Night enveloped the Cangxuan Sect. However, the atmosphere remained extremely lively, especially in Saint Genesis Peak, where a rare festive mood had taken over the place.

The reason behind this was naturally the legend Zhou Yuan had created that day.

Everyone clearly understood how much glory he had brought to Saint Genesis Peak with the Chosen challenge. It would be an exaggeration to say that this feat would be the pride of every future generation of Saint Genesis Peak disciples.

In the past, Saint Genesis Peak had basically been an invisible existence in the sect. However, no one dared to ignore them later on, especially now that Zhou Yuan had replaced Chu Qing as the new leader of the Cangxuan Sect Chosen.

Regardless of how it was put, Saint Genesis Peak’s rise was undoubtedly tightly tied to Zhou Yuan’s contributions.

Numerous disciples understood this. As such, Zhou Yuan’s status and prestige in Saint Genesis Peak had reached an unprecedented high. In fact, one could even say that the substitute peak master Shen Taiyuan was unable to compare...

...

In a certain cave dwelling.

A little creek snaked past a stone pavilion in the cave.

Yaoyao was holding an elaborate jade gourd, gently tilting it as crystal-clear wine flowed out from its mouth and into the three porcelain bowls on the table.

She put down the gourd and lifted one of the bowls. Her bright eyes looked towards Zhou Yuan as a faint smile emerged on her lips. “I promised to share a cup if you obtained a complete victory in the Chosen challenge...

“Congratulations.”

Zhou Yuan also lifted one of the bowls, feeling slightly dazed for a moment. No one knew better than himself how much hard work he had put in over these past two years.

The young man from the Shengzhou Continent from back then had finally achieved a little success today.

With various emotions swirling in his heart, Zhou Yuan gazed at the heart-stirringly beautiful face before him and softly said, “Yaoyao, thank you for being at my side all these years.

“Although master Cang Yuan tasked me to take care of you back then, I know that you’ve been the one who’s been taking care of me for the past few years.” His tone was somewhat self-mocking.

Without Yaoyao, Zhou Yuan did not know if he would have come so far today.

Yaoyao’s bright eyes focused on Zhou Yuan as she said, “Don’t undervalue yourself. If you believe relying on someone else can make you the leader of the Chosen, you underestimate the Cangxuan Sect far too much.”

She paused for a moment as she gently bit her red lips. There were some things that she did not say.

If not for Zhou Yuan’s company, she was unable to imagine how cold and colorless her world would be.

Without Zhou Yuan, she would have very likely completely abandoned all emotions long ago. After all, she was a very aloof and frigid person by nature.

Even her feelings towards the Cangxuan Sect were not as strong as the feelings she had for the cave dwelling she and Zhou Yuan had spent the past two years living in.

Only when Zhou Yuan was by her side did her cold indifference seem to unknowingly thaw a little. This made her feel as if she was a living and breathing human, not an ice-cold rock or...a god that was so high above the mortal realm that they would not even blink at its destruction.

Hence, she felt that she should be the one thanking him instead.

Zhou Yuan grinned at Yaoyao before he said in a mysterious manner, “I have a gift for you.”

Yaoyao was taken aback. There was a puzzled look in her crystal-clear eyes as she looked at him.

Zhou Yuan gently patted the spatial bag at his waist, causing three jars of wine to appear on the table.

“Alcohol?” Yaoyao looked over as her red lips stuck out slightly. “I’ve become very picky about alcohol. I hope that you didn’t get an ordinary brew.”

Zhou Yuan raised his eyebrows as he chuckled and said, “Open it and take a look.”

Yaoyao swatted off the clay seal on the jar and took a sniff with her perky nose. A rich and mellow fragrance immediately assaulted her senses, causing her eyes to brighten slightly. She savored the alcohol before an extremely rarely seen look of joy appeared on her face.

“This, this is...the Taoyao Wine?! You’ve managed to make it?!”

Yaoyao had found a long-lost wine recipe some time back, and she was so fond of it that she had even given it a name. However, the brewing process was exceedingly difficult, and the ingredients required were very challenging to find. She had never imagined that Zhou Yuan would manage to produce it!

Yaoyao showed no hesitation as she poured away the wine in her bowl before carefully filling it with Taoyao Wine. The wine had a faint ruby hue and was as clear as crystal.

She took a small sip, enjoying the wonderful sensation from the tip of her tongue, her eyes turning to little crescents. A long time later, however, she suddenly opened her eyes as she said somewhat puzzled, “There’s a slight unique flavor in this Taoyao Wine…”

Zhou Yuan was stunned, his expression turning a little unnatural. He had evidently not expected Yaoyao to sample it in such a detailed manner.

Yaoyao took another small sip, causing her pupils to shrink a little. She stared at Zhou Yuan and slowly said, “There’s a very faint trace of blood in this Taoyao Wine.”

Zhou Yuan awkwardly scratched his head before he helplessly said, “Your tongue is far too formidable.”

As Yaoyao’s gaze gradually turned stern, Zhou Yuan had no choice but to obediently explain, “It’s because of the Spirit Blood Peach, the main ingredient of this Taoyao Wine. It is an extremely rare plant that had nearly gone extinct, but with some luck, I managed to find a single seed which I then planted in the rear mountain for half a year.”

“How did you do it?” asked Yaoyao, getting right to the heart of the matter.

Zhou Yuan awkwardly answered, “The Spirit Blood Peach’s growing conditions are quite unique. It needs to be watered with human blood to grow, so I fed it a little blood every few days.”

He could see Yaoyao’s expression growing uglier and uglier, and hurriedly said, “Don’t worry, although it sounds disgusting, the Spirit Blood Peaches that grow from it have only absorbed the essence within the blood, and they are actually quite a pretty sight.”

He knew that Yaoyao was a clean-freak, and he took it as her being disgusted with how it had been grown.

However, Yaoyao merely stood there, staring at Zhou Yuan as she muttered under her breath, “Idiot.”

“What?” Zhou Yuan did not hear her clearly.

Yaoyao’s hands clenched tightly as she suddenly raised her bright eyes. A sliver of anger flashed within them as she berated, “I said, ‘Are you an idiot?’ For mere wine, you fed it blood for more than half a year?!”

Zhou Yuan had been training hard for the past year, and he would be exhausted every time he returned. Even then, he had still used his blood to water the tree!

She did not know why, but she felt as if a hand was lightly gripping her heart.

Zhou Yuan’s expression remained rather awkward. In the end, he took in a deep breath and said, “It’s rare to see you become fond of something...I want to see that face more.”

His voice seemed to pierce through her body like an invisible force and heavily slam the deepest part of her heart. From it spread indescribable feelings.

These feelings confused her, making her feel at a loss.

Her eyes turned red as she bit into her lips and turned her head away.

However, there was now no trace of her usual indifference but the vibrance aura of a young lady.

Zhou Yuan’s heart rippled at this sight. Smiling, he quietly reached out and grasped Yaoyao’s somewhat icy hands. “Don’t be angry.”

Yaoyao struggled a little, but did not break free, allowing him to do as he pleased. Her feelings receded slightly as she raised her head and put on a tough face. “You’re not allowed to do such foolish things in the future. How can I possibly drink such wine?”

Moonlight sprinkled onto her body, making a faint glow seemingly flow across her rosy, tender lips.

Zhou Yuan’s heart beat even faster as something seemed to explode in his head. He could not stop himself from taking a step forward and abruptly lowering his head, placing his lips on hers under her widened eyes.

Her lips felt like petals, cooling and soft.

Spirit light immediately began to flicker between Yaoyao’s brows, her very first instinct screaming to send Zhou Yuan flying. When her gaze swept across the Taoyao Wine on the table, however, her heart could not help but tremble. After flashing alarmingly for a few moments, the Spirit light slowly weakened.

Her eyes gradually turned somewhat glossy.

The truth was that Zhou Yuan was already waiting for the beating to come the moment he kissed her. But when he sensed the weakening Spirit power, blood began to rush in his body.

His gaze swept away at this moment, coincidentally finding Tuntun on the table. The latter was leaning against a jar, hugging a bowl in its tiny arms as its eyes seemed to look at him in disdain, as if it had seen through Zhou Yuan’s cheap tricks.

However, Zhou Yuan could not be bothered with it at this juncture. The tiny bit of rationality he had regained was instantly shattered by Yaoyao’s decision to compromise. He reached out and tightly wrapped his arms around her womanly slim waist as if trying to fuse her into his embrace.

In the stone pavilion, a young man and lady seemed to forget everything else around them.

A long while later, Yaoyao blushed and gasped for breath against Zhou Yuan’s chest as she softly said, “Zhou Yuan, I also have a gift for you.”

Upon hearing these words, Zhou Yuan’s eyes instantly transformed into a wolf in the night as a lecherous light emerged within them.