Painting of the Nine Immortals
chapter-123

"The blade of this sword is ice blue – that person’s favorite color. Its appearance is dainty and delicate, yet complex and detailed. It belongs to the ice element, perfect for that person. Hehe, if I am not wrong, Mo Qing Fu, you are planning to impress your Mistress with this sword, aren’t you?"

The beautiful young lady grinned teasingly, staring at the handsome young man.

Immediately, Mo Qing Fu’s face darkened. He said coldly, "Yue Lian Han, if you want to fight, then I will humor you. But please do not make fun of the Mistress."

Mo Qing Fu?

Ling Xian froze. He felt like he heard this name before but he cannot pinpoint where he’s heard that name from.

"Ayo, the young man in love has gotten angry."

Yue Lian Han giggled but did not lessen the sarcasm in her voice. She continued, "I know the Mistress is positioned high in your heart and should never be made fun of by others. Nonetheless, I want to talk about her. What are you going to do about it?"

"Yue Lian Han, you wanna die?"

Mo Qing Fu’s face had gotten so gloomy that rain was going to pour from it.

Seeing that he was really angered now, Yue Lian Han’s lips curved up. She seemed to really enjoy this scholarly youth losing his composure. However, she did not linger on the topic any longer. "Mo Qing Fu, do you really want this sword?"

Mo Qing Fu tossed his long sleeve. Though he didn’t clarify, his actions expressed his desire.

"If that’s the case, then you do me a favor, and I’ll help you get this sword. What do you say?" Yue Lian Han made clear of her intentions.

Mo Qing Fu hesitated and asked, "What kind of favor?"

Yue Lian Han softly grinned but did not speak. She moved her gaze onto Ling Xian, her eyes flashing with excitement.

"You want me to help you fight him?" Mo Qing Fu frowned as he calculated in his mind if this was a good deal. On the one hand, he could please his beloved Mistress by getting her the sword, on the other hand, he would anger a powerful Heaven’s Favorite. He may even lose his life, which was the most troubling part.

"No. My goal is to acquire the Golden Pages. If this person tries to stop me from getting the treasure, just help me block him." Yue Lian Han grinned. She then turned to Ling Xian and declared, "I know you are capable. But I must warn you, you better not fight me for the Golden Pages. If you do, us two Heaven’s Favorites will work together to defeat you. I don’t believe you can handle that."

Hearing this, everyone glanced at the sixth platform, where several pages of scripture in the color of gold floated. There was no spiritual energy seeping from the pages, instead, it looked dull and ordinary. Nobody has shown any interest in this treasure, which was why everyone was surprised to hear Yue Lian Han’s intentions.

"So that is what you are after." Ling Xian frowned. Even with his immense amount of experience, he could not see anything special about this object. However, if it was enough to arouse Yue Lian Han’s interest, it must not be ordinary.

He was, however, suspicious. Since nobody could tell the value in the Golden Pages, why didn’t she just take it? Why did she decide to announce it in front of everyone? Was it on purpose to distract everyone, or was it a mindless slip of the tongue?

"Mo Qing Fu, have you thought about it? What do you think of my deal? Based on what I know, that Mistress of yours has wanted an ice element sword for a very long time. "Yue Lian Han smiled brightly and evasively played with Mo Qing Fu’s emotions. The smile of hers displayed her lack of innocence and how she was sure that things will go according to her plan.

Mo Qing Fu exhaled deeply, "OK, let’s do this."

"Good choice."

Yue Lian Han complimented. Her face then turned serious, and she shouted, "Go!"

As soon as she finished talking, her body disappeared into a dash of light and reappeared right in front of the sixth platform. Mo Qing Fu moved beside Ling Xian, his spiritual energy was slowly pouring out of him.

In the next moment, the crowd turned rowdy. In groups, they walked toward the sixth platform, curious as to what use the Golden Pages had. It must be rare and important if a Heaven’s Favorite has her eyes on it.

These people planned to test their luck and try to catch a fish in murky water, as there is a chance for them to acquire that object in a chaotic situation. What they didn’t know, was that they all fell for Yue Lian Han’s scheme.

A messy fight started then. Yue Lian Han mercilessly fought against the team of cultivators by herself. Though it wouldn’t be a fast fight, with her being in the tenth level of training, massacring these ninth ranked cultivators was just a matter of time.

"Lover boy Mo Qing Fu, you want to stop me?"

Watching the young man before him, Ling Xian finally recalled why his name sounded familiar.

Mo Qing Fu was one of the direct decedents from the nine houses in Yunzhou. With a handsome look, amazing social skills, a positive attitude and good manners, he was famous in Yunzhou for his righteous actions and moral ways. He was also the son of one of the seven Yunzhou officials.

He was also known to be faithfully infatuated with someone. Which was why people have nicknamed him lover boy.

In the Fantasy Territory, Ling Xian once represented the House of Qing Yun and fought against him during a meeting of the Heaven’s Favorites. That battle resulted in a stalemate.

At the time, Ling Xian’s qualification was affected by the Dan of the Evil Heart, and gradually he fell. Despite this, he still managed to shine during the meeting and became one of the strongest powerhouses in Yunzhou!

"Friend, I was asked to do this by another. I am sorry that I have to offend you," Mo Qing Fu apologized.

"No harm. Sooner or later we will have to fight each other. I might as well try and see what you are like as a youth and find out if you are just as strong as you will be in 10 years." Ling Xian shrugged and made a statement that Mo Qing Fu could not comprehend. Mo Qing Fu, however, did not pry. In a flash, he moved his body, and a hand came slapping toward Ling Xian.

The level 10 Qi of his poured down like an unstoppable waterfall. The waves surged and surged, washing toward Ling Xian!

This attack was frightfully strong, enough to shock the Heavens!

It was not without reason that Mo Qing Fu was known as one of the best amongst this generation. When he is not engaged in a battle, he looks just like another helpless and studious student. However, when it was time to fight, his presence transformed from a mortal to an angry dragon. The simple slap he delivered was nothing out of the ordinary, yet it was divinely monstrous and unstoppable!

"Not bad, you do have some skills in you. Worthy enough to get my attention." Ling Xian smiled. He then waved his sleeve, and the wind howled!

Boom!

After an ear-piercing rumble, a giant air bubble exploded. Mo Qing Fu stepped backward three times, and his eyes flashed with shock.

One hit!

Just one hit and who had the upper hand was determined!

"So strong…"

Mo Qing Fu’s was astounded. He was fully aware that Ling Xian was strong, but he did not think it would be to this extent. The two of them only exchanged one move, and he was knocked down by three steps. Though this alone does not mean he has lost, it was enough to prove that when fighting with pure spiritual energy, he was no opponent of Ling Xian’s.

"I see. You have already reached the peak of level 10 training and are only half a step away from reaching the foundational level," Mo Qing Fu suppressed the shock he felt and muttered softly.

"That’s right. You are just entering the 10th level of Qi. In a battle purely based on spiritual energy, you are no opponent of mine." Ling Xian appeared to be a little disappointed. The Mo Qing Fu in this time period has just entered level 10, a whole level below him.

"Judging by your looks, you should be one or two years younger than me. However, you have surpassed me." Mo Qing Fu smiled bitterly as his confidence crumbled a little. Since he started his cultivation journey, he has always been ahead of others in terms of talent and technical skills. All his life, he was praised for being capable and was awarded the title the Heaven’s Favorite. Only after making one move on Ling Xian did he realize what it truly means to be a Heaven’s Favorite.

The lover boy was 17 years-old this year and just reached the Perfect Realm. Ling Xian, however, was only 15 and has reached the peak of his tenth level training. Naturally, he was a lot more skilled than him.

"You can’t defeat me. Why don’t you just leave."

Looking at the youth who once stalemated him, Ling Xian felt dispirited. Mo Qing Fu’s current stage only proves why he stands out from the others. Though he still deserved the Heaven’s Favorite title, he was definitely at the bottom of all the Favorites. Only after receiving what this storage cave has to offer, ll his capabilities rise above others and will he be deemed unreachable.

When that happens, he will truly become the lover boy who stands above all others and gaze down at Yunzhou!

The him right now was no opponent of Ling Xian’s. If Ling Xian desired, he could slaughter this future powerhouse of Yunzhou under 10 moves!

"I apologize, but I cannot let you pass." Mo Qing Fu’s face was stern. "Since I have already promised Yue Ling Han, I have to fulfill my promise. This is what it means to be a man."

"You really are a seed planted by the Liao Ran House. Stubborn and inflexible." Ling Xian glared at him, "Aren’t you… aren’t you afraid I will kill you?"

"I accept and admit that I cannot be an opponent of yours. Even so, it won’t be that easy to kill me. After all, my job is to simply stop you from advancing further. Once Yue Lian Han is finished with whatever she’s doing, I can easily back down." Mo Qing Fu smiled brightly, his eyes flashing with confidence. He was sure that Ling Xian cannot kill him that easily.

"I will repeat myself. Leave. Don’t make me kill a genius before he fulfills his potential." Ling Xian’s eyes turned cold. He was not someone who was petty, so he wasn’t planning to kill the lover boy before he's had a chance to acquire the good fortune.

What Ling Xian was hoping for was a ruthless battle with Mo Qing Fu in order to make up for the stalemate that happened during the lost century.

Mo Qing Fu’s expression was serious. He slowly shook his head and said, "I cannot let you pass. Fulfilling what I promised is a matter of principle."

"You idiot. That woman is obviously lying to you. Everyone here knows it. You are the only idiot who has been tricked by her," Ling Xian blamed unsparingly.

"Huh?"

Mo Qing Fu frowned and asked, "What makes you say so?"

"Calling you an idiot should be considered a compliment for you." Ling Xian pointed at the emerald Immortal Flute and asked, "Let me ask you. Being in front of the heaven-shaking and soul-charming Immortal Flute, does your heart waver?"

"Of course it does. But how is this related to her lying to me?" Mo Qing Fu was confused.

Looking at lover boy’s ignorant face, Ling Xian almost laughed out of anger. "Moron, what more do you want me to say? If you could dispel the array, would you take the Immortal Flute?"

"Of course," Mo Qing Fu said matter-of-factly. Then suddenly, his expression changed as he finally understood. If Yue Ling Han had the ability to break the seal, then she would’ve taken the Immortal Flute a long time ago, why would she wait until now?

In other words, Yue Lian Han had no ability to break the seals. She simply saw through the lover boy’s true desire, which was why she claimed she could dispel the array on the ice blue long sword. It was her way of tricking him into blocking Ling Xian for her.

The coy young woman was tearing apart the other cultivators with ease when Mo Qing Fu turned his body abruptly and glared at her.

"Yue Lian Han!" he blurted out her name one character at a time, enraged.