Chapter 252 (2/2)
Silence spread between them
”Since when are you so concerned about the Heir's well-being, h's jaw clicked shut
”I- I was just…”
Zi Yuan jiějie laughed heartily
”S- Stop laughing already,” Ruan Hongling mumbled with a pout
”Well… You need not worry about the Heir, Hongling,” Zi Yuan jiějie said once she had stopped laughing”We're talking about a man who has recently been exposed to countless bolts of Heavenly Thunder, both in real life and the sinificant increase in y, and I was only exposed to a few bolts”
Ruan Hongling stared at her mentor, too stunned to speak
Zi Yuan jiějie sling nodded weakly and began to
After a while, Ruan Hongling let out a long sigh”So let ave Zi Yuan jiějie an incredulous look”Our job is to plant ourselves within the Great Six and then essentially act as double agents, restore the goodwill between the Linggong Sect and the ather intel about Su Chan and Ao Wushuang, feed said intel to the Heir, save Bahuang, engage in battle with a bunch of angry fox spirits, keep an eye on the Heir to ensure that the Jindan reather news about Yan-shībó?”
The subtlest of sraced Zi Yuan jiějie's lips”Pretty aped”This is crazy, Zi Yuan jiějieLikeInsane”
Zi Yuan jiějie chuckled”Fun fact, HonglingThings have been crazy ever since the Heir ca shook her head in disbelief
InsaneCompletely, and irrevocably nuts
Crisis
BedPillowCeilinghello Kitty piggy bankHo lips as he drifted into wakefulness
I made it, Chan'erI kept ot out of bed and stretched his ary bank clinked as it rolled on the 's chestLowering his ary bank and studied its shi+ny surface, wondering how Su Chan would react if he brought the piggy bank along to their long-awaited reunionWhat was it that Su Chan had always called the piggy bank again?
hello Keedee
Cute
Li Yundong brought the piggy bank towards his desk and set it downThen, he walked out of his bedroo roo around until he located the Fan of Seven Treasures lying on the coffee tableSunlight trickled in fro the apartment armthScattered across the floor were the remnants of his (and Zi Yuan's) last-ditch effort frohtHe had co; and so close to dying
A wave of sadness crept into his chest
Zi Yuan…
The wo so, she had lost not only the jade plate, but another one of her eaboutZi Yuan had told him repeatedly not to worry about her sacrifices and to respect the choice that she had willingly madeHe did respect her choice, and he sincerely appreciated her sacrifices
But still…
Li Yundong shook off his negativity and forced hiood that resulted from this whole ordeal: friendshi+p; loyalty; trust; personal growth; and respect
Indeed, Zi Yuan had now become a valued friend and a trusted ally
And he would repay herSo help him God he would repay herAnd thanks to Zi Yuan finally opening up to hi hi Yuanshan's word for it and do everything in his power to help Zi Yuan achieve transcendence
A loud buzzing ainst the coffee tableZi Yuan htThe caller ID surprised hi down, he picked up the phone and answered the call
”Good , Zhou QinHow are you?”
For a few seconds, the sounds of breathing was all he could hear
”hello?” Li Yundong frowned”Zhou Qin? Are you there—”
”Can we 's eyes narrowedWhy did she sound so breathless?
”Uh, sure,” he said carefully”Campus?”
”Y-Yeah, okay…” There was a pause”Campus… Caht? You sound a little—”
The call ended with a loud click
Li Yundong lowered the phone and stared at the screen for aup on hiain, but Zhou Qin had shut off her phone
Seriously, what the hell?
Li Yundong sighed and pocketed his phoneFor ato check her, but then thought better of it
It was obvious that so could only co up againTwo, perhaps she had a fight with Uncle Zhou and needed soh he didn't understand why she couldn't just tell him over the phoneThe third possibility was decidedly the worst: the Hé faain
”shi+t…”
Li Yundong grabbed his backpack frorab the Fan of Seven TreasuresOnce the fan was secured inside his backpack, he left the apartet in touch with Zi Yuan later to find out where the Fox Zen School wasBut he had to ht first
The journey to ca the dayAs he walked past the gates, he called Zhou Qin's phone againAlas, her phone was still turned off, so he had no idea where they shouldwent to the cafeteria first, since it was the
Zhou Qin wasn't there
GeezCouldn't she at least set a h, he pulled out his phone to check for any textplace
No new , he pulled up his contact lists and scrolled through it, wondering who Nan's na out the other nightWhy would she knohere Zhou Qin was?
In the end, Li Yundong decided to call Feng NaNeedless to say, Feng Na was her usual bubbly self
”Yo, Li Yundong! I haven't seen you in al, PrezHey, um… Have you seen Zhou Qin today?”
”Err… NoNo, I haven't,” Feng Na said”Not today… Oh, guess what! She's been back for a week, you know? And she's reat?”
Yes, that was greatSuper greatAnd it would be even better if she wasn't acting so weird
”Can you help me ask around? See if any of your friends have seen her today?” Li Yundong shook his head”This is urgent”
There was a long pause
”Hey… Is sohed”She called just now and asked me to meet her in campus, but she didn't say where”
”H Na
”Yeah? Tell me about it,” he muttered under his breath
”Well, I did see her yesterday,” Feng Na said”She was… I don't know, she see and I asked her to join us for lunch, but she declined” There was a pause”I think she left the campus after that”
”She see frowned
”Yeah”
”Did she seem… stressed out?”
”Err… I wouldn't say stressed out?” Feng Na paused”More like depressed”
”Did any—” Li Yundong checked hi Na about the Hé fa cleared his throat”Did anyone come to talk to her recently?”
”You mean other students? Well, we don't attend the saht? I'm sure she's talked to a lot of students since her return—”
”NoI don't mean other students”
”Oh”
He could tell that Feng Na was confused
Li Yundong sighed”damnHow should I even put this? Um… Did anyone from outside the campus come to see her? Like… Men in suits?”
”Men in suits?”
”YeahLike…”
”Like powerful people, you rew quiet for a few seconds”The only person that fit the men-in-suits criteria is her dad” There was another pause”On the first day of her return, Cheng Cheng and I walked her out after classHer dad was there to pick her up”
”And that's it?”
”Yeah” Feng Na paused”Why are you asking all this? Is everything alright?”
”Oh, noEverything's fine,” Li Yundong said in a faux cheery tone, which probably wasn't fooling Feng Na at all”Just… Just give me a call if you see her, okay?”
”U and my other friends if they've seen her”
”Thanks, Prez! I owe you one”
He hung up and made his way towards the cafeteria's exitOn the way towards the acade, he took a detour and headed towards the copse of trees near the acade he once had a private azebo was elanced up at the sky”She isn't here”
He pulled out his phone and checked for any newNa, not Zhou Qin:
Asked Cheng ChengDidn't see her today eitherStill waiting for my other friends to replyGood luck in your search
Li Yundong flicked a quick thank-you text and pocketed his phone again
At the ground floor of the acadeuy fro! Haven't seen you in a week, man! How have you been? Oh, and nice performance the other—”
”Listen, have you seen Zhou Qin?”
The guy beamed”Oh yeah, I did! Saw her when she ca raised of his hand to silence the guy”I uy shook his head”Er… NoI haven't seen her today”
Li Yundong's heart sank
”But a buddy of aze snapped up”Where?”
”My buddy ran into her at the staircase leading to the rooftop,” said the guy”My buddy was couessing she's at the rooftop?”
The rooftop
Li Yundong's blood ran coldHe stepped forward and grabbed the guy's shoulder”When was this?”
”Uo? Sorry, manI can't really tell you the exact tiuy's shoulder and moved away”Thanks”
”Err… You're welco ran up the staircase as fast as he couldThe door leading to the rooftop was closedLi Yundong ran up the reht of stairs and reached for the door knob
During his cab ride to ca he would feel when he saw Zhou Qin was reliefAs it turned out, he rongDead wrong
Because the ht on top of the rooftop's ledge
Li Yundong did the first thing that ca forward and launched his Zhenqi towards Zhou Qin's figure
When he heard Zhou Qin's loud yelp, he knew that his Qi Kinesis had found its targetHe pulled his Zhenqi towards his body and puure crashed into his chest
Li Yundong lowered his stance to steady them both
”What the hell is theyelled”Are you out of your dalassy eyes, her lips tre ran a hand through his hair”After everything you've been through, you still want to throw your life away?!” Li Yundong swung his arm in a wide arc”Open your eyes and look at yourself! You've recovered! You're standing and walking again! You're healed! Don't you kno lucky you are?”
”Y- You thought I was going to ju stared at the girlIs she for real? Seriously?
”What the hell was I supposed to think?!” Li Yundong pointed a finger towards the ledge”You were depressedAnd you were standing right there, looking like you were about to jump!”
A smile pulled across Zhou Qin's lips”Y- You orried about e to reach over and shake soirl
”Of course I orried! This is the seventh floor! What happens if your head hits the ground first—”
”Do you love hed and rose to her feetOnce she was up, she walked over until she was standing directly in front of hilanced up at him from under her lashes”Do you love me?”
So it was finally here, the inevitable talk
Li Yundong sighed”Look, Zhou Qin…”
”Please just…” Zhou Qin grabbed his hand”Please just tell ht into his eyes”Do you loveshook his head”No”
He could see the look of resignation gathering in Zhou Qin's eyes right then, along with the tears that she had no doubt been holding back
A drop of tear slid down Zhou Qin's cheek, and she sniffed
”Zhou Qin… Look, I'm sorry, okay? I just—”
Zhou Qin clamped her hand over his mouth
”Please, don’t” Tears swa”
Resigned, Li Yundong nodded, and Zhou Qin removed her hand from his lips thenMoments passed in silenceFro her tears and taking in deep breaths
A minute or so passed before Zhou Qin returned to stand in front of hi now, and she seemed calave him a sad smile”I can see itI can see how much you love herAnd I…” Zhou Qin cleared her throat”I have no intention of coaze”Truly, I don'tYou two are happy together, and I can see that”
Li Yundong continued to stare at Zhou Qin without saying a single wordHe had no idea that his skepticism had shown on his face until he heard Zhou Qin's next words
”I care about her too, you know?” Zhou Qin gave him another sad smile”Su ChanI care about her tooAnd… And I kno s between you two”
This suckedThis legitihed”Zhou Qin…”
”Shh!” Zhou Qin raised her finger”Just… I need to say this”
Li Yundong nodded for her to go on
”I only have one request”
”Na said
”Don't cutfrowned”Of course I' to cut you out of my lifeYou're my friend—”
”I don't want to be just your friend,” Zhou Qin said
Li Yundong stared at her for a few seconds, then shook his head tiredly”Then what are you saying?”
”Take 's head shot upZhou Qin's expression was dead seriousNot that the idea hadn't crossed his mind beforeHe'd already decided to teach Zhou Qin the basics of Cultivation one way or anotherHe just didn't expect Zhou Qin to be the one to bring it up
Zhou Qin sighed”After witnessing what happened at the perforlance at his face, then sighed again”I spent so raised a brow”Research?”
Zhou Qin nodded”Like… The teries that you and Zi Yuan often usedAll that Qi-control things that you talked about back at the hospitalI researched the towards the edge of the rooftopAlar reached out and seized her arm
Zhou Qin turned his head and s to ju eyed her suspiciously until Zhou Qin rolled her eyes and turned back around
”I know that you and Zi Yuan have powers,” Zhou Qin said when she was standing in front of hi is that I know that you're Cultivators”
Li Yundong gave her a resigned smile
”Will you accept azed at hiave her a stern look”But on one condition”
Zhou Qin kept staring at hi for him to state his condition
”You never ever try to kill yourself again,” Li Yundong said firmly”EverDo you understand?”
Zhou Qin nodded
”Good” Li Yundong sighed”Life is precious, okay? Don't throw your life awayJust don't”
He knew just how precious life wasHe nearly lost his last night despite how hard he had foughtSo he knew
”I swear I will never try to takenodded”Then, yesI accept you as my disciple”
”Thank you, Master”
Li Yundong flopped onto the couch uncere off the edge of the cushi+onA soft thud sounded a second laterHis backpack had fallen off
While the apart's mind was far fro his conversation with Zhou Qin on the rooftopTo be honest, he still didn't knohat to feel about everythingAll he kneas that he needed tofroe, yet oddly fa sat up on the couch and looked towards the balconyHe squinted
Hey… Isn't that…
Li Yundong sprang to his feet and pushed away fro door, a paper crane flew into the living roomHe halted his steps, and watched the paper crane circle above his head
As he held out his hand, there was only one thought going through his mindA name
Chan'er, Chan'er, Chan'er…
The paper crane landed on his pal found hi an all too faeCo to wipe out the Fox Zen SchoolSu Chan in danger
Fox Zen School located soht have to find the entrance on your ownLook for Taoist te and I are with the Great SixUndercoverWill pretend to join the assault to gather intel from the inside
Remember: We are on your side
Basic facts:
Ao Wushuang and Su Chan both —exact status unknown
The Great Six has spies inside the Fox Zen School—Mo Ahshi+ is one of theThe sword is still 's ally but has yet to reveal that information to the members of the Great Six
Mo Ahshi+ is unaware that I was the one defending you that night when she attacked you
Exact ti—
Nu the assault equivalent to a sests:
Ao Wushuang ot captured
Su ChanBecause eneht've escaped with the shen Ao Wushuang was captured
Su Chan could still be hiding inside (or so
No evidence that she was captured, but still a possibilityTherefore, start search froSee where the clues lead you to
Head of Fox Zen School most likely aware of the assaultThat’s why you can't find entrance—concealment spell was activatedThe Great Six's assault force will rely on Mo Ahshi+'s tip to locate the entrance
Head of Fox Zen School ignorant of Mo Ahshi+'s betrayal
Mo Ahshi+ has her own agendas—she has withheld iendas unknown, but stealing Bahuang is definitely one of them
The Great Six's objective is to destroy the Fox Zen SchoolExactto do with the Renyuan Jindan
Things to beware of:
Mobilize Adolescent Yang Qi to Vital Orb: Mask Jindan's Aura at all tiht detect youYou have the elee
Do not try to coht break our coverNot safe
Don't bother with phonesMountain = No signalYour Eryue far more powerful compared to othersKeep it activated at all timesWe will find ways to pass intel to you
Top priority = rescue Su ChanBut if possible, take out as her chance for Su Chan to survive
Word regarding the assault has spread to Cultivation worldA lot of Cultivators froht show upThese are lowly Cultivators intent on pillage—Fox Zen School has lots of ical weapons and treasures hidden inside their vaultsStay sharp, and trust no one other thanKeep a close eye on the Fan of Seven Treasures
This is of the ut else on hold and co and I will be there, but we both need to maintain our coversOur hands are tied, so you have to be the one to rescue Su Chan
You will be walking into a warzone, so stay sharpAnd re this e, channel your Zhenqi into the paper
Good luck, and stay positive
—Zi Yuan
The paper burst into fla's Zhenqiashes in front of his eyes
Not my Chan'er, you brutesNot my Chan'er