Chapter 177

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Xuan Ge

Huan Long stood barefoot, her feet pale and luminous as joves, lightly treading upon drifting Stardust, separated from the Luo Fu Xian Zhou by a vast distance of half a galaxy.

Her mood at this moment could not be called good; it even carried a few degrees of irritability that could not be suppressed, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing away the star dust drifting to her side.

The inside man had already been settled — precisely Long Tao Ran, that Dragon Master of the Luo Fu Xian Zhou who harbored resentful grievance.

She had calculated Tao Ran's bone-deep hatred for General Xuan Ge of Divine Might, and with slight maneuvering successfully made contact, concluding a secret deal.

This transaction was simple and straightforward from the start: she would act to seize the Ambrosial Arbor, using it to forge a flesh body belonging to herself;

Tao Ran would be responsible for stirring up chaos in the rear, deliberately creating incidents to draw the Cloud Knights' attention, clearing obstacles for her operation.

But when Huan Long unfolded the secret message Tao Ran sent, and finished scanning its contents, she was angered into a laugh.

"This stupid thing Tao Ran actually wants to release Hu Lei?"

Hu Lei of eight hundred years ago still counted as a troublesome figure.

But after the wear of time, he has long since lost his former might.

If not for the Crimson Moon still hidden inside his body, this person would have absolutely no utilization value, purely a burdensome encumbrance wasting effort.

Huan Long raised a hand to rub her brow, heart full of vexation, secretly blaming herself for misjudging character back then.

How could her judgment have been so poor as to pick Tao Ran, such a partner who accomplishes nothing but spoils everything?

Without an exclusive flesh body, she can never truly get close to Xuan Ge, let alone bear his offspring.

This plan to seize the Ambrosial Arbor, she is determined to succeed, with absolutely no retreat possible.

Just as Huan Long knitted her brows in thought, pondering how to adjust the Luo Fu layout and patch the hole Tao Ran had poked.

A cosmic merchant ship slowly sailing past on the distant shipping lane unexpectedly intruded into her view.

The irritability in her eyes instantly dispersed, her narrow phoenix eyes curving slightly upward, the corners of her mouth hooking a trace of crafty yet coquettish smile.

"Oh my~ truly the boat reaches the bridge head and naturally straightens; drowsiness brings a delivered pillow~"

This richly decorated merchant ship was sailing steadily, its hull isolating the outer world's cold dead silence, the interior filled with warm light, everywhere exuding exquisite luxury.

In the luxurious bedroom at the deepest part of the ship cabin, soft plush carpet covered the floor, the air floating with faint fruit wine fragrance.

Ting Yun sat curled on a soft chair, the table before her densely covered with various photos of Xuan Ge.

Her slender fair fingers lightly tapped on a photo of Xuan Ge with bared upper body and ink-black hair loose.

Fingertips gently caressing the edges, a pair of apricot eyes curved into crescents, tone carrying unconcealable fangirling and coquettishness.

"Oh my~ Divine Might General's physique is just too absolute~"

She held the photo looking left and right, the more she looked the more satisfied, immediately deciding:

"This one will be the collector's edition, properly stored away!"

Ting Yun nimbly placed this photo displaying Xuan Ge's robust physique into a red-and-gold brocade box, carefully tied the silk ribbon and packed it properly.

Then she lowered her head again, beginning to organize the remaining photos on the table:

There were photos of Xuan Ge in armor wielding weapons, imposing and awe-inspiring;

Photos in cloud-patterned general's uniform, gentle and refined;

And also photos in loose sleepwear, revealing a few degrees of laziness, every single one organized neatly and tidily.

As for where these photos came from?

Don't ask.

Ask and it's a certain Si Du of the Tian Ha Si on the Shen Wu Xian Zhou who accidentally let them slip.

After packing all the photos, Ting Yun rose and moved to sit on the sofa by the bed.

She turned her gaze toward the vast starry sky outside the porthole, casually picking up a small folding fan, slowly fanning.

She lifted the glass cup at hand, taking a shallow sip of the green plum fruit dew inside.

This is a unique specialty of the Shen Wu Xian Zhou, taste mellow and relieving greasiness.

But drinking the sweet wine, a trace of puzzlement rose in her heart.

She could never understand why Yu Kong Daren insisted on keeping her on the Shen Wu Xian Zhou.

Yu Kong Daren's instructions instantly surfaced in her mind:

"Ting Yun, the Shen Wu Xian Zhou is silent, yet needs capable people to manage merchant group affairs.

Once you arrive there, you will serve as the Shen Wu Merchant Group's Jie Du Shi, under the jurisdiction of the Tian Ha Si's Yue Yu Si Du; this matter I have already coordinated with Yue Yu."

Ting Yun shook her head, shaking out the messy thoughts.

She has always been optimistic and open-minded; things she cannot understand she no longer entangles over, just obediently listening and executing arrangements is fine.

She laughed lightly, the fan handle lightly propping her chin, murmuring to herself:

"Does this count as entering retirement life early? After all, General Yue Yu has abdicated and delegated power, going to Shen Wu to be a Si Du and enjoy leisure."

Anyway, since it's come, make the best of it; later when she accumulates some achievements on Shen Wu, she'll mail a pile of Shen Wu specialties to Yu Kong Daren.

Just as her words fell, a mature coquettish female voice carrying a few degrees of lazy teasing broke this tranquility.

"Little sister, Shen Wu is not leisurely at all~"

This sudden voice made Ting Yun's motion of gently waving the fan abruptly freeze.

The brown-black fox ears atop her head violently stood erect, ear tips trembling slightly, revealing full alertness.

She violently raised her eyes to look toward the bedroom doorway, only to see a graceful black shadow leaning against the door frame.

Her heart instantly gave a start, but her face forced a composed demeanor, brows and eyes curved in proper smile, voice sweet and soft yet carrying distance.

"I wonder which honored guest has come to visit? If there is anything you need, this young woman will certainly do her utmost to serve."

But only Ting Yun herself knew that her heart had long since panicked into a mess.

The fluffy fox tail behind her flared up involuntarily, the tail tip stiffening straight, and even her fingertips secretly clenched the fan handle.

Huan Long gazed at the little fox demon before her who was frightened yet forcing herself to remain calm, the corner of her mouth hooking a trace of playful mockery, and walked toward Ting Yun with unhurried steps.

She wore a black long skirt, the hem swaying lightly with her steps, her slender lustrous jade legs fading in and out of visibility between the fabric.

Every step carried a soul-captivating charm, a sense of oppression enveloping silently.

The instant Huan Long lifted her foot to approach, Ting Yun immediately straightened her spine, borrowing a backer to bolster her courage:

"I am the Jiedu Shi of the Shen Wu Merchant Corps; you barge into my bedchamber like this, aren't you afraid of alarming the Shen Wu Army?"

Huan Long's steps did not stop; she walked to her front and bent down, her smile deepening:

"Little sister, you don't count as a formal Jiedu Shi yet~ These words won't scare anyone."

Before Ting Yun could react, Huan Long raised a slender index finger, lightly lifted Ting Yun's chin, forcing her to raise her head and meet her gaze.

Looking at Ting Yun's delicate beautiful lively little face, which also carried the Fox People's unique bewitching charm, Huan Long's heart had already decided:

It was her; this flesh body could not be more suitable.

With her chin lifted, Ting Yun could not move; the panic in her heart worsened, yet she still forced herself to play her trump card:

"I hold the passcode of the Luofu Tianshu Division's Si Ta Yu Kong, and the Shen Wu Xian Zhou's Yue Yu Si Ta also knows the purpose of this trip of mine; you had best immediately exit my room."

Her whole body trembled slightly, yet she forcibly held herself up and dared not move rashly, relying entirely on the Shen Wu Army's reputation to give herself courage, hoping to force back this woman of unknown origin before her.

"Sharp-tongued, you actually have a bit of spirit."

Huan Long laughed lightly, pinching Ting Yun's cheek with one hand, applying slight force, forcing her lips to pout, her appearance coquettish and helpless.

"But I like it very much; this spirit suits my identity perfectly."

Ting Yun's heart turned cold, completely plunging into panic; just as she wanted to invoke the Shen Wu Army again to apply pressure, she saw Huan Long raise her hand and produce a dark token.

The token was engraved with the Shen Wu Xian Zhou's exclusive emblem.

Her pupils suddenly contracted slightly, her voice unable to stop from trembling: "Who are you?! Why would you have a Shen Wu token?!"

Huan Long looked at her frightened appearance, only finding it interesting, deliberately teasing slowly:

"Little sister, then take a look at this side as well?"

Her fingertip flipped the token; when the two gilt characters "Shen Wei" entered Ting Yun's view, the girl's mind was instantly torn between despair and a sliver of luck, her face turning deathly pale.

Ting Yun knew clearly in her heart that the other party temporarily dared not move against her, after all she represented the Fox People; harming her would mean making an enemy of the entire Fox People;

But she could not suppress her fear; the Shen Wu Xian Zhou was silent, no one could see through what Shen Wei was doing.

"Look how scared you are, even your fox fur has stood up~"

Seeing she was badly frightened, Huan Long no longer continued teasing; her fingertip lightly dispersed, and that token turned into stardust and dissipated without a trace.

Ting Yun violently retreated a step, broke free of her control, her back leaning against the sofa armrest before she steadied her figure, her voice carrying a shaken questioning:

"You're deceiving me? That token is fake?"

Huan Long lazily sat sideways on the sofa, elegantly crossing her jade legs, her posture leisurely and flamboyant, speaking faintly:

"Xing Xiao is Xuan Ge's publicly recognized consort; even with her special status, it is impossible for her to hold a Shen Wu token, so I naturally would not have one either."

Hearing the two characters "Xing Xiao", Ting Yun instantly realized; the identity of the woman before her was about to emerge.

"You are... Huan Long...!"

Xing Xiao is Xuan Ge's consort, but she is also a Jue Mie Da Jun;

And the Shen Wu Xian Zhou's Jue Mie Da Jun has never been just one; the person before her is clearly another — Huan Long.

"Mhm~ You're smart."

Huan Long frankly admitted her identity, but in her heart silently added a sentence:

I am still Huan Fei.

Recalling the scenes of serving Xuan Ge together with Xing Xiao in the past, a restless heat rose in her heart.

Even then she could accompany Xuan Ge, but ultimately she had no flesh body; that kind of experience fell short by more than a notch.

She was even nearly dried to death by Xuan Ge....

Once afterward she needed to recover.

Since she had already tasted that flavor, she was no longer willing to just watch from afar; she must seize a flesh body.

Thoughts returning, Huan Long raised her hand and waved lightly; like a magic trick, a private intimate photo of Xuan Ge appeared out of thin air in her palm.

This was precisely the photo Ting Yun had just put away, intending to keep privately.

Huan Long played with the photo in her hand, mimicking Xuan Ge's usual tone when threatening people:

"Ting Yun, you also wouldn't want to sell General Shen Wei's private beautiful photos and have the Shen Wu Army show up at your door overnight, right?

Don't forget, General Xuan Ge has a consort."

These words precisely poked Ting Yun's soft spot; she swallowed her saliva, her heart pounding wildly, her mind a chaotic mess.

All kinds of panicked thoughts rose and fell in succession; she simply did not know how to respond.

The smile at the corner of Huan Long's mouth deepened; she casually tossed the photo onto the table, saying no more.

A faint Sui Yang aura suddenly emanated from her whole body; her figure turned into a streak of flowing light and directly burrowed into Ting Yun's body.

Ting Yun's whole body stiffened; she subconsciously raised her hand to pat her own body, wanting to drive her out, her voice carrying tearful terror:

"Wait! What exactly are you doing?! Get out!"

In merely one second, Huan Long completely occupied Ting Yun's body, taking control of this lively fox person body.

She raised her hand and stroked her cheek, using Ting Yun's voice, smiling and teasing:

"Naturally it is to borrow your flesh body, go to Luo Fu to revive the Jian Mu, and do a 'great good thing'~"