Chapter 88 (2/2)

After a troubled night, at dawn the next day, a disciple came hurriedly to report, “Miss Luo says she can’t come today. She would like me to give you this message: recuperate quietly and make sure you do not mobilize your inner strength forcefully.” He turned to go after the message, but Xiao Chen shouted for him to stay. “Wait! What happened to her?”

“Miss Luo just asked me to bring you this message. I know nothing about the rest.” The disciple completed his message and left.

Xiao Chen sat back on the stone bench and hit out his palm at a huge banyan tree several meters away. The blow shook and rustled the leaves. He thought: so she wanted me to stay and recuperate quietly, not to mobilize my strength with force. She really meant for me to stay obediently and not try anything rash. “Why do I feel that she has no freedom in Teal Jade Sect, as if she is a prisoner guarded by so many Imperial Palace Guards? What really has happened?… ”

“Ho ho, has Junior Brother Han recovered his strength?” A figure quivered and Chu Lingjiao landed in the courtyard.

Xiao Chen smiled faintly. “Senior Sister Chu cannot be here today to hear my playing, I think?” Chu Lingjiao approached him slowly and asked in a quiet voice, “Do you know that Luo girl?”

“Senior Sister Chu must be joking. I saw her yesterday for the first time.”

“Oh? Since you don’t know her and your inner strength has recovered, why are you so anxious that she should be here?”

Xiao Chen coughed quietly and smiled nonchalantly. “Let’s talk business. What is the purpose of your trip this time, Senior Sister Chu?”

Chu Lingjiao smiled radiantly and with a lovely demeanor, plucked a leaf down casually. She said gently, “I’m sure Junior Brother Han knows that it’ll be the Immortals League Competition soon?”

Xiao Chen got up and smiled. Closing two fingers tightly together, he clipped the leaf lightly over from her fingers. He looked at it and smiled faintly. “Lavish competitions like these are the arena for my Senior Sisters. A lowly Qi Refining disciple like me has no chance to attend it.”

Chu Lingjiao smiled faintly and took the leaf back from his two fingers. “Don’t be too modest, Junior Brother. In the entire East Divine Continent, you must be the only one who could play the divine zither three times in succession.”

Xiao Chen smiled quietly and took in a deep breath. “Tell me, what is your purpose for seeking me out, Senior Sister Chu?”

Chu Lingjiao also wiped the smile away from her face and lowered her voice. “Junior Brother, you are a smart person. I will not talk in a roundabout way.” As she said this, her gaze became focused. “The divine zither is mine. You can have Luo Shangyan. We must make our move during the Immortals League Competition. Otherwise, neither of us shall succeed.”

Xiao Chen’s heart missed a beat. So, she wanted to cooperate with him! Although an extra ally would raise his chance of success, their cooperation was simply too difficult. They did not have a shred of trust between them. So he said softly instead, “Senior Sister Chu, I’ll pretend not to have heard you. I did tell you I don’t wish to get involved in your disputes.”

Chu Lingjiao smiled gently. “I’m afraid that by then, the matter will no longer be in your hands.” She moved toward the gate after these words, and suddenly waved her arm by the time she reached it. The leaf in her hand streaked toward Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen dodged and the leaf brushed past his shoulder. “Su!” went the leaf through the tree behind him, twice their size. A faint milky latex flowed out from the trunk. By the time he turned his head back to watch, Chu Lingjiao had disappeared. He snickered in his heart. “Are you threatening me?”

He was now at the Peak of Lvl 9. Although he was not certain whether he could succeed in Foundation Building, he had mastered the wonderful skills of the Mystic Cyan Sect. He had cultivated them several times. Even at Lv 9 Qi Refining Realm, he could match an ordinary fighter at the Foundation Building Realm.

His only worries now were Luo Shangyan and Murong Xian’er. Luo Shangyan was alright for the moment. How about Xian’er?

When he thought about this, he felt a great bitterness in his heart. He had taken Xian’er out from the Emerald Valley and yet could not take good care of her.

The next day, he overheard footsteps from outside his room. When he opened the door, he discovered Luo Shangyan there. He was about to open his mouth to speak in joy when he suddenly detected the presence of four Palace Guards outside the yard. They were no ordinary guards, but Qi Refining cultivators.