Don’t Move, Let Me Handle It.

Su Yang got goosebumps from what Gu Feidi said. He snapped his head back and glared daggers at Gu Feidi. “Quit your flattering, or else I will have someone stuff your mouth!”

Gu Feidi chuckled again, but he listened and didn’t speak anymore.

The group galloped their horses in the direction of the Sanctuary.

Two days later in the evening, the Phantom City’s strange, rugged terrain was within sight.

That meant they were close to the Sanctuary. Along the way, they didn’t encounter anyone from the Central Plains who’d gone off the beaten track, nor were they bothered by the E’Luo Gui Faction. The journey was very smooth.

However, this was spoken too soon because that night, their extremely smooth journey was interrupted.

When they changed direction to pass a riprap landscapeLooks like this:, a team from the Central Plains Wulin intercepted in front of the Evil Sect group.

Xu Yunzhan and Huo Ying walked side by side, followed by around twenty guards from the Tengyun Pavilion and the Village of Mount Qianfeng, as well as two familiar faces—Pu Lingyun and Fan Xi.

Su Yang’s eyes lit up. The heroine delivered herself to me before I received updates from the petal retainers on the capture mission! With her here open to be captured…Don’t mind if I do!

But before Su Yang could order her arrest, Pu Lingyun exploded first.

She drew her sword and pointed it toward Su Yang, shouting, “You demon spawn! I thought you would treat Xiao Shixiong better as a fellow disciple of the House of Jade! But instead you snatched him away! Do you value our friendship so little?”

Once she was done, she rushed forward and aimed her sword at Su Yang!

Afraid that the petal retainers would hurt the key character, he immediately ordered, “None of you move, let me handle her!”

He drew the soft sword resting on his belt.

Gu Feidi spoke in alarm. “Wait…”

But it was too late.

As he was about to use Cherished Flower Steps to descend from the horse and to block Pu Lingyun’s attack. He had completely forgotten that he was tied to the person behind him!

Gu Feidi was dragged off the horse by Su Yang, and when Su Yang used his Cherished Flower Steps, he didn’t take into account the second passenger’s weight. By the time he noticed, it was too late. The two fell off the horse gracelessly because of the rope that tied them together…

Startled by his mistake, Su Yang tripped and lost his balance. As he was about to hit the ground, he was at the perfect path of Pu Lingyun’s sword, who was also stunned by his miscalculation and didn’t have the time to redirect her attack.

If Su Yang continued like this, the sword would go through him like he was a kebab.

In this split second, Gu Feidi hooked his leg to one of Su Yang’s legs, while the tip of his other foot touched the ground. Then he lowered his head and bit the collar around Su Yang’s neck. Using his body’s momentum, he turned Su Yang around and out of harm’s way.

But he was, after all, also constrained by the rope and couldn’t really stand firmly. So, after they avoided Pu Lingyun’s blow, they fell to the ground together.

Gu Feidi cushioned himself under Su Yang’s body and hit the ground hard on his tied arms. Because all he focused on was saving Su Yang, he subconsciously used his internal energy, which stirred up the Poisonous Gu in his body. He groaned from the pain.

Su Yang immediately asked in distress, “Are you hurt?”

Pu Lingyun: “...”

Xu Yunzhan: “...”

Other bystanders: “…”

Mei Shisan, the rational one, calmly came forward and pulled out his sword. He planned to stop Pu Lingyun before anyone else got hurt. With a turn of his hand, as he was about to strike, an incoming curved blade intercepted him.

Fan Xi protected Pu Lingyun from Mei Shisan. He put his arms around her waist and leaped backward, to a safe distance.

Glancing at the two on the ground who were still struggling to get up, the amusement he suppressed earlier returned.

He hypocritically said in a voice that everyone could hear, “Is it too late to deny being in the same year as them in the House of Jade?”

Su Yang: “...”

He cut the rope in a rage and got up from the ground. He raised his chin, attempting to appear every inch the Evil Sect’s Young Master that he scattered earlier.

“I can’t believe you guys would find this place.” He smirked. “What’s wrong? Do you guys really believe you can take him from me with so few of you?”

Xu Yunzhan was silent for a moment, before requesting, “Please let Gu Feidi go as fellow disciples of the House of Jade. Both my Village and Gu Feidi’s Pavilion will owe you for this favour.”

Raising the tip of his eyebrow provokingly, Su Yang asked, “What if I refuse?”

Who are they trying to fool, how could he let Gu Feidi go? Only the Evil Sect’s Forbidden Ground has what he needs to save Gu Feidi!

Not only could he not let Gu Feidi go, but he also needed to capture Pu Lingyun!

Xu Yunzhan slowly drew out his heavy sword. “If you refuse to let him go, don’t blame me for breaking our mutual relationship as fellow disciples.”

Su Yang laughed loudly. He clenched on the hilt of his sword and commanded an order to his petal retainers, “Stop Xu Yunzhan and his forces!”

And quietly added another demand to his order, “Try not to hurt anyone...”

His last request was a complete three-sixty change from his original order. The petal retainers that heard the demand were achingly speechless, and the ones from the Central Plains that heard Su Yang were completely baffled.

Su Yang paid them no mind as he rushed forward toward Pu Lingyun with his own sword.

Although having graduated from the House of Jade, Pu Lingyun’s internal energy was a step behind him. Facing him head on put her at a disadvantage as she fenced off his attack using more internal energy.

Fortunately, Fan Xi helped her several times, allowing her to escape from Su Yang’s parry.

Su Yang frowned and demanded, “Fan-Er, what’s the meaning of this!”

Fan Xi was also puzzled. “Why is the Young Master so insistent on aiming at Ling-er?”

Stupefied, Su Yang said in confusion, “...Ling, Ling-er?! What kind of weird nickname is that?! And why are you still protecting her?!”

Fan Xi gritted his teeth as he blocked Su Yang’s attack. He replied in a deep voice, “She was willing to abandon everything for me. She agreed to elope with me. Naturally I am going to protect her!”

Su Yang choked, “Elope…!!!”

With a wave of his thin sword, he whipped a long cut at Fan Xi’s chest and shouted, “Are you crazy! You and her—how could you! Are you trying to piss me off?”

Fan Xi’s expression darkened as he asked through gritted teeth, “Why? Is the Young Master also interested in her?”

Su Yang snapped, “I would be mad to be interested in a girl like her!”

Fan Xi begged, “If that’s the case, may the Young Master listen to my plea and let her go. This one would accept any mission from the Young Master in the future!”

Su Yang’s heart wailed, How can I let her go? She is the heroine! Without her, Gu Feidi won’t be treated?!

Seeing the profound emotion in Fan Xi’s eyes, as if waiting for his reply, Su Yang gritted his teeth with closed lips. He stopped holding back and increased his strength by twenty percent. In rapid action, he subdued Fan Xi and knocked him to the ground.

He looked back and ordered a petal retainer, “Tie him up!”

Fan Xi with an insane expression. “Young Master! Su Yang! Are you really going to ruin our friendship?!”

Pretending not to hear him, Su Yang flung his thin sword and chased Pu Lingyun, who was not too far away.

When Pu Lingyun saw that Fan Xi had been detained, she stopped running. She looked back and yelled at him, “Su Yang! Let Fan Xi and Xiao Shixiong go. I will be your hostage! Wulin Alliance Leader Gu sees me as a daughter. Having me as your hostage is enough!”

Su Yang: “...”

Girl! This is not a hostage issue. It’s fine to let Fan Xi go since he has no part to play here anyway. But Gu Feidi must go back to the Evil Sect if he is to be saved!

Unable to convey his frustration, Su Yang continued his goal of capturing Pu Lingyun.

During their fight, Xu Yunzhan and guards were still fighting off Mei Shisan and the petal retainers. He could not assist her. In a solo fight against Su Yang, she lasted about two moves before he also detained her.

Gu Feidi stared at Su Yang’s back, and his emotions stormed in his eyes.

He endured the pain from using his internal energy to concentrate his voice into a thin thread, and passed his message to Xu Yunzhan, who was leading the guards to break through the Evil Sect’s petal retainers. “Take Huo Ying and go. Rescue can wait until tonight. Leave Pu Lingyun with me for the time being. I need her for something, and don’t worry. I will think of a way for her to escape.”

Once he transmitted his message using an enormous amount of his internal energy, he coughed and swallowed a mouthful of blood.

Xu Yunzhan didn’t expect Gu Feidi would give such an order. He took a quick glance at Gu Feidi and saw the determination in those dark eyes. He nodded slightly, thinking Gu Feidi obviously had a card up his sleeve. He gave a command, and the guards from his village and Gu Feidi’s pavilion retreated from the fight.

Seeing them withdraw from the fight, Su Yang instructed the petal retainers to not give chase.

Now, with Gu Feidi and Pu Lingyun as their captives, he didn’t need to waste energy and resources to go after Xu Yunzhan. Best for them to return to the Phantom City before dark. Once they entered their territory, there was no way for Pu Lingyun to escape.

“Young Master.” Mei Shisan frowned at the Tengyun Pavilion party from a distance. He whispered, “Their withdrawal was unexpected, please be careful of trickery.”

Su Yang agreed, “Yes, strengthen our defense and guard.”

Mei Shisan asked helplessly, “Does the Young Master mean…”

While on the other side, Gu Feidi calmly made an eye signal to Fan Xi.

Mei Shisan was still talking, “...Why don’t we drug them…”

“Young Master! I request an audience with you!” Fan Xi loudly interrupted Mei Shisan.

Su Yang could feel the rage returning when looking at Fan Xi’s face. “What? What is there for us to talk about?”

Fan Xi lowered his eyes and shared, “I am in love with Lingyun…”

His voice became quieter as he went on, as if he wanted to stop the words from coming out of his mouth. The last few words were almost inaudible.

Su Yang did plan to interrogate Fan-Er, because he wondered how Pu Lingyun would fall for someone like him. Seeing him now, this would be the best time to ask.

Mei Shisan: “...”

At the same time, Gu Feidi silently moved beside Pu Lingyun, using his internal energy to communicate with her.

“Lingyun.” He turned his head, forced down his discomfort, and whispered. “Come here.”

Pu Lingyun moved closer to Gu Feidi. He deliberately tripped over himself and brushed against her during his stumble. Once he stood firmly again, the bag hanging on her waist disappeared.

Glancing at the bag hidden in Gu Feidi’s hand, Pu Lingyun raised her eyebrows and smiled at the corner of her mouth.

Gu Feidi continued to murmur to her, “I see that Fan Xi is treating you well. Before we enter the Phantom City, I will figure out  a way for you two to escape. As long as I hold Su Yang down, you two can escape successfully, since no one else from the Evil Sect could catch up with you two. Yunzhan will also wait for you nearby. I asked him to wait for the rescue opportunity.”

In slight surprise, she asked, “What about you? We came here to save you!”

Gu Feidi reassured, “Don’t worry about me. Su Yang will not harm me.”

Pu Lingyun huffed, “You actually believe him?’

Gu Feidi replied in a low voice, “Yes, I believe him.”

After a moment’s silence, he added, “I also have a message that I need you to take back to the Tengyun Pavilion for me.”

Pu Lingyun’s eyebrows were slightly frowned. “Does that mean you don’t intend on coming back with us?”

“I…have some problems that I need to go to the Evil Sect for. You do not need to worry, just convey my message.”

Gu Feidi didn’t go into the details of his problem. He coughed two times, and said through his gritted teeth and with a pale face, “During the previous battle when I fell off the cliff, Su Yang and I found a place where a senior went into seclusion, but it was after the E’Luo Gui Faction led us out of the river. This made me suspect that the news of the Sword Sage inheritance was a trap set up by the faction for the Central Plains Wulin and the Evil Sect. I expect more movement from them in the future.

“Go back and tell father that no matter what gets circulated around the Jianghu, whether it be rumour or not. He must investigate it carefully before making a final decision.”

Pu Lingyun was at a loss for words for a while. She hesitated to squeeze out a sentence, “But Xiao Shixiong…I don’t want to go back to the Tengyun Pavilion so soon…”

Not expecting this, Gu Feidi asked in surprise, “Why don’t you want to go back? You completed your training at the House of Jade already, right?”

Pursing up her lip, she muttered with her head lowered, “I don’t want to get married…”

Staying silent for a moment, he followed up. “Because of Fan Xi?”

Hesitating, she finally admitted, “After we left the House of Jade, I talked it over with him, and we planned to travel around the country…but we heard the news of you missing midway. In a hurry, I raced to the wasteland. I didn’t find you but I bumped into my cousin and have been travelling with him ever since.”

After listening to her, a complicated expression appeared on his face as he sighed, “You…”

She immediately rebuked, “Xiao Shixiong can’t change my mind! Loving someone whom your elder would never approve of...Xiao Shixiong, you will never understand what I am feeling.”

It was Gu Feidi’s turn to be at a loss for words.

He didn’t counter her, instead, he looked as if the gears turning in his head distracted him. After a while, he absent-mindedly focused his line of sight on Su Yang, who was not too far away.

It was already dark. The black robe Su Yang wore that formerly belonged to a petal retainer slowly blended his figure into the background, merging him with the surrounding darkness.

Seeing Gu Feidi standing side by side with Pu Lingyun, Su Yang frowned and walked forward to separate them.

Leaving Pu Lingyun and Fan Xi for his petal retainers to handle, Su Yang got up on Fei Lian, and then pulled Gu Feidi to the seat behind him.

“Make haste. We are heading back to the Phantom City as soon as possible.”