Chapter 62: Sparrow Feather Magical Robe

Her voice was soft and extremely alluring. Zhao Xing's outstretched hand paused involuntarily, and he turned his head toward the source of the sound.

At the other end of the small stream, a young maiden had suddenly appeared.

She had a pretty face and clear eyes. Dressed in white with a fluttering sash around her waist, she seemed to carry an otherworldly grace.

Her red lips parted slightly as she called out to him, addressing him as "elder brother." Her voice was sweet, and she raised a fair arm to wave, smiling with an innocent expression.

It was as if she had finally found her beloved after a long separation and had run toward him.

"Calling me?"

Zhao Xing paused for a moment, then picked up the crimson fruit anyway.

Seeing this action, a strange look flashed in the maiden's eyes, and she quickened her pace.

At the same time, the silver bells on her wrist chimed, producing a crisp and melodious sound.

"Did big brother forget me so quickly? It's me, Qian'er." The maiden drifted across the stream, stopped, and lowered her brow, appearing somewhat shy.

Zhao Xing looked at her quietly and silently gave an order.

"Big brother, the last time we were intimate, you swore up and down that you would come looking for Qian'er, and even promised to bring the best treasures for me. Now Qian'er is here." Lu Qian approached slowly, her alluring charm growing stronger.

She pointed to the crimson fruit in Zhao Xing's hand and parted her red lips. "Is big brother planning to give this to me?"

"You mean this?" Zhao Xing held up the crimson fruit, a foolish infatuation plastered across his face as he took two steps forward.

"Yes." Lu Qian's smile grew even brighter.

"In your dreams."

"???"

Lu Qian's smile froze, and she immediately realized something was wrong.

This man was completely unaffected by her charm technique!

Not only that, but she also sensed a trace of danger!

"Oh no!"

Lu Qian instantly retreated.

She stood on her tiptoe and quickened her small steps backward, moving like a lithe dancer.

Her robes fluttered, and colorful silk ribbons extended from her sleeves, dancing up and down as her figure moved with extreme agility.

Yet, she was still a step too late.

From the autumn-leaf-covered soil, a golden hand suddenly reached out and clamped tightly around her ankle!

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

Immediately afterward, from all directions around her, figures rose from the ground and rapidly closed in on her.

"These are... straw men?"

Lu Qian was somewhat startled. Her dancing sleeves suddenly stiffened like a sharp broadsword, slashing toward the Vajra Guardian that held her ankle.

*Clang!*

A sound of colliding metal rang out. The dancing sleeve bounced back, leaving only a faint white scratch on the arm of the Vajra Guardian.

"What? My blade can't cut them?" Lu Qian was shocked.

This was a second-tier top-grade silver-threaded sleeve sword, and it couldn't even cut down a straw man?

"Knock her down," Zhao Xing commanded indifferently.

"Wait!" Lu Qian's expression changed drastically. Before she could say anything else, a Vajra Guardian rushed forward fiercely.

*Bang!*

Lu Qian took a punch to the face, and her right eye swelled up instantly.

"Ah—"

She was knocked backward, and the sound of pain she started to make was cut short.

This was because another Vajra Guardian leaped up and delivered an elbow strike to her left eye.

*Bang!*

The white-robed fairy was instantly knocked down to the dust, lying flat on her back in the mud with a pair of matching panda eyes.

"Hang her up."

Zhao Xing waved his hand, instructing the binding straw men to string up the unconscious Lu Qian from a tree.

She received the exact same treatment as Zong Shichang, hoisted between two trees in a forced split.

*Splash!*

A basin of water was dumped over Lu Qian, shocking her back to consciousness from her faint.

"You—let me go!"

Drenched by the water, Lu Qian's graceful curves were vaguely visible. A look of vulnerability appeared on her face at precisely the right moment, and she bit her lower lip, looking pitiful. "What—what do you want? Don't come near me!"

Zhao Xing actually stopped in his tracks, saying indifferently, "Cut the act."

"What—what are you talking about?" Lu Qian's gaze flickered with unease.

"You are wearing a third-tier top-grade peacock-feather spirit robe underneath. If I really came over to strip you, I would instantly fall into your trap and be charmed by you. Did you think I wouldn't know?" Zhao Xing looked at her with a half-smile.

Lu Qian's expression shifted. She knew she was done for today.

Her undergarments had been seen through; the man before her was far more powerful than she had imagined.

Her charm spell hadn't had the slightest effect on him!

How could she know that Zhao Xing was a man who had conquered the tenth tier of the Heart-Inquiring Platform? Her little illusions were completely incomparable to the national-level elite trials of the Great Dream Academy.

"Since Your Excellency has seen through it, please spare my life. I don't want this crimson fruit anymore," Lu Qian dropped her alluring facade and said solemnly.

"What do you mean you don't want it? It never belonged to you in the first place. You're the one who came to rob me."

Lu Qian argued, "I found the crimson fruit up there. I was just about to pick it when it fell down. By rights, I discovered it first."

Zhao Xing remained unmoved. "That reason isn't enough for me to let you go."

"What do you want?"

"Simple. Pay a ransom for your life. I want that peacock-feather spirit robe of yours."

"You..." Lu Qian felt a sudden wave of shame and anger.

The peacock-feather spirit robe was not only a treasure, but also her intimate undergarment. Having it taken away by a strange man like this was something she could not accept for a moment.

Zhao Xing didn't give her much time to consider. "Bound by the rules, I cannot kill you directly. If you want to keep your dignity, take it off yourself. If not, I'll have to help you."

"Fine, I'll take it off myself! You must keep your word!" Lu Qian gritted her teeth, resigning herself to her fate.

If she stayed tied up here, her life would truly be in danger.

Zhao Xing warned, "Don't try any other little tricks, or I cannot guarantee I can control the force of my counterattack."

With that, he waved his hand, and the binding straw men released Lu Qian.

Having taken two punches, Lu Qian's whole body ached. She knew resistance was futile and she had no choice but to submit. Given the circumstances, this outcome was already quite good.

Therefore, she stopped playing any tricks, turned around, slipped her hands inside her collar, and after a brief fumble, she removed a brightly colored undergarment.

"Here you go." Lu Qian turned around and handed over the peacock-feather spirit robe. She still held a shred of hope that Zhao Xing would be affected the moment he looked at the garment.

To her disappointment, he remained completely indifferent, unaffected by it at all. This shattered Lu Qian's last glimmer of hope.

"A fine item."

High-tier peacock-feather spirit robes were crafted from the feathers of rare divine peacocks, and this one used feathers from a roc-peacock.

However, one of the feathers was from a fourth-tier rare beast, and the eye pattern upon it made it difficult for anyone to look away.

Zhao Xing stared directly at the robe, his gaze momentarily dazed. He quickly circulated his clear-vision technique to block off the channel to his heart.

The young maiden before him should be a sixth-tier Gathering-Origin illusion dancer. Dancers were typically low-ranking officials of the Ministry of Rites. The Zhou Dynasty placed great emphasis on the system of rituals and music, using them for sacrifices and other grand official ceremonies.

"Your Excellency has already obtained the robe. Please allow me to take my leave." Lu Qian's tone was rigid, clearly in a very foul mood.

She had been somewhat careless and impatient. Seeing that Zhao Xing was only at the fourth tier of Gathering Origin, she hadn't even displayed her dancing skills or made full use of the peacock-feather spirit robe; otherwise, her charm spells could have been even stronger.

"Wait a moment."

"What, you—" Lu Qian was both startled and enraged. Just as she attempted to resist, a Vajra Guardian slapped her unconscious, and she slumped limply to the ground.

"I said I'd let you go, but I never said *when*."

Zhao Xing did not know if Lu Qian had accomplices. His Vajra Bamboo was still a little ways away from ripening, so naturally, he would only release her after he had departed.