However, Yaohua waited for a long time but didn't receive a reply from Chongming.
He just scrutinized her, as if he couldn't understand how the once - obedient little girl had become like this.
She then hugged the zither in her arms tightly. "If there's nothing else, I'll return to the Phoenix Clan first."
Watching the figure of the red - clad girl fade away, Chongming felt a twinge of melancholy and unconsciously pressed his chest, puzzled.
Yaohua was also quite helpless. She had taken on the task of finding the Exquisite Pagoda just to prevent her master from being punished, but her master hadn't shown any appreciation for her efforts for half a year.
"System, where is the Exquisite Pagoda?" she asked.
The system drawled lazily, "Naturally, it's in the hands of an exquisite person."
"What's an exquisite person?" Yaohua was confused.
But the system fell silent. She sighed. "I'll trade some demonic qi for the information."
"At least half of your demonic qi," the system replied immediately.
Yaohua twitched the corner of her mouth. This system was so greedy! Fine, she'd find the whereabouts of the Exquisite Pagoda by herself to avoid being extorted.
After returning to the Phoenix Clan, she informed the clans she was on good terms with, hoping they could help her search for the pagoda.
Soon, the Dragon Clan brought news.
"The Heavenly Demon has been spotted near Kunlun?" Yaohua crushed the spiritual note in her hand and murmured, "I'll go and take a look."
The snow on Kunlun Mountain never melted. The white expanse of snow and wind suppressed the fire - element spiritual power of the Phoenix Clan. Fortunately, Yaohua's cultivation was high enough to move through the snowstorm unaffected.
Demonic qi was hard to identify in the snowstorm. After searching for a long time, she finally followed the trace of demonic qi into a cedar forest.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered the forest, she was wrapped in a large net and hoisted up.
Realizing she had fallen into an ambush, Yaohua wasn't panicked. "Trifling tricks. You can't stop me."
Just as she was about to activate the True Fire of the Phoenix, Zhao Wu appeared in the forest.
He made some mysterious hand gestures, and Yaohua immediately felt a sharp pain in her forehead. The fire phoenix that was about to condense behind her instantly dissipated.
She gritted her teeth. "What... did you do to me?"
Seeing that she had lost her ability to resist, Zhao Wu burst into laughter. "I've said before that since we've formed the contract mark, you belong to me."
Yaohua felt an energy spreading from her forehead to her whole body, hindering all her movements. She couldn't help but feel annoyed. She had been too underestimating the enemy this time.
Seeing her frowning, Zhao Wu felt delighted. He stepped forward and pinched her face through the net.
Yaohua glared at him. "Let me go!"
Zhao Wu's eyes suddenly turned cold. "Hypocritical bitch. You colluded with others to lock your husband in the Exquisite Pagoda, and you still want me to let you go?"
He raised his hand high. Yaohua couldn't help but close her eyes. Hearing the whistling sound of his palm, it finally just gently brushed across her cheek.
Zhao Wu pinched her nose and grinned wickedly. "Don't be so naughty next time. Call me brother?"
Yaohua's face flushed with anger. "A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated. Don't touch me casually."
The more she reacted like this, the more interesting Zhao Wu found it. After teasing her for a while, he said contentedly, "Take her back."
"Wait, where's the Exquisite Pagoda?" Yaohua suddenly asked.
"I don't have that thing," Zhao Wu said, with his hands behind his back. "I set up this elaborate trap and deliberately leaked the whereabouts of the Heavenly Demon just to catch you, my lady."
Just as he was about to pull up the net, something unexpected happened.
A figure flashed out from the side and took Yaohua away.
Zhao Wu roared in anger. "Chase!"
But the figure was extremely fast and disappeared in a few moments.
Looking at the white snow, the other Heavenly Demons looked at each other in surprise. "Why does that person have the aura of a Heavenly Demon? Could it be someone from our clan?"
Zhao Wu's expression was gloomy. "It must be her new lover! I've only been locked in the pagoda for a short time, and she's already cuckolded me!"
"Gu Songyue, is it you?!"
When Yaohua recognized the figure, she was overjoyed. "Why are you here?"
Gu Songyue carried her to a safe place. "I've been protecting you all the way."
"You've been protecting me?" Yaohua laughed. "I didn't even notice."
Gu Songyue held out his wrist to her. "Drink some blood."
Before Yaohua could react, her lips were stained with blood. All her strength immediately returned. The True Fire of the Phoenix flared up and slowly condensed into the shape of a fire phoenix.
She carefully drank some blood. "Thank you."
Gu Songyue said quietly, "The contract mark between your eyebrows is very troublesome. Only the blood of a Heavenly Demon can temporarily suppress it. Stay away from Zhao Wu in the future."
Remembering how her spiritual power had been completely suppressed just now, Yaohua quickly nodded. "I understand. Thank you for saving me this time. I don't know how to repay you?"
Gu Songyue replied without hesitation, "If you really want to thank me, give me that caged bird."
Yaohua took out the mustard bag and released Xuanshang. She asked curiously, "What do you want this caged bird for?"
Gu Songyue just said enigmatically, "You'll know when the time is right."
After leaving this cryptic remark, he carried the caged bird and left in a hurry.
Yaohua was about to return to the Phoenix Clan when she felt a sharp pain in her ankle. She could only limp to a tree and thought about how to set her own bone.
At this moment, a streak of light flew from the horizon and landed in front of her.
She looked up, surprised. "Master?"
Chongming was dressed in snow - white clothes. Frowning, he stepped forward and forcefully grasped her ankle. "How did you get injured?"
"Er..." Yaohua said somewhat sheepishly, "I just fell into the Heavenly Demon's ambush. I sprained my ankle when I escaped."
Chongming exerted force, and her bone was set with a click. She winced in pain with tears in her eyes. "Master, can you be gentler?"
"If I'm gentle, how will you learn your lesson!" Chongming looked at her swollen ankle, the bloodstains on her body from the net, and the fingerprints of the Heavenly Demon on her fair cheek. Anger welled up in his heart.
Yaohua was startled.
She had never seen her master so out of control.
Chongming closed his eyes and tried to calm his anger. "That Zhao Wu has evil intentions. Knowing that you've been searching for the Exquisite Pagoda everywhere, he's bound to set up more ambushes for you. You were so impulsive and came alone. If you hadn't been lucky, you'd have been captured to be the Heavenly Demon's wife by now!"
His words were full of scolding, but Yaohua propped her chin up and felt something strange in her heart.
For some reason, she always felt that her master was nervous and out of control because she was in danger.
"So master cares about me so much," she blurted out.
Chongming was stunned and met her smiling eyes.
She pulled at his sleeve and gently shook it. "Master, don't be angry with me. I'm in so much pain and so tired now. Can you take me back?"
Chongming shook off her hand as if he had been electrocuted. His ears turned red, but his expression was extremely serious. "Don't think you can get away with this."
Yaohua pouted. "I know I was wrong. Next time when I go out to look for the Exquisite Pagoda, I'll definitely go with master and let master protect me, okay?"