Appear

Yang Suyue naturally knew that Lin Yunwang was imprisoned, but no matter how she asked, she refused to say more.

She knew that if Yun Wang wasn't truly bad at painting, he wouldn't have come to her for help. In fact, if this immortal lord were skilled at painting people, he wouldn't have come to her for help either.

“We’re all family, why be so formal?” she suddenly said, her voice as soft as a flower petal falling on rice paper.

These were words Lin Yun often said. Under the green tiles of Shixi Village, no one ever inquired about where people came from, and outside the bamboo fence, there was always a lantern to guide the way.

She looked at Lin Yunwang, whose figure, which had sheltered her from the wind and rain five years ago, was still frail.

"Don't leave all the problems to yourself to solve alone," Yang Suyue added. "Have dinner with me tonight, I have something I want to talk to you about."

Lin Yun nodded in agreement.

"Li Xiuran, come in." Yang Suyue called him in and handed him the portrait. "Make 10 copies."

Faint sounds came from outside the window. Lin Yun and Yang Suyue exchanged a glance and quietly moved towards the window. Suddenly, she pushed the window open, and several little devils stood under it. Seeing that they had been discovered, they smiled ingratiatingly at her.

"How much did you listen to?" Yang Suyue asked rather sternly.

"We were discovered as soon as we arrived."

“We just heard Sister Suyue asking Brother Xiuran to help draw something, and we can help too!” a little girl raised her hand and said, “My drawing was praised by the teacher last time.”

"Me too!" several children said eagerly.

“Yunwang, let them in. The more people help, the faster it will be done,” Yang Suyue said. “It’s just a portrait; consider it a check to see if they’ve been paying attention.”

"Alright, come in." Lin Yun waved to them.

A swarm of people rushed in, turning the once quiet room into a noisy hubbub, chattering like a flock of sparrows. "My drawing isn't good, I'll grind the ink!" "Give me a piece of paper!" "The pen...who has the pen?"

Despite the chaos, they managed to divide the tasks quickly: some distributed writing brushes and ink, others looked at the sample painting next to Li Xiuran on the ground, and still others dried the paper with the ink still wet.

Lin Yun looked at the little heads crowding around the table when suddenly half a piece of malt candy was stuffed into her palm. The child winked at her playfully, "Big sister's frown is more bitter than the medicine."

The sun's position moves, and so does the shadow.

Before noon, he had drawn 70 copies.

Lin Yun put the dried paintings into a cloth bag, and the children tugged at her clothes, asking for candied hawthorns as a thank you gift.

Sang Zhao was about to follow, but was gently pressed back to his original spot. "I have a feeling that something is going to happen. There's no one in the village, and I feel uneasy."

Yang Suyue leaned against the door frame. "Remember our promise. Remember to come to my place tonight, no matter how late you come back. I'll be waiting for you."

As Lin Yun walked away, the sound behind him grew very faint until it was completely inaudible.

"Master, is Sister Yunwang upset because of that doctor? But Grandpa Village Chief has already woken up, hasn't he?"

“Mother said that Sister Yunwang has always been worried since she came back, and she always forces a smile when she faces us. It’s really worrying.”

Yang Suyue smiled without saying a word. After a while, she spoke and said, "Yunwang went to see that doctor for two reasons. First, she wanted to express her gratitude. Second, someone in the immortal sect she went to ask for medicine is an old friend of that doctor. They haven't seen each other for a long time and have some things they want Yunwang to convey."

"So that's how it is. It must be that the doctor is too hard to find." The children trusted Yang Suyue a lot, after all, in their eyes, the words of the Master were probably the most authoritative words in the world.

Their understanding of the world is still too limited to establish overly complex connections.

At this moment, Yang Suyue completely understood Yun Wang's actions. However, she still hoped that her friends would rely on her as much as possible when they encountered difficulties, rather than bearing the burden alone.

That night, it was good that you sought help regardless of the time constraints.

Li Xiuran, who had remained silent the whole time, still had lingering worry in his eyes.

He was precocious and naturally knew that what the teacher said was just to deceive them, the children, and that his older sister was definitely in big trouble.

His gaze fell on Sang Zhao beside him, and he thought: Maybe this immortal lord is here to spy on my sister.

Unexpectedly, Sang Zhao also looked over and returned the smile.

Lin Yun stopped at a teahouse. She wanted to add a few lines of text to the painting, turn it into a missing person notice, and distribute it everywhere.

"Hmm... let's write it like this. My father is missing. He is mentally unstable, has an eccentric personality, and is highly aggressive. If you find him, please inform the manager of Qingping Restaurant. He will be very grateful." It would be strange to have the children write this for him.

Lin Yunwang's pen tip hovered over the yellowed Xuan paper, the ink spreading a shadow over the four characters "highly aggressive".

The waiter, carrying a copper kettle, moved between dozens of tables, the laughter and chatter of the tea drinkers mingling with the aroma of tea. Suddenly, a teacup tapped softly on the wooden table, and she caught a glimpse of a blue robe draped to her side.

She assumed it was a passerby sharing a table and didn't look up.

Until she heard the person beside her clear their throat and say in a hoarse voice, "I have practiced medicine all my life, and I am not as the young lady described."

Yun reacted quickly, immediately grabbing his wrist. "Long time no see. Thank you for saving my grandfather. My family has prepared a small gift and a banquet. Would you like to come with me?"

This was unexpected. Originally, I just wanted to further alert them and lure them into making their next move.

"Hiss... Miss Lin's grip is so strong, my body can't take it." He said as he effortlessly broke free.

"Wait, don't go." She reflexively tried to chase after him, but saw that he was sitting calmly in the chair, showing no intention of running away.

But Lin Yun did not let his guard down. Instead, he grabbed Lin Yun's belt and said, "Excuse me."

"In broad daylight, to an old man..." The teasing tone rose slightly at the end, like a poisoned silver needle grazing the eardrum, but Lin Yunwang didn't care at all.

Golden light spread from beneath the man's feet, shielding him from the outside world.

Lin Yunwang's pupils contracted sharply as he observed closely. The frequency of the man's Adam's apple bobbing did not match the amplitude of the trembling in his voice.

She released her grip on the other person's belt.

No, this is not the doctor who treated patients in Shixi Village that day.

She didn't show it on her face, but he seemed to have seen through it and said, "Do you think I'm not the person from that day? Is it possible that this is the real me?"

The old man's bark-like face melted away like spring snow meeting the sun. After the wrinkles disappeared, a young face with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes was revealed, with lingering wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, like two human skins slowly intersecting under the candlelight.

I don't think so.

The breeze created by the young man crossing his legs brushed past her ear, carrying a strong scent of incense, unlike the herbal fragrance emanating from the doctor in Shixi Village.

This further confirmed Lin Yunwang's conjecture.

"Today, I'm in a good mood and I'll speak freely."

Lin Yun raised an eyebrow, clearly not entirely believing him. "Then I'll ask, and I hope you'll answer truthfully. What are your purposes?"

"Well, I can't say. But—" the young man looked her over, "we've achieved our goal."

The cat caught the mouse but didn't eat it; it just teased it. The mouse trembled until its gall bladder burst and it died.

It's true that they saved Grandpa, and it's also true that their actions were merely to exploit him.

"You just said you'd speak your mind without reservation." Her tone grew increasingly cold.

A tear fell into the tea soup. Lin Yun lowered his eyes to hide his thoughts. A second tear hung on his eyelashes, about to fall.

"Uh, don't cry." The mysterious person seemed a little at a loss.

Seeing that this trick worked, her tears flowed like a broken string of pearls. Lin Yun wiped away her tears with her hand and choked out, "I've really had enough."

The person in front of him became visibly flustered. "Alright, alright. Actually, I don't know what they're trying to do either. But I can assure you, this won't harm you, and may even be beneficial."

He raised his hand and swore, "No one will harm Stone Creek Village." At least not now, he quietly added to his mind.

"Is that all you know?"

"Of course not. And also..." The man made a shushing gesture to her, then took out a recording talisman hidden in her pocket and easily crushed it.

“You’re special. We need to send you to a controlled place, like the Silent Chant Sect. You don’t want to tell anyone about your special qualities, right? So don’t blame me for this recording.”

“These are very expensive.” It took her a lot of effort to draw these three pictures.

“If you go to the Jingyin Sect, you won’t have these troubles anymore,” the cultivator continued.

Only after Lin Yun experienced these things firsthand would she choose the Jingyin Sect. Otherwise, how many years would it take her, immersed in lukewarm water, to leave Shixi Village?

I'm afraid that the first thing that will happen then is the massacre of the village.

"You're not sending me to be an undercover agent, are you? What's your relationship with the Jingyin Sect?"

“We’re a legitimate organization. As for relationships, we’re relatives,” he muttered. “I have important business to attend to. One last question.”

"The Resurrection Pill worked, so..."

"I'm still investigating this, so I can't give you a definite answer."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Just a reminder, don't overdraw your resonance ability any further. You haven't cultivated it to the point where you can use it skillfully yet, and this is undoubtedly wasting your lifespan. By the way, you can tell that little friend from the Silent Chant Sect about our conversation."

The magical artifact in Lin Yun's arms suddenly trembled like a buzzing bee, and the outline of the young man in his vision began to blur. His words before leaving still lingered in his ears, "This magical artifact is yours. Consider it a reward for your hard work these past few days."

The barrier peeled away piece by piece, like a faded New Year's painting.

She sensed that the person was still alive. "I will do something for you within my limits to repay the kindness of saving my grandfather's life."

Even though the person in front of her had disappeared, she still believed that he had heard what she said.

Before anyone knew it, candles had been placed on the table. The oily film that had formed on the surface of the tea reflected her pale face, and in the reflection, it seemed as if the gesture the person had made before leaving was still flickering.

She still used her ability to empathize to find out whether what the person said was true or false.

That's the truth.

Lin Yunwang finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed onto the table.

The last rays of the setting sun shone through the windows and into the teahouse lobby.

The tea drinkers around me have changed several times.

Lin Yun pressed his throbbing temples, the remaining light spots on his retina twisting into countless tree branch shapes, and the bluish-purple blood vessels under his skin suddenly throbbed violently.

It took quite a while for the situation to ease.

She got up to leave, and casually touched her empty pockets, where three recording talismans should have been lying.

Meanwhile, someone who was off to do serious business thought, "No..."

He sensed something was wrong and hurriedly flew towards Shixi Village.