Chapter 131 Your mission is over, ours is just beginning
After the group returned to their respective rooms at the inn, tidied up, and washed up, they regrouped in the front hall. By then, the inn was nearly empty, and the moon was bright in the deep of night.
Song Heyi stayed at the inn and did not go out with the group, but she was not idle either. She set up a table of hot dishes for the group that went out. When the group came downstairs, the dishes were steaming hot.
"I had the kitchen prepare it right on time." Song Heyi looked like a scholar who wasn't good at chores, but in reality, he was good at reading people and quick-witted. After setting up the tables and chairs efficiently, he called to everyone, "This trip has been successful, we should celebrate! I've had the inn send over all the fine wines and delicacies from the nearby restaurants. Put them in my account, come on in!"
"Hmm." Cui Mianyue emerged from the spiral staircase, one hand gathering her slightly damp black hair, her slipped sleeve revealing a section of her fair wrist adorned with gold and jade bracelets. "Alright, at least you know how to give us good food and drink. I'll reluctantly forgive Junior Brother Heyi for slacking off this time."
“Senior sister, I’m really having a bad day. Going there would only be a hindrance to everyone.” Song Heyi quickly pulled out a chair for the newcomer. “Besides, those few demonic cultivators who chased after us were people I learned about from the fortune teller. So, I’ve gathered some information for everyone.”
“Even without you, Junior Brother Lin would have run into them. Your role was really insignificant.” Cui Mianyue sat down, smelling the enticing aroma, her mouth watering. “As punishment, you’ll have to pay for all the meals from now on.”
Lin Wuqi, who had just come down from the opposite side, was dazzled by the golden light emanating from Cui Mianyue's wrist. He paused, muttered, "Doesn't it feel heavy?"
"Junior Brother Lin calculated to the second this time, which is a great improvement over the past." Cui Mianyue casually took off her most precious and heavy bracelet, which was carved with exquisite patterns, and tossed it to Lin Wuqi: "Senior Sister will reward you."
Despite complaining, the gold bracelet was tossed in front of him. Lin Wuqi took it without hesitation and carefully put it away: "Senior sister, if I have a few more, I'll have enough spirit stones to exchange for Heavenly Dew Ice Brew."
“Everyone who contributed this time deserves a share, so I can’t give it all to you.” Cui Mianyue said as she took off the remaining gold and jade bracelets. “You and Junior Brother Chaoxing each lured the demonic cultivator to chase the thief, causing him to panic and fall into the trap calculated by Junior Sister Miaowan. You each chose a fork in the road to trip up the demonic cultivator, while our Junior Brother Tianxing was responsible for defeating the enemy in one move. This spiritual cultivation competition has actually made you develop a tacit understanding of cooperation, which is good.”
“Senior sister, our cultivation levels are only enough for each of us to glimpse a corner of the will of heaven. If we don’t work together, we will never be able to know the full picture of the omens on our own.” Miao Miaowan gracefully came over and sat down, pushing back the jade and gold bracelet that Cui Mianyue had handed her with her slender fingers. “Moreover, if it weren’t for senior sister using the power of words, things would not have gone so smoothly.”
Astrological divination and foreseeing the unknown are things that even Mahayana cultivators can only sense, not all. Among them, Cui Mianyue, whose cultivation has reached the Nascent Soul stage, can deduce that the person who caused the changes in the abyss will appear in this county city, but he cannot know the specific time or the specific person.
So the group lingered in the unpredictable city, each using their skills. Day after day, the omens they sensed became clearer and clearer. The five members of the Nameless Sect each knew the time and place of the appearance of the person carrying the Abyss Token, as well as the latter's fate.
Each person acts separately, exacerbating the target's misfortune and increasing the target's opponent's luck, causing the two to fight each other, while their junior brother Tianxing seizes the opportunity to strike, turning the target's predetermined dead end into his own.
The Abyss Token thus fell into their hands.
Their actions, seemingly without altering the predetermined fate of the dying, completely changed the subsequent consequences that were supposed to follow.
The gears of fate are interlocked; they removed and replaced an inconspicuous link, and fate continued to turn, but its direction changed as a result.
"To be honest, all we can do is enhance or reduce the effect, and if we add or omit a single step in this process, things will go wrong."
Song Heyi gently smiled as she helped Miao Miaowan up, saying, "Our team has made it this far thanks to Junior Brother Tianxing. In the end, if the plan goes smoothly, it depends on Junior Brother Tianxing to carry it out; if it doesn't go smoothly, it also depends on Junior Brother Tianxing to cover for us and do his best to pursue that person. Apart from Senior Sister Mianyue, our team would be completely helpless without Junior Brother Tianxing."
"Thanks to Junior Brother Tianxing's trust, he never asks any questions and just does what we say." Lin Wuqi, who had drunk a few more cups, turned red in the face, his eyes gleaming. "Otherwise, how could we have had such a smooth journey?"
“The matter is now settled, Junior Brother, you can finally relax a bit. You must have been incredibly tense these past ten days. We didn’t say anything, you knew nothing, you could only follow us, and you couldn’t make any rash moves lest you ruin our plans.” Song Heyi shook his head and said, “You have to remain calm in the midst of all this confusion. If it weren’t for Junior Brother Tianxing, but someone else, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.”
Perhaps it was as Song Heyi said, with the mission completed and the burden on his heart lightened, Yu Tianxing's cold expression softened a bit, and his voice was cold yet warm: "Senior brother is too kind, this is what I should do."
"I've heard that your sword strike is even more powerful than the one during the Spiritual Cultivation Competition." Jiang Chaoxing nudged Yu Tianxing's elbow, clicked his tongue, and shook his head in admiration: "Brother, you've secretly improved again."
Yu Tianxing's cold, dark eyes flickered, and a casual smile appeared on his lips: "This sword is easy to use."
Perhaps it was because the senior students were praising each other and laughing and joking even more than usual, that the atmosphere in the inn was harmonious and happy.
Yu Tianxing responded to each of his senior sisters and brothers' words.
Ji Mingran felt as if he were seeing the boy again on the day he returned to the sect after the spiritual cultivation competition.
Full of vigor and high spirits.
Ji Mingran rested his chin on his hand and stared at the person in front of him. His mood was infected by the person's emotions. His lips curved into a smile, and he raised his arm high, gently patting the top of the boy's head with his palm.
"Yu Tianxing, you like them, don't you?"
From taking good care of the senior students at the beginning to unconditionally carrying out their instructions, to now being praised by the senior students after the mission is over, I am in a great mood.
Yu Tianxing may seem aloof, but he is actually quite obedient.
His senior brothers and sisters must have known this, which is why they sent him gifts every day, and why they entrusted him with the key to the plan without hesitation.
It was entirely out of trust.
“That’s right. You don’t need to keep praising others and belittling yourselves. Everyone did a great job. This matter is almost resolved.” Cui Mianyue clapped her hands and said, “Go to the Abyss one more time to confirm, and we will be able to return to the sect soon. Pack tonight, and we’ll set off tomorrow night.”
With the leader having spoken, everyone agreed and teased Cui Mianyue for having the most belongings. They drank and chatted until late at night before dispersing.
Yu Tianxing was not talkative and showed little interest in the delicious food on the table. He only occasionally took a few sips of tea and responded lazily to the jokes of the others.
Although he appeared indifferent, he did not leave his seat. He even waited patiently until his senior brothers and sisters, who had been drinking heavily, returned to their rooms unsteadily before slowly getting up.
After the joyous drinking and revelry, silence returned to the moonlit night. The young man walked slowly down the corridor with his eyes downcast, leaving behind a patch of cold, white moonlight.
Ji Mingran turned his head to look at the boy's sharp and cold jawline, and silently stayed by his side.
This seems to have turned back into the Yu Tianxing she always knew.
After closing the wooden door, Yu Tianxing sat silently in front of the coffee table, gazing out the window, motionless like a statue.
Ji Mingran had a feeling something was wrong.
When Yu Tianxing returned to his room, he usually didn't say a word, but after washing up and resting for a while, he would lie down to rest or meditate with his eyes closed. The way he looked now made it seem as if he was thinking about something.
Knock, knock, knock. There was a knock on the door.
Ji Mingran looked at the door, her brows furrowing. The midnight knocking brought back terrible memories. She wondered what had become of the body parts scattered on the floor.
Her thoughts were wandering, while Yu Tianxing remained motionless.
Knock, knock, knock. The person outside the door remained patient and continued to knock politely, but did not reveal their identity.
After a long pause, Yu Tianxing spoke in a low voice, "Please come in."
The wooden door clicked open and then closed. Ji Mingran rose from the tea chair to make way for the newcomer, then floated back onto Yu Tianxing's back. The tea chair was spacious, and there was just enough room for her to squeeze in as well.
She and Yu Tianxing silently observed the newcomer.
Gone is the hazy look in his eyes from the slight intoxication. Lin Wuqi's expression is clear, and his usually gloomy face is now calm and indifferent. After glancing at the door to make sure there is no one else around, he said, "Junior brother, congratulations. Your mission is over."
Ji Mingran sharply raised his eyes.
Yu Tianxing: "What do you mean, Senior Brother?"
Lin Wuqi didn't answer but asked instead, "Junior brother, I came tonight to ask you, do you really want to go to the abyss?"
Yu Tianxing said, "The sect has given its order, and I should obey."
"Junior brother, look." Lin Wuqi raised his clenched fist, back of the fist facing down, fingers outstretched, and a copper coin lay peacefully inside.
Yu Tianxing glanced down at her, then looked up and said, "Senior brother knows I don't understand divination."
Lin Wuqi gave him a deep look, his lips tightening before he suddenly forced an ugly smile: "An ominous sign."
"mine?"
"No." Lin Wuqi clenched his fist again, his voice hoarse: "It's mine."
"This magical artifact was found for me by you in the secret realm of the Spiritual Cultivation Grand Competition prize pool. Not only is it extremely compatible with the divination techniques I cultivate, but it also has the effect of bringing good fortune and warding off evil." Lin Wuqi's eyes were deep and dark. "I used it to predict my future fate, but no matter what, it showed an ominous sign. Only once did it show a minor omen of misfortune."
He stared intently at Yu Tianxing: "Following the will of Heaven, I have come to tell you the truth."
Lin Wuqi's voice was low and hoarse: "Junior brother, your mission is over, but ours is just beginning."
Yu Tianxing's expression remained unchanged as he said softly, "Senior brother, I don't understand."
Lin Wuqi stared at him, not missing a single change in his expression: "Junior brother, back when you were cultivating the Gui Cang Heart Technique and were about to break through to the fifth level, at the critical moment of your life, Master and Master's wife suddenly went into seclusion and did not stay to protect you. Don't you find that strange?"
Yu Tianxing lowered his eyes: "..."
"You know that, right?" Lin Wuqi forced a smile that was more like a grimace: "Peering into the will of Heaven will inevitably backfire. They know too much and are already at their limit. Now they are just trying to get by day by day. It was around that time that the struggle between the eldest senior sister and the second senior brother began to be brought into the open."
He said speechlessly, "Infighting within the sect, whether intentional or not, has drawn us all in. In recent years, their battle has become increasingly fierce, and even our master and mistress have found it difficult to suppress. Junior brother, you are not yet fully capable; facing them will only mean death."
"That's why Master and Mistress were in such a hurry to send you out, whether in the name of the Spiritual Cultivation Competition or the name of suppressing the Abyss. Our trip is indeed because of the Abyss, but it's not just about the Abyss. As long as Senior Sister and Second Senior Brother haven't decided who is the victor, we won't be able to go back."
“You can’t go back because the two opposing forces are targeting you,” Lin Wuqi said in a deep voice. “And we can’t go back because our mission has only just begun.”
"Among us, some want to kill you, and some want to protect you."
Images of the various direct disciples of the Nameless Sect flashed through Ji Mingran's mind, each one either laughing or making a fuss.
This noisy group of people were thinking about how to kill their fellow disciples.
She couldn't help but hug Yu Tianxing tightly.
"Then, Senior Brother," the moonlight streamed through the window, gently illuminating the young man standing before it, Yu Tianxing, half in light and half in shadow, his expression inscrutable, asked calmly, "Which side are you on?"
"Junior brother." Lin Wuqi's expression was solemn as he slowly exhaled. "I can tell you clearly that I stand on Senior Sister's side. She doesn't want to kill you. I've come here to protect you."
"I don't know how the others feel, but there is one person who has probably caught their attention."
“Song Heyi, something’s wrong with him.”
The author says: They are perfectly aligned in their external conflicts and equally aligned in their internal strife; they are truly close friends who hate each other.
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