Chapter 217: Heart-Eating Gu

The most direct way to find clues about Li Zhong was to head to the Qinling Mountains.

Though it was quite a journey, traveling together should have been a pleasant experience. However, Leng Yue’s cold temperament left Chen Fei at a loss for words.

Eventually, Chen Fei couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Let’s take a break and eat something!” he said, halting and glancing at a nearby mountain hollow.

The area was quite serene. Across the hollow lay an endless grassland, and the breeze drifting through made one feel as if they had stepped into an immortal realm.

Leng Yue didn’t respond. She simply looked at him, then walked over to a large rock in the hollow, sat down cross-legged, and began to meditate.

Chen Fei shrugged and took out his portable cooking gear.

These were small gadgets forged in the Weapon-Crafting Institute—each costing just a single merit point. Not expensive, but quite practical. Especially useful in the wild, they were enough to boil tea and cook a hearty meal.

“Didn’t expect you to be this boring,” Leng Yue said suddenly, her eyes opening to see Chen Fei bustling about.

Chen Fei chuckled, not stopping his work. “The purpose of cultivation isn’t just to grow stronger, but also to enjoy life.”

He laid out a tea table and sat down with a cheerful grin. The scent of roasting meat and boiling tea began to fill the air.

“This land is being wasted,” Chen Fei commented as he looked out over the expansive grassland. “Why not use it to grow some crops?”

He couldn’t help but laugh at himself right after saying that. Maybe it was a deep-rooted instinct—empty land always felt like a waste to him.

Leng Yue looked at him, puzzled. “This is the Holy Land of Tianqing. Who would dare?”

Chen Fei didn’t argue. That kind of thought process might only make sense to someone like him.

As the delicious aroma spread, the cold and aloof image of Leng Yue suddenly began to crumble. Her stomach let out an audible growl, and a faint blush colored her cheeks.

Chen Fei smiled. “Senior Sister Leng Yue, would you like to try my cooking?”

“No,” she replied instinctively. But her actions betrayed her words—she followed the scent and sat down across from Chen Fei.

Somewhat embarrassed, she tried to control her emotions. “Is this why you took over the Tianxin Pavilion? Cultivators shouldn’t pursue worldly pleasures.”

“If we can’t even have such simple pleasures, what’s the point of cultivation?” Chen Fei rolled his eyes. “Cultivation is a choice, but a person’s life shouldn’t revolve around it entirely.”

Leng Yue was surprised by his answer. After a moment of silence, she said softly, “You really are different.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Senior Sister! Come, try this. I bought these ingredients at a high price from the Treasure Pavilion,” Chen Fei said enthusiastically, handing her a skewer.

Leng Yue gently took a bite, and her eyes immediately lit up.

She had never pursued material pleasures. Even when hungry, she’d simply rely on fasting pills and pour her focus entirely into cultivation. Her cold demeanor kept others at a distance, leaving her life isolated and somewhat lonely.

Perhaps because she’d never truly tasted something delicious, this one bite filled her senses with delight.

Even Chen Fei was surprised by his own skill—he hadn’t expected his barbecue to be so good that it could win over someone like Leng Yue. Clearly, he had a hidden talent in cooking.

He took a bite himself. Delicious!

But their peaceful moment didn’t last.

“So, they finally couldn’t hold back, huh?” Chen Fei smirked, lifting his head to look across the grassland.

Leng Yue frowned. Having her meal interrupted like this—very annoying.

And when the Saintess of Leng Yue gets annoyed… the consequences are far more terrifying than one might expect.

With his upgraded spiritual vision, Chen Fei had already sensed the lurking enemies when he suggested taking a break. Much of his earlier casual behavior was just an act—to see when they’d make a move.

They had barely left the mountain, and already people were tailing them. Clearly, something was wrong.

Before Chen Fei could act, however, an intense chill erupted from Leng Yue.

She demonstrated the true meaning of the phrase “silent but deadly.” Sharp ice spears appeared above the heads of the ambushers and shot down without giving them any chance to react, piercing straight through their skulls.

Clean. Brutal. Instant.

“Leave one alive!” Chen Fei shouted in surprise, taken aback by Leng Yue’s ruthlessness.

She glanced back at him, her cold gaze making his heart skip a beat.

Thankfully, she was just cold—not irrational.

“Retreat!” someone among the ambushers yelled, terror-stricken.

They hadn’t expected a peak Mysterious Realm expert to be here. How could they dare stay? They turned and ran for their lives.

But with a wave of Leng Yue’s hand, icy spikes erupted from the ground and trapped them in place.

The chilling aura caused their bodies to tremble uncontrollably. No matter what they tried, they couldn’t shatter the deceptively fragile ice—they were simply frozen in place, slowly succumbing to the cold.

“You do the questioning,” Leng Yue said, then calmly picked up another skewer.

Chen Fei looked at the captives, then at the unbothered Leng Yue enjoying her meal. He couldn’t help but sigh.

Never, ever ruin a woman’s meal. The consequences… are terrifying.

He slowly approached the frozen intruders. “Why put yourselves through this? Speak. Who sent you?”

Their teeth chattered from the cold, but none of them answered.

Chen Fei chuckled. “Looks like you still don’t understand your situation. That’s the Saintess Leng Yue. You should know what that means. Cooperate now, or…”

He gripped his massive sword. With a loud clang, the ground trembled.

“You’re too arrogant, Chen Fei!” snarled one of the trapped cultivators, lifting his head with a twisted expression.

Chen Fei frowned, sensing something wrong. He rushed forward and grabbed the man’s jaw, trying to force it open.

But the man only grinned maniacally, his eyes full of madness. His sanity was already gone.

“It’s too late!” Leng Yue’s voice rang out.

As she spoke, the cultivator spewed a mouthful of black blood.

Chen Fei dodged just in time, avoiding a direct hit.

The blood splashed onto the grass, instantly turning it yellow and withered, spreading a foul, purple mist outward.

“Poison?” Chen Fei raised an eyebrow.

“It’s Gu. A Heart-Eating Gu,” Leng Yue said as she approached. With a flick of her finger, the twitching man began to convulse violently.

Suddenly, his mouth gaped open, and a black snake slithered out.

“A method to control deathsworn assassins,” Leng Yue said, showing no fear toward the slippery, venomous creature. She pointed at it casually, freezing it solid.

Let me know if you’d like a dramatic end-of-chapter cliffhanger or a transition to the next scene.