Chapter 149: Qu Chong's Warning

Inside the guest courtyard of the Rong family residence, Yan Qingqing sat upon the embroidered bed, a trace of faint weariness in her lovely eyes. She had been cooped up alone in the room for nearly an entire day.

For others, perhaps a single session of meditation and cultivation would suffice to pass the time, but Yan Qingqing detested cultivation above all else in life, and she despised being left alone in silent solitude even more.

Consequently, Yan Qingqing was utterly bored. Countless times she had craned her neck, gazing outward in hopeful anticipation of Long Yun’s return, only to be met with the absence of his familiar figure each time.

Yan Qingqing’s gaze gradually drifted, and she murmured softly, "Brother, when on earth are you coming back?"

"Lady Qingqing!" A sudden shout rang out from outside, causing her pretty eyes to flash with excitement. Her figure burst forth, trailing a breeze of delicate fragrance!

"Brother!" With excessive force, she actually snapped the door bolt straight off, sending it clattering to the floor. This gave Rong Pian, who was just about to knock on the door, a terrible fright, draining all the color from his face.

Upon seeing that it was Rong Pian, the joyful expression on Yan Qingqing's pretty face immediately sank once more. Yet, after merely a fraction of a moment, she began peering anxiously past Rong Pian.

Gazing at the peerless face before him, along with the fresh fragrance that intermittently drifted into his nose, a flash of greed involuntarily welled up in Rong Pian's eyes.

Remembering the task Chen Chang had assigned him, Rong Pian’s heart gave a violent shudder. He clenched his teeth, forced a smile, and said, "Lady Qingqing, meals have already been prepared outside. Let us go out to dine!"

Yan Qingqing waved her delicate hand dismissively and asked, "Has my brother not returned?"

A cold sneer crossed Rong Pian’s mind. *He probably will never return.* Having offended Chen Chang, Long Yun would likely be hunted like a stray dog across the entire Profound Heaven Realm from now on, and even Qu Chong would not be able to protect him.

He immediately replied, "Brother Long Yun is still in Haisen handling some matters. He is expected to return a couple of days late, Lady Qingqing. Many people have arrived outside—they are all friends of Brother Long Yun. Brother Long Yun asked them to come check on you, and it seems they also brought some other messages!"

Hearing Rong Pian's words, Yan Qingqing’s lovely eyes lit up, and she cried out happily, "Brother has a message for me? Wonderful! Then let us go out right now!"

With that, she paid Rong Pian no further heed, skipping lightly around him and heading toward the front courtyard. This left Rong Pian utterly bewildered; he had expected to spend a great deal of breath persuading her, never imagining it would be so effortless.

In the main hall of the front courtyard, dozens of young experts from various major factions sat crowded together in a lively manner. Qu Chong and his entourage were also seated in a corner.

He dared not show his face too blatantly, bearing a purpose of his own, and inwardly he felt a secret tension. This was a flawless trap, and he wondered if Long Yun’s younger sister could survive this ordeal.

Then he shook his head inwardly. According to Rong Pian, Long Yun’s sister was very low in cultivation. If that was the case, he would have to rely on himself. Come what may, even if it cost him his life, he would absolute not allow Long Yun’s sister to fall into their hands.

Qu Chong made his internal decision, simultaneously clenching his fists and telling the few companions beside him, "If any unexpected trouble breaks out later, none of you are to make a move. Once you return, tell my father everything that happened!"

The others were about to speak, but Qu Chong’s gaze turned cold as he shot them a resolute look.

Only then did the others nod reluctantly, though their expressions could not conceal a sense of desolation.

"Who did my brother entrust to bring me a message?" As soon as Yan Qingqing approached the hall, her voice—clear and melodious like the song of a mountain thrush—drifted over. Everyone looked toward the source, and instantly, all conversation ceased.

Yan Qingqing’s appearance was utterly captivating, capable of toppling cities and kingdoms. Even experts from the Central City like Chen Chang, who had seen countless beauties, found their gazes involuntarily stalling at the sight of a woman with such looks.

Legend had it that the women of the Sea Clan were born with the essence of the ocean, possessed azure eyes, and carried the flavor of the sea within their bodies, making them the most beautiful race in the entire Dragon Realm.

The experts of the Profound Heaven Realm had naturally seen Sea Clan women on numerous occasions, and they were likewise striking, yet compared to the Yan Qingqing before them, they fell short by a tier.

Perhaps only the legendary First Beauty of the Profound Heaven Realm—the unseen Demonic Sect Saintess—could compare to Long Yun’s younger sister!

"Huh? Why are you all frozen?" Yan Qingqing widened her lovely eyes, filled with innocent naivety, and tilted her head in slight confusion as she asked, "What message did my brother actually send me?"

Qu Chong possessed the calmest mind at the moment. Secretly probing Yan Qingqing's cultivation, he was shocked to find she was only at the Gathering Origin realm, which caused his brows to furrow once more.

Taking advantage of the moment everyone else was dazed, he transmitted his voice directly to her: "Lady Qingqing, these people want to capture you and use you as leverage against Big Brother Long Yun. Do not believe their words; be extremely careful. I will find an opportunity later to help you escape!"

Qu Chong dared not transmit too many words, as there were plenty of people here whose cultivation surpassed his. Once they regained their composure, they would inevitably discover his voice transmission, and he would lose the initiative.

Thus, he kept the message brief and delivered it solely to Yan Qingqing.

Upon hearing Qu Chong's voice transmission, Yan Qingqing did not glance his way, but her delicate eyebrows knitted together slightly, and her voice transmitted back toward Qu Chong's direction!

"Hehe, let me test them out first!" Yan Qingqing’s voice sounded in Qu Chong’s ear, causing him to start violently. He hurriedly glanced around, discovering that no one else seemed to have noticed Yan Qingqing's transmission, which only heightened his astonishment.

One had to know that for practitioners of profound cultivation, voice transmissions were difficult to detect. Conversely, the lower the cultivation, the poorer the concealment of the voice transmission technique, and the greater the likelihood of being discovered.

Yet Yan Qingqing was merely at the Gathering Origin realm, and yet she dared to transmit her voice so boldly. At first, he feared others would notice, but after a sweeping glance, he realized no one else had detected a thing.

What kind of cultivation did Long Yun’s sister actually possess? Had she concealed her strength? Qu Chong instantly made a judgment in his mind. After all, Long Yun had once been his idol, and he had always strived to model himself after him.

Meeting Long Yun again this time, although he did not know why Long Yun’s cultivation had dropped, he figured it must be due to some other reasons. As Long Yun’s younger sister, Yan Qingqing’s cultivation certainly could not be so meager.

Thinking of this, his heart settled slightly, and he let out an imperceptible breath of relief.

"It is I!" Chen Chang stood up and laughed heartily. "This must be Lady Long Qingqing! Long Yun is a good friend of mine, you see. We hit it off immediately and are as close as brothers. Since he had urgent matters and will be returning a few days late, he was afraid you would worry, so he asked me to bring a few words to reassure you!"

Although innocent, Yan Qingqing was not foolish. She did not completely trust Qu Chong’s words, but thanks to his warning, she harbored some suspicions, so she did not entirely believe Chen Chang’s words either.

Blinking her lovely eyes a few times, she said with a hint of disappointment, "Did my brother not have anything else for you to relay to me?"

Seeing that she had seemingly bought his words yet posed such a question, Chen Chang felt a slight headache. *Damn it, what on earth did Long Yun promise her?* Catching the hopeful look in Yan Qingqing’s eyes, Chen Chang's mind spun.

With a sly chuckle, he said, "Oh? Nothing else. He didn't mention anything else, probably because time was tight and he didn't get the chance!"

Yan Qingqing said with a puzzled expression, "But my brother promised me that he would definitely pick a flower—the most beautiful flower in Haisen—for me. He couldn't have forgotten. I believe he wouldn't forget!"

Hearing Yan Qingqing’s murmured words, Chen Chang quickly chimed in, "Ah, so that's it! No wonder Brother Long Yun didn't say much before rushing back to Haisen. Now that you mention it, Qingqing, I remember—he must have gone back to find that most beautiful flower for you! I had heard him mention it before, but I never imagined it was for this reason!"

As Chen Chang spoke, he even put on a show of sighing, feigning self-reproach as he said, "If I had known when he asked me, I would have taken him there myself so we could have returned together!"

"Still, you can rest easy, Lady Qingqing. I told Brother Long Yun about a place where a flower grows—the most beautiful flower in the entire Dragon Realm, called the Blue Elf. Just like Lady Qingqing, it is the fairest elf of all!" Chen Chang laughed loudly.

"Hmph!" Yan Qingqing emitted a cold snort, her pretty face instantly chilling. Her delicate brows furrowed as she coldly addressed Chen Chang, "I never mentioned any flowers to my brother in the first place; how could he have asked you about them? You are not my brother's friends—who on earth are you?"

In an instant, the ambient temperature in the surroundings plummeted sharply!