Chapter 32: Phoenix Tail Flower (II)

Sui Ning felt that Xie Changzhou was particularly strange at this moment, exuding an evil and wicked aura without the warmth and clarity of the past.

As Xie Changzhou looked at her with such concentration, her heart beat faster and faster, and the strength in the arm leaning against his chest softened.

She watched as Xie Changzhou slightly bent over, his black eyelashes trembling lightly, getting closer and closer to her.

Sui Ning couldn’t even think of struggling. At this moment, her whole body was stunned, and her strength seemed to have been directly drawn away. She relied solely on the restraint at her waist to support her body.

Suddenly, a childish voice broke the deadlock.

“Master, Sui Ning, what are you doing hugging each other?”

Ah Yan stared at Sui Ning and Xie Changzhou with big, round eyes, full of curiosity.

Sui Ning quickly came to her senses and broke free from Xie Changzhou’s embrace, her fair cheeks blushing and her heartbeat thundering in her chest.

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He had just wanted to kiss Sui Ning.

This was already the second time he had felt desire for her.

He was becoming increasingly unable to control himself.

Xie Changzhou looked up at Sui Ning, who was not far away. She had a slender figure and was crouched by the river with Ah Yan. A strand of black hair hung down from her face, and she smiled at Ah Yan with gentle eyes.

Although there were noisy sounds around, Xie Changzhou could only hear the sound of his own heartbeat.

Thump thump–

It drowned out all other sounds.

Sui Ning taught Ah Yan how to place the river lamp and gently rubbed his little head. “Ah Yan, you did great.”

A hot gaze fell on her. Sui Ning noticed it, and the smile on her lips froze as she turned her head to look over.

Xie Changzhou stood not far away, with a tall and straight figure, clear and refined features, and soft and slightly upturned eyes. The night wind blew his clothes, and the black hair was blown up behind him, occasionally brushing his cheeks.

Passing pedestrians occasionally walked through the middle of the two of them, separated by the crowd, where everything seemed to stand still.

Suddenly, Sui Ning’s heart skipped a beat and then started beating faster and faster, a sense of excitement quietly creeping up into her heart, bringing with it a sweet feeling.

Suddenly, the sleeve next to her was pulled, and Sui Ning quickly came back to reality.

Ah Yan’s round face was full of smiles as he pointed to a place and said, “Sui Ning, I still want to play that.”

Sui Ning looked over, and not far away, a crowded place in the street market was adorned with exquisitely crafted lanterns hanging high.

It was where they were guessing riddles.

Ah Yan had never seen these before and was naturally excited beyond measure. Sui Ning couldn’t help but smile and took his hand, saying, “Let’s go, I’ll take you to guess the riddles.”

“Thank you, Sui Ning; I love you the most!”

Ah Yan laughed and pulled Sui Ning towards Xie Changzhou. He took Xie Changzhou’s hand and stared at him with his big, bright eyes.

Xie Changzhou chuckled lightly, gently stroked his hair, and said in a soft voice, “Hmm, go ahead.”

“Yay! Let’s go, let’s go!”

Ah Yan pulled Sui Ning with one hand and Xie Changzhou with the other.

Sui Ning tried hard to remain calm and discreetly looked at Xie Changzhou beside her.

His elegant brows and eyes were calm, as if he had completely forgotten what had just happened and had returned to being the revered White Jade Sword Saint.

It turned out that she was the only one with a troubled heart.

Sui Ning felt a little depressed, and her emotions had lowered a bit as a result. It would take her forever to win over Xie Changzhou with his virtues. But she missed her parents and wanted to go home. However, if she succeeded in winning over Xie Changzhou, she would have to leave after completing the mission, and she would never see Xie Changzhou and Ah Yan again. Suining felt a sudden pang of sadness, and her emotions sank even lower.

The system detected her emotions and spoke after pondering for a moment: ” [Sui Ning, completing the mission isn’t just about making Xie Changzhou fall in love with you. Didn’t you hear the second half of it? You have to eliminate his inner demons to completely finish the task.] “

Sui Ning was surprised and asked, “Isn’t his inner demon the inability to feel love?”

The system replied, ” [Not necessarily. That’s just how it was written in the original text. But with your involvement, everything may not necessarily follow the original text. But no matter what happens, your main task is still to stop him from turning evil and destroying the world of cultivation. Whether or not you choose to leave after completing the mission is up to you. But the opportunity is only given once. If you choose not to leave, you will never be able to leave again.]”

The system’s words hit Sui Ning like a heavy hammer, and she felt her heart sink. She unconsciously tightened her grip on Ah Yan’s hand, causing him to cry out in pain, “Sui Ning, what’s wrong with you?”

Sui Ning quickly snapped out of it, and Ah Yan’s little face wrinkled up in pain, with his delicate little hand firmly held by Sui Ning. Xie Changzhou looked over with clear eyes and a hint of concern.

Sui Ning quickly picked up Ah Yan and coaxed him gently: “I’m sorry, I was lost in thought just now. Did I hurt you, Ah Yan?”

She blew softly on Ah Yan’s small hand and said, “Blow away the pain; it doesn’t hurt anymore. I’ll make grilled meat for you tomorrow.”

Ah Yan, with his little pouting mouth, instantly smiled and hugged Sui Ning’s neck affectionately, saying, “I love Sui Ning!”

Sui Ning tried to force a smile, attempting to ignore the inexplicable sourness in her heart.

She held Ah Yan in her arms, but her gaze drifted towards Xie Changzhou.

Their eyes met, and Sui Ning was momentarily stunned while Xie Changzhou’s gentle eyes focused on her.

If she could never see him again,

Xie Changzhou’s clear voice interrupted her thoughts: “Ningning, let’s go guess lantern riddles. We haven’t finished touring the temple fair yet.”

He smiled, and his warm face was full of tenderness.

“Okay…”

Never mind; the night was still young, and the temple fair had just begun. They could still stay together for a long time.

As for the future…

She didn’t want to think about it for the time being.

***

After returning from the temple fair, Sui Ning began to focus on cultivating.

The incident where she was kidnapped by the ghost groom in Nanjing City had thoroughly straightened out her cultivation mindset. In any case, she had to stay in this cultivation world for the time being.

In the world of cultivation, the strong were always on top.

During these few months, there had been no movement with the Soul Seal Plate, and it was unknown when the next spirit herb would appear. Sui Ning and Xie Changzhou could only stay at Wenjian Peak.

Without realizing it, three months had passed, and with the hot weather, Suining preferred to stay on the cool Wenjian Peak. However, since Ah Yan transformed, he has always liked to run to Gusu City. At this moment, he was full of energy, transformed into a beast form, and bit Sui Ning’s skirt with his sharp little teeth.

Sui Ning lazily lay on the bed without moving, watching her skirt almost be bitten to shreds. She quickly stopped Ah Yan and said, “Ah Yan, my skirt is going to be torn! It was a gift from your master!”

Ah Yan let go, and his black and round eyes blinked at Sui Ning with a clear meaning: he wanted to go down the mountain and play.

Sui Ning helplessly said, “Ah Yan, I’m about to experience the tribulation of the nascent soul stage. Let me rest for a few days, and then I’ll go with you after I’m done, okay?”

Ah Yan’s figure changed, and a boy wearing a blue robe appeared. His long white hair was twisted into a small bun, and his childish face was particularly cute. He pouted with suspicion and looked at Sui Ning, saying, “You always lie to me. You said you were going to experience the Tribulation of the nascent soul stage, but it’s been almost two months, and your thunder calamity hasn’t come down yet.”

Sui Ning sighed softly. She wasn’t really lying to Ah Yan. Two months ago, she felt the surging spiritual energy in her body, as if she had reached a threshold and there was a trend toward breakthrough. The system told her that she had already entered the late stage of the Golden Core, and with more cultivation, she would experience the Tribulation of the nascent soul stage. Sui Ning, who had never experienced the Thunder Calamity, was a bit panicked. She worked hard to cultivate and waited quietly for the arrival of the thunder calamity. But she didn’t expect the system’s “some time” to be two months.

So Ah Yan was annoyed.

Sui Ning rubbed Ah Yan’s little head and whispered, “I don’t know when the thunder calamity will come down. Ah Yan, don’t be angry. I’ll tidy up and play with you in a moment.” She estimated that the thunder calamity wouldn’t come down anytime soon, so it wouldn’t hurt to spend a day playing with Ah Yan.

The city of Gusu is still lively, even though the weather is very hot. Many people are still doing business on the street.

Unlike Nanjing, which Sui Ning had visited before, Gusu is backed by the Limitless Sword sect and has never been attacked by demonic creatures. The people live and work in peace, and commerce within the city is flourishing.

Ah Yan looked around and pulled Sui Ning to buy many things.

Sui Ning looked at the Qiankun bag in her hand and felt a little heartache. Xie Changzhou had just given her a bag of spirit stones, and now Ah Yan had spent two-thirds of it in just half a day.

Ah Yan turned his head and saw the conflicted expression on Sui Ning’s face. He ran over and held her hand, saying, “Sui Ning, my master has plenty of spirit stones. He can afford us!”

His small face was full of pride, just like a spoiled rich kid with a wealthy father.

Sui Ning chuckled and pinched his face. “We’re done shopping. Shouldn’t we go now?”

Ah Yan affectionately rubbed against her hand and said happily, “Okay, thank you, Sui Ning, for coming out to play with me today!”

Other than his master, he loved Sui Ning the most!

Sui Ning made him snacks, grilled meat, and even played with him. He loved Sui Ning so much, even for his master.

Ah Yan held Sui Ning’s hand and walked back. It was already afternoon, and they would be scolded by his master if they went back too late.

As soon as they left the city of Gusu, Sui Ning summoned Ba Tian and flew towards the Limitless Sword Sect with Ah Yan in her arms. 

However, not long after they left, a surge of spiritual energy rushed through her body. Her blood began to boil, and the overflowing spiritual energy impacted her meridians. Sui Ning’s face suddenly turned pale.

At the same time, the previously clear sky instantly turned dark, with heavy dark clouds covering the horizon. Thunder and lightning flashed, making deafening sounds.

Uh-oh, the thunder tribulation has arrived!

Sui Ning’s face was pale, and she could hardly control her spiritual energy. Ba Tian swayed unsteadily, and Ah Yan quickly grabbed her.

“Sui Ning, what’s wrong?”

Ah Yan forced control over Ba Tian, but Ba Tian was spiritually connected with Sui Ning and had no reaction to the spiritual energy Ah Yan instilled in it. Feeling its owner’s weakness, it became even more restless.

He was almost thrown off guard, and Suining quickly grabbed him.

Spiritual energy surged in her body, and thunder roared, threatening to strike her fiercely.

[Host, you won’t be able to hold on until you return to the Limitless Sword Sect! Hurry down; otherwise, the thunder will strike you and Ah Yan down in a moment!]

Sui Ning understood this very well. Her meridians were sore from the surge of spiritual energy, but she gritted her teeth and controlled Ba Tian, swaying down to the ground with herself and Ah Yan.

As soon as they landed, thunder suddenly struck her. Sui Ning quickly pushed Ah Yan away, throwing him out of the range of the thunder.

“Sui Ning!”

[Host!]

Sui Ning didn’t have time to summon a defensive barrier, and the thunder struck her hard, leaving a deep wound on her back that continued to bleed.

She spat out a mouthful of blood, propping herself up with both hands and trembling all over.

Before she could react, another thunderbolt struck her. Sui Ning couldn’t hold on anymore and fell forward, gasping and trembling with pain on the ground.

“Sui Ning!”

Ah Yan wanted to rush over, but Sui Ning quickly stopped him: “Don’t move! I can handle it!”

“Ah Yan, this is my thunderbolt. It’s very dangerous for you to come over!”

As soon as she spoke, Ah Yan stopped in his tracks, tears streaming down his young face.

He regretted deeply why he had played around and pulled Sui Ning out today. If Sui Ning were to ask the Limitless Sword Sect to help her cross the tribulation thunder, his owner would definitely come to her rescue.

He sobbed softly, wanting to rush to the Limitless Sword Sect to find his owner but being afraid of leaving Sui Ning behind to face any danger.

In the dark eyes of the fierce beast, big tears rolled down. Even though it was a divine beast, it was still a young cub and had never experienced anything like this before. For a moment, it panicked and didn’t know what to do.

But Sui Ning didn’t have time to pity Ah Yan. Her mind was filled with one thought: “This hurts like hell! Damn the cultivation world! Why is the Tribulation Thunder so painful!”

The system anxiously said, ” [Host, quickly set up a barrier. And didn’t Xie Changzhou give you an artifact before? Take it out and use it!]”

Sui Ning struggled to take out a spiritual pearl from her Qiankun bag. It was personally crafted by Xie Changzhou and given to her for self-defense.

The spiritual pearl was crystal clear and emitted pure spiritual energy that was familiar and gentle—it was Xie Changzhou’s spiritual energy.

When the next wave of tribulation thunder struck, the barrier suddenly opened up. The warm and gentle spiritual energy scattered and met the raging tribulation thunder, instantly resolving the thunder that had been charging towards Sui Ning.

Then wave after wave of tribulation thunder struck and collided with the barrier. Sui Ning lost consciousness and fell to the ground, stunned by the terrifying impact of the thunder.

Her voice trembled as she whispered, “System, are you sure this is the Tribulation Thunder of the Nascent Soul stage? I thought I was going to ascend to become a deity…”

The system went to check the information but soon came back online with some remorse: ” [I’m sorry, Host. I forcibly increased your cultivation to the Golden Core stage, so you didn’t experience the three waves of thunder from the Qi Condensation stage to the Golden Core stage…]”

Sui Ning was silent for a moment before gritting her teeth and asking, “So this Tribulation Thunder includes the three waves of thunder from before?”

“[…Yes, Host.]”

“Why didn’t you say anything before?”

The system hesitated and said, “[I didn’t know you still had to go through the previous three Thunder Tribulations. I just found out.]”

The sound of thunder strikes against the barrier, making a terrifying noise. Sui Ning was too weak to continue cursing at the system and instead focused on controlling the spiritual energy surging through her meridians.

“System…how many more tribulation thunders are there?” 

Sui Ning’s voice was particularly weak; her thin body was shaking from the pain, and her blue clothes were soaked in blood.

” [There are still five more,]” the system replied.

Sui Ning felt despair; this thunder tribulation combined with the previous three, and two of them had almost killed her. And there were still five more…

She only hoped that the barrier could hold on for a little longer, giving her a chance to catch her breath.

As soon as she had this thought, a faint cracking sound was heard beneath the thunder, and Sui Ning struggled to look up. A small crack had appeared in the barrier, which then began to spread, allowing the pressure from the outside thunder tribulation to pour in.

And then she witnessed the entire barrier shatter into pieces.

The thick and powerful thunder strikes came crashing down on her, and Sui Ning was forced to spit out a mouthful of blood due to the overwhelming pressure. 

“Sui Ning!” 

” [Host!]” 

Both Ah Yan and the system shouted loudly as the powerful thunder strike approached Sui Ning.

Sui Ning was too weak to stand up, her meridians feeling as if they had been shattered by the two thunder strikes just now. She could only watch as the thunder struck and came hurtling towards her.

She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the thunder to strike with a sense of despair in her heart.

“I’m done for. Am I going to die under this tribulation thunder today?”

After a few moments, the expected pain did not come.

Sui Ning’s dark eyelashes trembled lightly as she opened her eyes, looking surprised at what was in front of her.

A tall figure in white stood before her, holding a long sword in his cold, jade-like hand. The sword was translucent and pure, surrounded by a gentle and refined spiritual energy.

The man in white, Xie Changzhou, was thrown into the air by the pressure of the thunder and his own released spiritual energy. His dark hair was fluttering in the wind, but the strong thunder was easily dissolved by a transparent barrier.

“That’s Jianzun…”

Sui Ning murmured weakly, her voice muffled by the deafening sound of thunder.

But Xie Changzhou heard her voice. He turned around and looked at Sui Ning on the ground. His glass-like eyes shrank slightly, and his hand holding the sword trembled slightly.

“Sui Ning…”

Thunder exploded behind Xie Changzhou, and his eyes turned red. Panic was written all over his gentle and refined face.

Sui Ning wanted to comfort him and tell him not to worry, but suddenly, her consciousness was enveloped in darkness, and all sounds disappeared from her ears.

Xie Changzhou crouched down and gently picked up Sui Ning. Her blue clothes were almost soaked in blood, and her body was hot to the touch.

He could hardly control his trembling hand, and fear was written all over his glass-like eyes. He channeled pure spiritual energy into Sui Ning’s body as if his life depended on it.

As if realizing that someone was blocking the thunder for Sui Ning, the last thunderbolt became even more fierce and powerful, crashing down towards the two people in the center of the thunderstorm.

Xie Changzhou suddenly felt a surge of anger, and his face turned dark. A hint of gloom flashed across his glass-like eyes.

Du Wang soared into the air, the spiritual energy from the sword surging. Just as the tribulation thunder was about to strike the two of them, a chilling sword light cleaved through the air. Within the radiant glow of the sword, faint glimpses of ethereal sword bodies could be seen, slashing resolutely through the vast expanse.

Colliding with the mighty sword of Du Wang, the thunderous roar of the tribulation thunder reverberated. The forceful impact shattered trees and stone walls within a hundred-mile radius, overpowering Ah Yan despite Xie Changzhou’s protective barrier and sending him crashing heavily to the ground.

As the thunder tribulation subsided, within a few breaths, the thick clouds that had loomed in the empty sky dissipated, relieving the suffocating pressure.

Ah Yan struggled to his feet and rushed over, his heart wrenching at the sight of Sui Ning, covered in blood, cradled in Xie Changzhou’s arms, tears streaming down his face.

“Sob, Sui Ning, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought you down the mountain.” He took Sui Ning’s hand, his small face drenched in tears.

Sui Ning kept her eyes tightly shut, unresponsive, while Xie Changzhou continuously channeled his warm and pure spiritual energy into her body.

Ah Yan cried incessantly, clinging to Sui Ning and sobbing. Xie Changzhou felt a sense of helplessness.

“Ah Yan, Ningning is safe.”

Ah Yan looked up at him, his eyes brimming with tears, and choked out, “Really?”

“Yes.”

Xie Changzhou lowered his gaze to Sui Ning in his embrace, his thin lips tightly pressed together, and the veins on the back of his hand holding hers were visible.

The spiritual pearl was specially refined by him for Sui Ning and could withstand the full force of a Mahayana cultivator’s attack. Today, while discussing affairs in the Mingjing Hall, he suddenly sensed the spiritual energy fluctuations of the spiritual pearl. Sui Ning had used the spiritual pearl! 

Since she had used the spiritual pearl, something must have happened. Xie Changzhou didn’t have time to explain and immediately went to the location where he sensed the spiritual pearl’s energy. He saw a dark and dense cloud with a few thick and sturdy lightning bolts occasionally appearing. 

When he saw Sui Ning lying weakly in the center of the thunder and lightning, his heart almost stopped beating. He trembled and sent his spiritual energy into Sui Ning’s body. When he realized that she only had some external injuries and that her meridians were not greatly damaged, his heartbeat finally dropped. 

Fortunately, he wasn’t too late. Xie Changzhou picked up Sui Ning and summoned Du Wang. Ah Yan transformed into a small tiger and sat obediently beside Xie Changzhou, his round eyes filled with worry as he looked at Sui Ning in his arms. 

When they arrived at Wenjian Peak, Xie Changzhou carried Sui Ning into the house, and Ah Yan was left outside the door. “You stay here; I’ll heal Ningning.” After Xie Changzhou’s clear voice fell, the door suddenly closed, leaving Ah Yan anxiously waiting outside. 

Inside the room, a fragrant aroma filled the air as Xie Changzhou gently laid Sui Ning on the soft couch by the window. Her face was still pale, and her mischievous and lively eyes were tightly closed. Xie Changzhou sat in front of her and carefully healed her meridians with his pure and crystal-clear spiritual energy.

When Sui Ning woke up in confusion, the first thing she saw was Xie Changzhou in front of her. His white clothes were stained red with her blood; his long and dark eyelashes covered his lustrous eyes; his thin lips were tightly pressed; and his handsome face had a hint of coldness. 

Warm and gentle spiritual energy continued to flow into her body, dispelling the pain caused by the tribulation thunder. Sui Ning was a bit stunned, as if every time she woke up from danger and a coma, the first person she saw was Xie Changzhou. 

Pure spiritual energy enveloped the two of them, and Xie Changzhou’s cold fragrance mixed with the room’s aroma, making Sui Ning want to indulge in it. Xie Changzhou’s feather-like long eyelashes trembled slightly, and then he opened his eyes, meeting Sui Ning’s lustrous eyes. 

His eyes were full of tenderness; he looked at her with warm and focused eyes, as if he could only see her. Sui Ning’s heart suddenly felt empty for a moment.