. Six Palaces and Nine Stars... Even a genius like her, with a dual saint aptitude, had to concede she was no match.

"You two... you know each other?" Lu Baiqiu finally managed to find an opportunity to speak. The moment the words left her mouth, however, she felt like an idiot. ’They’re engaged, of course they know each other, right?’

But on second thought, something didn’t add up. ’Li Qiye has never mentioned Lan Yunzhu before. It seemed like he didn’t even know who she was until now. So how did they suddenly become so familiar with each other?’

"Well..." Li Qiye said, eyeing Lan Yunzhu with a mischievous grin. "A certain someone hid her name and identity, disguised herself as a plain-faced woman, and cooked for her fiancé. It seems she wanted to probe his background."

"Oh, please, mister. You think too highly of yourself," Lan Yunzhu said, glaring at him irritably. "Who would want a fiancé like you? I was merely curious for a moment, experiencing the hardships of mortal life."

"Is that so?" Li Qiye glanced at her. "Running off to a remote place like the Thousand Islands to experience the hardships of life? And I just so happened to be there. What a coincidence, don’t you think?"

"I felt like it. It’s none of your business," Lan Yunzhu retorted irritably. "The Thousand Islands don’t belong to you. I can go whenever I want. What are you going to do about it?"

Watching the two of them bicker, Lu Baiqiu couldn’t help but break into a faint smile. Arguing like this, they really did look like a young couple.

"Alright," Li Qiye said with a wide grin. "In any case, you’ve done your investigating. As my fiancée, what are your thoughts on your husband-to-be? When are you planning to marry me?"

"Pah! A toad lusting after a swan’s flesh," Lan Yunzhu scoffed, her cheeks flushing red.

Li Qiye gave her a sideways glance and said, "Plain-faced woman, I do indeed enjoy being a toad that eats a swan’s flesh. However, to be considered a swan in my eyes, a woman must be at the Level of a True Immortal or an Immortal Emperor. You’re still a long way from being a swan."