Chapter 804: Xiao Nanfeng the Bully

Xiao Nanfeng stood up and glanced coldly at the city lord of Qingyun alongside Lan Yaoguang. It was clear that the city lord bore them ill.

The city lord of Qingyun stumbled back upon sensing their hostility. He immediately retreated.

"Benefactors of Qingyun, you have my deepest gratitude. Please, take your time to recover from the fight. I shall guard you personally."

He couldn't believe that he had let greed cloud his judgment. Why had he stepped forward so recklessly? If they hadn't been injured at all, he would have been done for. Even if they were weakened, there were plenty of greedy cultivators around them with ulterior motives, all waiting for an opportunity to strike. Others would only have swooped in and benefited from his efforts. How much more foolish could he get?

With that in mind, the city lord waved a hand and commanded, "Keep everyone away. If anyone disturbs these esteemed cultivators while they recuperate, kill them!"

"Understood!" the soldiers all around echoed.

The cultivators surrounding them were taken aback. Many had been hoping that the city lord would test Xiao Nanfeng's strength by attacking first—but not only had he refused to make a move, he was even preventing them from doing so. Was he crazy?

Xiao Nanfeng furrowed his brows. He could tell that the city lord's offer to guard them was a means of making amends. Xiao Nanfeng chose to ignore the man's earlier malicious intent—after all, he still had questions for the city lord later.

Just then, several shadows descended from the sky. They landed before Xiao Nanfeng and Lan Yaoguang.

"How dare you disturb these esteemed cultivators!" a Qingyun guard shouted. He swung a blade at one of the intruders.

With a loud boom, the guard was sent flying with a kick.

"Who are you?" the city lord of Qingyun exclaimed.

These cloaked figures clearly had overwhelming strength.

"My subordinates," Xiao Nanfeng replied crisply.

"Ah? My deepest apologies." The city lord of Qingyun bowed, smiling.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. It was a good thing he hadn't acted rashly earlier—he would have been in serious trouble.

"City Lord, are you familiar with other Enlightenment Grounds in the vicinity?"

"I'm aware of a few. We keep careful track of the ones around us," the city lord replied.

"Since these Enlightenment Grounds are causing you trouble, why don't I help you deal with them? Provide me with their locations and we'll handle the cleanup."

"T-That would be most appreciated!" the city lord of Qingyun exclaimed.

"Bring me a map."

"At once!"

The city lord immediately complied, no longer daring to scheme now that the black-cloaked figures had made themselves known. Their combined auras pressed down on him like a mountain.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

A map was quickly brought over. The city lord marked several locations on it.

"Whenever these Enlightenment Grounds consume a group of new cultivators, they remain stationary for some time while digesting their gains. Based on our observations, they should be in these locations," the city lord of Qingyun explained."

Xiao Nanfeng handed the map to one of his subordinates, who scanned it carefully before replying, "I'm familiar with all the marked locations on the map. I can lead the way, Your Majesty."

"Very good." Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "Thank you, City Lord."

"Hardly, sir. This is the least I could do after you saved my city."

"Farewell, then," Xiao Nanfeng said, not wanting to waste any more time with formalities. He saw no reason to linger further.

While other cultivators may have been frightened by the threat of these Enlightenment Grounds, to him, they were treasure troves of opportunity.

Following the lead of the black-cloaked figure, Xiao Nanfeng and his party flew into the sky and disappeared over the horizon.

The city lord of Qingyun's smile vanished as he saw Xiao Nanfeng's party leave. He quickly flew back toward his manor, where he summoned an attendant. "Contact the Immortal Emperor with your avatar immediately. Tell him that a group of strong cultivators have appeared near Qingyun and were able to subdue a four-pearl stretch of Enlightenment Grounds.They're particularly dangerous, and I suspect them to be from the outside world."

"Understood!"

After leaving Qingyun, Xiao Nanfeng and his subordinates split up.

Xiao Nanfeng brought Lan Yaoguang to a scenic valley.

"Why did you send them away?" Lan Yaoguang asked curiously.

"My other body is with them. They'll be verifying the map's accuracy. Once they finish, we'll regroup."

"Why wait? What are we doing here?" Lan Yaoguang asked.

"My other body gave me something earlier. Have you forgotten?" Xiao Nanfeng passed her a gourd.

Lan Yaoguang glanced within to find her physical body resting within.

"You brought me here alone—just what are you planning?" Her cheeks flushed red.

"You should return to your body. Do you intend to remain a soul for good?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"B-But I'm not ready!" Lan Yaoguang stammered. She blushed all the way down to her neck "Ready for what?" Xiao Nanfeng asked, puzzled.

Lan Yaoguang glanced at Xiao Nanfeng's innocent expression and realized that she had misunderstood his intentions.

'Nothing. Forget I said anything!"

Suddenly, Xiao Nanfeng chuckled. "You didn't think I would have brought your physical body here just so we could have carnal relations, did you?"

"Of course not! Shoo—I'm going to return to my physical body now," Lan Yaoguang replied. She was so embarrassed she wished the ground would swallow her up. Her forehead felt feverish.

How could she have had such thoughts? How could she have said them aloud? How would she face anyone now?

Xiao Nanfeng smiled and backed off. "Very well. Your soul has strengthened quite a bit lately, so you probably need some time to adjust."

He left the valley as Lan Yaoguang extracted her body from the gourd. Her soul slipped back into her mindscape as she awoke. Her physical body had inherited her flush; she was so red it felt like her skin would melt from the heat.

"That awful, awful Nanfeng! I bet he was laughing at me!" Lan Yaoguang muttered to herself. Even so, a smile crept onto her face.

Her soul had indeed grown stronger by a considerable extent, and her body felt almost unfamiliar. After some meditation, however, she rapidly adapted to the changes.

Once her blushing subsided, she left the valley to find Xiao Nanfeng by a stream, cooking a fresh meal.

"Come on over. This is your favorite—grilled spirit poultry," Xiao Nanfeng called out, offering her a plate of the delicious meat.

"Thank you." Lan Yaoguang took the plate with a smile, a blush having crept back into her cheeks.

"Eat up. We'll have to get back to fighting afterwards. They've already scouted out some Enlightenment Grounds that'll be suitable to us."

"Nanfeng, why did you bring so many people here?" Lan Yaoguang asked curiously.

Xiao Nanfeng's expression turned serious. "I didn't expect the Enlightenment Grounds here to be such valuable opportunities. I plan to take them all down and use them to elevate the strength of me, my allies, and my subordinates."

"To elevate our cultivation? But you failed to..."

"The last Enlightenment Grounds wasn't enough for me to break through, but it was enough for you, and for my subordinates. Power is everything. The ten-thousand-year calamity draws near. We need to take advantage of everything we can to try to grow stronger."

"So you brought my physical body here in order to help raise its cultivation?" Lan Yaoguang exclaimed.

"What else? Did you think we were going to have sex out here in the wilderness, perhaps?" Xiao Nanfeng waggled his eyebrows.

"You rascal!" Lan Yaoguang tossed a drumstick at Xiao Nanfeng, who caught it and took a big bite. "It really is fragrant."

"You're asking for it now. Daring to bully me like that—" Lan Yaoguang chased after him, flushing in embarrassment and frustration.

Xiao Nanfeng darted back and forth as Lan Yaoguang chased after him.

After a while, Lan YAoguang suddenly tripped, lost her balance, and fell right into Xiao Nanfeng's arms. They tumbled to the ground, their eyes locking as they lay there. Lan Yaoguang's heart raced and thudded loudly in her chest. Her breathing grew shallow.

Without any hesitation, Xiao Nanfeng pulled her closer and kissed her.

This time, Lan Yaoguang's eyes were filled with warmth and tenderness. She shut her eyes and focused on the kiss. They lingered in that moment for what seemed like an eternity before finally parting.

Breathless, her heart still pounding wildly, Lan Yaoguang rested her head against Xiao Nanfeng's chest and hid her face there. She was too shy to look back up.

Xiao Nanfeng held her close and gently patted her back. "This place is too shabby four our first time," he said. "Once we return, we'll find a better spot, and I'll teach you a special technique."

"Too shabby? I hardly want to—what? A special technique?"

Lan Yaoguang, still flushed with embarrassment, suddenly paused. She realized that she might have misunderstood him again. Just what was he talking about?

"Yes, a special cultivation technique," Xiao Nanfeng confirmed with a smile. "But to make the most of it, you'll have to advance your cultivation quickly. The stronger you are, the more effective the technique. For now, let's focus on improving your strength."

"What do you mean? I don't understand. What kind of special technique?" Lan Yaoguang asked, thoroughly confused.

Xiao Nanfeng leaned in close and whispered a few words into her ear.

Lan Yaoguang's eyes widened in surprise. Her pale neck instantly turned bright red once again. She jumped out of his arms. "In your dreams! I'm not going to practice such... lewd... techniques with you!"

"Alright, alright." Xiao Nanfeng chuckled. "Let's eat first before we focus on cultivation."

"I don't want to! You're a scoundrel. You're always trying to take advantage of me!" Lan Yaoguang huffed, though her tone was more playful than angry. Despite her words, the blush on her face gave way to affection beneath mock indignation.

"You're the empress of Dazheng. How could I possibly be taking advantage of you?" Xiao Nanfeng teased. He offered her another dish. "Here, try this."

Despite her earlier protest, Lan Yaoguang eventually gave in. She was unable to resist the delicious food or Xiao Nanfeng's charm. Perhaps deep down, she did enjoy his teasing, even if she would never admit it. After they were done with their meal, they soared into the sky and headed toward the battlegrounds that had been scouted out for them.