Chapter 63 – Chance Encounter

Regarding Hao Chen’s words “pledge your heart to me,” Feng Ye didn’t take this sentence to heart at all. This fellow always spoke in such a way.

In fact, Hao Chen had used the phrase “pledge your heart” twice. The first time, he wanted to pledge himself to Feng Ye, and the second time, he wanted Feng Ye to pledge himself to him. In the end, it made no difference which of them did so.

Even after discovering who Hao Chen was, Feng Ye still couldn’t see him as the mysterious, temperamental Lord of the North Sea from the legends. 

He was a leader who held command over an entire region, and Feng Ye thought it would be proper for him to be dignified and solemn, or calm and reserved. But did Hao Chen resemble any of these descriptions?

If Feng Ye had to use one word to describe Hao Chen, the only one he could think of was “slippery.” He was just like those scoundrels on the streets who whistled at beautiful women passing by, as indecent as could be.

The only difference between Hao Chen and those scoundrels was that he had been born with good looks. He usually had the look of a gentleman, and could just barely be upgraded from scoundrel to playboy, but he was still a scoundrel at heart. 

A shameless scoundrel who had lived for who knew how many years.

Could a scoundrel’s words be taken at face value?

Of course not.

Whistling and verbal flirting were deviant behaviors. It may not be that the person had genuine feelings toward the one they were flirting with, but that they would feel uncomfortable if they didn’t take advantage.

He would just let him take advantage of him verbally and consider it a favor to him. Thus, Feng Ye just laughed off Hao Chen’s words.

However, Hao Chen refused to quit. As soon as he saw Feng Ye’s expression, he realized that he wasn’t taking his words seriously at all.

Although he had said “pledge your heart” casually and without much sincerity, his feelings toward Feng Ye only went as far as attraction.

From being attracted to him to determining that this was the only person he would spend his life with, there was still a long way to go.

Other than love at first sight, all feelings required a certain process of mutual understanding. At the moment, Hao Chen felt that his understanding of Feng Ye was far from sufficient. He didn’t even know Feng Ye’s real name.

Speaking of feelings was one thing, but when it came to pledging themselves to each other and getting married, regardless of whether or not Feng Ye agreed, Hao Chen would be hesitant.

But Feng Ye not taking him seriously actually aroused a bit of dissatisfaction in his heart.

“Does Fellow Daoist Feng Ye think I’m joking?” Hao Chen asked in a dour tone.

He was upset with his perfunctory response and had come to find fault. Feng Ye was relieved. Knowing that Hao Chen was just trying to cheer him up, Feng Ye had no desire to argue with him right then.

So he followed Hao Chen’s lead and said: “Of course not, it’s just that…..”

He deliberately put on an awkward expression: “Marriage is a matter that can’t be decided between us. We at least have to have our parents’ consent.”

Hao Chen: “…..” He had been born from and raised by nature. How could he have parents?

And while he didn’t have any, could it be that Feng Ye did?

So Hao Chen asked with a twitch to his mouth: “What if I have no parents?”

“Etiquette cannot be ignored. Without this procedure, it can only be said that…..” Feng Ye said sadly, “You will die alone.”

Hao Chen: “……” Bullshit, Feng Ye was just being perfunctory with him.

He was going to say more, but Fang Yang suddenly abandoned his chat with Cao Zirui and ran back to them, forcefully interrupting the conversation. Fang Yang tugged at Feng Ye’s sleeve and pointed ahead with pleasant surprise: “Shixiong, the exit is open! We can leave!”

Feng Ye and Hao Chen simultaneously raised their heads. The two of them realized that while they were talking nonsense, the one-day time limit had unknowingly arrived. The exit to the Floating Island Secret Realm had appeared out of thin air in the open space in the middle of the crowd.

It was a circular curtain of water two meters in diameter. The water shimmered, rippling gently as the wind blew across it.

After having experienced the turbulent abyss of the entrance, this lightly rippling curtain of water looked harmless.

Therefore, no one was afraid of this exit that had appeared in a flat, open space, and there was no situation like during the secret realm’s opening, where nobody wanted to go first.

Starting with those closest to the exit, everyone spontaneously lined up in order of distance to go out.

Feng Ye and the others were quite a distance from the exit. The water curtain was not wide, and could only accommodate one person at a time, so they still had a while to wait. The four of them weren’t in a hurry, and waited there patiently.

While they waited, Feng Ye glanced around. More than 1,700 people had entered the Floating Island Secret Realm, but at this moment, although there was a huge mass of people gathered near the exit, it was difficult to say that they even reached 1,000.

As for those who hadn’t appeared at the exit, they would never appear again.

“Lu Chengye isn’t here?” Fang Yang looked around as well. He had been in a state of constant unease, fearful of running into Lu Chengye again. Although there were a lot of people at the exit and it wouldn’t be easy for him to take action, Lu Chengye had a powerful magic weapon in his hands. If he really lost his mind and tried to kill them, it was difficult to say what would happen.

But who would have thought that at this point in time, Lu Chengye would fail to show up? This shouldn’t be the case, ah. Although Lu Chengye only possessed the strength of someone at the seventh level of Qi Refining, the power of his magic weapon elevated him above Golden Core stage. He shouldn’t have encountered an accident, right?

Fang Yang thought this not because he didn’t wish ill upon Lu Chengye. He harbored no good feelings toward this person who had repeatedly attempted to take his life, but logically speaking, the probability of Lu Chengye encountering an accident was very small.

Fang Yang suspected that he just hadn’t looked carefully enough, so he cast his gaze around carefully once more. When Fang Yang called his attention to the matter, Cao Zirui looked around as well.

After searching in one direction each, they exchanged glances and came to the same conclusion: he really wasn’t here.

Lu Chengye really wasn’t here.

Fang Yang turned to look at Useless Shixiong: “Shixiong, it seems Lu Chengye really isn’t here.”

While Fang Yang and Cao Zirui were searching everywhere, Feng Ye and Hao Chen remained in place as if nothing was wrong. The two were too lazy to do fruitless work. Lu Chengye was completely, thoroughly, utterly dead. It would be strange if he actually appeared here.

But they obviously couldn’t say this, so Feng Ye thought for a moment and came up with a reason: “Maybe he encountered some kind of monster.”

It sounded possible, so Fang Yang nodded in acceptance.

But then Hao Chen suddenly cut in: “Or perhaps someone couldn’t tolerate his conduct and secretly took action to uphold justice?”

Feng Ye: “…..”

Hao Chen really couldn’t live up to the praise he was given. Just when Feng Ye thought they were on good terms, he came over in the next moment to ruin his plans.

Feng Ye sent him a furtive glare. Hao Chen placed the tip of his fan against his lips, pretending to suddenly become aware of his slip of the tongue. But in fact, he had done it on purpose.

Fortunately, Fang Yang was still as slow as ever. He crossed his arms and pondered for a moment, then led Cao Zirui, who was thinking over Hao Chen’s words, onto the wrong path: “It’s possible, or even more likely, that he fell directly into the trench during the earthquake and was eaten by a monster. He’s done so many horrible things that even the heavens couldn’t tolerate him anymore!”

He patted Cao Zirui on the shoulder: “This is a good thing. Consider it vengeance for you.”

Cao Zirui’s contemplation was interrupted. He was briefly taken aback, then nodded in response to Fang Yang while sneaking a few glances at Feng Ye.

Feng Ye’s expression had returned to normal after he glared at Hao Chen, and Cao Zirui couldn’t glean any hints. Perhaps he was overthinking it.

The tight crowd grew thinner and thinner. Most people had already left the secret realm, and after waiting for some time, their own turn arrived.

Fang Yang took Cao Zirui’s hand and excitedly ran ahead out of the secret realm.

And Feng Ye and Hao Chen followed behind unhurriedly. Seeing as the two young ones were gone, Feng Ye could do as he pleased again. He immediately glared at Hao Chen.

Cao Zirui had been staring at him just now, and even though he had tried to be discreet, Feng Ye had still noticed. This big-mouthed Hao Chen. Feng Ye now regretted allowing the crow to watch the show for so long. This fellow had no self-awareness when it came to watching a free show. Not only had he not bought a ticket, but he wasn’t satisfied with just watching it himself, and even wanted to spread it around.

Hao Chen’s lips rose in a triumphant smirk, making a vein in Feng Ye’s forehead jump. The slight warmth of Hao Chen’s comfort just now vanished without a trace.

Hao Chen also realized that he had gone too far. Before Feng Ye could come and settle the score with him, he quickened his pace and rushed out of the secret realm ahead of Feng Ye without looking back. 

Although the water curtain connected two different worlds, when standing in front of it, one could only see their own reflection and nothing of the world beyond it.

Thus, after Hao Chen passed through, Feng Ye lost sight of him for a short time.

Feng Ye stood there and shook his head helplessly. Once again, he was convinced that all of Hao Chen’s years of life had been in vain. He was clearly still at the mental age of three. So childish!

He lacked the self-awareness to realize that he was equally childish when playing with Hao Chen.

Although Feng Ye had temporarily lost sight of Hao Chen, he would see him again after passing through the water curtain. This fish couldn’t escape. With that thought in mind, he went to step through the water.

However, his pause had led the person behind him to believe that he wasn’t going through right away, so he circled around him to continue forward. And when Feng Ye took his step, the two of them squeezed into the water curtain at the same time.

The water curtain was only so big, enough for one person to pass through, but quite a squeeze for two.

Feng Ye was the one who had dawdled, and was in no hurry at the moment, so he readily stepped back and gestured for the other person to go first.

As he stepped back, he took the opportunity to study the person he was pressed against. He couldn’t see anything clearly. He could tell that the man was around the same height as himself, but as for his build, he had no idea.

Because the man was covered in loose black robes, without even a hint of skin exposed. He was covered more thoroughly than a young, unmarried girl.

When Feng Ye looked at him, the other person also turned his head to look back.

Feng Ye stared blankly. Instead of seeing the face of this mysterious man, he saw only a cold iron mask.

The eyes revealed behind the mask were a deep, bottomless black.

After exchanging a brief glance with Feng Ye, the man turned his head back and stepped forward with his right foot, passing through the water curtain.

Ripples spread out, and the man’s figure disappeared.

Feng Ye frowned. He felt like…..that person looked strange…..

But he couldn’t tell where the strangeness came from. Could it just be how he was hiding under his clothes? No, that wasn’t so odd. Everyone was different, and there were always some things they couldn’t express or easily share with others.

But those eyes had made him feel inexplicably uneasy.

His sixth sense may not be completely accurate, but most of the time it wasn’t groundless.

With this in mind, Feng Ye immediately followed in the man’s footsteps and crossed the water curtain. He wanted to catch up and get a better look.

His vision was obscured for a short time before becoming clear again, and the quiet in his ears was filled with the noise of a boisterous crowd. 

He stood on an unknown island. The entrance to the Floating Island Secret Realm was above the sea, but the exit was on an island.

The flat island was filled with cultivators who had exited the Floating Island Secret Realm and were chatting with their fellow friends waiting outside. It was as lively as a market.

Hao Chen, Fang Yang, and Cao Zirui were also standing not far away. The three of them looked toward Feng Ye as he slowly came through the exit, and Fang Yang even waved.

But Feng Ye didn’t seem to notice. With a frown on his face, he searched everywhere for that man but found nothing.

He was gone…..

The man had vanished in a matter of moments.

Feng Ye stood there in silence.

Seeing this, Fang Yang and the two others approached him in puzzlement. Fang Yang called to the frowning Feng Ye, whose thoughts were unguessable: “Shixiong! What are you daydreaming about, ah?”

Feng Ye didn’t answer him. Instead, he pulled Hao Chen aside and asked with some urgency: “Did you see the man who came out between you and me?”

Hao Chen replied: “What is Fellow Daoist Feng Ye talking about? How could there be a third party between us…..”

He was unable to continue when he caught sight of Feng Ye’s grave expression. He couldn’t help but mind his behavior and reply seriously: “Nobody came out between you and me.”

“Are you sure?” Feng Ye asked.

Hao Chen nodded affirmatively: “I’m sure.”

Feng Ye’s expression turned unsightly at once. Although this guy Hao Chen seemed unreliable, as one of the most powerful gods in heaven, he was still strong. Who could vanish quietly under his nose? 

Feng Ye could only think of one answer. He had never suspected that just like this, he would unexpectedly meet the person he was pursuing.

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Chapter 62 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 64