How can he compare to me?
"His formation is quite well set up."
Lin Huaiyu's voice, like a whisper, carried a warm breath, and sounded silently beside Yun Qian. He had also landed on the thick branch at some point, standing side by side with her, looking down together.
Yun Qian found herself getting used to this man's elusive nature, and his sudden appearance didn't even stir a ripple in her heart.
She nodded slightly, which was considered as agreement with his assessment.
The Tianyan Mountain disciple named Su Qing below had set up a demon-binding array with remarkable skill, both in the precision of the runes and the smoothness of the spiritual energy infusion. Just by seeing him bite his fingertip without hesitation and instantly reinforce the array with his own blood essence, one could tell that he indeed possessed a considerable aptitude for array formations.
Lin Huaiyu's gaze didn't linger on the formation for long before quickly returning to Yun Qian's beautiful profile. He leaned closer, his voice low and tinged with a barely perceptible chuckle, adding, "However, you're still far from being as good as me."
Upon hearing this, Yun Qian frowned slightly, turned her head, and met Lin Huaiyu's teasing eyes with her calm and unwavering gaze. Her tone was indifferent and confident: "Him? Can he compare to me?"
She disdained using a demon-binding array of this caliber since she was thirteen. If she were to use it, she would have at least a hundred more efficient and thorough ways to trap this demonic energy. Not to mention her, even the demon-binding array that Bai Ji casually set up a hundred years ago was far more sophisticated and stable.
She was simply stating a perfectly ordinary fact, her tone devoid of boasting or disdain, only the calm stemming from absolute power.
However, her matter-of-fact and serious demeanor had a unique appeal to Lin Huaiyu. He had never seen anyone speak such almost arrogant words so frankly and purely, as if it were the natural thing in the world.
"Pfft—" Lin Huaiyu couldn't help but chuckle softly. The clear laughter was particularly distinct in the quiet night.
How acute are a cultivator's hearing? Although his laughter was extremely soft, Su Qing below instantly caught the strange sound coming from above. He abruptly looked up, his gaze like lightning, shooting towards the lush canopy of trees, his voice as cold as ice, filled with utmost vigilance: "Who goes there?!"
Yun Qian frowned even more deeply. She looked at Lin Huaiyu, her eyes clearly saying, "Look what you've done," silently demanding an explanation.
Lin Huaiyu helplessly shrugged, his eyes innocent. Yun Qian's domineering attitude just now was simply too amusing, and it was understandable that he couldn't resist.
Yun Qian stopped looking at him, her slender white fingers moved slightly at her side, the fingertips clearly pointing to Su Qing below, who looked as if facing a formidable enemy.
The meaning couldn't be clearer: whoever caused the trouble should resolve it themselves.
Lin Huaiyu nodded resignedly. The next instant, his figure flickered, appearing silently in the open space in front of Su Qing like a ghost.
Suddenly, a person appeared before him, and Su Qing instinctively took a half step back, his spiritual energy instantly gathering around him. However, when he saw the person's face clearly by the moonlight, he was taken aback, his tense expression turning to astonishment. He quickly dropped his guard and respectfully lowered his head: "Elder Lin?"
Upon hearing this address, Lin Huaiyu's expression stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, but he quickly regained his usual gentle and warm demeanor, saying in a natural tone, "I was meditating nearby when I sensed some unusual demonic energy here, so I came to check. I didn't expect that you had already taken care of it."
As he spoke, he turned his gaze to the black mist within the demon-binding array, which was still struggling to break free.
Su Qing then remembered to perform the proper greeting. He solemnly cupped his hands to Lin Huaiyu and reported the situation in a formal manner: "Reporting to Elder Lin, this disciple was on routine patrol when I came across this demonic aura acting suspiciously, as if trying to spy on the guest courtyard area. So I tracked it down and trapped it in this formation."
He paused, his tone growing increasingly serious: "Right now, the Immortal Clan Grand Competition is in full swing, and fellow Daoists from all sects are gathered at my Tianyan Mountain. We must not allow these demonic villains to take advantage of the situation and disrupt the peace of this grand event."
Su Qing spoke clearly and logically, and his attitude was upright. He seemed to be a disciple who was meticulous and conscientious in his work.
Hidden in the treetops, Yun Qian had no intention of listening any further. She carefully sensed the demonic energy within the demon-binding array, confirming it was nothing special, merely carried by an ordinary demon scout, and then left. Her pale yellow figure vanished silently, like a wisp of smoke merging into the night.
The unique scent on the tree vanished abruptly, and Lin Huaiyu noticed it almost immediately. He looked at Su Qing, who was still earnestly reporting to him, but his thoughts had already been uncontrollably drawn away by the figure that had just left.
He sighed silently to himself.
This is not good... She just left, and he's already starting to miss her.
The grove in front of the courtyard was quite large, and the moonlight could not fully penetrate its dense, layered canopy. Yun Qian's figure rose and fell lightly among the branches a few times, and finally, like a fluttering butterfly, she silently landed on the clearing in the grove.
What was trapped in the demon-binding formation just now was indeed just an ordinary wisp of demonic energy, not even a low-level demon. The fact that even this level of demonic energy could silently infiltrate the core guest courtyard area shows that the defenses of Tianyan Mountain have indeed had a significant lapse, or rather, the situation has been completely muddied.
She stopped thinking about it and, with a "what's done is done" attitude, slowly strolled towards the Four Directions Courtyard.
However, in the darkness not far behind her, a highly concealed yet distinctly different condensed demonic aura, like an ink droplet sliding into the bottom of water, flashed by in an instant and quickly disappeared into the thick night.
Yun Qian paused almost imperceptibly in her forward steps.
She didn't stop, nor did she turn around. Her expression didn't even change slightly, as if she hadn't noticed anything.
But at that moment, her heart tightened suddenly, and was then filled with a complex emotion.
If the trace of demonic energy she sensed outside the courtyard during the day still left her with some doubts, then the fleeting, condensed demonic aura with its unique mark that she had just witnessed had made her completely certain.
That was Bai Ji.
He is currently in Tianyan Mountain.
He came, but refused to show himself.
Yun Qian's tightly pursed lips relaxed slightly, turning into an almost inaudible sigh.
So be it.
Bai Ji has always been very opinionated. If he feels it's not the right time to meet, then he won't.
As long as I know he is safe and sound, that's enough.
Meanwhile, inside the Tianyan Mountain council hall, the candlelight was bright, but it couldn't illuminate the deep emotions lurking in certain corners.
Su Qing stood respectfully in the hall, bowing deeply.
Seated at the head of the table, Sili leaned back lazily, slowly turning a jade thumb ring with a warm luster between his fingers. He raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "As far as I know, Elder Lin's residence does not seem to be near the woods around that guest courtyard."
He paused, his gaze falling on Su Qing, carrying an invisible pressure: "Why do you think he happened to be there?"
Su Qing lowered his head even further and answered cautiously, "This disciple...does not know."
"The Nine-Tailed God Clan..." Sili let out a cold snort with an ambiguous meaning, and the ring on his finger stopped turning. "So what if they inherited the power of the gods? In the end, aren't they just like us mortals, unable to suppress their curiosity and thinking about seeing the scenery of Cangmin Mountain?"
He spoke his last few words very softly, yet they carried a hint of cold sarcasm.
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