Chapter 2 I Am Also a Cat

Two figures, one in blue and one in red, sped through the lush valley.

"Ahead is the eastern end of Qianlong Valley; the elf should be there," the wind lifted the strands of Ye Yun's hair around his temples, shaking violently.

A trace of worry appeared on Hua Qiu's brow: "Young Master, what if the elf isn't there? How are we supposed to find her in such a vast Qianlong Valley?"

Ye Yun glanced at Hua Qiu and smiled: "Don't worry, it's my intuition."

He took out a delicate short flute from his pocket and carefully sensed the aura of its owner. This short flute was given to him by An Zhi Mei; it could establish contact with the guardian elf of Qianlong Valley, so Ye Yun had no worry about not being able to find the elf.

Time passed while he was thinking. When Ye Yun realized this, they had already reached the easternmost edge of Qianlong Valley. The east of Qianlong Valley was the area with the densest spiritual energy, not only the best place for cultivation but also ideal conditions for the elf to survive.

This was a small valley entrance, still vibrant with greenery, but it lacked the aura of the guardian elf, Chenxi.

Ye Yun hovered in the air, took out the flute, and shortly after, a unique ethereal flute sound spread from the corner of Ye Yun's mouth to every corner of the valley entrance.

Hua Qiu had no mood to enjoy this rare flute melody; instead, he focused, scanning the valley entrance, trying to locate Chenxi.

Sure enough, after a few moments, the flute sound floated around, and Chenxi appeared within Ye Yun and Hua Qiu's sight. She fluttered her thin, cicada-wing-like fairy wings and gently carried a well-behaved spirit cat in her arms as she approached.

Hua Qiu, seeing Chenxi still holding a small creature, said with slight annoyance: "Hurting little animals again..."

Ye Yun smiled lightly: "Don't say that carelessly, or you might get revenge."

Hua Qiu, hearing Ye Yun's words, became even more dissatisfied and deliberately raised his voice: "Hey! This girl, hurting little animals every day, I wonder when—"

Before he could finish, he felt itchy all over, a sensation worse than having thousands of ants crawling on him. Instantly, Hua Qiu scratched himself rather embarrassingly.

Chenxi deliberately kept a cold expression and didn't even glance at Hua Qiu, asking: "Why are you looking for me?"

Ye Yun said helplessly: "My brother speaks without thinking; don't mind him."

Hua Qiu scratched himself, hurriedly continuing: "Every time I see you, you're holding a little animal. Today it's a kitten—I just found it strange."

Chenxi coquettishly retorted: "So what if I'm holding a kitten?"In the depths of Hua Qiu's eyes, a faint sadness flickered, and with a slight self-mockery, he said, "I'm also a feline, why don't I see you hugging me…" Ye Yun stifled a laugh, coughed dryly, faced the morning light, and interrupted, "Dark Charm hasn't returned today." Chen Xi stared blankly and said, "Whether you should know about this matter or not, I'm not sure." Ye Yun could hear the seriousness in Chen Xi's tone and asked, "What exactly happened?" "It's a competition between the Dark Mage and the Supernatural Realm," Chen Xi looked directly into Ye Yun's pitch-black eyes, "I don't know the details much either. Among the Dark Mages, some people are sent to compete against individuals from the Supernatural Realm, and Dark Charm is among them. Because it's quite hurried, she only told me that the time is three months later. If you're interested, you can go; it will benefit you a lot." "Fighting, huh?" Hua Qiu interjected randomly. Ye Yun pondered for a moment and asked, "Where?" "After leaving the valley, dedicated Dark Mages will come to find you, but they mean no harm." Ye Yun's lips gradually lifted, and the soft sunlight from the side added a charming hue to his face. This could be interesting, he thought. "How do we leave the valley?" Chen Xi's expression grew serious when she mentioned leaving the valley: "Entering the valley is easy, leaving it is hard. The difficulty is beyond what you can imagine. Above Qianlong Valley, there is a huge barrier, and those who haven't reached the level of a one-star Xi Feng Saint cannot pass through. Generally, people who come to Qianlong Valley to train are backed by powerful forces, and they would send some strong Xi Feng Saints to specifically deal with the barrier, since the spiritual energy in Qianlong Valley isn't very useful for Xi Feng Saints. They rely on the Xi Feng Saints' ability to float in the air to exit from above Qianlong Valley. For those who haven't reached the Xi Feng Saint level but still want to leave, there is only one way: pass through the Demon Area." The itch on Hua Qiu's body gradually subsided, and he said, "Demon Area? You mean that expensive place to the southeast? That's the valley exit?" "Not too stupid, huh," Chen Xi chuckled. Hua Qiu glanced at her sideways, full of contempt. "I plan to leave the valley in three days," Ye Yun said in a low voice. Chen Xi's dark brows slightly furrowed, and she said, "You're going through the Demon Area? That's very dangerous; after all, the legendary guardian beast isn't just a myth. I'll go with you when you leave the valley, that way it won't be so dangerous." Ye Yun nodded and said, "Alright, then we'll meet in the courtyard in three days." "Mm." "Hua Qiu, let's go."Shortly after Ye Yun and Hua Qiu left, a middle-aged man emerged from the forest below, without the slightest ripple of wind energy around him. When Chen Xi saw this middle-aged man, her delicate face was filled with respect. She quickly descended, walked to the man, and solemnly called out, 'Senior Gudu, what brings you here?' The middle-aged man, called Senior Gudu, nodded slightly, his brows and expression marked by extraordinary weariness. He said, 'I have not left my home for ten years. I am not a person who has much patience. Who was that person in blue just now?' Chen Xi replied, 'He was the person Chu'er brought.' 'Take him to get my sword tomorrow,' Gudu said in a gentle tone. However, deep in his eyes as he looked in the direction Ye Yun had gone, there was a strong spark of excitement, though he did not show it. Chen Xi nodded: 'I will.' Gudu turned and walked toward the forest: 'You must keep a close watch on that boy. Don't let him run off without my knowing.' Confusion was written all over Chen Xi's face: is this the same Senior Gudu from before? ‘Young master, do you really want to leave the valley in three days? You're about to break through. Couldn't you wait a few months before going out?' Hua Qiu worried when thinking of his young master heading into the Demon Zone. Ye Yun smiled: 'I don't know when I can break through. This breakthrough will probably take three to four months. How could I go to that competition then?' Hua Qiu frowned after hearing this, saying, 'Everything is up to you, young master.' Ye Yun looked at Hua Qiu's worried face, and with a sudden thought, said, 'Young master will be fine.' Hua Qiu looked at Ye Yun's eyes and smiled, narrowing them. In just a moment, Hua Qiu's expression changed drastically. His previously smiling face was now filled with anger and extreme unease. He glared violently three hundred zhang to the front right, then turned to Ye Yun, his eyes full of pleading. Ye Yun looked into those bloodshot eyes filled with unease and anger, and immediately extended his consciousness to the front right. In an instant, his expression also changed. It was an aura very similar to Hua Qiu's, with great fluctuations, and around this aura, there were several other weaker and stronger auras. Could it be Hua Qiu's relatives? Judging by the situation, they were in danger. At that moment, Ye Yun lightly patted Hua Qiu on the shoulder and said, 'Let's go!' At this moment, the overwhelming killing intent on Hua Qiu's body could no longer be contained, erupting like a dam breaking!