Chapter 55: Flame Rises in Changping

  Everyone burst out laughing at the sight of Yun Tianqing's silly expression, even Qingliang like Su Xiang and Su Yu couldn't help but curve up the corners of their lips. Su Xiang had been laughing so hard that her flowers were shaking all over, she forgot that she was still holding onto a certain monkey's earlobe, which made Yun Tianqing follow her around like a wild monkey, making everyone laugh even harder.

  Yun Tianqing was in so much pain that his eyes and nose were scrunched up like a crumpled handkerchief, and he cried out: "Ahh, ah, Master Sister, good Master Sister, if you don't let go, I'll have to change my name!"

  "Why?" Su Xuan was stunned for a moment, and curiously raised the soft flesh in his hand that had been pinched red, "What's it called now?"

  Yun Tianqing followed with a tilted head, and let out another cold breath: "Ow... of course, it's naturally... calling... Duer Da Xia!"

  "Ha! A great hero? You're just a stinky monkey who's lucky to have escaped!" Despite saying so, she couldn't help but smile and let him off the hook.

  Yun Tianqing suddenly gained freedom, hastily retreating several steps to hide behind Xuan Zhen's back, rubbing his ears and muttering: "If I'm a monkey, then my master sister is a tigress... Oh no, my ears..."

  "Who is the tiger?" Who knew that Shu Xiang's ears were extremely sharp, and with a raised eyebrow, he took a step forward, waving his five fingers stained with phoenix orchid juice in front of him, saying menacingly, "Do you still want your ears, huh?"

  "Really, really!" Yun Tianqing hurriedly bowed his hands and blinked his bright eyes, saying, "It's just these two, they've been with me since I was born, growing up together with my master brother, we're very close. Please, Master Sister, have mercy, later Master Brother will go to the back mountain to cut some strange ears to make up for it, isn't that enough?"

  "Pfft, what's the point of having a pile of monster meat?!" Xīu Shēn said with a mix of anger and amusement. "Forget it, just look at you raising these two... Hehe, after raising these two ears for so many years, and they're also implicated by this monkey, I'll spare their lives. If there's another offense, Mount Wǔzhǐ awaits!" As she spoke, she flashed her sharp, brightly colored fingernails in front of him.

  Yun Tianqing busily smiled and stuck out his head from behind Xuan Zhen, saying: "Yes, yes, the Queen has given an order, how dare Monkey not obey?"

  Xuan Zhen was caught between the two lively treasures, and just as he was at a loss for what to do, the ball of fur in his sleeve also became restless, twisting and turning until it broke free from his fingers. With a sudden burst of speed, it shot out onto the jade stone floor, bouncing several times before landing on the grass outside the stone platform, where it startled a group of female disciples who were practicing their swordplay, causing them to shriek in surprise.

  He stared blankly at the grey rabbit, which also seemed to have been frightened stiff by the intermittent shrieks, its two long ears rigid for a moment. He couldn't help but mutter: "This little thing..."

  "What's that?" Yun Tianqing also pointed at the fluffy grey thing jumping around and exclaimed, "It even fell from Big Brother Master's body, could it be some kind of celestial beast?" Squinting his eyes to take a closer look, he said in a low voice, "But why does it look so much like... a rabbit?"

  "Good grief, what a sacred beast!" Su Yun had seen the grey rabbit that her senior brother kept in Hengshan before. She couldn't help but tiptoe and slap the back of the gibbon's head, "That's just a wild rabbit!"

  As soon as the gray rabbit came to its senses, it ran faster and faster, darting out from among several pairs of jade legs on the ground. Xuán Zhèn's face turned red with embarrassment, and he hastily chased after it. Those female disciples who were a bit more discerning saw that it was just a small rabbit and burst into laughter. Several of them looked up to see Dà Shī Xiōng Xuán Zhèn arriving in front of them, and their cheeks involuntarily flushed with a layer of pale pink as they hastily tidied up their clothes and paid their respects: "Shī Xiōng!"

  Xuan Zhen was afraid that the dead rabbit would disturb people again, and without even a glance, he nodded slightly and rushed forward a few steps. The gray rabbit turned its head and glanced at him with a flash of strange light in its purple-red eyes, and with a kick of its hind legs, it suddenly leaped over a dozen feet high, as if flying through the air. At this moment, the disciples on Jian Wu Ping were in an uproar, they had seen many strange things in these years at Qiong Hua Sect, but a rabbit jumping so high... was also too against the heavens!

  On the jade stone platform, a voice came from afar, "Hey, brother, you really have raised a celestial beast! Haha, it can even fly! I've been traveling the world for so long, and I've seen countless wild rabbits, white rabbits, flower rabbits, rabbit births, roasted rabbits... but this is the first time I've ever seen a flying rabbit!" After a while, another sentence floated over on the wind, almost causing Xuanshen to slip, "...I wonder if it tastes better than ordinary rabbits..."

  "Pfft, the dead monkey only knows how to eat!" Su Xiang couldn't help but laugh and scold, "This little rabbit looks quite spirited, let's catch it and raise it, how can we... Ah!"

  Su Xuan hadn't finished speaking when she suddenly opened her eyes wide, and her slender hand, which had been pointing at the gray rabbit in the air, also turned back to cover her mouth. She swept a glance at Yun Tianqing beside her, as well as Su Yao and Su Yu behind her, all of whom were equally shocked and flustered.

  Xuan Zhen suddenly felt a burst of fiery energy emanating from the top of his head, and his heart skipped a beat. When he turned to look up at the sky again, a wave of heat washed over him. He gazed upwards at the vaulted heavens above the Sword Dance Platform, with huge flames reflected in his eyes, and for a moment, he stood frozen in place, motionless.

  A sea of scarlet flames surged and billowed like a tidal wave, swirling clouds danced in the air as they spread freely across the sky. From time to time, sparks shot out, igniting tiny fires that floated gently downwards towards the Sword Dance Platform below. The intense heat waves rippled down, scorching the lush green grass nearby, withering it instantly. A faint flush rose to Xuan Chen's face, but he had no time to notice; his eyes wide with astonishment, all he could see was the rolling red tide that nearly covered the entire sky above the Sword Dance Platform.

  And there was still a small ball of fluff... grey and fluffy... rabbit.

  After a long time, the fierce flames gradually dissipated, and the scorching temperature also slowly returned to its former coolness. Xuán Zhèn was still standing there in a daze, only vaguely hearing the sound of footsteps gathering behind him. A young disciple softly exclaimed, "Look! There's someone suspended in mid-air!" After a pause, someone else responded, "Indeed, there is someone! It looks... it seems to be Xiāo Yuán Shīdì!"

  His eyebrows twitched slightly as he muttered: "......Xuan Xiao?"

  He gently shook his head, and then cast his gaze towards the sky that was gradually clearing up to its azure color. He saw wispy clouds drifting slowly from above Jianwu Ping, barely brushing against the sole of the person's boots in mid-air. The person was standing on thin air, their clothes fluttering in the wind with an elegant demeanor. In their hand was a crimson sword that was slowly absorbing the last remnants of flames surrounding them into its body.

  His sword-like eyebrows flew upwards, his starry eyes sparkled, and on that handsome face as cold as an ice sculpture, a faint smile of joy appeared at this moment, mixed with a hint of surprise. What was he surprised about? Was it the power of Xī Hé's sword? And what was he joyful about? Was it killing... a rabbit?

  Xuan Zhen felt like laughing, but his mouth corners twitched a few times and couldn't curve upwards no matter what. He could only gaze at the young man with an awkward expression until he too slowly lowered his head to look into Xuan Zhen's eyes.

  A flicker of doubt seemed to flash across those cold eyes, and Xuan Zhen saw it clearly. The young man's lips moved, forming the words "Shixiong", but before he could speak, a tall figure in the air had already swooped down from several dozen feet high in the sky!

  "Xuan Zhen, my junior brother!"

  "Deadpan!"

  "Xuan Zhen...... Shixiong!"

  Several voices sounded urgently, startling them all into changing their tone. Among them, several figures even flashed past Xuanyuan's side, rushing in the direction of Xuanyuan's fall - namely Yun Tianqing and Su Yu and Su Xiang.

  Xuan Zhen's foot moved slightly, and he couldn't help but take a few steps in that direction as well. However, the extremely faint pulling force transmitted through his sleeve made him turn his head back in a daze.

  Only then did Su Yu appear behind him, her face filled with worry. Her clear eyes swept across his face before moving forward again. Her delicate features involuntarily revealed emotions such as concern, surprise, and anxiety. She bit her lip repeatedly, finally unable to hold back the words that poured out of her mouth: "Big Brother, Xuan... Fourth Brother, will he be okay?"

  Xuan Zhen shook his head and said softly, "I don't know either... Let's go, we'll take a look too." At this time, he had already remembered his identity as the first disciple of the Qionghua Sect, and with his junior brother in trouble right before his eyes, how could he still stand there, grieving over an ordinary rabbit?

  Su Yu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately her concern for Xuan Xiao outweighed her pride, and she nodded lightly to follow behind Xuan Zhen as they rushed towards the north side of the Sword Dance Platform where Xuan Xiao had fallen.

  As they turned a corner into the courtyard, several people were already standing on the lawn. Apart from Yun Tianqing and his three companions who had arrived early, the others all wore jade crowns on their heads, with white hair like silver flowing down their backs - if it wasn't Qingyang, Chongguang, Zonglian and the other elders, then who could they be?

  Xuan Zhen's heart skipped a beat, could it be that this matter had startled all three elders? He hastily quickened his pace to catch up, and only then did he see clearly that when Xuan Xiao fell, he was still carrying a hint of the power of the sun's flames. The ground had been burned to a crisp over a large area, and the mud had sunk in by more than a foot, showing just how great the force had been. But he didn't know if Xuan Xiao was okay at this moment?

  As soon as he thought of this, he didn't care about his own disciple's grievances, and hurriedly squeezed past Cloud Sky Blue and Su Shuang to ask: "Qingyang Master Uncle, Xuan Xiao Master Brother... is there any great harm?" He knew that among these elders, Chong Guang was good at martial arts, Zong Lian liked to refine swords, only Qing Yang had some attainments in the medical way, so he asked this master uncle first.

  Qingyang Elder shook his head and said with a smile: "It's just that the true energy has been exhausted, the rest are all superficial injuries, there is no major problem."

  Xuan Zhen let out a gentle sigh and forced a smile, saying: "Then it's settled."

  "What's going on here!" A sudden loud shout came from the center of the giant pit, and Xuan Zhen was shocked to look over. Only then did he realize that there was another person standing beside Xuan Xiao on the ground, wearing a jade crown and long hair, with a stern expression and eyes full of anger. It turned out to be his own master, Tai Qing True Man. Tai Qing True Man glared at Xuan Zhen, his eyes rolling with anger, and after a moment, he barely suppressed it and said coldly: "Xuan Zhen, I let you go down the mountain to travel, but I didn't expect you to bring back a demon from the mountain. If I hadn't discovered it early, your junior brother would have killed it on the spot when it was off guard. Who knows how much trouble it would have caused!"

  "What a monster?" Xuan Zhen's mind turned, and he suddenly understood, losing his voice, "Master, you're talking about that...". He paused for a moment, still unable to believe it, muttering, "But that's just an ordinary wild rabbit." However, thinking back to the various unusual things the gray rabbit had shown since they met, he couldn't help but believe what Tai Qing True Man said.

  "What a coincidence! What a wonderful coincidence!" Taiching True Person said angrily, "Just now that monster followed you into the Qinghua Palace, I had already detected it. But that monster hid beside you, and I was worried that it would hurt you, so I held back and didn't attack. It wasn't until the monster was scared away by the power of the immortal artifact that I finally relaxed, but alas, it was one step too late! Ah, one step too late!"

  "Master... where did this come from?" Xuan Zhen asked in a trembling voice, "That gray rabbit... didn't it just get burned to ashes in the sea of flames?"

  "What was burned was only the skin, but that evil spirit had already escaped in time to save its life. It's likely that it has already fled beyond the boundaries of Kunlun Mountain." The anger on Taiching Zhenren's face gradually subsided, and he glared at Xuanzhen with a stern expression, but ultimately gave his beloved disciple some face in front of everyone, "Alright, that demon seems to have some skills. Although you are among the best of your generation in terms of cultivation, you still need to improve a bit more to see through such evil techniques... Now it's not all bad, taking advantage of this opportunity to get rid of the demon will also allow your junior brother to test his sword."

  Xuan Zhen suddenly remembered the sword in Xuan Xiao's hand, which was exactly like Xihe's. He glanced at his uncle, Zong Lian, and saw that he was holding a bright red sword with a crimson glow flowing on it, looking even more dazzling than the one he had seen in the forbidden land. It made sense, after all, Taichu True Person's own power was profound, killing the gray rabbit was just a trivial matter for him, and entrusting Xuan Xiao with the task was actually a test of his swordsmanship.

  Zong Lianzhang saw Xuan Zhen look over, smiled slightly and stepped forward: "Headmaster Shixiong, this trial is indeed surprising to me. Although Xuan Xiao entered the sect for a short time, his talent is really good. You also saw that scene just now, although he still needs to cultivate for some more days, but with Xihe Yangjian, it's truly a match made in heaven!" The two elders Qingyang and Chongguang beside him also nodded slightly in agreement.

  Tai Qing Zhenren looked around at them, his face finally easing up a lot. He turned his head to glance at Xuan Xiao who was lying on the ground, unconscious. His gaze then shifted to Su Yu who was standing behind several of his fellow disciples, and his anger dissipated completely. In a calm tone, he said: "Thank you for your advice, Brother Cheng. Indeed, it's still a bit early now. Let's wait another year or two."

  The author has something to say: First of all, I would like to thank the landmine that blew up Qian Shan's shoes. I didn't go see the tyrant ticket before, but today I found out, thanks MUA~ Thanks for the comments from Smile, Scatterbrained Philo, Lulu, Crazy Butterfly, ..., and Yaofeng Xiyu Kongque Lan

  P.S. Time is pressing, this time did not check for typos before sending it out, forgive me everyone~

  So the boss temporarily took a break, and this segment of Xian Si probably won't let him make a big appearance. Next will be the heavy plot of Xuanyue's youth ~ Everyone applauds ~