Chapter 160: Ah! Let me go!

By this point in the banquet, the atmosphere had reached its peak, and everyone in the Purple Spirit Manor was naturally overjoyed.

Xiao Ruochen and his son, who should have been able to celebrate together, excused themselves on the grounds of feeling unwell and ultimately slipped away in dejection.

At this very moment, they harbored a deep hatred for Qin Chuan, yet were unable to exact immediate revenge, leaving their hearts filled with frustration and resentment.

"Father, this man Qin Chuan cannot be allowed to live."

"Hmph, we'll make sure he dies at the Spirit Battle Tournament!"

......

The Spirit Battle Tournament was a grand event for the Spirit Realm to discover prodigies. Every century, various factions took turns hosting it, and this time it happened to be the turn of the Purple Spirit Manor.

The purpose of such selections was to recruit talent, and all factions were extremely proactive, though the Black Wind Cliff was noticeably lagging behind in this regard.

After years of integration, various factions sought development amidst collisions.

Naturally, there were frictions and wars among them, but everything was governed by the principle of interests—there were no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.

Originally, Xiao Ruochen and his son were supposed to be the protagonists of this banquet, but due to Qin Chuan's intervention, following their departure, Qin Chuan ended up taking center stage.

All of this seemed utterly incredible.

During the banquet, Zi Lanfeng had extended an olive branch to Qin Chuan, hoping he would join the Purple Spirit Manor, and offered him extremely generous terms.

However, Qin Chuan had no intention of joining any faction; he preferred freedom without restraint, and thus declined the invitation.

It was at this moment that Zi Lanfeng's broad-mindedness became apparent. Far from taking offense, he appreciated Qin Chuan even more.

If Qin Chuan could soar high in the future, maintaining a good relationship with him would undoubtedly be a wise choice.

After the banquet dispersed, Qin Chuan was accommodated in an independent, spacious courtyard, separated from Zi Zi only by a wall.

With all matters settled, Zi Lanfeng called Zi Feng aside for a private conversation.

"Feng'er, what are your thoughts on this banquet?"

During the banquet, Zi Feng had kept a very low profile, remaining completely inconspicuous and barely uttering a word.

Yet Zi Feng was deeply trusted and valued by Zi Lanfeng, and was also the secretly groomed successor of the Purple Spirit Manor.

"Xiao Ruochen and his son are narrow-minded and incapable of achieving greatness."

"Qin Chuan is sharp in his words, decisive and fierce in his actions, possessing the bearing of a great general. His personality is stubborn and formidable; forging a sincere alliance with him is the best course of action."

"As the saying goes, a tree standing tall in a forest will be broken by the wind. However, this axiom does not seem to apply to Qin Chuan."

"The only cause for concern is his obscure background."

Zi Feng's commentary was concise yet struck straight to the core.

Hearing this, Zi Lanfeng cast a look of approval and said in a deep voice, "Remember this, Feng'er: heroes are not judged by their origins, and Qin Chuan is a prime example. There may be someone backing him, but the fact that he single-handedly drove the Black Wind Cliff to distraction is proof of his true capability."

Zi Feng bowed and replied respectfully, "Understood, Father, your son will keep this in mind."

Zi Lanfeng paced back and forth in the room for a few moments before continuing, "Issue an order to relax the surveillance on the Black Wind Cliff. Anyone below level sixty is permitted to enter the city."

This command left Zi Feng utterly bewildered, and he asked, "Father, what is the meaning of this?"

Zi Lanfeng replied calmly, "By now, the Black Wind Cliff is undoubtedly bent on killing Qin Chuan, and Xiao Ruochen and his son will not let the matter rest either."

Hearing this, Zi Feng grew even more confused and could not help asking, "Under such circumstances, shouldn't we strictly forbid people from the Black Wind Cliff from entering? Why relax the surveillance instead? Wouldn't that put Qin Chuan in extreme danger?"

Zi Lanfeng smiled with a profound look in his eyes and said, "Danger? Feng'er, do you think Qin Chuan is someone who would be afraid?"

Zi Feng was stunned for a moment, then realization suddenly dawned on him. "I understand now, Father. You intend to use this to temper Qin Chuan."

"Mhm, the child is teachable."

Zi Lanfeng patted Zi Feng on the shoulder, giving him an affirmative gesture.

Meanwhile, Qin Chuan was lying on a large bed, feeling thoroughly at ease. After running about for so long, he could finally have a good sleep.

He was completely unaware that Zi Lanfeng had already dug a massive pit for him.

A short while later, the light of Qin Chuan's spirit core dimmed until it became virtually invisible.

When he finally woke up, three whole days had passed, and it was only because Zi Zi had playfully woken him up.

Bored to distraction, Zi Zi had taken a feather and swept it back and forth across Qin Chuan's nose, complaining petulantly, "Lazy pig, time to get up! You've been sleeping for three whole days!"

Qin Chuan's physical form was constructed from the Source of the Five Elements and temporarily lacked conventional sensory perception, so Zi Zi's antics had zero effect on him.

The human body contained the five viscera and six bowels, further categorized into metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—everything within the physical form belonged to the Five Elements.

What Qin Chuan needed now was vital energy; once the vital energy coursed through his entire body, it would generate flesh and blood. Therefore, opening the meridian wheels was the very first step toward acquiring a physical body of flesh and blood.

Zi Zi rested her chin in her hands, blinking her large, beautiful eyes as she stared at Qin Chuan. Gradually, she found him more and more pleasing to the eye, and unconsciously leaned her face closer.

"Chuan, you really look better the longer I look at you. I can't even help wanting to steal a kiss."

"Oh dear, I'm a girl, how can I be so unreserved?"

"Pfft, it's not like I haven't kissed him before!"

"Muah!"

In the end, Zi Zi could not resist leaving a light kiss, though her heart immediately began to flutter wildly, filled with the sweet thrill of a successful surprise attack.

At that exact moment, Qin Chuan suddenly opened his eyes. Their gazes locked, and their lips brushed against each other—a posture of unspeakable ambiguity.

"Mm... no!"

Terrified out of her wits, Zi Zi's lovely face drained of color. The moment she tried to retreat, Qin Chuan pulled her tightly into his arms, making escape impossible.

"Bang!"

At that moment, the door was kicked open with a forceful blow, and a heroic, dashing beauty strode into the room.

This beauty was none other than the triumphant Zi Hanyu.

Upon returning, she had heard that Shang Xuanyue had been killed by someone named Qin Chuan, and driven by intense curiosity, she had come to take a look.

As fate would have it, she arrived just in time to hear Zi Zi's startled gasp, prompting her to kick the door open and witness a scene that left her utterly shocked.

Qin Chuan was holding Zi Zi, face to face, heart to heart, in an expression of sweet intimacy.

"You shameless scoundrel! Let go of my sister!"

With a furious roar, Zi Hanyu lunged forward and delivered a swift kick toward Qin Chuan.

Qin Chuan was immersed in the blissful warmth of romance when he was abruptly jolted awake by the angry shout. Glancing sideways, he saw it was Zi Hanyu.

Dressed in martial attire, Zi Hanyu's figure appeared even more flawless. Her pretty face, flushed with anger, lost a touch of its usual alluring charm and gained an aura of heroic sternness.

"Damn it, talk about a冤家路窄 (enemies crossing paths in a narrow space)!"

Qin Chuan felt a jolt of secret alarm; every single encounter with Zi Hanyu was astonishingly full of surprises.

"Bang!"

Zi Hanyu's kick shattered the large bed into pieces, but Qin Chuan had already scooped up Zi Zi and dodged to the floor.

The moment Zi Zi saw Zi Hanyu, her face flushed crimson in a flash, and she stammered in shock, "Sister, when did you get back?"

Zi Hanyu's eyes blazed with fire as she gritted her teeth and snarled, "You scoundrel, unhand my sister this instant!"

Only then did Qin Chuan snap back to reality. He quickly released Zi Zi and said calmly, "This is a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding my foot! I'm going to hack you to pieces!"

"Clang!"

Zi Hanyu unsheathed her Cangyue Sword and slashed furiously toward Qin Chuan, burning with rage.

Qin Chuan felt as though he had suffered eight lifetimes of bad luck; Zi Hanyu was as volatile and fierce as ever.

"Stop right there! Don't run!"

"Sister, don't! It really is a misunderstanding!"

Using his second blink skill, Qin Chuan bolted out the door, forced once again to flee in panic before Zi Hanyu's imposing and aggressive pursuit.

Yet Zi Hanyu seemed destined to be his sworn enemy, refusing to let him go under any circumstances.

Qin Chuan dashed into a small grove of trees and finally stopped running, turning around to wait for Zi Hanyu to catch up.

Swish!

Wielding the Cangyue Sword, Zi Hanyu charged into the grove only to find Qin Chuan standing there, looking at her with a half-smile.

"Scoundrel, why aren't you running anymore?"

Qin Chuan calmly replied, "I haven't done anything shameful. Why should I run?"

Furious, Zi Hanyu snapped, "Quibbling! You did all that to my sister and you dare claim you haven't done anything shameful? If you have any spine, stop running and let me hack you to death!"

Qin Chuan's own temper flared slightly. "Elder Sister, that was mutual affection between us! Mutual affection, do you understand?"

"Mutual affection my foot! You were clearly forcing her!"

Zi Hanyu possessed a fiery temper and only trusted what her own eyes saw; her sword strike came down with blistering speed and ruthless intent.

"Enough!"

Qin Chuan's figure suddenly turned eerie and ethereal. In a flash, he grabbed Zi Hanyu's right arm and pulled her toward him.

"Bang!"

Zi Hanyu crashed solidly into Qin Chuan's embrace. Amidst her spinning senses, she saw the faint smile lingering on the corners of Qin Chuan's lips as he slowly moved closer to her.

In that time and space, there was an indescribable, heart-stirring magnetism.

For no reason at all, Zi Hanyu's face flushed intensely red, and she shrieked, "Ah! Let go of me!"