The voice was soft and charming, causing Zhao Xing's outstretched hand to pause unconsciously as he turned his head to look at the source of the sound.
At one end of the small stream, a young girl suddenly appeared.
She had a beautiful face and clear eyes; dressed in white, the sash around her waist fluttered, exuding an ethereal aura.
Her red lips parted slightly as she called out "brother" in a sweet voice, raising her pure white arm to wave, her smile innocent.
It was as if she had not seen her beloved for a long time and was now rushing over.
"Calling me?"
Zhao Xing paused for a moment but still picked up the Zhu Fruit.
Seeing his action, a flicker of surprise flashed in the girl's eyes, and her movements quickened.
At the same time, the silver bells on her wrist jingled, producing a crisp and pleasant sound.
"Brother, have you forgotten me so soon? I am Qian'er," the girl floated over the stream, stopping with her head lowered, seemingly a bit shy.
Zhao Xing quietly watched her, silently issuing an order.
"Brother, last time we were together, you promised you would come find me and said you would bring the best treasures for me. Now Qian'er is here." Lu Qian slowly approached, her enchanting aura growing stronger.
She pointed at the Zhu Fruit in Zhao Xing's hand, her red lips slightly parted: "Are you going to give this to me, brother?"
"This?" Zhao Xing raised the Zhu Fruit, his expression resembling that of a lovesick fool, taking two steps forward.
"Yes." Lu Qian smiled even more happily.
"You must be dreaming."
"??"
Lu Qian's smile froze, and she quickly realized something was wrong.
This person was not affected by her charm!
Not only that, but she also felt a hint of danger!
"Not good!"
Lu Qian immediately retreated.
She tiptoed, taking quick little steps back, like a light dancer.
Her sleeves fluttered, colorful ribbons extending from her arms, dancing gracefully, her figure incredibly agile.
But she was still a step too late.
From the soil covered with autumn leaves, a golden hand suddenly reached out, gripping her ankle!
"Swish swish swish~"
Immediately, figures rose from all directions around her, quickly surrounding her.
"This is... a straw man?"
Lu Qian was somewhat astonished, her dancing sleeves suddenly straightening like a large blade, slashing towards the powerful golden figure gripping her ankle.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal clashing rang out, her dancing sleeve was rebounded, and only a shallow white mark appeared on the arm of the powerful golden figure.
"What? Can't cut it?" Lu Qian was shocked.
This was a high-grade Silver Silk Sleeve Sword, and it couldn't even cut a straw man?
"Knock her down." Zhao Xing ordered淡淡.
"Wait!" Lu Qian's face turned pale with shock. Before she could say anything else, a powerful golden figure charged at her.
"Bang!"
A punch landed on Lu Qian's face, instantly swelling her right eye.
"Ah—"
She was knocked back, and the pained sound she was about to make was abruptly cut off.
The reason was that another powerful golden figure jumped up and elbowed her left eye.
"Bang!"
The fairy in white was instantly knocked down into the dust, lying face down in the mud with a pair of panda eyes.
"Hang her up."
Zhao Xing waved his hand, instructing the entangling straw men to hang the unconscious Lu Qian up in a tree.
She received the same treatment as Zong Shichang, spread-eagled between two trees.
"Plop~"
A basin of water was poured over Lu Qian, waking her from her stupor.
"Y-You, let me go!"
Soaked, Lu Qian's graceful figure was faintly visible, her face revealing just the right amount of weakness as she bit her lower lip, looking pitiful: "W-What do you want? Don't come over!"
Zhao Xing actually stopped in his tracks,淡淡 saying: "Stop pretending."
"W-What are you talking about?" Lu Qian's gaze became somewhat unnatural.
"You are wearing a high-grade Sparrow Feather Robe underneath. If I really came over to strip you, I would immediately fall for your charm. Do you think I don't know?" Zhao Xing looked at her with a half-smile.
Lu Qian's expression changed; she knew she was in trouble today.
Her inner garments had been seen through, and this person before her was much stronger than she had imagined.
Her charm technique had no effect on him at all!
What she didn't know was that Zhao Xing was a man who had passed the Tenth Level of the Heart Questioning Platform; her little illusion was nothing compared to the national-level elite challenges of the Grand Dream Academy.
"Since you have seen through me, please let me go. I no longer want this Zhu Fruit." Lu Qian put away her charm and spoke seriously.
"What do you mean you no longer want it? It was never yours; you intended to steal it from me."
Lu Qian argued: "The Zhu Fruit was discovered by me up there. I was about to pick it when it fell down, so I found it first."
Zhao Xing remained unmoved: "That reason is not enough for me to let you go."
"What do you want?"
"Simple, pay with your life. I want that Sparrow Feather Robe."
"You..." Lu Qian was instantly both ashamed and angry.
The Sparrow Feather Robe was not only a treasure but also her intimate garment. She couldn't accept having it taken by a stranger.
Zhao Xing, however, did not give her much time to think: "Due to the rules, I cannot kill you directly. If you want to maintain some dignity, then strip it off yourself. Otherwise, I will have to help you."
"Fine, I'll do it myself! You better keep your word!" Lu Qian gritted her teeth, resigning herself to her fate.
If she were tied up here, she could be in life-threatening danger.
Zhao Xing reminded her: "Don't have any other thoughts; otherwise, I can't guarantee I can control the force of the counterattack."
After saying that, he waved his hand, allowing the entangling straw men to release Lu Qian.
Having been punched twice, Lu Qian felt sore all over. She knew she could not resist and could only submit; this outcome was already quite good.
So she didn't make any more small moves, turned her back, and slipped her hands inside her collar. After some fumbling, she pulled out a colorful inner garment.
"Here." Lu Qian turned around and handed over the Sparrow Feather Robe, still harboring a glimmer of hope that Zhao Xing might be affected by its charm.
Unexpectedly, he remained unmoved, completely unaffected, causing Lu Qian's last shred of hope to shatter.
"Good item."
The high-grade Sparrow Feather Robe was made from the feathers of the rare beast, the peacock, and this one was crafted from the feathers of the Pengque.
However, one of the feathers was from a fourth-grade rare beast, and the eye patterns on it were mesmerizing.
Zhao Xing stared at the robe, his gaze somewhat dazed, and quickly cast the Bright Eyes Technique to block the passage to his mind.
This girl before him should be a Gathered Essence Sixth Level Illusion Dancer. Dancers were usually officials of the Music Department, and the Zhou Dynasty thrived on the system of rites and music, used for sacrifices and grand official ceremonies.
"Since you have obtained the robe, please allow me to take my leave." Lu Qian's tone was stiff, clearly in a bad mood.
She had underestimated him and was somewhat anxious, seeing that Zhao Xing was only at Gathered Essence Fourth Level, not even using her dance skills or the Sparrow Feather Robe; otherwise, her charm technique could have been even stronger.
"Wait a moment."
"What, you..." Lu Qian was filled with anger and surprise. Just as she was about to resist, a powerful golden figure knocked her out with a slap, causing her to collapse to the ground.
"I said I would let you go, but I never said when."
Zhao Xing did not know if Lu Qian had accomplices. His Golden Bamboo was still some time away from maturity, so he naturally had to wait until he left before releasing her.
(End of Chapter)