Chapter 26: Junior Brother Feng, You Couldn’t Be…

Bai Linghan was dragged along by the Demon Beast, finally arriving at a stiflingly hot cave.

The Demon Beast had no concept of tender care. It casually tossed Bai Linghan into a corner of the cave and rustled back out.

Bai Linghan’s hands and feet were bound, and he couldn’t move at all. He smashed directly into the cave wall, a warmth trickling down from his forehead.

“Damn it…” Bai Linghan gritted his teeth and sat up, enduring the sharp pain in his head as he lifted his gaze to survey his surroundings.

The cave was quite dark; not a single glimmer of light could be seen. The temperature was abnormally high, and he could faintly smell some unpleasant odors.

Bai Linghan didn’t know where he was and could only think of how to escape first. Fortunately, his Green Water Sword was still with him. Carefully, Bai Linghan summoned the Green Water Sword and lightly slashed it against the branch binding him–

Not a single white mark appeared.

Bai Linghan hadn’t expected the branch to be so durable. He couldn’t help but frown. He controlled his Green Water Sword to hack at the branch with more force, but unexpectedly, it produced a loud “Clang!”

The Demon Beast noticed the commotion. Outside the cave, the rustling sounds came again.

Bai Linghan’s expression changed. He held his breath and quieted his breathing, hoping the Demon Beast would leave quickly.

But in a moment, the shadows of branches began to appear on the stone walls at the cave entrance, spreading in layers into the cave. A sudden unease grew in Bai Linghan’s heart; these branches were clearly coming in with a purpose.

Watching the branches approach, Bai Linghan didn’t dare to move. His gaze swept rapidly around and fell on Wang Jianbai, lying not far away, his life or death unknown.

In that instant, the branches had already spread above their heads, starting to probe toward them. A ruthlessness flashed in Bai Linghan’s eyes. Without hesitation, he kicked Wang Jianbai toward the direction of the branches.

The sudden sound agitated the branches, which shot rapidly toward its source. On the other side, Wang Jianbai was kicked awake. However, the first thing he saw was Bai Linghan looking at him with an indifferent expression.

Wang Jianbai froze. Before he could react to what was happening, the branches behind him wrapped him layer upon layer, even sealing his mouth shut.

“Mmph! Mmmmph…?!” Wang Jianbai looked at Bai Linghan in disbelief, struggling furiously, but was still dragged away from the cave by the branches.

Bai Linghan felt absolutely no guilt.

From childhood, whenever he encountered difficulties, someone would always come to save him. This time, it should have been Wang Jianbai’s duty to sacrifice himself to save him. He had simply acted preemptively.

And to die for saving him, Wang Jianbai should be honored.

Bai Linghan quickly stopped thinking about Wang Jianbai, his gaze resting on the branch binding him. These branches were truly difficult to deal with. Too little force had no effect, but too much force would draw the Demon Beast.

He carefully tried a few more times, but seeing that he was about to alert the Demon Beast again, he was forced to stop temporarily.

The light outside the cave grew dimmer and dimmer. It seemed it was already night. The Demon Beast was hiding somewhere unknown. Bai Linghan didn’t dare to relax in the slightest, his eyes alertly scanning his surroundings.

Why hasn’t the next person come to save him?!

As if hearing his inner call, the entire cave suddenly shook violently. Rocks from the ceiling kept falling down. Although the stones weren’t large, they still hurt when they hit him.

Bai Linghan didn’t have a shred of Spirit Power left and had no way to evade, so he could only let the stones beat him until his nose was bruised and his face swollen. Adding the blood from his forehead mixed with dust, when Xu Quanfeng first saw him, he didn’t even recognize him as Bai Linghan. He thought he was some Ghost Cultivator.

“Bai… Junior Brother Bai?!” Xu Quanfeng was stunned and blurted out, “Why have you become so ugly?!”

These words nearly made Bai Linghan cough up blood. He had never been described as ugly before. Was this man blind?! But he needed Xu Quanfeng’s help to escape and didn’t dare offend him, so he could only lower his head and act pitiful.

“Senior Brother Xu, Linghan…” Bai Linghan spoke weakly, his eyes glistening with tears. However, before he could finish, he was interrupted by Xu Quanfeng.

“You should wash your face first before talking.” Xu Quanfeng cut the branch binding Bai Linghan with a single sword strike and quickly retreated from the cave.

His manner of avoiding him like the plague instantly made Bai Linghan’s expression turn ugly.

Bai Linghan climbed up from the ground and looked down at himself. His clothes were just ordinary disciple robes. After being dragged along this way, they were already filthy beyond recognition. Bai Linghan quickly changed into an outer robe and took out a mirror from his storage pouch.

When he saw his own appearance, his face darkened immediately.

Several trails of blood ran from his forehead, already mixed with dust. His face was covered in livid purple bruises. The hair ribbon had been lost during the dragging, and his hair was disheveled and spread out like an Evil Ghost.

He was actually this disheveled!

Bai Linghan gritted his teeth as he cleaned the blood from his forehead and tied his scattered hair back. But the injuries on his face couldn’t be removed for a while, so he had to take out a white veil to cover his face.

After confirming everything was fine, Bai Linghan walked out of the cave entrance.

This was actually the inner wall of a volcano. The cave was precisely in the middle. At the exit, a stone ledge extended outward, only a zhang in length. Beyond it was a bottomless abyss. Looking down along the edge, one could see the lava below churning continuously.

Bai Linghan had a Water Spiritual Root, and being in such a place made the suppression of his spirit power somewhat unbearable.

There was no one on the ledge. Bai Linghan looked upward to see a few people standing on the volcano’s rim. But those people clearly had no intention of coming down to get him. Bai Linghan had to grit his teeth, muster the last bit of Spirit Power within him, and fly up to the mountaintop on his sword.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Xu Quanfeng was frowning as he watched Bai Linghan fly up.

It was strange to say. The first time he saw Bai Linghan in the sect, he had been captivated by his appearance. To pursue Bai Linghan, he had even specifically broken off a childhood betrothal.

But he hadn’t regretted it then, firmly believing his feelings for Bai Linghan were true love. This time, to give Bai Linghan a spot, he hadn’t cared about angering his Shizun. Even after entering the cavern residence, he had been constantly worrying about Bai Linghan, wanting to find him early and protect him.

However–

Just now, when he saw Bai Linghan, he felt that inexplicable impulse vanish. Bai Linghan was indeed good-looking, but he wasn’t a lecherous person. How could he go crazy and pounce on someone just because they were attractive?

Looking back now, his previous actions were as if he had been possessed by a Devil!

Xu Quanfeng’s expression became much more unpleasant. Especially seeing the strange infatuation the other disciples had for Bai Linghan, he became even more convinced that something was definitely wrong with Bai Linghan.

“Linghan thanks Senior Brother Xu for the rescue.” Bai Linghan walked over, clutching his chest, deliberately speaking in a weak tone to express his thanks. But he didn’t hear any response. Instead, he saw Xu Quanfeng looking at him with a strange expression. “Senior Brother Xu, what’s wrong?”

Xu Quanfeng absolutely did not dare to get too close to this person now. Hearing this, he decisively shook his head. “Nothing. Since Junior Brother Bai is fine, let’s leave here quickly.”

As he spoke, he turned to leave but suddenly remembered something. Without looking back at Bai Linghan, he asked, “Where is Wang Jianbai?”

Bai Linghan’s expression changed. He hadn’t expected Xu Quanfeng to know Wang Jianbai was with him. Fortunately, Xu Quanfeng couldn’t see his face. Bai Linghan steadied himself and said, “Linghan doesn’t know either. After being captured by that Demon Beast, Linghan was locked in the cave, suffering quite a bit…”

However, this attempt at garnering sympathy failed again.

Xu Quanfeng had no intention of listening further. He was currently afraid that if he listened to Bai Linghan speak more, he would fall under his spell again. He quickly interrupted, “Understood. Let’s go.”

Interrupted once again, Bai Linghan couldn’t help but frown. Especially seeing Xu Quanfeng’s swiftly fleeing back, his unease grew. He felt as if something was slipping out of his control.

Bai Linghan was about to follow, but his heart suddenly stirred. He looked to his left. Something over there seemed to be drawing him in.

This feeling was familiar to Bai Linghan. Every time it appeared, he would always find heavenly treasures nearby. But now it was already dark, he was injured, and his Spirit Power hadn’t recovered. It was impossible to go and take the treasure now.

He could only rest for a day and figure out how to shake these people off tomorrow.

Bai Linghan lowered his eyes and obediently followed Xu Quanfeng down the mountain.

…

The trail left by the Demon Beast was very faint. The three pursued for a while, then completely lost its trace.

Lin Chuyun was extremely anxious. He even felt like turning into a cat right there so he could sniff out a scent and know which direction to go.

“Shizun, don’t worry.” Feng Xixing gently patted Lin Chuyun’s back, his voice low with reassurance.

Yan Sha didn’t dare to speak, flying on his sword behind the two.

Because Junior Brother Feng didn’t have a spirit sword, Immortal Lord Lin was carrying Junior Brother Feng. This was originally quite normal. He himself had been carried by his own Shizun before.

But for some reason, watching Lin Chuyun standing in front of Feng Xixing always gave Yan Sha a feeling of… blushing and heart-racing.

Yan Sha had something on his mind, and his expression became increasingly obvious. It was as if he had large characters written on his forehead: I have something on my mind, but I dare not say it.

Feng Xixing glanced at him without making it obvious but didn’t mind much. He figured with Yan Sha’s patience, he would eventually speak up on his own.

With no trace of the Demon Beast, and the sky around them already dark, the group had to find a water source and prepare to rest for the night.

Yan Sha was no stranger to sleeping outdoors. He quickly found a suitable tree trunk, planning to lean against it and sleep for the night. Then, he saw Junior Brother Feng over there begin to—

“Shizun, eat a Spirit Fruit.” Feng Xixing took a Spirit Fruit from his storage pouch and offered it to Lin Chuyun.

“Shizun, have some water.” Feng Xixing collected a water pouch and handed it to Lin Chuyun.

“Shizun, rest for a while.” Feng Xixing spread some clothes on the ground and even folded his Ice Void Robe to place as a pillow.

Yan Sha watched, dumbfounded. Was this taking care of a teacher or taking care of a Cultivation Partner? Even his Eldest Senior Brother wasn’t this attentive to Second Senior Sister!

Yet these two–one caring as if it were a matter of course, the other being cared for without finding it odd–somehow made him seem like the one making a fuss over nothing.

Seeing that Lin Chuyun had been coaxed to sleep by Feng Xixing, Yan Sha finally couldn’t hold back anymore. He shot Feng Xixing a meaningful look, then got up first and went to the lakeside nearby.

After a long while, just when Yan Sha was beginning to suspect Feng Xixing had forgotten about him, he finally saw Feng Xixing walk over.

“I say, Junior Brother Feng, what’s going on between you and Immortal Lord Lin?” Yan Sha couldn’t even wait for Feng Xixing to get closer before anxiously blurting out.

Feng Xixing countered, “What do you mean, what’s going on?”

“Didn’t you…” Yan Sha lowered his voice, “Didn’t you hate him the most? Calling him insidious, selfish, and vicious. Why are you suddenly so good to him? Also, why did Immortal Lord Lin suddenly stop liking Junior Brother Bai? Did he… Did he…”

Did he start liking you?

Yan Sha was now brimming with questions.

“Did he what?” Feng Xixing frowned at his hemming and hawing.

Yan Sha didn’t dare say it outright. Bulling past the question with a mumble, he continued, “Just tell me clearly first, what are you thinking right now?”

Feng Xixing didn’t speak, silently gazing at the lake surface. He himself didn’t know what he was thinking right now.

Initially, he just thought Lin Chuyun was somewhat endearing as a cat. He planned to let him live a few more days. After all, sooner or later, he could settle things with him.

Besides, Lin Chuyun was so proud; he surely couldn’t stand being kept as a pet. Wasn’t that even more satisfying than killing him outright?

Who would have thought that Lin Chuyun, after becoming a cat, would undergo such a drastic personality change? If not for the fact that he remembered many things, Feng Xixing would have suspected he had been swapped with someone else.

As a cat, Lin Chuyun was so well-behaved and timid, not resembling the sinister and vicious Shizun from his memories at all. And in his heart, he couldn’t help but delay Lin Chuyun’s death sentence again and again, until now…

Did he still truly want to kill Lin Chuyun?

Feng Xixing suddenly had doubts. If they left Thunder Echo Grotto now, without the formation monitoring them, could he truly, without hesitation, lure Lin Chuyun out of the sect and kill him?

Seeing Feng Xixing remain silent and unresponsive, Yan Sha’s suspicions grew deeper and deeper. He finally couldn’t hold back any longer. Leaning close to Feng Xixing, he lowered his voice and asked, “Junior Brother Feng… You couldn’t be… falling for Immortal Lord Lin, right?”