Chapter 190: They Have Arrived

And Yun Huizhou did not seem like the type of person who enjoyed being a glutton for punishment.

“Even though I had gone out hunting, Master was always there. He just hadn’t shown himself, but he was actually near me the entire time. So, she was caught red-handed by Master on the spot.”

“Master was also very angry at the time, feeling she had gone too far. He grabbed her and found the elder who was accompanying her, throwing her directly in front of that elder.”

“Master doesn’t like to talk, nor does he like to waste words. He generally prefers direct action. Thus, he didn’t give the other party a chance to speak; he moved against their elder immediately, inflicting significant injuries. If he hadn’t been mindful that the grasslands were beyond the border, he likely would have dealt a crippling blow. After beating the man, Master detained them and wouldn’t let them leave until I returned.”

Hearing this, the breath that had been stifled in Lian Li’s heart finally flowed freely. He raised a hand to touch his chest, thinking that although he wasn’t a girl, he felt as though his mammary glands had been saved at this moment.

“And then?” Lian Li asked.

Yun Huizhou continued, “After I returned, Master hauled Zhang Ning before me and told me everything they had done. I was also fuming at the time. I drew my blade and attacked Zhang Ning immediately. At first, she actually thought I was finally willing to spar with her. But at that moment, I intended to kill her outright.”

“After we exchanged blows for a while, both Zhang Ning and the elder following her sensed my killing intent. She was no match for me to begin with, and since I was fighting with lethal intent, she soon found herself unable to parry my strikes.”

“Her elder tried to intervene, but Master suppressed him directly. In the end, the elder could only apologize and admit their fault.”

Lian Li frowned. “Just like that? It ended with a simple apology?”

Yun Huizhou patted Lian Li’s shoulder to soothe him. “Master kept him pinned down. It was only when Zhang Ning was heavily wounded and about to die under my blade that Master finally stopped me. Then, he threw Zhang Ning in front of her elder again. Oh, right—he threw her directly onto the ground, not letting the elder catch her.”

“Master told them that the next time I felt the urge to kill Zhang Ning, he would not stop me, and he would also block anyone else who tried to interfere. At that time, Zhang Ning had better have the ability to survive my hands.”

That explains it. No wonder during the tournament, when Yun Huizhou asked Zhang Ning if she was the one stepping up, Lian Li had sensed a flicker of killing intent.

If Zhang Ning had truly stepped onto the stage then, it likely wouldn’t have been a simple match, but a duel to the death.

Lian Li knew that at that time, Yun Huizhou truly would have moved to kill Zhang Ning.

Because if Zhang Ning had been the one to go up, in Yun Huizhou’s eyes, it would have been another petty trick she played just to force a spar—even using Lian Li as a pretext and dragging him into it, forcing Yun Huizhou’s hand.

He looked at Yun Huizhou, and a sudden sense of relief washed over him.

Who cared what kind of ill-fated relationship Zhang Ning and Yun Huizhou had in the original novel? He hadn’t even read that book, so he didn’t know the details anyway.

Furthermore, the plot wasn’t unchangeable. Although eighty percent of the major events might still occur, the entire process could certainly be altered.

For example, the female lead had been captured by the Spirit Sect, but under his interference, they had found her ahead of schedule, and she hadn’t forgotten the male lead.

In other words, the plot was not set in stone. Perhaps he shouldn’t always think of this as a novel world, but rather treat it as a real world.

After thinking this through, Lian Li felt as if a weight had been lifted from his heart. Simultaneously, his internal energy suddenly began to surge frantically, boiling like water reaching a flash point.

He felt his internal energy become incredibly abundant. If this situation had occurred during his match with Zhou Yu, he wouldn’t have feared a direct clash of internal power at all.

He would have guaranteed that Zhou Yu suffered significant internal injuries while remaining completely unscathed himself.

Standing right beside him, Yun Huizhou instantly noticed his abnormality. He quickly turned to look at Lian Li and found that although Lian Li’s expression held a hint of surprise, there wasn’t a trace of panic.

He understood that Lian Li knew exactly what was happening to his body.

“Focus on your cultivation. I’ll close the doors and windows and stay right here to guard you.”

Lian Li didn’t speak. He simply nodded to Yun Huizhou and blurred toward the bed, sitting cross-legged to begin regulating the internal energy within his body.

Two hours passed.

Lian Li slowly opened his eyes. He sat in place for a moment before suddenly leaping off the bed and hugging Yun Huizhou.

“Hahahaha! My internal cultivation technique has broken through to the second level! I should be a bona fide second-rate expert now!”

Yun Huizhou hugged him and spun him around. “Congratulations, congratulations! Your martial arts have improved greatly!”

Lian Li was ecstatic. A single trip out had resulted in a massive boost to his martial arts, and he had even completed the goal set by the East Island Lord. More importantly, he was now a legitimate second-rate expert, no longer a third-rate little rookie.

Once they returned, his Master and Martial Uncles would surely give him a grand reward. He was going to have his own properties and become a wealthy man!

The two immediately decided to go out for a massive feast to celebrate Lian Li squeezing into the second-rate rank. This symbolized that Lian Li no longer needed to be a mere mascot; he had reached a level where he could officially walk the martial world independently, no longer just a little accessory by Yun Huizhou’s side.

Next, he would set his sights on becoming first-rate.

Because of the breakthrough, the two were in high spirits. They stayed in Linjiu City for a few more days, buying whatever looked good or caught their fancy and shipping it back home.

They also ate their way through every even slightly famous restaurant in Linjiu City. The two even took the time to send a letter back, informing the people on Drunken Dream Island that Lian Li was now a second-rate expert.

They told them to hurry up and prepare the gifts.

After staying in Linjiu City for another five days, the two felt they had indulged enough.

The business they came to Linjiu City for was finished, and the new Beauty Ranking pamphlet had been released, which they had already read.

Jin Manjue hadn’t written anything too outrageous. Building upon the previous introduction, he simply added Lian Li’s achievement of infiltrating the Spirit Sect.

Lian Li was very satisfied with this trip to Linjiu City.

After packing their things, the two checked out of their room at the inn and led their horses out of Linjiu City.

However, less than half an hour after leaving the city, Yun Huizhou called for Lian Li to stop.

“The people from Maple Leaf Valley are here.”

Lian Li: “…”

Lian Li moved his horse closer to Yun Huizhou and whispered, “Are we about to be jumped?”

He raised a hand to touch his face and continued, “Are they planning to use underhanded tactics to disfigure me because they didn’t snatch the eleventh rank?”

Yun Huizhou: “…? Uh… their methods aren’t quite that despicable. They’ll just pester you for spars until you’re annoyed to death.”