Chapter 71: Returning to the Sect |
The first to suffer the shock had been Junior Sister Yun.
Whenever Zhou Wu recalled the scene from that day, a trace of lingering fear still remained in his heart.
That day, he had just returned from the northern region. Before he even had time to catch his breath, a crowd surrounded him, everyone talking over each other, asking where Senior Brother was and why they hadn’t seen him.
The moment he finished saying, “Senior Brother was transported to Linzhou while searching for the disciples, so he can’t return for the time being,” he felt a chill run down his spine.
He turned around and saw Senior Sister Yun standing behind him with a sword in her hand.
There was no change in expression on her icy face, but Zhou Wu could clearly feel the surrounding temperature drop several degrees.
Then she turned and walked away.
Zhou Wu froze for a moment before realizing what was happening, and hurriedly chased after her.
“Junior Sister Yun, where are you going?”
“You don’t even know where Linzhou is!”
Junior Sister Yun ignored him completely. Her footsteps never paused for even a moment.
In the end, Zhou Wu and several disciples from Wanren Peak had to work together to stop her. The disciples ran around in panic, desperately trying to block her path.
Qi Heyang stood there exhausting every possible argument to persuade her—things like “Senior Brother sent a message saying he’s fine”, “What if you go there and still can’t find him”, and “The teleportation array might be unstable”—until his lips nearly wore out from talking. Only then did Junior Sister Yun finally give up on the idea of going to Linzhou.
Junior Sister Yun stood there silently for a long time.
At last, she sheathed her sword and turned toward Sunset Peak.
But from that day onward, the sound of blades slicing through the night sky could be heard from Sunset Peak every single evening.
Of course, He Shi’an shouldn’t be forgotten either.
He had just broken through to the Nascent Soul stage. The moment he came out of seclusion, he excitedly ran toward Sunset Peak.
In the end, he found the place completely empty.
“Where’s Senior Brother?”
“He went into a secret realm.”
“When will he come back?”
“I don’t know.”
He Shi’an waited and waited.
Until Zhou Wu and the others finally returned.
He was the first to rush forward and grab Zhou Wu by the shoulders.
“Where’s Senior Brother?”
Zhou Wu’s expression became a little subtle.
“…In order to save people, Senior Brother was transported elsewhere. He can’t come back for now.”
He Shi’an froze.
Then he grabbed Zhou Wu by the collar.
“You mean he can’t come back for now? Then how did the rest of you get back? And how were you leading the team?!”
Zhou Wu was shaken so hard he became dizzy. He wanted to explain, but He Shi’an refused to listen.
In the end, Master Leng Ye arrived just in time, grabbed his own disciple by the collar, and dragged him away.
“What are you doing? What are you doing? You just broke through into the Nascent Soul stage and you’re already getting carried away?!”
Even while being dragged by the collar, He Shi’an continued struggling. “Master, don’t stop me! Senior Brother’s gone missing!”
Master Leng Ye endured it, endured it, and finally smacked him on the back of the head.
“Missing? What do you mean missing?! He’s perfectly fine! He’ll be back in a few days!”
Only then did He Shi’an finally calm down.
But he still ran to the mountain entrance three times a day, just so he could be the first to see Lu Fengmian.
During the days without Senior Brother, every single day in Lingyun Sect felt as long as a year.
It was truly strange.
Clearly, before Lu Fengmian left, he had already arranged every matter within the sect in perfect order.
Someone supervised meals in the dining hall, someone managed the regulations in the Scripture Pavilion, someone handled coordination between the peaks, and even the old ancestors in the spirit beast garden had attendants caring for them.
But ever since Senior Brother left, it always felt as though something was missing.
Master Zhao made several new dishes in the dining hall, but because nobody was there to taste-test them, he felt deeply uneasy.
Elder Shu in the Scripture Pavilion lost his temper several times, muttering, “Why hasn’t that brat come to recite the scriptures yet?” In the end, he let out a long sigh, retreated into the corner by the wall, and never came out again.
Every day in the spirit beast garden, Elder Sun muttered to the little white furball, “When is your master coming back?” until even the nearby disciples could no longer bear to listen.
Some people said that without Senior Brother, Lingyun Sect was like a loach out of water—
—barely clinging to life.
One day, a chore disciple sweeping near the mountain entrance yawned repeatedly when he suddenly spotted two figures walking up along the mountain path.
He rubbed his eyes hard.
Then he threw down the broom in his hand and sprinted into the building.
“Senior Brother’s back!”
That voice seemed to grow wings, spreading all the way inward. In less than half a shichen, the entire Lingyun Sect had heard the news.
Everyone wished they could celebrate with drums and gongs.
Lu Fengmian had only just reached the mountainside when he saw a figure charging toward him at astonishing speed.
Instinctively, he dodged to the side.
The person missed the kick and staggered forward several steps before finally regaining balance.
“Senior Brother!”
He Shi’an turned around, tears shimmering in his eyes as he looked at him.
“I missed you so much!”
Lu Fengmian glanced at him, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
“You have no idea how I survived these days without you!” He Shi’an bent over and grabbed his sleeve.
Lu Fengmian: “…How exactly did you survive them?”
“Every single day, I thought about you—thought about you—” He Shi’an paused and cleared his throat. “Barely struggling through life, smiling away my sorrow as a thousand sails passed by the wrecked ship.”
Lu Fengmian: “…”
What kind of nonsense was that?
“But none of that matters anymore!” He Shi’an released his sleeve and flicked his hair dramatically. “Most importantly, Senior Brother, I’ve reached the Nascent Soul stage!”
He moved closer to Lu Fengmian and stared at him without blinking. His expression clearly said: Praise me. Hurry and praise me.
Lu Fengmian looked at him, feeling both amused and irritated.
Still, the corners of his lips curved into a smile. He raised a hand and patted his shoulder.
“Very impressive,” he said. “Nascent Soul stage—the only Nascent Soul cultivator on Wanren Peak in recent years.”
The moment he heard that, He Shi’an looked like a cat being stroked, narrowing his eyes in delight.
“Exactly!” he said smugly. “That unreliable Zhou Wu only causes me trouble. If I’d been there, you wouldn’t have needed to take such a huge risk…”
And just like that, he started rambling again.
Xiao Jin stood nearby watching this scene, feeling somewhat lost.
He lowered his head to look at his toes, then quietly turned around, preparing to slip away unnoticed.
“Xiao Jin.”
A familiar voice sounded out.
Xiao Jin raised his head.
Lu Fengmian looked at him and beckoned.
“Don’t leave. Come to Sunset Peak with me.”
Xiao Jin froze for a moment, then nodded vigorously and quickly followed after him.
After finally driving He Shi’an away, Lu Fengmian continued heading upward with Xiao Jin.
When they arrived at the foot of Sunset Peak, they saw a figure hurrying toward them.
It was Junior Sister Yun.
She was walking very quickly, her hair slightly disheveled, as though she had just come down from the martial arena and hadn’t even had time to put away her sword.
“Senior Brother.”
She called out softly, her eyelashes trembling faintly.
Senior Sister Yun stood before Lu Fengmian, her gaze fixed on him as she carefully examined him from top to bottom, front to back.
Lu Fengmian became a little confused under her scrutiny.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Is there something on my face?”
After confirming he wasn’t injured, Senior Sister Yun finally seemed to relax.
“It’s nothing,” she said. “It’s good that you’re back.”
Lu Fengmian looked at her and smiled.
He raised his hand and gently rubbed the top of her head.
“Silly girl.”
Junior Sister Yun lowered her head, her cheeks flushing slightly red.
Xiao Jin stood nearby, looking at Lu Fengmian and then at Junior Sister Yun, suddenly feeling a little unnecessary.
He knew this Senior Sister.
Junior Sister Yun of Sunset Peak had already ranked among the elites while still at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.
The outer sect disciples privately called her the “Iceberg Senior Sister,” saying she ignored everyone except Senior Brother.
Now he believed it.