The Villain Marked the Protagonist's Fiancée (Through the Book) - Chapter 18

Fang Zhiluo stood motionless, calmly observing Yun Xiao’s clumsy act. She countered, “Who was it who claimed they could fight three hundred rounds? Where did she go?”

Yun Xiao’s face flushed. She lowered her head and mumbled, “A’Luo, you don’t care about me anymore. You never used to call me out like this.”

Catching the desolation in Yun Xiao’s eyes, Fang Zhiluo’s heart trembled slightly. She unconsciously took two steps forward, leaning down until she was just inches from Yun Xiao. Softly, she asked, “Where do you need me to blow?”

Yun Xiao looked up, their gazes locking.

Fang Zhiluo’s delicate features were reflected in Yun Xiao’s eyes, while Yun Xiao herself was mirrored in Fang Zhiluo’s eyes, which shimmered with tenderness.

Strands of hair, lifted by their mingled breaths, intertwined. In that moment, their worlds narrowed to each other.

“A’Luo, I miss you so much,” Yun Xiao whispered, her longing laid bare.

Fang Zhiluo straightened up and turned to leave. “Since you’re unharmed, you should go.”

After only a few steps, she paused and added coldly, “You’ve helped me repeatedly. I will do everything in my power to repay this debt.”

Was this a declaration of boundaries, or a warning against foolish hopes?

Yun Xiao’s heart ached fiercely, a thin mist gathering in her eyes.

What’s wrong? It’s not like you just found out A’Luo doesn’t reciprocate your feelings.

Sincerity can move mountains and pierce stone. One day, A’Luo will see her and hold her in her heart.

With this thought, the gloom gradually lifted, and Yun Xiao’s spirits revived.

She pressed her hands against the ground, rose swiftly, and hurried after Fang Zhiluo. “A’Luo, wait for me!”

Fang Zhiluo slowed her pace, and together they found their fellow disciples.

Chu Hui’s eyes lit up at the sight of Yun Xiao, and she exclaimed with admiration, “Senior, you’re incredible! Even a Ninth-Tier Vajra Monkey was no match for you!”

Yun Xiao basked in the praise, smiling and waving her hand dismissively. “Just luck, just luck.”

Bai Mofeng offered a few words of comfort to his fellow disciples before approaching Yun Xiao. “If not for the Formation Plate you provided, Senior, we would have fallen into the hands of those four rogue cultivators. For such a great kindness, please accept this junior’s deepest gratitude.” He bowed solemnly to Yun Xiao.

As the other disciples began to rise, preparing to offer their own bows, Yun Xiao quickly interjected, “You’re being too formal. This Formation Plate belongs to your Martial Aunt Fang; I merely passed it along.”

Fang Zhiluo took over the conversation. “The Formation Plate was given to you, so it’s yours now. You deserve their thanks.”

The disciples responded in unison, bowing and expressing their gratitude.

Yun Xiao wasn’t one for false modesty. If A’Luo said she deserved it, then she deserved it.

Scanning the surroundings, she asked, “What about those four?”

Bai Mofeng gritted his teeth. “Those four were too cunning. They actually managed to escape.”

Yun Xiao consoled him, “We’ll be in this Secret Realm for a year. We’ll have plenty of chances for revenge.”

“Rest here for the night,” Fang Zhiluo declared. “We’ll set out again tomorrow.”

She had surveyed the area upon arrival and detected no immediate dangers. Moreover, most of their fellow disciples had sustained minor injuries. Though they had taken healing pills, they still needed time to meditate and recover.

Yun Xiao leaped onto a nearby tree and settled into a cross-legged position.

After consuming the High-Grade Spirit Herb, the Spiritual Energy within her body had become almost uncontrollable.

Having only been in the Secret Realm for two months and just reunited with A’Luo, she had no intention of leaving so soon. She compressed her Spiritual Energy further, channeling it to cleanse every meridian and acupoint in her body.

With the Seventh-Tier Defense Formation in place, Fang Zhiluo assigned the disciples to guard in pairs, rotating shifts throughout the night.

As dawn broke, the Azure Cloud Sect disciples had mostly recovered, and Yun Xiao’s Spiritual Energy had stabilized.

She jumped down from the tree and tossed a sixth-tier Demonic Beast from her Storage Pouch.

Without a word, Chu Hui and Bai Mofeng stepped forward, expertly skinning and gutting the beast.

A fellow disciple asked, puzzled, “What’s this for?”

Chu Hui rolled her eyes. “Obviously, it’s for food! Let me tell you, the Spirit Food made by Senior Yun is absolutely divine!” She patted her chest proudly. “Haven’t you noticed I’ve already formed my Core? That’s all thanks to Senior Yun’s Spirit Food!”

Hearing this, the Azure Cloud Sect disciples erupted in excitement, eagerly volunteering to help.

Yun Xiao produced two large cauldrons, one for simmering soup and the other for braising meat.

The hundreds of kilograms of Demonic Beast meat left the Azure Cloud Sect disciples’ mouths glistening with oil as they ate, praising Yun Xiao’s culinary skills between bites.

Having not tasted Yun Xiao’s Spirit Food for over a year, even Fang Zhiluo couldn’t resist drinking two bowls of soup.

With their bellies full, the group prepared to set out when a sudden rumbling shook the western horizon, sending birds and beasts fleeing in panic.

Hu Hongtao stared intently for a moment before turning to Fang Zhiluo. “This disturbance is even greater than yesterday’s. There might be a treasure involved.”

“No treasure, just a Ninth-Tier Earth Dragon,” Yun Xiao explained, meeting Fang Zhiluo’s questioning gaze. “I came from that direction.”

Pointing to Bai Mofeng and Chu Hui, she added, “They arrived from the east. We ultimately decided to head south to find you.”

Bai Mofeng and Chu Hui nodded in agreement.

Trusting Yun Xiao’s judgment, Fang Zhiluo hesitated briefly before declaring, “We’ll head north. Does anyone object?”

Hu Hongtao was the first to shake his head. If Yun Xiao knew of the Ninth-Tier Earth Dragon’s existence, she must have already clashed with it. Approaching now would likely draw the dragon’s attention to them.

The Ancient Secret Realm was vast, brimming with countless treasures. There was no need to fixate on just one.

Since even the Nascent Soul Stage Martial Uncles had no objections, the disciples with lower cultivation levels naturally dared not voice any.

With the route decided, Hu Hongtao and Yao Rui each led a team of disciples on their training expeditions. Yun Xiao and Fang Zhiluo each kept an eye on one team, ready to intervene at critical moments.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Having endured countless battles, the Azure Cloud Sect disciples reaped considerable rewards, their cultivation levels advancing noticeably. Among them, Bai Mofeng stood out most, breaking through two stages in just two months to reach the mid-Golden Core Stage.

After Chu Hui finished her meditative recovery, she glanced up and saw Yun Xiao lounging lazily in a tree while Fang Zhiluo sat cross-legged beneath it. Though they weren’t speaking, the scene radiated an extraordinary warmth.

Chu Hui nudged Bai Mofeng beside her with her elbow and asked telepathically, “Senior Brother, don’t you think Senior Yun and Martial Aunt Fang make a perfect match?”

Bai Mofeng’s expression darkened. “Enough nonsense,” he rebuked. “Martial Aunt Fang is already betrothed to Junior Martial Ancestor Xie of the Heavenly Evolution Sect.”

Chu Hui pouted. “That Junior Martial Ancestor Xie doesn’t even give Martial Aunt Fang a second glance. The gossip about him is everywhere—he’s always surrounded by immortal maidens, and they even get jealous and fight each other over him.”

“In my opinion, Martial Aunt Fang should just call off this engagement,” she said indignantly.

Martial Aunt Fang might be a bit aloof, but she had always been kind to them juniors. Chu Hui sincerely hoped she would attain enlightenment soon and ascend to immortality.

Bai Mofeng gripped his Lifebound Sword tightly, his expression grave. “Don’t speak of this again. Martial Aunt Fang has her own reasons.”

Yun Xiao, unaware of their telepathic exchange, rolled over and suddenly sensed a faint fluctuation of Spiritual Energy about a hundred miles away. The purity of this energy didn’t seem to belong to a cultivator.

“I’ll go check it out. I’ll be back soon.” Before the words were even out of her mouth, she had already taken flight.

Fang Zhiluo opened her eyes and said calmly, “It’s fine. Even if she encounters a tenth-tier Demonic Beast, she’ll find a way to survive.”

During their earlier battle against the Vajra Monkey, Fang Zhiluo had noticed that Yun Xiao’s Spiritual Energy had grown even more profound than it had been a year ago. She was likely on the verge of breaking through to the Divine Transformation stage, or perhaps could ascend at any moment.

Hearing this, Chu Hui immediately swallowed back the words that had been on the tip of her tongue.

Hu Hongtao and Yao Rui hadn’t made much progress lately. Seeing their junior siblings and nephews reaping great rewards, they couldn’t help but feel anxious.

After much hesitation, Yao Rui stepped forward and said to Fang Zhiluo, “Senior Sister, I want to venture out on my own for a while.”

Hu Hongtao stepped forward. “Senior Brother, I’ll go with you.”

Fang Zhiluo, who had been somewhat worried, felt slightly relieved hearing they would be together. She cautioned them, “No matter how rare the treasures, your lives are paramount. Don’t prioritize the means over the end.”

Shortly after they departed, several members of the Heavenly Evolution Sect approached.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Fellow Daoist Fang, who can’t distinguish right from wrong,” Hua Xuan sneered.

The speaker was Hua Xuan, the daughter of the Heavenly Evolution Sect Leader and the second senior sister of the main peak, with a mid-Nascent Soul Stage cultivation.

Chu Hui immediately flared up, ready to confront her, but Bai Mofeng restrained her.

Bai Mofeng stepped forward and bowed respectfully. “Junior greets Martial Aunt Hua,” he said before his tone sharpened. “May I ask, Martial Aunt Hua, what evidence supports your claims? If there is none, then you are deliberately tarnishing Martial Aunt Fang’s reputation.”

Hua Xuan snorted coldly, her voice brimming with righteous indignation. “When Junior Martial Ancestor Xie was gravely injured, you, as his betrothed, not only failed to visit him but even consorted with the Jade Flood Dragon that harmed him!”

Her fist clenched tightly, her eyes seemed poisoned as she demanded loudly, “Is this the conduct of the Azure Cloud Sect?”

Yun Xiao, who had just returned from her reconnaissance, overheard these words as she approached. Her peach-blossom eyes widened, filled with disbelief.