Two weeks had passed quickly since the Immortal Banquet, and while Aotian awaited the start of the hunt, he never stopped training—or thinking about Liu Rihai.

‘Just a little longer… Two or three more days should be enough for me to reach the mid-level of Blood Refinement.’ He reflected as he finished getting ready.

‘Finally, I’ll see her again.’ A silly smile appeared on his face at the thought.

Without wasting time, he hurried out of his room and ran straight to the city gates.

As he left the city, he spotted a crowd.

And then, there she was.

Alone in the middle of the crowd, bored, absentmindedly looking at her nails. But her dazzling beauty made her stand out like a beacon in an ocean of people.

As if guided by fate, Liu Rihai lifted her head at that moment, locking eyes with Aotian. Her blue eyes sparkled, and then they curved into a radiant smile.

Aotian was momentarily dazed by the sight. But he quickly snapped out of it and eagerly moved toward her.

“Rihai!” he called out cheerfully.

However, the moment she heard his voice, Liu Rihai’s smile froze.

Her eyes darkened ominously, and she slowly started approaching him.

‘Did I rush things too much?’ Aotian swallowed hard, feeling a chill down his spine.

Liu Rihai raised her hands… and suddenly grabbed Aotian’s neck, shaking him back and forth with force.

“Why are you skipping steps so fast, calling me by my name already?!” she exclaimed, her face furious.

Her face was red, but it was hard to tell if it was from anger or embarrassment.

“Hey! You skipped steps first!” Aotian protested indignantly.

Liu Rihai blinked in surprise. “What?! When did I skip steps?”

“You called me ‘Brother Aotian’ first!” He raised his nose and declared arrogantly.

She opened her mouth, perplexed.

“What kind of ridiculous logic is that?! Calling you ‘Brother Aotian’ after getting to know you better is completely normal! You’re the one moving too fast!”

“Exactly! First, you called me ‘Young Master Aotian.’ Then, you upgraded to ‘Brother Aotian.’ Naturally, I had to keep up with the pace! So, to not fall behind, I started calling you ‘Rihai’!” Aotian explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Liu Rihai pressed a hand to her forehead, exasperated.

“Brother Aotian, this is not a competition! If that’s the case, what should I call you now?”

What she didn’t expect was Aotian’s response.

“Simple! You can call me Tian’er or husband! And then, I’ll level up and start calling you ‘old wife’!” he declared triumphantly, hands on his hips.

Liu Rihai froze. Her face turned completely red, from her neck to her forehead.

But this time, it was definitely from rage.

“LONG AOTIAN! I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!” she shouted, clenching her fists.

Sensing the danger approaching, Aotian panicked and fled at breakneck speed.

He leaped into the crowd, landing directly on the head of the first person he found.

Then he kept hopping from head to head, as if he were walking over a sea of people.

“Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!…” With each step, he heard indignant cries and hastily apologized as he advanced.

Liu Rihai, who was also leaping between heads in pursuit, couldn’t help but find it amusing.

It wasn’t the first time she had seen someone cross a crowd by stepping on heads, but it was the first time she had seen someone apologize while doing it.

Gradually, the crowd dispersed, and she continued chasing Long Aotian… But the moment she landed on the ground, she realized he had disappeared.

She looked around, scanning the crowd, but she couldn’t find him.

Then, a familiar voice echoed:

“Sister Rihai, if you forgive me, I’ll come out!”

Liu Rihai narrowed her eyes, trying to locate the source of the voice, but Aotian remained hidden.

“Alright! Forgiven, you can come out!” she said, without much conviction.

“Hah! Who do you think you’re fooling, a child? No forgiveness, no coming out!” Aotian’s voice responded defiantly.

What he didn’t expect was the crowd’s reaction.

Everyone knew that Liu Rihai was an immortal… and they feared her.

Under her amused gaze, the crowd quickly scattered, revealing a man with black hair and eyes standing in the middle.

Aotian froze upon realizing he had been exposed.

“Traitors…” he murmured in disbelief.

Then, as if accepting his fate, he closed his eyes, spread his arms, and waited.

Liu Rihai frowned, intrigued.

“What is this?”

Aotian peeked with one eye.

“This is my apology hug.” He declared solemnly.

A gentle smile appeared on Liu Rihai’s lips as she stepped forward, extending her arms as if to return the embrace.

But as she got closer, Aotian began to sweat coldly.

“I like this idea of a forgiveness hug, but I think I prefer…” Liu Rihai murmured.

Before he could react, something tightened around his neck.

“… A forgiveness choke!”

And once again, Aotian was shaken back and forth.

Between jokes and teasing, both realized just how much they had missed each other during these two weeks. Perhaps that’s why, when they finally reunited, they seemed even closer.

…

As the two had their fun, the crowd watched them with confused and cautious expressions.

Then, the wait finally ended. The other three cultivators arrived, marking the official start of the hunt.

A young man with an arrogant demeanor stepped forward and announced in a commanding voice:

“Listen, everyone! The one leading the hunt will be General Zhu. My companions will only intervene against beasts you cannot handle, including the Red Tiger. I, on the other hand, will remain in the city to protect it in case a powerful beast attacks. So, set out without worries!”

The crowd erupted in enthusiasm.

“Ah! Young Master Li is truly powerful!”

“Thank you, Young Master Li!”

“Phew! Now I can fight without fear!”

Praise began to rain down, and Young Master Li reveled in the flattery.

Meanwhile, Liu Rihai leaned in close to Aotian and whispered in his ear:

“Translation: ‘My father’s general will be the one giving you orders and taking the credit. My fellow disciples will do the heavy lifting. I, on the other hand, will stay in the city because I’m a weakling. If a stray dog attacks someone, don’t count on me.'”

Aotian blinked, surprised.

‘So this so-called Young Master Li isn’t even a Qi Refiner and is just pretending?’ he pondered, intrigued.

Under the command of General Zhu—a burly man in red armor—the expedition began. A portion of the city’s army was also mobilized, ensuring the hunt would be a grand event.

Under normal circumstances, General Zhu would never have the authority to command those powerful martial artists. But under the pressure of the cultivators accompanying their young master, no one dared to challenge him. Furthermore, at the end of the hunt, they would still have to hand over half of everything they obtained to the city lord.

The only people he couldn’t—and wouldn’t dare—order around were the three cultivators and… that idiotic boy. A worthless frog thinking he could eat swan meat.

‘Hmph! How dare that brat get close to such a beautiful and powerful immortal? Only my young master is worthy of her. If an opportunity arises, I’ll let a beast devour him.’ Zhu thought darkly, casting a cold glance at Aotian.

But Aotian was too busy to notice. His focus was entirely on Liu Rihai’s smiles and glances.

With that, the army marched into the forest.

Weaker beasts were left for the lower-level practitioners, while the stronger ones saved their energy for more powerful creatures.

Aotian and Rihai, as if guided by a silent agreement, stayed at the back of the group. They walked leisurely, as if strolling through a garden, while the others fought at the front.

At some point, the female cultivator leading the group made her way to the back of the army, where the two were.

“Miss Liu, I would like to ask if you plan to take action against the Red Tiger.” She asked politely, completely ignoring Aotian, as if he didn’t exist.

Rihai’s gaze turned icy. But unlike what the female cultivator believed, this was not her usual coldness—this was an even frostier look, brought on by the way she had treated Aotian. He was the closest thing to a friend she had in a long time.

“No. I will only intervene if you all can’t handle it.” Her voice was indifferent.

“Understood, Miss.” The cultivator responded and withdrew.

Aotian, who had been watching the scene, was stunned. This was a side of Rihai he had never seen before.

“What?” Rihai asked, returning to her usual expression—though a faint blush appeared when she noticed his stare.

“I think I just fell in love with you all over again…” The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Rihai’s eyes widened, and her face turned bright red.

“W-What kind of nonsense are you talking about?!” She stammered before delivering a strong punch to Aotian’s arm.

“Ow!” Aotian groaned, rubbing the spot. The most surprising part? His arm, which didn’t even get scratched by sword cuts, was actually sore.

“What was that for?!” He asked, bewildered.

“Do you even listen to yourself?!” Rihai glared at him, still flustered.

“Uh? I said that out loud?” Aotian scratched his head, slightly embarrassed… but not too much.

“It’s not like I haven’t been making it obvious before.” He shrugged, clearly enjoying her reaction.

Rihai opened her mouth, but no words came out. For the first time, she was completely speechless.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep