Chapter 252: Fear of Meeting IRL |
Chapter 252: Fear of Meeting IRL
Back when he gave Lingxi Valley a middle part, Yun Baiyu came out and blocked a sword for them.
Even then, Chen Huaian had already noticed Yun Baiyu had internal injuries.
It’s just that her condition wasn’t as bad as “a candle flickering in the wind.”
Now it basically meant this Valley Master could drop dead at any moment.
Chen Huaian looked around. The reason he chose to log out beneath the ruins of the Sword Pavilion was based on the logic that the most dangerous place is often the safest—a classic hide-in-plain-sight tactic.
But there was still a chance the three Great Holy Lands would monitor even the Sword Pavilion ruins.
“As long as I’m only online for a moment, it should be fine.”
Now that he had money, Chen Huaian was feeling bold.
He slapped the VR headset on his head and instantly went from idle mode to being online.
His figure appeared next to the Sword Pavilion’s stone stele.
Knowing her days were numbered, Yun Baiyu knelt in front of the stele without much emotion. Just a worthless life, that’s all. She only worried about Yun Suxin’s safety. After being drenched in rain all night, she looked completely worn out.
Suddenly, a sword cry echoed by her ear.
Yun Baiyu instinctively turned her head—and saw a figure in dark robes.
Further up, the face was obscured in shadow, lit faintly from behind.
But just from the pair of cold, star-like eyes, she instantly recognized who it was—Sword Pavilion Patriarch, Chen Huaian.
“Senior, I knew you’d come back to check in!” Yun Baiyu was so overjoyed she was crying. She was about to tell him about Yun Suxin when Chen Huaian raised a hand to cut her off.
As soon as he finished speaking, the bamboo rustled.
Several Lingxi Valley female disciples, faces red and heads lowered, stepped out and obediently lined up behind Yun Baiyu, not daring to meet Chen Huaian’s gaze.
“If Valley Master Yun has something to say, let’s talk inside my private realm.”
Chen Huaian raised his hand, and a massive green palm formed in the air, enveloping Yun Baiyu and the disciples.
With a violent spatial tremor,
Everyone near the Sword Pavilion stele vanished instantly.
…
“Sword Pavilion Patriarch really was here.”
Not long after Chen Huaian and the others left, a figure in green robes emerged from behind the clouds above the valley.
She wore a veil hat and had a jade token from the Yaochi Holy Land hanging at her waist.
“Finding the Sword Pavilion Patriarch is a big deal. I need to report this ASAP!”
…
The moment they entered the private realm,
Chen Huaian’s eyes lit up as another wave of notifications popped up.
【You killed 1,372 righteous cultivators in the Central State secret realm and obtained 1,372 righteous cultivator shards. The Demonic Path Faction Store has been unlocked for you!】
——Li Qingran’s Cultivation Log——
＜1＞ 22:00 — Felt like my chest wasn’t full enough while bathing. Thought about using the enhancement method Senior Sister Yue once mentioned… but then remembered she’s still trapped in Yaochi Holy Land. So, kept cultivating till midnight.
＜2＞ 1:00 — Thought about Shizun 47 times before sleeping. Don’t know if the Hundred Herb Detox Pill worked on his demon poison. Felt slightly better thinking that once he recovers, he’ll be able to visit more often.
＜3＞ 4:00 — Got hungry. Snuck a plate of fruit while Shizun wasn’t around. Realized that while fasting has its merits, it definitely takes away one of life’s great pleasures.
＜4＞ 9:00 — Why hasn’t Shizun come today? Got up and practiced swordplay. Missed Shizun.
＜5＞ 12:00 — Super curious about Shizun’s private realm. Went exploring nearby with Mo Shumei. Turned out to be a complete wasteland. Kinda disappointed. Missed Shizun.
＜6＞ 13:00 — Back in my room to continue cultivation. Reinforced Sword Style One (Mastered) and Sword Style Two (Mastered). Began comprehending Sword Style Three: White Deer on Azure Cliff. Achieved initial mastery. Not totally satisfied with the power. Missed Shizun.
＜7＞ 16:30 — Visited my three senior brothers across the peaks. My hatred for the Holy Land deepened. Feeling anxious about my weakness.
More logs to be updated...
——————————
“Uhhh… wait, she already got Sword Style Three to initial mastery?”
Chen Huaian rubbed his chin, realizing he’d just uncovered one of Li Qingran’s little secrets.
Her Green Lotus Sword Manual’s Sword Style One and Two were already mastered—just one step away from perfection.
Yet when she’d come asking him about swordplay, she’d always pretend that Style One had just been mastered, Style Two was barely started, and she had no clue about Style Three.
From the outside, it looked like he was the one teaching her, but in reality, he was the one learning the most from it.
So she was playing dumb this whole time? Hiding her real strength?!
Thank goodness he always had the game system translate his instructions.
Otherwise, if he’d spouted something useless, wouldn’t he have exposed himself on the spot?
Chen Huaian shivered.
He was honestly developing a bit of “fear of meeting IRL.”
He was super into her, had created this image of himself as a 6’1” rich, handsome elite guy, but in reality… none of that checked out.
Sure, he was confident that Li Qingran wouldn’t dump him just because he was weak or average, but there was one thing that was hard to swallow—
He was supposed to be on top, but in the future, he might end up permanently on the bottom.
Unacceptable!
A man’s gotta rise up!
Even without the main quest breathing down his neck, Chen Huaian’s drive to cultivate had just gone into overdrive.
He couldn’t let himself drown in the soft, pink dreamworld that Li Qingran built, and he sure as h*ll wasn’t gonna mooch off her forever.
Train. He had to train!
If it doesn’t kill him, then train ‘til it almost does!
“Senior, this place is…”
Yun Baiyu and the Lingxi Valley disciples looked around, recognizing the place but also feeling something was off.
“This is the Sword Pavilion.” Chen Huaian dismissed the Demonic Faction Store prompt.
No rush checking out what was for sale—handling Yun Baiyu’s situation came first.
“But it’s the Sword Pavilion inside my private realm,” he added.
“Oh, so this is Senior’s private realm… no wonder…”
Yun Baiyu was about to say “no wonder the spiritual energy is so thin,” but wisely swallowed her words.
Chen Huaian glanced sideways at Yun Baiyu and secretly sighed—this Valley Master was really stunning. Even though she wasn’t young, she didn’t have that old-lady vibe like Qingyun Patriarch did.
She had that elegant, mature wife kind of charm, yet still had the face of a young maiden.
Right now, with her pale complexion and silver hair, she radiated that protective pull only a woman on the edge could trigger.
If it weren’t for Li Qingran, he might’ve taken her in right then and there to see what that “sauce” tasted like.
Sensing a fiery gaze suddenly on him, Chen Huaian immediately snapped his eyes back and cleared his throat.
“Valley Master Yun, what brings you to my Sword Pavilion?”
Hearing that, Yun Baiyu’s eyes turned red at the corners. She dropped to her knees and kowtowed deeply. Her voice trembled:
“Please, Senior, save my daughter. I’m willing to pay any price… even if it means giving up all of Lingxi Valley, including myself.”
“Cough, cough—watch what you’re saying!”
That burning gaze from behind got even more intense.
Chen Huaian was starting to sweat bullets.
He quickly said, “Get up. I have a treasure called the Yang Soul Mirror. Give me a personal item of your daughter’s—I can use it as a medium to check her condition. I’ll also try to calculate her whereabouts.”
That’s what he said.
But honestly, he’d already drawn his own conclusion.
Yun Suxin had good talent. Most likely, she’d been captured by Yaochi or Fanjing.
If she was lucky, they just crippled her and locked her away.
If she wasn’t… her life might already be forfeit.
…
…
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