C494 Situ Jingxiang

“Bang...”

“Ouch...”

“Hiss...”

The air was filled with a fresh scent as chaos erupted. Woo Zhengyang was caught off guard by a figure that burst in with incredible speed, sending him flying backward. As he was propelled back, a soft, fragrant form slipped into his arms and landed on top of him.

In the confusion, Woo Zhengyang instinctively reached out to block, his fingers threading through silky hair and landing on a neck as smooth as jade.

“Don’t touch me!” a female voice scolded softly.

The woman seemed extremely ticklish; just a touch on her neck made her shiver uncontrollably. Though she had initially pulled away from Woo Zhengyang, her strength gave out with the shiver, and she collapsed back onto him.

Woo Zhengyang felt two soft forms press against his chest, his hand trembling as it landed on the woman’s back.

This only made her tremble more violently...

After a few moments, the two finally separated, both panting for breath. Woo Zhengyang found himself staring at a fair-skinned woman in a pink dress, her cheeks flushed with anger as she glared at him.

On her chest, an ancient mirror emblem revealed her identity—she was one of the twenty members of the Heavenly Mirror Pavilion.

“Whew... whew... whew...”

The familiar sound of an arrow slicing through the air echoed again, but this time it was sharper and more forceful than before, indicating the archer was far stronger than Liu Xiangdong. The arrow that appeared at the cave entrance wasn't silver but gold. Woo Zhengyang immediately guessed that this woman, like himself, had been forced into this situation.

"Persistent as a ghost!" the woman in pink muttered angrily, glancing back. She pulled on a purple robe and turned to Woo Zhengyang, asking, "Which Martial Mansion are you from?"

Before Woo Zhengyang could answer, she scrutinized his attire and continued, "You're not from the Martial Mansion? You've got some nerve entering Bewilderment Dragon Stream."

Then she asked, "Have you been inside? What's it like in there?"

Finally able to speak, Woo Zhengyang replied honestly, "It's a tunnel that goes all the way through..."

"What? A tunnel that goes all the way through? That's fantastic! Let's go, let's walk and talk."

Woo Zhengyang was a bit embarrassed; this girl was certainly impatient!

Despite her urgency, the woman was no fool. Noticing Woo Zhengyang's reluctance to head back, her expression changed slightly, and she eyed him suspiciously, "You were chased in here too, weren't you?"

Woo Zhengyang nodded helplessly. The woman plopped down on the ground with a sigh, "Just our luck, now we're trapped from both ends."

"My name is Situ Jingxiang. What's yours? Did you come in with that Martial Mansion group?" The young woman asked, her curiosity evident.

"Woo Zhengyang, with the Azure Sun Martial Mansion," he replied. "Miss Situ, who was chasing you, and what happened after you got here?" Woo Zhengyang found himself speaking faster, not because of her influence, but out of concern that his questions might be interrupted by her rapid responses.

"Don't even get me started. The person chasing me is a lunatic! Didn't say a word, just started shooting arrows like crazy. I have no idea where he got that golden longbow. Just pulling the string releases these little golden arrows at lightning speed. Otherwise, I wouldn't be in such a mess."

"Do you know the person chasing you?"

"If I knew him, would he be chasing me? But judging by his clothes, he seemed to be from the Sea Heart Martial Palace. When did they get so bold? I'll definitely settle this with them when I get back! How about you? Who did you run into?"

"I ran into someone I know, but they were using a silver longbow. If I'm right, the person chasing you might be acting under duress or has even lost their senses. It might not have anything to do with the Sea Heart Martial Palace."

"Lost their senses? How can you tell?" Situ Jingxiang pressed on, intrigued.

Woo Zhengyang recounted his experiences and speculations from start to finish, and Situ Jingxiang nodded repeatedly, saying, "So that's how it is. No wonder that guy is so reckless! This Hundred Flower World is going to be interesting."

"Hundred Flower World?"

"Yes, what you call the Bewilderment Dragon Stream is actually the entrance to this small world known as the Hundred Flower World. It has a hundred forms, each symbolizing a unique flower. When a flower blooms, the gateway to this world opens once. It takes nearly a thousand years to complete a cycle. Don't be surprised if you haven't heard of it; even the people at your Azure Sun Martial Mansion might not know. Our records at the Heavenly Mirror Pavilion don't have a complete account of all hundred worlds either. We've only pieced together some clues from ancient texts."

"Based on our previous explorations, the more dangerous it is inside, the more extraordinary the flower in bloom, and the greater the rewards. This time, it's already so intense from the start. It will probably get even more thrilling and dangerous, but if there are gains, they will be significant..."

Situ Jingxiang rambled on for a while, but Woo Zhengyang was lost in thought about the name of this small world. Hundred Flower World!

The girl who had just called him "young master," Yun'er, had mentioned that he should find her at the Hundred Flower Palace. There must be a connection between the Hundred Flower Palace and the Hundred Flower World. At least in this regard, Yun'er wasn't lying.

Woo Zhengyang glanced at the talkative Situ Jingxiang and asked, "How did you end up here?"

"How else? I got played by the world's lousy designer! I knew the Hundred Flower World was a hassle, but I didn't expect it to be this ridiculous. It's infuriating!" Situ Jingxiang fumed.

"And then?"

"Then I landed in a rundown little village. I thought I'd look around, but as soon as I got there, I ran into this lunatic who could fly on a sword. I had no choice but to run for it, and that's when I bumped into you!"

As she spoke, Situ Jingxiang's long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she hugged her arms tightly in front of her. The chaotic encounter with Woo Zhengyang had clearly left her shaken.

Woo Zhengyang didn't notice her unease. Based on what Situ Jingxiang said, she hadn't encountered anything related to the Hundred Flower Palace. Otherwise, with her personality, she would have mentioned it. This made the sudden appearance of Yun'er and the Hundred Flower Palace all the more puzzling. Woo Zhengyang pondered deeply but couldn't figure out how he was connected to the Hundred Flower Palace.

"What level are you at?"

"Tendon Bone Stage, early phase. All twenty of us who came are at this level." Situ Jingxiang answered without hesitation, speaking of the Tendon Bone Stage as if it were nothing special, even though it's a level many find hard to reach.