Just then,
Seeing that Chu Feng was indeed looking at him, he actually walked over to Chu Feng. Arriving before him, he cupped his fists politely and said, "I am
"Just call me Chu Feng," Chu Feng said, cupping his fists in return.
He said this because he had no intention of calling the other party "brother." Though it was merely intuition, Chu Feng trusted his instincts.
Since he had already sensed a warning signal from this Chu Zhiyuan, he naturally had no desire to get too involved with him — at the very least, he would not be calling him "brother."
"Very well, then I'll just call you Chu Feng, and you can call me Chu Zhiyuan." Chu Zhiyuan was clearly a perceptive man — he understood Chu Feng's intention to keep his distance.
"Regardless, I must thank you today. If you hadn't been the first to figure out the method for awakening this Extinguishing Flame Bead, I'm afraid none of us would have awakened it so easily," Chu Zhiyuan said.
"No need for thanks," Chu Feng replied flatly. He then turned to
"That's right. You still don't know much about the Yin-Yang Destiny Beads — I really do need to have a proper talk with you about them." Chu Yue was quick-witted as well; she caught on to Chu Feng's meaning and seamlessly picked up where he left off.
"My apologies, but the chance to enter the Nine Moon Divine Domain is a rare one. I'm afraid I'll need to excuse myself first," Chu Feng said to Chu Zhiyuan.
"Oh, don't worry about it. Now that you've returned to the clan, there will be plenty of opportunities for us to meet. Another time, we'll have a proper drink together," Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile.
"Then I'll take my leave." Chu Feng cupped his fists once more and turned to leave with Chu Yue.
However, even though Chu Yue had covered for him seamlessly, once Chu Feng and Chu Yue had moved far enough away, a flash of cold darkness passed through Chu Zhiyuan's eyes.
That gaze was extremely difficult to detect — not only would bystanders have missed it, but even Chu Feng himself hadn't noticed it.
"Brother Chu Feng, you don't seem to like that Chu Zhiyuan very much. Don't tell me you're also interested in Chu Ruoshi?" Chu Yue asked after they had returned to Chu Feng's residence.
"Not at all. I really am eager to understand these Yin-Yang Destiny Beads. It's just that... I am a bit curious about this Chu Zhiyuan. I wonder... Sister Chu Yue, could you tell me a bit about him?" Chu Feng said.
"Of course." Chu Yue held nothing back and began to tell Chu Feng everything she knew about Chu Zhiyuan.
It turned out that Chu Zhiyuan was no ordinary person. In fact, there had been a time when he was regarded as a prodigy of martial cultivation.
He was two years younger than
But during the period when he had first begun his cultivation, he and Chu Qing had been jointly hailed as the twin successors to the future clan master of the
Unfortunately, there were two kinds of geniuses.
One was the kind that charged forward in a blaze of glory all the way to the pinnacle of cultivation.
The other was like a shooting star — brilliant for only a very brief time.
Chu Qing was the first kind.
Unfortunately, Chu Zhiyuan was the second.
Ever since the year Chu Zhiyuan turned twenty and challenged Chu Qing to a spar — only to lose — he had fallen into a steep decline, languishing in dejection for a long time.
Although later, with Chu Ruoshi's unwavering companionship, he gradually regained his fighting spirit and resumed his cultivation...
By that point, Chu Qing had already left him far behind.