104. Traversing the Storm with the Imperial Vessel

“It’s so hot back here,” Dongmen Xianyun said pitifully. After all, the Blaze Demon Rooster’s tail was still ablaze, and though Xie Wuji was unaffected thanks to his blood connection with the beast, for Dongmen Xianyun, the heat was a real problem.

With no other way, Xie Wuji let Dongmen Xianyun sit in front of him.

This made Dongmen Jianhao’s face darken. “The way you’re sitting is improper!”

“I absolutely disapprove!” Baili Qingyan added.

With those words, everyone turned to look at Baili Qingyan. Of course, seeing Xie Wuji and Dongmen Xianyun so close made him instinctively uncomfortable.

His comment drew even more attention. Baili Qingyan blushed, coughed, and said, “After all, there is a difference between men and women, right? It would be better for Junior Sister to ride with the other female disciples.”

“But the girls aren’t as skilled at flying on their spirit artifacts, and it really drains spiritual energy…” Dongmen Xianyun pleaded, already perched atop Xie Wuji’s Blaze Demon Rooster, arms wrapped around its neck. Fortunately, the rooster was quite large.

Baili Qingyan knew arguing further would do no good, and with time pressing, everyone needed to hurry on. So, he fell silent, though watching Xie Wuji and Dongmen Xianyun so close together left him unsettled.

“All right, let’s depart,” Dongmen Yong announced. “The sooner we reach Dragon City in the Li Kingdom, the sooner we can get familiar with the venue.”

At Dongmen Yong’s command, everyone took to the skies. Xie Wuji’s Blaze Demon Rooster surged ahead, nearly shooting straight upward.

Dongmen Xianyun stretched out her arms in delight. “Wow, this feels amazing! Brother Xie, you’re so bad—your rooster is so much fun, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

The corner of Xie Wuji’s mouth twitched. “My… rooster?”

“Yes,” replied Dongmen Xianyun, meaning the Blaze Demon Rooster, though Xie Wuji took it another way.

The others soared in formation, streaking twenty arcs through the sky toward Li Kingdom. Xie Wuji found himself hoping he might run into Song Xiaoyu and the others once he arrived.

As they flew, a storm appeared ahead. The Grand Elder called out, “There’s a storm up ahead—just a small one, but everyone be careful flying your spirit artifacts. This is a test for you all! Though it’ll be bumpy, keep your spiritual energy steady!”

At his shout, everyone grew alert. Ahead was a massive vortex, its speed astonishing. Xie Wuji saw the threat at once. “Xianyun, hold on tight!”

“With you here, Brother Xie, I’m not afraid of anything,” Xianyun replied, remembering the time in the cave when she’d fed him a pill with her mouth. Her cheeks flushed, a rosy glow spreading across her face, making her look breathtaking.

The storm swept in, and the disciples tensed. Xie Wuji patted the Blaze Demon Rooster’s head. “Come on, partner—we can make it through!”

The other disciples grew competitive. Shi Zhentian, one of the Grand Elder’s followers, laughed. “Xie Wuji, you can’t even fly on a spirit artifact, just riding your beast. Let’s see how you manage, especially with Miss Dongmen on your mount. If anything happens to her, you’ll pay dearly!”

“Worry about yourself,” Xie Wuji shot back, though he dared not underestimate the storm.

By now, the wind was howling, lashing their faces like knives. The turbulence sent the spirit artifacts bobbing up and down. Dongmen Jianhao waved his hand, and his flying sword released a breath of energy, forming a circular shield around him. His flight remained as steady as ever.

Baili Qingyan’s flying artifact was a multicolored iron lotus. Sitting cross-legged atop it, he let its petals unfurl, enclosing him from the storm. No matter how fierce the winds, he was unaffected.

All around, the disciples showed their various talents, each one formidable in their own right.

Sensing the situation, the Blaze Demon Rooster accelerated. Dongmen Xianyun couldn’t handle the increased speed, and in her panic, ended up sitting squarely on Xie Wuji’s lap.

Xie Wuji, for all his composure, was still a man. Having a voluptuous woman suddenly on his lap made his heart race. Though he usually regarded Xianyun as a little sister, that was only “as if”—in truth, she was not his sister.

She was a woman, and in that moment, Xie Wuji lost control. A certain part of him suddenly swelled, pressing up against the base of Dongmen Xianyun’s spine.

Startled, Dongmen Xianyun looked at him in shock. But at that moment, Xie Wuji’s eyes went wide, for ahead loomed an even more terrifying wall of storms, each wave greater than the last. “Rooster, wait—slow down!”

“Cluck cluck cluck!” The rooster, as if encouraged, plunged straight into the heart of the storm.

The turbulence was extreme. The two of them bounced violently atop the Blaze Demon Rooster, and with each jolt, that part of Xie Wuji pressed and rubbed against Dongmen Xianyun’s tailbone like a soft whip.

Dongmen Xianyun’s face turned scarlet, but she couldn’t cry out. A strange sensation shot through her body like lightning, leaving her breathless.

“Mmm…”

She let out a muffled sound, making Xie Wuji react even more, until he felt as rigid as a steel rod fresh from the forge.

Thump, thump, smack, smack—the Blaze Demon Rooster hadn’t expected the storm to be so fierce, and flew even more wildly, its shuddering growing more intense.

This only increased the impact for Xie Wuji.

No one knew how many layers of storm they passed through, but when the two finally emerged, it felt as if they’d survived a life-or-death ordeal.

Dongmen Xianyun’s face was still flushed, her breath coming in gasps.

Xie Wuji let out a long breath, unable to help himself. He saw Dongmen Xianyun’s eyes brimming with tears, her lips bitten, glaring at him as if she might cry at any moment.

“Xianyun, what’s wrong?”

“The storm was so strong—sand got into my eyes! Brother Xie, could you not keep stuff in your pocket? Was that a sword hilt or a stick? You…” As she spoke, Dongmen Xianyun reached out and grabbed the offending object.

Xie Wuji’s eyes widened. “Let’s talk this over—let go first…”

“I won’t!” she said, squeezing and scratching at it with her nails.

Xie Wuji’s body convulsed, nearly sending him into oblivion.

Just then, Dongmen Jianhao approached. The sight of him made Xie Wuji’s heart leap with fear—if her brother found out, his life wouldn’t be worth a copper.

At that thought, his body quickly deflated. Dongmen Xianyun noticed something was off, withdrew her hand, rubbed her fingers, then sniffed them. A frown immediately wrinkled her brow.

“Xianyun, what’s wrong?” Dongmen Jianhao asked, hands clasped behind his back.

“Nothing…” Xianyun was entirely preoccupied by the strange smell on her hand. She sniffed it again, even licked it, her expression baffled. She’d never encountered such a scent before and had no idea what it was.

Xie Wuji, on the other hand, quickly said, “As expected of Senior Brother, crossing the storm was a piece of cake!”

He glanced behind him; clearly, many of the others were exhausted by the ordeal. Dongmen Yong, at the front, addressed the group: “Excellent! The storm didn’t stop us. Let’s land and rest up, recover our strength, and then continue our journey.”

At the sect leader’s words, everyone obeyed. But Dongmen Xianyun kept her eyes fixed on Xie Wuji.

“What is it?” Xie Wuji asked.

Dongmen Xianyun broke into laughter. “Brother Xie, you’re such a scaredy-cat! You were so afraid of the storm, you wet your pants! Hahaha!”

Xie Wuji glanced down, his face reddening with embarrassment. He didn’t bother to explain; any excuse would only get him killed by Dongmen Jianhao.