Chapter 5: Suppressed Seraphim
"Gulp, gulp… Ha!"
Lu Yuan held his wine jar as he staggered toward the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
"Stop!" a group of royal cavalry ordered, blocking his path.
"Who the hell are you to stop me?" Lu Yuan slurred, annoyed.
Swish…
The royal guards drew their swords and surrounded him, pointing them in his direction.
"Oh? Do you want to fight? I love it!" Lu Yuan grinned, eager for action.
"Seize him! How dare he insult the royal family!" the captain of the guard shouted.
The moment Lu Yuan drew his sword, a wave of Sword Qi burst forth, causing the trained warhorses to rear and panic. The entire cavalry formation descended into chaos.
The captain's face turned pale as black flames flickered along Lu Yuan's blade. His fighting spirit crumbled instantly.
"Stop!" a voice commanded.
"Your Highness!" The royal guards kneeled and saluted as Xue Qinghe approached.
"Ah, Little Xuexue!" Lu Yuan greeted him enthusiastically, giving Xue Qinghe a big hug.
Xue Qinghe's expression was strained. He was being hugged in front of his subordinates while Lu Yuan called him by such a childish nickname.
"Brother Lu Yuan, are you here to see me?"
Lu Yuan chuckled. "Of course! I came to drink with you."
"Why didn't you use the token I gave you last time?"
"Token? What token? I don't remember."
Did he forget? Xue Qinghe clearly remembered giving Lu Yuan a token the last time they drank together. Perhaps he had been too drunk to remember. Oh well.
Xue Qinghe took a gold-rimmed jade pendant from around his neck. "Take this swan pendant. Next time, show it at the gate and you won't be stopped."
Lu Yuan took the pendant and sniffed it. "Smells milky!"
"Haha… Xuexue, let's go have a drink!" Lu Yuan said, throwing his arm around Xue Qinghe's shoulders.
"Brother Lu Yuan, next time we hug, could we avoid… touching our buttocks?"
"…"
The royal guards watched in stunned silence as the two walked away.
"Who is that drunkard who can scare the warhorses like that?" one of the guards whispered.
"You didn't come here just to drink, did you?" Xue Qinghe asked. He and Lu Yuan had only met twice, but he knew Lu Yuan wasn't the type to visit without reason.
"Gulp, gulp… Ha!"
"You said I could come anytime to drink."
"Of course, you're always welcome."
"Great! I'll stay here tonight."
Xue Qinghe nearly choked on his drink. "I don't think that's convenient."
Lu Yuan wobbled to his feet. "What's inconvenient about it? Your bed is big enough for both of us."
"No!"
"Stingy! Fine, I won't sleep here," Lu Yuan huffed. "But I came to ask for two jars of wine. I'm heading out for a while and need some for the road."
After tasting the wine Xue Qinghe had given him two days ago, Lu Yuan hadn't been able to sleep. The wine had instantly added fifty years to his spirit ring, far surpassing the effects of anything he'd drunk before.
Xue Qinghe sighed. He knew Lu Yuan must have come for a reason. "No problem, I'll have someone bring it to you."
"No need, I'll pick it out myself." Lu Yuan threw an arm around Xue Qinghe again. "Lead the way!"
When the nearly thousand-square-meter wine cellar appeared before him, Lu Yuan's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Do you have a Soul Guidance Device?" Lu Yuan asked.
"Why?"
"To store wine, of course!"
Lu Yuan only had one Soul Guidance Device, and it had limited space. Normally, he didn't care about such things, but this was the royal cellar! This was a rare opportunity.
Xue Qinghe sighed. "Alright."
Lu Yuan eagerly roamed the wine cellar, picking out and tasting the finest wines. By the end of the night, he had filled three Soul Guidance Devices with hundreds of jars.
"I'll take these for now, but I'll come back for more later." Lu Yuan grinned.
Xue Qinghe was exasperated. Is he planning to take the whole cellar eventually? He stared at the hundreds of jars Lu Yuan had already claimed.
Lu Yuan placed a soul bone on the table—the one Xue Beng had given him earlier. "Can you exchange this for one with explosive attributes?"
The soul bone Xue Beng had given him was too gentle, better suited for a support spirit master. It wasn't worth using on his body.
Although Lu Yuan wasn't too worried about the age of the bone—thanks to his Bacchus system increasing the lifespan of anything he drank—the bone's attributes were important.
Despite all the rewards the system had given him, like spirit rings and Sword Qi, it had never provided a soul bone. The only one he had was obtained by defeating a spirit beast himself.
"Do you think I sell soul bones?" Xue Qinghe muttered, annoyed.
Lu Yuan didn't respond—he had fallen asleep. Xue Qinghe shook his head. I was trying to win him over, but now it feels like I've found a new headache.
He carried Lu Yuan to the bed. Although he had planned to send Lu Yuan home, it was too late now.
Sitting by the bed, Xue Qinghe couldn't help but admire Lu Yuan's handsome face. "Not only is he strong, but he's also incredibly good-looking."
His gaze drifted to the long sword strapped to Lu Yuan's back. When Lu Yuan had drawn it earlier, Xue Qinghe had felt an indescribable power. The sword had even scared the warhorses, which were usually fearless.
Curious, Xue Qinghe reached for the sword while Lu Yuan slept.
As soon as his hand neared the blade, a faint light flashed!
Bang!
A surge of Sword Qi threw Xue Qinghe across the room. His entire right arm was shrouded in black mist, and the divine angelic power within him was suppressed.
How could this happen? Xue Qinghe's Martial Soul was a Seraphim, a divine entity. How could it be overpowered?
Under the weight of the Sword Qi, his clothes tore apart, and a pair of golden wings sprouted from his back. His appearance shifted from Xue Qinghe to Qian Renxue—his true female form.
Her nose was straight, her phoenix eyes slightly elongated, and her long golden hair flowed down her back. The torn clothes could no longer hide her exquisite body.
The Seraphim Martial Soul had been forced out, suppressed by the overwhelming power of Lu Yuan's sword.
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