Visitor

Stripped of the long memories, my thoughts were pulled back to reality.

What happened next?

It was Zhou Hengyan, who was unconscious; Nangong Suiqing, who was silent; Liu Wanshi, who was lost in thought; the inner disciples, who were exhausted in body and mind; and Venerable Mingqi, who was scrutinizing them.

And, her master, who held her tightly.

The two bodies were close together, and even though Yichen tried his best to control his trembling body, the person he was holding could still feel it.

Lin Yun frowned slightly, his joy at leaving the tower dissipating.

"Master, don't worry, I've returned safely." Although she didn't know why her master was so worried and uneasy, she still comforted him, "The illusion wasn't scary at all... Although it looked like familiar people, it wasn't them, and their acting wasn't convincing. I wasn't affected by it either."

Ning Hua, seeing that his disciples were tired, did not inquire further and let them go back to rest.

But this matter will not be easily forgotten.

It's unclear how they found out it was because of Lin Yunwang and Zhou Hengyan, but it's said they sought help from Qiling City. That's not surprising, though; the Thousand-Pagoda was originally a creation of the Immortal Venerable Qiming, so he naturally knows it very well.

Even though it was an unintentional mistake, the two of them were still punished.

Lin Yunwang had no objection to the punishment, but wondered if the Jingyin Sect, having not discussed the illusion with her, meant it was impossible for her to see it. Then, could "that person" in Qiling City see the illusion?

Her face turned pale.

The peaceful Qiling City that Lin Yun had been longing for was no longer what it used to be. Immortal Venerable Qiming leaned wearily against the back of his chair, while Fan Qingdu was reporting something to him.

Qi Ming's brows furrowed more and more with time, almost forming a deep frown by the time Fan Qingdu finished his report. He lightly traced the tabletop with his fingertips, a habitual gesture he made when thinking, a fact well-known to those around him.

"Although it is a matter of the city lord's family, it now involves Qiling City, so it cannot be treated the same way as before."

"Yes." Of all the people in the world, besides his two sword attendants, the one who understands Qiming best is Fan Qingdu, whom he raised. This regional envoy certainly knows what to do; he is acting in accordance with the Immortal Venerable's wishes.

Just as Fan Qingdu was about to step out the door, Qiming casually asked, "Who did the Jingyin Sect send to investigate the matter in Jizhou?"

Upon hearing the voice, he paused and replied, "It is Lin Yunwang, disciple of Venerable Yichen."

In the ten days or so since he left the tower, many things have happened, but Lin Yun wrote most of them into his letter.

She wanted to continue writing the letter, but she didn't know where to begin. Many things required her to follow the rules of the Jingyin Sect and remain silent.

"Then write about your relationship with Xie Tingshui?" the system suggested again.

"Although there's a lot to write about, I'm afraid Su Yue will get jealous." As she spoke, Lin Yun's eyes crinkled with laughter, as if he could picture Yang Su Yue sulking because of jealousy, turning away and refusing to speak to him.

In fact, Lin Yunwang had been hiding many things. She got up with a heavy heart and looked into the distance.

This is the direction of the capital, although there is nothing or anyone related to the capital that can be seen in the Jingyin Sect.

There's no need to be sad.

"I know, I was just wondering if the letter I sent earlier had been received. Sigh, there's nowhere to receive mail in the Jingyin Sect." Lin Yun slumped back into his chair, found a relaxed position, and sighed repeatedly.

"So, it's possible for friends to have possessiveness?" This was a question the system pondered for a long time before asking.

"Of course," Lin Yun nodded seriously, "but the degree varies from person to person."

The peach blossoms outside the window are in full bloom, covering most of the view. Spring comes a little later in Jingyin Sect compared to other places, but it will always come.

Gazing at this scene that should have been tranquil, a sudden unease rose in the girl's heart. She wondered how Tao Yao was doing. She should have asked her brother about her situation no matter what. She lowered her head, concealing the emotions in her eyes, and when she looked up, only calm remained.

In the remaining time, Lin Yun would occasionally chat with the system and continue writing letters to be sent to the capital.

What is the current situation of the person she is so concerned about?

The person did not reach the capital, and the letter he sent ended up in someone else's hands.

Yang Suyue had been waiting in Shuofeng City for Lin Yunwang's letter until the day she could no longer stay, when she and Li Xiuran left with regret. Little did she know that a few days after her departure, the long-awaited letter would arrive, and its owner would return.

This could probably be considered a "near miss".

Shuofeng City is located on the frontier, far from the capital. Even traveling through wind and rain, it would still take more than half a month, and the sound of the wheels rolling along the way was annoying.

However, neither Yang Suyue nor Li Xiuran could stop it.

Seeing the boy frequently looking back at the road he had come from, she put down the book she was holding and said, "You can go back. You can still study over there."

Although it was meant as advice, it didn't offer any real persuasion; it simply provided a choice calmly.

Moreover, once she left Shuofeng City, she was no longer Li Xiuran's teacher.

“Husband…Sister, I’m worried about you going to the capital alone.” Li Xiuran was already exceptionally mature for her age, and the experience of her parents’ death made her even more composed.

He knew he had no one to rely on, and that going to the capital would probably only cause trouble for his teacher.

Li Xiuran added, "Moreover, the main purpose of going to the capital is to study." He had already become the study companion of the Grand Tutor's son through Yang Suyue's introduction, and would be living in the Grand Tutor's mansion from now on.

He secretly resolved to become Su Yue's support, not a burden.

While he was still in a daze, he heard the coachman outside the carriage say, "Miss Yang, someone is stopping the carriage."

Mental expectations are one thing, reality is another.

Li Xiuran was young after all, and his understanding of the concept of "struggle" was not profound. The capital city was the central hub of the Yunlan Kingdom, and most of the struggles there were life-or-death battles.

They're taking advantage of your illness to kill you.

He never imagined that trouble would come knocking on his door before he even got close to the capital.

Yang Suyue remained calm as always, her gaze never leaving her book, and instructed the driver, "Don't be surprised. The road here is narrow. If a car comes, just give way."

“Miss Yang,” the coachman was a guard specially left by His Highness the Crown Prince to escort Yang Suyue back to the capital. He had experienced both battlefields and the turmoil in the capital and had never been wrong in his judgment of the people coming. “Those who come are all carrying blades.”

"Let them go first." Su Yue's tone turned cold.

Seeing this, he sighed inwardly: the Imperial Preceptor has been away from the capital for so long that he has become complacent. But he also knew that he was just a guard, only entitled to obey orders. So he reined in his horse and said in a clear voice, "My master asks you to pass first!"

A cold glint shattered the tranquility. Five longswords were drawn in response, kicking up dust beneath the hooves of their horses, turning the once peaceful path into chaos.

Just as they arrived, the coachman lit a signal flare and then drew his longsword from under the saddle. He decided to hold them off until rescue arrived, ensuring the safety of the two people in the carriage.

He kept a close eye on the five men rushing towards him, reminding them, "Go into the woods! Don't look back! Someone will come looking for you."

Yang Suyue lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and said in a deep voice, "You can't beat them, you'll die."

Before the coachman could respond, the five men attacked in the blink of an eye. He threw down the curtain, jumped off the carriage, kicked the carriage shaft to propel himself backward, and his sword swept away the five men's sword blades.

In the blink of an eye, he had subdued the five assassins. However, if they continued fighting like this, they would eventually run out of energy, and then he might be killed or captured—who knew?

But at that moment he had only one thought—to protect the Imperial Advisor.

In recent years, Yunlan Kingdom has been without a national advisor, and droughts and floods have occurred one after another. As a result, his hometown, the homeland he has not returned to for twenty years, has also suffered.

His parents have been brought to the capital, but there are still so many neighbors and fellow villagers there. If only the Imperial Preceptor were here... He thinks of this every sleepless night.

You must make sure she gets to the capital safely.

"My lord, go away!" he roared as he parried the knife that was slashing at the carriage curtain, and two bloody gashes immediately appeared on his shoulder.

"Clang," the sound of weapons clashing.

He could barely grip the longsword in his hand, but he gritted his teeth and decided to hold on a little longer. He thought: no matter what the Grand Preceptor's plans were at this moment, or whether he had lost his previous courage and resourcefulness due to being far from the capital, he would hold out until the moment of rescue arrived.

The assassins sent were no pushovers either. Seeing that they hadn't broken through his defenses, they exchanged a glance and changed tactics. Four of them surrounded the coachman, while one rushed straight towards the carriage.

"Come back!" He was clearly anxious. He turned around to grab the person, disregarding the fact that his back was to others. Even when surrounded by many people, he focused on attacking the person who was about to attack the carriage. After killing the person, he himself was also seriously injured.

He was in a vulnerable position at this moment, but he was also the one who was aggressive.

The coachman, panting heavily, held his sword high, refusing to lower it, fearing that if he lost a breath, he would never be able to lift it again. His clothes were soaked with blood, yet the blade remained fixedly pointed at the remaining four men.

The stench of blood lingered on the quiet path.

This was the first time Li Xiuran had smelled such a strong odor of human blood. Even though he tried his best to calm himself down, as time went by, his composure was exhausted, and he couldn't help but gag.

After gagging, Li Xiuran asked, "...Are we really not going to get out of the car to help him?"

"Neither of us knows martial arts, so let's not make a foolish move." There are many foolish moves, such as the coachman's suggestion that they take refuge in the woods, and being too concerned and making a mistake.

Yang Suyue did look up this time, but only glanced at him quickly before lowering her head again to continue reading.

The boy hesitated for a moment, then lifted a corner of the curtain. The driver's blood-soaked back came into view, and he blurted out, "He's about to die!"

The woman paused in turning the pages, said "Oh," and then continued turning the pages after only a moment.

This kind of teacher felt unfamiliar to Li Xiuran.

The three women he interacted with most were his mother, Lin Yunwang, and his teacher, Yang Suyue. Their personalities were completely different, but they were all fundamentally kind and compassionate.

Was his teacher truly the one who disregarded the lives of others? This thought suddenly popped into his mind.

Just as he was stunned, Yang Suyue slowly said, "Li Xiuran, the first thing you must remember when you leave Shuofeng City is that you must be worse than the bad guys to survive."

The road ahead leads to the capital.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuran remained silent, but the hand that had been lifting the carriage curtain lingered for a long time.

Seeing him like this, Yang Suyue still felt a pang of pity; after all, he was just a child. For the first time, she regretted her decision to bring him to the capital.

Before heading to the capital, she knew that after her master's passing, her lack of a weakness would make her stand out too much in that place. Most people in the capital possessed, whether genuinely or artificially, something that could be manipulated by "others."

Whether it's family, beauty, or money and power.

It can be said that the rarest thing in the capital was not a rare treasure, but a "perfect person".

Looking back now, she realizes that she was completely bewitched when she agreed to bring Li Xiuran to the capital, all for the sake of a vulnerable person she could hand over.

Could she really hand over the people around her as "casually" as before? Yang Suyue was very uncertain at this moment.

Looking at the bewildered boy.

She told herself, "Let me be his teacher one more time; this is the last time."

“Some acts of pity can be fatal. To show concern now would be to give them a handle against me.” She paused. “Do you remember a story I told you?”