Encounter
On the way back, Lin Yun couldn't hide her disappointment. Sang Zhao saw this and comforted her, "Junior sister, you've been working hard these past few days and doing your best. Don't be discouraged."
The girl forced a smile. "It's not that I'm discouraged. It's just that there are too many strange things about this, and I feel uneasy."
"Feeling uneasy? It's also a driving force to move forward." Sang Zhao said, "I remember when I was on my first mission, I was too 'comfortable' and went straight to the enemy's lair. As a result, I was tricked, drugged, and sold into Nanfeng. In the end, it was my master who took action to get me out."
"So even my senior brother can be so reckless."
As Lin Yun listened to his self-deprecating recounting of the past, the heavy sense of foreboding that had been weighing on her heart dissipated somewhat.
Seeing that his junior sister's expression was no longer tense, Sang Zhao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
During his time in seclusion, he learned about what was happening in the outside world and realized that the pressure and responsibility that should have been borne by him had fallen on Yunmei. He also knew that although his junior sister was gentle and approachable, she was strong-willed and liked to do things that forced her to do things.
Sang Zhaoxin sighed: He was probably not a lucky person, otherwise how could things have gone against his wishes time and time again?
But then he thought about it again. He had been taken in by his master, met fellow disciples who were like family, and now he had a junior sister. Compared to many people, he was already very lucky.
Just as he was pondering, he felt a slight movement on his sleeve. Looking down, he saw that it was his junior sister, Yunwang, tugging at his sleeve.
Looking up, I saw Zhou Hengyan standing upright in front of the door.
The girl's face flushed slightly. This was not out of affection or shyness, but because she remembered that she had gone to see Sui Yuan earlier and had forgotten about him in the house.
Sang Zhao thought to herself: Junior Sister doesn't seem to be good at dealing with Junior Brother Zhou?
Before Lin Yun could even apologize, he was interrupted by a series of hurried footsteps.
I found out—
Sanqi held his knees, panting heavily.
Although Lin Yunwang was a little confused, seeing her panting, he first comforted her, "What did you find out? Don't rush, tell me slowly."
"I've found out about what happened in Luming Village 30 years ago!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Yunwang was not delighted; instead, she frowned. She had never revealed to Sanqi what she was investigating, nor had she mentioned the specific time and place. How did Sanqi find out? She subconsciously looked at Zhou Hengyan, who still maintained a gentle smile, his brows furrowed even deeper. However, seeing Sanqi's excited expression, she decided not to ask any further questions.
"Thirty years ago, a woman drowned in the Forget-Me-Not Pool, and the pool has been dry ever since. The elders say that she was extremely generous, like someone from a wealthy family, and that she came here to find her young son. Luming Village was also built because of the search for the missing child!"
Lin Yunwang's face instantly darkened. Was the time recorded in the dossier incorrect? Why did everyone say that this happened thirty years ago? But she had examined Sui Yuan's physical attributes, and he was definitely not thirty years old; he was clearly only in his early twenties.
Even after the fog dissipated, it was still fog.
Time waits for no one, and in the blink of an eye, it will be time for Lin Yun and his group to set off back to Jingyin Sect.
A few days ago, Lin Yun was still relieved that he hadn't been taken directly back to the sect and still had time to continue his investigation. However, several days have passed, and he has gained almost nothing.
During these days, although he had spoken with Suiyuan several times, he knew far less than Lin Yun had expected. This was true for both past events and the experience of that snowy night.
She had hoped to find a breakthrough by asking another group of people who were searching Luming Village, but when she asked what exactly happened in Xueye Village, Suiyuan's memories and words seemed quite painful, so she stopped asking.
On the street, Lin Yun put the jewelry back at the stall and suddenly said to his senior brother, "Perhaps he's hiding something from me?"
Sang Zhao had assumed that his junior sister had put aside her mission and was ready to return to the sect in peace, but when he heard her suddenly say this, he knew that her mind was still on this matter.
"It was your suggestion to buy Master's birthday gifts today, so why are you acting so distracted?"
Lin Yun gently pressed down on Sang Zhao's hand that was waving in front of her eyes.
"I'm still uneasy about this unresolved task. I don't know how this will end," she said worriedly.
As the day drew closer to leaving Qingfeng Town and Yunzhong Mountain, the woman appeared less and less in her dreams, and her cries became increasingly faint. Perhaps she could finally get a good night's sleep, but in her eyes, the pursuit of the truth was far more important than peaceful rest.
"Don't worry. It should be Qiling City that sends people to take over; it won't be resolved so hastily."
"That's good."
Aside from Liu Xubai and Fan Qingdu, Lin Yunwang hadn't truly interacted with anyone from Qiling City. His knowledge of their extraordinary abilities mostly came from their fellow disciples' accounts and historical records. Reflecting on his experiences in Shuofeng City, he realized that entrusting the matter to them was indeed more appropriate.
"Oh, by the way," Sang Zhao remembered something, "how's your document preparation going?"
The girl didn't seem to understand what he meant, so Sang Zhao patiently repeated himself, "The handover documents. You could have chosen to hand them over in person, but since we're leaving tomorrow, you'd better prepare them in writing."
"What?" Lin Yun was taken aback.
Sang Zhao was taken aback by his junior sister's surprise. In his eyes, his junior sister was always thoughtful, cautious, and serious in her actions; how could she not understand the mission procedures?
"Isn't it clearly stated in the mission manual?"
Lin Yun coughed lightly, embarrassed, "The manual that Master gave me is... that thick."
She gestured and explained, "As you know, Jizhou is far from Jingyin Sect. I traveled day and night and only managed to flip through a few pages."
Actually, it can't be entirely blamed on her; Venerable Yichen's concern also played a part. He was worried that his disciple's mission wouldn't go smoothly, so he wrote something like "It's alright if the mission isn't completed" on the first page of the manual.
"I thought they were all pretty much the same." She covered her face in annoyance.
"Then hurry back and write it. I'll go back to the inn to find you after I've chosen the birthday gift for my master."
Lin Yun nodded and was about to turn and leave when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.
Seeing her suddenly stop, Sang Zhao asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, maybe I just saw things." Lin Yun waved his hand. "Let's go."
Sang Zhaoben wanted to give her a few more words of advice, but she had already blended into the crowd.
"Where did they go? How could they run so fast?"
The market was exceptionally crowded today, with a constant stream of people.
"Why are there so many people in Qingfeng Town usually?"
Lin Yun struggled to push forward through the crowd, but could barely move an inch. Seeing the gray figure receding into the distance, she could only helplessly shout, "Master Jiang! Jiang Yanchi!"
The place was bustling with noise and chatter.
Looking from afar, the person continued walking steadily, neither fast nor slow, after saying those words, as if they had not heard her call, or perhaps they were not the person she was talking about.
With this path blocked, she made a quick decision and turned to find another way.
"Master Jiang, it really is you."
She took a shortcut and hurried along, finally managing to intercept the man in gray at another street corner.
Jiang Yanchi paused slightly, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, before he smiled and asked, "Young friend, what brings you here? Where are your friends?"
"I've come here to see the legendary Forget-Worry Pool, whose water is said to be exceptionally sweet. What brings you here? Is this your first time here?"
“Of course,” Jiang Yanchi nodded, “I also went to visit the Forget-Worry Pool because of its reputation, but unfortunately it has long since dried up. The sweet water of that pool is a thing of the past from many years ago.”
He smiled slightly, then suddenly reached out and gently grasped Lin Yunwang's wrist, guiding it to his chin. "Young friend, there's no need to test me at every turn. I am who I am, without a doubt."
"Please forgive me, Master Jiang," Lin Yun said playfully as he withdrew his hand. "But why did you hesitate for a moment when you saw me just now?"
"Of course I didn't expect... to meet you here."
Lin Yunwang suddenly remembered the book that had not yet been returned, and thinking this was a good opportunity, he said, "Master Jiang, do you still remember the book you lent me? I came to return it twice, but you were not at the inn both times. I have the book with me, and it is at the inn right now. Would you like to come with me to retrieve it?"
"No need to trouble yourself, it's nothing valuable, you can keep it."
He tried to leave, but Lin Yun grabbed his sleeve.
"After all, it's your book. I'm always worried that it might get damaged or lost if I leave it here for so long. It makes me uneasy. Why don't you come with me to get it? That would put my mind at ease."
"Then I'll give it to you."
Seeing that she instinctively shook her head to refuse, Jiang Yanchi's smile deepened. "I feel completely at ease leaving it with you. Here, you can keep it with you for now, and return it to me when we meet again."
Before Lin Yun could say anything more, he had already turned around, calmly merged into the crowd, and disappeared.
"That's how it is." Lin Yun explained to Sang Zhao why he had set off earlier but returned to the inn later than Sang Zhao.
"What a strange person," Sang Zhao murmured after hearing the whole story.
"By the way," Lin Yun looked around, "Where is Senior Brother Zhou? Why haven't we seen him?"
She had previously suggested going to buy local specialties, thinking that the sights and sounds of Jeju were rarely seen in the Jingyin Sect, and given that Master Yichen's birthday was approaching, it was only right to prepare a gift. However, Zhou Hengyan claimed to be unwell and did not go. But now, he was nowhere to be seen at the inn.
“You can focus on writing the documents first,” Sang Zhao stood up. “I’ll go ask the waiter.”
Qingfeng Town, a pharmacy.
Sanqi was busy pounding herbs in the shop, but her eyes kept glancing at the two figures sitting silently opposite each other in the backyard.
She thought to herself: What a subtle atmosphere.
For some reason, Yunmei's companion suddenly came to the pharmacy today, looking quite grim. Yunmei thought he had been seriously injured and hurriedly asked Brother Sui to come and take a look. However, after the two met, his expression became even more unpleasant. Afterwards, Brother Sui invited him to sit in the backyard.
The two sat there quietly for a long time.
Just as Sanqi was distracted, a voice drifted from the backyard: "Sanqi, concentrate. Don't get the dosage wrong. You can't be careless when it comes to medicine."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door leading to the backyard closed.
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