Chapter 37

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Chapter 37: Xiao Huo Makes His Mark

The black-robed man was practically flaunting the black Heavenly Flame dancing in his palm while looking at Lou Yun. "Do you know the name of my Heavenly Flame?"

Lou Yun only knew that there were eighteen recognized Heavenly Flames, with his own Fusang Fire being the lowest grade. Naturally, he had no clue about the origin of the black-robed man’s black Heavenly Flame.

Smugly, the black-robed man tossed his black Heavenly Flame upwards. Just then, a red shadow shot down like lightning from a large tree not far away, charging straight at the black Heavenly Flame still hanging in the air.

With a "glomp," the black Heavenly Flame vanished. Simultaneously, the red shadow darted back into the distance with lightning speed!

This sudden turn of events happened far too quickly. The black-robed man hadn’t even registered it; his hand remained suspended in the air, frozen in the posture of throwing upwards. Stunned, he just stood there dumbfounded.

Inside, Lou Yun cheered fiercely. He knew exactly what had happened. That red shadow was undoubtedly Xiao Huo. To the fire-devouring creature, who likely hadn’t tasted a single flame since birth, encountering Lou Yun’s Fusang Fire, only to be denied, it must have been torturous. Spotting the black-robed man’s black Heavenly Flame, it had probably been eyeing it covetously for quite a while. Seizing the moment the black-robed man tossed the flame, its restraint finally broke. It burst from hiding, swallowed the black Heavenly Flame whole, and fled at top speed!

The black-robed man finally snapped out of his daze. Yet, he was still baffled about what had transpired. He looked at Lou Yun, then in the direction Xiao Huo had fled. He seemed momentarily at a complete loss about what to do next.

Ultimately, the lure of his stolen Heavenly Flame outweighed any immediate desire for Lou Yun. Pointing at Lou Yun, the black-robed man spat, "Kid, you wait. I will come back for that Heavenly Flame on you someday."

After hurling the threat, he instantly spun around and swiftly gave chase in the direction where Xiao Huo had vanished.

Lou Yun knew Xiao Huo was incredibly fast and extremely clever. With such a head start, it should outrun the black-robed man’s pursuit. For now, he couldn’t worry about it. His priority was to find a safe place for the girl.

Glancing down at the unconscious girl on the ground, Lou Yun sheathed his Stone Sword. After a brief hesitation, he bent down and lifted her body in his arms.

Even through layers of clothing, he could unmistakably feel her soft, delicate frame and smooth skin. A sudden ripple of emotion stirred within him, and his face flushed crimson. After all, having lived this long, this was his very first close physical contact with a girl.

He immediately shook his head forcefully inwardly, scolding himself harshly. What situation was this? How could he be distracted by such foolish thoughts?

Lou Yun hurriedly steadied his mind. Holding the girl tightly, he rushed towards the carriage.

The coachman was still waiting. Seeing Lou Yun return carrying a girl, he was momentarily startled. However, he wisely refrained from questions and promptly lifted the carriage curtain, helping Lou Yun carefully lay the girl flat inside.

Once the girl was settled, Lou Yun instructed the coachman, "Go straight to the nearest town immediately. Find the biggest inn and get us rooms. I’ll catch up shortly."

"Young Master Yun, but what about you…"

"Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I’ll catch up shortly. Go! Now!"

Though reluctant, the coachman saw the firm determination on Lou Yun’s face. Nodding without further word, he cracked the reins, driving the carriage away rapidly.

Only when the carriage had disappeared completely from view did Lou Yun turn and hurry back towards the earlier battle site. He feared that if he went too far, Xiao Huo wouldn’t be able to find him back.

Finding a hidden spot, Lou Yun ducked down and huddled, patiently waiting for Xiao Huo’s return. His mind, however, began turning over everything that had just happened.

Just who was that black-robed man? Covered head-to-toe, he seemed intent on hiding his identity. And why was his magical weapon black? Then there was that black Heavenly Flame… possessing a Heavenly Flame surely meant he was also a skilled weapon maker. What rank did he hold? He seemed far superior to Xu Yangteng.

Naturally, Lou Yun thought of Brother Chang again. If only Brother Chang were here; he’d surely know about the black Heavenly Flame. That might have given Lou Yun some clues. But Brother Chang had been silent for almost a month now. He didn’t know what had happened to him.

Lost in these swirling, chaotic thoughts, Lou Yun waited. Nearly an hour passed before he finally heard soft, rustling sounds approaching swiftly through the grass – the telltale sound of something small moving rapidly through the undergrowth.

Lou Yun immediately pressed lower, raising his head to look. A red blur was indeed hurtling towards him from the distance.

"Xiao Huo!" Joy surged in Lou Yun’s heart. He managed a soft, excited call.

Spotting Lou Yun instantly, Xiao Huo gave a final burst of speed mid-air, launching itself straight into Lou Yun’s embrace.

Seeing Xiao Huo return safe and sound, Lou Yun sighed in profound relief. Not wanting to linger here a moment longer, he quickly scooped up Xiao Huo and set off at a brisk pace towards the nearest town.

Reaching the town, Lou Yun inquired directions and soon located the largest inn, arriving without incident to join his waiting coachman.

"Young Master Yun," the coachman reported, "I’ve settled the girl as you instructed. I took the liberty of checking her injuries. They don’t seem serious; with a few days’ rest, she should recover fully."

Though just a coachman, he was, after all, a mid-level magical weapons master. More importantly, he was experienced, prudent, and utterly loyal to Lou Tianzhi and the family. Therefore, Lou Yun trusted his judgment completely.

"That’s good, nothing’s wrong. Let’s eat something, rest for a bit, and tomorrow we’ll see how the girl is doing. If she’s fine, we’ll continue our journey."

That night, Lou Yun hardly slept at all, keeping watch beside the girl. Partly he feared the black-robed man might reappear, and partly he worried her injuries might worsen. However, the girl slept deeply and didn’t wake. Although Lou Yun had minor medicinal pills for injuries, he didn’t dare give them to her recklessly and could only patiently wait.

Early the next morning, the coachman came to urge Lou Yun. "Young Master Yun, it’s time we set off. Any more delay and we’ll be late. I’ve heard the Ancient Weapon Academy has extremely strict requirements. If we arrive late, the consequences could be serious."

Lou Yun looked at the girl, who still showed no sign of waking. After a moment’s thought, he said, "We can’t just leave her here like this. Alright, we’ll wait one more day. If she still hasn’t woken by then, we’ll figure something else out."

Unexpectedly, another entire day passed waiting. It wasn’t until the evening of the following day that the girl slowly woke up. Lou Yun hurried forward to ask how she was.

The girl naturally recalled what happened before she lost consciousness. Gazing around her, she countered with a question first: "He’s gone?"

"Yeah!" Lou Yun, wanting to prevent too many people from knowing about Xiao Huo, fabricated a tale. "A senior suddenly appeared and startled him away. Then I brought you here. Don’t worry, it’s safe here."

The girl struggled to sit up and actually bowed to Lou Yun in salute. "My name is Xia Zhilan. I deeply thank you for saving my life!"

Lou Yun quickly returned the courtesy. "I am Lou Yun. There’s no need for such formalities. Your injuries aren’t healed yet! By the way, how did you end up provoking that strange man?"

Xia Zhilan gave a bitter smile. "I wasn’t trying to provoke him. I was originally on a mission with my senior. Because we needed to track two villains, I separated from him temporarily. But then I unexpectedly encountered that strange man. He was swallowing something, with a terrifying expression on his face. It scared me so much I cried out, alerting him. Then he started chasing me. I couldn’t fight him at all. Luckily, you showed up right then."

While Xia Zhilan had been unconscious, Lou Yun had also sensed her cultivation level. It wasn’t high – a primary three-star magical weapons master – so she certainly couldn’t have been that black-robed man’s match.

Lou Yun nodded. "And how are you feeling now? To be truthful, I have some urgent business…"

Xia Zhilan instantly understood his meaning. "Ah, I’m fine already! And I can contact my senior now. He will see me back. Lou, Lou Young Master, please attend to your matters! I’m truly sorry for delaying you so long."

Before Lou Yun could speak, the coachman nearby deliberately mumbled under his breath, but loudly enough to be heard: "Exactly! Our young master watched over you without sleeping or eating for two days and two nights!"

Though the voice was low, Xia Zhilan heard it perfectly clearly. A flush spread across her cheeks, she quickly lowered her head, began twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands, and remained silent.

Lou Yun shot the coachman a reproving look and said with a smile, "How about this, Miss Xia? Why don’t you freshen up first, then have something to eat? After you contact your senior, I’ll wait until he arrives before I go."

Xia Zhilan gently replied "en" and stood up to go wash. Lou Yun hastily led the coachman out of the room.

A short while later, Xia Zhilan finished washing up, opened the door, and emerged.

Lou Yun felt his eyes brighten. Simply washed and tidied, Xia Zhilan’s lovely, delicate face – with its clear teeth, bright eyes, fine nose, and cherry lips – appeared even more outstanding and refined, exceptionally beautiful.

Maybe because she had learned that Lou Yun had kept vigilant watch beside her for two days and nights without rest, stirring a deep sense of gratitude along with another, peculiar feeling in Xia Zhilans’s heart, she seemed a little shy facing him again. "Lou Young Master, I have notified my senior. He should be here very soon."

Lou Yun thought it strange – he didn’t know how she’d contacted her senior – but naturally felt it wasn’t appropriate to probe. He nodded. "Alright. Then let’s go have a bite to eat first. You’ve been unconscious so long, you must be physically very weak now."

Xia Zhilan indeed felt hunger stirring in her belly and nodded in agreement, following Lou Yun down to the inn’s main hall.

Lou Yun ordered a few dishes, and the three of them sat down together to eat.

Halfway through the meal, Lou Yun’s spiritual sense pricked. He clearly felt a powerful surge of energy ripple into the hall. He quickly turned to look and saw a youth dressed in white standing at the inn’s entrance, scanning the room as if searching for someone.

This youth was clad entirely in white. His appearance was clean-cut, his skin fair, his features finely sculpted – particularly his eyes, which held a sharp, penetrating intensity. Though an air of haughtiness lingered on his face as he surveyed the guests in the hall.

Xia Zhilan saw this youth too, and delight immediately spread across her face. She called out, "Senior! I’m over here!"

The white-robed youth turned towards Xia Zhilan, a smile instantly blossoming on his face as well. He strode over quickly. "Martial Sister! I’ve been looking for you for days. I feared something terrible had happened. I was so worried!"

Reaching them, the white-robed youth acted as if he didn’t see Lou Yun at all. He reached out to grasp Xia Zhilan’s hand, but she subtly evaded his touch.

"Senior, I encountered a villain. It was all thanks to this Lou Young Master saving me. Lou Young Master, this is my senior, Qin Wufeng. Senior, this is Young Master Lou Yun, who saved me!"

Though not old, Lou Yun possessed exceptional discernment. He sized Qin Wufeng up immediately and felt this man was unsavory business. While his cultivation level was certainly not low, Qin Wufeng was absolutely the type to look down on everyone – a kind of person Lou Yun had never wished to associate with.

However, since he was Xia Zhilan’s senior brother, Lou Yun couldn’t exactly refuse to give face. He stood up and politely smiled at Qin Wufeng. "Pleased to meet you."

Qin Wufeng merely gave Lou Yun a cold glance before shifting his gaze back to Xia Zhilan, his voice turning gentle. "Martial Sister, haven’t I told you many times? Don’t associate with people of unknown origins. You’re too naive! You don’t realize how many bad people are out there. Come on, let’s go back with me!"

Having said that, Qin Wufeng actually grabbed hold of Xia Zhilan’s hand and headed towards the exit, pulling her along. Xia Zhilan clearly couldn’t resist her senior brother’s demand. She could only offer Lou Yun an apologetic glance, saying, "Lou Young Master, I’m sorry. My senior brother’s temper is just… like this."

Despite Qin Wufeng’s appalling attitude, Lou Yun had endured being labeled the "useless trash" for nine years. His mental fortitude had long been tempered into steel. Therefore, this didn’t trouble him at all. He merely lightly smiled, sat back down, and resumed eating his meal.