Beneath Celestial Waterfall Cliff.
Lu Han had finally witnessed it—there were actually gifts in this world that couldn’t be given away. His eyes were fraught with anxiety. He had heard the Auctioneer say that the item in his hands could alter a Martial Artist’s aptitude.
If Miss Cangxue consumed it, perhaps her Martial Soul would heal.
Yet now, Lu Han felt as though he had encountered the most difficult obstacle in his life. It was harder than when he had first bought the item, and harder than the day he swore to kill Xuanyuan Tibing.
Why couldn’t he give this away? He couldn’t understand it!
The moment he saw the faint smile on Lin Cangxue’s face, he had no idea how to persuade her. His mind went completely blank, turning into complete mush.
Suddenly, Lin Huang, who had been practicing his saber techniques in the waterfall, dashed out. In the blink of an eye, he arrived beside Lin Cangxue. He raised his leg, delivered a solid kick to Lu Han, and roared, "Scram!"
Lin Huang had long suspected that Lu Han’s gaze toward Lin Cangxue was impure. He was right!
"What are you doing!" Lu Han said angrily. That kick had come completely out of nowhere.
Lin Cangxue couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Lin Huang snorted, snatched the glass bottle from Lu Han’s grasp, and stuffed it into Lin Cangxue’s hands. "Such a good thing, why wouldn’t you accept it?"
Lin Cangxue’s expression froze. The item suddenly felt as though it was burning her hands.
The item inside the glass bottle was none other than the Sea of Karma Flower!
It was the very Sea of Karma Flower that Lin Huang had been yearning for, the one Lu Han had refused to hand over despite Lin Huang exhausting every method. To think... to think...
Lu Han actually harbored such intentions.
Looking at his coarse clothes and wooden expression, no one would have expected him to be so generous. An item worth over twenty million taels of Gold, and he was just giving it away. He had to be out of his mind!
"Is this item very precious? I can’t accept it!" Lin Cangxue seemed to realize the weight of the Sea of Karma Flower and offered it back.
Lu Han climbed up from the ground, waving his hands with a foolish grin mixed with his anger. Although Lin Huang had kicked him, he noticed that the Sea of Karma Flower was now in Lin Cangxue’s hands.
He had managed to give it away just like that?!
"Xiaohuang..." Lin Cangxue stared at Lin Huang, a hint of anger in her tone. She didn’t want to accept someone else’s favor for nothing.
"Fifteen million, will that do?" Lin Huang cleared his throat.
Lin Cangxue was instantly dumbfounded! The item in this glass bottle was actually worth tens of millions of taels of Gold? How much had Lu Han said just a moment ago? Only several dozen taels of silver?
Fifteen million?!
"I’m not doing this for money!" Lu Han said, his face flushing red.
"Twenty million?" Lin Huang continued.
"I’m really not doing it for money!" Lu Han roared.
"Twenty-five million?"
"I really, really, really, really don’t want money!" Lu Han was so anxious he was on the verge of tears. He merely wanted to give a gift, hoping that one day Lin Cangxue would recover. He never expected a troublemaker like Lin Huang to actually offer him money. To actually humiliate him with money. At this moment, Lu Han wanted to murder Lin Huang.
"Do you not want that golden spear anymore?" Lin Huang said.
Lu Han froze, suddenly falling silent. The words "golden spear" were like poison, instantly stinging his heart.
"We are friends. Since that golden spear holds special significance to you, you shouldn’t refuse," Lin Huang said with utmost seriousness.
Truth be told, Lin Huang hadn’t expected Lu Han to possess such boldness either. The reason Lu Han had previously refused to trade the Sea of Karma Flower was actually because he wanted to give it to Lin Cangxue. It would have been one thing if he were a man of great wealth, but Lu Han was clearly someone accustomed to living in poverty.
A priceless treasure, given away just like that! Therefore, deep down, Lin Huang was somewhat shocked, and he harbored a trace of gratitude toward Lu Han. In this world, no one understood better than Lin Huang what the Sea of Karma Flower meant to Lin Cangxue.
"Then... then fine!" After pondering for a long time, Lu Han said with a bitter expression. Although he lacked money, he had purely wanted to give the flower to Lin Cangxue. However, Lin Huang said they were friends, and he truly needed that golden spear.
Lin Huang smiled faintly. Lin Cangxue shook her head helplessly, staring curiously at the Sea of Karma Flower in the glass bottle.
Early the next morning, Lin Huang descended the mountain, accompanied by Lu Han.
After missing out on the Martial King’s Tomb mission, Lin Huang had Lu Han accept a mission near Xuanyuan City. This way, once Lin Huang completed the mission, he could head straight toward the Martial King’s Tomb.
The mission was only Level B. It involved searching for a missing Inner Sect Disciple named Chen Jinyi, who was ranked fifth on the Inner Sect’s leaderboard. Finding someone shouldn’t be a difficult task!
Before the two had even stepped out of Piaoxue Palace’s territory, they heard a voice behind them. It sounded like an oriole—extremely melodious, yet brimming with anger. "Idiot Lin, halt right there!"
Lin Huang and Lu Han turned their heads, only to see a snow-white divine steed galloping toward them, carrying two beautiful silhouettes through the morning mist.
"Why did this little ancestor follow us!" Lu Han said, shivering.
The figure on horseback was none other than Yann Qing’er. There was another person whom Lin Huang did not recognize. She was extremely beautiful, dressed in light azure attire and wearing light makeup that accentuated her exquisite features. However, a trace of sorrow seemed to linger on her face.
"Why are you here?" Lin Huang asked with a frown.
Yann Qing’er puffed out her cheeks, glaring angrily at Lin Huang. "To go down the mountain with you and search for the Heart-Burning Lotus, of course! Did you really think you could ditch me?"
"Go back. I’m afraid I’ll be beaten to death once I return to Piaoxue Palace," Lin Huang said, shaking his head. Yann Qing’er was Yann Nangui’s daughter, an incredibly precious existence. If the slightest mishap befell her, let alone facing the consequences, he wouldn’t even be able to crawl away alive.
"None of your business!" Yann Qing’er snorted. "You can go to your Martial King’s Tomb, and I’ll find my Heart-Burning Lotus. Who wants to team up with you? At most, we’re just traveling the same path."
"Is this what you call traveling the same path?" Lu Han cried out.
Yann Qing’er shot Lu Han a dark glare and scoffed, "HMPH, HMPH. If you dare yell at me again, I’ll sell you off the moment we enter Xuanyuan City!"
Lu Han’s eyes widened, and he instantly deflated.
"And this is?" Lin Huang pointed to the somewhat anxious-looking woman on the horse.
"This is Shen Qingsi. She’s heading to Xuanyuan City with us to look for Chen Jinyi," Yann Qing’er explained, introducing the devastatingly beautiful woman in front of her.
"Shen Qingsi?!" Lin Huang’s expression shifted slightly. Shen Qingsi was the disciple ranked seventh on the Inner Sect’s leaderboard.
The woman looked at Lin Huang with a smile and said, "Senior Brother Chen’s family and mine are generational friends. We grew up together and share an excellent relationship. After I came out of Cultivation last night, I found out that you guys had taken this mission."
Lin Huang nodded. He figured that Chen Jinyi and Shen Qingsi were childhood sweethearts.
Soon after, two figures Lin Huang hadn’t expected to see appeared at the base of Piaoxue Palace.
It was the Mo Brothers from the Law Enforcement Hall. Lin Huang had briefly met them once before, on his first day entering Piaoxue Palace. At the time, these two had been following right behind Tie Wuxin.
The two rode in on horseback. Amid the morning mist, their white robes billowed like the wind, and their black hair fluttered wildly. Their sharply contoured faces were tinged with frost, giving them a rather ruthless appearance.
Mo Canfeng.
Mo Canyun.
Their fiery steeds neighed loudly and halted in front of Lin Huang.
"We are descending the mountain with you!" Lin Huang couldn’t tell if the speaker was Mo Canfeng or Mo Canyun. The person who spoke remained expressionless, carrying the iron-faced aura typical of the Law Enforcement Hall.
Lin Huang was slightly puzzled. He had never interacted with these two before.
"Miss Cangxue has shown kindness to us brothers!" The other person spoke up. His meaning was clear: the two were descending the mountain to repay Lin Cangxue’s favor; it had absolutely nothing to do with Lin Huang.
Lin Huang nodded helplessly and simply asked, "Which of you is which?"
"Just take a guess!" one of them replied.
Lin Huang waved his hand. These brothers looked completely identical, insisted on wearing the exact same clothes, and even had matching hairstyles. How was anyone supposed to tell them apart? Weren’t they just making things intentionally difficult?
"Let’s go!" Lin Huang said. The addition of the Mo Brothers would be two massive boosts in strength. After all, Lin Cangxue had once mentioned that when the two fought together, even the number one disciple in the Inner Sect, Xie Qinghou, wouldn’t dare clash with them directly.
One pursued the Cultivation of Kingship.
The other pursued the Cultivation of Dominance!
"Boss Lin..." The group hadn’t walked a few steps when an earth-shattering duck-like wail suddenly echoed from a distance. Through the hazy mist, a massive snow-white ball suddenly rolled over. RUMBLE, RUMBLE! It came to a halt right in front of Lin Huang.
"Boss Lin, you’re descending the mountain and didn’t even take me with you... What is this? Are you trying to act like a heartless scumbag?" Fatty Bai stretched his body out and stared at Lin Huang with a face full of grievance. Unconsciously, he squeezed the Big White Cat in his hands, causing it to MEOW loudly.
"Scram back!" Lin Huang said, frowning.
"HEHEHE... I can’t scram," Fatty Bai said shamelessly. He looked as though he was about to hug Lin Huang’s thighs.
"Go back and guard my sister!" Lin Huang said with absolute seriousness. If he had needed Fatty Bai to descend the mountain with him, he would have called the guy over long before leaving.
Fatty Bai’s face twitched. "But..."
"This is not up for discussion," Lin Huang said decisively. "Besides, even if you were there, you wouldn’t be of much help."
Fatty Bai’s expression darkened, and the smile on his face stiffened. Lowering his head, he said, "Sister Xuee told me to come!"
Lin Huang gave a warm smile and patted Fatty Bai’s shoulder. "In Piaoxue Palace, you are the only one I trust, so you should understand my reasoning."
"Then... then take this idiot with you!" Fatty Bai yanked the Big White Cat off his belly.
Lin Huang stared at Fatty Bai and shook his head. As Fatty Bai’s brother, Lin Huang naturally knew the significance this cat held for him. Although it looked harmless, it was an extremely dangerous existence. Both Fatty Bai and Lin Cangxue needed the cat’s protection.
"...Then, I’ll go back!" Fatty Bai mumbled with his head down, turning around in utter disappointment.
"My sister is your sister. If she suffers even the slightest harm, I will not forgive you when I return to Piaoxue Palace," Lin Huang added.
Fatty Bai looked back, flashing a forced, toothy grin. Then, he trudged slowly toward Piaoxue Palace, a stark contrast to his earlier jubilance.
"Let’s go as well!" Lin Huang waved his hand, leading the rest of the group away.
"Actually, even if Fatty Bai came with us, Sister Xuee would be perfectly fine in Piaoxue Palace," Yann Qing’er couldn’t help but say after they had walked for a while. "Driving him back like that clearly shows you disdain him."
"Think what you want!" Lin Huang smiled, not bothering to explain. How could Yann Qing’er possibly understand his true thoughts? This journey to the Martial King’s Tomb would be extremely perilous, and he did not want Fatty Bai to take such a risk.
In the days that followed, the group traveled continuously!
After a few days of interaction, the group had somewhat gotten to know one another. Aside from Shen Qingsi, who remained constantly sorrowful, the Mo Brothers weren’t as cold and ruthless as they had initially imagined. Lin Huang discovered that beneath their icy exteriors hid secretly passionate hearts.
A few days later, Xuanyuan City was already visible in the distance!