Chapter Eighty-Six: Xu Youwei
Tender, jade-like legs appeared and disappeared with every graceful step she took. Her slender, shapely calves rested in a pair of sparkling, warm-jade high heels, and her fair, delicate feet, flush with a soft, rosy hue, looked touchingly fragile. The arch of her feet formed a breathtaking curve, stretching down to toes as dainty and fresh as lotus shoots.
Her delicate, slender hands were folded gracefully at her waist, instantly revealing an air of dignity and nobility. Her cascading hair fell in waves, draping over her waist. Her eyes, sharp as swords yet charmingly alluring, seemed to shimmer with the brilliance of stars. Her bright red, vermilion lips were lightly pursed, and her exquisite, jade-like nose completed a face that was heavily made up yet devoid of any sense of vulgarity.
Clearly, Xu Youwei had dressed with great care today.
She was well-deserving of her reputation as the most favored concubine of the Zhu family; compared to the Queen herself, she was in no way inferior.
"My lady, you look truly beautiful today!" Li Yu did not hesitate to praise her.
"Then why did you only come now?" A soft, mature voice drifted languidly from Xu Youwei's vibrant red lips.
She was a woman who understood men well, knowing exactly how to display her beauty.
"My lady, you didn't summon me here just for romance! I, too, am quite conflicted," Li Yu said, pulling the stunning, mature woman into his arms.
Xu Youwei was slightly taken aback, then let out a charming laugh: "Then why did you still come?"
"Because compared to the demands that follow, I am far more interested in your beauty, my lady!" With that, Li Yu kissed those alluring, deep-red lips with overbearing passion.
He lifted the hem of her skirt, getting straight to the point.
There was no choice; he had been teased into a burning frenzy at the dinner table. He had originally intended to seek comfort from Zhu Zhuyun, but as she was an unmarried maiden, Li Yu had not dared to go all out.
That was why he had rushed to the Rose Hotel.
"Why are you so impatient! Ah! It’s too full! Yours is too big!" Her seductive voice came, accompanied by a slight frown from Xu Youwei.
"Didn't you measure it with your feet, my lady? Why are you still so surprised?" Li Yu replied, kissing the tear-streaked corner of her eye.
They hadn't even removed their clothes before they caught fire like dry wood meeting a blaze!
Outside the window, a purple mist slowly began to rise once more.
The residents of Star Luo City were left in bewilderment, wondering what on earth was happening that night.
Far away, ten thousand miles away at the Heaven Dou Palace, a similar scene was unfolding.
A man’s coat covered the face of a woman with long, golden hair. Her body trembled in a state of debauchery, and soft, rhythmic sounds drifted from beneath her.
"Can you tell me who you are? I want to know who you are!" the voice shrieked hysterically.
The woman, half-suspended in the air, suddenly stiffened, her trembling becoming even more violent.
For a whole month, every night had been like a dream.
Queen Elena felt as if she were going mad.
Once the most beautiful socialite in the aristocratic circles, she had been chosen by the aging Emperor Xue Ye during a chance encounter and taken into the harem. After the death of the former queen, Elena, mother of Xue Beng, successfully ascended to the throne. Born into a minor noble family, others thought her life complete, but in reality, it was not. Since the former queen's passing, Xue Ye’s health had been failing, which was a torture for Elena, who was in the prime of her life.
She had hinted at Xue Qinghe several times, but to no avail. Instead, her own son, for reasons unknown, had begun to obsess over her body.
She never expected her son to be so pathetic, even worse than the old Xue Ye.
Until that man appeared—haunting her dreams. Although she didn't know his face, he left her unable to stop. Even if he were an ugly old man, she would accept it! Now, all she wanted was to see him once!
Elena had never longed to see someone so desperately.
...
Xu Youwei finally understood what it meant to be full of energy, what it meant to be vibrant and alive, what it meant to be in a state of ecstasy, and what it meant to be unable to stop!
From the depth of the night until dawn, there was even that mystical sensation of floating in mid-air!
For Xu Youwei, whose only previous experience had been with the old man Zhu You, she finally discovered the true joy of being a woman.
"I can't live without you!" Xu Youwei’s chestnut-colored hair draped over Li Yu’s chest, her face pressed against his ear.
Li Yu stroked her graceful, supple body, feeling the damp smoothness on his skin.
No wonder Zhang Ailing once said: The path to a woman's soul is through...
"I will give you a result! Wait for me for one year!" Li Yu thought to himself while speaking.
"My family wants me to get close to you! To plot some things for them!" Xu Youwei said, playfully tracing circles on Li Yu’s chest.
"And what about now?" Li Yu asked, looking at Xu Youwei.
"I only want to be your woman," Xu Youwei replied.
"I can guess a thing or two about what your family is planning. I can support it! But you must listen to me," Li Yu said.
"I don't want you to get hurt."
Xu Youwei’s words touched Li Yu slightly. He could feel the sincerity in them.
"It's fine! I happen to have some ideas about the Dai royal family as well!" Li Yu said with a smile.
He pulled an item from his soul-guiding device and handed it to Xu Youwei: "This incense can cloud a person's mind!"
"Are you planning to...?" Xu Youwei quickly understood what Li Yu intended to do.
"You are my taboo! In three years, I will marry you!" Li Yu said tenderly.
...
"Brother! Tell the truth! Where have you been every night?" Xiao Wu asked, hands on her hips, accusing him.
"Brother is busy! I spend the day with my little sister! Only at night do I have time to improve my cultivation!" Li Yu said with a pained, smiling face.
"Really?" Xiao Wu was skeptical, as Li Yu was always full of spirit every morning, looking nothing like someone who had spent the night in arduous cultivation.
Li Yu, however, was quite righteous, for he truly was practicing. Although the effects weren't as obvious as the first time, his daily progress was visible to the naked eye.
Now, the Tree of Life in Li Yu’s Dantian was ten thousand zhang tall, and the land area was a considerable ten million square kilometers.
Moreover, Li Yu could now sense the presence of the Vermilion Bird.
"Brother will give you a gift in two days, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!" Li Yu smiled mysteriously.
"What gift?" Xiao Wu was instantly interested.
"It's a secret for now!"
"Brother! You're so bad!" Xiao Wu pouted, complaining with dissatisfaction.
"If your brother isn't bad, then who is?" Liu Erlong’s voice drifted over.
Li Yu looked up to see Erlong and Dugu Yan arriving in the courtyard together.
Li Yu stepped forward with a smile: "You two—one a snake, one a dragon—actually mocking your husband! I don't know who it is that clings to me at every opportunity, begging for dual cultivation!"
"Pah! Xiao Wu is still young, don't talk nonsense!" Liu Erlong’s cold face flushed slightly.
Li Yu wasn't talking nonsense. Recently, Long'er had become very proactive. To ensure fairness, on one dark, windy night, Li Yu had used a teleportation technique to carry a candidly exposed Liu Erlong directly to Dugu Yan’s room. From then on, things had spiraled out of control.
This was also the reason why Queen Elena could only encounter Li Yu in the latter half of the night.
Dragons and snakes are indeed inherently lustful; it is truly terrifying!
The City of Slaughter.
A relatively mysterious existence on the continent.
People who enter here lose their martial souls and soul power, leaving only the bloodiest of hand-to-hand combat. There is no kindness, no warmth, no sunlight here—only terrifying slaughter.
If it weren't for Teacher Bibi Dong telling him, Li Yu would never have found the entrance. He walked curiously into a small, desolate tavern.
Li Yu spoke to the attendant at the counter: "Two glasses of Bloody Mary!"
As the attendant served two glasses of blood-red liquid, Hu Liena curiously picked up a glass. Smelling the overwhelming stench of blood, she wanted to take a sip.
Li Yu stopped her with one hand: "Give it to me!"
He drank the contents of the glass in one gulp.
Hu Liena immediately realized that this was definitely not something good!
Soon, Li Yu was led into a wilderness.
Hu Liena took out her sword and slashed at an unremarkable patch of wasteland; the entrance appeared immediately.
It was very well hidden.
Just after entering, Hu Liena, who was walking in front, froze in place, her expression dazed as if she were recalling something.
Li Yu walked up and gently tapped the center of Hu Liena’s brow:
"Bing!"
As Li Yu spoke the mantra, Hu Liena’s eyes instantly cleared!
"Thank you!" Hu Liena knew she had been caught in an illusion and expressed her gratitude to her junior brother.
"You're welcome! Nana could have woken up on her own! I just couldn't bear to see Nana suffer mental torment."
*Clatter, clatter, clatter...*
From the entrance passage, the sound of horse hooves could be heard.
Black clothes, a black horse, and a blood-red iron sword.
The newcomer didn't say a word. Seeing the intruders, he immediately sped up his horse and swung his sword at Li Yu.
Li Yu gently lowered his hand and struck out with his palm toward the knight. From five or six meters away, a burst of true energy in the shape of a palm print flew out, sending the black-clad knight and his warhorse flying out of the passage.
Just as Li Yu wanted to take Hu Liena’s hand and head inside, a seductive figure appeared behind them.
"Welcome to the City of Slaughter! Let me guide you to the City of Slaughter!" She stepped forward and greeted Li Yu warmly.
Li Yu appreciated the sight of the seductive, black-clad guide.
Suddenly, he felt a pain in his waist and looked at his senior sister with a grievance.
"Is she good-looking?" Hu Liena asked softly, her willow eyebrows slightly knit.
"How could she even compare to a ten-thousandth of you, Senior Sister?" Li Yu said, proactively stepping forward to massage Hu Liena’s shoulders.
The black-clad woman didn't mind, twisting her slender waist as she continued the introduction: "The rule of the City of Slaughter is that there are no rules! This is a paradise of sin, and one can only enter, never leave. Only by becoming the champion of the Hell Slaughter Arena and passing through the Hell Road can one leave, and you will also earn the title of 'Slaughter God.' In the thousands of years of the City of Slaughter, only eight Slaughter Gods have ever appeared."
Li Yu observed the bleakness of the outer City of Slaughter.
While massaging Hu Liena’s shoulders, he asked: "Nana! Shall we go directly to the Slaughter Arena?"
Hu Liena enjoyed Li Yu’s massage and nodded with the air of a queen.
Li Yu spoke directly to the guide: "Take us to the Slaughter Arena!"
The guide looked at Li Yu in surprise: "Very well! Please follow me!"
The Slaughter Arena was huge and rudimentary. Apart from a large, open space in the middle of the plaza, everything else consisted of simple stone steps.
When Li Yu arrived, many people were already there watching.
The atmosphere was lively. As slaughter broke out on the stage and blood splattered everywhere, the onlookers cheered excitedly!
Li Yu took one look and lost interest.
"How do we participate?" Li Yu asked directly.
"Follow me!" The black-clad woman led Li Yu to complete the procedures.
"I want to challenge with her!" Li Yu pointed at Hu Liena beside him.
"Are you sure? That will increase the difficulty of your challenge!" the woman advised.
"Sure! Let's do it!" Li Yu nodded.
If it weren't for the sake of improving Nana’s strength, Li Yu could have come here alone. As for Tang Chen, who was possessed by the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King, Li Yu felt he had some confidence even against him!
"These are your number plates, 7301 and 7302. Keep them safe!" The woman gave the identity plates to Li Yu.
"If you participate, you will have to face twenty people," the woman reminded him.
"When?" Li Yu asked.
"I will arrange it as soon as possible! Every time you win a match, you can live one more year in the City of Slaughter and enjoy everything it has to offer!" the woman hinted.
Hu Liena hugged Li Yu’s arm and gave the woman a "Hmph!"—she was not being friendly at all!
The woman just smiled, not caring.
Soon, it was Li Yu’s turn.
Li Yu took Hu Liena and stood in the center of the arena, looking casually at the densely packed challengers surrounding them.
"Nana! Are you afraid?" Li Yu asked casually.
"No!" Hu Liena held Li Yu’s hand to show she was at ease.
"In that case, you go first! When you're tired, I'll take over!" Li Yu stepped back and gestured for Hu Liena to go ahead.
Hu Liena: "..."
The surrounding challengers looked at the center. It was obviously a young couple showing affection in the Slaughter Arena, not taking the others seriously at all, especially the man, who didn't even care to make a move.
A man behind Li Yu, holding a large saber, swung at him. A cold light flashed, and the man smiled—but then he realized something was wrong. Where was the person?
He had clearly slashed at his opponent; where did the body go?
"Nice saber technique, but your speed is lacking," Li Yu reminded him, unhurried.
The man turned sharply to see Li Yu standing behind him. Had he just slashed at an afterimage?
The two people beside Li Yu also just realized he was standing right next to them and raised their weapons in surprise, ready to attack.
"I said I wouldn't make a move! Don't force me!" Li Yu said impatiently.
By then, Hu Liena had already started fighting. With just one sword strike, she finished off the person who had rushed at her first.
Only then did the crowd realize these two young people weren't foolish—they were truly powerful.
"Take down the woman first!" one of them suggested.
They rushed toward Hu Liena. Hu Liena was indeed a brilliant disciple of Bibi Dong; even though she had arrived at the City of Slaughter two years earlier, she was skilled. She fought back and forth with four or five challengers.
As the number of people increased, Hu Liena struggled a bit. After all, it was a wheel battle. If Li Yu hadn't been so high-profile from the start, Hu Liena could have handled the group fight with ease and wouldn't be struggling like this.
After taking down five challengers, Hu Liena was exhausted. Li Yu stepped forward: "Nana, take a break! I'll take over!"
He tapped the ground lightly, and a circle of light instantly expanded outward. Everyone looked at the ground but saw nothing unusual, as the Taiji diagram now covered a radius of a thousand miles.
Can't get out of the City of Slaughter? Ha!
Actually, before entering the City of Slaughter, Li Yu had already tested whether he could cover it.
With a flash, Li Yu reached Hu Liena’s side and held her waist: "You go rest! Leave this to me!"
He released Hu Liena and, with a flash, charged into the crowd. Since this was for practice, Li Yu didn't use any spiritual power, relying entirely on his eyesight and techniques to fight, so as to improve his combat experience.
Jing Ke’s Five-Step Killing Technique, Taiji Swordplay, the Daoist Heavenly Sect’s "Heaven and Earth Colorlessness," Jing Ni’s "Pure Heart Swordplay." Unknowingly, Li Yu had learned many sword styles.
Because the Douluo Continent relied too heavily on soul skills, combat techniques were not as valued as they were in the world of the Qin dynasty.
Without using spiritual power, Li Yu still handled these pugilists with ease.
Hu Liena, watching from the sidelines, looked at Li Yu in the arena with increasingly dazed eyes. She had always thought her brother was the most amazing young man in the world, until she met Li Yu.
"Nana! Want to learn?" Li Yu asked while swinging his sword.
"Mm!" Hu Liena nodded.
Li Yu wasn't in a hurry to defeat his opponents. When he felt Hu Liena had rested enough, he leaped out of the fray and left the battlefield for her.
Because of Li Yu’s prior depletion of the enemies, Hu Liena returned to the fight and ended it quickly!
When the last person fell, Li Yu jumped out of the arena to the spectator seats, leaving Hu Liena alone to absorb the soul power of the defeated.
"Chaos!" Li Yu pinched his fingers and murmured.
The first match was just a test; they usually wouldn't arrange opponents who were too powerful!
Future opponents would only get stronger and stronger.
The one who had arranged for Li Yu to enter the city was a Slaughter Envoy, who was currently kneeling on one knee before a middle-aged man. The envoy was pale, his hair and eyes blood-red, wearing a blood-colored robe and wrapped in a giant, high-collared scarlet cloak. From afar, he looked like a shadow of blood.
This person was the ruler of the City of Slaughter, the King of Slaughter—Tang Chen, controlled by the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King.
He was currently watching Li Yu’s slaughter through a mirror in front of him.
...
"Li Yu! Why does my sister keep avoiding me lately?" Zhu Zhuqing asked Li Yu, who was busy writing and drawing.
"Maybe she's too embarrassed to see you!" Li Yu replied without thinking.
"Why? I'm engaged to you; my relationship with her should have improved!" Zhu Zhuqing was very curious.
That was the problem! Li Yu answered inwardly.
Zhu Zhuyun was avoiding Li Yu even more.
Compared to Zhu Zhuyun’s shyness, Xu Youwei was much more proactive; the very next day, she asked Li Yu to get a room again.
"Qing'er! Let's go on a date!" Li Yu put down the blueprints and took Zhu Zhuqing’s hand.
"What are you drawing?" Zhu Zhuqing was curious; Li Yu had been busy writing and drawing for an hour.
"A newspaper!" Li Yu said.
"A newspaper? What is it for?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.
"A weapon of mass destruction! It can defeat a thousand armies!" Li Yu said with a smile.
"My father said that Douluo Jiangmo has already arrived at the Star Luo Empire and will reach Star Luo City in a few days!" The little kitty, Zhu Zhuqing, looked worried.
"It's fine! I'll just hide for a bit!" Li Yu said with a smile.
"How can you be so unconcerned? That's a Peak Douluo!" Seeing Li Yu’s indifferent attitude, Zhu Zhuqing was very anxious for him.
"Little kitty! I'll go to your room tonight! I want to hold you while I sleep!" Li Yu suggested.
"Go away! I'm not talking to you!" Zhu Zhuqing twisted her waist and fled from Li Yu as if escaping.
So cute!
Li Yu stroked his chin and laughed.
...
Heavenly Sect.
Li Yu looked at the meditating Xiao Meng, knowing that this seclusion would take a long time.
Bored in the Heavenly Sect, he proposed to Bei Mingzi that he wanted to leave.
"Is the best alchemy really with the Yin-Yang School?" Li Yu asked Bei Mingzi again to confirm.
"When the Daoist school split into three, the Yin-Yang School took the alchemy and artifacts! Although my Heavenly Sect also has alchemy techniques, the main lineage is with the Yin-Yang School."
Li Yu suddenly understood! The Daoist school split into three: the Heavenly Sect focused on the Dao, the Earth Sect on techniques, and the Yin-Yang School on refining.
It seemed he had to go to the Yin-Yang School. No wonder the Yin-Yang School was all about fire, water, or wood that promoted plant growth—they were the alchemy faction!
Far away in Xianyang, Li Yu held Yan Fei’s hand: "I'm going to the Yin-Yang School soon!"
"Why is my husband going to the Yin-Yang School?" Yan Fei asked curiously.
"To learn alchemy!" Li Yu answered truthfully.
"Alchemy? Why would my husband be interested in that?" Yan Fei looked at Li Yu with surprise.
Li Yu didn't say much and just spoke: "Vermilion Bird!"
A bird, entirely fire-red, with a long, swaying tail and golden pupils, looking extremely fierce, flapped its wings and appeared in the courtyard.
Instantly, the temperature of the entire courtyard soared.
Li Yu quickly put the Vermilion Bird away.
He was really afraid of setting his own house on fire. This was just a newborn Vermilion Bird, only the size of an adult peacock, yet it already possessed such power.
Li Yu was quite looking forward to it.
"Husband! What was that just now?" Yan Fei was shocked.
That divine beast was clearly a physical entity, not an illusion!
"One of the four spirits of heaven, the Vermilion Bird!" Li Yu said with a hint of pride.
At this moment, Nong Yu also walked in: "Husband, what happened just now?"
Yan Fei recounted what had happened. Unexpectedly, the usually gentle and elegant Nong Yu’s eyes lit up, and she pestered Li Yu to let her see it.
Li Yu looked around: "That won't do! We need to go to an open space! We'll go on an outing this afternoon and broaden your horizons!"
"I'm going too!" Unnoticed, Gu Yuena also appeared in the courtyard. She was no longer wearing a white shirt but was dressed in a snow-white gown, looking very ethereal.
"Good!"