A Predicament in the Imperial City

“This is the Imperial City. Do you truly intend to act here?”

Upon recognizing the newcomer as Ye Yan, Su Hanxing tensed, as if confronting a formidable foe.

He cradled the still-unconscious Chi Qiu, leaning back slightly. While issuing his warning aloud, he frantically searched for an escape route in his mind.

“What difference does the Imperial City make?” Ye Yan retorted, his lips curving into a faint, enigmatic smile, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“Cultivators are forbidden to fight within the Imperial City. Those who violate this decree will be executed. Surely, Senior Brother is well aware of this rule,” Su Hanxing stated, his expression unreadable.

Beneath his calm exterior, Su Hanxing’s inner guard remained undiminished.

“If I had truly wished to kill you, would you still be standing here today?” Ye Yan scoffed, a dismissive grin spreading across his face. A fleeting glint sparked within his crimson eyes.

Before Su Hanxing could respond, Ye Yan raised a hand. Several blood-red star-lights materialized from thin air, coalescing into a celestial palace diagram before their eyes.

“The Tianyan Art…” Su Hanxing’s expression subtly darkened. Thankfully, he recognized it as a divination technique, not a destructive secret art.

The celestial palace shimmered for a moment, then slowly faded away, leaving no trace.

“What were you divining just now, Senior Brother?” Su Hanxing, having ascertained that Ye Yan harbored no murderous intent, felt a slight easing of his tension. Seeing the celestial palace vanish, he took the initiative to inquire.

“You.” Ye Yan, slightly surprised by Su Hanxing’s direct question, raised an eyebrow before pointing a finger at him as he replied.

“Me?” Su Hanxing froze, taken aback.

“Indeed, it is you,” Ye Yan affirmed with a nod.

“With Senior Brother’s formidable strength, divining my information should be effortless. Why, then, did it… fail?” Su Hanxing questioned, his brow furrowed in disbelief.

“Do you truly believe those old geezers from the Tianyan Sect sent you, and not someone else, to find me simply because you’re the current chief disciple?” Ye Yan’s face twisted with disdain.

“That’s merely your interpretation…” Su Hanxing shook his head, unconvinced that Ye Yan had genuinely been divining him.

“Hehehehehe… Junior Brother, won’t you invite me aboard for a seat? Any later, your fellow disciples will be emerging from the Drunken Immortal Restaurant.” Ye Yan, unfazed by Su Hanxing’s presence, gestured towards the summoned flying boat with a smile.

“Since Senior Brother possesses such refined taste, how could I possibly refuse? Please, come aboard.” Su Hanxing gave a slight nod. With Chi Qiu cradled in his arms, he couldn’t extend a hand in invitation, so a simple inclination of his head had to suffice.

At Su Hanxing’s nod, Ye Yan pushed off with his feet, gracefully leaping onto the deck of the flying boat. Su Hanxing carried Chi Qiu onto the flying boat. He located a soft couch, gently laying her down. Then, turning to Ye Yan, he gestured towards a nearby wooden chair, inviting him to sit.

Chi Qiu seemed to be stirring from her drunken stupor. Her eyelids twitched, her lashes fluttered, and a soft, unconscious groan escaped her lips.

“Since Senior Brother was already aware of the Tianyan Sect’s movements, why did you still seek me out here?”

As Ye Yan settled, Su Hanxing also sat upright, facing him. He posed the question, a hint of confusion in his tone.

“I came for something on you,” Ye Yan replied without hesitation, his finger pointing directly at the crown of Su Hanxing’s head.

“Something on me?” Su Hanxing was utterly astonished, never having anticipated such a motive from Ye Yan. He froze, momentarily speechless.

“I came for the True Dragon’s Aura that resides within you,” Ye Yan confirmed with a gentle nod.

“True Dragon’s Aura? Senior Brother, you are already in the Dharma Manifestation Realm. What use could such a thing be to you?” Su Hanxing’s expression darkened, and alarm bells began to clang in his heart. He cast an almost imperceptible glance at Chi Qiu, who was slowly stirring awake nearby, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

“The True Dragon’s Aura can only be integrated by a single individual, and once fused, it cannot be transferred. Furthermore, should its owner perish, the True Dragon’s Aura will dissipate into the heavens and earth, becoming impossible to trace.” Su Hanxing’s heart pounded with urgency. He spoke rapidly, attempting to dissuade Ye Yan from any thought of seizing the True Dragon’s Aura.

“I am, of course, aware of that. However, I haven’t come to seize your True Dragon’s Aura; I merely wish to observe it,” Ye Yan hastily clarified, noting Su Hanxing’s palpable anxiety.

“Though I don’t understand the underlying principle, the Tianyan Art of the Tianyan Sect is utterly incapable of divining any information regarding the True Dragon’s Aura or its possessor. This fact is incredibly significant to me, which is why I hoped to observe the True Dragon’s Aura directly.”

Ye Yan’s words plunged Su Hanxing into deep contemplation. He suddenly recalled how, before the Yinglong Tomb opened, his master, Elder Su He, could divine objects within the tomb but not the people or specific items inside. Adding to his confusion, he himself did not possess the True Dragon’s Aura, yet Ye Yan claimed he couldn’t divine his information…

A realization dawned. Su Hanxing abruptly rose, pacing back and forth across the flying boat’s deck. He then channeled his true qi, activating the Tianyan Art.

Ye Yan watched Su Hanxing’s actions with a bewildered expression. Though he didn’t comprehend the reason, he made no move to stop him. Instead, he simply retrieved a flask of immortal brew and began to drink. Confident in his superior strength and aware that they practiced the same cultivation method, Ye Yan harbored no fear of Su Hanxing attempting any covert maneuvers. Thus, he allowed him to proceed unchecked.

Starlight condensed in Su Hanxing’s hand, swiftly outlining a celestial palace diagram before him. It was identical to the technique Ye Yan had just employed, clearly indicating he was divining someone’s information.

After several breaths, the celestial palace diagram slowly dissipated, leaving absolutely nothing behind. The divination had failed.

The sight instantly piqued Ye Yan’s interest. He set down his wine flask, turning his head to ask Su Hanxing, “Who exactly are you divining?”

Su Hanxing turned and settled back into the wooden chair, his expression easing as if a revelation had struck him. “An acquaintance,” he replied.

His subject of divination had been Chi Qiu, the one who harbored the True Dragon’s Aura. Yet, despite her proximity, Su Hanxing’s thorough attempt yielded absolutely nothing, as if Chi Qiu simply didn’t exist in this world.

“Could it be your master, then, or perhaps another elder from the Tianyan Sect?” Ye Yan, seeing Su Hanxing’s reluctance to disclose, wasn’t annoyed. Instead, he began to speculate with keen interest.

Cough, cough…

Just as Su Hanxing maintained his composure, secretly pondering how to evade the question, a cough echoed from behind him.

“Hanxing, how long… have I been asleep?”

Chi Qiu’s voice was slightly hoarse. With one hand pressed to her forehead and the other propped against the soft couch, she slowly pushed her upper body upright.

Why did Little Chi wake so early? Su Hanxing’s heart lurched in surprise. In his experience, a full bottle of Drunken Immortal Brew typically required at least an hour of sleep to wear off. Yet, Chi Qiu had awoken in less than a quarter of that time.

“Approximately fifteen minutes,” Su Hanxing replied softly, turning his head.

As Chi Qiu rose, a flicker of surprise, quickly followed by admiration, crossed Ye Yan’s face. Earlier, with Chi Qiu cradled in Su Hanxing’s arms, he hadn’t clearly seen her features. His sole purpose for coming had been the True Dragon’s Aura within Su Hanxing, rendering Chi Qiu entirely insignificant to him at the time.

Now, observing Chi Qiu fully upright, he realized she was undeniably a budding beauty. Though her features still bore a hint of youthfulness, the captivating allure in her eyes and brows was utterly impossible to conceal.

“Junior Brother certainly has a way with beauties, to have such a captivating companion.” Ye Yan recalled the intimate gestures between Su Hanxing and Chi Qiu just moments ago. He took a slow sip of his wine, his words laced with a subtle threat.

“Is this… Ye Yan?”

Chi Qiu pushed herself off the soft couch, casually tidying her scattered, ink-dark hair. As she finally looked up, her gaze met the smiling young man in the blood-red Taiji Daoist robe.

Chi Qiu’s heart jolted, instantly sobering her by more than half. Her brilliant golden eyes widened, and her voice was filled with utter disbelief.