Deep in the rear mountains of the Fallen Immortal Sect stood a small cave, isolated from the outside world.
Three enormous jars sat in the middle of the cave. Each contained dozens of venomous creatures, which were viciously tearing one another apart over the food their master had tossed in.
Ji Yun held a piece of food for the insects between his fingers, his eyes lowered as he watched the creatures in the jars.
Whenever he saw one emerge victorious, he would toss in a tiny bit of food as a reward.
He had been staying in this little cave for nearly half a month, and the venomous creatures had already grown into a new generation.
But Yuan Shu seemed to have completely forgotten him. She had not sent him a single message.
The last time they had met, he had specifically asked her to leave his jade talisman imprint on her communication jade. As long as she wanted to, she could contact him at any time!
But there had been nothing. Not a single message!
Yuan Shu had forgotten him again!
Why?
How could she?
Was his half-brother, Ji Qingyan, really that wonderful? Did she really like him that much?
She had been the one to provoke him first, yet in the end, she had been so heartless?
Ji Yun was burning with resentment. He had secretly made up his mind that if Yuan Shu would not look for him, he would not take the initiative to contact her either.
He wanted to see just how heartless she could be!
A familiar fluctuation of spiritual energy suddenly reached him, and the communication jade against his chest grew warm.
Realizing what it meant, Ji Yun hurriedly dropped the food in his hand and swiftly pulled out the communication jade.
Sure enough, the two characters “Yuan Shu” had appeared on it!
He had set her as a special contact in advance. Only when Yuan Shu sent him a message would the jade grow warm.
Ji Yun’s eyes lit up. He opened the communication jade and saw the brief message Yuan Shu had sent.
“Are you there?”
“Hmph. She only contacted me after half a month. What a heartless, wicked woman!” Ji Yun snorted, muttering under his breath.
Though he grumbled, his fingers moved swiftly as he typed out a reply.
“I’m here.”
The moment he sent it, he felt that the answer was too short. Yuan Shu definitely had no idea that he was angry and was planning to ignore her.
He quickly added, “What do you want? Is Ji Qingyan not satisfying you? Did you suddenly think of me? Or did you compare him to me and realize that I’m better after all?”
“Yuan Shu, do you really think I’m a dog? That I’ll answer whenever you send me a message?”
“I’m telling you, I’m not your dog. I, Ji Yun, have principles too. Since you chose Ji Qingyan, then don’t come and provoke me again…”
Once Ji Yun started, an endless stream of “greetings” poured from him.
He was practically announcing in plain terms: I’m angry!
After sending it all, Ji Yun tossed the communication jade aside and lay down with both hands behind his head.
Two seconds later, he shot back up, ground his teeth, picked up the communication jade again, and held it in his hand. Eyes wide open, he stared at it without blinking.
The communication jade remained perfectly silent. It neither glowed nor grew warm, which meant Yuan Shu had not replied.
Ji Yun clenched his teeth.
More than ten seconds passed, and Yuan Shu still had not answered.
He endured it for as long as he could, but eventually gave in. Gritting his teeth, he opened the communication jade and sent another string of lengthy “greetings.”
“Yuan Shu, why aren’t you saying anything? Do you have nothing to say? Why are you speechless in front of me? Is Ji Qingyan the only one worth talking to?”
The message showed that it had been sent, but there was still no reply.
Ji Yun’s eyes instantly reddened.
It was like this again. Yuan Shu was always like this!
She had been the one to provoke him first, yet the moment she got what she wanted, she acted as though she did not know him—let alone keep him in her heart.
She really was… too wicked!
“Yuan Shu, if you don’t say anything soon, I won’t say anything either!”
At the Fallen Immortal Sect.
Yuan Shu had just lowered her head to take a sip of tea when she looked up and saw the jade talisman vibrating nonstop, sending her one message after another without giving her even a moment to respond.
“…”
At last, the vibrations stopped for a brief moment. Yuan Shu seized the opportunity to reply with another simple word.
“Oh.”
The communication jade fell silent for a moment.
Then Ji Yun’s messages came pouring in again.
“What do you mean, ‘oh’? Did I hit the nail on the head? Did I expose your thoughts? Are you feeling guilty? Or perhaps…”
“Ji Yun.”
Ji Yun’s eyes were red as his fingers flew across the communication jade, composing his reply.
Before he could send the new message, Yuan Shu’s response arrived.
The brief two-character address made his fingers freeze. Then Yuan Shu sent her next sentence, and his entire body tensed.
“Something happened on my end. I need to find someone for… dual cultivation. If you’re busy or unavailable, I’ll go find someone else…”
“Send me the location!”
Yuan Shu’s message had barely gone out when Ji Yun’s reply popped up.
Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow and casually sent him an address.
“Purple Sun Hall. Your room.”
In the cave, Ji Yun shot to his feet. The hand holding the communication jade trembled faintly, and his throat bobbed.
Almost immediately, he hastily covered the three enormous jars. Then he pulled a valuable teleportation scroll from his robes and infused it with spiritual energy without the slightest hesitation.
A dazzling white light flashed, and Ji Yun vanished from the small cave.
…
The Beast-Taming Garden was some distance from Purple Sun Hall.
Yuan Shu bit the tip of her tongue and repeatedly circulated spiritual energy through her meridians and flesh, managing to dispel some of the weakness brought on by the Hehuan energy.
Staggering, she finally reached the entrance of Purple Sun Hall.
She raised her hand and was just about to knock when—
Crash!
The hall doors opened. Someone grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her inside.
Her back struck the wall.
Ji Yun’s tall, powerful frame pressed tightly against her, his strong arms pinning her in the corner.
At that moment, he glared down at her furiously.
They were so close that there was hardly any space between them.
The sweet, heady fragrance of the poisonous plants filling the courtyard drifted into her nose, mingling with the faint medicinal scent clinging to Ji Yun as he held her against the wall.
Like a silent hook, it instantly tugged at Yuan Shu’s senses, making it even harder for her to endure.
She swallowed and looked Ji Yun up and down.
He seemed to have said in their exchange on the communication jade that he was not at Medicine Cloud Peak. She had assumed that once she reached Purple Sun Hall, she might have to wait for quite some time.
She had not expected him to already be waiting inside. And…
It seemed that he had even bathed.
A faint trace of moisture still clung to him.
“When did you get back? Didn’t you say you weren’t here?”
Yuan Shu placed a hand on his shoulder, her fair fingers slowly moving toward his chest.
Ji Yun had originally intended to question Yuan Shu about what had happened that day, but when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back.
This was a private world belonging only to him and Yuan Shu. Why bring up Ji Qingyan’s name and give that man importance?
“Just now.”
Ji Yun’s voice was low and hoarse.
Looking down at Yuan Shu’s beautiful face so close to his own, he could not help recalling the day he had lain on the bed and watched Ji Qingyan pin her against the wall.
Had Yuan Shu liked it so much because Ji Qingyan had taken the initiative?
Had she liked him so much that she could remain so composed even in front of Ji Yun?
Ji Yun gritted his teeth.
No. He could not let Ji Qingyan surpass him.
He could no longer let Yuan Shu take the initiative. He wanted to be the one pressing her against the wall too!
Ji Yun pulled Yuan Shu into his arms and rested his head against her shoulder. In the angle she could not see, he slipped a pill into his mouth.
