Her voice was soft and enchanting, causing Zhao Xing's outstretched hand to involuntarily pause as he turned his head towards the source of the sound.
At one end of the stream, a young woman had suddenly appeared.
Her face was pretty, her eyes clear; she wore white clothes with a sash fluttering at her waist, exuding an otherworldly Qi.
With slightly parted red lips, she called 'Gege' towards him, her voice sweet, and she waved her fair arm, her smile pure.
It was as if she had waited a long time to see her beloved, and now she ran towards him.
"Calling me?"
Zhao Xing paused, but still picked up the Vermilion Fruit.
Seeing his action, a hint of surprise flashed in the young woman's eyes, and her steps quickened.
At the same time, the silver bells on her wrist jingled, emitting a clear and melodious sound.
"Gege, have you forgotten me so quickly? I am Qian'er." The young woman floated across the stream, stopping with her head bowed, seemingly a little shy.
Zhao Xing watched her silently, giving a command in his mind.
"Gege, last time we were together, you repeatedly said you would come find Qian'er, and that you would bring the best treasure to give to me. Now Qian'er is here." Lu Qian slowly approached, her alluring aura growing stronger.
She pointed at the Vermilion Fruit in Zhao Xing's hand, her red lips slightly parted: "Gege, are you going to give this to me?"
"Are you talking about this?" Zhao Xing raised the Vermilion Fruit in his hand, his expression like an infatuated man, and took two steps forward.
"Yes." Lu Qian smiled even more happily.
"You're dreaming."
"??"
Lu Qian's smile froze, and she immediately realized something was wrong.
This person was not affected by her charm Spell!
Not only that, but she felt a hint of danger!
"Oh no!"
Lu Qian immediately retreated.
She tiptoed, taking quick, small steps backward, like a graceful dancer.
Her clothes fluttered, colorful ribbons extended from her sleeves, which danced up and down, and her figure was incredibly agile.
But she was still a step too late.
From the autumn-leaf-covered earth, a golden palm reached out and grasped her ankle!
"Swoosh swoosh swoosh~"
Immediately after, figures rose from the ground all around her, quickly surrounding her.
"These are... Strawmen?"
Lu Qian was a little startled, her dancing sleeves suddenly straightened, like a large blade, striking at the Great Strength Vajra that held her ankle.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal clashing was heard, and her dancing sleeves were bounced back, while only a shallow white mark appeared on the Great Strength Vajra's arm.
"What? Can't cut it?" Lu Qian was shocked.
This was a High Grade second-tier Silver Silk Sleeve Sword; it couldn't even cut a strawman?
"Knock her down." Zhao Xing commanded indifferently.
"Wait!" Lu Qian's face changed drastically; she was about to say something when a Great Strength Vajra charged over fiercely.
"Bang!"
Lu Qian's face was struck with a punch, and her right eye immediately swelled up.
"Ah—"
She was knocked backward, her cry of pain interrupted as soon as it began.
The reason was that another Great Strength Vajra jumped up and gave her left eye an elbow strike.
"Bang!"
The white-clad fairy was instantly knocked down into the dust, lying stiffly in the mud with a pair of panda eyes.
"Hang her up."
Zhao Xing waved his hand, instructing the Entangling Strawmen to hang the unconscious Lu Qian from a tree.
She received the same treatment as Zong Shichang, doing a split between two trees.
"Pfft~"
A basin of water was poured over Lu Qian, and she awoke from her unconsciousness.
"You... you let go of me!"
Lu Qian was drenched, her graceful figure faintly visible. Her face appropriately showed vulnerability, and she bit her lower lip, appearing pitiful: "You... what do you want to do, don't come over!"
Zhao Xing indeed stopped, saying faintly: "Don't pretend."
"You... what are you talking about." Lu Qian's eyes were a little unnatural.
"You're wearing a High Grade third-tier Sparrow Feather Robe underneath. If I really came over to strip your clothes, I would immediately fall into your trap and be enchanted by you. Do you think I don't know?" Zhao Xing looked at her with a half-smile.
Lu Qian's expression changed; she knew she was in trouble today.
Even her underwear had been seen through; this person in front of her was much stronger than she had imagined.
Her charm Spell had no effect on him at all!
Little did she know, Zhao Xing was a man who had passed the ten stages of the Heart-Questioning Platform. Her little illusionary arts were completely incomparable to the national-level elite challenges of the Great Dream Academy.
"Since Your Excellency has seen through me, please allow me to leave alive. I don't want this Vermilion Fruit anymore." Lu Qian put away her charm, speaking seriously.
"What do you mean you don't want it anymore? It was never yours to begin with; you were planning to rob me."
Lu Qian argued: "I discovered the Vermilion Fruit up there. I was about to pick it when it fell down. By rights, I discovered it first."
Zhao Xing was unmoved: "That reason is not enough for me to let you go."
"What do you want?"
"Simple, buy your life with money. I want that Sparrow Feather Robe of yours."
"You..." Lu Qian was immediately both ashamed and angry.
The Sparrow Feather Robe was not only a treasure but also her intimate undergarment. To have it taken away by a strange man like this was something she couldn't accept at once.
Zhao Xing, however, did not give her much time to consider: "Due to the rules, I cannot directly kill you. If you wish to be decent, take it off yourself. Otherwise, I will have to help you."
"Alright, I'll take it off myself! You must keep your word!" Lu Qian gritted her teeth; she had resigned herself to her fate.
If she remained tied up here, her life would be in danger.
Zhao Xing reminded her: "Don't have any other tricks, otherwise I can't guarantee I'll control the force of the counterattack."
With that, he waved his hand, signaling the Entangling Strawmen to release Lu Qian.
Lu Qian had been punched twice and was sore all over. She knew she couldn't resist and could only be at his mercy. This outcome was already very good.
So she didn't try any more tricks, turned her back, reached her hands into her collar, and after some fumbling, a colorful piece of underwear was unfastened.
"Here." Lu Qian turned around and handed over the Sparrow Feather Robe. She still had some hope in her heart, hoping that Zhao Xing would see the robe and be affected.
Unexpectedly, the latter was unmoved, completely unaffected, which shattered Lu Qian's last shred of hope.
"Good stuff."
High Grade Sparrow Feather Robes were made from the feathers of precious peacocks; this one used the feathers of a Peng Sparrow.
However, one of the feathers used was from a fourth-tier precious beast, and the eye pattern on it made it hard to look away.
Zhao Xing stared directly at the robe, his eyes a little dazed, and quickly cast the Bright Eyes Spell to block the spiritual pathway.
This young woman should be a sixth-tier Gathering Qi Illusion Dancer. Dancers were generally officials of the Music Department, and the Zhou Dynasty was prevalent in the system of rituals and music, used for sacrifices and other grand official ceremonies.
"Your Excellency has already taken the robe, please allow me to take my leave." Lu Qian's tone was stiff, clearly in a very bad mood.
She had been a bit careless and impatient, seeing that Zhao Xing was only at the fourth-tier Gathering Qi, and hadn't even used her dance skills or this Sparrow Feather Robe, otherwise her charm Spell would have been even stronger.
"Wait a moment."
"What, you..." Lu Qian was filled with shock and anger; she was about to resist but was slapped unconscious by a Great Strength Vajra and fell softly to the ground.
"I said I would let you go, but I didn't say when."
Zhao Xing didn't know if Lu Qian had accomplices. His Vajra Bamboo was still a bit away from maturing, so he naturally had to wait until he left before releasing her.