It was Lin Fengfei and the other Lingyun Mountain disciples returning to find them. However, A-Yin crossed his arms over his chest and muttered indignantly, “To return only now don’t you think it’s a bit too late?”
If he hadn’t returned earlier to help Yue Xichen, things might have gone very wrong for him. A-Yin wasn’t looking for credit; he simply felt that both he and Lin Fengfei were Yue Xichen’s personal disciples. As the disciple with the best aptitude and highest cultivation in their generation, Lin Fengfei was deeply valued by Yue Xichen.
Anyone else could have abandoned Yue Xichen, but Lin Fengfei, of all people, should not have done so.
However, when A-Yin turned to look at Yue Xichen, he saw that Yue Xichen’s beautiful face held not a trace of blame for Lin Fengfei. Instead, it was filled with relief—because Lin Fengfei and the other Lingyun Mountain disciples had returned to his side safe and sound.
“Master!”
Lin Fengfei landed in front of Yue Xichen and cupped his hands. “I am sorry, Master. The disciple failed to subdue the Divine Weapon ‘Jing-Lei’ (Startling Thunder). It… was snatched away by the demonic cultivators of the Blood Spirit Sect.”
As he said this, Lin Fengfei gritted his teeth, his face full of unwillingness.
He had been determined to secure the divine weapon Jing-Lei, but unfortunately, Luo Feiyu had opposed him at every turn. Compared to wanting the weapon for himself, Luo Feiyu seemed more intent on preventing Lin Fengfei from obtaining it, as if it didn’t matter who ended up with Jing-Lei, provided it did not fall into the hands of Lingyun Mountain.
In the end, due to the interference of Luo Feiyu and the disciples of the Xuanqing Sect, Jing-Lei, which had been within reach, was stolen by the ambushing demonic cultivators. Lin Fengfei was furious.
Yet, Luo Feiyu and the others looked smug, completely unconcerned that a divine weapon had fallen into the hands of demonic cultivators.
“That is how it happened, Master. This time, it was entirely the Xuanqing Sect’s obstruction; otherwise, your disciple would have secured Jing-Lei long ago!”
Seeing that Lin Fengfei remained bitter, Yue Xichen waved his hand and comforted him, “What is done is done; do not dwell on it too much. Since you already possess ‘Leng-Shuo’ (Cold-Lock), failing to obtain Jing-Lei can only be attributed to a lack of destiny.”
“…Yes, this disciple understands…” Lin Fengfei said the words, but his heart remained heavy.
Although he was a prodigy of Lingyun Mountain and the best among his peers, his only divine weapon, Leng-Shuo, had not been subdued by him personally.
Back in the Qinggu Secret Realm, he had confronted Leng-Shuo but was constantly suppressed by it. In the end, he was nearly defeated by the weapon when Yue Xichen intervened and subdued it.
Therefore, in truth, the real master of Leng-Shuo should have been Yue Xichen.
But since Yue Xichen already possessed ‘Yin-Yue’ (Silver Moon) and ‘Luo-Hua’ (Falling Blossoms), he gave Leng-Shuo to Lin Fengfei.
Lin Fengfei always felt that, although he had become the master of Leng-Shuo, the weapon did not always acknowledge him, and there was always an unbridgeable chasm between them.
Because of this, Lin Fengfei had been determined this time to prove his own strength and subdue a divine weapon personally.
Yet, he had failed.
Biting his lower lip, Lin Fengfei was filled with hostility from head to toe.
Yue Xichen noticed that Lin Fengfei could not move past the blow of losing the divine weapon, but he did not know how to comfort him. Furthermore, he had something else on his mind:
Why did the demonic cultivators of the Blood Spirit Sect want to snatch the divine weapon?
The Blood Spirit Sect practiced the Demonic Path; did they have another use for a divine weapon?
“Master, what are you thinking about?”
Noticing Yue Xichen lost in thought, A-Yin asked with concern.
Yue Xichen came back to his senses. “It is nothing.”
“Who are you?!”
It was only at this moment that Lin Fengfei noticed the person standing next to Yue Xichen.
A-Yin met Lin Fengfei’s gaze and pointed at the tip of his own nose. “It’s me, A-Yin.”
“What?!” Lin Fengfei was greatly shocked, and the other Lingyun Mountain disciples were completely stunned.
Standing before them was a beautiful young man whose appearance was only slightly inferior to Yue Xichen’s. The young man was tall, with dashing silver hair, sword-like eyebrows, and star-bright eyes he was imposing and heroic.
There was not a single resemblance to A-Yin!
“You… you are really A-Yin? But A-Yin is not…” For a moment, Lin Fengfei found it hard to believe.
In his eyes, A-Yin was a hopeless case. He had started his training only a little later than Lin Fengfei, yet his cultivation was poor, his appearance was mediocre, and he didn’t even seem to grow older. He was simply a freak of Lingyun Mountain.
Although they were both personal disciples of Yue Xichen, Lin Fengfei had never put A-Yin in his eyes—at least, that was how it used to be.
However, during this trip to the Beiyun Secret Realm, Lin Fengfei was surprised to discover that Yue Xichen had actually given his personal divine weapon, Yin-Yue, to A-Yin. Now, seeing A-Yin suddenly transformed, Lin Fengfei couldn’t help but feel a surge of intense competitiveness.
“Are you A-Yin? Are you really A-Yin?”
“Isn’t this change a bit too extreme?”
“But he does look good like this! Handsome and dashing…”
“Even his white hair has become like silver hair; it looks so noble.”
A few Lingyun Mountain disciples couldn’t help but crowd around A-Yin, looking him up and down.
A-Yin was no longer the person he used to be. Not only did he have Yin-Yue by his side, but he had also turned into a handsome man, naturally becoming the center of attention.
“Tsk!” Lin Fengfei clicked his tongue. “What is there to be proud of?”
No matter how good his appearance became, it could not change the fact that his cultivation was low.
“The Beiyun Secret Realm is about to close; we should leave as soon as possible,” Yue Xichen said.
“As you command, Master.”
As soon as A-Yin finished speaking, Yin-Yue immediately lay obediently in front of him.
Lin Fengfei watched from the side, his eyebrows tightly locked, feeling uncomfortable. He knew that among the divine weapons, Yin-Yue had a notoriously fiery temper, far more formidable than his own Leng-Shuo. Yet, at this very moment, it was obediently following the orders of A-Yin—a Qi Refining stage cultivator.
Was this also arranged by Master?
While Lin Fengfei was secretly jealous of A-Yin, A-Yin did not even glance at him. His gaze remained fixated on Yue Xichen.
“Master…” He grabbed Yue Xichen’s hand and, without allowing for argument, pulled him onto Yin-Yue.
“A-Yin, what are you…”
“Master, you are injured; it is better for you to share a sword with me.”
“But my injuries are already…”
Seeing Yue Xichen speak so earnestly, A-Yin panicked, his tongue tripping over his words. “Th-that… I am not good at controlling Yin-Yue, and I need your help, Master.”
In the end, A-Yin simply wanted to share a sword with him.
Yue Xichen was silent for a moment before nodding. “Very well.”
And so, A-Yin finally got his wish and, feeling immensely pleased, flew out of the Beiyun Secret Realm with Yue Xichen on Yin-Yue.
A-Yin and Yue Xichen flew in front, with Lin Fengfei and the others following closely behind.
If it had been before, when A-Yin was still a child, flying on the same sword with Yue Xichen would have given the impression that Yue Xichen was protecting the weak and incompetent A-Yin.
But now, A-Yin had grown up, standing behind Yue Xichen and even being slightly taller than him.
Lin Fengfei gazed at A-Yin’s back, having the illusion that he had been left far behind. He tried several times to overtake A-Yin with his sword, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t catch up, which made him gnash his teeth in anger.
They flew all the way back to Lingyun Mountain. The entire mountain was more concerned with why A-Yin had suddenly transformed than with the gains from the Beiyun Secret Realm.
“A-Yin, you… what happened to you…” Zhan Ning looked A-Yin up and down several times, his eyes almost popping out.
“It is said that one should look at an old friend with new eyes after three days of parting…” A-Yin put his hands on his hips, looking proud.
“Did something happen to you in the Beiyun Secret Realm?” Zhan Ning suddenly grabbed A-Yin’s shoulders with both hands and asked with deep worry.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Don’t worry.” A-Yin felt as if his shoulders were about to be crushed by Zhan Ning. “I am truly fine. It’s just that I slept with Master in the secret realm, and when I woke up, I turned into this.”
“Cough! Cough, cough, cough…”
Yue Xichen, who was standing with Su Muzhi and Li Yan, was choked violently by his own saliva upon hearing A-Yin’s explanation.
Hearing Yue Xichen’s non-stop coughing, A-Yin suddenly realized that what he had just said was very easy to misunderstand.
He glanced at Yue Xichen out of the corner of his eye and seemed to see a faint flush across Yue Xichen’s jade-like face.
It was incredibly beautiful.
Never mind, it wouldn’t be bad even if people misunderstood; it wasn’t as if he was the one at a disadvantage anyway.
A-Yin’s mind was entirely on Yue Xichen, completely failing to notice that Zhan Ning beside him had lowered his head, wearing a rare, thoughtful expression.
“Senior Brother… Senior Brother?”
“Ah…” Zhan Ning finally returned to his senses.
“What are you thinking about so intently?” A-Yin asked curiously.
“It’s nothing.” Zhan Ning shook his head, his face returning to his usual gentle smile. “I am just happy for you! Look, not only do you have Yin-Yue, but you also turned into a handsome man overnight…”
“And what if he is a handsome man? Isn’t he still just a pretty face with no substance?”
“Exactly! And how can a Qi Refining stage cultivator control Yin-Yue? Master is truly partial!”
Before Zhan Ning could finish, they heard some fellow disciples mocking him.
A-Yin tilted his head toward the sound. The first person he saw was Lin Fengfei.
The words had not been spoken by Lin Fengfei, but by one of his little followers, though A-Yin knew very well that the two were conveying Lin Fengfei’s intent.
“Junior Brother Sect Leader, I think those two are right.” At this moment, Li Yan’s deep, stern voice rang out, instantly silencing the noisy surroundings.
Yue Xichen pressed his thin lips together, speechless.
Previously, the reason he had disguised Yin-Yue as a stone sword was because he did not want disciples in the sect to think he was favoring A-Yin. But he hadn’t expected Yin-Yue to unseal itself in public, making it impossible to hide anymore.
“A-Yin is your closing disciple, Junior Brother Sect Leader; it is understandable that you have a bias. But his cultivation is truly too low; he simply cannot control Yin-Yue.”
“I did not…” Yue Xichen wanted to defend himself, but the moment he spoke, his voice lost its conviction.
Hearing the underlying accusation in Li Yan’s words that Yue Xichen was being unfair, A-Yin took a giant step forward, grabbed Yue Xichen’s hand, and pulled him behind himself.
Yue Xichen’s long eyelashes fluttered as he stared blankly at the back of A-Yin’s head, feeling an indescribable emotion in his heart.
A-Yin… has really grown up!
His slender, fair fingers reached out toward A-Yin’s back, but his fingertips curled into a fist before actually touching him.
Yue Xichen thought to himself, A-Yin’s back must be much firmer than he had imagined.
Seeing A-Yin boldly insert himself between him and Yue Xichen, Li Yan sneered, “A-Yin, this is no place for you to speak. Step back.”