Chapter 545: Metamorphosis of a Handsome Youth

Only Jiang Fan had gone far away to cultivate. The person arriving was undoubtedly Jiang Fan!

"Finally, you're here!"

Wu Manyue's face was drawn, her gaze fixed coldly on the approaching figure. As the wind and snow drew nearer, a young man in a black robe emerged, walking through the swirling snow. His robe swayed with the wind, and his dark hair cascaded like a waterfall. A simple silver sash cinched his waist, highlighting his well-proportioned and slender build. With each step, his eyes shone with a clear light, like a mirror reflecting autumn water. A slight, confident, and gentle smile played on his lips, reminiscent of peach blossoms blooming with the arrival of spring.

Most striking was his skin. It was incredibly fair, reflecting a faint glow in the sunlight, as if it emitted light. It was whiter than the falling snow, so white that it would make any woman envious.

Wu Manyue stared blankly. The image of a graceful young man was etched into her eyes. The phrase "a gentleman as pure as jade" involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

The handsome young man in black before her perfectly embodied that description. "What a handsome person?" she thought. "When did the Nine Sects get someone like this?"

Wu Manyue's gaze softened momentarily. She noticed he was about to walk past her. She instinctively averted her gaze. Slightly shyly, she lowered her arms from her chest and brushed aside her wind-tousled hair, her expression a little awkward. Even the naturally charming Wu Manyue couldn't help but feel a touch of shyness and reserve upon seeing a handsome man who captivated her.

However, to Wu Manyue's surprise, he didn't walk past her. Instead, he stopped beside her. Frowning, he asked, "Who are you waiting for?"

That voice? Wu Manyue turned her head in disbelief. Upon closer inspection, the features – his eyebrows, eyes, mouth, and nose – clearly belonged to Jiang Fan. "It's you?" Wu Manyue exclaimed, surprised. "You... how did you change so much?"

The old Jiang Fan was handsome enough, but having seen countless exceptionally beautiful men in the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, his appearance had never struck her as particularly outstanding. Yet, after just a few days, Jiang Fan had undergone a complete transformation, leaving her utterly astonished. She hadn't even recognized him at first glance.

Jiang Fan, too lazy to respond, coldly stated, "We're about to set off. Aren't you going to tell me the mission details?"

Wu Manyue was still reeling from shock. While scrutinizing Jiang Fan's luminous skin, she said, "This mission, actually, has something to do with you."

Jiang Fan was surprised. "With me?"

Wu Manyue circled Jiang Fan, continuously observing him. She said, "Do you remember Consort Yunxia? The intelligence you extracted from the Golden Claw Iron Wolf indicated that this Consort Yunxia possesses an unknown quantity of Demon Emperor's essence blood. With the decisive battle between our two races imminent, this hidden danger must be eliminated. Therefore, our special operation mission is to ambush and kill Consort Yunxia."

Jiang Fan was startled. He said, "Are you serious? How could a Demon Emperor's Consort be weak? And wouldn't she have strong guards around her? For a few disciples like us to go, isn't that just seeking death?" A mission like this would be extremely dangerous even for elders, let alone disciples.

Wu Manyue, still marveling at Jiang Fan as she replied, "You're overthinking it! Even if we disciples wanted to personally ambush her, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion would worry about us messing things up. The true attackers will be elder-level experts drawn from the Nine Sects. Our role is simply to ambush the stragglers at the exit of the Valley of Wandering Souls and eliminate them, preventing the Demon Emperor's essence blood from escaping and ruining the entire effort."

"So that's how it is." Jiang Fan let out a long breath. Merely assisting the powerful experts in completing this mission was much simpler. Although it still carried significant risks, the reward of cultivating in a Nascent Soul Tribulation zone made it entirely worthwhile.

"Alright! Where are the other team members?" Jiang Fan nodded. A mission this important wouldn't involve only a few of them.

"They're all waiting down the mountain," Wu Manyue said, finally withdrawing her scrutinizing gaze.

The moment she finished speaking, Jiang Fan immediately used his movement technique, directly leaping over the Great Wall and heading down the Boundary Mountain. He had no desire to travel with Wu Manyue, which made her grit her teeth slightly: "Bastard! Just because you're handsome now, you think you can be arrogant? Don't think I'll let you off the hook! After this mission, I'll find a way to settle our past scores! Of course, given how handsome you are, I might be able to offer a small discount..."

At the foot of Boundary Mountain, Jiang Fan spotted several familiar figures from a distance. They also saw Jiang Fan. Though surprised by his transformation, they had fought side-by-side for many days and recognized him instantly.

"Haha! What did I tell you? Junior Brother Jiang would definitely come!" Liang Feiyan stretched out his hand and laughed heartily. "I won! A bet is a bet! Come on, hand it over!"

Ouyang Jun, Xie Liushu, Hua Xiangchen, and Li Shiqian, with pained expressions, each pulled out a Dust Heart Pill and placed it in Liang Feiyan's hand. Only Xia Chaoge stood apart, alone, leading a demon wolf, watching the scene with a faint, gentle smile.

"What's going on with you all?" Jiang Fan asked, puzzled, as he arrived.

Li Shiqian said mournfully, "We lost a bet, that's what!"

"Uh—" It was only when Jiang Fan asked that he learned they had made a bet on whether he would participate in this mission. Except for Liang Feiyan, they all believed Jiang Fan wouldn't come because Wu Manyue had suffered so many losses at his hands. Jiang Fan would be too busy avoiding her, let alone joining an activity she organized. As it turned out, only Liang Feiyan had guessed correctly.

"Hehe! Four Dust Heart Pills, plus the one my master rewarded me with, means I can aim for the fifth layer of Core Formation when I get back!" Liang Feiyan cupped his fist and laughed at Jiang Fan. "Haha, Junior Brother Jiang, you're my lucky star! They all thought you'd be afraid of Wu Manyue, but I knew that with Junior Brother Jiang's capabilities, Wu Manyue is no match for you!"

Ouyang Jun and the others' faces fell. They were filled with regret. They had all distinguished themselves on the battlefield, for which the sect had made an exception and rewarded each of them with a Dust Heart Pill. Now, they had lost them all.

Li Shiqian playfully complained, "Junior Brother Jiang, it's all your fault, you have to compensate us!" The others didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Jiang Fan chuckled, saying, "Alright, alright, I'll compensate you." He took out ten Spring Return Pills and tossed them to Li Shiqian, saying, "You all can share these." During his days in seclusion, besides cultivating, he had taken the time to refine a batch of Spring Return Pills and Three-Step Drunkenness, a hundred of each, enough to last for a while.

"Huh? I was just joking!" Li Shiqian was startled and quickly tried to return them.

Jiang Fan said, "This journey still holds some danger. Each of you should keep two, just in case." These people before him were all familiar faces. He didn't want to hear news of anyone's demise again. That feeling was too unbearable.

Li Shiqian said, touched, "Junior Brother Jiang, how can I ever repay you?" When she thought about it, Jiang Fan had saved her once at the peak of Boundary Mountain and later given her spirit pills multiple times.

Xie Liushu chuckled mischievously, "You could always throw yourself into his arms. Junior Sister Liu Qingxian is on another mission right now, so you should seize the opportunity to step in. Once she's back, you won't even be able to get close to Junior Brother Jiang's side..."

"Ouch!" Suddenly, Xie Liushu clutched his backside and yelped. He turned his head to look. It was Xia Chaoge, quietly watching him while weighing a few iron pellets in her hand.

"Senior Brother Xie, mind your words."

Xie Liushu rubbed his backside. This was already the second time Xia Chaoge had disciplined him for speaking carelessly. He said, exasperated, "When Junior Brother Jiang was hugging you and crying, I didn't hear you say anything about minding your words..."

"Ow! Ow!" He didn't even finish his sentence. Several iron pellets struck him, sending him scrambling, clutching his head and howling.

Jiang Fan gave an awkward smile. He took out a bottle of Spring Return Pills and handed it to her, saying, "These are for you." Xia Chaoge glanced at the jade bottle containing ten Spring Return Pills, a hint of joy appearing on her pretty face. "Thank you."

She accepted them gracefully. Jiang Fan, however, was puzzled. He had expected Xia Chaoge to refuse, as she had last time, saying it would cross the boundaries of their master-disciple relationship. Yet, this time she had simply accepted them.

Suddenly, Jiang Fan felt a pair of fierce eyes glaring at him. Following the gaze, he saw it was the demon wolf Xia Chaoge was leading. Its body was entirely black, except for its paws, which gleamed with golden light. Jiang Fan was momentarily stunned. "This demon wolf looks very familiar."