Chapter Sixty: Another Invitation

Tu Lu stared at the graceful figure lying unconscious before him, momentarily stunned. He had not expected that, aside from himself, another person could have survived such a violent explosion. Yet she was clearly gravely injured.

After a brief hesitation, Tu Lu stepped forward and picked her up. The sudden commotion had drawn attention; someone could arrive at any moment. Zi Ling, after all, was a woman, and leaving her here would be far too dangerous. Though Tu Lu wasn’t exactly a saint, he felt no malice toward Zi Ling; more importantly, she was beautiful, and beautiful women naturally inspired a desire for closeness. Tu Lu was no exception.

He was also troubled by what she had said earlier. Betrayed by Zi Camel Peak, he still harbored a burning anger within, so any news concerning Zi Camel Peak was of great importance to him.

What he hadn’t anticipated was that, as he cradled Zi Ling’s supple, smooth body, a delicate fragrance wafted to him, awakening an unfamiliar sensation within. He had held Xiao Cai before, but her body—still unripe—could not compare to Zi Ling’s mature allure. Her form seemed boneless, melting softly in his arms, exuding a subtle scent that made him want to bite down.

A wicked fire stirred in his abdomen. He swallowed hard, shaking his head to dispel the temptation, silently reciting the Minor Cycle Visualization to forcibly redirect his focus.

But just then, Zi Ling’s brow furrowed ever so slightly, as if she was regaining consciousness. Her body shifted, she murmured softly, then slipped back into unconsciousness.

Sweat broke out across Tu Lu’s back. This woman—when awake, she was icy and distant, yet unconscious, she was so enticing it seemed almost unfair.

After considerable effort, he finally managed to carry the fairy Zi Ling to a cave nearby that had not collapsed. Once he had settled her inside, he breathed a long sigh of relief. Holding her was a battle between heaven and earth, more exhausting than any fight.

He stepped outside, gazing toward the site of the explosion. From this vantage, he could already see a few bold souls gathering, and knew they couldn’t remain here for long.

With a sigh, he returned to the cave.

Looking at the unconscious fairy Zi Ling, his emotions were mixed. Gradually, his gaze drifted to her veil.

The explosion had left him badly wounded. Thanks to the century-old mother ganoderma, his physical injuries had healed rapidly, leaving him in far better shape than Zi Ling. Yet the damage to his core was much more severe, and not something that could be restored quickly.

Zi Ling’s veil, however, remained untouched, which piqued his curiosity. He was also eager to see her face.

Once such a thought took root, it became impossible to suppress. After an inner struggle, he swallowed hard and finally reached toward her veil.

Just then, Zi Ling’s eyes suddenly opened.

Tu Lu froze.

They stared at each other for a moment, his face gradually flushing red.

“Ahem... Are you alright?” He feigned innocence, quickly pulling his hand behind his back and offering a nervous laugh, feeling as though his face was burning.

Zi Ling remained silent, quietly sitting up and scanning her surroundings.

“Thank you, fellow cultivator,” she said, then retrieved a jade vial from her bracelet. Uncorking it, she poured a mouthful into her mouth, and began to meditate.

He watched as her aura visibly recovered, and in less than the time it took for incense to burn, she seemed restored to her peak.

Tu Lu was dumbfounded. These mighty figures of the Grand Void Pavilion had so many treasures—could such wounds really be healed so quickly?

“Take this,” Zi Ling said, tossing him a pill.

Tu Lu caught it, examined it briefly, then swallowed it. Instantly, medicinal energy surged through him, and his depleted life force began to recover at an astonishing rate. In just a few breaths, all his injuries from the explosion had vanished.

“This... what is this?”

“It’s a Triple Essence Restoration Pill, a third-tier inscribed elixir,” Zi Ling explained.

Tu Lu was shaken. Pills that restore the core are as valuable as magic treasures, and third-tier pills correspond to the Purple Mansion realm. Using them on him was almost wasteful, not to mention that this was an inscribed pill. Inscribing talismans on pills was far more difficult than on weapons; even now, he could not guarantee success.

“I serve the Pavilion Lord,” Zi Ling continued, and Tu Lu felt his scalp tingle in shock. If she was on the Pavilion Lord’s side, then Zi Camel Peak had, in this explosion, wiped out all the spies around him!

“This explosion cost us dearly. Now, Zi Camel Peak is accompanied by Jin Donghe and more than a dozen half-step Purple Mansion cultivators from the Grand Void Pavilion. Their strength is formidable; they’ve already crossed the Flooded Waters and are near Yellow Ridge Mountain.”

She frowned. “This is the latest intelligence. His entire team is composed of half-step Purple Mansion experts, moving swiftly—by now, they may have already passed Ridge Mountain.”

“Master Tu, judging from the conditions you gave us, your goal is the Tricolor Cloud Blossom. Do you still wish to obtain it?”

Caught off guard, Tu Lu hesitated, then nodded gently.

Zi Ling smiled faintly. “That can be arranged. As long as you help us, we’ll overlook everything that happened before, and the Tricolor Cloud Blossom will be yours.”

Tu Lu fell silent. In truth, while the Tricolor Cloud Blossom was rare, it was not indispensable; his desire for it had waned. Yet, having been betrayed by Zi Camel Peak and nearly perished alongside Fang Jinrui in the explosion, he would gladly seize the opportunity for revenge.

But could he trust this woman? Not long ago, he had been betrayed by Zi Camel Peak, whom he had saved, and who now sought to kill him as well. His faith in fellow cultivators had plummeted.

After much thought, he nodded. “Agreed. But their group is already eight hundred li away, nearly a day’s journey. The provincial capital is only three or four days away. Given their lineup, even if we move faster, catching up within two or three days isn’t realistic.”

“I have a way,” Zi Ling replied with a gentle smile.

Just then, a breeze swept through, lifting her hair in the wind. Tu Lu was momentarily entranced.

“Follow me,” Zi Ling said.

Tu Lu shook his head clear, steadying himself, then followed her out.

As he had observed earlier, many cultivators had already gathered nearby. But now that Tu Lu and Zi Ling had recovered their strength, they had nothing to fear, and departed in a cloud of dust.

Some cultivators sensed their powerful auras and immediately grew wary, not daring to approach or ask questions.

Thus, after several hours, they returned to Yellow Cloud City.