After Provoking the Mad Beautiful Deity - Chapter 5

Forming Cultivation Partners.

When Hongchen awoke, that woman was toying with her bodhi bracelet. She made a sound of surprise, sitting up. “What are you doing in my Demon Palace?”

“See clearly now?” Yanlai propped herself up. “Your bracelet brought you to Phoenix Mountain. I’m curious, why did it bring you to me?”

Hongchen touched her chest, then her clothes they were the same set she’d worn before losing consciousness. She shook her head, stretched her neck, and said calmly, “I don’t know either. This thing has been with me since I can remember. It has a terrible temper goes crazy at the sight of men, and even crazier at cultivators, regardless of gender.”

Yanlai stared at the girl on the bed, her brow twitching slightly. The girl’s face was pure and ethereal, leaning against the cloud-patterned pillow as if boneless, her exposed skin appearing especially delicate.

She watched for a long time until a white veil covered her eyes. Hongchen teased her, “Your eyes are so strange, why does a white veil always appear over them?”

“Unclean things.”

“You’re saying my body is unclean? Clearly, it’s your own mind that’s impure. Do you want to look? I’ll let you.” Hongchen hummed twice, lying back down. A faint, pleasant fragrance drifted from her nose, and she couldn’t help taking a few extra whiffs.

Her chest no longer hurt, and her whole body felt comfortable. Suddenly, she remembered something. “Great Deity, did we dual cultivate?Yanlai waved her hand to dismiss the white veil, pretending not to hear, and said, “You’re missing one soul and one po.””

Hongchen wasn’t foolish she was simply missing a part of her soul. If an ordinary person lacked a soul, their mind would be incomplete and their spiritual power weak. But Hongchen was the opposite: her spiritual power was profound, and her actions were domineering. With her current power, she had already slain Jiuhan. If she were to recover fully, likely no one in the entire immortal clan could withstand her.

To kill Hongchen, one must first destroy the soul fragments she had left behind.

“I know. The demon physician told me. But I’m fine now, what use do I have for those soul fragments?” Hongchen smiled brightly, casually pulling a set of robes from the screen.

The moon-white dress had sleeves embroidered with golden thread in auspicious cloud patterns, feeling incredibly soft to the touch, and the hem was edged with ruyi designs. Very pleased, she put it on without hesitation.

Red was seductive; moon-white was dignified. Once Hongchen wore it, her entire aura transformed. She circled Yanlai, examining the sleeves and collar, utterly satisfied, and for the first time praised the immortal clan: “The embroiderers of the immortal clan are truly skilled.”

Yanlai shot her a glance. “I made this robe.”

“You made it?” Hongchen’s eyes widened, and she nodded again. “How about making me another one? For a change of clothes.”

Yanlai: “…”

“I’m going to a banquet. Do as you please, Demon Lord.” Yanlai returned the bodhi bracelet to her. In Yanlai’s hand, the bracelet was lifeless and still, but the moment it returned to Hongchen’s wrist, it emitted a red glow. Hongchen squinted her eyes and smiled. “Good, we’re going to the banquet too.”

Yanlai frowned. “What are you going for?”

“If you don’t take me, you’re not going either.” Hongchen gave a cold laugh, blinking lightly and touching her pretty cheek. “Think of a way to bring me along.”

“What are you going for?” Yanlai asked again. This little demon probably didn’t realize her notorious reputation, the immortal clan was searching for her everywhere.

Hongchen giggled. “I’m following you. We’ve already dual cultivated, so naturally, we’re cultivation partners. Partners should be together every day.”

Yanlai couldn’t be bothered to explain. Hongchen then said, “The Demon Physician told me my soul is in the hands of your Celestial Emperor. How about you help me get it back?”

“Why should I help you?” Yanlai found it strange. She had already saved her once, and now, on top of tarnishing her reputation, Hongchen was making such demands.

Hongchen placed her hands on her hips, speaking with unshakable confidence, “Because we’ve dual-cultivated. We’re cultivation partners just like a married couple in the mortal world.”

Yanlai: “…” There was no explaining this to her.

The Celestial Empress’s niece was getting married, and the news had spread far and wide. Phoenix Mountain received an invitation, and adhering to her principle of avoiding unnecessary conflicts, Yanlai decided to make time to attend.

The Demon Lord Hongchen was dressed up as a low-ranking cultivator, ostensibly Yanlai’s newly accepted disciple. According to divine hierarchy, minor immortals held no rank they were as common as weeds, and cultivators were even more plentiful. Hongchen was forced into a green dress and swaggered along behind Yanlai to the banquet.

Hongchen traveled by riding on flowers, while Yanlai relied on her sword. Standing atop the blade, Hongchen asked curiously, “Aren’t you a phoenix? Why don’t you fly?”

Yanlai ignored her. Hongchen sat on the edge of the sword, pulled out a red fruit, and took a bite. She gestured for Yanlai to sit, then offered her a green fruit.

Yanlai never drank water from outside Phoenix Mountain, let alone ate fruit from a demon lord. She closed her eyes, pretending not to hear.

“I have a question are we going to dual-cultivate tonight? After our last session, I felt so much better.”

“Great Immortal, do you have hearing problems in your daily life?”

“Yanlai, tell me, whose household are we visiting for this banquet?”

Her incessant chattering was grating, but Yanlai’s expression remained utterly unperturbed. Hongchen stood up and moved behind her. “If your ears aren’t working, let me fix them for you.”

Yanlai raised her hand to cover Hongchen’s mouth. Hongchen was taken aback, her nose filling with a cold, distant fragrance.

Standing so close, she could see the pulsing veins in Yanlai’s snow-white neck. Her skin was breathtakingly beautiful. Hongchen blinked, the sound of wind whistling in her ears.

“Great Immortal Yanlai, it’s been a long time.”

The “master and disciple,” standing close together, exchanged a glance. Yanlai’s hand rested on Hongchen’s slender waist so delicate it seemed it could be held in one hand but she quickly withdrew it. Even so, her palm felt scorching hot.

Hongchen blinked, about to say, “You touched me.”

But as soon as she opened her mouth, Yanlai seemed to anticipate her words and covered her mouth again. The words Hongchen meant to speak were stifled, her tongue brushing against Yanlai’s soft palm. A gentle breeze seemed to stir in her heart, and the atmosphere shifted subtly.

Huh, it tasted a little sweet.

Yanlai’s expression turned icy, her face dark with displeasure. She flicked her sleeve, summoning a whirlwind that swept the greeting immortal deep into the clouds.

Once the person was gone, she immediately released Hongchen and scolded, “Shameless.”

“You covered my mouth. If you hadn’t touched me, I wouldn’t have licked your hand. But your hand is actually sweet.” Hongchen wasn’t angry. She licked the corner of her lips, as if savoring a lingering sweetness, and asked curiously, “Are all you immortals this sweet?”

Yanlai: “…”

Yanlai turned away, unwilling to engage with the clueless demon lord. She thought to herself that she really needed to retrieve Hongchen’s soul.

She was too foolish, so foolish that Yanlai didn’t even want to speak.

They arrived at the foot of a mountain. The sword descended swiftly, landing on the ground in an instant. Hongchen blinked and exclaimed, “What a huge mountain!”

“Mount Baihua. The Heavenly Empress’s maternal clan is the Flower Immortal tribe, in charge of all the flowers under heaven.” Yanlai rarely offered an explanation, glancing down at Hongchen’s bare feet. She too knew flower magic, what was going on?

Hongchen was a vortex of mysteries; every encounter with her revealed countless secrets, making it impossible to discern her thoughts.

“You said, what is the Crown Prince?” Hongchen recalled the Crown Prince’s gentle face. “Is he also a flower?”

“The Heavenly Emperor is a golden dragon, so naturally, he is a dragon,” Yanlai patiently explained.

The two landed, and Yanlai presented the invitation. The forest before them suddenly revealed a majestic mountain gate, entwined with hundreds of flowers and fluttering butterflies, a truly spectacular sight. Hongchen gasped in amazement as Yanlai stepped through, and she quickly followed.

The mountainside was blanketed with blooming flowers, shrouded in mist. The soft green grass beneath their feet felt like walking on clouds. Hongchen stomped her feet, full of energy, plucked a flower, and popped it into her mouth, only to spit it out immediately. “So bitter!”

Yanlai moved with ethereal grace, her robes fluttering in the gentle breeze, exuding an aura of celestial elegance. The warm sunlight bathed her back, casting a mysterious, profound glow around her.

Having learned her lesson, Hongchen no longer assumed that everything in the immortal realm was fragrant or sweet. She trotted eagerly behind Yanlai, stepping precisely in her footsteps.

After what felt like an eternity, Hongchen grew weary. “We’ve been walking for two hours. Why haven’t we arrived yet? Why aren’t you flying? If you won’t fly, I will.”

Exhausted, Yanlai stopped. “If you fly and your demonic aura is exposed, I won’t be able to protect you.”

“I’d only fly for a moment, it’s not like I’m flying forever,” Hongchen complained, fanning herself with her hand. In the blink of an eye, red flowers coiled around their feet, forming a floral rope that lifted Yanlai.

Entwined by the blossoms, Hongchen grinned brightly and instinctively wrapped an arm around Yanlai’s waist.

Yanlai glanced down. “Remove your hand.”

“Earlier, when we were flying on the sword, you held me like this.”

“That was only for a moment.”

“But you still held me. I want to return the favor. Don’t move, someone’s coming.” Startled, Hongchen quickly landed on the grass. The red flowers at her feet vanished, but her hand remained firmly pressed against Yanlai’s waist.

Yanlai’s eyes flickered as she glanced at her. “Your hand.”

“What about my hand?” Hongchen feigned ignorance. Even as the approaching figures drew near, she refused to let go, cleverly calling out to Yanlai, “Master, who are they?”

She seemed foolish, yet she wasn’t. Yanlai herself brushed off the restless hand at her waist, and a white veil instantly appeared over her eyes. Hongchen made a sound of surprise as the newcomers bowed to Yanlai.

“Divine Lord Yanlai.”

Yanlai returned the greeting. “This is my newly accepted disciple, named,” She paused, then said casually, “This is Yanchen.”

Hongchen smiled brightly and nodded arrogantly at the others, as if she were the one inspecting her own junior disciples. Yanlai shot her a sidelong glance. “Show some respect.”

Hongchen was taken aback. “Who is he?”

Yanlai frowned, unable to answer for a long moment. She rarely ventured out, and this time, it was out of necessity. She didn’t recognize the person either.

The two stared at each other, wide-eyed and bewildered. Hongchen was utterly disdainful after all that, you don’t even know him yourself? What respect?

“Divine Lord Yanlai, I am a minor immortal from the Barren Wastes, named Xuanze.” Xuanze was deeply embarrassed and hurriedly bowed to Hongchen. “Greetings, miss.”

Ignoring the worldly affairs, her wrist trembling, she immediately pressed down on the bracelet and shot a glare at Yanlai. Understanding her meaning, Yanlai lifted her by the scruff of her neck and soared into the sky, a brilliant golden light bursting forth as a pair of wings large enough to blot out the sun unfurled behind her.

The iridescent wings were strikingly beautiful, wrapping around Hongchen’s body. Hongchen caught a whiff of a delicate fragrance and nuzzled against the wings. The soft feathers brushed against her cheeks, feeling incredibly soothing.

Yanlai: “…” She’s using them to wash her face.