Ye Tian’s face, which was covered in rugged scars, twitched slightly. “Little Ah Yin, why do you think I would be willing to tell you? Do I look like someone who is afraid of death?”
Yin Huizhi replied, “Of course you are not afraid of death, but you are a man who values gratitude. Do you not want to know who exactly killed Ouyang Yi, and who harmed the Ouyang family?”
Ye Tian froze for a moment, then burst into a snicker. “Values gratitude?”
He shook his head and sighed. “You are still as naive as you were when you were a child. You do not actually think that I did all of this just to vent anger and seek revenge for Ouyang Yi’s family, do you?”
Yin Huizhi frowned.
Ye Tian laughed. “Hahaha, good child, it is better if I speak with the person beside you instead.”
Xie Ling tilted his head, a faint smile hovering at the corners of his lips, as if saying: Please, go ahead.
Ye Tian’s calculating eyes narrowed slightly. “Regional Lord, another side branch of the Ouyang family promised me quite a few things, which is why I designed today’s encounter. As for the information Little Ah Yin wants to know, what are you going to offer in exchange?”
Xie Ling lightly tapped his fingers against his sleeve. “Since he is the one who wants to know, you should ask him what he can give you in exchange. Why are you asking me?”
Ye Tian smirked. “Regional Lord, saying it like that makes things boring. Both times you came to Fucheng, you were with him. Even if he is just a concubine or a male plaything, you should still offer some benefits.”
Yin Huizhi stepped forward with a cold expression, but Xie Ling raised a hand to hold him back.
Xie Ling asked, “Do you truly want to negotiate conditions with me?”
Ye Tian scoffed. “What, does the grand Regional Lord of the Ghost Realm lack even the capital to negotiate conditions?”
Xie Ling chuckled and nodded. “Very well.”
Just as Ye Tian opened his mouth to speak, he was violently dragged forward by a surge of murky, freezing power.
Ice-cold fingers abruptly clamped around his neck. His eyes widened, his cheeks flushed with blood, and he gasped repeatedly, unable to breathe.
Xie Ling’s voice drifted lightly into his ears. “Unfortunately, I do not like making deals.”
With a sickening crack of breaking bone, Ye Tian’s eyeballs protruded. His struggling hands stiffened for a fraction of a second before dropping like wet clay, and his breathing stopped entirely.
As the fingers loosened, the corpse slid limply to the ground.
Xie Ling looked sideways, meeting Yin Huizhi’s stiff expression, and casually explained the reason for Ye Tian’s death. “He was too noisy.”
This was an act committed with almost total disregard for the consequences. Yin Huizhi could not help but frown. “You killed him. What do we do now?”
Xie Ling gestured for him to come closer.
Yin Huizhi knit his brows in confusion, but his steps did not hesitate as he walked directly over.
Xie Ling naturally picked up Yin Huizhi’s sleeve to wipe his own hands, answering the previous question. “Did you think I was just threatening that old fraud when I said I could make the dead speak? Making a dead person tell the truth is much easier than keeping a living person from lying.”
Yin Huizhi started, “You!”
“How does a dead person speak?” Reason forced him to ask about the business at hand first. He endured it for a moment but finally could not hold back. “Can you please stop using my sleeve to wipe your hands!”
What a bizarre habit, he thought.
Xie Ling acted as though he had not heard the latter half of the sentence. “Hold your hand up.”
With a wooden expression, Yin Huizhi raised his hand. Xie Ling reached out, intertwining his fingers with Yin Huizhi’s, while his other hand made a hollow grasping motion toward Ye Tian on the ground.
A strand of black energy emerged from the center of Ye Tian’s forehead. As if receiving some sort of summons, it eagerly wrapped itself around Xie Ling’s hand.
Within Yin Huizhi’s line of sight, Xie Ling’s right eye was instantly consumed by a dark omega crimson light.
Locking eyes with Xie Ling, Yin Huizhi was also instantly swallowed by this scarlet hue. He lost consciousness immediately, and when he opened his eyes again, his surroundings had completely changed.
Xie Ling was gone.
He looked down, glanced at his empty right hand, gave his fingers a light squeeze, and then dropped his hand to observe the environment.
The deceased Ye Tian was now standing there perfectly fine. His face did not yet bear those ugly scars, and because he had retained his youthful appearance upon forming his core, his actual age was indiscernible, making him look quite handsome.
Yin Huizhi stood not far from Ye Tian, but Ye Tian seemed entirely unable to see his presence.
Was he currently entering Ye Tian’s memories of his lifetime in the form of a wandering soul?
Yin Huizhi tentatively reached out to touch the doorframe, and as expected, his hand passed directly through it.
This place appeared to be a secret meeting location. The windows and walls had undergone special modifications to protect against spying and eavesdropping.
The surrounding furnishings were engraved with highly distinct Vermilion Bird patterns, leading Yin Huizhi to judge that this room was located inside the Ouyang Manor.
Just as the thought flashed through his mind, a familiar man dressed in luxurious robes walked in through the door.
It was Ouyang Xu.
Exactly as Yin Huizhi remembered him, judging solely by appearance, Ouyang Xu possessed a righteous and dignified look, carrying the full aura of a family head. He did not look like a harsh or insidious person at all.
Unfortunately, that was merely how he looked on the surface.
“Ye Tian, how is the matter I instructed you to investigate?” Ouyang Xu sat down directly in the main seat and asked straight to the point.
Ye Tian replied, “There is a type of parasite called the Spirit-Devouring parasite. It can cause the person injected with it to remain permanently stagnant at a low cultivation realm, unable to break through. However, this is only theoretical. I have never used it, so I am not certain.”
Ouyang Xu was clearly unsatisfied with his response. “What do you mean by not certain?”
A flicker of imperceptible impatience flashed between Ye Tian’s brows, and he sharpened his tone. “It means that I also do not know whether this parasite can be cured once it is planted.”
Ouyang Xu’s face darkened. He appeared displeased not only with the way Ye Tian handled the task but also with his attitude, so he remained silent.
Ye Tian added, “Since you want to ruin him, why not ruin him more thoroughly? Would it not be better to just kill him?”
This person they referred to was naturally Yin Huizhi.
In truth, Yin Huizhi had also been curious about this question. He had once believed that Ouyang Xu possessed some lingering conscience and could not bring himself to do it, but now it appeared there was another reason.
Ouyang Xu had never liked his subordinates questioning his decisions. Even though Ye Tian was someone left behind by the old family head, he still grew angry and said coldly, “Ye Tian, you are being far too undisciplined.”
Ye Tian’s face also darkened. “Since I am so undisciplined, the family head had better seek out someone more capable.”
Leaving behind those words, he turned around and walked away.
Yin Huizhi originally thought this secret conversation would end on a bad note and that he would not hear any more useful information. However, Ouyang Xu then did something that left him utterly dumbfounded.
Ouyang Xu pulled Ye Tian into his embrace.
Ye Tian broke away without any politeness but was pulled back again. With half-hearted resistance, the two of them held each other tightly.
Yin Huizhi stood frozen in place, watching blankly as they finished a long, lingering kiss, and then watched blankly as they rolled into the inner chamber. Soon after, waves of intimate sounds drifted out from within.
Although he was currently in the state of a wandering soul and could pass directly through walls and doors, he found this truly hard to fathom.
Amid his bewilderment, he also felt a deep sense of irony.
Ouyang Xu’s lawful wife had always suspected that his mother had an affair with Ouyang Xu, throwing tantrums over it constantly. Yet, she had no idea that her husband was actually seeking pleasure with a man.
Once the inner chamber gradually quieted down, Yin Huizhi finally stepped inside. Ye Tian was pulling his clothes together as he sat by the edge of the bed, his expression considerably softened.
“Why exactly are you unwilling to kill him?”
Originally, there was nothing wrong with these words, but when combined with what had just occurred, Yin Huizhi perceptively discerned another layer of meaning.
Sure enough, Ye Tian’s very next sentence was, “You did not truly share an old flame with that mother of his, did you?”
A wave of disgust surged in Yin Huizhi’s heart, but he endured it and continued to listen.
Ouyang Xu frowned and said, “Why do you also ask such boring questions? You and I grew up together. Are you not clear on whether I like women?”
Ye Tian let out a sharp laugh. “Speaking of which, the tendency toward male romance in your Ouyang family seems to be passed down through the generations. You had better watch out for your son.”
Yin Huizhi inevitably recalled the painted-skin monster he had seen in the sacrificial altar that day. Although it was too bloody to discern the facial features, it was indeed a male body.
Ouyang Xu ignored his sarcastic remarks and stated, “The Master of the Tianji Pavilion said that he cannot die. His life must be spared.”
Yin Huizhi’s heart suddenly turned cold.
The Tianji Pavilion, he thought. Ouyang Xu was actually involved with the Tianji Pavilion.
This name was highly mysterious within the cultivation world. Almost no one knew who the members of this organization were, nor did anyone know the true background of its pavilion master.
However, according to rumors, the people of the Tianji Pavilion possessed the ability to predict the future.
Judging by Ouyang Xu’s words, the events he experienced during his childhood seemed to be the work of this very Tianji Pavilion Master.
Ye Tian frowned. “What secret do that mother and son possess that keeps both you and the Tianji Pavilion so preoccupied?”
Ouyang Xu did not answer the question, saying only, “Do not make things difficult for me.”
Ye Tian’s tone turned gloomy all at once. “Ever since you began collaborating with the Tianji Pavilion four years ago, every time I ask you about these things, you always hide half of the truth. If you do not trust me, then do not involve me.”
Ouyang Xu replied in frustration, “It is bad enough that you do not follow the rules, but can you at least be reasonable? If I did not trust you, why would I even tell you this much?”
Ye Tian fell silent.
Ouyang Xu remained quiet for a moment before saying, “It is not that I do not trust you. I do not trust that Tianji Pavilion Master. This person’s mind and scheming are far too terrifying, and he can glimpse heavenly secrets. I fear that if things ever spiral out of control, he might silence everyone who knows the truth.”
Ye Tian paused briefly before asking, “Since you know that person is terrifying, yet you still choose to collaborate with him, what benefits did he promise you?”
A look of desire and ambition surfaced in Ouyang Xu’s eyes. “A temptation that I am completely unable to refuse.”
He squeezed Ye Tian’s waist. “Keyword, you assumed this benefit is something I can just reject if I wanted to? Since that person approached the Ouyang clan and shared the secret completely, the Ouyang clan was destined to have no choice but to cooperate.”
Ye Tian remarked, “You killed that child’s mother, schemed against him like this, and yet you still spared his life. Failing to eliminate the root of the problem entirely, are you not afraid that the news will spread one day and his biological father will come to seek revenge on you?”
Yin Huizhi’s fingernails dug deeply into his palms. His chest was compressed to the absolute limit by these few short sentences, while hatred and murderous intent churned simultaneously within him.
However, the person who had casually uttered these words was already long dead, leaving behind only this memory and a belated truth.
He closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down and continue analyzing.
A biological father, his biological father, he reasoned. Ye Tian and Ouyang Xu knew who his father was, and they feared him.
“Do you think that person would care about having a child? I suspect he does not even know. Besides,” Ouyang Xu’s eyebrows lowered slightly, “as long as the matter succeeds, never mind him, even if the experts of the Three Sects come together, they will not be able to do anything to me.”
Yin Huizhi’s palms throbbed with pain as he stared fixedly at the mouths of Ouyang Xu and Ye Tian, waiting for them to continue speaking.
But the conversation ended there.
The scene before him shifted abruptly.
They were still within the Ouyang Manor, but this time, the outside was filled with screams, and the scent of blood permeated the entire estate.
Ouyang Xu, along with all the retainers, death warriors, and disciples of the Ouyang family, were struggling to hold their ground, fighting to the death against the disciples of the Tianye Sect.
A death warrior sliced down two demonic cultivators who rushed forward, then turned to shout at Ouyang Xu, “Family Head, we cannot hold them back any longer!”
With a bloody gash across his abdomen, Ouyang Xu was gradually growing exhausted. He dragged a nearby death warrior over to block a fatal strike, but he failed to guard his left side.
A blade came slashing straight at his face, but a longsword thrust out from the side to parry it.
Ouyang Xu turned his head and saw Ye Tian, who had suddenly appeared, looking somewhat dazed. “Why did you come back?”
Ye Tian replied sinisterly, “It seems you wished I had died outside.”
Yin Huizhi remembered that at this point in time, Ye Tian had already left the Ouyang Manor for a long while, yet he had rushed back upon hearing the news.
From this, it was clear that what Ye Tian said before his death was not the truth. Whether it was this person’s loyalty to the Ouyang clan or his affection for Ouyang Xu, both far exceeded what Yin Huizhi had assumed.
Ouyang Xu quickly snapped back to reality. He tore a piece of cloth from his garment, retreated behind the defensive line, and rapidly wrote down a few words. He then extracted the signet ring Yin Huizhi had seen before from his sleeve, rolled it into the cloth, and shoved it into Ye Tian’s hand. He urged, “Give this to Ah Yi. He will understand my meaning. Take him through the secret passage and wait for the people from the Guanlan Sect to arrive!”
Ye Tian’s face grew darker. “Ouyang Xu, do you think I am going to raise a son for you?”
Ouyang Xu spoke in a rapid tone, “No, Ah Yi’s talent is acceptable. Entrust him to the Guanlan Sect and do not involve yourself further. Ye Tian, there is no time left. The Tianji Pavilion Master knows your face. Once you get out, your face cannot be kept. Go!”
Ye Tian clenched his jaw tightly. This time, he did not snipe back at him; he turned around and left.
Yin Huizhi’s gaze turned somber, and he sneered inwardly. Ouyang Xu’s arrangements seemed logical, but unfortunately, he failed to foresee that Ouyang Yi would lose his hand.
And the Guanlan Sect did not accept disciples with damaged limbs.
He continued to follow Ye Tian’s perspective.
Ye Tian located Ouyang Yi and led him out through the secret passage, happening to encounter the suppression forces of the Guanlan Sect. He entrusted Ouyang Yi to them and continued to flee for his life.
The more Yin Huizhi watched, the more the hateful mockery and satisfaction on his face faded away.
Something was wrong.
Something was wrong.
From the moment Ouyang Yi was found by Ye Tian to the moment he was handed over to the Guanlan Sect, his limbs were completely intact.
He should have been taken up to the Guanlan Sect to become a Guanlan disciple, living out the rest of his life safely.
After Ye Tian left, what exactly happened that caused Ouyang Yi’s trajectory to suffer such a deviation?
Unfortunately, the subsequent memories failed to provide Yin Huizhi with an answer.
Ouyang Yi had lost his hand, did not follow the others back to Guanlan, and lived in seclusion in what later became the Yang family residence.
Yin Huizhi recalled the praise poems he had previously seen at Ouyang Yi’s dwelling. It turned out that those were not because Ouyang Yi possessed a good mindset, but precisely because his mental state was terrible and he had suffered a severe shock.
Ye Tian had secretly visited Ouyang Yi a few times afterward, and Ouyang Yi seemed to be gradually recovering his sanity.
However, during their final meeting, which was one month before Ouyang Yi went up the mountain, this normalcy came to a sudden halt, and the man went completely insane.
Although Ye Tian’s memories could not give Yin Huizhi an answer, certain details within Yin Huizhi’s own mind began to piece themselves together.
Why did Ouyang Yi lose his hand?
Did someone within the Guanlan Sect’s suppression forces do something to him?
Or did he see something within that force that terrified him to the absolute core, making him utterly unwilling to go to the Guanlan Sect, even preferring to become a cripple instead?
The deduced answer was too absurd, so absurd that Yin Huizhi could not help but dry heave, instinctively denying it with desperation.
All the scenes suddenly shattered and collapsed. He was forcefully yanked back to reality, his vision turning dark in waves.
The bitter fluid that he could not vomit within the illusory realm of memory now surged up from his stomach all at once. He bent over and vomited violently, and only when nothing left but dry heaves remained did, he slowly detach himself from the memory.
Coming to his senses, he realized his hand was still tightly locked with Xie Ling’s.
A fleeting thought crossed his mind: Xie Ling’s hand was unexpectedly warm, completely unlike its usual coldness.
After a moment, he realized that it was not that Xie Ling’s hand had become warm, but that his own hand, his entire body, was freezing cold.
Xie Ling’s hand suddenly exerted force, gripping his cold, trembling hand very tightly, forcefully putting a stop to his uncontrollable shaking.
A warm fingertip rested on his face, wiping away the cold tears that had fallen at some unknown point.
The bones of Yin Huizhi’s palm ached from the tight grip, yet it felt as though he had instantly been pulled back to the mortal realm from hell.
He threw himself into Xie Ling’s embrace, burying his face in the other man’s shoulder, shaking all over as he wept silently.
Xie Ling paused for a moment, then used his free hand to gently pat his back.
“Senior Brother! What do you think you are doing!”
An incredulous young woman’s voice rang out from behind them. Yin Huizhi’s already dazed mind turned completely blank, leaving him utterly stunned in place.
It was Xie Ling who used a single hand to hold his shoulder, gently guiding him away.
Yin Huizhi closed his eyes and looked at the newcomer. “Huiyi?”
Fu Huiyi originally bore a face full of anger and disbelief, along with a complex mix of annoyance and bitterness. However, upon seeing Yin Huizhi’s terrible complexion and bloodshot eyes, her fury suddenly vanished.
Her shock turned into rage, and she immediately directed her spearhead at Xie Ling instead.
Drawing the sword from her waist, she pointed it at Xie Ling. “You wretched demon! What did you do to my Senior Brother! Let him go!”
Yin Huizhi stammered, “Huiyi, he did not.”
The youth behind Fu Huiyi violently pulled her back, reprimanding her, “Fu Huiyi, have you lost your mind? Look at that degenerate’s hand!”
Only then did Yin Huizhi remember that his fingers were still closely intertwined with Xie Ling’s. As if burned by those words, he abruptly let go of his hand.
However, it was already too late. Chu Huizheng appeared so furious that he seemed ready to draw his sword, roaring, “Yin Huizhi! You have truly entangled yourself with this demon!”
Fu Huiyi frowned and countered coldly, “Senior Brother Yin would never! He must be forced by the demon!”
“Does he look even remotely persecuted to you? If you had arrived a moment later, those two mouths would probably have been kissing!”
“Chu Huizheng! Your mind is filthy, so you see everything as filthy!”
Yin Huizhi stood in silence.
Seeing that these two were about to start arguing over his matters just as they used to back at the Guanlan Sect, Yin Huizhi rubbed his temples wearily. “Junior Sister, Senior Brother Chu, I.”
Chu Huizheng bellowed, “Shut up, you scoundrel!”
Yin Huizhi remained silent.
Xie Ling made a slight movement. Yin Huizhi’s nerves tensed, and he instinctively grabbed Xie Ling’s sleeve, nearly pleading, “Do not, do not use force!”
If a fight broke out, Chu Huizheng and Fu Huiyi would become the next Ye Tian.
Xie Ling turned his head slightly, lowering his gaze to look at him. “I will not use force.”
Yin Huizhi breathed a sigh of relief, yet he faintly felt that Xie Ling’s attitude was somewhat strange.
When did this person become so easygoing with outsiders?
Xie Ling stepped forward slowly. Chu Huizheng instantly acted as though facing a formidable enemy, immediately gripping his sword. However, before the sword could be drawn, he discovered that he could no longer move.
Chu Huizheng was both shocked and enraged, wanting to tell Fu Huiyi to run quickly, but no sound could leave his throat either.
Xie Ling’s previous statement about not using force had been very serious, so Yin Huizhi was not worried. It was rare for him to see Chu Huizheng in such a helpless state, and he found it somewhat amusing, allowing a slight curve to touch the corners of his lips.
He was far too exhausted, and even this hint of a smile could only be maintained for a fleeting moment, vanishing in an instant.
Xie Ling walked up to Fu Huiyi, looking down calmly. Meeting his gaze, Fu Huiyi belatedly felt a sense of fear. “What, what do you think you are doing?”
Xie Ling raised his hand, letting it hover over her arm for a few breaths as demonic energy swirled upward.
Chu Huizheng’s eyes looked ready to split with rage. After her initial nervousness, Fu Huiyi suddenly froze.
An itchy sensation of flesh and skin growing and healing emanated from her arm, finally returning smoothly to tranquility.
“Since you are injured, do not run around blindly,” Xie Ling said calmly, withdrawing his hand.
Fu Huiyi blinked blankly. “Uh, what?”
Yin Huizhi’s fingers curled unconsciously.
The fury in Chu Huizheng’s gaze also faded slightly, though he remained highly vigilant, staring intently at Xie Ling’s every move.
Xie Ling also glanced at him. For a split second, Chu Huizheng thought the man wanted to say something to him, but Xie Ling said nothing at all, retreating back to Yin Huizhi’s side.
Fu Huiyi instinctively touched her arm, frowning as she stared at Xie Ling, experiencing an indescribable, strange sensation.
It felt almost as though she had known this demon once before.
Xie Ling looked sideways again, noticing that Yin Huizhi was lost in thought, and lightly tapped his shoulder. “Go and say something to your senior brother and junior sister. There is not much time left.”
Yin Huizhi snapped back to reality, stepped forward, and took a deep breath. “Senior Brother.”
Chu Huizheng snapped irritably, “Do not call me Senior Brother!”
Yin Huizhi paused. “Young Master Chu.”
Chu Huizheng’s gaze turned somber. “Do you truly intend to completely betray the Guanlan Sect and fool around with that demon?”
“The matter is too complicated to explain in a short time,” Yin Huizhi stated calmly. “Young Master Chu, I want to ask you one thing. When the Ouyang clan was exterminated back then, you should have been part of the suppression force. Do you know how Ouyang Yi lost his hand?”
Chu Huizheng initially thought he was changing the subject and felt quite angry, but after hearing the question, he knit his brows. “Why are you asking about this? You are so close with Ji Huixue, has he never told you?”
“The moment that madman heard us say we wanted to take him back to the Guanlan Sect, he refused at all costs. Later in the middle of the night, he used a dagger to sever his own arm.”
Speaking to this point, Chu Huizheng seemed to recall a disgusting scene, and his eyebrows knit even tighter.
Yin Huizhi remained quiet for a long while.
After a long time, he finally asked softly, “That day, did you happen to see whether Ji Huixue was wearing a signet ring on his hand?”
Chu Huizheng frowned and thought for a moment, then replied impatiently, “It was such a long time ago, who would still remember? Besides, it was just a signet ring. If you want to know, why do you not just ask him directly? Did he not come down the mountain to look for you long ago?”
That sickening sensation of wanting to vomit appeared once more. Yin Huizhi’s face turned as pale as a sheet of paper, and he did not make a sound for a long time.
Sensing that something was wrong, Fu Huiyi reached out to grab his arm. “Senior Brother, what is wrong with you?”
Suddenly, the sharp whistle of a signal talisman exploding echoed from afar. Several unfamiliar faces, mixed with a few familiar ones, appeared in the distance. They drew their swords upon seeing them but did not dare to step forward.
The signal talisman had been set off by them, and more people were likely to pursue them shortly.
With a sharp clang, Chu Huizheng drew his sword and launched a few moves toward Yin Huizhi. Yin Huizhi barely managed to evade them, hearing him lower his voice.
“The cultivation world’s anti-Xie alliance is pursuing us. Yin Huizhi, if you still possess even a shred of judgment and brains, stay far away from that fellow! Do not let Huiyi worry over your matters!”
Yin Huizhi drew his sword to parry. “Chu Huizheng, protect Huiyi well.”
Chu Huizheng thrust his sword forward. “Nonsense, that goes without saying.”
“Watch out for Ji Huixue,” Yin Huizhi added.
Chu Huizheng’s strike missed, and his brows knit together. He wanted to ask Yin Huizhi what he meant by those words, but he watched as Xie Ling grabbed Yin Huizhi’s wrist, and subsequently, both of them vanished into thin air.
Yin Huizhi and Xie Ling departed in the opposite direction. However, just as they reached the edge of the city, they were blocked by another group of people.
The people who arrived here were on a completely different level compared to the minor figures from earlier.
Daoist Master Linyin stood at the very front of the human wall, his gaze looking at them with a detached and icy coldness, as if looking at two dead objects.
Ji Huixue’s gentle and elegant face, which had caused his entire body to turn cold not long ago, was also among them, standing right beside Daoist Master Linyin.
The two of them resembled the most flawless master and disciple pair in the world, their white robes exceeding snow and their sleeves fluttering in the wind. One was ice-cold and unfeeling, while the other was gentle and compassionate.
Behind them stood faces that carried renowned reputations throughout the lands: the various elders of Guanlan, the sect master of the Xiaoyao Sect, representing the Four Families and Three Sects.
Every single one of them had arrived.
Yin Huizhi and Ji Huixue locked eyes across the distance for a moment. The other man’s expression was still filled with deep concern, as though everything prior was merely a figment of Yin Huizhi’s imagination.
His fingers clenched tightly enough to nearly draw blood. He suddenly turned his head to ask Xie Ling, “Regional Lord, can we win this fight?”
Xie Ling laughed softly. “We can win, but this body cannot endure it. If we fight today, we leave tomorrow.”
Yin Huizhi took a deep breath and grabbed his hand tightly. “Run!”
The hundred experts behind them were dumbfounded. They never expected that the recently infamous Regional Lord of the Qinyin Ghost Realm would turn and run the moment he saw them. After freezing for two seconds, they shouted fiercely, “Pursue them!”
To the west of Fucheng lay land, to the east lay the sea, and to the north lay a cliff.
They were forced toward the northeast.
Fierce winds howled wildly at the edge of the cliff, and looking down revealed an abyss of countless feet, bottomless to the sight.
With a resonant chime, Daoist Master Linyin drew his sword, its light reflecting the sun. His voice was as cold as shattered jade from Mount Kun. “Vile disciple, turn back and find the shore.”
Yin Huizhi tilted his head. “So Master still recognizes me as your disciple?”
Daoist Master Linyin remained silent.
Yin Huizhi smiled faintly. “But I no longer wish to recognize you as my master. Daoist Master Linyin, please conduct yourself with self-respect.”
He turned his head. Xie Ling’s ink-black hair was whipped up by the wind, flying wildly through the air. On that fair and handsome face, his features, distinct like ink wash painting, were lightly lowered.
He was looking at him.
When they first met, Yin Huizhi felt that the other man’s hair resembled man-eating black vines or spider silk set for hunting.
But at this moment, as the howling sea wind whipped up Xie Ling’s hair during their rapid descent, the strands drifting upward from below gently caressed his face.
They felt just like willow branches in the month of March.