Send off
Lin Yun couldn't remember exactly how long she stood on the stairs of the Wangu Inn that day. But she clearly remembered the heavy, almost overflowing disappointment in Zhou Hengyan's eyes when he finally looked away from the starlight.
That was the first time she had seen her senior brother Zhou like this; the man who had been completely composed was now enveloped in silent embarrassment and sorrow.
His usually impressive speaking skills fell flat in the heavy atmosphere.
After a long silence, she finally heard her own dry voice say, "Next time, let's come back and take a look."
It has been more than half a month since I returned to the Jingyin Sect.
But the forced smile on Zhou Hengyan's lips, tinged with endless loneliness, illuminated by the firelight that day, remained vividly etched in her mind, impossible to erase.
This was the first time Lin Yunwang had ever been curious about someone's past.
She wanted to know what kind of past had caused Zhou, who was always so spirited, to feel so burdened in that one moment.
However, this thought was quickly suppressed by reason.
It was ultimately inappropriate to pry into someone else's secrets in private, so she silently put aside her idea of finding an opportunity to subtly inquire about Zhou Hengyan's past from Senior Sister Bai.
As the days passed, the discussions about her background and past gradually came to an end.
Everything seemed to be returning to calm.
I still occasionally dream of that eternally white mountain in the clouds.
If there was anything else that concerned him, it was that he hadn't seen his master for a long time. According to Venerable Mingqi, he had hurriedly gone elsewhere to find an old friend to catch up.
Lin Yun muttered to himself: What kind of old friend would go for so long and not send a message back?
Besides that, there was another matter lingering in Lin Yun's mind.
She has not yet formally thanked Senior Sister Nangong.
During the mission in Jeju, the files delivered by Senior Sister Nangong were of paramount importance. Although he had thanked her verbally at the time, Lin Yunwang felt that he should express his gratitude more formally. However, these days, Senior Sister Nangong's cultivation building had disappeared without a trace, and the gate to her courtyard was tightly locked, as if she had vanished into thin air.
"She hasn't been to the cultivation building for the past few days, and the courtyard gates are locked. Where do you think Senior Sister Nangong might have gone?" Lin Yun asked the system. "Where do you think she might have gone?"
On the day she returned to the sect, she had planned to have a good talk with this mysterious "partner" about their connection, but the mission review with several venerable ones had exhausted most of her energy. When she returned to her residence, she was so tired that she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
In the following days, I had to catch up on the inner sect courses I had missed.
Therefore, the anticipated in-depth discussion was repeatedly postponed.
The system remained unusually silent, offering only a curt "Welcome back" on the day she returned to her clan, and said nothing more.
Seeing that the system didn't respond, Lin Yun frowned and called out again, "System?"
"Host, I'm here."
"Based on data analysis, Nangong Suiqing is most likely deliberately avoiding you."
"Avoid me? What's there to avoid?" She subconsciously touched her cheek, not considering herself a fierce or menacing person.
"She's been avoiding you ever since your trip to Jeju."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yun turned his gaze away, then pretended to be deep in thought, recalling Nangong Shijie's behavior on the day he regained consciousness.
In my memory, Senior Sister Nangong did indeed appear with Senior Brother Sang and Senior Brother Zhou. But unlike them, she didn't stay in Jeju, as if... she had only come specifically to confirm that I was safe and sound?
The moment the thought popped into his head, Lin Yun couldn't help but chuckle softly to himself.
"What are you laughing at, host?"
"I was laughing. For a moment just now, I actually thought that Senior Sister Nangong would go to Jeju specifically for me."
She wasn't stupid; she could naturally tell that Senior Sister Nangong disliked her. Although she didn't know the source of this dislike, she accepted it calmly.
"So you knew Nangong Suiqing disliked you. I thought the host had become the kind of person who couldn't read the room."
"I really don't know what kind of image I have in your heart." Lin Yun sighed helplessly, leaning back in his chair and raising his hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight streaming in from the window. "I'm just stating the facts. I know she doesn't like me, and I don't want to delve into her thoughts, nor do I intend to force myself to get close. But she helped me, and I remember that kindness. It's only right that I thank her."
"That's truly frank and open."
The system's evaluation remained cold and flat, making it impossible to distinguish whether it was sarcasm or a simple statement.
Lin Yun automatically categorized it as the latter. After all, her system had never mocked or ridiculed her.
Today's conversation made her give up on the idea of a deeper discussion.
Maintaining the status quo is fine; she doesn't want to lose this partner for the time being, and correspondingly, she doesn't want to be the one to break the ice.
Life returned to complete tranquility.
With the inner sect's coursework becoming increasingly heavy, coupled with the need to catch up on previously missed lessons, Lin Yun gradually put aside his tasks of organizing the library. He maintained a daily routine of going between the cultivation building, his residence, and the martial arts arena, occasionally going to the library to borrow books or to the sword pavilion to maintain his sword.
During this time, she took on a simple task, using the opportunity to send out letters written to Yang Suyue and her grandfather.
However, the peace was destined to be short-lived.
As news of the capture of the sect's spy reached the ears of every fellow disciple, a great uproar ensued.
Rumor has it that this person is shrouded in ominous black energy, resembling a demon from legends, and his methods are even more horrifying: he actually peeled off the skin of a fellow disciple and wore it on himself to disguise himself perfectly.
If the sect leader hadn't noticed a very subtle anomaly during his instructions, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Upon hearing this news, Lin Yun felt a pang of anxiety and remained uneasy for several days.
The image of her brother, Shen Fengcong, who had once followed her like a ghost into the Jingyin Sect and followed her back to Shuofeng City, resurfaced in her mind. She firmly believed that such cruel methods could not have come from him.
But her intuition told her that this matter was related to her brother.
The strange fog in Jeju Island allowed both Suiyuan and his brother to escape... Does all of this point to a connection between Shen Fengcong and Suiyuan?
Could this undercover agent from the Jingyin Sect be one of their accomplices?
If it wasn't them, then who infiltrated the Jingyin Sect? And what was their purpose?
With his thoughts in turmoil, Lin Yunwang's face also darkened.
"Where does the cloud go?"
A clear, melodious voice rang out beside her, startling her so much that she trembled violently.
Before anyone knew it, Bai Xiyan had quietly appeared inside the room. She held up the food box in her hand with a hint of apology, "I knocked on the door, but you didn't answer, so I came in myself."
Since Lin Yun returned to the sect, Senior Sister Bai has been sending her homemade snacks almost every day, which has made her cheeks a bit rounder.
Seeing that Bai Xiyan had walked to the table, skillfully opened the food box, and took out the still steaming, exquisite pastries, Lin Yunwang quickly stood up and said, "I know you are thanking me for bringing the wine to Senior Brother Gu, but you don't have to do this every day."
Seeing her senior sister take out two more plates of pastries from the food box, she said with a hint of helplessness, "If this continues, I won't dare to run errands for you next time. It's too much of a burden!"
Bai Xiyan paused in arranging the pastries, looked up at her, and said with a gentle reproach in his eyes, "It's not entirely to thank you. You've been so busy since you returned to the sect that you often miss meals, and these past few days you've always seemed preoccupied. How can I not come to see you more often?"
Lin Yun quickly grabbed her arm and said coquettishly, "Of course I know what Senior Sister means, but I'm also afraid of tiring Senior Sister."
Bai Xiyan clearly enjoyed the intimacy, smiling as he pulled her to sit down with him. They tasted the newly made pastries and chatted for a while. But fearing he might delay his junior sister's business, he got up to take his leave after a short while.
She couldn't help but sigh inwardly: she had finally managed to escape from the complicated affairs of the Immortal Sect Competition and had some free time, but everyone around her was busy.
Lin Yun escorted Senior Sister Bai to the courtyard gate and was about to turn back to the house when he caught a glimpse of Senior Brother Sang Zhao striding towards them. His radiant smile, which he couldn't hide, was practically overflowing from his eyebrows.
"Senior brother?" Lin Yun stopped and tilted his head curiously. "Did you encounter something incredibly wonderful?"
Upon hearing this, Sang Zhao's smile widened, a sight Lin Yun had never seen before. He said, "The sect leader summoned me today, saying that there is a precious spot available for the sect to go to the Tanwei Sect for an exchange and study, and she prefers me to go."
Lin Yun was slightly taken aback. With the Immortal Sect Competition just around the corner, it was indeed a bit strange that he had been sent to another sect at this time. However, seeing his senior brother's joyful appearance, he did not ask for the reason.
She knew a little about the Tanwei Sect and naturally understood why her senior brother was so overjoyed. The Tanwei Sect was unparalleled in the cultivation world for its mastery of talismans, and Sang Zhao's skills were mostly based on talismans. Although the Jingyin Sect was strong, it was ultimately based on swordsmanship and offensive spells, and talismans were not its forte. Going to the Tanwei Sect was like a dragon entering the sea for him.
She sincerely said, "Congratulations, Senior Brother, this is the best news imaginable."
To Lin Yun's surprise, she had only heard her senior brother mention it the day before, and the very next day she received a message that Sang Zhao was about to depart. She was unprepared and could only rush to the mountain gate to see him off, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart: Jingyin Sect is truly swift and efficient.
Although Lin Yunwang knew that her senior brother was only temporarily going to Tanwei Sect for cultivation, she still couldn't help but feel sad. However, she didn't show it on her face. She knew that within Jingyin Sect, her senior brother was most worried about her, and she didn't want to make him sad.
She quietly clenched her fist in her sleeve. "Senior brother, I will cherish the 'Complete Collection of Talismans' that you left behind."
The forced calm in her eyes did not escape Sang Zhao's notice. He felt a pang of sadness, but tried to lighten the mood, saying with a smile, "Junior sister, just follow your own path of swordsmanship. As for talisman techniques, your senior brother will back you up."
As he spoke, he untied a seemingly ordinary storage bag from his waist and solemnly placed it into Lin Yun's hand. The bag felt slightly heavy in his hand, still warm from his fingertips.
"This contains all the things I've drawn recently. Use it sparingly, and when you run out, your senior brother will come back and replenish it for you." His words were filled with certainty.
"Okay." Lin Yun gripped the bag, which was still warm from his body, his knuckles turning slightly white, and gave a soft reply.
This time, he no longer forced Lin Yun to learn talismans. The reason was quite simple: he had initially forced her to study talismans only to refine her spiritual power and give her a means of self-preservation. But now that he had witnessed his junior sister's swordsmanship, Yun Wang had a more secure foundation for survival.
Beside him, the cultivator from the Exploration Sect who was leading the way was already showing signs of urging them on. Sang Zhao said no more, patted Lin Yunwang's shoulder forcefully, then clasped his hands in a salute to the fellow disciples who were seeing him off, before turning around and striding towards the waiting flying boat.
The morning light outlined his tall, yet increasingly blurred, figure as he walked away.
A thousand miles away, in a quiet and elegant room.
"clatter."
The last piece landed on the board, and the man holding the piece slowly withdrew his hand, a subtle smile spreading across his face as he looked at his invisible opponent.
He sighed, "Concern leads to confusion; the more you worry, the heavier your thoughts become... In the end, it all leads to complete defeat."
Even the strongest fortress will develop cracks due to these subtle threads of attachment. The outcome was already predetermined; the cracks spread, eventually leading to a devastating collapse.
What will it be like then?
The One of Light has fallen.
The hiding man is barely clinging to life.
Qingfeng Town, the backyard of the pharmacy.
"The master has locked onto the target, though some men have been lost... Once you've dealt with those three troublemakers in Yunzhong Mountain, set off immediately for Liuzhou..."
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