Chronicles of Heaven's Chosen - Chapter 37

A dragon.

Xie Yan’s gaze moved downward and settled on the girl in the lake. Her small face was utterly bloodless, yet her large eyes remained bright and clear. She spoke with such animation that she hardly looked weak at all.

Something suddenly occurred to him, and one corner of his mouth lifted.

He stepped into the air. Before Yuan Yao could react, he struck the lake with his palm.

Boom!

The blast sent Yuan Yao tumbling through the water. She swallowed several mouthfuls before she managed to right herself.

When she looked up, the golden egg was already in the ghost-masked youth’s arms.

“Xie Yan! That’s my egg! Give it back!”

“It’s mine now.” Xie Yan laughed softly.

With that, he carried the golden egg toward the Treasure Pavilion.

Yuan Yao stared at him in disbelief, then ground her teeth. “Shameless! Xie Yan, you dog!”

She swam to shore as fast as she could, used spiritual power to dry her clothes, then charged after him with her sword and murder in her eyes.

The golden egg thrashed ceaselessly in Xie Yan’s arms.

He lowered his eyes and gave it an icy look.

“Would you like to be born early?”

Terrifying power gathered in his palm. If the golden egg struggled again, he would crush its shell without hesitation.

The golden egg whimpered and went perfectly still.

It immediately sent Yuan Yao a frantic message that a villain had taken it captive.

Yuan Yao stormed into the Treasure Pavilion, only to find every floor stripped bare. Aside from a few pieces of basic furniture, there was nothing left on the first, second, or third floors.

She stopped short.

Who would have guessed that bastard Xie Yan could loot a place this thoroughly?

By the time she reached the top floor, she discovered that he was already running back toward the lake with the golden egg.

Yuan Yao instantly realized he had used the egg as a diversion.

As if to confirm it, the youth glanced over his shoulder. Amusement gleamed in his eyes, almost as though he were daring her to catch him.

“You’re not getting away!”

Furious beyond reason, Yuan Yao vaulted over the railing, dropped from the building, and raced toward the lake.

Just as Xie Yan was about to cross the water, he heard a rope slicing through the air behind him.

Whish! Whish! Whish!

His eyes changed. He spun and threw out a palm strike.

But the five-colored rope dodged the blow of its own accord. Before he could react, it coiled around his leg and dragged him violently toward the water.

Splash!

The youth plunged into the lake again.

As he struggled to escape, his hand loosened around the golden egg.

The egg shot free and flew straight to Yuan Yao.

She glared at it.

Guilty and afraid, it shrank back, then rubbed ingratiatingly against her arm.

“Go wait over there.”

Yuan Yao had no time for it. She looked at Xie Yan struggling in the water and gave a satisfied little snort.

“Apologize to me, Xie Yan, and I’ll let you off.”

He could barely breathe. His body felt unbearably heavy, as though countless hands were dragging him into an abyss. His consciousness began to blur, but he could just make out Yuan Yao’s voice.

Apologize?

Impossible.

Xie Yan was about to stab his own thigh with his sword to force himself awake when the rope around his ankle jerked tight and hauled him toward shore.

He was dragged out of the lake.

Before he could recover, the five-colored rope wound around him from head to foot and bound him securely.

Yuan Yao crouched beside him, propped her chin in both hands, and smiled down at him.

“Apologize, and I’ll let you go.”

Xie Yan appeared not to hear her. He closed his eyes.

Yuan Yao poked his shoulder. “Hey, why are you so afraid of water? Didn’t you learn how to swim when you were little?”

He still did not respond.

Losing interest in the question, Yuan Yao said, “Hand over all the secret treasures you just found, and I’ll release you.”

“You want them?” Xie Yan’s eyes suddenly opened. Cold indifference filled them as he glanced at her.

“Of course I do.”

This was Yuan Yao’s first journey away from the sect. Over the last few days, she had lost quite a few things and gained almost nothing. Whenever her senior brothers and sisters returned from their travels, they brought her all kinds of curious gifts.

She wanted to bring something back for them, too.

And for her Master.

“No.” Xie Yan’s voice was hoarse from nearly drowning.

“You don’t have a choice.”

Yuan Yao scoffed and reached straight for his storage ring.

Her soft hand pressed against his palm. Xie Yan’s brow twitched several times.

“Get lost,” he said irritably.

“No!”

Yuan Yao was every bit as stubborn as he was. She was determined to pull off the ring, but it fit so closely around his finger that it would not budge.

It almost felt as though the ring had grown into his flesh.

His fingers were unnaturally cold as well, like jade taken from a frozen mountain.

“They’re not in there,” Xie Yan said at last, seeming to yield.

Yuan Yao stopped and regarded him skeptically.

The next instant, a crushing pressure erupted from his body.

Boom!

The force threw Yuan Yao to the ground.

Pain tightened her face. Sensing that Phantom Spirit could no longer hold on, she scrambled up and put distance between herself and Xie Yan.

The five-colored rope dissolved into a mass of radiant light and flew toward her.

Yuan Yao reached out and caught the Phantom Spirit Sword.

The golden egg hid behind her.

On the shore, the youth slowly rose. Water dripped from the ends of his soaked curls. He rubbed the finger bearing his storage ring, then lifted his eyes and studied the girl before him with idle detachment.

Over the past few days, she had gotten the better of him again and again.

She had been given several chances to kill him, yet she had never taken one.

What exactly did she want?

Xie Yan had met clever women and foolish women. Yuan Yao somehow managed to be clever, foolish, and hopelessly softhearted all at once.

A longsword appeared in his left hand. At the same time, he suppressed his cultivation to the early Foundation Establishment Realm.

He looked up, his voice indifferent.

“Draw your sword.”

When Yuan Yao saw that he had lowered his cultivation to match hers, her lips curved.

“Gladly.”

They moved at the same instant.

Their swords collided with a piercing clang.

Xie Yan pressed down hard. Yuan Yao’s arm suddenly seemed to bear a thousand jin (over 1,100 pounds) of weight. The crushing force made her frown, and her face went even paler.

“Is that all you can do?” Xie Yan’s mouth twisted. “If you lose, then from now on, whenever you see me, take another road.”

Yuan Yao immediately thought of her mission to win him over.

If she had to avoid him every time they met, how was she supposed to accomplish anything?

She could not lose.