Qingyu seemed to have been frightened by something, staring with wide eyes at the hands clasped together between the two of them.
???
He had thought that given this master’s temperament, even upon seeing their captain, he would only walk coldly past him. How could he possibly shake hands back and even casually introduce his name?
However, the master was actually named Zhou Qing? What a nice-sounding name, really.
Hearing the young man’s voice and seeing the young man’s hand, Li Lin froze quite noticeably.
His heart felt as though it was tightly gripped by some invisible, destined force, leaving him somewhat unable to breathe.
The person before him was so familiar that, even though he wore a mask and his entire body was concealed by that long robe, it involuntarily flashed an unforgettable face across Li Lin’s mind.
The scene of that person covered in blood and hanging pale upon a cross still felt as vivid as if it were right before his eyes.
Li Lin’s pair of phoenix-like eyes suddenly turned blood-red. The hand gripping Yun Qingzhou’s tightened unconsciously, and his voice was hoarse and trembling, as if he were exercising the utmost restraint:
“Who are you?”
“…”
“Is that you back again? Xiao Zhou.”
Yun Qingzhou’s hand was gripped so tightly that it ached. His eyelids twitched. Sure enough, he hadn’t changed his body, and the male lead had already begun suspecting his identity.
However, logically speaking, he should have been dead for several years by now, right? Was the male lead really still that familiar with his aura?
Still, he definitely could not admit his identity.
Zhou Qing slightly lifted his eyelids, radiating a cold chill all over, seeming extremely displeased with the sudden intrusion by the man before him.
Seeing this, Qingyu knew this might be the precursor to the master flying into a rage, so he hurriedly pulled on Li Lin’s arm and tugged him back a bit:
“Captain, what are you talking about? The master’s name is Zhou Qing!”
Noticing that the atmosphere was off, one of the other team members also chimed in:
“Yeah, yeah, this is Zhou Qing. Captain, did you mistake him for someone else?”
“The vice-captain died several years ago.”
Realizing what he had just said, that team member instantly clamped his mouth shut, and the few people beside him glared at him with exhausted looks.
The chattering voices by his ear finally brought Li Lin back to his senses. He let out Yun Qingzhou’s hand, closed his eyes for a moment, and forced all the dark emotions back down to the depths of his gaze.
Li Lin: “Apologies, it was abrupt of me.”
Zhou Qing gave the man a faint glance and ignored him, acting as though he didn’t care about what had just happened. He turned around and walked toward the town.
Li Lin stood frozen in place, gazing fixedly at the young man’s retreating back. Suddenly, he smiled, a smile bitter and desolate.
Even his back is so similar. Is it really not you?
Zhou Qing, Qingzhou, could it be that you take me for a three-year-old child?
Xiao Zhou, if it truly is you, I will never let you leave me again in this lifetime.
Li Lin sighed, suppressing those fanatical and restless urges, and lifted his feet to follow Yun Qingzhou’s pace, paying zero regard to the life or death of the few members behind him and leaving them staring at each other in dismay on the spot.
“Is the captain missing the vice-captain so much that he’s gone mad? Zhou Qing’s personality is so cold, while the vice-captain was so gentle. The two of them have nothing in common at all. How on earth did the captain mistake someone else for him?”
“Probably so. It’s already been four years, and the captain still hasn’t walked out of the grief. Sigh.”
“I still can’t believe the person the captain likes is actually the vice-captain. But then again, with the vice-captain’s looks, even I as a guy would flutter my heart upon seeing him. It’s just such a pity.”
“Stop talking, let’s go up the mountain and call the rest of the people over. As for the captain, let’s hope he comes to his senses quickly and doesn’t end up ticking off Zhou Qing.”
Walking into the town, Yun Qingzhou discovered that the people within the town were pitifully sparse. Only a few open shops could be seen guarded by a few NPCs, while not a single pedestrian walked the streets.
Hurried footsteps sounded from behind. Yun Qingzhou knew the male lead had caught up, but he had no intention of paying him any mind, lifting his foot to step straight into a shop.
Unfazed by Yun Qingzhou’s indifference, Li Lin followed honestly behind the young man, completely forgetting about the team members still searching for the two of them on the street.
A few wooden boxes were piled at the entrance of the shop, making it impossible to tell what was packed inside, except for the faint blood oozing from the bottom that caught Li Lin’s eye for a second before he refocused his attention on the young man not far ahead.
He saw that the young man had already walked up to the counter, opposite which stood a hot-figured female NPC. Seeing a customer arrive, a radiant and deeply alluring smile bloomed across the female NPC’s face.
Noticing this, Li Lin’s gaze darkened. With a quick stride of his long legs, he stepped forward and blocked half of the young man’s body behind him.
Yun Qingzhou narrowed his eyes slightly, stepping back two steps with a sense of speechlessness to put some distance between himself and the male lead.
Sensing the young man’s withdrawal, Li Lin felt a trace of bitterness in his heart. Immediately afterward, he heard the female NPC before them let out a sudden, light chuckle as she asked:
“Are the two gentlemen staying for lodgings or buying goods?”
Before Li Lin could speak, he heard the young man behind him say: “Lodgings.”
Hearing this, the female NPC nodded, the smile on her face remaining entirely standard. Out of nowhere, she tossed out a question: “Where do the two of you come from?”
Li Lin frowned, sensing that this female NPC’s attitude was somewhat strange, but still replied: “From out of town.”
Whatever triggered the female NPC, her aura abruptly shifted. The smile on her face expanded wider and wider until her entire mouth split open, turning bloody and looking exceptionally terrifying.
The female NPC stared fixedly at Li Lin and Yun Qingzhou, as if she intended to swallow them whole.
“Outsiders, how did you get in?”
“How could God allow such filthy creatures like you to enter?”
The female NPC roared directly, the skin on her face continuously decaying as her originally pretty and beautiful face instantly turned sickening to behold.
Seeing that the female NPC was about to transform into a monster, Li Lin summoned his short blade with quick eyes and swift hands. With a single flash of his hand, the female NPC’s head dropped to the ground, losing all luster in her eyes as she died completely.
Qingyu and the others, arriving fashionably late, witnessed their captain cleanly slicing off the female NPC’s head and immediately started showering him with flattering praise as they drew closer.
“As expected of the captain, spotting that this NPC had issues at a single glance.”
“Exactly, exactly! The captain truly has eyes like torches!”
On the surface, Li Lin maintained the cold and serious composure of a captain, but internally he felt that the flattery was exceptionally satisfying. He gave a light cough and said:
“Alright, that’s enough of that.”
“A few of you, come tidy up this shop. We’ll rest and regroup right here tonight.”
With those words, Li Lin turned back to look at Yun Qingzhou, wanting to ask for the young man’s thoughts, only to see the young man lifting his foot to walk right past him toward the entrance.