The Immortal Emperor Returns

Chapter 420 Mesmerizing Grace

Yan Guilai was practically doubled over in glee at having sent Chu Xun away, rubbing his palms with great anticipation of the riches that he would find.

“The Devil turned out to be surprisingly easy to dupe!”

“Go! Do as I told you! Take what you can and raze what you can’t!” Yan Guilai led the charge into the house.

Roar!

The Yan host let loose a wordless cry of triumph and flooded the house.

They ransacked the house, whisking whatever they found like a swarm of locusts.

Meanwhile, Chu Xun’s makeshift litter reached the Yan family residence a few hours later.

As soon as he saw Jing Hong, Chu Xun hopped off the palanquin and cantered towards her with his arms outstretched widely.

But Jing Hong, with a deft sidestep, avoided his hug.

And instead of slowing down, he smoothly steered at Long Yi and hugged him instead. “I’m relieved to find you all safe and sound!”

It did not take a genius to see that Chu Xun was trying to save some face.

“Apparently, this Lady Jing Hong has not yet fully accepted herself to be Master Chu Xun’s consort,” they mused. This could turn out to be a laborious and ponderous endeavor too.

Chu Xun pivoted around and stared at Jing Hong, looking at her from top to bottom, embarrassing her greatly.

“You’ve ascended?”

“A few days ago,” she replied, “Somehow I managed to get past the bottleneck that has been delaying me.”

That pleased Chu Xun very much. Jing Hong had grasped the elementary levels of the Golden Core Stage. They could cultivate together from now on.

“How about the Sanctuary of Tetrarchy?”

“The Zombie race has remained in hiding since their last defeat,” said Jing Hong, “But there are rumors of them trying to make contact with the Peacock race.”

“What for? To make a comeback?” Chu Xun smirked while musing quietly. “These alien races really do need a good walloping, don’t they?”

“They wouldn’t dare try if you’re present. But the cat’s away.”

“Are you meaning to say that Brother Yue could be in danger?” Chu Xun asked quietly with apprehension.

“I’ve made preparations before coming. The Heavenly Field of Ultimate Death should keep them safe for quite some time if the Zombies really do double back.”

“Let’s hope they’re not fools enough to sign their death warrant then.”

Long Yi said suddenly, “Master Chu Xun, we’ve been duped by Yan Guilai.”

“Ah? How so?” Chu Xun looked at Long Yi.

“We requested him for a guide to lead us to the Zang family estate. But instead of going there, his men led us here.”

Chu Xun looked surprised at first, then he broke into a wry smile, “That old infantile imp! Knocking me on the head, eh?”

He paused, thinking, then with a grin, he said, “They say this estate has plenty of good views. Let’s have a look ourselves.”

Jing Hong smiled thinly, knowing Chu Xun must be up to something no good again.

He would get no objections from Long Yi and Long Er either.

As they strolled around the house, enjoying the sceneries of the gardens, Chu Xun was quietly busy at work, projecting his Divine Sense everywhere and succeeded in pinpointing the site of the Yan estate’s secret vault.

But they were not alone and every Yan acolyte was keeping his or her eyes peeled on them.

Especially the one who had been under orders to lead Jing Hong and the others here. Yan Guilai had explicitly ordered him to keep them under close watch.

They passed out of the gardens and began walking down the cloisters inside, admiring the house.

Shrouded at most times with snow, Yanxue City usually looked white and bland with barely any flowers blooming.

They entered a side courtyard where they saw a plaque saying: Plum Blossom Garden. Feeling intrigued, they stepped inside.

To their amazement, they were greeted by rosy-red plum blossoms blooming vibrantly in the snow.

To think that the Yans had such a marvel.

The soft fragrance of the plum blossoms subtly pervaded the air because of the cold.

People or plum blossoms; growing in the face of adversity deserves respect and admiration.

Jing Hong stepped under the boughs of a plum blossom tree, looking up with joy and wonderment in her eyes as she breathed in the sweet aroma of the flowers.

An idea came to Chu Xun and he flicked a tiny jet of energy at a tree, striking it enough to cause petals of plum blossom to rain down slowly.

Chu Xun performed some hand seals and summoned winds that stopped the petals from falling to the ground, whipping them up into the air and allowing them to circle around Jing Hong in casual and graceful flows.

Jing Hong smiled. A smile that could even make the flowers blushed and filled with exhilaration, she broke into a little dance.

The floating petals provided adornment to the soft swaying of her glossy-white dress as her lithe balletic motion resembled the sweet fairness of a goddess from Heaven – a beauty no one could have thought possible in a human before.

Chu Xun stared at her, dazed and utterly mesmerized, nevermind the Yan acolytes keeping an eye on them.

After one thousand years, Jing Hong was dancing for him. Again.

But Chu Xun quickly turned jealous. If only he could drive everyone – Long Yi, Long Er, and even the Yans – out of this Plum Blossom Garden.

Jing Hong belonged to him and only him, and if she was dancing, it could only be for him.

Whoosh!

The glint of steel flashed when Chu Xun drew his sword and began a dance of his own. A sword dance that he gyrated to the gesticulations of trees in the wind.

Whoosh!

Every stroke of the blade left a trail in the snow, a tail of light that followed the steel’s every movement. Hundreds of plum blossom trees rock and swung and more petals fell, snagged up by the winds to rejoin its countless other siblings to shape the silhouettes of a dragon and a phoenix.

The mesmerizing grace of Jing Hong’s dance.

And the swift and broad strokes of Chu Xun’s sword.

And the silhouettes of both dragon and phoenix careening together in the air.

The petal-filled silhouette of the phoenix flapped its wings and flew in rounds overhead Jing Hong as she danced.

The dragon of petals barreled magnificently around Chu Xun, chasing the tip of his sword.

Just then, both the dragon and phoenix shone brightly like a pair of stars.

Rumble!

Both shapes exploded simultaneously, the eruption causing a blizzard of plum blossom petals so thick that one could barely see the sun.

Finally when the deluge was gone, so were Chu Xun and Jing Hong.

Long Yi and Long Er exchanged dubious stares.

The Yan acolytes could not believe their eyes.

“Where are they?!”

“Are they actually deities from Heaven and they have now ascended into the skies?!” murmured one of the acolytes.

…

Chu Xun and Jing Hong sneaked to Yan Guilai’s chambers.

“That old imp’s a careful one, keeping the vault at where he sleeps,” said Chu Xun.

Jing Hong narrowed her eyes at him and pursed her lips, somewhat peeved at Chu Xun’s lack of understanding for feminine subtleties.

She was lost in the moment too when Chu Xun danced with her and only now did she realize that his sights had been on the Yan family vault all along!

Utterly oblivious to Jing Hong’s miffed countenance, Chu Xun took her hand and stepped into the room.

“Wow… That old imp really is living the life, eh?” mumbled Chu Xun. It looked nothing like a room at all. If anything, it looked rather like a country retreat at least four to five hundred square meters.

“People these days barely scrape for a living just to save enough money to buy a home to call their own, and yet this old rogue alone stays in a room so wide and so large! It’s high time we relieve some of the riches he had plundered from the common folk and return it to the poor!”

“And you will use it for the good of the poor?” Jing Hong teased playfully with a lead question.

“Of course,” Chu Xun muttered, sounding unusually quiet and hesitant.

He pulled Jing Hong’s hand and led her towards the entrance of the secret subterranean vault.

“Look around. There must be a switch or something around,” said Chu Xun, looking around.

A large study desk sat by the wall. Chu Xun strode over and began ransacking the table.

Then he spied the brush pens inside a container.

“This must be it. Old trick,” Chu Xun gloriously seized the brush pens and pulled.

Nothing bulged. The secret entrance was still nowhere to be seen.

He blushed at his mistake.

Jing Hong giggled and came over. She peered at the brush pen container and tried holding it, discovering that it could not be moved. Then she twisted it and it rotated.

Rumble!

The ground shook and one of the tiles sank into the ground before shifting heavily sideways to reveal a secret underground entry leading to the vault.

Chu Xun scratched the back of his head and uttered sheepishly, “I knew all along that the container is the switch.”

Jing Hong narrowed her eyes at him wryly.

“Right,” Chu Xun hastily changed the subject, “Let’s go rob the rich and help the poor.”

Chu Xun barely took the first step down the granite stairs when his foot shot back.

The tile shifted back in place and shut the entrance.

Chu Xun and Jing Hong jerked their heads sideways at the door of the room.

A tall and slender middle-aged man stepped into the room. The dashing man walked with not a sound made, his temples bulging and his eyes gleaming with a strange look.

A champion!

The couple shared a quick look. Whoever this champion was, that he could come within a hundred meters of them without being noticed was enough to make him dangerous.

Chu Xun searched the stranger’s face for any emotions that might betray anything, making quick plans.

“You’ve run so quick like a pair of mice, young ones, that I almost missed you.” That was strange; despite looking nothing like an old man, he spoke like one.

This must be the old patriarch of the Yan family.

“And your name is?” Chu Xun asked with a grin.

“Yan Ye.”

“Tobacco leaves?” (note: tobacco leaves 烟叶 has the same pronunciation as the character’s name)

“No. Yan Ye.”

“Oh, excuse my manners,” Chu Xun saluted apologetically.

“Chu Xun, the Devil,” Yan Ye recited Chu Xun’s name and moniker.

“You know me?”

“I’ve heard Guilai mentioning your name before.”

“Oh?” Chu Xun looked left and right. “This estate’s so big. I’m afraid we got lost while walking around.”

“After causing considerable damage to the Plum Blossom Garden,” observed Yan Ye.

“Ah?” Chu Xun gasped with surprise before he pouted, “It’s just a few plum blossoms.”

“Few?!” Yan Ye looked visibly peeved by that understatement, his aura stirring to his mood. “Come with me.”

“Don’t worry about us. I’m sure we’ll find our way back,” said Chu Xun.

“You really are just as Guilai had described,” Yan Ye remarked wryly.

“What did that old imp say about me?” Chu Xun scowled with feigned anger.

“All right, let’s go.” Yan Ye smiled.

“Where to?” Yan Guilai must have warned his family about him and that would mean his plans of plundering the Yan vault had died in its crib.

“Come with me and you’ll find out.”

“By your lead then,” Chu Xun said with a flourish of his arm.

The edge of Yan Ye’s lip twitched with apparent irritation before he pivoted around and led them away.

They came back to the Plum Blossom Garden.

“And this is what you meant by ‘a few plum blossoms’?” said Yan Ye through gritted teeth, showing him the pitiful orchard of trees with their boughs now barren and bare.

Jing Hong stepped front to apologize, but Chu Xun held her back.

“Good Heavens Almighty! It’s magical! The whole garden is a sprawl of red just now and now the flowers are all gone!”

“These plum blossoms had only begun budding just not long ago! They should last for quite some time before they begin withering!” pointed out Yan Ye, his lips twitching more irately.

“Really?” Chu Xun uttered with pretentious surprise, “Are these trees sick?”

“Enough pretending,” grimaced Yan Ye painfully, “You had defiled the sanctity of this garden!”

“Me?” Chu Xun shook his head profusely, “Surely not. I only plucked a few flowers. Please stop pointing your fingers at me.”

“You used your magic to shape them into dragon and phoenix. Do you really expect us to believe that could be done by just a measly few flowers?”

Chu Xun breathed deeply. Yan Ye must have been observing him for quite some time.

“So you’ve been watching us?”

“What do you expect?”

“Expect?! You’re peeking! Heavens, with your age, I would have expected better!” Chu Xun complained suddenly, “She’s my wife, do you know that?! If she’s dancing, then it’ll only be for me! How dare you peek! Where are your manners and morals! I’ll forgive you on account of my friendship with Wushuang. Or else, I would have dug out your eyes already!”

Yan Ye was left bewildered by Chu Xun’s sudden outburst.

“Let’s go, we need to get you away from this lecherous thing.” Chu Xun pulled Jing Hong away with him.

By the time Yan Ye knew what was going on, Chu Xun was gone.

“You insolent brat! Stand right there and explain! What lecherous thing?! How dare you twist things! You destroyed the garden and how could you blame me instead!” Yan Ye bellowed with extreme indignation.