After Crossdressing and Provoking Long AoTian

Ye Chenyan rejected the idea outright. “Absolutely not.”

Li Ji laughed softly, then, surprisingly, turned to Yu Qingtang. “What about this gentleman, then?”

Yu Qingtang had been busy making faces at Ye Chenyan and had not expected the question to suddenly land on him. He looked up in shock. “M-me? You’re asking me?”

“If I were taking a husband into the Dragon Palace, then no matter how capable he might be, a man who doesn’t know how to sweet-talk someone would still be lacking a little something.” Whether Li Ji was doing it deliberately or not, amusement colored her voice. “Compared with him, you look much more like someone who knows how to...”

Ye Chenyan instantly pulled Yu Qingtang behind him. “Don’t get any ideas about him!”

“Oh my.” Li Ji lightly covered her mouth, though she did not sound remotely flustered. “Could I truly have misjudged you? To think I failed to notice that the two before me were lovers. I nearly broke up an immortal couple.”

“Hm?” Feiyan froze, then thrust his enormous dragon head closer and stared at the two of them. “I misjudged them too? Aren’t they both boys?”

Li Ji did not seem particularly concerned. “Human cultivators fall for mountain spirits and strange creatures, merfolk and dragon women, and sometimes other men. Isn’t that perfectly normal?”

“True.” Feiyan withdrew his head. “You little humans really do get up to all sorts.”

Yu Qingtang: “...”

Feiyan’s booming voice rang out again. “Anyway, it’s settled. Get rid of the young sect master of Stillwater Sect, and I’ll take you to meet the clan head and undergo the trials.”

“Easy enough, easy enough.” Yu Qingtang nodded along.

He still had some impression of that fellow from Stillwater Sect—

The man specialized in underwater combat. In the original story, it had been Long Aotian’s first time fighting someone beneath the sea, so he had suffered a bit at first. But he learned while fighting, adapting at an astonishing speed. Naturally, in the end he still beat the other man senseless and successfully won the beauty.

But the plot and timeline no longer matched.

Surely Ye Chenyan’s cultivation could not have skyrocketed while this guy’s had somehow skyrocketed right alongside it?

To be safe, Yu Qingtang leaned closer to Feiyan’s head and asked, “What cultivation level is that young sect master of Stillwater Sect at now?”

Feiyan answered casually, “Him? Peak Out-of-Body. Underwater, he can fight at the level of Soul Transformation.”

“Oh no,” Yu Qingtang muttered, sneaking a glance at Ye Chenyan.

Ye Chenyan looked back at him in confusion.

Feiyan also found the reaction strange. “What? The two of you should crush him. What are you afraid of?”

Yu Qingtang looked worriedly at Ye Chenyan. “He’s only Out-of-Body. Can you really bring yourself to hit him?”

Ye Chenyan looked baffled. “Of course I can.”

“Huh?” Yu Qingtang’s eyes widened in shock. “But he’s so much weaker than you.”

“So?” Ye Chenyan said, perfectly justified. “I can still hit him.”

Yu Qingtang muttered to himself, “That’s not how it’s supposed to go...”

Ye Chenyan chuckled. “What isn’t? Once I become number one under Heaven, am I supposed to stop fighting back whenever anyone in the world comes looking for trouble?”

Yu Qingtang blinked. “That actually makes sense.”

Then realization struck him, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

“Now that I think about it, my situation back then was incredibly dangerous.”

Laughing, Ye Chenyan pulled him along. “Come on. Let’s get rid of that guy quickly. We still need to find the Realm Stone.”

...

The people from Stillwater Sect were stationed not far from the Dragon Palace.

Feiyan hid behind an underwater reef and brought the two of them over to peer around it.

“See that? That impressive-looking boulder is the actual main entrance to the Dragon Palace. They’re blocking it. I brought you in through a side entrance earlier.”

Yu Qingtang opened his mouth.

He looked down at Feiyan’s enormous body, then at the reef that was visibly smaller than the dragon hiding behind it.

He quietly reminded him, “Haven’t they already seen you?”

“Impossible!” Feiyan denied immediately. “The last time I came here, I could hide behind this without being spotted!”

Ye Chenyan raised an eyebrow. “Last time? When was that?”

Feiyan muttered, “A-about a hundred years ago?”

Yu Qingtang: “...You’ve eaten pretty well over the last hundred years, huh?”

“Impossible!” Feiyan’s eyes went wide. “I haven’t gotten fatter. The rock must have gotten smaller over the last hundred years.”

“Brother Feiyan.”

Someone called out to him.

Feiyan hunched his neck, then reluctantly poked his head out. “You’re blocking the entrance to our Dragon Palace again!”

Yu Qingtang followed his gaze—

The people of Stillwater Sect were each mounted on an underwater demon beast. Their wide sleeves and long robes drifted gently through the water, making the group resemble a flock of sea butterflies.

They were, unexpectedly, rather pleasing to look at.

At their head was a young man dressed in blue.

At first glance he looked refined and scholarly, though somewhat frail. His frame was slender, his skin extraordinarily pale, and the corners of his eyes drooped slightly. A beauty mark beneath one eye gave him an almost pitifully delicate appearance.

Hearing Feiyan, he smiled faintly. “Brother Feiyan, I’ve never stopped you from coming and going. How can you say I’m blocking the way?”

“It’s simply that Li Ji refuses to see me. I have no choice but to think of some way to speak with her.”

Feiyan answered irritably, “The clan head has important matters to deal with. She doesn’t have time for you!”

“I know. She bears heavy responsibilities.” The smile in the blue-robed young man’s eyes did not fade. “She wishes to find a peerless hero. For her sake, I am naturally willing to become that hero.”

“I know that becoming the person she chooses requires passing trial after trial. Brother Feiyan, all I ask is the chance to undergo those trials.”

Yu Qingtang secretly studied him, then lightly patted Feiyan.

“He’s actually pretty polite.”

At least he was nowhere near the same level as the thugs and tyrants they had encountered on their travels.

“Whose side are you on?” Feiyan glared at him furiously. “I don’t like polite people.”

Yu Qingtang lowered his voice. “He isn’t courting you. Why don’t you ask your clan head whether she likes polite people?”

While Yu Qingtang was talking to Feiyan, the blue-robed young man was also studying him.

He slowly narrowed his eyes. “This gentleman is...”

Before Yu Qingtang could answer, Feiyan snapped, “He doesn’t know who you are either. Introduce yourself first!”

The blue-robed young man chuckled and cupped his hands toward Yu Qingtang.

“I am Ren Jiangliu, young sect master of Stillwater Sect. You do not appear to be from Yuezhou. To have traveled such a great distance, could it be that...”

His inquisitive gaze settled on Yu Qingtang’s face.

“I’m indeed not from Yuezhou. The scenery here is really quite unique.” Yu Qingtang laughed vaguely, deliberately skirting around the reason for his visit. “Yu Qingtang, Biehe Sect of Jinzhou.”

Biehe Sect was probably not famous enough for Ren Jiangliu to have heard of it.

Yet Ren Jiangliu showed no contempt. Instead, his smile grew even friendlier.

“Young Master Yu.”

Yu Qingtang pointed at Ye Chenyan. “And this is—”

Ren Jiangliu chuckled and raised a hand to stop him, smiling amiably.

“No need to introduce him.”

Ye Chenyan raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Ren Jiangliu nodded slightly, utterly relaxed.

“Li Ji doesn’t like his type.”

Ye Chenyan: “...”

Yu Qingtang slowly turned his head.

“Huh? Hiss—”

Come to think of it, in the original story, Li Ji really had been one of the only members of Long Aotian’s harem who had not left with him.

The two had spent one passionate night together in the Dragon Palace, after which Li Ji had said she still bore responsibilities of her own. She could not leave with him and had to remain behind to guard the Realm Gate.

So she stayed in the Dragon Palace.

She had even given him a little conch shell that could carry voices as a token of their love.

Yu Qingtang stared at Ye Chenyan with a slightly peculiar expression.

Ye Chenyan raised an eyebrow. “What?”

The corners of Yu Qingtang’s mouth curled upward.

He wanted to laugh but did not dare.

A bad feeling crept over Ye Chenyan. He tightened his grip on Yu Qingtang’s hand.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing.” Yu Qingtang cleared his throat and patted his shoulder reassuringly. “I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at... Hua Shimiao.”

Ye Chenyan grew even more suspicious. “Don’t you always blame all his nonsense on me?”

“That was before.” Yu Qingtang put on a solemn expression. “When have I done that lately?”

He gestured between imaginary figures.

“He’s him, and you’re you. I’ve separated the two of you now. Of course, if you personally want to take the blame for everything he did, then I can—”

“I absolutely do not.” Ye Chenyan rejected the idea outright.

He gave Yu Qingtang a deep look and confirmed once more, “You’re only laughing at him, not me?”

“Mhm.” Yu Qingtang nodded earnestly. “Of course.”

Ren Jiangliu sat atop a manta ray, watching the two of them talk with a thoughtful expression.

One of the Stillwater Sect disciples behind him finally could not stand it anymore.

“What are you two muttering about as though no one else is here? Our young sect master is speaking to you!”

“Hey.” Ren Jiangliu good-naturedly raised a hand to stop him. “It’s fine.”

A strange light flashed through his eyes.

He chuckled.

“The understanding between you two seems rather extraordinary. Could it be that the two of you are...”

Ye Chenyan raised an eyebrow and answered with unmistakable pride.

“That’s right.”

“Excellent.” Ren Jiangliu visibly relaxed, his smile utterly sincere. “You two truly are a perfect match.”

“In that case, I assume neither of you intends to interfere in my affairs. Later, I’ll invite you both to Stillwater Sect as guests. For now—”

“Actually, we do.” Yu Qingtang smiled apologetically at him. “Someone asked us to interfere, so unfortunately, we still have to get in your way.”

Ye Chenyan raised his demonic weapon, looking thoroughly arrogant.

“Are you going to get lost on your own, or do I need to throw you out?”

“Why?!” Ren Jiangliu looked completely baffled. “The two of you are clearly already...”

He broke off.

Then realization struck.

Anger flashed through his eyes as he pointed at Yu Qingtang.

“Don’t tell me you’re after both men and women!”

“Hm?” Yu Qingtang’s eyes widened in shock. “Me? Don’t make things up! I am the Pure Love War God!”

“Then why do you already have him and still covet my Li Ji?” Ren Jiangliu demanded indignantly. “Even if you’re a Soul Transformation cultivator, I’m not afraid of you! Come out and fight me!”

“I’m not fighting.”

Yu Qingtang’s eyes widened, and he instantly ducked behind Ye Chenyan.

He patted Ye Chenyan’s shoulder.

“You go.”

Ren Jiangliu stared in disbelief. “You just let him go around flirting with everyone like that?”

Yu Qingtang poked his head out from behind Ye Chenyan and pointed accusingly at him.

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

“Why is your head full of nothing but this stuff?!”

“Li Ji and I...”

He paused.

For one moment, he could not think of a good way to phrase it.

“See!” Ren Jiangliu immediately shouted as though he had caught him red-handed. “He feels guilty! He’s stammering! He can’t even explain himself!”

Yu Qingtang: “...I was going to say we have a pure friendship, but we literally just met, so calling it friendship seemed like too much.”

There was seriously no talking to you romance-brained people!

He angrily turned his head—

And met Ye Chenyan’s gaze.

Yu Qingtang’s eyes flew wide in disbelief.

“Why are you looking at me like that? You don’t actually believe his nonsense, do you?”

“No.” Ye Chenyan denied it immediately.

The point of his spear swung toward Ren Jiangliu.

“I’m going in.”

A short while later, Ren Jiangliu and his spirit-pet manta ray were both floating belly-up beneath the sea.

Ren Jiangliu stared mournfully at Ye Chenyan and let out a long sigh.

“You even do things like this for him...”

“Ah. Another hopelessly devoted man.”

Yu Qingtang: “...”

Brother, could you please stop assigning me bizarre character traits?

He secretly poked the manta ray’s belly, then looked solemnly at Ren Jiangliu.

“You can’t force matters of the heart.”

“If you want to court someone, you need to learn what she likes and express yourself sincerely. Blocking her front door isn’t going to work.”

Ren Jiangliu instantly sat upright.

“You have a way?”

“No,” Yu Qingtang answered honestly. “I was just saying that.”

Ren Jiangliu lay back down.

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