131 - Confession (Ying Cheng)

Chapter 131: The Qilin Yanfeng was left bewildered by the thoughts swirling in her mind. She glanced out the window to check the time of day. The team competition should have started by now. The communication talisman in her sleeve had been vibrating continuously. Yanfeng took it out and infused it with her divine sense. Du Ming's message read: "Yanfeng, where are you? We didn't wait for you and have already entered the secret realm." "Did you manage to solve the puzzle you and Master Jie were working on the other night?" Du Ming had always been someone who trusted Yanfeng implicitly, yet now Yanfeng could feel her anxiety through the message. Yanfeng replied, "I was catching up on some sleep earlier. The last clue has been solved." "Wait for me by the western snow mountain." "Really?" Du Ming responded with urgency. "Alright, then." Yanfeng put away the communication talisman and cast a quiet glance at the sleeping Qi Xianqing beside her. Qi Xianqing was usually a light sleeper, the kind of person who would wake at the slightest disturbance around her. But perhaps because she was truly exhausted, she remained asleep, undisturbed by the commotion Yanfeng had caused earlier. In her sleep, Qi Xianqing's brows furrowed slightly, her long lashes trembled, as if she were about to wake. Yanfeng quickly placed a hand over Qi Xianqing's eyes, gently soothed her back with the other. This was a common method used to comfort children, surprisingly effective for Qi Xianqing, whose expression quickly settled back into peaceful sleep. Yanfeng watched her serene sleeping profile, a smile tugging at her lips. With a playful intent, she leaned down to plant a light kiss on Qi Xianqing's cheek, then slowly rose and quietly left the room. Although she liked Qi Xianqing and felt protective of her, there was still a bet between them. She wasn't going to let Qi Xianqing's team be the first to gather all the beans. Before leaving, Yanfeng quietly placed the porridge she had cooked earlier on the table, so it would be there for Qi Xianqing when she awoke. ... Yanfeng soon arrived at Five Dragon Square. The Five Dragon Secret Realm had already been opened. The square was empty; all the participating teams had likely gone inside already. Using the communication talisman, Yanfeng regrouped with her team members at the base of the snow mountain. Upon seeing her, Du Ming was quick to express her frustration: "Yanfeng, what's been going on? Have you and Master Jie been secluding yourselves – to piece together that puzzle?" "More or less," Yanfeng replied succinctly. Du Ming looked at Yanfeng with admiration, "You both are amazing..." Duan Luxi, feeling slightly self-conscious, remarked, "It seems this team competition relies heavily on Yanfeng and Master Jie's efforts." Du Ming clung to Yanfeng's hand, wailing dramatically, "How can we ever repay you?" Recalling Qi Xianqing's words, Yanfeng awkwardly smiled, "No problem, just treat us to a meal sometime." Duan Luxi and Du Ming exchanged a puzzled look. The puzzle pieces they had seen were notoriously complex and difficult to assemble, thinking it would take ages. Could it really be as simple as a meal for Yanfeng? Yanfeng then retrieved the Image Capture Box to show the image inside to everyone, "Did you notice any particular clearing when you came to the snow mountain?" The group all fell into a thoughtful silence. Yanfeng encouraged, "No worries, let's just walk around the base of the snow mountain and see if we can find the location that matches this picture." The final stage had clearly been designed by the senior members of the Five Dragon Gate to be challenging. The area at the base of the snow mountain was vast, making it extremely difficult to locate an identical clearing. The sun blazed down, leaving Yanfeng exhausted, legs sore and her head drenched with sweat. Fearful the Qi Xianqing's team might catch up, Yanfeng sped up, only to find herself panting quickly. Yet the scenery around her remained unchanged, filled with lush trees and barren patches of grass... Pushing through a thicket of dense underbrush, Yanfeng meticulously searched every surrounding detail. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she rubbed her aching back and noticed something peculiar, frowning slightly. In the distance, there appeared to be a flat clearing. Her heart leaped as she promptly checked the Image Capture Box. The clearing was overgrown with weeds, each blade of grass reaching knee height, but there were noticeable gaps between them. It was nearly identical to the scene depicted in the image she had pieced together! Standing before the clearing, Yanfeng compared the snow mountain from the image in the box, finding an even higher level of congruence. Duan Luxi murmured from beside her, "Do we need to find the green bean seedlings hidden in this thicket? The beans should be beneath those seedlings." "But with so many weeds around," Duan Luxi continued, "no telling where the seedlings might be hiding." "Precisely," Yanfeng replied, "That's why the map is essential." "What?" Yanfeng couldn't contain her excitement as she showed them the map from the Image Capture Box, pointing out, "Look, the map’s clues are so clear. The seedlings are hidden in the southeast, west, and northwest parts of this clearing." This was the significance of having the clue. Without this lead, coming to this spot wouldn’t help them locate the seedlings. Guided by the drawing, Yanfeng reached a barren patch of weeds, heart racing. There beneath the thicket lies a vibrant green seedling! Yanfeng didn’t anticipate obtaining the final bean so effortlessly, her eyes lighting up with surprise. As she gingerly pulled the bean seedling, a thunderous roar echoed from somewhere: "ROAR!!!" A colossal deep-blue creature charged forth from the unknown. Its movements swift and powerful, it raced toward Yanfeng, striking with a bone-crushing headbutt. Reacting immediately, Yanfeng flipped backward, agilely retreating several steps. She turned to take a closer look at the creature. Its head resembled a giant dragon's, adorned with horns. The deep blue body shimmered under the sunlight, a closer examination revealing it to be covered in dark scales with faint silvery patterns visible underneath. The beast glared at Yanfeng with its intense blue eyes filled with wrath, thrusting its horn ferociously, ready to charge. Yanfeng was momentarily stunned, but quickly understood the spirit beast's purpose. Acquiring this third material wasn't as simple as she had imagined. And this beast was probably the test the Five Dragon sect designed specifically to guard the third clue—a sentinel spirit beast! Duan Luxi suddenly exclaimed, "It's a Qilin! That's a Qilin!" Yanfeng was speechless. The Qilin was the Five Dragon Gate's revered mountain guardian, dwelling on the mountain for years, pampered by the Beast Pavilion with countless spiritual elixirs, having particularly good rapport with the gate's higher echelons. The Five Dragon Gate had invested heavily into this exploration of the secret realm. Having a Qilin protect the last piece of material wasn't surprising. Instantly, Yanfeng summoned her celestial sword, Liu Bing, as torrents of icy sword energy surged forth. With a furious roar, the Qilin charged at her. Yanfeng relayed to Duan Luxi and others telepathically, "Go fetch the beans quickly." Duan Luxi hurriedly dashed away. However, the Qilin wasn't easily fooled. Just as Duan Luxi and the others reached the seedling, the Qilin, which was entangled with Yanfeng, immediately turned back. It clearly understood its task wasn't to fight intruders but to protect the green bean! Without warning, the Qilin headbutted Duan Luxi, sending her flying. ... The four of them stood at the mountain's base, staring dumbfoundedly at the Qilin leisurely grazing near the green bean seedlings. "......" Yanfeng had anticipated that the last challenge would be the difficult puzzle with its hundreds of tiny fragments, but hadn't expected the real test to begin here. To get the green bean, they must defeat the Qilin. This was indeed... Yanfeng felt a headache coming on. The Qilin, as the arch gate guardian of Five Dragon, at least had sixth level peak or seventh level cultivation. Asking it to step aside meekly was no easy feat. Wait. Given that few disciples in the Five Dragon Gate managed to reach the sixth level, if the leadership truly wanted to select victors, they wouldn't create an impossible challenge. There must be another way. As Yanfeng pondered, footsteps approached from the distance. Startled, she turned to find Qi Xianqing approaching, accompanied by several Zhenhuo Sect senior sisters. Dressed in white, Qi Xianqing's long black hair whipped in the wind, her refined peach blossom eyes slightly narrowed, clearly not fully awake. Du Ming murmured, "It's Master Jie." Duan Luxi added, "This puzzle was completed by Master Jie and Sister Yanfeng together. I was wondering why we hadn't seen Master Jie here today." Qi Xianqing approached, her gaze subtly accusatory toward Yanfeng. Yanfeng resisted the urge to facepalm, her lips curving into a smile. That treasure-guarding Qilin was vigilantly protecting the bean. She suddenly wanted to see how Qi Xianqing would handle such a stumbling block. Following Qi Xianqing, Xie Ziqin eyed Yanfeng warily upon sight, knowing her to be cunning as a fox. Fearing Yanfeng might play tricks when they approached, she found Yanfeng standing innocently, returning only a harmless smile, making no further moves. Xie Ziqin glanced at Qi Xianqing again. Qi Xianqing walked directly towards the location of the green bean seedlings shown in the drawing, as if she hadn't noticed anyone around her, her face void of any emotion. It seemed that Master Jie had reached a point where she preferred to avoid Yanfeng altogether. At times, Xie Ziqin truly envied Qi Xianqing's self-control. Meanwhile, the Qilin that had been roaming nearby also noticed Qi Xianqing. It raised its head, casting a puzzled glance in her direction. Yanfeng watched the scene unfold with a hint of concern. Even though a headbutt from the Qilin packed a punch, Qi Xianqing was formidable enough to handle it without trouble, she reassured herself. Qi Xianqing quickly reached the seedling, whereupon the Qilin raised its head to issue a threatening roar. Zhou Leng and Xie Ziqin, noticing the Qilin watching them intently, grew cautious, summoning their magical tools. The Qilin's eyes were a deep, piercing blue. Its gaze carried an innate sense of oppression— a trait typical for a divine beast. The area fell silent, tension hanging in the air. The Qilin stared at Qi Xianqing for a moment before suddenly emitting a friendly “wooo—” and began rolling on the ground, exposing its soft belly while playfully gazing at her. Yanfeng was dumbfounded. She could hardly believe her eyes, momentarily turning to stone. Suddenly, three words sprang unbidden to her mind. Immortal Spirit Body! The Immortal Spirit Body possessed a natural affinity with spirit beasts, and divine beasts were no exception. The Qilin had an innate fondness for Qi Xianqing and wouldn't attack her. Qi Xianqing smiled slightly as she looked at the Qilin, reaching out to pat its horn. "Good boy, I'll bring you some treats another day." Apparently, they were acquainted. It clicked for Yanfeng—she suddenly realized that Qi Xianqing, living in the Ice Peach Garden, often fed various animals, and this Qilin was likely one of her recipients. How unfair! With an indifferent expression, Qi Xianqing gestured to the four people behind her. Zhou Leng took the lead without delay, summoning his magical tool and began digging with determination.