Chapter 79 Did Master Kiss Me? (Disorientation)

Ya Feiyu clearly understood that Ye Chi probably knew something.

From the very beginning, this person seemed to have no intention of hiding anything, always speaking frankly about things that made Ya Feiyu's heart sink. But seeing the boy's natural and sincere expression, and his lack of malice, Ya Feiyu could only swallow her suspicions. After all, he was her disciple, someone she had secretly liked for a long time. If she couldn't even trust the person closest to her in this world, it would be an extremely painful thing.

So he chose to ignore it, pretending he knew nothing. As long as Ye Chi didn't say the final straw that broke the camel's back, he could continue to pretend, maintain this superficial master-disciple relationship, and preserve this already crumbling facade.

It was somewhat self-deception. In the past, Ya Feiyu would never have harbored such wishful thinking. He was born to live a solitary life, but fate, just when he had grown accustomed to darkness, bestowed upon him a ray of light that could never be brighter, allowing him to easily reach out and grasp it. With light in the world, he could no longer endure the darkness. Even if the world were to plunge back into darkness, he stubbornly hoped that this ray of light would always remain by his side.

He thought that when Ye Chi finally broke the ice, he would tell Ye Chi everything and personally deliver the sword that could kill him to Ye Chi's hands.

Even if it meant death, he would rather die in the sunlight.

Ye Chi stared intently at Ya Feiyu's retreating figure.

The dark figure moved through the thick fog, appearing and disappearing as if it would vanish at any moment, impossible to grasp. Ye Chi's eyes darkened, his thin lips pressed tightly together, following behind Ya Feiyu without uttering a word, his hands hanging at his sides unconsciously clenching—he desperately wanted to grab Ya Feiyu, right now, to hold him tightly.

But he couldn't do that, just as he wasn't qualified to touch a bird trying to fly high. Ya Feiyu was like that; he seemed to belong to no one. He would soar in the wind, a symbol of freedom, but it seemed he would never land beside Ye Chi and take his shoulder as his eternal support.

He lowered his eyelashes, his stubborn thoughts blurring the pain. His palms were already a bloody mess, but he just glanced at them indifferently, not caring at all.

He suddenly didn't want to remain silent any longer. He felt ridiculously pathetic, so he reached out and gently tugged at Ya Feiyu's sleeve, causing the figure in front of him to pause abruptly. Ya Feiyu whirled around, nearly bumping into Ye Chi face-to-face—too close. Ya Feiyu hadn't expected Ye Chi to be so close. Their height difference wasn't significant, and Ye Chi's hot breath brushed against Ya Feiyu's hair, sending a shiver down his spine. A small electric current seemed to run through him, a tingling sensation. When he came to his senses, he felt his heart skip a beat, and he could only feign composure: "What are you doing?"

Ye Chi's smile seemed to have a deeper meaning, but before Ya Feiyu could get a good look, the sense of unease vanished without a trace. The young man smiled sweetly, and no one would question his good nature, because he did indeed look like a well-behaved boy, with only a hint of arrogance in his eyes.

"Master, you're walking too fast." He deliberately didn't keep his distance from Ya Feiyu, whether intentionally or unintentionally, his breath so close that it made Ya Feiyu's ears turn red. For a moment, she couldn't find the right words. Ye Chi chuckled softly, his words carrying a hint of grievance. He bent down slightly to look Ya Feiyu in the eye, his dark eyes filled with pitiful tears. It was hard to believe how old he was, yet he still had to act so aggrieved at a time like this. "Disciple can't keep up. Master, please slow down. Disciple doesn't want to get lost here."

"...So fast?" Ya Feiyu raised her hand and silently covered her ears, looking nonchalant. "You're probably just distracted. If you can't even keep up, go back and practice more."

Ye Chi smiled and said, "Master is right. I will practice more when I get back."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Chi suddenly grabbed Ya Feiyu's hand. They had both been in the demonic energy-filled space for a short time, and their limbs were equally cold, but Ya Feiyu inexplicably felt that these hands were somewhat burning hot. It was probably just a psychological effect. He pursed his lips, trying to reassure himself, but his heart was pounding uncontrollably.

A smile seemed to melt away the darkness in Ye Chi's eyes, and he smiled like a gentle breeze: "If I hold Master's hand like this, Master won't run away without me noticing."

Ya Feiyu paused slightly, feeling her ears burning, and had to turn her head away from him. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Ye Chi pouted: "Master, don't you want to be with your disciple?"

"...Of course I want to." Ya Feiyu answered honestly in his heart, but without knowing Ye Chi's feelings, how could someone as proud as him possibly lower himself to engage in such intimate behavior with another person? Don't even think about it!

So Ya Feiyu pretended to be indifferent and shook off his hand. He felt a little lonely the moment the warmth of his palm left, but he quickly adjusted his mood and said with a forced smile, "Just follow me, I can sense you."

After Ye Chi was shaken off, he didn't make a big fuss, as if he had suddenly wilted. He only responded with a low "hmm" and then quietly followed behind Ya Feiyu. The surroundings returned to silence once again. If it weren't for the fact that the man's aura was always firmly behind him, Ya Feiyu would probably have thought that he had disappeared without her noticing.

What's with Ye Chi's reaction...?

The emotional wooden crow was speechless and somewhat bewildered.

...

The demonic energy gradually dissipated.

If Ya Feiyu hadn't kept quiet, and given the consistently identical surroundings, Ye Chi would have almost thought Ya Feiyu was leading him in circles. Although he didn't know how Ya Feiyu had managed to find the exit, Ye Chi thought it all seemed rather unusual.

His spiritual power was restricted in this space. He only had the strength of his own body and the restless demonic energy around him. He did not feel any spiritual power fluctuations from Ya Feiyu. In other words, this restriction on spiritual power was not only for him, but for every cultivator who entered the space.

Why couldn't Ye Chi find an exit, but Ya Feiyu could?

Was it because of Ya Feiyu's proficiency with demonic energy that he was able to find the correct exit so easily?

Everything was uncertain, but Ye Chi dared not gamble so casually.

It's hard to keep questions bottled up inside. He stared at Ya Feiyu's back, wanting to blurt out all his questions countless times. But whenever he felt that urge, images of Ya Feiyu and him flashed through his mind, and for some reason, he hesitated and forced himself to swallow his curiosity.

The surrounding scenery slowly reappeared. They were deep in a dense forest, some distance from their original location, and Tantai Wushuang and Mo Huanchen were nowhere to be seen. Ye Chi tried to contact them using a sound transmission technique, but it was ineffective, like a tranquil lake where even a stone falling into it wouldn't cause a ripple.

Although he was inevitably worried, Ye Chi didn't think anything would happen to them. He took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind, and turned his gaze back to Ya Feiyu. "Master, what should we do now?"

Ya Feiyu sighed, "Let's leave here first."

Ye Chi found it strange.

Previously, Ya Feiyu had said that the only exit from this hunting ground led to the meeting place, but that place was not safe at the moment. Therefore, they could only find partners to meet up with in the hunting ground. Although there was an incident along the way, this should be an established fact that would not change. Now that Ya Feiyu has suddenly changed his mind, could it be that he has discovered something?

Ye Chi pursed his lips; he had to force Ya Feiyu to reveal something.

"But Master, does this mean we don't need to look for others? Shi Bai and Xu Miaomiao... their whereabouts are still unknown, aren't they?"

Ya Feiyu's eyes flickered, and she turned her head slightly, revealing a solemn expression. Ye Chi rarely saw Ya Feiyu with such an expression, which made him pause. He heard Ya Feiyu's calm tone, without any fluctuation: "You leave here first, I will find them."

"Why?" Ye Chi persisted, "Why must I leave? Although I am weak, I am not entirely useless. I can help Master. The more people there are, the more strength we will have..."

"What excuses?!" Ya Feiyu suddenly spoke sharply, turning his head. The chilling intent emanating from his silver eyes seemed to freeze everything. If gazes could turn into swords, Ye Chi would already be covered in wounds. He was stunned for a moment. This was the first time Ya Feiyu had openly shown his anger towards him. Once Ya Feiyu lost control of his emotions, the violence from his past life would be released. This was the bloodlust that one would acquire from truly killing someone, something that could not be removed no matter how many reincarnations one underwent.

Seeing Ye Chi's stunned expression, Ya Feiyu seemed to pause for a moment, but he still didn't budge: "I have a map of the hunting grounds here. By injecting spiritual energy, I can find out your current location. Take it and keep it safe. After you return to the venue, don't look back. Don't turn around no matter who calls you. Just leave and don't go back to the sect."

Ya Feiyu seemed to know something. This made Ye Chi even more anxious. He couldn't help but grab Ya Feiyu's sleeve and said, "Master, what happened? At least tell me why you did this?"

He frowned slightly, looking somewhat pitiful: "Please, Master."

Ya Feiyu's gaze fell on him again, his eyes still holding a lingering hostility. His eyes flickered slightly, but he remained silent.

It seems she's not planning to talk to him.

Ye Chi lowered his eyes in dejection, a bitter smile curving his lips. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt a soft touch on his lips. He froze instantly, as if surrounded by a faint fragrance, making him feel as if he were in paradise, his whole being floating on air.

Before he could savor the sweetness, the sensation receded, leaving not a trace of warmth.

"Let's go quickly." Ya Feiyu's expression remained unchanged, as if what had just happened was merely Ye Chi Yini's fantasy. "Don't make me say it a second time."

Ye Chi replied blankly, "Yes, Master."