Chapter 53 053 Yue Hong Has Changed Quite Much
No one paid any attention to Lu Yuanyuan standing in the corner until she let out a thunderous roar, drawing all eyes to her.
The grand hall was built on Danqing Peak, its steps and floors made of white jade with raised, cloud-like patterns. Lu Yuanyuan, while volunteering, pushed her way through the crowd to the center, nearly tripping in the process. Fortunately, a hand reached out from the side and steadied her elbow: "Be careful, don't rush."
Lu Yuanyuan gave Qi Chang, who was helping her, a grateful look, straightened her expression, and walked to the front.
She'd been in there for so long, and this was the first time the Shushan Sect Master had looked at her directly. He raised an eyebrow: "You are..."
Xu Yuanzi smiled and continued, "You're the outer disciple who formed your core in three years, right? You were once a mortal woman and also Xiaozhu's servant."
Good prospects are sought after everywhere. As the master of Danqing Peak, Xu Yuanzi is not truly oblivious to worldly affairs. He always searches for promising talents among the outer disciples and conducts preliminary screenings before recruiting personal disciples.
For the first two years, Lu Yuanyuan did not catch his eye. It was only after she formed her core that he began to take notice of this mortal woman.
Lu Yuanyuan nodded vigorously and gave a salute.
Xu Yuanzi smiled: "You don't know what's going on in the mortal realm yet, so why did you volunteer for this mission? It's not too late to listen to the urgent report first."
Upon receiving the urgent report, the disciple immediately explained the situation in the mortal realm.
It turns out that after the disciples went to the mortal realm, they found the place where the evil aura was strongest, which was the place where the armies of Yong and Yan were fighting, mainly within the territory of Yong.
Normally, things would be fine, but now that the two countries are at war, the situation has become much more complicated. From the day they entered the immortal realm, their involvement in the power struggles of the mortal world has ceased. According to the rules, they shouldn't arbitrarily take sides or interfere in the political struggles of mortal nations. This has nothing to do with whether they are willing to draw their swords for either side; as long as their existence is widely publicized, they could be exploited and influence the course of the war.
Many years ago, a similar event occurred in the mortal realm—a group of cultivators, seeking to exorcise a demon, arrived in a small country at war with an enemy. The king of that small country deliberately spread rumors that he was blessed by heaven and aided by divine beings, and for a time, the scales of victory began to tip in his favor. His enemies, consumed by jealousy, in an attempt to lure the cultivators to their side, fed countless lives of ordinary people to create a demon, ultimately leading to a tragic end that nearly spiraled out of control.
Therefore, the disciples who went to Yong Kingdom did not openly reveal their identities or seek help from mortals. They acted very discreetly. About three days ago, several of the most powerful Sword Sect disciples suddenly lost contact during their investigation—including Duan Lansheng. Even using their spiritual artifacts, they could not find out anything about them, so the remaining disciples quickly contacted their sect to request support.
After hearing this, Lu Yuanyuan did not back down at all, and even argued: "Sect Master, True Person, let me go! I have only been in Shu Mountain for a little over three years. For the first fifteen years, I was a mortal and even lived in Yong Kingdom. I am quite familiar with the situation there. As a disciple of Shu Mountain, I must join in at this moment."
The sect leader of Mount Shu nodded: "It's rare to find someone with such a heart and such courage, then..."
But his words were interrupted by another voice: "Father, the situation is unclear and of great importance. I think that, to be on the safe side, Shushan should send down a more qualified and experienced disciple."
Yin Xiaozhu emerged from the inner hall at some point, having clearly overheard their entire conversation; his gaze darkened slightly.
His concerns were valid. Seeing that everyone seemed somewhat persuaded, Lu Yuanyuan gritted her teeth and earnestly said, "Sect Master, True Person! I want to go to the mortal realm for another reason: my good friend Duan Lansheng is also in this group. He is currently missing, and I am very worried about him. I cannot just sit and wait on Mount Shu. Please allow me to join the supply team. I want to do something for him!"
Between two evils, choose the lesser. Legally send him to the mortal realm, stay for a few months, and let time dilute this strange state.
She finished speaking in one breath, then glanced at Yin Xiaozhu in the distance out of the corner of her eye.
It seemed that after she said those words, Yin Xiaozhu's expression became even more unpleasant, staring at her with a hint of impending storm.
Fortunately, just as Lu Yuanyuan had predicted, she had already put it that way, and Shushan was in a hurry to select people to set off. Sure enough, the leaders quickly nodded and allowed her to join the team. Yin Xiaozhu needed to stay behind to detoxify the seriously injured disciple in bed, which meant he couldn't leave Shushan during this time. He couldn't stop her from running away.
Qi Chang was assigned to work with someone else.
With Qi Chang by her side, Lu Yuanyuan felt somewhat at ease. She lowered her eyes, clenched her fists slightly guiltily, avoided the pair of brown eyes in the distance, and quickly followed Qi Chang out.
Five disciples were going to provide support this time. Since they were leaving soon, everyone went back to pack their belongings. Fortunately, Lu Yuanyuan usually kept her magical artifacts in her storage ring; she only needed to retrieve her sword to set off.
.
Having been away from the mortal realm for nearly four years, Lu Yuanyuan couldn't imagine what it had become.
Unexpectedly, they encountered an attack as soon as they descended to the mortal realm, before even landing on the ground. Although the attack did not injure them, it separated them.
After resolving the problem, the timing wasn't good; it was already dark.
Lu Yuanyuan landed on the ground and looked around, finding herself in a dense forest. All she could see were the shadows of tall, dark tree trunks, a crescent moon hanging on a branch, the wind howling, and waist-high weeds rustling on the hillside.
Perhaps because she possessed spiritual power, Lu Yuanyuan was not alarmed despite being alone and planned to rejoin the others first—they had already agreed that if anyone got lost, they would meet up in the nearest city.
Just then, she sniffed and suddenly smelled a very strong fishy smell in the wind.
The scent was right next to her—right at the foot of this overgrown earthen slope.
"..."
Besides the smell of blood, there seemed to be a very faint, intermittent breathing sound.
Lu Yuanyuan hesitated for a moment, then gripped the sword hilt with one hand, her boots rolling over the earthen slope as she quietly parted the grass. With her excellent eyesight in the night, she saw a dead horse lying at the bottom of the slope.
This horse was enormous and incredibly magnificent. It had been struck by several arrows in its waist and abdomen, making it look like a hedgehog. One of its hooves had also been cut off, and its body was covered in countless sword and knife wounds, making it a gruesome sight, as if it had been through a fierce battle.
It was clearly dead; there shouldn't have been any breathing sounds.
Lu Yuanyuan frowned with some reluctance, walked around the horse, and finally saw that a hand was sticking out from under the horse's belly.
There was a person pressing down on the horse's belly.
The hand was covered in blood, long and broad, and wore an iron wrist guard, clearly belonging to a soldier.
He couldn't find his companions anywhere.
Judging from the scene, the horse must have been carrying its master through a carnage, fighting its way to this place before collapsing from exhaustion. The man underneath is probably still alive, but given the amount of blood he's lost and the weight of the object pressing on him, he likely won't survive much longer if no one finds him.
In war between two countries, the lives of soldiers are at stake; this is the price they pay for the blood on their hands. Lu Yuanyuan had no intention of interfering in this man's life or death; she merely helped by dragging the dead horse aside. Whether he survives or not is now up to fate.
When the horse was pushed aside, the person underneath was turned over, revealing a blood-stained face.
Lu Yuanyuan looked closely, and her eyes widened instantly.
This man was dressed in heavy armor, tall and strong, with a wheat-colored complexion.
With narrow eyes, red lips, and a striking, sculpted face, he exudes a heroic air.
Yue Hong.
It was Yue Hong, whom she hadn't seen for a long time!
She wanted to know about Yue Hong's current situation, but she didn't expect things to happen so coincidentally; she was completely unprepared to see an old friend here.
How could he possibly be all alone in this godforsaken place?
Once the heavy horse was removed from his body, his breathing became easier, and his painful panting grew louder, with more blood flowing out at the same time. Lu Yuanyuan noticed that a corner of his armor was missing, and hurriedly reached in to touch it. His clothes around his abdomen were already soaked with blood, indicating a deep wound.
Compared to three years ago, Yue Hong has changed a lot. Not only has he grown up a lot, but many more changes have been subtle – he is no longer just the handsome and arrogant third prince in the bustling royal city where the warm breeze makes tourists drunk, but a lone wolf who survived the battles on the desolate border.
He also had a faint scar above his eyebrow.
Upon discovering that this person was Yue Hong, Lu Yuanyuan's mindset immediately changed; how could she possibly stand idly by? Without time to think of anything else, she immediately retrieved a hemostatic pill from her storage ring and placed it into his chapped lips.
...Hiss, is he a dog? Why isn't he letting go even when he's unconscious? His teeth are clenched so tightly.
Lu Yuanyuan was covered in sweat, squatting on the ground trying to pry open his teeth, but to no avail. Having no other choice, she chewed the pill into pieces before feeding it to him. Just then, Lu Yuanyuan's ear, hidden beneath her hair, twitched; she heard a strange sound in the wind. Quick as a flash, she raised her hand and grabbed at the air behind her—
Buzz!
An arrow appeared out of thin air in her palm, its shaft and fletching still trembling, the tip only half an inch from her throat!
If the reaction had been even half a second slower, and if one were merely a mortal, one would likely already be beheaded.
Lu Yuanyuan was shocked and furious. She turned around and saw a sneaky figure in the distance, wearing a helmet and armor, seemingly a soldier.
The man fired a stray arrow at her, seemingly surprised that Lu Yuanyuan hadn't fallen. Obscured by the darkness, he couldn't see how she dodged the arrow. After a moment of stunned silence, he stubbornly drew his bow again.
If someone offends me, I'll be filled with rage. Lu Yuanyuan's hand snapped shut on the arrow shaft, and without thinking, she threw the arrow back.
The arrow was infused with spiritual power, and even from dozens of meters away, it pierced straight into the man's heart!
The man cried out in pain, collapsed to the ground, and fell silent.
Lu Yuanyuan's wrist trembled. She took a deep breath, as if recognizing herself for the first time, and looked at her palm.
An ordinary person could never catch an arrow with their bare hands, but now, apart from the skin on her palms being a little hot from the friction, she was completely unharmed.
Not only that, just now, she even heard the rhythmic hum of the arrow's tail feathers as it passed through the air.
This is an experience I've never had before.
The attacks from the mortal realm have become so slow and sluggish, it's as if everything is in slow motion.
Having spent over three years in the cultivation world, she didn't feel she had made much progress. It turned out it was all in comparison. Because in Mount Shu, she was indeed just an ordinary disciple. And also because she was facing cultivators with overwhelmingly superior combat power.
Upon returning to the mortal realm, the insurmountable gap between cultivators and ordinary people becomes apparent.
Without the enhancement of immortal power, the weapons here are so easily defeated. No wonder the original work separated the mortal world and the cultivation world, and prevented the cultivation world from interfering with the development of the mortal world; otherwise, the combat power system of this world would be in chaos.
Lu Yuanyuan clenched her fists, looked around, and saw no immediate threat. Suddenly, she heard a muffled cough behind her.
The elixir worked so quickly, he woke up already?
Lu Yuanyuan's spirits lifted, feeling a little comforted. She leaned forward with concern and asked, "Yue Hong, you..."
Before she could finish speaking, a large hand grabbed her collar and dragged her onto the armor. At the same time, a dagger was held against her neck, and she saw a pair of bloodshot, weak eyes: "Who are you?"
Lu Yuanyuan placed her hand on his chest and looked into his eyes.
Because of blood loss, Yue Hong seemed somewhat dazed, his vision blurred. Threatening her with the dagger was instinctive. He squinted for a moment before the figure in front of him focused. Seemingly recognizing her, Yue Hong's pupils contracted sharply. He stared at her for a long time, his face gradually turning ashen, his cracked lips twitching with self-deprecating mockery: "...You're dead..."
Lu Yuanyuan was stunned.
"I... am dead too."
With a clang, the dagger fell to the ground.
Yue Hong lay sideways, unconscious.
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
Does this guy think she's some kind of ghost from the underworld?
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