149: Chapter 149 Goodbye to Yaochi, Time to Run!

Afternoon, Yaochi Immortal Mountain, Yuqing Hall guest room.

Lu Chen shuffled out of the room, clutching his waist.

He had changed into a new white robe, the collar was fastened tightly, his wooden hairpin was reset, and the sword-nurturing gourd hung at his waist, making him look quite dignified.

But his walking posture betrayed him.

A Great Emperor Peak Physical Body, a frame that hadn't even sustained a red mark after enduring a Supreme Lightning Tribulation, had now been defeated at the hands of a little girl at the Middle Stage of the Sendai Realm.

It wasn't a defeat in cultivation, but a physical one; truly, a Fairy is the greatest stumbling block on a man's road to success!

That seemingly cold and ethereal Saintess of Yaochi, Yuan Miaoyu, fought as if she had cultivated some evil art; her physical recovery speed was ridiculously fast, and the extreme Yin attribute of the West Emperor Scripture made her more energetic as the battle went on.

Lu Chen took a deep breath.

A dignified Great Emperor Peak, sigh! He could no longer stay in Yaochi.

If he stayed any longer, he suspected he would become the first Great Emperor in the Human Realm to be squeezed into a dried-up husk.

Lu Chen forced himself to stand straight, took a step, and walked toward the courtyard where Ye Qingxian and the others lived.

After walking for a short while, he found the three girls by an immortal lotus pond.

Ye Qingxian was squatting by the pond, feeding the koi with Immortal Fruits; Nangong Ziyi sat cross-legged on a stone stool wiping a Magic Treasure; Ji Ziyue leaned against a pavilion pillar, her Phoenix eyes half-closed, lost in thought.

"Pack your things."

Lu Chen's voice came from behind, and the three of them turned their heads simultaneously.

Ye Qingxian was the first to jump up: "Revered Master! You're finally out! You were locked up by that Saintess for five days! I thought you were..."

She saw Lu Chen's walking posture, her words halted, and her big eyes blinked twice.

"Revered Master, what happened to your waist?"

"Strained it." Lu Chen said without changing his expression.

Nangong Ziyi's peach blossom eyes slid from his waist to his face, then back to his waist; her mouth twitched, but she said nothing.

Ji Ziyue's Phoenix eyes opened, her gaze circled around Lu Chen, and she suddenly smiled.

The smile was subtle, but with that curve, she understood everything.

"Let's go." Lu Chen couldn't be bothered to explain.

"The trip to Yaochi is over; we're heading home."

Ye Qingxian tilted her head: "Didn't you say we'd stay for half a month? It's only been five days."

"Plans have changed, early withdrawal."

"Why?"

"Don't ask. If you must know, your Revered Master is homesick."

Nangong Ziyi stood up and patted the dust off her skirt: "Senior, aren't you going to say goodbye to Holy Lord Yao and the others before leaving?"

Lu Chen's footsteps paused.

Say goodbye?

No way.

Once he said goodbye, he wouldn't be able to leave.

Yao Xi would definitely say 'stay for two more days,' and Yu Yao would definitely say 'you haven't soaked in the holy spring enough,' then the two of them would work together to keep him in Yaochi.

"No need," Lu Chen said in a low voice. "We're leaving quietly, no fanfare, don't alert anyone."

Ji Ziyue arched an eyebrow: "Sneaking away?"

"It's not sneaking away; it's a strategic relocation."

The three women looked at each other and packed their things.

Lu Chen intentionally suppressed his Great Emperor aura, his cultivation fluctuations refined to the point of being almost non-existent, just like a Mortal.

Ye Qingxian walked beside him, stood on tiptoe, and whispered: "Revered Master, we look like thieves."

"Shut up and focus on running."

Ahead, the edge of the barrier was already within sight.

A layer of light blue light curtain spanned the boundary of the immortal mountain; once they passed through, they would be completely out of the range of the Yaochi Holy Land.

Lu Chen quickened his pace, already calculating how to go into seclusion to recover once he got back.

"Lu Chen."

A clear voice came from the immortal lotus thicket on the left, unhurried.

Lu Chen's feet were nailed to the ground.

Behind the lotus thicket, two figures stepped out.

Yao Xi stood on the left, in seven-colored rainbow clothes, with exquisite makeup; her Supreme Realm cultivation fluctuations were steady and restrained, her autumn-water-like eyes held a smile, but there was a hint of resentment in that smile.

Yu Yao stood on the right, in a plain white palace dress, with a flying immortal bun and a green jade hairpin; her Phoenix eyes were slightly narrowed, a faint smile on her lips, composed and calm.

The two of them stood there, one on each side, blocking the only way out completely.

Lu Chen's scalp instantly went numb.

How did they know? It must be that damn Han Yunxi.

Lu Chen stood in place, his left hand still supporting his waist, his expression stiff.

The three girls behind him stopped in unison, and Ye Qingxian shrank behind Lu Chen.

Nangong Ziyi crossed her arms, her mouth twitching as if she were watching a good show.

Ji Ziyue simply leaned two steps to the side, indicating this had nothing to do with her.

"Uh, well." Lu Chen cleared his throat, his expression quickly switching to one of sincerity.

"I'm not sneaking away; I was just afraid of disturbing your peaceful cultivation, so I specifically didn't say anything!"

"Oh?" Yao Xi took a step forward, her Supreme Realm steps leisurely, until she stood right in front of Lu Chen, less than a foot between them.

She raised her hand, her slender fingers resting on Lu Chen's collar.

Lu Chen's body stiffened slightly.

Yao Xi didn't do anything else; she just helped him straighten his crooked collar; when her fingertips brushed his neck, they paused for half a beat on the two hickeys that had mostly faded.

Her gaze moved from the collar to his eyes.

"Go back then."

She said, her voice very soft, so soft only the two of them could hear.

"I know I can't keep you. You've been like this since hundreds of years ago—coming as you please and leaving without even a word."

Her hand slid down from his collar and rested on his chest; through the robe, she could feel the rhythm of his heartbeat.

"As long as you have me in your heart."

She paused, the corners of her mouth curving with a bit of certainty.

"I will go to the Eastern Wasteland to find you."

Lu Chen looked into her eyes and was silent for two breaths.

"Alright." He nodded. "I'll treat you to tea then. Do you like Photinia tea?"

Yao Xi gave another speechless roll of her eyes.

Yu Yao walked over from the other side.

She didn't have Yao Xi's deeply affectionate manner; she directly stuffed a Storage Pouch into Lu Chen's arms with considerable force, making his chest feel tight.

"Take it." Yu Yao snorted coldly, her Phoenix eyes looking away, not at him.

"Inside are Yaochi's top-grade spiritual peaches, enough for you to eat for three months. Use them sparingly."

She paused, then took out a crystal-clear white jade jar from her sleeve.

The jar was flowing with spiritual light, filled with a clear liquid; the Spiritual Qi was so dense it was overflowing from the seal.

"This is the Yaochi Immortal Spring." Yu Yao stuffed the white jade jar into his hand, her voice dropping three degrees, her Phoenix eyes finally turning back to look at him, the curve of her mouth meaningful.

Then she leaned in half a step, her lips almost touching Lu Chen's ear, her breath like orchids as she transmitted her voice.

"This immortal spring isn't ordinary water; one sip is worth three months of seclusion, and it's top-tier for recovering Spiritual Qi."

She paused, her voice carrying an indescribable tone.

"But logically speaking, it should be called 'immortal juice'. My disciple and I have both soaked in it, for a long time, very seriously. Take it back and savor it slowly; if you taste anything, remember to tell me."

Lu Chen's hand holding the white jade jar stiffened.

Yu Yao had already stepped back, holding an empty teacup, her Phoenix eyes curved like crescent moons, her whole being dignified and elegant—a completely different person from the vixen who had just whispered those words in his ear.

"When you finish it, come back early to ask me and my disciple for more." Yu Yao's voice returned to a normal volume, her tone cold.

"If you need to fight, remember to find Yaochi; we will help."

Lu Chen put the white jade jar into his Storage Ring, his expression wooden, his heart churning.

Neither of these two were easy to deal with.

"Alright, alright, everything that needed to be said has been said." Lu Chen took two steps back, circulated his spiritual power, and summoned that thousand-foot flying boat.

The flying boat broke through the air, hovering above the edge of the barrier, blotting out the sun.

He thought of something and felt a sudden sense of relief.

Jiang Yi and Nangong Waner had left hurriedly three days ago with the creation green lotus longevity pill because of their Family Old Ancestor's urgent transmissions.

If those two ancestors were also here, today's scene would have been at least three times worse.

"Let's go." Lu Chen leaped onto the deck of the flying boat.

Ye Qingxian followed with a skip, turning back to wave at Yao Xi: "Goodbye, Sister Yao! The Immortal Fruit cakes you made were delicious!"

The flying boat started, the array patterns lit up, and the thousand-foot giant ship silently passed through the barrier, speeding toward the outskirts of the Central Province.

On the deck, Lu Chen set the automatic navigation route and slumped onto a reclining chair.

Ye Qingxian leaned on the railing and looked back; the Yaochi Immortal Mountain grew smaller and smaller in her sight, eventually becoming a white dot in the sea of clouds.

Lu Chen let out a long breath of turbid air, his whole body sinking into the back of the chair.

Finally gone, finally some peace.

He closed his eyes, his mind already planning his retirement plan after returning—first, three months of abstinence to recover his Origin.

As for the matter of Zi Yanghua from the Zixiao Holy Land, there was no rush; he'd recover his body first.

Lu Chen lay back in the chair, covering his face with his hands.

Being a Great Emperor is truly fucking exciting, truly great!