Chapter Ninety-Six: Gazing into the Abyss

The person in the dream suddenly lost all strength, their heavy, rapid breathing paused, and an eerie, deathly silence filled the air. Two tall figures slowly emerged from the shadows. Ya Feiyu stepped to the bedside, her long eyelashes drooping slightly, a strange sense of pity emanating from her brows and eyes. Yet, upon closer inspection, her silver eyes, like glass beads, held pure indifference. Her tightly pursed pale lips and cold expression made the scene before her even more unsettling.

He put two fingers together and probed the man's wrist, but felt no signs of life. He slightly raised the corner of his lips, then pretended nothing had happened. He lifted the man's already cold and stiff body off the bed and went with Ye Chi to the cliff behind the mountain. The bright moonlight did not fall on them, hiding their actions that night in the eerie darkness.

Ye Chi hugged Ya Feiyu's slender waist tightly, his tone seemingly carrying a hint of coquetry. He buried his head in the fragrant crook of Ya Feiyu's neck, making no attempt to hide his dependence and affection, rubbing against Ya Feiyu like a clingy pet, as if he couldn't wait to absorb his scent. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Qing Shen Pavilion is even more hypocritical than I imagined, Master."

Ya Feiyu used magic to lift the cold, heavy corpse, not allowing himself to touch it even once, his disgust blatant. Hearing this, he nodded slightly in agreement, then casually tossed the corpse into the abyss. Ya Feiyu stared intently until he was sure the corpse had completely fallen into the darkness before looking away.

He looked up at the sky, where the deep indigo gradually faded, replaced by an increasingly clear blue. Judging by the time in his mind, it was almost dawn. Ya Feiyu brushed the dust off his clothes and said, "Let's go back."

"Yes, Master." Ye Chi nodded obediently.

Ya Feiyu wasn't worried that Lin Jiu's death would cause any trouble for the mortals imprisoned there. For Qing Shen Pavilion, these easily replaceable positions didn't require much attention. On the contrary, the alchemy cauldron, due to its high demand, was valued far more than ordinary menial disciples like Lin Jiu, even though they lived worse lives than livestock. For this reason, even if Lin Jiu's death might be related to the alchemy cauldron, Qing Shen Pavilion wouldn't choose to investigate. Instead, they would turn a blind eye. As long as things didn't escalate, they would never intervene.

Of course, the most fundamental reason is that it is unreasonable to capture people to make alchemy furnaces. If Qing Shen Pavilion dares to hold those mortals accountable, it will be attacked by the entire cultivation world.

As Ya Feiyu had predicted, the mysterious disappearance of a menial disciple went unnoticed by anyone, and during the few days they were on their mission, they heard no information related to it.

Ya Feiyu thought that he seemed to have found a major loophole in Qing Shen Ge.

...

Since Lin Jiu's death, the lives of those who were alchemy furnaces have actually improved considerably.

Perhaps the elders and disciples of the Qing Shen Pavilion were afraid they would cause trouble again like last time, because the people they recently sent, while not exactly polite, at least seemed to be treating them like normal people. Although none of them knew exactly what had happened, everyone was happy with this change—even if the change in attitude couldn't change their fate, it would at least make their lives a little easier.

Even if it's just a tiny bit, it's a luxury for people living in dire straits.

"Mother..." A child's cry came from beside her, drawing Lin Shanshan's attention. Her gaze fell on the child who was stumbling towards her, and a hint of tenderness appeared in her dark eyes. She reached out and hugged the child, gently bouncing him a couple of times, and softened her voice, asking, "What's wrong, Xiaoyu?"

Zhou Yu clutched his mother's clothes tightly with his little hands. His bright, clear eyes seemed to be shrouded in the morning mist. He looked up at Lin Shanshan, pouted, and muttered with a hint of grievance, "Why hasn't Father come to find us yet? I haven't seen Father in so long. Does Father not want me anymore... Waaah..."

Since birth, Zhou Yu has been a clingy person. Whether it's his father or mother, if one of them disappears from his sight for too long, he will pester the other to ask where that person went, as if he won't stop until he gets to the bottom of it. Before, the family was harmonious, and Lin Shanshan even thought that her son's personality was good, at least the relationship between the three of them would be closer. However, after the people from Qing Shen Pavilion inexplicably kidnapped her and her son, she would feel a little sad every time her son asked like this.

She didn't keep track of time, so she didn't remember how long she had been locked up here. She only knew that her already weak body had become even weaker under the torment of Qing Shen Pavilion. Now, even raising her hand would cause a slight tremor, and she felt short of breath and tightness in her chest after walking a few steps. If this continued, she didn't even know if she could hold on until the day she saw her husband, let alone walk out of here alive.

She was momentarily flustered, but faced with her son's worried calls, she quickly regained her composure. A gentle smile returned to her pale and bloodless face. She gently stroked Zhou Yu's soft hair. Fortunately, the child's health did not inherit her own frailty and illness, but rather his healthy father's. Perhaps he still had a chance to leave this place and find his father.

Thinking of this, her somewhat tired expression eased slightly, and she said, "Father would never abandon you. It's just that he couldn't come to us for some reason. He must be very anxious. Ah Yu, please don't say that, okay?"

Perhaps sensing his mother's expression, Zhou Yu sensibly refrained from saying anything negative, simply nodding obediently and nestling down beside Lin Shanshan. The night was deep, and a cold wind blew against the mother and son. Lin Shanshan draped a somewhat tattered and thin coat over herself, then held Zhou Yu in her arms. The two huddled together in a corner under the eaves, preparing to endure this chilly night, just as they had for countless days before.

Just then, an unsettling chill swept through the air.

Lin Shanshan had already closed her eyes and was drifting off to sleep, but her woman's sixth sense made her instantly alert and open her eyes again. At the same time, she tightly hugged Zhou Yu, who was already fast asleep, and looked around, trying to find the source of her unease.

But when she looked around, she still didn't see anything.

Just as she was wondering if she was hallucinating from exhaustion, a white robe suddenly flashed past her peripheral vision. It didn't seem to be the attire of any rank in the Qing Shen Pavilion. She immediately tensed up. Could someone with ill intentions have broken into the Qing Shen Pavilion at this time...? But the Qing Shen Pavilion was heavily guarded and protected by a barrier. It would be almost impossible to sneak in unless one's cultivation was higher than that of the Qing Shen Pavilion Master.

But in this world today, there are very few people whose cultivation can surpass that of the Pavilion Master. Most of them are either sect leaders or live in seclusion. Which powerful figure has such leisure to break into the Qing Shen Pavilion in the middle of the night and deliberately sneak into the place where mortals like them are imprisoned? What does he want to do, and what is his purpose?

All of this was unknown, and the intense fear surging in her heart made Lin Shanshan's arms, which were tightly holding her son, tremble slightly. A chill, accompanied by the night wind, seeped into her clothes, robbing her of her already low body temperature.

She wanted to shout for help, to wake the sleeping disciples of Qing Shen Pavilion in the wooden hut and have them come to check what was happening. But she was also acutely aware of the consequences of doing so. If it was just her imagination, or if the disciples searched the hut and found nothing, she would bear the punishment that would befall her. Although she had never actually been punished, she often saw some "cauldrons" being dragged into the wooden hut to be punished after offending them, emerging barely alive. Those scenes were nothing short of nightmares to her.

Her son was the type to stand up for her, and she didn't want Zhou Yu to do anything foolish for her sake after she was punished. Therefore, no matter how scared she was, Lin Shanshan chose to keep quiet. She pretended that she hadn't noticed anything, hugged Zhou Yu tightly, lowered her head, and pretended to be asleep. If it weren't for her body trembling with fear, her acting skills would have been quite good.

With her eyes unable to see, the sensitivity of her other senses increased dramatically. Lin Shanshan keenly heard the rustling of grass and trees in the wind, as well as the barely perceptible footsteps hidden within them.

Although it was very light, it did not escape her ears.

The footsteps drew closer, seemingly from two people, instantly making Lin Shanshan tense even more. She dared not move an inch, afraid of being discovered. She smelled a faint, cool fragrance in the air; she couldn't identify the scent, but it was exceptionally pleasant. Just then, a calm voice sounded above her: "Lift your head. I know you're not asleep."

Lin Shanshan's face suddenly turned pale. She trembled as she raised her head and met a pair of silver eyes. Her heart sank even further in an instant.

She has lived in the mortal realm since birth, but she has been interested in the cultivation world since childhood. As a result, she has read many novels and stories circulating in the market. As one of the most important figures in the cultivation world, Ya Feiyu is undoubtedly the most widely known. His unique silver eyes are thus deeply imprinted in her mind.

Now that Ya Feiyu is wanted, she naturally knows the reason why this boy she admired in her youth is wanted—for colluding with demonic cultivators and stealing treasures. She never expected that it would be him who broke into Qing Shen Pavilion in the middle of the night. The more she longed for him as a child, the more terrified she is now.

Especially when those eyes stared at him like stagnant water.