new chapter
When Lin Yun woke up, he found himself still in the forest, with the cold, hard ground beneath him and bare branches in front of him.
As she stood up, her memories gradually returned. The girl looked around anxiously and turned her head to see Zhou Hengyan lying on the ground ten steps away. Her heart tightened, and she almost sprang to her feet, rushing to his side in three strides. Her muddy fingers frantically patted his shoulder, "Senior Brother Zhou, Senior Brother Zhou, wake up!"
At the same time, he didn't forget to send a telepathic message to Sang Zhao, "Senior Brother, Senior Brother Zhou and I are in Luming Village..."
After sending the message, Zhou Hengyan remained silent. Lin Yun frowned, then decisively bent down and carried him on her back. Surprisingly, the tall, slender body wasn't too heavy to carry.
Only when they reached the foot of the mountain did a muffled groan come from his back: "Junior Sister?"
Lin Yunwang didn't put him down immediately. Instead, he tightened his arms and lifted him up a little. He turned his head and asked with concern, "Senior Brother Zhou, how are you feeling? Are you feeling unwell? We are heading back to Qingfeng Town. Senior Brother Sang is waiting for us to meet up."
Zhou Hengyan struggled to get down, but he couldn't shake the arm that was holding him as firmly as an iron clamp.
"Thank you for your help along the way, Junior Sister." His voice carried a hint of embarrassment. "I'm fine now and can walk on my own."
The two were extremely close, and the scent of dust clinging to the girl's hair was clearly audible, making Zhou Hengyan's ears burn slightly, yet a sense of relief quietly welled up in his heart. He thought that this wasn't bad, but he was also worried that Yun Wang would inevitably get tired carrying him all the time.
"Put me down, junior sister," he said again.
This time, Lin Yun did not insist.
She slowed her pace as instructed and carefully placed him on the ground. The moment his toes touched the ground, Zhou Hengyan swayed slightly, but she immediately caught him firmly on the arm. Once he was steady, she subtly released his grip.
To ease his earlier embarrassment, Lin Yun told a little white lie, "It really wasn't troublesome. In fact, I flew on my sword for most of the journey, which was very effortless. I only landed when we were almost at the foot of the mountain, just to avoid attracting attention and suspicion."
The two walked side by side, their footsteps echoing around them.
To ease the awkward atmosphere, Lin Yun said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "If Senior Brother Zhou really feels bad, then another day, you can carry me when I'm unconscious, and we'll even things out."
Having spent so much time together in Qingfeng Town, she was no longer as reserved as before, and her speech had become more familiar and casual.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Hengyan turned his head to look at her seriously, his gaze calm: "That's not good."
He paused, as if the words he was about to say were difficult to utter, but he still said them, "I don't want to see you unconscious."
This earnest expression was like a pebble thrown into Lin Yunwang's heart. She recalled the night he confessed his feelings, when her careless remark became the trigger for him to express his love.
That solemnity is exactly the same as it is now.
It's just as suffocating.
Lin Yun turned his face away, avoiding eye contact with him. "Senior Brother Zhou, your wish for my well-being is already the best reward for carrying you down the mountain today. Besides, you came to Luming Village because of me, which is why you were ambushed and fell unconscious. In the end, it was I who dragged you down with me."
“That’s not how it works,” he said softly. “You and I will never be implicated by the word ‘implicated’.”
His words today were sincere, born from his observation that she often disregarded her own safety.
"Senior brother, look," Lin Yun pointed to the town not far away, "we're almost there."
Her clumsy attempt to change the subject made Zhou Hengyan chuckle.
"Then let's hurry up."
Sang Zhao had paced back and forth countless times in front of the inn. After receiving his junior sister's message, he was extremely anxious and wished he could rush to Yunzhong Mountain to meet them immediately, but his junior sister Yun Wang stopped him.
"Senior brother, could you please confirm something for me?"
Entrusted with this task, he had no choice but to suppress his anxiety and stay in Qingfeng Town to investigate.
"Senior brother!"
Seeing the familiar figure at the inn's entrance in the distance, Lin Yun quickened her pace. Seeing Sang Zhao nod slightly at her, knowing he had confirmed the matter she had entrusted to him, her mind went blank, as if her soul had left her body, and her consciousness departed.
When he came to his senses, he was already standing in front of Sang Zhao.
"Junior sister?" Sang Zhao waved his hand in front of her eyes. "I've confirmed it."
Lin Yun tried hard to open his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. He could only nod stiffly.
“Suiyuan is indeed neither at the pharmacy nor at home.”
Zhou Hengyan looked at Yun Wang in astonishment, realizing that she had already discovered the identity of the man in black.
“So, the man in black in Luming Village is indeed him.” Lin Yunwang was finally able to speak.
After she was able to get out of bed and walk, she returned to Luming Village and set up spiritual energy detection in the village. But today she did not sense anyone sneaking in. In that instant, she recalled her first meeting with Suiyuan, who had come to her side without her noticing.
As for how Zhou Hengyan found out, it stemmed from his understanding of Sui Yuan.
Sui Yuan, whose original name was Zhou Yuansui.
He is the son of the current head of the Zhou family, but he has long since left the family and abandoned the surname "Zhou". He was lost in exile with his mother when he was young, and was kidnapped shortly after returning home, disappearing for five years. After returning home, his father placed him in a collateral branch of the family. When he turned twenty, he declared that he had left the family and has been missing ever since.
In the years before Zhou Yuansui "deviated from the norm," Zhou Hengyan most often heard others praising the two young masters of the Zhou family for their gentle and refined nature and exceptional cultivation. In everyone's eyes, they were like two pieces of uncut jade with extremely similar texture and luster.
However, everything changed after Zhou Yuansui left the Zhou family. He became an anomaly among the great cultivation clans, a negative example used by various families to discipline their younger generations, and one of the few indelible stains on the Zhou family.
Ironically, Zhou Hengyan's reputation became even more upright and distinguished in comparison.
After all, things are valued for their rarity. Thinking of this, Zhou Hengyan couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly, while glancing at his junior sister beside him.
Zhou Hengyan clearly saw the pain and disbelief in her eyes, and for a moment, he wished that this matter had not been exposed.
Sui Yuan remained her friend and companion. She still naively believed that fighting side by side was enough to make them friends.
But then he thought, it might be for the best.
The cultivation world is inherently corrupt and filthy. To achieve one's goals, one can abandon one's identity and past, even becoming a stepping stone. Seeing this early on is perhaps a blessing in disguise.
Welcome to the real world, Junior Sister Yunwang.
But now another question has arisen, Lin Yun asked, "Where will he go?"
On the airship, a woman leaned against the porthole, resting her chin on her hand and gazing at the surging clouds outside, oblivious to the commotion behind her.
"Ha, I really don't know what's going on in his head!" Fu Qing stood with his arms crossed, looking impatient. "He's already been exposed, but he still insists on running to that shabby place. Anyone who didn't know better would think he had a mountain of gold and silver buried under his bed."
“Who says otherwise?” someone next to him immediately chimed in, clearly in cahoots with Fu Qing. “He insisted on going to Luming Village to take a look, but ended up running into those two from the Jingyin Sect and got caught red-handed.” His tone was full of schadenfreude and sarcasm.
"He couldn't even be bothered to use a decent alias, so he deserved to be approached by an old acquaintance!"
On the other side of the flying boat, a middle-aged man sitting alone listened to the noisy discussion, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. But seeing the steam rising from his teacup, the tea just the right temperature, his slight displeasure dissipated, and he focused solely on savoring the tea.
After the pot of tea was finished, the woman who had been sitting quietly by the window seemed to come alive. She rose lightly and took small steps forward to refill his water.
But Fu Qing and his companion's complaints seemed endless, continuing until Jiang Yanchi's second pot of tea was almost finished.
"And that appearance of his, he refuses to change it no matter what, heaven knows how much trouble his appearance has caused."
"Aren't you thirsty?" He looked at the emerald green tea in the teacup, the surface reflecting his wrinkled face.
"I'm not thirsty, I'm not thirsty," Fu Qing replied casually, completely unaware of the deeper meaning in Fu Qing's words.
Just then, Suiyuan walked out of the cabin compartment. He was pale, but still had the strength to retort, "What the master means is, shut up. You haven't gotten tired of talking yet, but he's already tired of listening."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yanchi nodded in satisfaction.
He thought to himself: Although I was left behind to clean up the mess, fortunately, there were still people on this trip who knew how to read people's expressions.
"It seems we'll have to add another clause to the mission statement."
Fifteen minutes later, Lin Yun took a deep breath, suppressing his surging thoughts, and stopped forcing himself to recall the various awkward moments he had shared with Sui Yuan.
Seeing that her expression had returned to normal, the three were about to leave when suddenly a crowd surged towards them like a tide. Lin Yun was caught off guard and was instantly surrounded by enthusiastic villagers, while Sang Zhao and Zhou Hengyan were pushed to the side of the crowd.
"Yun, are you going back? Take some of my homemade pancakes with you on the way!"
"This is the fish I just caught, take it home and try it!"
"Snacks, specialty snacks from Qingfeng Town!"
In the blink of an eye, Lin Yun's arms were piled high with all sorts of food.
Before she knew it, she had been in Qingfeng Town for over a month and had gradually become familiar with everyone. Mutual help was common, and the villagers were also very enthusiastic, making arrangements to see her off.
Amidst the bustling crowd and laughter, the girl seemed to have returned to Shixi Village.
"You should come back and visit often. Sanqi is a quiet girl, and you're her only friend," Uncle Chen advised.
Lin Yun's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes eagerly searched for Sanqi's figure among the throng of people.
Finally, through a gap in the crowd, she caught a glimpse of that familiar dress. Sanqi was also looking at her, her lips moving silently as if to say something. But upon closer inspection, she was met only with a big, radiant smile and a vigorously waving arm.
In the blink of an eye, Sanqi could no longer be found in the crowd.
"Number Thirty-Seven!" A cold voice rang out from behind.
Sanqi deftly turned into a quiet alley, completely avoiding Lin Yunwang's gaze. Hearing this, she waved her hand and said, "Don't call me by that name. What are you doing here? Where's Brother Sui?"
“He left Jeju with his master,” Fu Yu answered only this one question.
Sanqi was quick-witted and had already seen through his intentions. She said impatiently, "Don't worry, I won't tell Yunmei about Brother Sui. You can leave now."
"How would I know whether you'd tell me or not if I didn't follow you?"
"She's gone!" Seeing the crowd disperse, Sanqi's voice rose a few decibels. "Besides, don't you hate Brother Sui the most? If I tell others, wouldn't that be exactly what you want?"
Fu Yu gave him a look as if he were an idiot.
"Anyway, don't follow me anymore. Brother Sui has already promised me that I can stay here..."
"Guarding an empty village?"
"Mind your own business!" Sanqi roared, annoyed that his secret had been exposed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
