Chapter 65 Doesn't Senior Brother Dislike Me? (7) "He...
Li Weiyan strode forward, his expression grave: "Senior Brother, your right hand is injured!"
Fu Li stepped out of Chongjingge's arms and saw that the other man's other arm had been slashed open with three sharp cuts by something, and blood was flowing from under the skin. Bloodstains were also splattered on his other cheek. However, his expression was as if he hadn't felt anything, remaining as calm and cold as an iceberg.
He glanced at the injury on his arm and calmly said, "It's nothing serious, some wound medicine will do."
His nonchalant tone suggested it wasn't a big problem.
Xiao Yue stood beside Fu Li, gently comforting him, worried that he was frightened by what had just happened.
Fu Li was somewhat bewildered, not knowing how things had turned out this way.
What just happened? Why did Chongjing Pavilion suddenly appear? Wasn't I the one who was attacked by the demon? How did it become him?
On the other side, Chongjingge casually tore open the clothing around the wound and sprinkled medicinal powder on it. Although it still looked gruesome with its blood still flowing freely, the bleeding gradually stopped.
Seeing that he was unharmed, Li Weiyan breathed a sigh of relief and said with a helpless reproach, "What happened just now, Senior Brother? That demon was at most a Golden Core cultivator. According to your level, you should have been able to easily neutralize it and fight back, but you were still injured."
Chongjingge didn't speak, but his gaze suddenly turned towards Fu Li, and after a brief eye contact, he casually looked away.
"I was following behind you the whole time, but I didn't expect the door to move, so I didn't react immediately."
Hearing his answer, Li Weiyan could only sigh and turn to introduce him to the other disciples: "This is Senior Brother Chong, the eldest disciple of Xiaoyao Peak. I'm sure you've all heard of him. During this training mission, the sect arranged for him to protect us in the shadows."
After hearing this, Fu Li finally understood. It turned out that Chongjing Pavilion had been with them from the very beginning. No wonder there had been a gaze following them all along, and they had never been able to pinpoint its source.
Fu Li couldn't help but feel a headache thinking about the favor he owed. Given his relationship with Chongjing Pavilion, he believed that the other party would never have offered help if it weren't out of a sense of responsibility, yet he was the one who was saved.
Regardless, Chongjingge was injured while saving him, so he should go up and thank him out of both courtesy and reason.
Then everyone saw the boy, his face flushed and slightly shy, walk up to Chongjing Pavilion and stammer, "Um, Senior Brother, thank you for saving me. Are your injuries... alright?"
Chongjing Pavilion's gaze lingered on him for only a moment before abruptly shifting away, as if he had seen something he didn't want to see, and immediately looked aside, saying indifferently, "Nothing."
The atmosphere suddenly became subtly awkward.
Fu Li questioned the system: "Didn't you say the male lead wouldn't show up for this trial?"
The system stammered, "Um, this..."
Fu Li: "Forget it, you should just shut up."
After the recent turn of events, everyone became wary. The disciples used fire talismans to draw a circle around themselves, using the fire circle as a shield to guard against attacks that might come from any direction.
After simply bandaging the wound, Chong Jingge walked to the edge of the fire circle, his eyes coldly surveying the surroundings.
Li Weiyan came to his side and said with a hint of worry, "Third Junior Sister is still outside the door. I tried to contact her with a sound transmission talisman but there was no response. I'm afraid something might have happened to her."
Chongjingge remained unmoved: "The purpose of the white mist is to confuse people and eventually lead them here. The real demonic beasts have always been lurking within the Golden Feather Shrine. Besides, Mingying has the Soul-Separating Lamp; she should be able to get out on her own."
Li Weiyan pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement, his expression suddenly becoming just as cold and serious as his brother's: "Senior brother, the attack just now was a bit strange; it didn't seem like something the Golden Feather Eagle would use. Coupled with the white mist barrier outside... I suspect this might be related to demonic cultivators. Perhaps they were corrupted by some kind of demonic means and are now committing evil."
Chongjing Pavilion did not immediately give a positive or negative answer to this, but simply told him to protect the other disciples.
At this moment, Fu Li and Xiao Yue were on guard on the other side of the fire circle. His long eyebrows slanted upwards, and his eyes were sharp and keen, observing any unusual activity in their surroundings. However, there was nothing amiss within the Golden Feather Shrine.
To repay the Golden Feather Eagle for protecting the village, the villagers renovated this ancestral hall for everyone to worship. The interior consists of only a front courtyard and a tiled-roof shrine.
Because it had been neglected for a long time, the courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and the bluestone slabs were covered with a thick layer of moss. Even the eaves of the tribute hall were covered with weeds, and a small pink flower was waving towards the sky.
If it weren't for the faint eerie aura emanating from the air, this place would truly seem like just an old, dilapidated ancestral hall.
After Chongjingge focused his mind and used his divine sense to observe the area, he instructed his disciples to put away the fire rings.
"There's no need for now. That monster has already retreated back into the tribute hall."
He then announced the plan: "A few people will go in and force the monster out, while the others will set up a demon-sealing formation outside to capture it. The monster's strength should be below the Nascent Soul stage, so it shouldn't be too troublesome."
After he finished speaking, Li Weiyan was about to go in with him when he saw the tall and dignified young man turn around, his gaze sweeping over him and finally stopping on Fu Li.
"Fifth Junior Brother, come in with me. The rest of you, set up the formation outside."
Fu Li, who was suddenly called out, was taken aback. Then he heard his second senior brother say, "Senior brother, this is A Li's first time doing a training mission. He will have to face monsters directly. Isn't that too dangerous for him?" His words were full of concern.
But Chongjingge shut him up with just one sentence: "He's safest with me. I'll take responsibility for protecting him."
Looking at the other party's sharp and cold eyes and the aura of a powerful figure emanating from him, Li Weiyan agreed to the arrangement.
The final decision was that Chongjingge, Fu Li, and Xiao Yue would enter the examination hall, find the monster, and drive it out, while Li Weiyan would lead the others to form an array outside to capture the monster.
Under the arrangement of his senior brothers, Fu Li had no choice but to obey. However, Xiao Yue volunteered on her own initiative. After begging the two of them to agree, she whispered in her junior brother's ear, "Ah Li, don't worry, I will use all my strength to protect you after we go in."
Fu Li wasn't actually particularly nervous about this. The plot would still require his involvement, and at least he wouldn't die here. Besides, Chongjing Pavilion had promised to take responsibility for his safety; to protect his senior brother's prestige and reputation, they wouldn't abandon him, just like before.
After everything was ready, the three of them entered the examination hall.
Contrary to expectations, this place wasn't some eerie, sinister monster cave. It resembled an ordinary ancestral hall or temple. A few cloth banners hung from the ceiling, their tassels tangled and dirty. The floor was covered in dust, and the walls were adorned with the villagers' wishing charms, many of which had fallen off. In the center stood a simple altar, the offerings on it rotten to dust. Aside from the filth and disorder, everything was surprisingly normal and quiet, without even a trace of the presence of any monsters.
Looking at the surrounding scenery, a thoughtful expression appeared in Chongjingge's usually calm eyes. Xiao Yue stayed close to Fu Li, extremely vigilant at the slightest movement.
But nothing unexpected happened until they entered the inner hall.
The inner hall contained only a small room, separated from the outside by a small door. The only object was a mahogany table in the center, upon which sat a lifelike golden eagle statue. The outer layer of gold paint had mostly peeled off, revealing the mottled bronze statue underneath, which gleamed with a faint green hue.
Seeing this, Xiao Yue finally couldn't help but ask curiously, "Could it be that the Golden Feather Eagle felt that the townspeople hadn't used pure gold to sculpt its statue, and that's why it became demonized?"
Even Fu Li wanted to roll her eyes at his conjecture.
However, the change happened in an instant.
Suddenly, the statue of the golden-feathered eagle emitted a strange white light, which immediately spread in all directions. Chongjing Pavilion immediately went on alert, summoning Qintian and shouting, "Get behind me!"
However, the other two were still stunned by this sudden and strange phenomenon. Even if they retreated immediately, they could not outrun the speed at which the white light was scattering.
Soon, the entire inner hall was enveloped in the white light released by the golden body of the Golden Feathered Eagle, eventually completely engulfing the figures of the three.
However, the white light did not dissipate, but instead rushed out of the inner hall at an even faster speed, radiating in all directions. In an instant, the entire Golden Feather Shrine was enveloped in an extremely bright light.
As the white light dissipated, Chong Jingge squinted and lowered his hands from his eyes. He looked around and found only endless white mist all around, exactly the same as the scene he had encountered along the way.
He didn't see Fu Li or Xiao Yue, nor could he hear any sound, and finally frowned.
Qintian is no longer by my side.
Chongjingge then lifted his foot and walked forward.
However, after taking just one step, with his toes as the starting point, the white mist gradually dissipated, revealing a variety of beautiful scenes.
The space ahead, which was originally shrouded in white mist, gradually transformed into a scene of verdant mountains and babbling brooks on Xiaoyao Peak.
Upon seeing the familiar scene, Chongjingge frowned slightly, and the vigilance and composure in his eyes were gradually replaced by a trace of bewilderment.
A bamboo house stands quietly in the bamboo forest not far away; it is the dwelling he built himself.
It felt as if I had truly returned to Longque Mountain.
Seeing this, the young cultivator's icy wariness vanished. His brow relaxed, and his expression returned to calm. He lifted his foot and walked towards the bamboo house.
From afar, a tall, slender figure could be seen standing before the door. Tall and graceful, like a delicate bamboo swaying in the mountains. A moon-white long gown, elegant yet not gaudy, accentuated her supple waist, making one yearn for the soft touch of her fingers. Even just her silhouette evoked countless fantasies.
Hearing footsteps behind him, the person turned around and revealed a face that was both familiar and strikingly beautiful. Her slender, dark eyebrows, bright, gem-like eyes, and a small red mole between her brows all exuded a captivating and alluring charm.
Seeing that it was him returning, a captivating smile bloomed on her delicate face, shining directly into the man's eyes like sunlight.
Immediately, the boy raised one hand and shouted loudly, "Senior Brother!" His voice was filled with joy, as if seeing him was something he had been looking forward to and was happy about.
Chongjingge didn't show it on his face, but he quickened his pace until he reached the boy.
Fu Li smiled slightly, raised her head, and looked at him with a sweet smile.
"Why did you only come back at this hour, senior brother? I thought you didn't want to see me and were planning to back out."
Seeing the other person's cheeks turn slightly red, like a touch of peach on the snow, Chong Jingge's eyes deepened slightly.
However, he couldn't remember what the other person had mentioned, so he asked, "I changed my mind... what?"
The boy's cute, delicate eyebrows furrowed, and he reached out and gently punched his shoulder, saying with dissatisfaction, "Senior brother forgot again?! Senior brother really only cares about cultivation and has no regard for me at all, otherwise how could you even forget about our marriage!"
The amount of information in those words was enormous, leaving Chongjingge stunned for several breaths before he remembered that the sect had arranged a marriage for the two of them a few days ago, asking if they were willing. And today was the final date for the decision.
"I...I'm sorry."
Hearing his calm yet sincere apology, the boy's expression softened somewhat. However, he seemed to have anticipated that Chongjing Pavilion wouldn't remember, so he didn't appear particularly angry. He simply pouted and asked:
"So, do you want to marry me or not? I know that you seem cold on the surface, but you've always been different towards me. I can feel it all. You... want to be with me too, right?"
Looking at the young man's shy, delicate, yet affectionate face, Chongjingge felt even more tender and gentle. He clenched his fist at his side, seemingly hesitant for some reason.
Fu Li took his silence as tacit agreement and resolved to take it a step further.
Before Chongjingge could speak, she boldly threw herself into his arms and nestled against his strong chest.
She looked up at the man with tender affection and said, "I knew you and I thought the same thing."
She then extended a finger and teased his collarbone, her voice soft and suggestive: "Tomorrow we'll report back to Master and have him preside over our marriage ceremony. Ah Jin, you love me too, don't you?"
Upon hearing this, the hesitation and confusion in Chongjingge's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a resolute coldness and ruthlessness.
He reached out and, before the person in his arms could react, used the wind as a blade, unleashing a sword aura that slashed down with intense killing intent, leaving no room for reservation.
The boy had no time to resist before his body was cleaved in two, but the expected gushing of blood did not occur. Instead, his body gradually dissipated from the wound like mist.
Amidst the boy's astonished and incredulous gaze, he heard the young cultivator utter calm words:
“He has always called me Senior Brother, and he never calls me Ah Jin.”
Author's Note: I made some minor revisions; the plot remains unchanged.
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