Chapter 118: The Beauty, Like a Flower Beyond the Clouds

Lian Hen sought out Baili Leren, but that young man was busy carousing with a few fox-friends while carrying Gu Lele on his back, and he had no intention of returning. With a few quick strokes, he brushed Lian Hen aside.

Ji Jiao immediately gave a thumbs up, praising, "Brother, you’re the best. You’ve got us brothers in your heart. Come, let’s have a drink." With that, he toasted Baili Leren.

Baili Leren was also pleased; while beauties were wonderful, they could never replace his brothers. Some things and some words could only be shared with brothers; beauties were meant to be pampered and indulged. Drinking, Baili Leren grabbed a handful of peanuts, cracked them open one by one, and tossed the kernels high into the air, catching them in his mouth. With a roguish air, he asked, "What have you all been up to lately?"

Lu Bingsheng replied, "What else? The same as always."

Pei Wuji added, "That’s right. We aren’t as carefree as you, Brother Baili. How far have things progressed with the lovely Gu? When will you... you know, seal the deal?" He winked at Baili Leren, the meaning clear: when would he finally get his hands on the beauty?

Baili Leren promptly pelted him with a peanut, scolding, "Superficial." Was his Lele someone to be treated so casually? What were they thinking? No wonder they were all single.

Pei Wuji rubbed his forehead, offering a sheepish grin. Lu Bingsheng was relatively decent and didn't mock him much. Though they were sons of officials, they were not born into grand families. Thus, he remained closer to Pei Wuji.

Ji Jiao, however, had no such reservations. With a cousin who was the Grand Chancellor, he cared for no one’s face and bowed to no one, save for Baili Leren. He was lucky; his mother knew how to be born well, as she was the sister of the Grand Chancellor's mother. Later, when the old masters of the Shaozhen family met with disaster, this aunt had helped out. Though it wasn't much, Shaozhen Wuyi still cherished that old bond amidst the wolves and tigers circling them at the time. This was how Ji Jiao came to throw his weight around. Originally, the mother and son lived a mediocre life, barely better than servants. Ji Jiao’s mother was plain, lacked the charm to please her husband, and was intolerant of any slight. She turned their backyard into a scene of constant turmoil. When the old Shaozhen master fell, she was divorced, and her own family shunned her as a discarded wife. She then turned to the isolated Shaozhen Wuyi, and through various means, traded her plight for immense wealth. Since then, the pair hadn't just walked with their heads held high in the Shaozhen household; they looked down on everyone except Shaozhen Wuyi.

Pei Wuji could only smile along after being laughed at by him. Whether he was truly willing or not, only he knew, but thankfully there was Lu Bingsheng, to whom he shot a grateful glance. Lu Bingsheng understood, stood up to pour wine for Baili Leren and Ji Jiao, and then sat back down, saying, "Brother Baili has found a beauty, and Brother Ji should find his own beloved as well, so we can all witness it."

Ji Jiao loved nothing more than being mentioned in the same breath as Baili Leren. He stood up, sat directly next to Lu Bingsheng, and hooked an arm around his neck, saying, "As for me..."

Lu Bingsheng was listening respectfully, but after a long wait, there was no sound. He looked up to see what was happening, and upon turning, he saw Ji Jiao with his mouth slightly agape, drool pouring out like a broken dam. He was shocked and pushed him hard, "Brother Ji? Brother Ji?"

Ji Jiao didn't respond, his eyes still fixed and glowing. The other three grew curious and followed his gaze toward the street below. As it happened, two of the newcomers were acquaintances of Baili Leren. Baili Leren immediately touched the edge of the table, wondering how to slip away.

However, Ji Jiao snapped back to his senses, jumped from the second-story window, and blocked the beauty's path. In the Royal City, most of the good-looking women who ventured out had been harassed by Ji Jiao at some point. Some were even followed home, only for him to take advantage of them in the dead of night. Usually, these women would cry and let it go, knowing he was the cousin of Shaozhen Wuyi. Moreover, since he was skilled in bed, some women would eventually taste the sweetness of it and maintain a secret, illicit affair with him.

Yi Qingchen, Su He, and the others had entered through the Huayang Gate and were planning to find an inn to rest when they were blocked by this spoiled brat. Yi Qingchen commanded, "Step aside."

What kind of man was Ji Jiao? Seeing such a great beauty, how could he let go? Even the Royal City's greatest beauty, Gu Lele, couldn't compare. Seeing that they were strangers, he had no reason to hold back.

He reached out to touch Yi Qingchen’s face. Su He moved to stop him, but she waved him off, sidestepped the touch, and slapped Ji Jiao across the face.

"Oh, quite spicy, aren't you?" Ji Jiao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his evil intent only piqued further. It was his own fault for being unlearned; besides being born an immortal, he had never cultivated any power, let alone enough to gauge the depth of his opponents. Accustomed to running wild in the Royal City, he expected everyone to yield to him.

But Yi Qingchen would not indulge him, nor would Su He and his companions. This spoiled brat, having suffered a blow, could not let it rest. He threw a punch straight at Yi Qingchen’s face. Seeing he was just an ordinary immortal, Yi Qingchen did not want to use lethal force, nor did she dare to channel her true essence for fear of killing him. She simply countered with martial arts, blocking with her left hand and taking the opportunity to strike upward with her right, hitting him in the chin and sending him flying.

The onlookers cheered, but after being glared at by Ji Jiao, they immediately held their tongues. Ji Jiao was furious; ever since he climbed the tree that was Shaozhen Wuyi, he had never suffered such a humiliation. Scrambling to his feet, he suddenly lunged with another punch at Yi Qingchen’s head. The onlookers gasped; as much of a hooligan as he was, the brat possessed considerable brute strength. If that blow landed, she would surely be dragged off to be devoured.

Yi Qingchen dodged, caught Ji Jiao’s wrist, pulled him forward, and delivered a kick straight to his ribs. With a sickening "crack," Ji Jiao collapsed to the ground. Holding his broken ribs, he howled in pain, "I'm being murdered! Brothers, why aren't you helping? Ow..."

Baili Leren and the others were preparing to sneak away, but Ji Jiao’s shout ruined everything. Unable to leave, they had no choice but to fly down from the second floor with a swagger. Su He glanced over—good grief, so this was your brother.

Baili Leren felt embarrassed; he had suffered many losses when trying to seize the Human Emperor Stone. (Though he hadn't lost a single hair, he felt he had lost.) Seeing Su He again, it was naturally a case of enemies meeting on a narrow path. But what if the path was narrow? He couldn't win, and even all of them combined couldn't win. He glared fiercely at Ji Jiao—letting his lust blind him and picking a man-eating flower like her!

Ji Jiao was confused by the glare. Didn't they agree to taste every beauty in the world? Just because you have Gu Lele, why shouldn't your brother find someone better? Baili Leren wanted to kill him, but he didn't want to lose face in front of Su He. He was tired of the old man constantly comparing him to Su He, saying things like, "If you had half of Baili Su He’s talent, I’d be satisfied." *To hell with that, what’s wrong with me?*

Straightening his robes, he put his hands behind his back and signaled to Lu Bingsheng and Pei Wuji: *Hurry, carry this idiot away.*

Having spent so much time with Baili Leren, Lu Bingsheng and Pei Wuji shared a degree of tacit understanding with him. In an instant, the two moved quickly, and before Ji Jiao could react, they had dragged him away.

Su He looked at the crowd and asked Baili Leren, "Aren't you going?"

Baili Leren’s expression stiffened, then he burst into laughter, "Hahaha, you want me to leave? Baili Su He, do you even know where you are standing? With one word from me, do you think any shop here would dare to do business with you?"

"Does that matter?" For those on the path of cultivation, these were merely external matters. Having lived so long, with endless, boring years, one had to find ways to pass the time. Most were just ordinary immortals, and once they reached this level, it was hard to advance further. What to do with the remaining infinite days? If they didn't want to die, they had to find distractions. Slowly, this created a prosperous scene. But to a true immortal, all of this was dispensable.

Baili Leren’s threat was utterly useless. Indeed, it didn't matter. They could simply choose not to stay; food, drink, and lodging were not necessities, so what was there to threaten? But this, in turn, was like a slap in his own face. Baili Leren finally realized that Su He could be quite sharp-tongued at times.

He looked up at Su He with ill intent, "It doesn't matter, but why aren't you hiding in the deep mountains digesting the Human Emperor Stone, instead of running to the Royal City?"

The Human Emperor Stone was a treasure everyone wanted. The expressions of the onlookers changed instantly. Su He lowered his head and chuckled, looking at Baili Leren, "Who digested the Human Emperor Stone? Isn't your father the most aware of that? Why, didn't he tell you?"

Once these words were spoken, Que Yunzi couldn't help but look at Su He; he felt that Su He had become quite devious since descending the mountain. The crowd let out many gasps, the sounds drawn out and long. The implication was clear: the Baili family had stolen the treasure they were meant to guard and were now shouting "thief" to frame others.

Baili Leren’s face turned from pale to green with fury. He shouted even more aggressively, "Stop trying to change the subject! Tell me, what is your purpose in coming to the Royal City?"

Su He replied, "If I said we were just wandering around and happened to end up in the Royal City, would you believe me?"

Baili Leren glared at him. *I don't believe a word of it. You’re not the type to wander around for no reason. There’s something fishy going on, definitely.*

"Actually, whether it's true or not, you can ask your father when you go back. Given the means of the Inspectorate, he should have received the news long ago."

"What do you mean by that?" It sounded as if his father was hiding something from him.

"Nothing much. You'll understand once you go." Su He turned back and told Que Yunzi and the others to enter the inn to rest.

"I’d like to see who has the guts to do business with you!" Seeing Su He ignore his warning, Baili Leren was not just green in the face, his eyes were green with rage. The waiter who came to greet them looked at Que Yunzi and the others with distress. It wasn't that they didn't want the business, but this business was too hard to handle.

Su He took a plaque from his sleeve and showed it to the waiter. It was the mark of the Wusheng Gate, with five levels: gold, silver, bronze, iron, and jade. Gold, silver, bronze, and iron were for internal use, while jade was for honored guests. The gold one was the highest level, and the carving on the back was very interesting—a single eye as a totem for the sect leader, and three eyes for others. Su He’s was the same; in short, it was the highest level besides that of Wufeng.

After checking it, the waiter hurriedly let them in. He returned the plaque to Su He and bowed, "I beg your pardon."

Su He put the plaque away and said, "If he causes trouble, just send word to the Wusheng Gate. Others will handle the rest."

"Yes." The waiter bowed gratefully and hurried inside to attend to the guests.

Baili Leren’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. He ground his back teeth until they creaked.

"Nothing to see, disperse." Su He bowed to the crowd and called Yi Qingchen to enter with him. The onlookers whispered to each other, pointing at Baili Leren. Infuriated, Baili Leren roared, "What are you looking at? Not leaving? Waiting for me to treat you?"

The crowd scattered in an instant. Baili Leren stood before the inn for a long time, before shooting back toward the Baili residence like a fading rainbow.