"Bang!"
With a dull impact sound, the Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast with tough hide and flesh was sent tumbling into the dense woods like a pebble kicked out by immense force.
It broke seven or eight giant trees, each requiring several people to encircle, before finally letting out a shrill cry and falling completely silent.
Its breath was faint, only managing to draw in and let out air.
Zhu Zhuyun felt as if all the blood in her body was about to stop flowing.
This was the first time she had witnessed Li Yifei take action so directly.
He hadn't released his Spirit, no spirit ring had shone, nor had he used any Spirit Ability.
It was just a look, a flick of a finger.
A Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast, one that they sisters could not possibly defeat even if they risked their lives, was resolved just like that?
She suddenly recalled what her younger sister had said.
"The former Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao, who once shook the continent, was casually wiped out by Brother Yi Fei with a single finger..."
At first, she thought her sister was exaggerating out of admiration, but only now did she understand that it was the most simple and unvarnished statement of fact.
The majesty of the Star Luo Imperial Family, the iron laws of the Dai Family, the fated conflict between sisters... everything she had struggled and schemed for, in the eyes of this man, probably held no essential difference from the Spirit Beast lying on the ground.
After finishing everything, Li Yifei's expression was calm, as if he had merely swatted away an annoying fly.
He turned his head, his gaze falling upon the still-shocked Zhu Zhuqing.
"Do you want its spirit ring?"
Zhu Zhuqing subconsciously nodded, then immediately shook her head violently, her voice tinged with bitterness: "I want it... but its age is too high; I simply cannot absorb it."
"Rules are meant to be broken."
Li Yifei said plainly, flipping his palm, and something appeared out of thin air in his hand.
It was a strange flower.
It had a single bloom, intensely crimson in color, with a glittering gold core. The shape of the flower resembled a peony, yet it lacked any accompanying green leaves, and the stem had the texture of warm jade.
The strangest thing was that the roots of this flower were still attached to a fist-sized stone, entirely black, emitting strange energy fluctuations.
The moment this flower appeared, a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance drifted through the woods.
The fragrance wasn't strong, but it could reach straight into people's hearts, stirring up the softest longing and affection deep within, making one lose themselves upon smelling it.
"Is this... an Immortal Herb?" Zhu Zhuqing asked uncertainly.
"A Divine Grade supreme treasure among Immortal Herbs, the Lovesick Heartbreak Red. " Li Yifei's gaze settled on Zhu Zhuqing's face, "The stone beneath it is the Black Absolute Stone; this Immortal Herb dies away from the stone."
He paused, then continued, "Consume it, and never mind a Ten Thousand Year spirit ring—it won't even be difficult to directly help you break through to Rank 50. It can strengthen your physical constitution as if undergoing a complete rebirth, allowing you to withstand spirit ring energy far beyond your limits."
Zhu Zhuqing's breathing suddenly became rapid, and an unprecedented brilliance erupted in her eyes.
Breaking through to Rank 50!
Absorbing a Ten Thousand Year spirit ring!
Either one of these achievements was enough to drive all Spirit Masters on the continent into a frenzy!
"However..." Li Yifei shifted his tone, causing Zhu Zhuqing's heart to leap into her throat.
"There is a condition for plucking it."
His gaze held a hint of scrutiny as he looked at the exquisite, beautiful face before him, which at this moment was filled with tension and expectation.
"When plucking it, you must be thinking of the person you love. Your affection must be genuine, and your focus must be singular. Then, drip a drop of blood onto the petal. If it detaches on its own, it means it has acknowledged you."
"But if there is even the slightest distracting thought in your heart, or if your feelings are not devoted, even if you bleed to death, you will never be able to pluck the flower."
Li Yifei's voice was light, yet every word caused Zhu Zhuqing's mind to buzz.
Loved... one?
Her cheeks flushed, "Swish," from her cheeks all the way to her earlobes, and even her fair neck was stained with a moving blush.
Those cool cat-like eyes instinctively, uncontrollably, looked toward the man before her.
Was it him?
Was it the person who gave her courage, who allowed her to break free from the mire of fate?
Was it the person who granted her new strength, allowing her to see another sky?
Was it the person who... for the first time made her experience what it meant to feel secure, what it meant to rely on someone?
But... could this be 'love'?
She didn't know.
More than ten years of assassin training had long honed her heart to be like ice and iron. The word 'love' was too luxurious, too distant for her.
Li Yifei did not urge her, simply watching her calmly. His deep eyes seemed capable of penetrating all her confusion and struggle.
Zhu Zhuyun on the side also held her breath. Watching the unprecedented feminine emotion on her sister's face, she felt a complex mix of feelings.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Zhu Zhuqing's breathing grew more rapid, countless thoughts surging and colliding in her mind.
Suddenly, she raised her head. All the hesitation and uncertainty in her cat-like eyes faded away at that moment, leaving only a sense of desperate resolve, as if burning her bridges.
She didn't understand what love was.
But she knew she wanted to be close to him, wanted to rely on him, wanted to... entrust everything she was to him.
If this didn't count, what would?
In the next second, under Zhu Zhuyun's astonished gaze, Zhu Zhuqing made a move that surprised everyone.
She swiftly stepped forward, stood on her tiptoes, and pressed her clumsy yet burning first kiss onto his thin lips.
There was no technique involved, only a sincere heart given with all her might.
A soft touch transmitted, and Zhu Zhuqing's body trembled violently, her mind going blank.
It seemed that only by using this most direct method could she prove to him, and to herself, the genuineness of that emotion.
A touch, and then separation.
Zhu Zhuqing stepped back, not daring to look into Li Yifei's eyes. Her pretty face was so red it looked like it might bleed.
She turned, and before the feeling of excitement and burning warmth could fade, she quickly walked to the 'Lovesick Heartbreak Red'.
She extended her slender fingers, nicked her fingertip, and gently dripped a bead of crimson blood onto the delicate red petal.
Then, she closed her eyes. All that appeared in her mind was the figure of that man.
The way he appeared in the dense forest like a divine soldier descending from heaven.
The way he calmly resolved the Star Luo Imperial Family's hidden agents for her.
The way he gently stroked the Little Rabbit held in his arms.
The flicker of surprise in his eyes just now when she kissed him.
Sincerity moves mountains.
The supreme Immortal Herb, originally firmly rooted in the Black Absolute Stone, trembled slightly the moment it touched her blood.
Immediately after, under the shocked gaze of the two sisters, it... detached itself and floated lightly into Zhu Zhuqing's palm.
She succeeded!
Zhu Zhuqing held the strange flower, the wild joy in her heart almost overflowing.
Without the slightest hesitation, she opened her mouth and swallowed the Immortal Herb that would decide her future destiny, petals and stem included.