Chapter Sixty-Four: The Girl in Black

“Who’s sneaking around?” Just as the two of them were glaring and bickering endlessly, the Dragon Flood Serpent King suddenly let out a booming shout.

At the same time, Ye Feng swiftly withdrew his consciousness. Almost instantly, the body lying on the grand master’s chair sprang up like a coiled spring, his eyes wary as he scanned his surroundings.

For a long moment, Ye Feng found nothing. Even with his eyes closed, using his spiritual sense to envelop the entire courtyard, he still detected not a single soul.

Yet that sense of imminent danger assured him—someone was indeed lurking nearby. This was an instinct honed through countless brushes with death in his past life.

“Old monster, I can’t find him,” Ye Feng whispered, his forehead beaded with sweat from tension.

At a time like this, he dared not sink his mind into the Demon King’s Domain to communicate; he could only speak aloud.

“To your left, by the courtyard wall!” The Dragon Flood Serpent King’s deep voice echoed in his mind. But before Ye Feng could move, the king continued, “That aura is very strange! Unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Be careful, boy—don’t let yourself be caught off-guard. I can’t save you if things go bad!”

Activating the “Flood Dragon’s Stride,” Ye Feng vanished from his spot like a gust of wind. As he moved, the Dragon Blade slid swiftly into his hand.

Anyone who could infiltrate the Ye residence so silently, and approach within a hundred meters without being detected, was certainly no ordinary foe.

“Show yourself!” As he drew near, Ye Feng wasted no time—his blade, brimming with spiritual power, slashed down with tremendous force.

Almost simultaneously, at the base of the otherwise deserted courtyard wall, a patch of shadow—so faint it seemed almost one with the air—suddenly stirred.

Still as a maiden, swift as a startled hare.

Before the blade’s light could reach, the figure had already flashed several yards away.

“Not bad, boy! You didn’t disappoint your big sister,” came a voice, smooth and pleasing, as the shadow wriggled and a tall, slender young woman in black gracefully appeared before Ye Feng.

At first glance, the tension in Ye Feng’s face melted away. It was as if this stranger exuded a natural warmth that made people want to draw near.

He couldn’t say why, but deep down, Ye Feng was certain—this girl would never hurt him.

“May I ask, what brings you here?” He sheathed his long blade into the Demon King’s Domain, his demeanor transforming instantly from the rough, brawling youth of moments ago to a cultivated gentleman, speaking with effortless grace.

Within the Demon King’s Domain, the old monster could only lament how the world was going to ruin, people not what they used to be...

“Yes! I know certain things—and these are precisely what you wish to know,” the girl replied, showing no trace of unfamiliarity as she strolled toward the lawn.

For reasons he could not explain, Ye Feng felt no resentment toward her actions. He watched, unprotesting, as the girl settled herself grandly into the grand master’s chair.

In the next moment, the courtyard presented a most peculiar sight:

The host, Ye Feng, stood quietly to the side like a servant, while the black-clad girl—meeting him for the very first time—sat with utter ease in the grand master’s chair, gently rocking as if she belonged there.

As he watched the girl close her eyes in serene repose, something deep within Ye Feng stirred.

Serenity, elegance, wisdom—at this moment, every quality she exuded was one he admired most.

“Could this be what they call love at first sight?” Ye Feng wondered absurdly, watching the girl bask in the sun, gently rocking in the chair.

He shook his head in confusion, his face reddening, his words coming out awkward and unsteady. “Um... may I ask, what do you wish to tell me?”

As she opened her eyes, she caught sight of Ye Feng’s flushed cheeks.

“Hehe, why are you blushing?” she teased.

Enchanting without being seductive, her smile could intoxicate all who saw it. When quiet, she was like the fresh-faced girl next door; in her smiles and frowns, she was a fairy who had mistakenly wandered into the mortal world.

Watching Ye Feng flounder, the girl’s bright eyes sparkled mischievously. “Don’t tell me you fell in love with me at first sight?”

“Ah... no, absolutely not!” At that instant, Ye Feng felt his image as a tall, handsome hero crumble to dust.

Even when he’d crawled out of the Demon King’s tomb to face three demon kings and hundreds of high-level beasts alone, he’d managed to keep his wits. But now, he was like a bashful youth fresh from the countryside, flushing helplessly.

The girl in black caught every nuance of his embarrassment.

And then, that fairy lost in the mortal world herself blushed, a rosy hue swiftly creeping up her lovely cheeks.

Ahem... pfft...

Just then, the Dragon Flood Serpent King’s ill-timed cough sounded heavily. And from the sound, he spat out some foul substance after.

Ah...

Ugh...

The two young people, as if frozen by a spell, both shivered at the disgusting interruption.

Um...

Er...

The awkwardness returned. Both opened their mouths at once, only to fall silent again when they heard each other speak.

Pfft...

No one knew how long the uncomfortable silence lasted, until the girl finally broke it with a light laugh. “Actually, I came to tell you some news!”

“Mm,” Ye Feng replied, still embarrassed, his sweaty hands unconsciously clenching and unclenching his robe.

“I came to tell you some secrets—about your Ye family and the Sacred Land!”

In that instant, all awkwardness and innocence vanished. Ye Feng’s eyes snapped into a wolf-like sharpness and caution.

He narrowed his gaze, fixing it on the girl, his voice chillingly calm. “Before I hear it, I want to know—why are you telling me this?”

The temperature around them seemed to drop. The girl in black stared at him in shock, unable to believe that a single person could recover his composure so swiftly—from dazed infatuation to icy clarity in a blink.

“Tell me. Why?” Ye Feng’s voice was cold, stripped of all emotion.

She stood stunned for a moment, then suddenly said, “Are you interrogating me? Here I am, trying to help, and you’re being so fierce...”

“I just want to know the reason. You should understand what this means to me.”