Chapter 75: Will it make them lose all their underwear?

Fen Yan's voice was loud and clear, and his last sentence, "dirty and unlucky," was clearly a veiled insult.

Yun Wan'er felt the thin layer of color on her face vanish in an instant, and her hands, hanging in her sleeves, clenched tightly, her nails almost digging into the tender flesh of her palms.

That old scoundrel!

How dare they humiliate her like this in public!

A surge of resentment rushed to her head. She abruptly raised her eyes, glaring hatefully at Elder Fenyan's flamboyant, crimson back. Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to retort—

"Wan'er".

Elder Qingxuan's voice, still gentle and warm, pierced her ears with unparalleled precision, like a fine needle tempered with ice.

Yun Wan'er froze, instinctively turning her head to meet Qing Xuan's gaze.

That gaze, though still calm, was like a bottomless, icy pool, devoid of any former gentleness, containing only a silent, heavy warning that made her instantly breathless.

It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head. All her resentment and anger were frozen by the coldness in his eyes, and she could only swallow her anger back.

But that dark thought in my heart grew wildly like a poisonous vine...

Elder Qingxuan's harsh treatment of her must be because of that vile woman, Liu Qingyi.

Oh.

As expected of her Senior Sister Liu, even after she's been kicked out of the Tianyan Sect, she still haunts the sect, getting Yan Qiubai to stand up for her, and now she's getting Qingxuan to target her at every turn.

Thinking of this, Yun Wan'er's hand, hidden under her sleeve, unconsciously brushed against a storage bag. Inside was the black jade pendant that Ye Wushang had given her to help her break through the Qi Refining bottleneck.

...

The next day.

At the very heart of Liuyunchuan, a massive circular building, entirely carved from warm, white jade, rises from the ground, its surface shimmering with spiritual light. This is none other than the main venue of Yuntai Immortal Market—Yuntai Jade Palace.

The pre-auction auction had not yet begun, and the huge auction stage in the center of the Jade Palace was still empty, but undercurrents were already swirling in the circular seating area surrounding the stage, which was arranged in a tiered pattern.

The banners of the five top sects fluttered silently outside their respective luxurious private rooms, and the specially set-up independent seats in front of the rooms were a symbol of their status.

Elder Fenyan, his crimson figure flamboyant, sat imposingly in the Crimson Cloud Sect's seat, boasting to an old man with white hair and beard next to him. His eyes occasionally glanced at the Tianyan Sect's seat diagonally opposite, his gaze filled with undisguised provocation.

Elder Qingxuan, still dressed in an elegant blue robe, sat upright in the main seat, his expression gentle and peaceful, as if the quarrel on the street yesterday had never happened.

But in the occasional glances that swept towards Fen Yan, there was a hint of weariness hidden deep within.

Yun Wan'er wore a carefully chosen moon-white brocade dress, which made her look even more charming. However, her delicate face was a little tense, and her lips were a bit pale.

She was publicly insulted yesterday and given a silent warning by Qingxuan, which fueled her anger. Now, looking at Fenyan's smug profile, she felt extremely annoyed.

Gu Xuanchen keenly sensed the low mood of the beautiful woman beside him, and was about to turn to her side and whisper a few words of comfort—

"Senior Brother Gu."

A young cultivator dressed in the robes of the Yuntai Alliance squeezed through the crowded seating aisle, panting. His face showed a mixture of fear and urgency, and he clutched a folded piece of plain white paper tightly in his hand.

Someone asked me to give this to you.

The person lowered their voice and quickly stuffed the note into Gu Xuanchen's hand, as if afraid of being seen by those around them, and then disappeared back into the crowd.

Gu Xuanchen frowned slightly, his fingertips gently unfolding the thin piece of paper.

The moment his gaze swept over the few lines of writing, the chilling aura emanating from him instantly solidified. He abruptly stood up, not even having time to give Elder Qingxuan a glance, nor caring about Yun Wan'er beside him, who was waiting for his comfort with expectant eyes. His dark figure, carrying an uncontrollable ferocity, strode straight through the crowd and headed quickly towards a secluded passage behind the Jade Palace.

Yun Wan'er's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, her fingertips slightly curled. Watching Gu Xuanchen's resolute departing figure, the last trace of color drained from her face, leaving only a pale complexion intertwined with embarrassment and bewilderment.

...

Deep within the Jade Palace, in an elegant pavilion with a bamboo plaque bearing the inscription "Tranquility of Mind" hanging on it.

Yan Qiubai's expression was complicated. He felt a sense of desolation in his heart, and his eyes darted back and forth between the eager Shen Zhaozhao and the tightly closed door of the elegant room.

"..."

Finally, the man's Adam's apple bobbed laboredly, his voice hoarse: "Do we... really have to do this?"

Shen Zhaozhao crossed her arms and leaned against the window. Upon hearing this, her expression was as if she were looking at a coward who was running away from the battlefield and spouting nonsense: "Didn't you say yourself that I have a lot of clever ideas and asked me to think of a way?"

Yan Qiubai gasped, speechless, and instinctively retorted, "I did say that, but..."

"But what?"

Shen Zhaozhao interrupted him impatiently, her tone carrying a firm "Don't be unreasonable" tone.

"According to what you said, Elder Qingxuan is now determined to dote on Yun Wan'er and Gu Xuanchen. Right now, we are no match for Qingxuan. So tell me, will this trick I painstakingly devised make them lose face completely?"

"Could we make them lose all their underwear?"

"..."

Yan Qiubai was overwhelmed by her barrage of questions and suddenly raised his hand to cover his face.

despair.

He was truly desperate.

Just then, from afar, came clear and steady footsteps outside the Elegant Pavilion.

Every step felt like stepping on Yan Qiubai's taut heartstrings.

Yan Qiubai abruptly lowered his hands from his face, his complexion deathly pale. He looked sharply at Shen Zhaozhao, his eyes filled with a final struggle and pleading. His lips trembled, and he managed to squeeze out a few broken syllables with all his might: "No...no...I really can't..."

"Tsk."

Shen Zhaozhao glared at Yan Qiubai, her face completely calm, not even realizing that what she had done was inappropriate in the slightest: "Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles! Come on, tell me, what could be more disgusting to them than stealing Gu Xuanchen's underpants and auctioning them off?"

"..."

silence.

Silence is Cambridge tonight.

Yan Qiubai's head was buzzing. He didn't understand, he really didn't understand Shen Zhaozhao's thought process!

He doesn't even want to be human anymore; he just wants to cover his head and find a crack in the ground to crawl into!

Completely ignoring Yan Qiubai who was preparing to dig a hole, Shen Zhaozhao grabbed Yan Qiubai's wrist tightly and then, without warning, kicked the closed door of the Elegant Pavilion hard.

"Bang!"

The heavy wooden door opened with a thud, and before Yan Qiubai could even gasp in horror, Shen Zhaozhao gave him no chance to back down, standing firmly in the center of the quiet passageway outside the door.

At the other end of the passage, Gu Xuanchen, who had just turned the corner and was exuding an aura of unapproachability, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Shen Zhaozhao seemed completely oblivious to the sudden drop in temperature in the passageway. Meeting Gu Xuanchen's almost murderous gaze, she slowly curved her lips into a smile that appeared particularly unfathomable in the dim passageway.

"Senior Brother Gu, it's been a long time."