Ah You was about to open the door when it was pushed open. A clean-cut man strolled towards everyone.
Everyone marveled at the man's handsome appearance and regal bearing. Chaoyangzi and Tianji exchanged glances. A familiar face!
It turned out that Feng Chu, the most flamboyant of the Seven Star Guards, had also fallen into this realm.
Upon seeing Chaoyangzi, Feng Chu's lips curled, "Fellow Daoist, you look so familiar, have we met before?"
Chaoyangzi found Feng Chu's smiling eyes blinding. Had this guy regained his memory? He turned away without responding.
Feng Chu remained at ease, unfazed by the lack of response.
Steward Zhu, as half the host here, stepped forward and asked:
"Young master, may I know your esteemed name?"
"I am Feng Chu. I was merely passing by today and happened to hear the zither music, so I followed it here," Feng Chu said, idly fanning himself. In reality, the ink jade he carried was heating up, guiding him by its warmth. The Seven Star Guards, upon their demobilization, each carried a piece of black jade that would react to the Divine Maiden.
The moment he arrived, he saw a breathtakingly beautiful woman performing a sword dance to the zither music. He watched from a distance, hidden in the sky. First, the woman's familiar appearance attracted him, then her astonishing sword skills in the dance captivated him. The clang of weapons in her swordplay felt incredibly familiar, as if he had fought alongside her a hundred or a thousand times...
Suddenly, his head throbbed with intense pain, and visions flashed through his mind. Unfamiliar memories flooded in, nearly revealing his presence to the elder in the courtyard. He thought of the Phoenix Clan's supreme invisibility technique, which no one in the Three Realms could penetrate unless he willed it.
He had found the Divine Venerate. And what had he heard? His Divine Venerate was performing a sword dance to celebrate Qingyang's wedding. He felt both jealous and amused. It was excellent that Qingyang had married in this lower realm. One less competitor for the Divine Venerate's attention.
Yun Ya and Yun Yi regarded this exceptionally handsome man, who surpassed them in looks, with a sense of fellow-creature wariness. They couldn't discern his cultivation. The Tianchen Continent was indeed a place where dragons lay hidden and heroes emerged in abundance. It was truly a land blessed by the gods!
"Please have a seat, young master. Ah You, serve the tea," Steward Zhu said, leading Feng Chu to a seat below Chaoyangzi. He could tell they knew each other. He now knew the Divine Maiden had Seven Star Guards, and this man might be one of them.
"Where are you from?" Chaoyangzi, unable to contain his curiosity, finally asked. This man had never appeared on the Tianchen Continent, and his sect was mysterious.
"You want to know? Are you the Sect Master of the Chaotian Immortal Sect?" Feng Chu's smile was infuriating, as he was representing his sect to attend the wedding ceremony of the future patriarch of the Chaotian Immortal Sect.
"And if I am?" Chaoyangzi's hands itched at the sight of Feng Chu's smile.
"Nothing much, congratulations on ending your ten-thousand-year bachelorhood." Feng Chu's smile grew even wider.
Chaoyangzi... this guy had indeed recovered his memory.
The two conversed via secret sound transmission. To the others, one appeared stoic and icy, while the other exuded unrestrained merriment.
Chaoyangzi signaled Tianji with his eyes. Tianji understood and soon excused himself. He then took Yun Ya and Yun Yi and departed.
As the three ascended on their swords, Chaoyangzi's Qingfeng Sword darted straight towards Feng Chu's face. Feng Chu, still seated, was sent flying backward with his stool. While dodging, he yelled:
"Qingyang, you ten-thousand-year-old ice face, you turn hostile so quickly and even resort to sneak attacks! Have you learned to be shameless since coming to the lower realm?" Feng Chu blocked the sharp sword strikes with his jade fan, spewing curses nonstop.
Chaoyangzi's expression remained indifferent. This fellow needed a lesson.
The elder with double pupils silently erected a barrier to protect the small courtyard. He picked up a plate of melon seeds his disciple had gifted him and sat on the rooftop with Steward Zhu to watch the duel.
As soon as Chaoyangzi arrived, he unleashed the thirty-six stances of the Qingfeng Sword, his attacks swift and direct towards Feng Chu.
"Wow, you're serious! After a million years, you attack with killing intent as soon as we meet. You're ruthless, you've got guts!" Feng Chu parried with his jade fan, his mouth still blabbering. Unbeknownst to him, Chaoyangzi struck him with a lightning-elemental spell.
Feng Chu let out a scream of agony. Looking at himself, he was completely charred, his hair emitting a suspicious burning smell. Enraged, he thought, Qingyang was truly jealous of his beauty and deliberately targeted him. "You despicable scoundrel, do you think I'm easy to bully!"
With a series of sharp cries, Feng Chu transformed into a resplendent, multicolored fire phoenix, spewing a torrent of flames directly at Chaoyangzi. Chaoyangzi promptly countered with water-elemental spells. Seizing the opportunity, Feng Chu reverted to his human form, concealed himself in the air, appeared behind Chaoyangzi, and unleashed invisible gale-force winds from his jade fan, carrying fine, hair-like feathers. Being pierced by these feathers would undoubtedly cause three days and three nights of agonizing pain.
Chaoyangzi sensed the danger the moment the gale-force winds appeared. The Qingfeng Sword flew out of his hand, transforming into countless sword lights that formed a sword shield to protect him. All that could be heard was a continuous metallic clanging.
Feng Chu suddenly materialized and delivered a side kick towards Chaoyangzi's left cheek. He couldn't stand the sight of Qingyang's icy face. He felt it would be most impressive if Qingyang was beaten into a pulp. kuAiδugg
Ye Ju and Xiao Bai appeared at some point and sat beside the elder with double pupils. The group on the rooftop ate melon seeds and watched the duel. Ah You, seeing her master and the fairy mistress watching with great interest, thoughtfully prepared a teapot, fearing they might get thirsty from talking.
"Sister, why are they fighting?" Xiao Bai asked, bewildered by the fight. Although they were fighting fiercely, neither seemed to be using their full strength.
"Boredom!" the elder with double pupils interjected.
Heh!
Ye Ju smiled and nodded in agreement. When she was in the spatial realm, she knew Feng Chu had arrived. This guy hadn't changed, always eager to provoke Qingyang. They often fought for inexplicable reasons. However, Feng Chu never learned his lesson, always getting beaten severely by Qingyang, only to continue the next time. He grew more courageous with setbacks...
Having watched enough, Ye Ju took out her defensive staff, intending to give each of them a whack. Upon seeing the Sky-Supporting Sword, Feng Chu immediately called for a halt. The Divine Venerate loved sneak attacks the most; how could his nature remain unchanged after so many years?
Feng Chu was conflicted. Should he present himself to the Divine Venerate with his injuries and elicit pity, or should he appear handsome and make a good impression on the current Divine Venerate?
Before he could finish contemplating, he saw Chaoyangzi striding towards the small courtyard. He quickly conjured a set of magnificent clothes and with a flash, appeared before Ye Ju.
Before Ye Ju emerged, Feng Chu had already fallen victim to Chaoyangzi's sneak attack and was scorched black. He hadn't felt anything during the fight. When he saw a handsome man who resembled Pan An standing before him, Ye Ju was stunned. He was too handsome, with a height of 1.85 meters, picturesque features, delicate facial contours, a perfect jawline, a slightly upturned mouth, and a roguish smirk that perfectly matched Ye Ju's aesthetic preferences.
Ye Ju heard herself swallow. How come, in her memory, this guy wasn't as handsome as he was today? Was it the wrong order of appearance?
"Divine Venerate, Feng Chu has arrived." Feng Chu, seeing the current Divine Venerate staring at him blankly, felt a keen sense that the Divine Venerate was different...