Chapter 279: An Unexpected Turn
The next day, three unfamiliar figures indeed appeared on the Outer Sect Training Ground.
Two burly men, each nearly nine feet tall, stood like iron towers. Their bronze skin had a metallic sheen, and the unique "Hundred Chains Mark" of the Black Iron Sect faintly glowed on their exposed arms.
But standing between them was a petite young woman, almost swallowed by their shadows.
Shen Qingwu hid at the back of the crowd, his gaze locked tightly on the three. He saw them speak with Li Hanzhou for a moment, and a rare trace of helplessness appeared on the elder's stern face before he finally nodded.
"It seems they are choosing their own person..." Shen Qingwu's heart raced, and he gritted his teeth as he squeezed out of the crowd.
Only when he got closer did he truly see the young woman's appearance—snowy skin, jet-black hair, apricot eyes, and cherry lips, with a beauty mark at the corner of her eye. Although she wore the standard uniform of an Immortal Spirit Guard, she exuded a contradictory aura of both innocence and charm.
[I really want to go out and see the world]
He deliberately let this inner thought be transmitted clearly.
The young woman's ear twitched suddenly. She looked around suspiciously, her gaze finally landing on Shen Qingwu's face. The moment their eyes met, she suddenly giggled, her eyes and brows curving like crescents: "You're quite an interesting person."
"My name is Bai Li." She hopped forward two steps, the toes of her boots, embroidered with dark patterns, tapping lightly on the ground. "These two blocks of wood are Senior Brothers Shi Gang and Shi Lie from the Black Iron Sect."
The two burly men clasped their fists in unison, as if the very ground trembled.
Shen Qingwu quickly reported his own name.
Bai Li tilted her head, sizing up Shen Qingwu: "We are going to the Black Iron Sect to deliver a congratulatory gift. I wonder if Junior Brother Shen would like to..."
"I'm willing!" Shen Qingwu answered so hastily that he nearly bit his tongue.
A hint of slyness flashed in Bai Li's eyes: "Then it's settled~"
...
On the training ground, Shen Qingwu held his breath, watching Bai Li hop over to Li Hanzhou's side. The young woman stood on her tiptoes and whispered something into that cold-faced elder's ear, even pointing at herself. Li Hanzhou's sharp gaze swept over like a blade, and Shen Qingwu's back instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
Just as he was about to flee in panic, Li Hanzhou finally gave a barely perceptible nod.
"Huu—" Shen Qingwu let out a long breath, only then realizing his palms had been pinched by his nails into four crescent-shaped blood marks. The ecstasy of escaping danger made his heart pound like a drum, and what was more wonderful was that his travel companion was such a beauty.
He couldn't help but size up Bai Li with his peripheral vision—the young woman was humming a tune while packing her things, her slender waist faintly visible beneath her uniform.
"What good luck..." he mused to himself, but let out a snort when his gaze swept over the two tower-like burly men. These two senior disciples of the Black Iron Sect looked straight ahead, completely unmoved by the beauty so close at hand.
"Afraid they trained their brains into muscle," he muttered under his breath.
"Junior Brother~" Bai Li suddenly appeared before his eyes, her gardenia-scented hair brushing past his nose. "Do you need to pack any valuables? Hibiscus City is a thousand miles away."
"Yes, yes!" Shen Qingwu replied repeatedly, rushing back to his residence. He locked the door from the inside and retrieved the "Profound Heaven Mystic Omen Book" from a hidden compartment under the bedboards.
When the four of them passed through the mountain gate, Shen Qingwu couldn't help but look back. The Immortal Spirit Holy Land in the clouds and mist was like a fairyland.
He saw Bai Li raise her fair hand, and a completely silver-white flying shuttle appeared out of thin air.
The shuttle's body was streamlined like a blade, its surface engraved with complex spirit patterns that glinted with a cold sheen under the sun. Shen Qingwu's pupils contracted—as expected of the Immortal Spirit Holy Land? A flying magic weapon of this rank would be enough to be a sect-protecting treasure in any ordinary sect.
"Come aboard~" Bai Li leaped lightly onto the deck.
The flying shuttle shook violently as it ascended, forcing Shen Qingwu to steady himself against the carved railing.
Through the porthole, he could see the magnificent sight of the sea of clouds being split apart, but an even more beautiful view was at the bow—Bai Li leaned against the railing, gazing into the distance, the mountain wind causing the ribbon tying her hair to flutter.
The curve of her waist was faintly visible beneath her uniform. Compared to Chen Xingcai's unattainable holiness, she had a more approachable charm.
The two Black Iron Sect disciples had dropped their restraint, standing shoulder to shoulder on the other side of the shuttle, watching the scenery.
Shen Qingwu sneered inwardly, his gaze sticking back to that beautiful figure.
He felt his heart stir. This Senior Sister Bai Li's looks were almost on par with Chen Xingcai's; she was the second most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.
What's more, she naturally exuded a hint of allure.
He couldn't help but think: since he couldn't have Chen Xingcai for the time being, he might as well try the appetizer first.
After all, since obtaining this ability, he had never failed in front of a woman. This was the root of his confidence!
However, although her temperament seemed somewhat flirtatious, her actual personality still needed to be tested, otherwise it would be easy to scare her away.
Thinking of this, he deliberately revealed his inner thoughts.
[Senior Sister's back view is truly heart-stirring.]
Bai Li's ear twitched slightly, the corner of her lips hooking into a barely-there arc.
This reaction made Shen Qingwu's blood boil—she was indeed not that kind of rigid, orthodox fairy.
"Senior Sister." He stood beside Bai Li as if by chance. "This flying shuttle is steadier than a cloud. Is it standard issue for the Immortal Spirit Guard?"
"Guess?" Bai Li suddenly turned her head, her jet-black hair almost brushing his nose tip.
Only upon looking closely did he notice fine ice crystals on her eyelashes, and her eyes seemed to hold the entire galaxy.
Shen Qingwu's breath hitched, and an alluring image of pressing this woman beneath him had already appeared in his mind.
But on the surface, he still maintained a gentle and jade-like appearance, even his ear roots turning red at just the right moment.
...
The flying shuttle pierced through clouds and fog. No one noticed that the three overlapping bronze rings on top of the shuttle glowed with a barely perceptible spiritual light.
Shen Qingwu was even less aware, calculating how to take the next step.
And then—
[Senior Brother's back view is truly heart-stirring.]
...
Shi Gang's thick eyebrows furrowed, his bell-like eyes staring wide.
He nudged the junior brother beside him, transmitting his voice: "You... did you hear that?"
Shi Lie's bronze-colored face twitched. He scratched his well-built chest with his thick arm: "Heard it... saying Senior Brother's back view..."
The two slowly turned their heads and saw Shen Qingwu, facing their direction, lowering his head with red ear tips. His long fingers nervously twisted the corner of his clothes, giving off a delicate and weak appearance.
...
The mountain wind swept across the flying shuttle's deck. Just as Shen Qingwu was still thinking about how to continue, Bai Li suddenly "muttered" to herself in a whisper: "Me... I guess I still prefer to take the initiative~"
This sentence was like a spark flying into a barrel of oil, instantly igniting Shen Qingwu's blood.
He tightly pinched his palm to keep from laughing out loud, a flash of contempt in his eyes—as expected, so-called beautiful fairies, no matter how unattainable their appearance, were just like this on the inside.
It's just that most people didn't know their thoughts!
But a woman who likes to take the initiative is truly rare... Shen Qingwu's heart moved—
[If I could be fiercely held in Senior Sister's arms...]
He deliberately let his inner voice be wrapped in a tremble. [Then this lifetime would be worth it even if I died.]
As he said this, he lowered his eyes and pressed his lips, his long eyelashes casting a shadow on his pale face, looking just like a little white flower swaying in the wind and rain.
At the same time—
[If I could be fiercely held in Senior Brother's arms... then this lifetime would be worth it even if I died.]
...
Eh?
The two Black Iron Sect disciples looked at each other again, and after seemingly confirming something in each other's eyes.
Suddenly, the corners of both their mouths lifted into a smile.
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