Chapter 41: Will Be Struck by Lightning!

A horde of demon soldiers stormed into the dense forest, initially thinking it was some clueless little demon or cultivator who had trespassed into the demon realm, but who appeared was actually the Third Prince, Yun Tingliao, and two disheveled women.

"Subordinates greet... greet the Third Prince!" The demon soldiers instantly knelt in perfect unison.

"Well, I came out for a stroll with these two beauties; you needn't mind us, all of you, disperse!"

"Beauties?" The demon soldiers exchanged glances; when did the Third Prince's taste become like this? Are these two even worthy of being called beauties?

With disheveled hair and rumpled clothes, they hardly qualify as beauties; they're more like female ghosts.

The demon soldiers' leader, after an internal struggle, spoke frankly: "Third Prince, could you be under coercion? If so, just blink your eyes, and we subordinates will gladly sacrifice ourselves to rescue you from fire and water."

Hearing that, a soft hand quietly climbed onto Yun Tingliao's shoulder, like a thorny rose, alluring yet prickly.

Yun Tingliao understood Shi Ran's silent threat, he gave a helpless wry smile: "These idiots, even if they know I'm being coerced in their hearts, they can't just bluntly ask about it, can they?"

If they did ask, how could he answer? He could only go along with the kidnappers' intention: "Nothing's wrong; it's just that tonight's scenery is lovely, I came out for a stroll—don't worry about me, you all can disperse!"

Upon hearing that, the demon soldiers truly feared delaying the Third Prince's romantic affair, and in panic they all fled; in the blink of an eye, only the three of them remained where they stood, Yun Tingliao's wheelchair grip nearly crushed in his grasp, yet it was of no avail.

"These demon soldiers are truly adorably stupid!" Shi Ran declared, pushing the reluctant Yun Tingliao forward: "Come on, my Third Prince! Welcome to the mortal world to wander with us."

"One dream in the mortal world, myriad lives adrift—welcome to the world of the Floating Dream Sect."

Unimpeded by demon soldiers, the two humans and one demon traveled east all night before finally leaving the demon realm.

Upon exiting the demon realm, what lay before them was Flood Dragon Lake; beyond the lake lay Flood Dragon Village. At this moment, the dawn light was faint, the lake waters shimmered with misty ripples, and the silhouette of Billowing Mountain reflected upon the water—a picturesque scene worthy of an ink‑wash landscape. If only this mountain and lake were not the boundary between the human and demon realms, how wonderful that would be!

After a night of travel, Shi Ran's hands ached from fatigue; watching Wei Yuzhu primp back and forth by the lake, she couldn't help but ask: "Senior sister, what's up? Does this lake have a problem?"

"Indeed!" Wei Yuzhu removed her pearl crown, let her hair down, took the clear lake water as a mirror, tidied her hair, and casually remarked: "The problem is that it's too clear—nothing like lake water at all!"

"What kind of problem is that!" Shi Ran rolled her eyes, then turned her gaze to Yun Tingliao, only to find him staring blankly at Wei Yuzhu. Following his line of sight, she saw the brilliant play of light and shadow, Wei Yuzhu's smiling lips, her beauty surpassing all—forming a perfect picture of a lovely landscape and beauty.

The beauty lowered her head to tidy her cloud‑like tresses; ripples suddenly broke, jade hairpins scratched her head. Only after finishing her makeup did she realize how distant the spring mountains were, a faint green trace left for whom?

"What a pity!" Shi Ran shook her head; it's a shame Wei Yuzhu belongs to Gu Yusheng, otherwise she'd really want to play matchmaker—a handsome youth and lovely beauty, the gorgeous senior sister paired with a yandere villain—just thinking about it gets her excited!

A dark cloud drifted in the distance, faint thunder rumbling; Shi Ran instantly sobered, laughing nervously: "Just joking, just joking! Wei Yuzhu is an indispensable heroine of the harem novel, belonging solely to Gu Yusheng—no one can take her away!"

She had just been acting wildly; pay her no mind, don't worry about it!

The dark cloud seemed to sense Shi Ran's inner thoughts, leisurely drifted away, leaving only Shi Ran exhaling a sigh of relief after the ordeal.

"What sigh is that?" Wei Yuzhu tugged at her clothes and walked over to Shi Ran, saying: "This wedding outfit is gorgeous, yet not a single spot is comfortable—I don't know which seamstress they found, truly! What's up? Are you thinking of your master?"

"Nothing!" Shi Ran, now jumpy at every shadow, glanced around, saw no dark clouds, and relaxed a bit: "Don't spout nonsense—I'm really going to get struck by lightning!"

"Struck by lightning?!" Wei Yuzhu stared at Shi Ran in disbelief: "No way, no way—are you all from the Floating Dream Sect so rigid? As long as you like someone, whether human, demon, immortal, or devil, you just snatch them up first and talk later; a mere master—if you like them, just go for it!" She sobbed.

Shi Ran anxiously covered Wei Yuzhu's mouth: "Please, just shut up—I'm not being overly sentimental; I truly will be struck by lightning!"

Wei Yuzhu violently shook off Shi Ran's hand: "Shi Ran! Try covering my mouth again, and I'll pierce you with a Holding Elixir!"

"What are you trying to do?!" A cold voice rang out as a man floated down, clad in white robes that flowed gracefully, his ink‑black hair like silk, his face as white as jade, brows slightly furrowed, lips lightly pursed, a pair of icy, aloof phoenix eyes, and a vermilion dot beneath his lips—like a sudden splash of red added to an ink‑wash mountain‑water painting, bringing the whole scene to life.

The newcomer was none other than Ling Xiao, a tiny black dragon perched on his shoulder, its gaze fixed intently on Shi Ran!

Shi Ran startled, then obediently stepped forward: "Master, Senior Sister was just joking with me, hehehe!"

"Really?" Ling Xiao glanced at the tranquil Yun Tingliao behind them, noting the absence of the Binding Immortal Lock, and wondered how he could be so resigned to his current state.

"No!" Who would have thought Wei Yuzhu would seize the moment to shout: "Elder, she keeps telling me to be quiet! Please discipline her more strictly!"

"What did you say!" Ling Xiao, far from angry, earnestly asked: "What did you say that made her so angry she wants you to shut up?"

"I..." Wei Yuzhu lifted her head, only to catch Shi Ran's warning glance; they had just elevated their friendship to revolutionary camaraderie, but better leave it unsaid—speak and their bond would break.

"She said she likes the master and will be struck by lightning!" The usually silent Yun Tingliao suddenly spoke up—when he does speak, it's astonishing.

Shi Ran and Wei Yuzhu instantly panicked, one frantically waving her hands, "I didn't, I didn't!", the other shaking her head vigorously, "It's not like that! It's not like that!"

The scene fell into utter chaos for a moment; amidst the turmoil, Fantian finally realized something: "Shi Ran! Have you also taken him in?! Ah! I ran errands for you back and forth, while you behind me snatched one on the left and another on the right, splitting my household into three! Shi Ran! I will fight you to the death!"

Shi Ran grabbed Fantian's little tail: "Can't you stop adding to the chaos? Let me explain things to you tomorrow, okay?"

"No way!" Fantian angrily spat a mouthful of saliva at Shi Ran: "What about your initial promise? You took a broken umbrella from Fine Rain Town, and that wasn't enough—now you've gone and picked up a wolf as well! You might as well kick me out; give yourself some space!"

Ling Xiao couldn't bear to watch, seized Fantian's dragon horns and lifted him up: "Let her finish speaking first!"

"Fine! You two share the same pants!" Fantian grew even angrier; meanwhile Wei Yuzhu also sought trouble with Yun Tingliao: "What business is it of yours, always sticking your nose in? If you won't stop, don't call him Yun Tingliao—call him Yun Wall‑Corner! Stop meddling!"

The scene was momentarily in utter chaos; amidst it, a weak voice suddenly interjected: "Master, may I interrupt? Please, save me first!"