Bai Fanlu rushed back to Tianshu Sect via sword flight, and encountered many immortal cultivators along the way. It was clear now that the situation was indeed grim.
Chengying Sect was attacked by demonic creatures and not only did the perpetrators massacre most of the Sect’s disciples, even the Sect Leader was killed on the spot. This incident shook the entire immortal world. The immortal cultivators were in danger. Tianshu Sect, as the leading immortal sect, took the initiative to take in the surviving disciples of Chengying Sect. The eight sects of the four mountains now had one less.
Although in the world of immortals, Chengying Sect was ranked the last in terms of strength, it was still a orthodox immortal sect. Now that it had suffered this tragedy, the other immortal sects did not dare to take the matter lightly and stepped up their defences. At the same time, they sent out powerful disciples to hunt and attack demonic creatures in the area under their jurisdiction. They would eradicate any they encountered.
The fellow immortal cultivators who Bai Fanlu saw along his journey back were these front liners.
Unlike the tranquil atmosphere when he first left, Bai Fan Fanlu returned to a vastly different scene. He had been rushing for two days and two nights, before finally arriving at the Tianshu Sect. Although the divine mountain was still peaceful as before, fellow disciples could be seen treating disciples of the Chengying Sect at their residences. The atmosphere was more tense and oppressive.
The young disciple, Yun Yi, also joined the medical aid team, scurrying around providing help to injured Chengying Sect disciples. It had only been a month since he parted and this youth had matured. After hearing that Bai Fanlu had returned, he still made time to be the first to welcome him.
"Da Shixiong! It's great that you got back safely. I heard that demonic creatures are increasingly rampant. I hope you aren’t hurt anywhere.”
Bai Fanlu ruffled his hair, "No, I'm fine.”
Yun Yi smiled embarrassedly, "Since Da Shixong just came back, are you going to greet Shizun now? He left as soon as he woke up in the morning and no one had seen him for half a day.”
"En, I'll find him myself. Go ahead with your duties.”
Bai Fanlu said goodbye to Yun Yi, and headed to Ling Qingzi’s residence. Apart from seeing the sign ‘Triple Twilight Residence’ from a distance, he also saw Wang Chongyu standing by the door.
Wang Chongyu seemed to have been waiting for him a long time. He took a few strides and approached Bai Fanlu before examining him from top to bottom. Assured that he was safe and sound, his face that had been stricken with melancholy for the past several days finally gave a slight smile.
"Brother, I heard that you came back. I didn't see you when you arrived. I thought you would definitely come to see Master, so I just waited here.
Bai Fanlu saw that although he spoke like before, the man could not conceal his fatigue. After knowing that Chengying Sect had met with a tragedy, Wang Chongyu definitely had exhausted all his strength in rendering them support.
"You've worked hard.” Bai Fanlu said.
Wang Chongyu gazed at him, then lowered his head slightly, "I'm fine, thank you Shixiong for your kindness. Shizun is the one..."
His hesitation shocked Bai Fanlu, "What happened to Shizun? Was he injured by the demonic creature?”
Why didn’t Yun Yi tell him about such a serious situation? Or did Shizun deliberately keep it from them?
Bai Fanlu panicked and was about to enter the Triple Twilight Residence when Wang Chongyu hurriedly stopped him, "Shizun is fine, he is not inside now. He left for Chengying Sect early in the morning.”
Hearing that Ling Qingzi was okay, Bai Fanlu felt relieved at once. Nonetheless, he sensed something amiss. Wang Chongyu tended to be tactful and direct with his words. Yet, he did not finish his sentence earlier which led him to believe that Ling Qinzi met with a mishap.
"Why did Shizun go to Chengying Sect? There shouldn’t be anyone there now.”
Wang Chongyu explained, "Shizun mentioned that he felt abnormal movements in that place, and the demonic qi was peculiarly scattered, so he had to investigate.”
The apprehension that Bai Fanlu neutralised, returned once again, Could the earth pulse have changed? Could there be another Demonic Qi Rift?
In the original plot, the annihilation of the Chengying Sect had been mentioned and this event directly triggered the battle between the immortals and demons. However, there did not seem to be any mention of another demonic energy rift. But why did it feel like there were more that were yet to be revealed, unlike the mere few in the book?
“Shixiong, where is Yun Zhan? Didn't he come back with you?”
"No, we proceeded with our tasks separately.” Bai Fanlu was deliberating about the demonic energy rift, and he replied without thinking.
Wang Chongyu was observing Bai Fanlu, and he noticed that the man did not react to his mention of ‘Yun Zhan’. This name no longer triggered any state of denial and he was genuinely indifferent to him.
"Shixiong, you..." Wang Chongyu's eyes flickered slightly, and as soon as he uttered a word, he heard someone announce in the distance, "Chongyu Shixiong, Shizun is back. He is at the Daguan Hall and has called you over.”
"Shixiong, let's head there together.”
Daguan Hall was located next to the disciples’ practice field. It was a place for disciples to listen to daily lectures. Ling Qingzi must have had urgent matters to discuss with the disciples and went there right after coming back. When Wang Chongyu and Bai Fanlu got there, some disciples who had been there earlier, were leaving.
Before entering, Wang Chongyu expressly said, "Shizun has been very troubled these few days. He will be very happy to see you.”
Bai Fanlu acknowledged this, and vaguely felt that Wang Chongyu’s sentence seemed rather unnecessary. The original owner was Ling Qingzi’s favourite disciple, but Ling Qingzi was not the kind of person who outwardly expressed his joys or anger. So why did Wang Chongyu deliberately say that?
Sure enough, as Bai Fanlu thought, Ling Qingzi's expression did not change much when he saw him and similarly, the man also did not appear exhausted like Wang Chongyu mentioned.
Even his stance was immovable like a mountain, with such a catastrophe befalling the immortal world, he must have no shortage of places where he was needed.
However, there was a minute detail that showed a difference. Ling Qingzi had summoned Wang Chongyu but after seeing Bai Fanlu, he asked first, "Mo Er is back? What did you gather from your trip?”
Bai Fanlu had expected such a question a long time ago, and had already drafted out a reasonable response on his way back. As such, he began to recount his experience in Yingzhou and Ling City where he discovered the Demonic Energy Rifts and sealed them. He combined his own knowledge with some details from the original plot and reported everything. And of course, he omitted all parts that were associated with Xiao Liu.
Ling Qingzi nodded slightly, "You did a good job.”
"The Dragon God, Xun Huang, had awakened but this disciple failed to stop him. I am afraid that Xun Huang will be causing chaos in the world soon enough and this disciple is at fault.”
Although in the presence of Ling Qingzi and Wang Chongyu, Bai Fanlu told the story in the sequence of development based on the original plot. As such, it would sound as though the awakening of Xun Huang had nothing to do with him. It was at most, an unintentional mishap caused by an accident when sealing the Demonic Energy Rift.
But in reality, Bai Fanlu knew that if he were to place the good of the world before self, he would choose to sacrifice Xiao Liu’s life with his own and fight Xun Huang to the end. If he did not accede and retrieved the Nether Ghost Flame for the Dragon God, Xun Huang might not have been able to break through his seal.
Of course, this kind direction was an impossible choice for Bai Fanlu for, after all, he was not a main character. It would be most ideal to leave Xun Huang to the male protagonist, Yun Zhan. Bai Fanlu believed that he should stick to killing smaller bosses and obtain the small rewards instead.
Regardless, Bai Fanlu thought that he should bring his Shizun’s attention to Xun Huang, such that they would be well-prepared for this future formidable enemy.
Bai Fanlu was pondering in silence, and Ling Qingzi hesitated for a moment, giving thought to what his foremost disciple had just said, but did not immediately propose a solution.
Sure enough, this matter was tricky. Although Xun Huang had been silent for thousands of years, he was also an infamous figure in immortal history. How could Ling Qingzi not know the extent of this entity’s strength?
Wang Chongyu said at this time, "Shizun, since Xun Huang is a divine entity, he wouldn’t collude with the demons. Perhaps we will not become enemies?”
Ling Qingzi shook his head, "He caused the deaths of all those people in Ling City, so this matter must be accounted for eventually. However, the urgent task at hand is for us to eradicate the Demon Clan.”
Ling Qingzi stood up, Bai Fanlu and Wang Chongyu hurriedly followed. When the man got near Bai Fanlu, he oddly paused, before walking over.
For some reason, when he approached, his green robes carried with it a sullen wind causing Bai Fanlu to frown slightly and he even felt a little discomfort in his body. It was as though his muscles were aching all of a sudden under a crushing weight but everything returned to normal in an instant.
"I went to Chengying Sect and the situation is rather similar to what Mo’er mentioned. If I am guessing correctly, the Demon Realm must have been preparing for this and executed their plan, getting into formation everywhere in the Human Realm. They are trying to use the once in a five-hundred-year opportunity to induce a massive demonic energy rift with the goal of dispersing it and polluting the human world. With this, they will grow in strength, and then contend with us, the immortals.
"A once in five-hundred-year opportunity? Is Shizun referring to the battle between immortals and demons five hundred years ago?”
Wang Chongyu didn't know the plot, but Bai Fanlu was well aware. He didn't speak up because it was exactly what Ling Qingzi said. This was all part of Demon Realm’s plans indeed.
"Well, the earth veins of the human world will ease and move every five hundred years. This time, the Demon Realm has prepared for it, and it may be difficult to eliminate all Demonic Energy Rifts.
Even Ling Qingzi brought it up so it was not hard for anyone to imagine how problematic this matter was. Bai Fanlu had the honour of a first-hand experience. He had just sealed off two rifts and it was already very time-consuming and labour-intensive.
But Wang Chongyu had remained in the immortal sect, and may not understand the difficulty, "If this is the case, then we will begin, and seal off as many as we can.”
His method was the most direct, so Ling Qingzi said, "In three days, the leaders of all four mountains will be meeting to discuss this matter..." As he said this, he turned his head to Bai Fanlu, "Why isn’t Yun Zhan with you?”
What kind of impression did the original owner give to everyone such that they thought he must be around Yun Zhan?
Although Bai Fanlu was helpless, he replied respectfully, “Reporting to Shizun, this disciple and Yun Zhan parted ways to proceed with our tasks separately as soon as we left.”
Ling Qingzi's eyebrows moved slightly when he heard those words, and the face that had been emotionless from the moment he saw Bai Fanlu finally displayed a subtle change, "He initiated this?”
"No, it was this disciple who proposed this, because this disciple felt that it would be more efficient.”
Bai Fanlu didn't lie, and at this moment he spoke this sentence more clearly in his heart than the day he made this decision.
It seemed that the reason for ‘avoiding Yun Zhan’ no longer existed, and even the man’s name did not affect the current Bai Fanlu.
He didn't need to worry about being villanised by Yun Zhan anymore. As for the reason...Bai Fanlu thought of someone, and an emotion rippled in his heart. Even though he didn't notice it, the curved corners of his lips revealed his state of mind and betrayed him at this moment.
"..." Wang Chongyu glanced over at Ling Qingzi quickly, and then retracted his gaze.
Ling Qingzi stared at Bai Fanlu with hands behind his back, and Bai Fanlu peered at his Shizun calmly.
After a long silence, Ling Qingzi spoke, "That's fine as well.”
"Mo’er, send a message to Yun Zhan with the blue bird and summon him back quickly. Since he has taken over as the acting Sect Leader, he also needs to be involved in the affairs of the Four Mountains Alliance.”
"Yes, this disciple shall do so.”
Ling Qingzi wanted Wang Chongyu to stay behind, so Bai Fanlu walked out of the Daguan Hall by himself and called out to his blue bird when he reached a spacious area.
Yun Zhan did not reply to the message he sent last time, so he sent another one out. Perhaps the other party simply didn't want to be bothered with him, but Bai Fanlu still must abide by his Shizun's orders.
As if to confirm Bai Fanlu’s speculation, Yun Zhan seemed to respond selectively to messages, and within half an hour, the blue bird brought news.
"Tomorrow noon, Baihua Pavilion in Yufang City. Troubling Shixiong to make a trip down here.”
Bai Fanlu knew the original plot, and it seemed that the trouble in Yufang City had not yet been resolved.
After Wang Chongyu came out, Bai Fanlu entered the Baiguan Hall again and asked if Ling Qingzi wanted to go down the mountain to meet Yun Zhan together. Yufang City was close by, and most of the troubles there were caused by demonic creatures. Ling Qingzi agreed, but told Bai Fanlu that there was no need to set off in haste. He had something else to settle before that.
Bai Fanlu returned to his residence and waited for his Shizun to summon him, but he couldn't help but think of Xiao Liu again.
When he parted that night, he thought the youth would be reluctant to let him leave, but he was more sensible than he thought, except for...embracing him and forcibly planting a deep kiss on his lips.
Bai Fanlu's ears turned red at this, and he shook his head violently to shake off the youth’s charming impressions in his mind. He secretly mocked himself for being so easily defeated and having his heart raced for by a pup who was ten years younger than him.
Fortunately, he was still clear-minded in the end. He guessed that it was almost time for him to return to Tianshu Sect. So, he entrusted the Snow Lingzhi and the matter regarding Xiang Wangyu to Xiao Liu before leaving. Otherwise, both matters would be delayed.
What is Xiao Liu doing right now? Has the house in Ercang Mountain been built? If he sets off early, he should have already delivered the Snow Lingzhi to the old lady, right?
Going around and round again, unknowingly, his head was full of thoughts related to Xiao Liu. Bai Fanlu was originally meditating, but at this time, he couldn't calm down. As such, he strolled to the table and inadvertently caught a glimpse of the painting scroll in a bamboo tube at a corner.
Since there was nothing to do to pass the time, he figured he could take a look at the painting. Bai Fanlu pulled out the scroll and unrolled it. It was no surprise that it was a painting of Yun Zhan.
Before, he was afraid of seeing Yun Zhan, but now Bai Fanlu was purely appreciating the painting and carefully studying and judging it. He found that there was nothing more to it except that the man was handsome.
Bai Fanlu took out another painting scroll. Upon opening it, it was still Yun Zhan but the man’s actions were different. There was nothing new about it.
Bai Fanlu picked up the third one. He thought if it is still Yun Zhan, then he will…
But it wasn't Yun Zhan anymore.
There were two people in this painting. The man on the left had silver hair hanging halfway down his shoulders, an elegant posture, and was pressing both hands on his knees in a meditation posture. However, his eyes were slightly opened and grinned slightly as he glanced at the other side of the painting.
And on the other side was a little boy in white robes with hair neatly tied up in a single bun. He was about eight or nine years old, sitting on the ground, holding up the man's silver hair in both hands, and playing with it. He was attempting to tie a bow using a piece of red ribbon on the hair.
The man on the left was undoubtedly Ling Qingzi.
Although there was a slight difference in demeanour and temperament, there was no other person who looked like this.
On the other hand, the boy on the right had a rounded face and a cheeky grin. He didn't have any distinctive characteristics. Bai Fanlu couldn't be sure of who it was and only had a vague guess in his heart.
"Mo’er.”
Bai Fanlu hand that was holding onto the scroll trembled inexplicably and subconsciously tried to keep the scroll, but was too late.
Ling Qingzi appeared directly in his room, and now stood beside him.
Bai Fanlu raised his head and saw Ling Qingzi looking down at the painting in his hand.
"Shizun, this is..."
Bai Fanlu wanted to speak, but he opened his mouth and forgot what he sought to say. Ling Qingzi's expression changed subtly. Although he appeared calm and cold, his eyes moved along with the brushstrokes on the painting. Yet, no one could tell what the man was thinking of.
Bai Fanlu wasn't sure if the original owner had let Ling Qingzi see this painting before.
If he hadn’t seen it...Wouldn’t this situation be too awkward?
Ling Qingzi's must have thought that Bai Fanlu personally painted this.
"Mo’er’s painting skills have improved again.”
Ling Qingzi finally said aloud, and Bai Fanlu laughed with him, "I casually painted this. Shizun, please don’t make fun of this disciple.”
There shouldn’t be a problem with such a humble answer.
As expected, Ling Qingzi replied, "This is a good painting.”
Then he fixed his gaze on the painting; the little boy to be precise.
"Mo’er has been lovable and smart since childhood. You pick things up very quickly.”
Bai Fanlu fell into a daze at his words, if he caught it right, Ling Qingzi seemed to be smiling. He was born a beautiful man, and he was too cold, but his current expression instantly overlapped with the character in the painting.
But it was just a brief moment, then, the smile disappeared without a trace. Bai Fanlu didn't know how to react but Ling Qingzi had already held his wrist and examined his pulse.
"Back at the hall, I felt that something was off with you. Were you hurt by Xun Huang?”
Because Bai Fanlu didn't want to bring up Xiao Liu, he didn't mention going to the Ghost Realm, but he never thought that Ling Qingzi could tell that he had been injured so keenly. Besides, those injuries had healed long ago.
"Shizun, I’m fine. It’s not serious.”
Hearing that, Ling Qingzi frowned and pulled Bai Fanlu's wrist, leading him to the bed.
"Sit down. Let me take a look.”
Bai Fanlu sat down, and Ling Qingzi began to cast a certain spell.
The man was very close to him at this moment, allowing Bai Fanlu to notice a faint and cold celestial aura come forth. Then, he felt the strange soreness emerge all over his body again, but now it got more intense until he couldn't help trembling, and finally groaned unbearably.
"Mo’er!”
Bai Fanlu fell into a trance, and soon his eyes went dark. He could not maintain his posture and wanted to fall back but was supported by a hand. Instead of falling onto the bed, he leaned into a person's arms.
"Shi…"
"Stop talking, open your mouth.”
Bai Fanlu couldn't open his eyes, and only felt that his lips touched by two cool fingers, and the bitterness of the medicine mixed with a refreshing fragrance filled the tip of his nose.
"Be good, take the medicine.”
Bai Fanlu was baffled and merely obeyed Ling Qingzi's voice, and opened his mouth.
A pill was pushed in and slowly dissipated in the mouth. Perhaps it was his dry oral cavity but Bai Fanlu felt that a pleasant and moist sweetness spread on the tip of his tongue. Yet when swallowing it, he felt an inexplicable gag reflex.
This aroma, this taste…Where had he smelled and tasted it before...
Bai Fanlu was in a daze for a while, unable to think of anything. But he felt the pain in his body slowly fading and after which, a drowsiness hit him.
But Ling Qingzi was still here and he was embarrassed to just fall asleep. He mustered up a trace of consciousness to resist the tide of sleepiness.
"Go to sleep. You’ll be fine after waking up.”
These words seemed to bear a special magical power and Bai Fanlu lost consciousness at once. He didn't even hear what Ling Qingzi said later, and his brain completely sank into an endless darkness.
On the side of the bed, Ling Qingzi silently stared at the disciple in his arms as a strange look flashed across his quiet eyes.
After confirming that Bai Fanlu was really asleep, he raised his hand to reach for his lapels and gently pulled them apart. The man’s fair collarbone was exposed, followed by his shoulders, and his entire smooth back.
His disciple’s back should have been a large fair surface but a large ink-like imprint had emerged at this point. The mark as though had teeth and claws spread savagely, as if it was alive, expanding and growing continuously...
What’s going on?! Hope bebe will be alright (๑ˊ▵ॢˋ̥๑)
Thank You for the new chapter (´,,•ω•,,)♡