284: Chapter 284 Flowers and Butterflies

Chu Sheng learned from the woman that this place was an independent small world, said to have been opened up by the Heavenly Demon Ancestor.

It was populated almost entirely by succubi, and she didn't know much else, though there were more secrets in the city.

Feeling that she was not lying, he walked out of the manor and continued along the small river.

He hadn't gone far when a burst of hurried footsteps came from behind him.

He turned back to look and saw the woman with the flower crown jogging to catch up, her skirt hem stained with mud and her hair somewhat disheveled.

Her eyes were still red, but the tear stains on her face had been wiped away, and a fawning smile hung at the corners of her mouth.

"Young Master, wait! Wait!" She panted as she ran up to Chu Sheng, bending over with her hands on her knees, gasping for air.

Chu Sheng looked at her. "That's a bit much. You're already at the Dao Palace stage, yet you're panting after running a few steps. You're not even as good as a Qi Induction Cultivator."

The woman straightened up, patted her chest, and forced a smile.

"Young Master, this young woman is called Bai Hua. Just now... just now I offended you. I hope you can be magnanimous and not hold it against me."

Chu Sheng said, "I don't blame you. The tea was quite good."

Bai Hua was stunned for a moment, then smiled even more brilliantly, her eyes curving like crescent moons.

"Young Master is truly magnanimous. I've lived here for so many years and have seen many people come in, but you are the first one who is so easy to talk to."

Chu Sheng's eyebrows twitched.

"People who came in? Besides me, have others been here?"

Bai Hua nodded and counted on her fingers.

"Quite a few have been here. There were those from the Demon Race, the Human Race, the Yao Race, and a few whose race I couldn't distinguish. However..." She paused, her voice lowering slightly, "Most of them died."

"How did they die?" Chu Sheng asked.

Bai Hua shook her head. "I don't know. Either way, they were fine when they came in, but they just collapsed while walking. Some were killed by the Restrictions in the Secret Realm, some were eaten by Yao Beasts, and others were..."

She glanced at Chu Sheng and didn't continue.

Chu Sheng finished for her, "And some were killed by succubi like you."

Bai Hua's face flushed, and she lowered her head, her voice sounding like a mosquito's buzz.

"This young woman... this young woman had no choice. After staying here for so long, one inevitably gets lonely."

Chu Sheng didn't respond and continued walking forward.

Bai Hua hurriedly followed, like a little tail that couldn't be shaken off.

"Young Master, where are you going?" Bai Hua asked.

"Entering the city." Chu Sheng pointed to the outline of the small city ahead.

Bai Hua gave an "oh," then suddenly remembered something, and her eyes lit up.

"Right, Young Master, I have an older sister named Bai Die who is in the city. She is the most powerful person here, and her cultivation is higher than mine, at the Dao Completion Early Stage. If you go, you must go see her."

Chu Sheng said, "We'll see."

Bai Hua didn't mind and continued following him.

As they walked, she suddenly slowed her pace, tilted her head, and looked Chu Sheng up and down.

Her gaze was very focused, as if she were trying to identify an uncertain object.

"Young Master, are... are you that Chosen One?" Her voice carried a hint of probing.

Chu Sheng stopped walking and turned his head to look at her.

"What Chosen One?"

Bai Hua said, "It's a story passed down here. A long, long time ago, it was said that one day, a Chosen One would come to this Secret Realm. He would pass through one of the seven gates, come to us, and then..."

She paused, her eyes becoming somewhat distant. "Then he will lead us out of this small world to the outside world."

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment.

"Among those who came before, was there no one like that?"

Bai Hua shook her head. "There were some who resembled him, but none were complete matches. Some had insufficient cultivation, some didn't have the right Physique, and some had poor Heart-Nature. In any case, they all died in the end."

She looked at Chu Sheng, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"But Young Master, you are different. You have the Heavenly Demon Body and are at the Daocheng Realm of cultivation; this is exactly the same as the signs in the legend."

Chu Sheng said, "It's just a legend. Don't take it seriously."

But Bai Hua had already taken it seriously.

She was like a bee that had discovered nectar, sticking to Chu Sheng's side, impossible to drive away no matter what.

Her face carried a kind of almost devout excitement, her eyes shining like two stars.

"Young Master, you must be the Chosen One. This young woman will follow you."

Chu Sheng sighed helplessly, ignored her, and continued walking forward.

The city gate of the small city appeared ahead.

The city walls were not high and were covered in vines blooming with tiny flowers.

The city gate was open, and there were no guards, only two women in light green long dresses standing at the entrance, as if waiting for someone.

Seeing Bai Hua, they hurriedly came up to meet her.

"Sister Bai Hua, you're back? And this is..."

Bai Hua took Chu Sheng's arm, smiling triumphantly.

"This is my guest, and also the Chosen One. Move aside, don't block the way."

The two women exchanged a glance, a flash of surprise in their eyes, and then hurriedly made way.

Chu Sheng walked through the city gate, and the sight before him made him pause slightly.

The street was not wide, but it was very clean, paved with bluestone slabs, and lined with various shops on both sides.

Shops selling flowers, cloth, jewelry, and snacks—everything one could want.

There were quite a few pedestrians on the street, but the vast majority were women.

Young ones, old ones, those wearing red, those wearing green, in twos and threes, chatting and laughing.

Seeing Chu Sheng, they all stopped and cast curious gazes at him.

Someone whispered, "Who is that? Why is it a man?"

"I don't know. It seems he was brought by Sister Bai Hua."

"He's quite handsome."

"Don't be a fangirl, he might be the Chosen One."

Chu Sheng walked along the street, watched by countless gazes, feeling like a monkey locked in a cage.

He thought to himself: The gender ratio here is too imbalanced. Women account for the vast majority, while men are few and far between.

He asked Bai Hua, "Where are the men here?"

Bai Hua said, "Men? Not many. Some died, some left, and others..."

She paused, her voice lowering, "Were kept by the sisters."

Chu Sheng did not ask further.

He understood what "kept" meant.

Bai Hua led Chu Sheng through several streets to the front of a grand mansion.

The mansion was large, with vermilion gates and two stone lions in front, looking majestic.

Hanging above the lintel was a plaque with two characters written on it: Bai Manor.

Bai Hua pushed the door open and pulled Chu Sheng inside.

The courtyard was filled with flowers—all kinds of flowers, red, white, yellow, purple—like a garden.

A woman was sitting in a pavilion in the garden, drinking tea.

She was wearing a white long dress, her hair tied in a high bun, her face bearing some resemblance to Bai Hua's, but more mature and more charming.

Her cultivation was at the Dao Completion Early Stage, her aura introverted, like a pool of still water.

Seeing Bai Hua and Chu Sheng, she put down her teacup and stood up.

"Bai Hua, and this is..."

Bai Hua ran over, took the woman's arm, her voice filled with excitement.

"Sister, this is the Chosen One I encountered! He passed through the Gate of Lust, has the Heavenly Demon Body, and is at the Daocheng Realm of cultivation, exactly as in the legend!"

The woman's brows furrowed slightly, her gaze falling on Chu Sheng, looking him up and down.

Her gaze was very sharp, like two knives, attempting to see through Chu Sheng's background.

Chu Sheng stood there, letting her look him over, his expression unchanged.

The woman watched for a good while, then slowly opened her mouth, her voice very soft but very clear.

"You... are the Chosen One?"

Chu Sheng said, "I don't know about any Chosen One. I came here for the Legacy of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor."

The woman was silent for a moment, then smiled.

The smile was very faint, like winter sunlight—it warmed for a moment, then disappeared.

"The Legacy? It's not that easy to obtain."

She walked out of the pavilion, came to Chu Sheng, and extended her hand.

"I am called Bai Die. Bai Hua's older sister. Welcome to our city."

Chu Sheng took her hand, feeling the temperature of her palm—slightly cool.

"Chu Sheng."

Bai Die released his hand and turned to walk into the house.

"Come in. Since you are here, there are some things you should know."

Bai Hua pulled on Chu Sheng's sleeve and followed.

Chu Sheng walked behind the two, looking at this mansion filled with flowers, a strange feeling suddenly rising in his heart.

He thought to himself: What kind of secrets is this Secret Realm hiding?

And what are the identities of Bai Die and Bai Hua?

He had a premonition that the answer lay ahead.

He quickened his pace.