Chapter 48: Rejection
The young sect leader stood still like a soldier, and tried to move the wine jug slightly back. The disciples of the Hehuan Sect next to him were startled by him, and looked at him in confusion, then followed his line of sight and looked in confusion, but did not see anyone special.
Chen Jinghao sobered up suddenly after not expecting to meet someone here.
Without paying attention to the gazes from the disciples beside him, he quickly took out the folding fan from his waist and fanned away the smell of alcohol on his body.
It was no use, the wind didn't blow away the air. Between fanning harder and giving up, he chose to go upstairs first, his steps so fast that his clothes were lifted up.
He went back to take a shower, washed off the smell of alcohol, and changed into clean clothes.
After confirming that there was nothing unusual on his body, he went downstairs as if nothing had happened and looked back at the place he had seen before as if nothing had happened.
The person who was originally sitting there was gone, replaced by the disciple of the Hehuan Sect who had been strolling with him before, who glanced in his direction and waved.
He walked down the stairs in two or three steps, and looked around casually. He didn't see the person he was looking for, so he asked, "Why are you here?"
The disciple pointed out his intention directly, "Are you looking for the Tianzong disciple who was here before?"
Chen Jinghao denied: "No."
"They just left. They had a snack and went to rest." The very beautiful Hehuan Sect Senior Sister propped up her chin and looked at his new clothes. She said, "We just chatted for a while. They were quite fun. It's a pity that you were not here."
Already gone.
Chen Jinghao lowered his eyes and sat down on the side. "Fortunately, I'm not here to look for him...them."
"Oh you are not interested in men," said another disciple, "We are quite interested."
The next step that the disciples of the Hehuan Sect are interested in is to get the person. Chen Jinghao paused as he sat down, raised his eyes instantly, and asked alertly: "Interested? In whom?"
"Of course it's the young master of the Song family." The disciple handed over the teacup and said, "The harder it is to get a man, the more interesting he is."
Chen Jinghao breathed a sigh of relief, took the teacup and smiled, "You really like that."
The pretty senior sister looked over and suddenly leaned closer and said, "Who else do you think it is, the young man next to Master Song?"
"How...how is it possible."
Chen Jinghao shook the teacup in his hand, lowered his head and drank his tea, saying, "He looks quite ordinary. You like someone like that guy from the Song family."
The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was right, and the more he felt relieved. Finally, he nodded affirmatively, "Yeah, it's very ordinary, that's right."
"Is that so?" the beautiful senior sister rubbed her fingers and said, "But he has a good personality and is interesting. If we live together, it should be a good choice."
She said: "It should be interesting to be with him every day."
When practicing, you will see a lot of beautiful men and women. But when you really want to find a Taoist partner to live with, appearance is not that important. What matters most is the right personality.
It was hard to tell whether she was joking or not. Chen Jinghao's tea stopped in his throat after he had just taken a sip. He could neither swallow it nor spit it out. He almost stood up from his chair. After swallowing the tea, he thought hard for a long time and said, "It's better not to. Although he looks like that, he is very fierce when beating people. He is not suitable."
His reaction was a bit too big, and others looked over.
Finally, the pretty senior sister couldn't help but raise her eyebrows and said in surprise: "...You are too easy to understand."
She had vaguely felt something was wrong the moment she stepped into the inn and saw the man's abnormal behavior. She only gave him a slight test and hadn't exerted much strength yet, but all of her emotions exploded at once.
She asked, "Is it the Tianzong disciple you were going to look for during the previous sect competition even though you didn't meet us?"
Chen Jinghao: "That's not the way to say it..."
Well, yes, no wonder.
After quickly understanding the cause and effect, several disciples came over, glanced at the other Tianzong disciples, and asked, "Do you want us to help you?"
"What can I help you with?"
The battle-hardened Hehuan Sect disciple immediately took practical action. Chen Jinghao's hand holding the teacup trembled and he said, "That's not what I meant."
"You and him rarely have the chance to meet," a disciple stated objectively, "After we part in this secret realm, the next time we meet might be during the sect competition. With so much time in between, you never know if you'll run into someone like your destined Taoist partner."
"After all, things in this world are unpredictable. There are many people in Tianzong who are of the right age but have not yet found a Taoist partner."
She asked, "So you want to help?"
“…”
Slowly putting down the teacup in his hand, Chen Jinghao finally took out a bag of magic treasures and pushed it out with red ears:
"Please."
After staying in the inn for one night, Lin Zhusheng and his fellow disciples were woken up by the steward knocking on the door one by one the next day, preparing to set off for the secret realm.
The entrance to the secret realm is on an island isolated in the center of the water. The flying boat is usually used as a spaceship in the sky, but now it can also be used as a boat in the water. It departs directly from yesterday's port.
As the boat was sailing on the water, the third elder finally reminded everyone of the precautions for the secret realm: "After entering this time, the exit of the secret realm will open automatically after seven days. Be sure not to stay too long and get out quickly."
"Safety is the most important thing, exercise is the best, and treasure hunting is the least important. Don't leave the team and act on your own for the sake of rare treasures. It's best to travel with five or more people. You can also cooperate with disciples from other sects. In short, don't act alone."
Thinking that the secret realm involves staying overnight, the third elder added tactfully: "...it is better not to stay with the disciples of the Hehuan Sect."
The disciples below nodded in agreement.
Then the boat docked and the disciples of the Hehuan Sect arrived at the same time. After getting off the boat, the disciples of both sides quickly mingled together.
“……” The third elder wiped his face.
The Hehuan Sect was very enthusiastic. Lin Zhusheng was surrounded as soon as he got off the boat. They made an appointment in advance to act together after entering the secret realm.
He couldn't act alone anyway, so there was no difference between acting with a small group and with a large group, so he nodded.
Qi Zong arrived later, and as expected, the most conspicuous one was Chen Jinghao. It was hard to ignore him in that red outfit.
Then the people from Qi Zong were also pulled into the big team. Chen Jinghao was as stiff as he had gotten from sleeping the night before. He walked towards me stiffly and greeted me stiffly.
Great, it’s done. The young masters of the Hehuan Sect and the Qi Sect, whom the Great Elder had instructed not to contact before leaving, were all present.
With basic respect for patients with stiff neck, Lin Zhusheng also greeted him and asked, "Are you okay?"
As the distance got closer, Chen Jinghao leaned back unconsciously, fanning himself wildly with the fan in his hand, and said that it was okay.
He didn't look like he was alright. But since the man didn't say anything, Lin Zhusheng didn't ask any more questions. He also found that the man obviously refused to be approached by him, so he took a step back and returned to his original position.
I almost forgot that this person dislikes me.
Chen Jinghao wanted to say something but ultimately couldn't utter it and silently withdrew his raised Erkang hand.
The three major sects have already united, but the other sects were ultimately a step slow and could only find their own teams before the entrance to the secret realm opened.
People from all sects gathered, and as the early morning sun jumped out from the water, the small island began to shake.
“Huahua——”
The vast water surface is filled with the sound of waves and the dancing light, illuminating the stone formation in the center of the island.
Little bits of light connected into a chain, clouds surged in the sky, and the wind that rose out of nowhere made people's clothes flutter.
A sudden white light was so bright that people closed their eyes unconsciously. When they opened their eyes again, the scene in front of them had changed.
A tall black passage appeared out of nowhere in the center of the stone formation. It had no contact with the ground and no support on either side. It was suspended in the air in an anti-scientific way, exuding a strange aura that was completely different from the surroundings.
The spiritual energy in the secret realm is so abundant that it has reached the level of visualization, forming something like fog that slowly dissipates from it.
This is when the entrance is officially opened. The elders and stewards were not allowed to enter and could only wait outside and watch the disciples enter one by one.
Having entered the secret realm once, Lin Zhusheng was already familiar with the way there and no longer felt dizzy the moment he entered.
After entering, before I even opened my eyes, the first thing I felt was the pervasive coldness.
In just the time it took to take a step forward, the temperature dropped by at least several degrees.
He had never heard of entering a secret realm where the temperature would drop. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a cold stone wall. In the dim light, he could even see water drops sliding down the stone wall.
What is this for?
The other disciples were just as confused as he was when they opened their eyes, all looking at where this place was.
The place where you enter the secret realm is random, but the randomness seems a little too weird. In short, as long as everyone is present, it's good. After the three parties' disciples reacted, they quickly counted the number of people and continued to move forward only after confirming that the number was correct.
Apparently they had randomly come to a cave. Fortunately it was not a blocked cave. After walking forward for a while they could feel the wind blowing from above, and it was not too far from the exit.
The atmosphere here is not so comfortable, as if there is something. As the only two direct disciples among the disciples, Lin Zhusheng and Song Ming walked in the front of the Sword Sect disciples, with one hand already on the hilt of the long sword at their waist.
Chen Jinghao and Senior Sister Hehuan, who also had the responsibility of taking the lead, followed forward. In the flickering lights, only low voices of conversation and constant footsteps could be heard.
The cave was much shallower than I had imagined, and nothing strange appeared suddenly. After walking up for more than ten minutes, I could see the light of the exit.
They were at the bottom of a valley of some mountain. When they walked out of the cave and looked up, they saw endless undulating, inky black mountains. On the sky was something like a physical version of a planetary trajectory, circling around a point, and the silvery-white light became the main source of light in this world.
The senior sister looked up and said, "Our luck is not very good this time. We should be at the edge of the secret realm now."
According to people who have been here before, the center of the secret realm is a flat land, which is also directly opposite the center of the guiding star in the sky. Judging from the surrounding mountains and the trajectory of the guiding star in the sky, they are now in a very marginal place.
There are many good things in this secret realm, but the most valuable ones are basically in the center area, which will be reset every time it opens. The rest of the things are of some value, but not worth coming to the secret realm to find.
And there is another very important point. The senior sister turned her head and looked at the two people standing next to her and said, "Your swords cannot fly in this secret realm."
If they can fly, no matter where they are initially randomly assigned to, the Tianzong disciples will definitely be the first to reach the center.
Can't fly. After squinting his eyes and looking into the distance for a while, Lin Zhusheng said, "Then we have time to go this time."
He replaced the long sword in his hand with a small broken wooden sword that he used as a hiking stick. He took the lead and walked into the mountain, turning around and saying, "Let's go."
He has a good attitude. If he can't fly, he will just walk away. He will be able to get there in seven days.
When he saw the small broken wooden sword, the memory of being beaten came to his mind and Chen Jinghao paused in turning the fan.
Crossing mountains and rivers does mean walking, but it also means spending more time together.
Remembering what he was mainly here for, he paused for a moment, then quickly caught up, taking three or two steps to the person and trying to start a conversation. While speaking, he habitually raised one hand, unconsciously trying to put it on the person's shoulder.
——Then when he was about to put it on his shoulder, he reacted and his hands froze. He moved again and again but couldn't put it down.
"?"
One of his hands was sticking straight behind his body. After all, he was a swordsman, so Lin Zhusheng noticed it immediately. He tilted his head slightly and asked with concern, "Do you have a cramp in your hand?"
This person has a stiff neck and cramps. It seems that he has neglected exercise recently and his body is almost stiff.
Chen Jinghao: “…”
Song Ming: "Tsk."
Song Ming, who had been in a bad mood since the three sects met this morning, laughed for the first time today.
A useless young master. Normally, he hugged others openly and happily, but at this moment, he suddenly became cautious. Senior Sister Hehuan couldn't stand it anymore, so she pushed Chen Jinghao away and took his place.
Reaching out to push away the leaves that blocked the way, the senior sister rubbed her hands and asked directly: "Little friend Lin, do you have someone you like?"
“…”
It was a fatal blow, catching everyone off guard. Chen Jinghao, who was knocked away, had not yet stood firm, and the smile on Song Ming's face had not yet disappeared, but their movements stopped at the same time.
The only one who could keep up with the senior sister's pace was Lin Xiaoyou, who was asked the question. He was surprised for a moment, and then answered, "No."
He likes a lot of people, including the Great Elder, the Senior Brother, and a group of friends, but he guessed that this senior sister from the Hehuan Sect was not asking about this kind of liking.
Chen Jinghao answered without any hesitation. After he stood firm, he pinched the fan, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or something else.
The senior sister was still exerting her strength. She put one hand on the man's shoulder and asked about his favorite type. After Lin Xiaoyou shook his head, she changed the topic and asked, "Maybe I should ask who is your favorite person right now?"
I was calm while climbing the mountain, but when I noticed that there seemed to be an interesting topic being discussed here, the others no longer felt tired in their arms and legs, and they were no longer out of breath. They felt full of energy and came over to listen.
Favorite person.
It was all small talk, so I didn’t mind talking about it. Lin Zhusheng replied, “The Great Elder and the Senior Brother, um, tied for first place.”
It was another answer given without any hesitation, and the word "Young Sect Master" was not even mentioned in the answer.
Very good, a person I had never heard of before popped up. The senior sister raised her eyebrows slightly, "Big Brother?"
On the way up the mountain, we relied on this interesting topic to survive, and the others pricked up their ears.
Then they reaped a long list of Senior Brother's advantages, which were listed naturally and fluently without taking a breath, and the long list made their heads dizzy.
My thoughts are clear and I'm not dizzy at all. I'm smiling with my eyes curved.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, the senior sister had asked all the questions she wanted to ask, so she put away her handkerchief and strategically stopped trying to find out information.
As long as there is a secret realm, there are monsters. They encountered quite a few on the way up the mountain, but probably because they were still on the periphery, the monsters were generally not strong, and several disciples could quickly defeat them with cooperation, so it was relatively safe.
Being too far from the center, they were destined to spend the first few days on the road, and at night they could only find a relatively suitable place to rest temporarily.
Living as a savage in the mountains every day, Savage Lin could adapt to the intensity of climbing, but the other disciples could not. Moreover, they had expended a lot of physical energy in exterminating monsters, and by the evening they began to feel exhausted and many of them collapsed.
It took them a little more than half a day to climb two mountains, which was not bad. They let their disciples rest on the spot, while Lin Zhusheng and Song Ming went their separate ways to find a place to rest temporarily for the night. Chen Jinghao, who was so tired that he was gasping for breath, stood up and went with him to look for it.
They finally decided to spend the night on a river beach. The river beach is flat and the field of vision is wide, so you can clearly see the surrounding scenery and notice any movement immediately.
The task of setting up the camp was mainly assigned to the disciples of the Qi Sect who were very good at hands-on work, while the people of the Tian Sect and the Hehuan Sect were mainly responsible for vigilance and finding something edible.
There was still a pile of snacks in the backpack that could not be finished in several days. Lin Zhusheng wanted to raise his hand to signal, but seeing that the disciples were busy, he silently withdrew his outstretched hand.
He had been busy all day today, leading Lujia to clear out monsters and then find a camp. Now that his disciples are busy, he can actually take a break, as do his senior sister and Song Ming.
Chen Jinghao, who was too tired, had already sat in a corner with his eyes closed. The three of them could still hold on and sat around the fire.
The little broken wooden sword remained in his hand. Lin Zhusheng raised his eyes slightly and looked at the dark mountain in the distance. He said, "Is there something strange here?"
The other two knew what he meant by weird.
They could sense a very strange aura from the moment they got away from the cave. Logically, the aura should have become weaker as they moved away from the cave, but the opposite was true. The further they walked, the stronger the aura became, and it lingered like a ghost.
Song Ming nodded slightly.
Senior Sister He Huan Zong was also puzzled, "I haven't heard them mention this kind of situation here before."
There's no point thinking about it now, we can only take it one step at a time. There are level restrictions in the secret realm, not only for them, but also for monsters. No matter how powerful any strange thing is, it won't be that powerful. In short, there is always a way to solve it.
As far as I can remember, there doesn’t seem to be any special plot about this secret realm in the game, so it shouldn’t be a big deal.
Lin Zhusheng nodded, and his long hair fell forward, staining the fallen leaves on the ground. Song Ming beside him lowered his head and helped brush them away.
“…”
Looking at him and then at the person who was still resting with his eyes closed, the senior sister moved forward and asked a question in advance: "...If someone you know expresses his feelings to you, how would you refuse?"
Lin Xiaoyou was stunned for a moment, then finally realized what he was talking about. He waved his hands quickly, leaving afterimages of both hands, "That's not the case."
What I mean is that there is no such thing, so it’s not a rejection. The elder sister's brain was working rapidly, and she lowered her voice and said seriously, "It's just for reference. I have troubles in this regard, so I want to ask what you would say if you were in my shoes."
Song Ming lowered his eyes and looked at the person sitting next to him.
"So that's how it is."
Answering questions is like helping people solve their troubles. Lin, who is always willing to help, bends his eyes and finally speaks, "Thank you very much for your kindness, but my main schedule right now is studying and I don't have the energy to think about other things. You are very good and excellent, and you will definitely meet someone better and more suitable in the future. No matter what happens, I will always cherish our friendship. If you need me for anything in the future, just come to me. I wish you happiness in advance."
Song Ming: “…”
Senior Sister: “……?”
He spoke a paragraph without any hesitation or thinking, as smoothly and quickly as a conditioned reflex without any pause, as natural as if he had repeated it thousands of times.
The senior sister’s body trembled.
Good, good...very skilled.
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