Soft starlight scattered petals, and Nujiao's eyes widened. This time, it wasn't a disguise or a trick of the Tu Shan clan, because her eyes held a hint of panic. Her fingers still mimicked the gesture of knocking, but her gaze was fixed on the man before her.

He wasn't as impeccably transformed as the Taoist had been with the [Fetal Transformation].

He wore simple clothes, sleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms, unkempt yet exuding a rugged charm. It was clearly the attire of Heavenly Emperor Mountain, with its refined elegance, but on King Yu, it somehow emanated the aura of an unparalleled hero, the only one of his kind.

Nujiao's hands trembled.

People lose control of their hands under extreme fear or sorrow.

But even Nujiao, with over five thousand years of cultivation, couldn't control this emotional shift. Or rather, for the nine-tailed fox Nujiao of the Tu Shan clan, controlling emotions and physical changes to make lies sound like truth was as natural as breathing.

Yet, even she, even after doing this for over five thousand years, no longer wanted to, or even remembered to, control herself in this moment of reunion.

The entire Tu Shan tribe, the entire Qingqiu Country, seemed to hold its breath subconsciously. Perhaps emotions were contagious; everyone watched silently, the sweet, beautiful feeling replaced by a quiet, flowing loveliness that rippled through their hearts.

The green-robed, white-haired Taoist stepped forward silently, sleeves billowing.

"The simplicity of the first two ploys was to lure the enemy." "Only the last one is the killing blow."

He bent down and took the brush from the Fox Clan Elder, who was holding her breath and watching the scene unfold. Amidst the quiet, careful breaths, he wrote…

Tu Shan Nujiao versus Yuan, Round 3: Tu Shan Yuan, a decisive victory!

And so, the one most skilled at manipulating hearts in the Fox Clan Tu Shan throughout history was renamed—Tu Shan Yuan!

The Taoist's lips curved into a slight smile.

Then, Nujiao seemed to finally realize that the person before her was no longer a dream, no longer a mirage that vanished upon waking. Trembling, she reached out to touch the rough face, feeling the green stubble. She murmured, "…It's you…" It really is you.

King Yu looked at the beautiful woman before him, his smile radiant.

Then, he opened his arms wide and, before everyone's eyes, embraced the white-haired beauty!

Amidst the clanging of chains, the ancient hero of mankind swept Nujiao into his arms.

One hand wrapped around her slender waist, the other under her knees, lifting her up. His black hair was tied back haphazardly with a rope, his brow bright. He spun her around, letting the wind and petals swirl around them. His eyes were bright, without a hint of concealment or reservation, as he laughed heartily, "I'm back!"

The foxes of the Tu Shan clan were stunned. How… how dare he?!

How could he be so direct?! Such tricks couldn't possibly work on a dignified nine-tailed fox with five thousand years of cultivation… and then they froze a second time.

They saw a blush rise on the cheeks of the white-haired Nujiao, whose every smile and scold was a carefully crafted skill. "This, this…"

"Am I seeing things? Punch me!"

*Smack!*

"Still seeing things?"

"No, but I think you made my eyes smaller."

"Wrong, you're a Tibetan fox; your eyes were always small!"

The two little foxes stared blankly for a moment, then looked at their ancestor.

After a long while, they sighed in unison, unsure whether it was out of envy or wistfulness.

Wei Yuan put down his brush, watching King Yu's hearty laughter and the breathtaking blush on the white-haired beauty's face.

Human civil officials pursued directness and sincerity, not just straightforward combat. They never concealed their emotions, willingly offering their hearts, knowing they deserved the same in return. The ever-changing, nine-tailed white fox understood all the intricacies of the human heart.

How could such a difficult challenge be overcome? How could such a beauty be made to blush? The Taoist put down his brush, his expression gentle and smiling.

"But, I clearly won the third round."

"But looking at this scene, I inexplicably feel like I lost!"

"Damn it…"

Wei Yuan turned to look at the tall man bowing beside him, noticing how the surrounding fox spirits were frightened and scattered, creating a wide-open space. It wasn't that the Tu Shan foxes were cowardly; they were usually quite bold.

They were running away because the guy who spoke was too outrageous. He even had eyes and a mouth on his stomach.

"Xing Tian, can you not add commentary?"

Wei Yuan sighed helplessly.

Xing Tian raised an eyebrow and said, "But I think my commentary is pretty good!"

"Don't you think so too?"

"Of course not!"

"Huh?" Xing Tian was taken aback.

The Taoist patted his shoulder and said, "After all, I have a wife." Of course, I wouldn't feel anything else."

Then, the Taoist turned his gaze away, his tone calm yet tinged with complexity, "…Someone who will never return."

"It's you, Xing Tian." Xing Tian opened his mouth, momentarily speechless.

It took a while for the Tu Shan foxes to recover from the shock of Nujiao being swept into King Yu's arms. Then, the entire Tu Shan clan erupted in a huge, boisterous cheer, as if trying to overturn the sky, fervent and passionate.

The white-haired beauty's face flushed red.

It took her a long time to recover from the intense joy.

Then, her eyes searched for Wei Yuan, finding the green-robed, white-haired Taoist amidst the sea of smiling faces. He had a gentle smile on his lips, his eyes as peaceful as jade. In the midst of the cheers of countless Tu Shan people, he seemed quiet and aloof, like a figure detached from the world.

The white-haired Taoist smiled slightly and bowed slightly.

Then, he raised a finger to his lips.

His eyes were full of smiles.

Then, he retreated step by step, disappearing from the bustling scene and Nujiao's gaze.

Turning around, it was as if no one could see him. Not only could they not see him, but they couldn't even sense him or remember him, forgetting even the reason they had gathered here.

The Yuanshi Tianzun existed within all things yet also existed beyond them, untouched by cause and effect.

Wei Yuan walked through the noisy crowd step by step.

The ever-changing, nine-tailed celestial fox understood all the intricacies of the human heart.

For five thousand years, she had surveyed the world with a lazy smile. How could such a difficult challenge be overcome? How could such a beauty be made to blush? It didn't matter…

The Taoist listened to the laughter behind him.

As long as it's you.

Wei Yuan, in his green robes and white hair, spoke to himself in a gentle, peaceful voice, "Waiting for you, so beautiful."

This was the first song sung by a woman, the first song of the south of Yan and Huang.

I am waiting for you.

And now, more than five thousand years later, he finally received the response—I'm back.

For some reason, the Taoist felt particularly happy. Xing Tian strode up from behind, Jingwei Bird perched on his shoulder. The Tu Shan people stepped in unison, singing together in clear, melodious voices. Wei Yuan whispered along in his heart, the song surrounding the embracing couple, as if returning to the heavens, as if returning to the era five thousand years ago.

Softly, softly, white fox, nine tails vast. For thousands of years, only waiting, lost.

Softly, softly, white fox, nine tails vast. Embracing you, forever long.

Softly, softly, white fox, nine tails vast. Become husband and wife, forever prosperous.

Xing Tian caught up and said, "Hey, are you leaving now?"

The Taoist replied with a calm smile, "Yes, I don't want to spoil the mood." Xing Tian said suspiciously, "Is that the only reason?"

Wei Yuan replied, "There's another reason."

Xing Tian asked curiously, "What is it?"

"The second reason is that I brought Zai Wang, hid him, and deliberately used King Yu to trick Nujiao. Once this is exposed, Nujiao will quickly recover from her current emotion. The more beautiful her current reaction, the more forceful the Shennong Whip will be when she wields it later."

"Then I'm likely to be caught in a combined ancient marital beatdown. To avoid this, I have to leave."

"This is what Master taught."

"A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall."

Xing Tian's lips twitched.

Wei Yuan added, "Of course, one of these two reasons is true, and one is false."

"The first is true, and the second is false."

Xing Tian looked at Wei Yuan strangely and said, "But I think the second one is the main reason." *Slipping away, slipping away.jpg*

Xing Tian's body rarely agreed with his head: "Me too."

The Taoist coughed and said, "I'm the Yuanshi Tianzun!"

"A Tianzun afraid of the Tu Shan clan?"

Xing Tian rarely showed the style of a civil official, replying sharply, "But little brothers are usually afraid of older sisters."

Wei Yuan's lips twitched, helpless. Xing Tian asked, "Where to next?"

Wei Yuan glanced at the Jianmu Flying Boat; Liu Niu was still there. "Of course… home."

He thought for a moment and, just like before when he involved Jue, he touched upon Jue's karma. Then, a girl's voice came from the other side, "Is that… Yuan?"

"Yes, it's me. Jue, are you home?"

"I, I'm… I'm…"

The girl looked at the Guixu Formation and the surrounding scene. As the new fifth of the Guixu's Four Guardians.

Jue had a high level of authority and was currently familiarizing herself with her territory, formation area, and browsing the Guixu's exchange list. She coughed and said, "I'm stocking up!"

"Yes, that's right, stocking up!"

"Stocking up?" Wei Yuan asked, "Is there no food at home?" He thought for a moment and said, "We have a guest coming today."

"It's Uncle Niu; he raised me. To me," Wei Yuan said solemnly, "He's like a foster father…" Huh?"

As he finished speaking, Wei Yuan suddenly sensed the karma being severed unilaterally, surprised. At this moment, within Guixu.

The surrounding Guixu formation lit up.

As a being on the level of the Guixu's Four Guardians, she needed to meet the formation spirit of the entire Guixu Celestial Array and leave her mark. During the Celestial Array's activation, Jue was worried about Wei Yuan and proactively severed the karma. The latter had no power over her karma, so Jue could do this.

"But what did Yuan just say?"

"Who's the guest coming?"

"Never mind… I have to hurry back later!"

The girl clenched her fists, cheering herself on.

The girl, who didn't yet know what she was about to face, was just thinking about going to the supermarket later. If there was a guest coming, she had to prepare more food.

Stocking up, stocking up…

It wasn't really a lie.

Guixu stocking up, after all.

Just as she was thinking this, she saw the Guixu Celestial Array light up, indicating that the formation spirit was about to arrive. The girl immediately restrained herself, internalizing all her emotional fluctuations and perceptions, wearing a magical mask, her right hand on her sword, her body straight as a sword, her expression cold and sharp, as if forbidding anyone from approaching.

The next moment, a beautiful woman in a blue dress appeared before her.

The familiar face and gentle expression stunned Jue, her expression freezing, all her killing intent and sharpness dissipating.

Unable to believe it, she murmured, "…Third Sister?"

Guixu Formation, Celestial Array Spirit—

ps: Second update today… 3,600 words. King Yu and Nujiao arc—complete!