Chapter Seventy-Four: Love in the Heart
"Where did Master go..." Ye Chi wiped the fine sweat streaming down his forehead. Although there was no sunlight around him, and even a strange chill permeated the air, Ye Chi was still inevitably drenched in sweat. His clothes were soaked through and clung to his skin. The cool breeze made the discomfort unbearable. Before long, he felt as if he were immersed in a cold spring, devoid of any warmth, terribly cold and stiff. Ye Chi dared not slack off, even though he was covered in sweat, he didn't think about resting, because the person who had disappeared was no ordinary person, but his master, Ya Feiyu.
With such strength, there's no reason for Ya Feiyu to disappear silently like this, especially since there were no signs of fighting or struggle around. It's clear that Ya Feiyu left on her own. However, there were also no obvious footprints left behind. Ye Chi tried to follow the spiritual energy aura that Ya Feiyu might have left behind, but his cultivation level wasn't very high. Not only was Ya Feiyu's spiritual energy aura well-hidden, but it also suddenly disappeared after a while. Although it provided some direction for searching, it didn't really help.
Mo Huanchen and Tantai Wushuang woke up one after another, but Ya Feiyu was still nowhere to be seen.
"Immortal Venerable Tianxue will definitely be alright, Brother Ye, please don't worry." Tantai Wushuang's clear and melodious youthful voice came from not far behind. He raised his hand and patted Ye Chi's shoulder, a faint worry on his handsome face. "Immortal Venerable Tianxue has probably discovered something. Don't worry too much about him. What in this hunting ground could possibly harm him?"
As he spoke, Tantai Wushuang gently curved the corners of her lips. Ye Chi looked at him calmly, his dark pupils like a moonless night, somber and devoid of any light. His brows were furrowed; ever since Ya Feiyu disappeared, he had appeared absent-minded, a sight that would indeed worry anyone watching. Ye Chi lowered his head, suddenly tousling his hair in frustration. "I know, of course I know! Ya Feiyu is so strong, no one could possibly harm him..."
Seeing his expression, Tantai Wufang's carefully prepared words suddenly caught in his throat, and for a moment he didn't know whether he should speak or not. He hesitated for a long time, his throat tight, but in the end he didn't say anything more. He was perceptive and clearly noticed that Ye Chi's expression was off, so he called out to him with concern, "Brother Ye..."
"..." Ye Chi did not respond. He seemed somewhat exhausted, leaning against a nearby tree and slid down wearily. His obviously lost and dejected expression... Tantai Wushuang watched intently from the side, perhaps sensing something was amiss. He did not stay any longer, only leaving Ye Chi with the words "Trust in Immortal Venerable Tianxue's choice" before quietly departing.
Only the sound of the wind remained, but even Ye Chi found it noisy. He sat on the ground, looking rather disheveled, like a stray dog driven from its home, huddled amidst a pile of garbage, head bowed, pondering why his master had so heartlessly abandoned him. Strands of hair on his forehead concealed the gloomy expression in his eyes. He stared at the stone before him for a long time, then suddenly sighed, deflated like a punctured balloon.
He was actually angry.
Ye Chi didn't know why he was angry. He just felt a nameless fire burning inside him, but he had nowhere to vent his anger. So he could only put on a willful act, drive everyone away, and sulk to himself.
“…Ya Feiyu.” His long eyelashes drooped, and his dark, dull eyes clearly reflected the storage pouch clutched in his palm. This was something Ya Feiyu had left him, and Ye Chi always carried it with him. The pouch was slightly damp from his sweaty hands. Looking at it, he suddenly felt a little dazed. Mechanically, he reached out and opened the pouch. Inside were various items and tools he had packed, but most of them were things Ya Feiyu had given him—very few things that truly belonged only to him. Ye Chi rummaged through them. Each item contained memories of him and Ya Feiyu, some long, some short. Each item reflected various images of Ya Feiyu in his memories—whether serene, joyful, worried, sad, or angry…
He suddenly closed his eyes, fell backward, and leaned his head against the tree trunk, utterly exhausted. He vaguely felt a sharp headache, but he didn't want to pay attention to it.
Ye Chi had never experienced this feeling of having his heart and soul completely focused on only one person before. In the real world—or rather, in what could be called his "previous life"—he had always been alone.
For Ye Chi, any complex relationship between people is extremely difficult to maintain.
Over time, he gradually came to realize that emotions were just a stumbling block. He would occasionally envy those who had no worries, who were not bound by any shackles and seemed to be very free and unrestrained.
This feeling of having someone in your heart... is far more complex than basic friendship or kinship, seemingly beyond Ye Chi's comprehension. Yet, he knows perfectly well what this feeling, which transcends all other priorities, is called—
It's love.
He had known for a long time. Ye Chi thought painfully. He raised his hand and covered his eyes with the back of his hand, as if that would allow him to fall into an endless abyss, so he wouldn't have to think about anything or do anything. But his mind defied his will. Even in the darkest of worlds, he still saw that snow-white figure, brighter than the moon, gently leading him toward the light.
He knew long ago that Ya Feiyu was no longer just a character in a book to him, but someone he could entrust everything to, someone he could completely rely on, a living role model, and... a lover with whom he could live forever.
He liked the ravenous chatter. He had never confronted his own feelings so directly before.
It wasn't that Ye Chi didn't want to love Ya Feiyu, nor was it that Ya Feiyu had any flaws that made him afraid to confront or even reveal his feelings, even if he was aware of them.
But for Ye Chi, no matter how vivid Ya Feiyu was, no matter how much he loved Ya Feiyu...
They will never be from the same world.
Their meeting was a beautiful accident from the very beginning, a cruel joke played by fate. They were two parallel lines that would never intersect, but an accident brought them together. However, Ye Chi knew that if the plot continued to develop in this way, the possibility of Ya Feiyu having a good ending was extremely slim—or rather, Ya Feiyu was a character designed specifically for death.
If that were all, Ye Chi wouldn't have fled to this point. But Ya Feiyu is no ordinary plot pawn.
He is a villain who can influence the entire story's direction, a character closely watched by the Heavenly Dao.
Crows do not speak; they cannot be bound by anything.
A person burdened by ties is weak and incompetent. Ye Chi didn't consider himself particularly strong at the moment. He was far from being able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ya Feiyu. He couldn't become a companion who could stand with Ya Feiyu, nor could he make Ya Feiyu entrust his back to him with peace of mind. He was even so weak that he needed Ya Feiyu's help when encountering danger. He bit his lower lip hard until he tasted a faint metallic flavor in his mouth.
For someone like me to dream of professing love to Ya Feiyu is nothing short of delusional.
Thinking about this, he suddenly understood where the nameless anger in his heart came from—
She was angry at herself for being too weak and incompetent. She panicked as if she had lost her backbone whenever Ya Feiyu was not by her side. She couldn't even control her emotions properly. She was even angrier at herself for not being able to find Ya Feiyu. What right did she have to call herself Ya Feiyu's disciple? What right did she have to say that she wanted to walk alongside him?
He exhaled a breath of stale air, moved his hand away from his eyes, lifted his slightly heavy eyelids, looked down at the brocade pouch, gently clenched it, and tied it up again.
He slowly propped himself up and got up. Despite being exhausted, he would never give up searching for Ya Feiyu.
After sorting out his chaotic thoughts, he poured water from the gourd he always carried into his cup to wash his face. Once again, he felt his mind clear, and all those murky and complicated emotions drifted away. He could deal with those messy thoughts later; right now, there was only one thing he needed to do: find Ya Feiyu. He would leave the rest to his future self to worry about.
There was still no news from Tantai Wushuang and Mo Huanchen, so Ye Chi didn't plan to meet with them to search together for the time being; searching separately would be more efficient. He closed the gourd and continued to use his spiritual sense to search for possible locations where Ya Feiyu might have gone. Suddenly, an ominous aura entered his senses, instantly raising Ye Chi's alertness to its highest level. He widened his dark eyes and looked around. That aura... was mixed with despair and pain, as well as the smell of rust and something rotting. Thinking this, Ye Chi's heart slowly tightened. He sent a telepathic message to Tantai Wushuang and Mo Huanchen, signaling them to move back towards him, and then continued to follow the aura deeper into the area.
Mo Huanchen and Tantai Wushuang quickly arrived and also noticed the strange aura. Ye Chi then realized that it was a lingering odor in the air.
The hunting grounds are inhabited by spirit beasts, so there shouldn't be such a strong smell of blood, let alone a putrid stench...
What could be the source of this smell?
Ye Chi was filled with trepidation, especially as the aura grew stronger, his heart began to pound uncontrollably. Mo Huanchen stood in front, and after pushing aside a bush, an intense, almost tangible, stench of blood assaulted his senses. Ye Chi instinctively closed his eyes, only to hear a suppressed cry of panic from beside him.
"So much blood!"
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