Hand Over That Damned Radish!!

Yet a lecherous grin still lingered on Pengluo's face as he looked down at his little hand, flexing his fingers open and closed. He clicked his tongue in wonder, a look of savored recollection in his eyes. Li Guanqi had no time to pay attention to Pengluo. His divine sense surged furiously, devouring the cold poison within Su Qian's spiritual terrace. Pale-faced, cold sweat dripped down Li Guanqi's cheeks. He had not anticipated such a terrifying toll on his divine sense. He had pushed the power of his Yinming Profound Flame to its absolute limit. Yet the further it went, the more taut his nerves stretched. This was a heavenly flame, after all. Navigating it through her meridians and spiritual terrace meant that the slightest slip could utterly destroy her soul and body. *** Outside the mountain peak, Chu Menglan remained on guard beyond the spatial barrier, pacing in slight agitation. She had no way of knowing what was happening inside. At this point, all hope rested squarely on Li Guanqi. She had exhausted every method she could think of. If even Li Guanqi could do nothing, it could only be said that Su Qian's fate was sealed. Perhaps noticing the woman's unease, the old man beside her offered comforting words. "Rest easy. If anyone else claimed to be confident, I might not believe them. But Young Master Li... I trust him." Chu Menglan gave the old man a deep, searching look without saying much. She merely murmured in an undertone, "An entire night has already passed. Why hasn't there been the slightest stir? Could something have gone wrong?" The old man smiled. "No news is the best news. Put your mind at ease and don't be so anxious." Just as the two were speaking, the curtain of light suddenly warped and bulged outward like an overinflated sheepskin pouch. Immediately after, an earth-shattering boom erupted from within as several streaks of fiery sword qi shot straight out. A woman's furious shriek rang out alongside them. "Hand over that damned radish!!!!" Li Guanqi's figure bolted out in a flash, yelling as he ran, "It has nothing to do with me!! I'm your savior!!" Right on his heels, a woman clad in a crimson gown charged out, slashing several blazing sword beams in rapid succession! *Clang! Clang!* Flicking his fingers, Li Guanqi deflected two of the sword beams barehanded. *Boom! Boom!* The stray sword light swept past him and detonated against the mountain peak, instantly reducing the summit to a sea of fire. The newly awakened woman's chest heaved violently, her beautiful eyes gleaming with icy murderous intent. A large white radish clung frantically to Li Guanqi's collar with both hands, squealing in haste, "I count as half your savior too!! You—you—you, you're biting the hand that fed you!!" Had Pengluo kept his mouth shut, it might have been fine, but the moment those words left him, Su Qian's blood rushed to her head. Flames wrapped around her sword as she lunged forward again! *Whoosh!* Chu Menglan abruptly materialized between them, raising a hand to hold Su Qian back. She shot a peculiar glance at the young woman. Though she had no idea what had happened, Su Qian was still a chaste maiden. "Enough, Qian'er, stop this nonsense. Now that you're out of danger, focus on recovering from your injuries." Chu Menglan could hardly conceal the pleasant surprise in her eyes. She had never expected Li Guanqi to possess such miraculous means! She turned her gaze toward Pengluo, genuinely astonished by the pure vitality coursing within him. It seemed Su Qian's swift recovery was largely due to this radish spirit. Su Qian opened her mouth to argue, but Chu Menglan held her firm. Stomping her feet in midair with fury, Su Qian finally turned her gaze toward Li Guanqi, her expression growing complicated. When all was said and done, he truly was the one who had saved her life. And yet... *That divine sense... probed so thoroughly... Didn't he see every single inch of me?!* The moment the thought crossed her mind, Su Qian's anger dissolved into burning heat, and a bright blush flushed her cheeks. She cast a timid glance at Li Guanqi and bit her lip in bashful embarrassment. *Not only is he handsome, but he's also so strong...* Seeing Su Qian's sudden starry-eyed infatuation, Chu Menglan's face instantly darkened. She had no intention of losing both her treasure and her disciple. With a wave of her sleeve, she teleported Su Qian away. Turning back to Li Guanqi, she bowed with grave respect. "Xuanfeng Palace accepts this profound debt of gratitude! "Whenever Young Master Li requires the teleportation array to be activated, it will be made ready for you." Li Guanqi breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "The sooner, the better! "Also, prepare some spirit stones and medicinal pills for me. That took an enormous toll." Hearing this, Chu Menglan actually felt relieved, having feared he might demand something more unreasonable. With the weight lifted from her chest, her smile became much more natural. Exuding captivating charm, she said softly, "Young Master Li, please rest in the main hall for a moment. I will join you shortly." To be frank, the mere thought of an ancient monster who had lived for countless years gave Li Guanqi a creeping chill. Pengluo, however, perched on his shoulder and drooled as he stared, blurting out, "What a bab—mmph!!" Li Guanqi clamped his hand over Pengluo's mouth, offering an awkward, appeasing smile to the woman looking back. "It misses its mama." *** A stick of incense later, Pengluo sat battered black and blue upon a table, his head hanging dejectedly as he muttered curses under his breath. He glared up at Li Guanqi, who merely shrugged with an innocent look. "Why look at me? I can't beat her either." Spurred by spite, Pengluo shot his fingers toward Li Guanqi's nostrils with lightning speed. "Even so, you couldn't just throw me straight to her to get beaten up!!! I'll drag you down with me!!!" Li Guanqi formed a blade with his fingers and swept a wisp of sword qi across, cleanly slicing off the radish hand. Pulling it out, he popped it directly into his mouth. *Crunch, crunch...* "Don't take this the wrong way, but can't you keep your mind out of the gutter for once?" *Crunch, crunch.* "By the way, pick a fight with anyone else you want, but don't provoke that one. "Otherwise, if she decides to slice you into ribbons later, I won't utter half a word to stop her." Pengluo let out a weary sigh, lamenting softly, "Life is hopeless... utterly hopeless!!" *Creak...* Chu Menglan returned carrying three storage rings. Two were packed to the brim with mid-grade spirit stones, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. The remaining ring held nearly a thousand medicinal pills required for Soul Formation Realm cultivation, alongside an assortment of healing pills. Li Guanqi was taken aback by Xuanfeng Palace's staggering wealth, but Qi Rongxuan chuckled. "Accept them with an easy mind. "A century's control over the cross-domain teleportation array yields far more than this." Seeing this, Li Guanqi showed no further hesitation. After stowing them away, he tossed a bottle of pills to Pengluo with a grin. "Good work." Pengluo stared in disbelief. "Really for me?" Seeing Li Guanqi nod, a conflicted look flickered in Pengluo's eyes before he broke into a broad grin, happily popping two pills into his mouth. Something in his heart shifted, and the gaze he turned toward Li Guanqi held a far deeper, more complicated warmth. Li Guanqi stood up and said softly, "I'll take the goods, then. When will it be convenient to activate the array?" Chu Menglan replied gently, "It is already prepared."