He'd rather run than be turned into a cannon fodder for the broken engagement.

———The agreed half hour, Fu Xun looked at the dripping water clock in the corner. Half an hour had already passed and the person still hadn't come out. He paused for a moment. Did female cultivators have to take this long to bathe and change clothes?

The bell at his waist was quiet and still.

Fu Xun was also completely baffled.

Why did she know her own identity but ask nothing, instead pretending to be nonchalant and secretly planning her escape?

Lost in thought, Fu Xun suddenly heard the door open and immediately looked up—

A familiar yet unfamiliar fairy slowly approached and stood gracefully before him.

Her gentle smile illuminated the entire room.

Fu Xun was stunned.

Not knowing how to react, all that remained was a racing heartbeat, and the image of Leng Huan reflected in his eyes. His light tan face was slightly flushed, perhaps because he had a fever.

The surrounding guests and staff fell silent for a moment, staring at Leng Huan, who appeared in formal attire. Cultivators are generally not ugly, but Leng Huan's appearance was quite striking even among cultivators.

Everyone loves beauty, so it's no big deal that they stared at it for a while.

The person involved was slightly uncomfortable. Under everyone's watchful eyes, Leng Huan suppressed his smile, grabbed Fu Xun, who was staring blankly in the waiting area, and hurriedly left Jinxiu Pavilion.

“…What’s wrong?” Standing at the door, Fu Xun finally came to his senses, glanced at her hand that was holding his, and asked hesitantly.

"...Nothing, do you have anything else to do?" Leng Huan calmed down, released Fu Xun, and straightened his wide sleeves.

She was just a little disoriented at first. She walked slowly down the steps in front of the Jinxiu Pavilion, into the crowd on the street, and turned back to see Fu Xun. She shook her head and said, "I don't have anything else to do. Why don't we go back up the mountain?"

It was already noon, and the crowd was bustling about.

Leng Huan took a breath: "Okay, let's go."

As Leng Huan turned around, the bell hanging from her waist spun silently. She continued walking into the crowd, ignoring the occasional glances that passersby cast at her.

Fu Xun followed beside her, glancing at her head where there was no jade hairpin. He paused for a moment, then expressionlessly blocked the malicious stares. Dressed in black, he remained silent, but with just a glance, those people felt a chill run down their spines from his cold gaze and quickly looked away, not daring to look again.

Leng Huan wasn't unaware of the various gazes directed at her; rather, she was simply adapting to her surroundings. So this was what it felt like to be a woman. The gazes falling upon her were all the same: admiring, gazing, coveting, malicious... nothing more.

No wonder they say girls need to protect themselves when they're out and about.

Looking down at herself, apart from her neck and collarbone being exposed, her dress, which reached her chest, didn't reveal any part of her chest. It was a very normal and appropriate outfit.

But we can't always avoid the malice of those people.

She slowly curved her lips into a mocking sneer.

Ah.

Get out!

Don't you dare touch me, you stinky man!!!

There are all sorts of birds in a big forest, but looking at Fu Xun's calm demeanor, well, this guy is the reliable straight man!

The phrases "remaining unmoved by a woman's advances" and "having a calm mind" were tailor-made for him!

Unaware that others were labeling him again, Fu Xun glanced at Leng Huan's nape and saw a small red dot peeking out through the gap in his braid. Usually, it was covered by a high collar, but now, with his low-cut and loose-fitting clothes, a section of his slender neck was revealed.

-

Once outside the city, there were very few people. As they walked up Huanyue Mountain, only the two of them remained.

When they reached the stone steps halfway up the mountain, Leng Huan stopped to rest. The Huan Yue Immortal Sect's territory only has spring, summer, and autumn all year round, with very short or non-existent winter. Looking up, all he could see were smiling spring mountains.

Taking a deep breath of the vibrant energy, Leng Huan headed towards the nearby Sanli Pavilion. Along this route, there was a pavilion every three li and a tower every five li; the mountains and pavilions complemented each other beautifully. When he didn't feel like flying on his sword, hiking was a pleasant alternative.

"Wow, how amazing!" Leng Huan turned and sat on the veranda bench, straightening her skirt. Looking at the steep stone steps, she suddenly exclaimed:

"When I climbed the Heavenly Ladder, I swore I would never climb a mountain again in my life. Tsk, with spiritual power by my side, climbing a mountain is a piece of cake, isn't it?"

After waiting for a while without receiving a response, Leng Huan turned to look at Fu Xun and saw him staring straight at him with a somewhat dazed expression. Leng Huan paused, then suddenly raised his voice and said, "Junior Brother Yin Xun!"

Amidst the lush greenery of the mountains, she alone blooms like a pink and purple peony.

Fu Xun calmly lowered his eyes: "What's wrong?"

Leng Huan narrowed her eyes: "Am I... good-looking?"

Fu Xun's face flushed almost imperceptibly. After a moment's pause, he nodded calmly, "Beautiful."

Since that's the case—

Leng Huan instantly gave up, stretching his legs comfortably and crossing them. His white shoes with gold embroidery wobbled, revealing a large purple pearl on the tip.

She leaned her lower back against the railing, put her hands on the handrail, and wiggled her ankles, looking more like a salted fish than a salted fish, more like mud than mud. If she added a pair of sunglasses, she would definitely look like a spoiled brat.

Fu Xun stared blankly, only to hear Leng Huan's clear and gentle voice teasing him:

"What about this?"

"Is it still pretty?"

Leng Huan glanced at Fu Xun across from him, seemingly casually.

A cool spring breeze rustled through the treetops, and Fu Xun spoke softly in the wind: "Of course, Senior Sister is a true fairy, so she can move freely and without restraint. There's nothing wrong with that."

Makes sense!

Leng Huan was speechless.

After a moment of silence, she asked, "You don't mean you have some misunderstanding about me, do you?"

Fu Xun: "There's no need for misunderstanding or explanation. You are you, and it's rare for a person to be themselves. That's good, really."

Although Leng Huan was pleased to hear him say that, he felt that Fu Xun still had some misunderstanding. What exactly was it?

Gently scratching his temple, Leng Huan abandoned his thoughts and instead asked about his injury: "How is your injury? Can you still compete the day after tomorrow?"

"Yes, he's fine now."

"Then let's keep going."

-

The matter of fleeing needed careful consideration. Leng Huan decided to plan it out thoroughly after the conference. Looking at Fu Xun, he remembered Wang Chen saying that when Fu Xun was seriously injured in the competition, Shen Hanyan should have treated him.

However, because Wang Chen called Shen Hanyan away in advance, Fu Xun was taken away by Leng Huan immediately, and the encounter between Shen Hanyan and the male lead in the original book did not occur. It seems that with Wang Chen watching over the female supporting character Shen Hanyan, she will not follow the old path again, right?

Next up is Wang Chen's appearance and his scenes with the male lead.

Leng Huan sighed helplessly, "What kind of mess is this!"

Watching Fu Xun's retreating figure, she hesitated whether or not to interfere with Long Aotian's growth process.

What, almost had his body possessed and his spiritual roots dug out...?

Just as he was thinking about these random things, Fu Xun suddenly stopped and turned to look at Leng Huan. His deep voice carried a subtle helplessness: "Senior sister, I will tell you some things after the conference. Let's get through the conference first, okay?"

"Ah, oh, okay."

Leng Huan responded, "Then, be careful during the competition, lest you encounter someone with malicious intent who might harm you."

Fu Xun is now a target everywhere. Not only are villains eyeing him, but people from the Fu family also want to get rid of him.

Leng Huan could only offer him a subtle reminder.

It was an act of kindness from former brothers and friends.

-

In Huanyue Immortal City, a rented cave dwelling is located somewhere.

"Young Master, the matter has been investigated." A disciple of the Fu family, dressed in a robe of moon-white and black, respectfully bowed to the young master in the center and reported:

"Yin Yi died in Dongting Prefecture more than half a month ago. According to the information from Fengsheng Tower, he was killed by two young cultivators."

"How did he die?" At this moment, the young master finally raised his eyes to look at the disciple who answered. His eyes were gloomy and had a kind of destructive and unfriendly quality. This person was none other than Fu Xiao, the eldest son of the direct line of the Fu family who had framed Fu Xun.

Under his gaze, the disciple shuddered and continued to answer: "One of the young men was tall and looked somewhat like the portrait of the third master of the collateral branch of the family."

Master Fu is Fu Xun's deceased father. The disciple's voice trembled slightly: "That person should be... the second young master of the collateral branch, Fu Xun."

Fu Xiao's expression darkened: "Who is the other person?"

"I heard he was from the same school as me."

The Fu family only knew that the Leng family was looking for their eldest daughter, and they heard that she had also gone to the Misty Immortal Sect. Yin Yi had reported that someone suspected to be Fu Xun had appeared in Zhongnan Prefecture, accompanied by a young man, who was also said to have gone to the Misty Immortal Sect. Could they be related?

Fu Xiao never expected that the person who was thrown off the Broken Soul Cliff like a rag doll had not been trapped to death in the snake pit at the bottom of the cliff, but was now alive and had become a disciple of the Misty Immortal Sect and had even recovered his cultivation!

Doesn't this mean everything he did was for nothing?!

Suddenly filled with rage, he gripped the armrest of the chair and squeezed it so hard that the armrest shattered with a "crack".

The disciples were startled.

Tossing aside the wood shavings, Fu Xiao instructed his trusted disciple, "Yin Yi is indeed a good-for-nothing. In that case, send someone to Kuaiyi Pavilion to place a Xuan Ranking and eliminate him."

Kuaiyi Pavilion, a place of swift justice and revenge, is actually an assassination organization that takes money to eliminate troubles for people. It is money-grubbing and its business includes both mortals and cultivators, accepting all kinds of gold, silver and spirit stones.

Fu Xiao felt that it was just the Foundation Establishment stage, and he wouldn't even need the Heavenly Ranking. The Profound Ranking would be enough to solve the problem.

……