Chapter 17

Lin Wuya's final, profound gaze lingered in Lin Yibai's heart like a thorn in her flesh. Almost by instinct, she dragged her feet, step by step, out of the suffocating hall.

Outside the palace, the moonlight was cold and clear, pouring down like mercury on the white jade bridge in front of the tower, outlining a hazy and tranquil beauty. However, when she saw this beautiful scenery, instead of soothing her heart, it added a sense of loneliness to her.

Just now in the hall, she keenly caught the calculation that flashed across Lin Wuya's eyes, which made her clearly realize...

Lin Wuya, there is definitely something wrong.

Although she has returned to the sect safely now, she feels that she is not out of danger, but has fallen deeper into a huge and dark vortex of conspiracy.

"Young Sect Master?"

Unexpectedly, just as she was lost in thought, a familiar voice filled with worry came into her ears.

She suddenly turned around and saw Luluo anxiously waiting at the foot of the palace steps in the distance. As soon as she saw her emerge, she trotted over, skirt in hand. Seeing her young lady's pale, dazed appearance, the little maidservant's voice trembled with fear, her eyes slightly reddened. "Are you alright? It's all my fault for being useless and failing to protect you, which is why you were abducted by that demon..."

Lin Yibai came back to her senses and saw Luoluo's genuinely worried face. She took a deep breath, suppressed her surging thoughts, shook her head, and said in a hoarse voice: "Don't cry, I'm back safely, right? I'm just a little tired right now. Let's go back to the bedroom first."

"Okay! I'll help you back!" Luluo hurriedly supported her and walked back with her carefully.

Perhaps sensing her lack of energy, the usually lively and talkative Luluo fell unusually silent. The two of them walked under the moonlight, through the numerous corridors, and returned to the lavishly furnished bedroom in silence. After dismissing the attendants and leaving only the master and servant in the hall, Lin Yibai seemed to have completely drained of all his strength, collapsing on the soft carpeted couch.

"Young Master, please drink some hot tea to calm your nerves." Luoluo thoughtfully handed over a cup of warm spiritual tea and swiftly began to prepare hot water for bathing and spiritual medicine to soothe the muscles and bones. "You are still injured, so you need to soak it well to get rid of the bad luck! I was really scared this time..."

Listening to Luoluo chattering and walking busily around, the familiar scent of incense lingered around his nose. This daily routine of being carefully served inexplicably gave Lin Yibai a false sense of security as if he had survived a disaster.

Her heartstrings, which had been tense from the beginning to the end, finally relaxed a little at this moment.

Hot water was quickly prepared, and steam filled with the aroma of medicine filled the air. Lin Yibai immersed herself completely in the warm water, wanting to wash away her fatigue, fear, and... the scene that frightened and heartbroken her.

Yan Bujian's last cold and hateful look kept lingering in her mind and could not be erased.

"Oh..." Thinking of this, she felt suffocated. After floating to the surface, a very light sigh escaped her lips.

"Young Sect Master, is the water too hot?" Luoluo, who was waiting outside the screen, immediately asked nervously.

"No." Lin Yibai shook her head and sank down, leaving only half of her head exposed. "Luoluo, after I fainted, did anything else happen on the boat?" She tried to find out some information, especially about the "sacrifice" that was found in this world.

Su Hong's performance on the flying boat always made her feel suspicious.

Luoluo pondered for a moment and said, "It wasn't a big deal. It's just that after you were abducted, Elder Hong and Elder Shen looked extremely unhappy. The boat sped up more than twice as fast, and many people vomited. Later, when we arrived at the fishing village, no one knew what happened. Before the boat even reached the shore, the two elders transformed into streams of light and disappeared... About an hour later, they brought back an unconscious young man. After returning to the sect, they took him directly to a secret room in the side hall of the Glazed Pagoda. They said it was the sect master's personal order to keep him under strict guard and no one was allowed to approach."

Sure enough, the sacrifice not only did not die in the tsunami, but was also successfully brought back and put under strict control.

Lin Yibai's heart sank again.

At this point, the plot has collapsed, but why is this damn system she's tied to still insisting on keeping her on track? How can she truly "guard the plot" if she's the only one abiding by the rules?

Where will the subsequent plot go?

"Oh, right!" Luoluo suddenly remembered something and her tone became lighter. "Young Sect Master, what do you think this is?"

Lin Yibai was worried. He opened his eyes blankly when he heard the voice. He saw Luluo presenting an exquisite embroidered bag from behind the screen like a treasure.

"This is..." She took it doubtfully.

"The Yunshan from Yunni Town!" Luluo's eyes sparkled. "Have you forgotten? When we passed through Yunni Town, although you... uh, had an accident, I kept thinking about you, so I took the initiative and asked the disciples who stayed behind to find the embroiderer with your name card. We spent a lot of money and finally snatched this last one! Do you like it?"

Lin Yibai was stunned and opened the embroidery bag. Inside was a neatly folded piece of clothing. Unfolding it, he saw it was as thin as a cicada's wing and full of luster. It was embroidered with intricate cloud patterns in silver thread, and the light flowed with a dreamy luster.

It is indeed exquisite and any woman would be moved by it.

She stroked the gorgeous cloud shirt, feeling extremely complicated for a moment: this was the original owner's obsession and the fuse that led to the failure of the mission. Now she did not deliberately seek it, but it fell into her hands by accident.

What is this? An unexpected success?

At this moment, she really couldn't feel happy, but when she met Luoluo's eyes full of expectation, her heart softened and she forced a faint smile: "Very beautiful, Luoluo, you are thoughtful."

"As long as the Young Master likes it!" Luoluo's face lit up with smiles, as if she had received a great reward. "You've been through such a terrible thing, it's time for something good to cheer you up. Come on and try it on to see if it fits you."

Infected by Lu Que's cheerful mood, Lin Yibai temporarily put aside his heavy thoughts and put on the cloud shirt with Lu Luo's help.

The clothes fit her unexpectedly well. The material made of ice silk sticks to her skin, and it feels cool and smooth to the touch, and it is breathable and cool. It makes her already fair skin look even more whiter than frost and snow, and her whole person seems to be lighter, with a hazy and ethereal air.

She had never worn such beautiful clothes in her previous life. Looking at the hazy figure in the mirror, whose beauty was set off by the spruce trees and looked a bit like an ethereal being, Lin Yibai was actually in a trance for a moment.

"Great! The young master looks like a fairy in this outfit!" Luoluo clapped her hands in admiration.

At this moment, a maid outside the hall whispered, "Young Sect Master, Elder Su Hong sent some tranquilizing pills and spiritual food, saying that you should rest well."

Luoluo quickly went out to take it. Soon, she came in with a tray on which were placed several bottles of elixirs and some exquisite, small, and spiritual snacks.

"Elder Hong really cares about you." Luoluo put the things on the small table.

"Are you thinking about me?" She thought of the huge misunderstanding between her and Yan Bujian caused by Su Hong. After a bitter smile, she picked up a piece of crystal clear dessert in the shape of a petal and put it into her mouth.

The sweet taste mixed with a hint of spiritual energy melted in her mouth, slightly soothing her tense nerves.

"It tastes good," she whispered.

"Then eat more!" Luoluo happily handed her another piece.

Lin Yibai ate snacks slowly, looking at the misty scene of Boyeng Sect outside the window, thinking secretly in her heart: The storm has only subsided temporarily. According to the original book, now that she has returned to the sect, the Yunshan Grand Ceremony is imminent. She must take advantage of this rare opportunity to breathe and make the next plan as soon as possible.

She must still have a long way to go.

*

The next morning, Lin Yibai woke up feeling indescribably exhausted and restless. Although she had taken a medicinal bath and tranquilizing pills the previous night, she had frequently woken up from nightmares and hadn't slept well.

While Luoluo was tying her hair, she looked at her still slightly pale face in the mirror, and felt hesitant and struggling in her heart.

"We should go see him."

Once this thought arises, it can no longer be suppressed.

He was injured so badly, and was hit hard by Su Hong's angry palm. I wonder how he is now?

Would the chill of the dungeon aggravate his injuries? Would the guards... treat him even more harshly because of his crimes of "colluding with demonic cultivators and insulting the young sect leader"?

A mixture of guilt, worry and a hint of concern that she herself could not explain drove her, causing her to almost subconsciously straighten her sleeves, stand up and take two steps towards the palace door.

However, just as his fingertips were about to touch the icy palace door—

The boy's eyes yesterday, which instantly froze and contained only deep hatred and disappointment, struck her mind with incredible clarity.

What could she do now? What could she say? Stand before him and say, "That wasn't me. That wasn't what I meant"?

Not to mention that the system would never allow her to reveal even a single ounce of the truth, even if she did, how feeble would her defense be in the face of such profound "evidence"? He'd probably only consider it an even more hypocritical and deceitful performance, only adding to his disgust.

Perhaps... not disturbing him at this moment and letting him recover in peace is the best option?

The thought of going or not going tore wildly in her mind. Finally, she stretched out her hand and slowly lowered it, clenching it into a fist, her nails digging deep into her palm.

There was a sharp pain in the palm of my hand, but it was not even one ten-thousandth of the suffocating feeling in my heart.

In the end... she still didn't have the courage to face him.

Lin Yibai turned dejectedly and inched her way back to the inner hall, as if she had lost a battle. She collapsed on the soft couch by the window, exhausted. Outside the window, the clouds rolled in and out, and the scenery of the Bodeng Sect still held an eerie blend of immortals and demons, but what she saw was only a gloom.

How can I resolve the misunderstanding with Yan Bujian? How can I survive according to the original trajectory?

These two problems were like two huge mountains pressing down on her heart. She tried to think of a way to break the impasse, but she imagined countless possibilities in her mind, but they were all rejected by reality.

Explanation: The system does not allow it.

No one can be trusted when asking for help.

Escape, low cultivation.

Trying to please Yan? His hatred was deep, and he was afraid it would backfire.

But she was asked to do nothing and just follow the plot to her death?

——She is unwilling!

The more she thought about it, the more confused her mind became, like a ball of twine that a cat had played with, unable to find any clues. Despair surged like a tide, threatening to drown her. Frustrated, she slumped headfirst onto the small rosewood table beside her, resting her forehead against the cold surface and letting out a silent cry.

Is it really... that there is no way out?

Just when she was on the verge of self-abandonment and despair, her eyes unconsciously swept across the bulging storage bag at her waist - inside were all the "trophies" she had looted from the treasure house of the ancestor Teng Yan.

Forget it. I have nothing to do anyway, so I might as well take stock of the goods and see if there is anything that may come in handy later.

Thinking of this, Lin Yibai took a deep breath, forced herself to be alert, untied the storage bag tied around her waist, and placed it on the small rosewood table. A faint light flashed at the bag's mouth, and her consciousness sank into it.

Weapons, elixirs, spiritual stones... all sorts of extraordinary items. There were some magical weapons, but aside from the "Shu Yue" soft sword, she couldn't wield any of them. The elixirs also had their own magical effects, but after counting them all, not a single one could bring her back to life and allow her to successfully escape the calamity...

After a long time, just as she was about to finish counting, she felt a little disappointed because she did not see more surprises. When she was about to withdraw her consciousness, something in the corner suddenly caught her attention.

It was a piece of dark golden dead vine, about the length of a finger.

Mixed in among a pile of sparkling gems, it looked completely devoid of spiritual energy, dry and rough, like a dead branch that had fallen from any old tree.

"This is……"

Lin Yibai frowned slightly, and after recalling how she had picked it up, she slowly reached out towards it.