Goodbye to old friends
They tried to see another crack from all directions, wishing they could crawl into it.
However, even after searching the surroundings with her divine sense for a long time, and until most of Ruan Qingyu's spiritual power had recovered on its own, she still did not see a second spatial rift.
Ruan Qingyu collapsed to the ground, covering her face with her hands, her whole body trembling. Her body, which had never felt cold since she began cultivating, now felt as if she were a mortal standing in a frozen wasteland.
After a long pause, Ruan Qingyu suddenly looked up: "The contract, yes, there's also a contract."
A moment later, her divine sense failed to communicate with the contract, but Ruan Qingyu's expression relaxed slightly. No longer as fearful as before, and still able to sense the contract's existence, meant that the other party to the contract was still alive.
Although the contract is currently weak, it is probably still in a spatial rift and cannot stabilize the connection for the time being.
Undeterred by the lack of a timely response from Yun Yin, Ruan Qingyu remained determined. Since he was still alive, there was always a way to find him.
The thought that Yun Yin had sacrificed himself just to save her caused Ruan Qingyu's eyes to darken.
A faint crimson glint flashed in his pupils, then quickly disappeared.
This time, Ruan Qingyu stayed in the secret treasure for several days before the black jade token suddenly glowed and, just like at the beginning, an opening appeared beside Ruan Qingyu.
Ruan Qingyu remained indifferent and walked towards the cave entrance emanating a faint aura without hesitation.
At the same time, Ruan Qingyu reappeared on the vast, white snowfields of the distant continent.
Without hesitation, he summoned the spirit boat and sped towards the Xuan Tian Sect.
After traveling day and night, Ruan Qingyu finally landed her flying boat outside a town near the Xuan Tian Sect. Following the familiar streets, she headed towards a secluded alley.
Before entering, the wind chimes of the red spider lilies at the alley entrance swayed, and a person suddenly appeared in the previously silent place inside the house.
"It's been a long wait, Miss Ruan. I wonder how many spirit stones you're coming to give me today?" Zi Lian smiled at Ruan Qingyu, but in front of her were two cups of freshly brewed hot tea.
I originally came to the territory of the Other Shore Flower Alliance to ask some questions, but I didn't expect to run into Zi Lian here.
Ruan Qingyu's heart stirred; perhaps this person knew more.
Zi Lian tapped the table, pondered for a moment, and carefully observed Ruan Qingyu's expression: "Miss Ruan, these spatial rifts have always been random and unpredictable. If one wants to travel freely through them, one must be at least a Mahayana cultivator."
Hearing this, even if Ruan Qingyu was unwilling to believe it, she had to admit that it was extremely difficult for her to contact Yun Yin now.
Seeing that the Thunder Leopard hadn't come last time, Zi Lian had a guess in her mind: "Could it be that the demon beast protected its master and entered that spatial rift on its own?"
Immediately, Ruan Qingyu's expression darkened. It turned ashen, almost iron-like. If last time it was the Thunder Leopard that had been so cold to her, this time it was all because Zi Lian had spoken out of turn.
Seeing Ruan Qingyu staring at her with a melancholy expression, Zi Lian smiled awkwardly: "At this time, it is difficult for me to find her, but Bai Zhi may have news. I will tell you when she returns tomorrow."
Nodding silently, Ruan Qingyu took out the spirit stones from her storage bracelet and tossed them to Zi Lian. She then stood up and prepared to return to the Xuan Tian Sect.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Zi Lian flashed to Ruan Qingyu's side.
“Miss Ruan, we’ve spoken quite a bit back and forth. I sincerely wish to be your friend. Would you be willing to tell me your identity this time?” Bai Zhi wasn’t here today, nor was the Thunder Leopard. Zi Lian’s curiosity and longing overcame her fear of being beaten.
Thinking of what Bai Zhi had said last time, Ruan Qingyu shook her head: "I haven't seen any girls with purple hair during this time."
After a pause, realizing that he and Zi Lian were both searching for someone, he couldn't help but relent: "My ancestors had some connection with the Phoenix."
These words were vague, but also quite bold. Zi Lian's eyes widened instantly: "You are actually... I've offended you."
After saying that, Zi Lian straightened up and bowed respectfully to Ruan Qingyu.
"Zilian and Miss Ruan are somewhat destined to meet. I am a descendant of the Azure Phoenix lineage. If Miss Ruan ever needs anything in the future, please feel free to come to me." This time, Zilian's expression was no longer frivolous, but utterly respectful.
Both being demon cultivators, and both suffering from bloodline suppression, Zi Lian had a strange feeling towards Ruan Qingyu from the very beginning. Now, she realized it wasn't affection for her blood sister, but rather fear of the bloodline suppression.
However, for some reason, Ruan Qingyu didn't seem to be good at using this kind of suppression method. After thinking for a moment, Zi Lian handed over a jade slip: "This jade slip tells you where most of the demon cultivators in the cultivation world are now. Perhaps you can use it."
Although she found Zi Lian's sudden change in attitude strange, Ruan Qingyu did not intend to communicate with Zi Lian much, considering Yun Yin's previous somewhat wary attitude towards her.
"Thank you." After accepting the jade slip, Ruan Qingyu added, "If you have any information related to the spatial rift, please let me know as soon as possible."
However, when she tried to give her more spirit stones, Zi Lian refused to accept them.
Watching Ruan Qingyu leave the Other Shore Flower Alliance, Zi Lian wiped away non-existent cold sweat: "I actually ran into an ancestor. I need to tell the clan about this as soon as possible."
Having killed two enemies on this trip, Ruan Qingyu should be happy. However, her lips remained flat, and her expression was indifferent.
As she walked back to the disciples' quarters, some of her fellow disciples who still remembered her wanted to greet her, but seeing her expression, they awkwardly withdrew their hands.
Junior Sister Ruan/Senior Sister Ruan, did you lose your spirit stones or a great opportunity? Why do you look so pale?
Unaware that people now avoided her like the plague, Ruan Qingyu only stopped when someone reached out to block her way.
Lü Liangke hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped, but he had something on his mind and said, "Qingyu, I have a task that requires three people to take on. I wonder if you have time? It's tomorrow?"
Prepared for Ruan Qingyu's polite refusal, Lü Liangke spoke quickly. He then focused intently on Ruan Qingyu, waiting for her to speak.
Although it had only been a month since she last saw Lü Liangke, seeing her again now felt like a lifetime had passed.
"What mission? Tomorrow might not be possible, but a few days later would be fine." Thinking about Bai Zhi's return tomorrow, Ruan Qingyu still wanted to confirm whether the spatial rift was truly unsolvable.
Lu Liangke, who had expected to be rejected or have to explain himself, suddenly brightened up when he heard this.
He immediately agreed: "Sure, I'll come find you again in two days. For this three-person mission, I'm looking for Senior Brother Zhang Zitao, who introduced us to the sect before. You should know him, Qingyu."
Zhang Zitao? Ruan Qingyu's eyes flashed with a dark light as she realized she hadn't expected to hear his name again. She hadn't run into him for a while, but now she had the chance to deal with him.
After all, Zhang Zitao had played a part in the blood-drawing incident in her past life.
Thinking of this, Ruan Qingyu forced a smile: "Senior Brother Zhang, it has indeed been a long time since we last met. When you are on a mission, just come to my courtyard to find me."
Seeing Ruan Qingyu's expression soften, Lü Liangke knew that she had agreed. Her face lit up with joy. Although she had been anxious, she had never been able to see through Ruan Qingyu's cultivation level.
It must have improved quite a bit. With Ruan Qingyu there, those three will surely be able to handle their mission properly.
Three days later, Lü Liangke came to Ruan Qingyu's place early in the morning to look for her.
As the courtyard gate opened, Ruan Qingyu appeared calm and composed, much more relaxed than she had been a few days ago. It seemed the difficult matter had been resolved?
"Qingyu, you look much better today." Lü Liangke stepped forward, intending to link arms, but then remembered that the two of them hadn't seemed this close before, so she put her hand down.
"Let's go to the foot of the mountain. Senior Brother Zhang should be waiting for us."
Nodding slightly, Ruan Qingyu didn't say much. If Lü Liangke had approached her alone, they might have been able to talk. But with Zhang Zitao involved, this operation couldn't be a simple training exercise.
Lowering her eyes, Ruan Qingyu recalled the message Bai Zhi had sent her the day before, saying that there was nothing she could do about the spatial rift. But if she could confirm that the other person was alive, then it was possible that after being swallowed by the spatial rift, they had been transported to other smaller spaces.
Upon receiving the message, Ruan Qingyu tried several times to sense Yun Yin on the other end of the contract, but found there was still no response. Fortunately, the other party's aura was indeed alive, which relieved her.
As long as he's alive, whether he's teleported to some small secret realm or space is a minor matter. After all, once Yunyin recovers, he'll definitely find a way to contact him.
The weight lifted from her heart regarding Yunyin, but Ruan Qingyu remained in a bad mood. Naturally, Zhang Zitao, who had conveniently come to her doorstep, was doomed.
Throughout the journey, Lü Liangke did most of the talking. He mentioned the Ruan family disciples he still kept in touch with within the sect the most, among whom Ruan Nanhe had changed the most.
He used to have the arrogance of a chosen one, but having dual spiritual roots wasn't exactly rare. If it weren't for his good status, many of the new disciples of the Xuantian Sect would have already disliked him.
Six months ago, the Ruan family was attacked, resulting in many deaths and injuries. After news of the Ruan family's severe damage reached the Xuantian Sect, Elder Ruan Tianci, who was cultivating in the sect, hurriedly returned.
Since they haven't seen him return yet, some disciples who don't get along with Ruan Nanhe have started to cause trouble.
They're playing a time-delay game; the sooner they act, the longer it will be before Elder Ruan Tianci returns. The reason these people dare to act is naturally because they want to enter the inner sect ahead of time.
After all, although Ruan Tianci was an elder of the Xuantian Sect, he was only an outer sect elder. If he wanted to take action against an inner sect disciple, he would have to think twice.
Ruan Qingyu was naturally pleased to hear about Ruan Nanhe's misfortunes. After all, she would gloat if she heard that someone who harbored ill intentions towards her was having a bad time.
A moment later, the two arrived at the mountain gate.
Ruan Qingyu looked up and saw a person with his back to the mountain gate at the entrance. The dark red robe looked very familiar, and it was something that Ruan Qingyu wanted to get rid of as soon as possible.
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