The Sacred Ruins

Hu Sheng’s pupils quickly constricted. His scalp felt numb as his hair stood on their ends. That head of silky golden hair became puffy all of a sudden. He backed off a little, poised to pull roots and run.

However, he quickly dismissed the idea of running. He knew what Chu Feng was capable of. If he ran, Chu Feng would always easily outrun him.

As for Xiong Kun, he was on the edge of crying because no-one else had gone as far as he did with his shameless boasting. He was the one who said again and again that Chu Feng was his little brother.

However, this "little brother" of his was slowly turning around on a chair, inches away in front of him. Chu Feng’s face was emotionless, but the look in his eyes was biting and murderous. Xiong Kun was scared stiff as goosebumps had grown all over him.

"Demon... oh, no, God Chu!" Xiong Kun said as he squeezed out a smile; however, his smile looked more agonizing than a man crying. He stuttered in a very low pitch to that silhouette in the distance.

"Oh my wretched life!" Xiong Kun was screaming inside him. "For goodness sake, give me a f*cking break. Why do I have to run into him every f*cking time?!" Xiong Kun wanted to burst out cursing.

"Did I hear you say I’m your little brother?!" Chu Feng’s voice was clear and resounding. His eyes were bright and piercing. He gazed at Xiong Kun. Although he was wearing a mask, those who knew him would still recognize him.

Xiong Kun was on the edge of crying. His grandpa had specially urged him not to stir up troubles two days ago. "Chu Feng will be back in town in just a day or two. You’d better keep that big mouth of yours shut. No-one is gonna be there to help you this time around if you don’t watch it! Don’t get your own a** kicked!" Xiong Kun’s grandpa warned.

However, it took only two days before his a** to get kicked, and all was because of that big mouth of his. He wanted to cry, but he had no tears left. He deserved this.

"God Chu! Please forgive me!" Xiong Kun tearfully begged for mercy.

In the not-so-far distance, Xia Qianyu was dumbfounded as well. She had joked about the chance of running into Chu Feng in a place like this only moments ago, and moments later, she ran right into him!

Even she was a little speechless. What could’ve been more coincidental than this? This was utterly absurd!

Jiang Luoshen was just as flabbergasted as everyone else. Her jaw dropped; her mouth was wide open; and her eyes widened. This was unbelievable!

"How absurd is this!" she murmured to herself.

Why do I always run into this guy for every turn I take? She felt a bit dizzy, especially when she recalled what Xiong Kun had just said. Things had just gone a bit too far!

Hu Sheng and Xiong Kun were just an example of how the others were trying to make up nasty stories about her behind her back. The story itself was nasty enough, but who would’ve thought that one of the main characters in the story, Chu Feng, was here, eavesdropping on the conversation yet completely unmoved by the obscenity of the story. "This is f*cking unbelievable!"

Jiang Luoshen’s snow-white face had turned livid. She felt like she had made a fool of herself here in front of a massive audience!

She grew especially angry when she thought about the fact that Chu Feng had been facing the wall, pretending to be not a part of everything. What was he doing? Was he just sitting there, pretending to be stupid, or did he find it amusing to watch other people making fools of themselves on the sidelines?

Jiang Luoshen glowered at Chu Feng. "Shameless bastard!" she cursed under her breath.

However, her best friend, Xia Qianyu on the other hand, smelt something a little fishy here. She thought that things were a little bit so coincidental that she couldn’t put her finger on whether this even was a coincidence at all. She whispered, "Luoshen, just tell me the truth. I know, you and Chu Feng must have made this appointment to meet here beforehand, am I right?"

Jiang Luoshen looked astounded by what she said at first, then her cheeks turned bright red. She pinched Xia Qianyu on her bottom again. "How dare you question my chastity?!" Jiang Luoshen glowered at her best friend.

But soon, she realized where the problem started. She had been "sold out" by her own family!

That auntie of hers was obviously acting out of her way. She would never bring her to an occasion like this, unless Bodhi had appointed her to do so. Bodhi must have known something that she wasn’t aware of beforehand.

Bodhi had been thinking quite highly of Chu Feng recently. They wanted to rope him in. They had even tried to confirm with that uncle of hers on whether the relationships between her and Chu Feng was really what it was rumoured to be.

Jiang Luoshen gritted her teeth when she thought about this. "Demon King Chu, it’s quite a rare sight to see you here. Don’t you know this is a blind-date party?" Jiang Luoshen spoke between clenched teeth.

She was getting really angry this time. She felt betrayed. Never in a million years would she have thought that she would be sold out by her own family.

"This is such fun, don’t you think? Even you, the venerable goddess of our nation, have descended here, so why can’t I join the fun too?" Chu Feng refuted.

"Damn! What a comeback, but I have to say, our Demon King Chu does get a little annoying at times. Even I have the urge to slap him just to make him shut up sometimes," someone from the crowd of onlooker quietly chattered, "but no matter how obscene and annoying the things he says might be, he always makes himself sound that much more confident than his opponent, and this makes him win an argument every single time!"

Sure enough, Jiang Luoshen did seem quite hurt by what Chu Feng had said. The conversation between her and Chu Feng had never been even-tempered or good-humored; every encounter between them was always full of drama and quarrels, yet people still thought that these two were somehow intimate lovers. How could Jiang Luoshen not grow furious at this?

"God Chu my arse. You’re the god of ill luck at best!" Jiang Luoshen was speaking her innermost thoughts and feelings. She was right. Things had never been the way that she wished them to be ever since she ran into Chu Feng back at the diner.

Meanwhile, Lu Shiyun was having a good time. She seemed quite gratified by others’ misfortunes, but her gratification did not last long.

"Hey, little white tiger! I heard that you’re quite an edacious girl, is that right? I heard that back at Taihang Mountains, you were swindled into eating some unclean skewered mutton. How did that one end for you?"

Lu Shiyun’s dazzling smile froze on her face. She gazed at Jiang Luoshen then she turned around and glared at Chu Feng with a murderous look on her face. How did she know about this? Did Chu Feng tell her?!

In the meantime, Xiong Kun, Hu Sheng and a few others were backing off. They were trying to sneak away.

"Now if I were you, I would choose to stand still at where I am!" Chu Feng shouted.

Chu Feng did not look friendly at all. His murderous gaze was fixed onto Xiong Kun and Hu Sheng.

"Who gave you the permission to go?"

Chu Feng’s words sent a shudder of terror through them. Chu Feng was not someone whom one could mess with; however, moments ago, they did just that.

Even Jiang Luoshen and Lu Shiyun shuddered with fear. Chu Feng had opened the seal of his pores and let the immense energy of a king drizzle out of his flesh. The energy filled the air with terror.

They had forgotten that Chu Feng was not the one they used to know before. He was now a super king with many severed chains. Jiang Luoshen and Lu Shiyun shuddered at the mere thought of this.

Xia Qianyu was feeling even more uneasy. She had always been trying to go against Chu Feng in the past, but now when she thought about it, she realized who this man really was. Chu Feng was a man who had been on a Western punitive journey. He was also a man who had slain a dragon and killed beasts. Even the undoing of Vatican City was somehow connected to him. Xia Qianyu looked pale.

"Your grandpa had asked me to take care of you, but I think it might be better off to just roast you on fire so that I can fill my stomach with a hearty dinner," Chu Feng said as he glared at Xiong Kong.

This hefty-looking bear was having shivers up and down his spine. His blood ran cold, from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. His entire body was shuddering uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Hu Sheng and the others were shuddering as well.

Because he remembered the way that Chu Feng usually did things. Roasted meat carved out of a dead beast king was one of his favorites. He also liked to fry or boil the meat first sometimes. There was that infamous list of beast kings ranked in terms of the flavor of their meat in different ways of cooking, and it was said that the author of this list was no other than Demon King Chu, the legend himself!

"God Chu... please, please let me go! I’ll never do this again. My grandpa had told me that you and he were sworn brothers, so if we rank ourselves in the family hierarchy, you’re my uncle. You are my dearest uncle, God Chu!"

Xiong Kun said in sniffles and sobs. He banged his head on the floor, solemnly begging for mercy. This time, he could tell that his life was on the line.

He had heard that Chu Feng had a special fondness for bear’s paw.

When he was in Jerusalem, Chu Feng roasted a white bear king when he was still conscious and alive. Chu Feng then steamed the bear’s paws in clear soup without any spices or even soy sauce to add to the flavor. Even so, the steamed bear’s paws were still ranked as some of the tastiest delicacy on the list. Chu Feng was full of praise of its flavor.

Hu Sheng and the others were frightened by Chu Feng’s domineering stance as well. Their legs grew weak; some even almost fell to the floor. Their faces had all become pale. Their bodies uncontrollably shivered.

But in the end, Chu Feng waved his hand and said, "I’ll let it pass this time."

He was just trying to put the wind up them. Xiong Kun was right. After all, Chu Feng was on very friendly terms with the Black King Bear, so under no circumstances would he ever roast his grandson on fire. It was not something that Chu Feng would do.

Chu Feng then reined in some of that energy that he had let drizzle out of his flesh to fill the air with terror before. This instantly made the atmosphere a lot less oppressive. Everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief.

Even Jiang Luoshen vented out a sigh of relief. Chu Feng was the kind of person who might seem a little brazen and a little shameless at times, but when he became serious, nothing could stand in his way. He seemed even more powerful than the disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha!

She realized that Chu Feng had risen to a level where few people could match him. Everyone should grow used to calling him God as well as respecting him as one too. Every powerful tycoon had tried to rope him in. They were trying all they could to approach him and make him become a part of them.

At this moment, an elegant silhouette was walking towards this side of room from the distance. It was a lady clothed in a black dress. She was tall and lanky; her hair drifted in the air as she walked in measured paces. There was an unspeakable sense of power emanating from her eyes.

Although she was wearing a mask, people from miles away could feel her domineering presence. She dressed like a queen and acted like one too.

For a moment, Chu Feng was scared. "I’ve let my energy drizzle out of my pores, and it must have attracted her attention!" Chu Feng murmured to himself.

The Immortal Phoenix King stopped a few meters away from Chu Feng. She had a supple, graceful carriage. Her lanky figure allowed her to look down at everyone around her.

Chu Feng didn’t say a word. He turned around and walked away.

"Huh? I never knew Chu Feng was such a lady’s man!" Xia Qianyu was astonished because even she had noticed that the woman in black was coming for Chu Feng.

Jiang Luoshen and Lu Shiyun were taken aback as well. Who is this lady? Why does Chu Feng seem a bit terrified of her?

For now, people like Xiong Kun and Hu Sheng were having this delightful moment where they felt as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders. Without that demon standing next to them, they felt quite relieved. They wanted to leave this, but at the same time, they dared not to do so.

"Wait a minute. Come here, little white tiger. Is that a bracelet made of beads that were carved out of dragon horns?"

Jiang Luoshen looked surprised. There was a fervent look in her eyes. She clutched onto Lu Shiyun’s hand in an attempt to have a better look at those beads.

"Hey, let go of my hand! This bracelet is mine!" Lu Shiyun drew away her hands.

"Where did you get this? And how?" Jiang Luoshen had a strange look on her face. It was the look of covetousness. There were only two dragons who were known to exist in this world; both of them were killed by men from Kunlun.

It was already difficult enough to acquire a single bead carved out of dragon’s bone, let alone a string of them carved out of dragon’s horn. It cost her an arm and a limb to get her hands on a string of beads that were not even carved out of the most precious part of a dragon.

Jiang Luoshen knew that only the parts that were carved out of a dragon’s horn contained mythical power, and this mythical power was the key to unlock the secret of retaining one’s youthful vitality forever.

Because dragons were said to stand shoulder to shoulder with gods in legends and fables, and when the most precious part of them were carved into beads, they would achieve things that nothing else could achieve.

Every bead carved out of a dragon’s horn looked different and unique, but the ones on Lu Shiyun looked very familiar to Jiang Luoshen.

Soon, she began to understand the origin of this string of beads. A strange look appeared on her face. "Did Chu Feng give you this? I never thought that he would be so nice to you. He’s not after you, is he? Or have you fallen to his love already?"

Lu Shiyun seemed rather unfazed by what she said. Lu Shiyun knew that Jiang Luoshen was trying to prod her into giving HER the bracelet instead, and she was not falling for that. She raised up her chin, and in that suit of white, she looked just as arrogant as a white swan. "I’m everybody’s darling. There’s not a single man in this world that wouldn’t fall for me. On the other hand, what have you got? Oh, just some beads carved out of some chewed-up bones?!"

Having said that, Lu Shiyun chinned up and walked away with unparalleled elegance and poise.

Meanwhile, Jiang Luoshen could only stand there, watching Lu Shiyun’s silhouette disappearing into the crowd. For a moment, she was at a loss for words. She didn’t know what to say, nor did she know what to do next. However, there was one thing that she was sure about, and that was that she really wanted those beads!

...

"Who are you? Why do you seem so familiar to me?" The Immortal Phoenix King stood next to Chu Feng. She spoke in fluent Eastern tongue.

This was the first time she talked tonight. Her voice was very endearing.

"We need to find somewhere quiet to talk about this," Chu Feng responded. At this moment, he saw himself in a very dangerous situation because what he was facing was a very dangerous king. This king must have lost parts of her memory. Here was not the right place to help her regain her lost memory. Walls have ears, and they needed place where there were no ears at all.

"Sure!" The Immortal Phoenix King was very straightforward. She nodded then walked away by herself.

The clock struck nine, announcing the beginning of the fun part of tonight’s event. This was the section where men could only interact with a single partner for the rest of the night to partake in all kinds of social activities.

Surprisingly, Chu Feng was assigned to be Jiang Luoshen’s partner, and so for the rest of the night, the two would have to stay together.

Jiang Luoshen now understood that this must have been Bodhi’s manipulation behind the scenes. She was, indeed, "sold out" by her own family. Everything here had been meticulously designed and arranged.

Jiang Luoshen was both upset and angry. At the same time, she also felt a sense of unease creeping up and down her spine because her best friend, Xia Qianyu, was sizing her up curiously in the not-so-far distance.

She knew that inside the head of her best friend, Xia Qianyu must have been thinking that there was indeed some "shady relations" between her and Chu Feng. Even if Jiang Luoshen refused to admit anything at all about their relationship, it was clear for the uninitiated that the two must have been up to something fishy.

"Chu Feng, I know you were forced to be here by your parents too. I completely sympathize with them. It was only weeks ago when the rumors about your death spread like bushfire on the internet. It must have given your parents quite a fright, so I believe this is why they want you to get married as soon as you can."

Jiang Luoshen was a smart one. She had guessed the reason for why Chu Feng was sent here tonight.

"What’re you trying to say?" Chu Feng frowned.

The two weren’t really playing any of the so-called games together, though that was what they were supposed to do. Instead, the two were quietly chattering.

"Well, things could be a lot easier if we work together rather than against each other. I’ll help you go surmount your difficulties, and you’ll help me weather my hard time." Jiang Luoshen smiled. Her dazzling smile could outshine the sun and eclipse the moon. Her cherry-red lips were charming and enchanting; her eyes were bright and bewitching. Everything about her was alluring.

"Should I believe in what you said?" Chu Feng seemed a little unconvinced of her sudden expression of goodwill. "You’re not going to be my wifey for real, are you?" Chu Feng asked.

"Don’t call me wifey! It sounds unbelievably condescending!" Jiang Luoshen complained.

She paused for a second then said, "Give me a string of beads carved out of dragon’s horn and another string carved out of dragon’s forehead, then I’ll help you tread through your difficult times!"

For a woman, things that could help them forever retain their youthful spirits were perhaps the most valuable things in this world, and the beads carved out of a dragon’s horn could help her do just that. Although Jiang Luoshen was dubbed "the national goddess", in reality, she was still just another ordinary woman. She could sacrifice everything for the beads, even if that included her chastity.

And according to her, once she had the beads, she would go make Chu Feng’s parents happy.

"Are you coming home with me?" Chu Feng still couldn’t put himself to trust her.

"Hey! You’d better not be devising some evil plans in that big head of yours. I’m not going to let you take advantage of me! We’ll come up with another more efficient way to make your parents happy," Jiang Luoshen said.

With just a slight bit of deliberation, Chu Feng could see through the bottom of her cunning plans.

Obviously, first of all, Jiang Luoshen was trying to use him to deal with the pressure that came from Bodhi Genetics and from inside her family; secondly, she wanted to give other tycoons and big companies a false impression that Chu Feng was now a member of Bodhi, and in doing so, Chu Feng would be left with no choice but to work with Bodhi on loyal terms; and last but not the least, Jiang Luoshen wanted to get her hands on those invaluable beads through Chu Feng by swindling him into agreeing with her plans.

Chu Feng could see through her cunningness because he had never hoped that Jiang Luoshen would one day sacrifice just a little bit for the sake of him.

"Do you think I’m an idiot?" Chu Feng said to her, then he walked away without demur.

"Hey, our plan’s still open for discussion!" Jiang Luoshen said.

Chu Feng was hanging around with Xiong Kun and Hu Sheng for the rest of that night. At first, Hu Sheng and Xiong Kun were very nervous, but soon, they began to relax.

Chu Feng managed to learn a few things from them. Just this evening, the world saw a couple more newly conquered mountains in the east. Those mountains all got a new host.

Chu Feng suddenly had an idea from this. Since he knew that the world was about to undergo another round of upheavals, instead of sharing opportunities with the other kings, why hadn’t he tried to conquer a sacred mountain for himself already?!

But he knew, some of these sacred mountains were a bit strange; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been left unconquered for this long.

"Get the Immortal Phoenix King to help me become the host of a sacred mountain?!" Chu Feng was thinking.

For a moment, he was lost in thoughts. Time flew, and the blind-date party soon ended.

Jiang Luoshen found Chu Feng after the event. She wanted to discuss on things with regards to her plans.

Chu Feng shook his head. He rejected her request.

"Let’s go." The Immortal Phoenix King had found Chu Feng as well. She took off her queen mask and threw it to the ground. She looked at Chu Feng and urged him to leave. She wanted to talk.

Her action made people cry out in alarm. According to the party’s rule, one could not take of his or her mask unless he or she had fallen in love with someone at the party.

"The woman in black took the initiative and took off her mask. This is..."

"Who is that man?"

Soon, people’s voice began to die down because more and more people were dumbfounded by the woman’s beauty displayed in front of their eyes. The Immortal Phoenix King was simply too stunning to look away.

Chu Feng raised up from his chair and walked towards the outside along with the Immortal Phoenix King.

Jiang Luoshen was lost in a trance. Who was this lady in black dress? Jiang Luoshen felt as if she had been oppressed and subdued by something when she stood next to her. This mysterious lady was not only a stunning beauty, she also looked like a... beast king!

"Luoshen, why do you look a little jealous of her?" Xia Qianyu whispered into Jiang Luoshen’s ear.

"What’re you talking about?" Jiang Luoshen pinched her on her bottom again.

Outside the grand ballroom, Chu Feng’s mother, Wang Jing, had been waiting for a long time. She was pleasantly surprised when he saw her son walking out of the ballroom with a stunningly beautiful young lady clothed in a black dress.

"Good job, son!" Wang Jing grinned from ear to ear.