"Who are you? What gives you the right to stop me?"
"Who are we? We're the ones who received the Ethereal Fairy's token," one of them replied.
"That's right. This is the Heart's Delight Palace—no one without the Ethereal Fairy's token is allowed in," the other added, nose in the air.
"What's going on here?" Seeing the commotion at the palace entrance, another man sidled over—a second-stage Martial Lord.
"Oh, it's Young Master Lin! This guy somehow wandered over and wants to sneak into the Heart's Delight Palace. We were just giving him a warning," the two men said in unison.
"No need to waste words on him. Just call the guards from the Fairy Peak and throw him out," said Young Master Lin, who hadn't even bothered to spare Chu Feng a glance—more arrogant than the other two.
Chu Feng had never backed down from people like this. He was about to pull out the Ethereal Fairy's token and slap all three of them with it when something caught his eye—a figure approaching from the distance.
"
She was a young, beautiful woman—not just pretty, but with a radiant, sunny smile. She wore a pink dress that only amplified the warmth of her expression. More remarkably, this young woman was a fourth-stage Martial Lord, her cultivation far surpassing that of the three men.
"Miss
Hearing this, Chu Feng's expression shifted subtly. He now knew who this woman was—one of the Ethereal Fairy's four prized disciples: Chun Wu.
"This is Junior Brother Wu Qing. My master personally invited him here. What exactly are the three of you doing?" Chun Wu smiled as she turned to the three, but there was a sharp, cutting edge to her gaze—nothing like the warmth she'd shown Chu Feng.
"Uh, that's... it's... a misunderstanding! A total misunderstanding!"
Upon hearing Chu Feng's words, the three went deathly pale. Their bodies shook violently and cold sweat slid down their faces as they fumbled for an explanation.
"Hmph. Three petty schemers, and you think you can block Junior Brother Wu Qing?" Chun Wu cast them a cold look but didn't bother pressing the issue. Turning to Chu Feng, she said, "Junior Brother Wu Qing, don't mind them. Come with me—I'll show you the Martial Rune Celestial Lotus." With that, she led him into the Heart's Delight Palace.
Watching Chu Feng and Chun Wu walk away, the three men at the door felt their expressions contort one after another, hearts flooded with regret. They had indeed received the Ethereal Fairy's token and earned recognition from the Ethereal Fairy Peak. But they knew that among all the token recipients, they were the bottom of the barrel. They'd hoped to score some goodwill by driving off an intruder—but by some cruel twist of fate, they'd crossed the wrong person entirely.
All three knew it. They were done for. Having offended Miss Chun Wu, they wouldn't see a single good day for a long time coming.
Chu Feng couldn't care less about their inner turmoil. At this moment, he was following Chun Wu's lead toward the Martial Rune Celestial Lotus.
Along the way, Chu Feng noticed that the Heart's Delight Palace was enormous—more than one main hall, in fact. The place mostly contained records about the Martial Rune Celestial Realm, offering a deeper understanding of what lay within. Only those who'd received the Ethereal Fairy's token were permitted entry.
But more than anything, Chu Feng was curious about Chun Wu. He had never met her before, yet she seemed to know him already and treated him with surprising warmth.
So much so that everyone who saw them walking side by side couldn't help but stare—especially the men, whose eyes burned with jealousy and barely concealed anger.
"There—the Martial Rune Celestial Lotus." After a short walk, the two finally arrived before a massive mural.
The painting depicted a golden lotus—beautiful, yes, but what truly stood out was its commanding majesty. Every golden petal was covered in dense, intricate rune patterns, also gold but instantly legible. One glance was enough to tell this was no ordinary flower.
"It really is beautiful. I'd love to see the real Martial Rune Celestial Lotus with my own eyes someday." While Chu Feng carefully memorized the lotus's features, Chun Wu gazed at the painting alongside him—but where he studied, she simply admired, a hint of longing in her eyes.
"Sister Chun Wu, have we met before?" Driven by curiosity, Chu Feng finally voiced the question. He clearly remembered never having met this Chun Wu, yet she obviously knew him.
Chun Wu giggled behind her hand—utterly charming—then held out her slender hand before Chu Feng. "Since you've already gotten inside and received my master's blessing, you can return my Ethereal Fairy's token now."
Chu Feng's eyes lit up. He looked at the beautiful woman before him with fresh eyes and asked in surprise, "Sister Chun Wu, you're not that... from yesterday?"
"You really can't tell? Guess the Disguise Pill Sister gave you really did the trick, hee hee."
"That's right—I was that dirty-looking woman selling fake tokens the day before." Chun Wu beamed sweetly, her face brimming with pride.
The truth dawned on Chu Feng, and he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. No wonder Chun Wu had been so warm toward him—she was that grimy woman from yesterday.
"Wu Qing was too dense to recognize Sister Chun Wu yesterday. Please forgive any offense I may have caused." Chu Feng bowed, and at the same time returned the Ethereal Fairy's token Chun Wu had given him the day before.