Chapter 480: I Acknowledge You as My Lord! (First Update)

But Hong Yao quickly landed on Chu Liuyue's shoulder and tucked its wings away.

The soldier leading the way did not notice this anomaly.

On the other shoulder, there was a slight weight as Tuanzi also emerged.

It crossed its arms and glared at Hong Yao. Just as Chu Liuyue thought it was going to pick a fight with Hong Yao again, she saw Tuanzi curl its tail and sit obediently on her shoulder.

Chu Liuyue breathed a sigh of relief.

It was quite rare for these two not to start fighting upon meeting.

Chu Liuyue looked at the soldier ahead, only to see him staring at her with a look of utter shock.

"Is there something on my face?" Chu Liuyue asked.

"Ah? No—no, nothing!"

The soldier suddenly snapped out of it and hurriedly lowered his head.

However, the waves of shock in his heart did not subside for a long time.

Hong Yao was actually so intimate with this Miss Chu!

One had to know that, aside from Vice General Mu, no one else was even allowed to touch it.

He truly didn't know how this Miss Chu had managed to reach this level.

But the soldiers who could enter the Mu Estate were all well-trained.

Despite being deeply shocked and confused by this, his expression quickly returned to normal.

"Miss Chu, this way please—"

Chu Liuyue followed him to a small courtyard behind the Mu Estate.

"The Vice General said that since you have arrived, you shall stay here in the Fenghe Courtyard for now. The interior and exterior have already been cleaned; please rest easy. For this period, I will be responsible for all of Miss Chu's affairs."

Chu Liuyue nodded slightly and asked with a smile

"Thank you... May I ask how to address you?"

"I am Duan Ziyu, a Captain of the Black Cavalry!" Duan Ziyu said, his back straight and his voice full of vigor.

"Thank you, Captain Duan."

"You are too polite, Miss Chu!"

Chu Liuyue pointed inside.

"Then, I shall head in first?"

Duan Ziyu said

"Please—"

Only then did Chu Liuyue walk toward the Fenghe Courtyard.

Without even looking back, she knew Duan Ziyu was guarding the courtyard entrance.

In fact, she could sense that it wasn't just Duan Ziyu; there were many others hiding in all directions around the Fenghe Courtyard.

Whether it was called protection or surveillance, Chu Liuyue didn't care.

In any case, she had already arrived in Xiling, and there was much to be done.

She entered the room, closed the doors and windows, and as soon as she sat down, she went to check on Hong Yao.

Hong Yao obediently allowed her to hold it.

Chu Liuyue pulled back its wings to take a look, and sure enough, there was a shallow wound.

The blood had dried and the wound had just scabbed over; it looked like a recent injury, but fortunately, it wasn't fatal.

But the key point was—Hong Yao was a high-level magical beast, and everyone knew it was Mu Qinghe's beast. Who would be bold enough to wound it?

"Who?"

Chu Liuyue's brow furrowed slightly as she asked briefly.

Hong Yao merely held her hand, pressing its head tightly against her palm. In its eyes, clear and beautiful like rubies, there was a rare trace of sorrow and grief.

A hot tear fell silently.

Chu Liuyue felt a pang in her heart.

She had always doted on Hong Yao and could most stand seeing it so heartbroken.

"What's wrong? Who bullied you?" Chu Liuyue gently wiped away its tear and asked softly.

In Xiling, Hong Yao could be considered a tyrant.

There were truly very few people who could bully it.

Hong Yao simply shook its head.

Chu Liuyue pondered for a moment.

If it were an injury from an ordinary fight, it certainly wouldn't have this reaction.

This looked more like it was related to Mu Qinghe.

"Where did your master go?" Chu Liuyue asked.

Hong Yao remained motionless, refusing to say anything.

Feeling helpless, Chu Liuyue could only gently stroke its head.

Mu Qinghe's situation did not look very good...

Hong Yao soon fell asleep in her hands.

Only then did Chu Liuyue carefully set it down.

Tuanzi, meanwhile, sat to the side with rare docility.

Feeling slightly more at ease, Chu Liuyue glanced at the bracelet on her wrist and, after a moment's hesitation, took it off.

Sitting cross-legged with her hands on her knees, she lightly closed her eyes and began to cultivate.

When she had broken through to the third-stage Martial Artist last time, everything had happened too suddenly, and she hadn't had time to properly examine her condition.

Now, she could finally calm her mind.

Within her dantian, atop that droplet of water, three patterns floated quietly.

Inside the Heavenly Square Sacred Cauldron, the transparent Karmic Fire burned continuously; the soul body trapped within was now breathing its last.

Chu Liuyue knew she would need more time to refine it, so she didn't pay it much mind.

"Purple-Gold Bodhi Leaf."

The Three-Eyed Divine Eagle suddenly spoke.

Chu Liuyue was stunned

"What?"

"If you wish to help me recover my physical body, you will need the Purple-Gold Bodhi Leaf. It is in that garden you visited today," the Three-Eyed Divine Eagle explained.

Chu Liuyue's brow furrowed.

"Xinli Garden? There is nothing like that in there."

"There is. My perception cannot be wrong."

"No—"

Chu Liuyue instinctively wanted to deny it.

Most of the medicinal herbs in Xinli Garden were under her personal care, so she naturally knew exactly what was inside.

At the very least, while she was there, there certainly wasn't any Purple-Gold Bodhi Leaf in that garden.

Because for the entire Tianling Empire, it was merely a legendary herb that existed only in rumors.

Furthermore, the Purple-Gold Bodhi Leaf was an extremely precious herb; legend said its fragrance could travel for a hundred miles. If it truly were in Xinli Garden, how could she not have felt it at all?

"Are you mistaken?"

Chu Liuyue couldn't help but ask.

The Three-Eyed Divine Eagle's voice was somewhat cold.

"The Purple-Gold Bodhi is the divine tree of my Three-Eyed Divine Eagle clan. How could I possibly be mistaken!?"

Chu Liuyue was instantly speechless.

The Three-Eyed Divine Eagle indeed had no reason to lie to her.

Then, could someone have placed it there after her death?

But did Shangguan Wan and Jiang Yucheng have the ability to obtain a Purple-Gold Bodhi?

"Then do you perhaps know where that Purple-Gold Bodhi Leaf is kept?"

"I know its approximate location. However... there are many layers of barriers beyond that. Moreover, a thousand-year-old Purple-Gold Bodhi Leaf possesses spirituality; not only is its defensive power staggering, but it is also extremely skilled at concealment. An ordinary person wouldn't even recognize it even if they saw it with their own eyes, let alone obtain it. With your current abilities, it is essentially a pipe dream."

Chu Liuyue: "..."

Then what is the use of telling me this!?

She said gloomily

"So, are you telling me this just to humiliate me?"

"Of course not. I do not have that kind of leisure."

"..."

Can we just have a normal conversation!

"Ordinary people cannot even approach the Purple-Gold Bodhi Leaf, let alone take it. But if you carry my aura, none of this will be a problem."

Chu Liuyue's brow furrowed

"You are right inside my dantian. As long as you aren't hiding, my body is stained with your aura. Is that still not enough?"

"Of course it is not enough."

The Three-Eyed Divine Eagle paused before saying

"My physical body is now destroyed, leaving only my divine soul, which has no connection to you. Although my aura can overflow from your body, it is entirely unrelated to your own aura."

Chu Liuyue asked

"Then what should I do?"

The Three-Eyed Divine Eagle did not speak for a long time.

Just as Chu Liuyue thought it didn't intend to speak, its voice finally came—

"If you acknowledge me as your master, you can take the Purple-Gold Bodhi Leaf!"

(End of Chapter)