Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Not to Be Spoken

Ling Bu Fei managed a dumb, breathless “Ah…”

“Ah what?” Bai Meng Jin glanced at the doorway and leaned closer, dropping her voice. “Don’t say any of this out loud. The elders don’t seem to know.”

Ling Bu Fei’s eyes sharpened immediately. “So what I said wasn’t wrong. They don’t know I can be cured, so they stay indifferent.”

“Right.” Bai Meng Jin kept her voice low. “All these days, I haven’t heard anyone bring it up.”

After the whiplash of despair and hope, Ling Bu Fei forced himself to calm down. “No wonder you didn’t mention it either.”

Bai Meng Jin’s smile held no warmth. “Like you said, this could change the future balance of Limitless Sect. How could we speak of it lightly?

“How many of them do you think hope you never get cured?”

Ling Bu Fei’s mouth tightened. “If they knew I could be cured, who knows what tricks they’d pull.”

Bai Meng Jin nodded once. “Exactly.”

At least he learned quickly.

Ling Bu Fei’s emotions were tangled and raw, his expression shifting with them. Knowing he had a chance made him dizzy with joy—but he couldn’t tell anyone. He had to swallow it, crush it down, keep his face steady.

It was… miserable.

A glint of amusement flashed across Bai Meng Jin’s eyes.

Without warning, she pulled her true qi back.

“Ah!”

The demonic qi surged up like a beast yanked awake. Unprepared, Ling Bu Fei cried out in pain, his body arching.

Outside the door, Ling Yun Gao’s voice snapped sharp. “Bu Fei?

“Are you all right?

“Your uncle is coming in to check.”

Before Ling Bu Fei could even force out an answer, the door pushed open. Ling Yun Gao entered with Yang Xiang Tian a half step behind, both moving slower than usual.

Just now, the pressure of a Divine Transformation Stage divine sense had been unmistakable. It had made even them cautious. They could no longer come and go as casually as before.

Ling Bu Fei’s smoothing had been interrupted too abruptly. Pain carved his face. Bai Meng Jin reached out to steady him—instinctive, quick—and for a moment their bodies overlapped, close enough to look indecent.

Ling Yun Gao and Yang Xiang Tian halted. For an instant, neither seemed eager to step closer.

Bai Meng Jin immediately turned, voice clear and respectful. “Sect Master, Elder Yang.”

Then she called, louder, “Bai Li Xu, hurry and help. I can’t hold him up by myself.”

Bai Li Xu rushed in at once and took over.

Only then did Ling Yun Gao and Yang Xiang Tian exhale and step forward to check.

“How is he?” Ling Yun Gao’s gaze pinned Ling Bu Fei. “Has the demonic qi been brought under control?”

Yang Xiang Tian had been on duty at Tai Yi Hall. He had sensed the unusual divine sense and come to confirm it with his own eyes.

Bai Meng Jin stepped down from the bed and lowered her head. “Reporting to Sect Master, this disciple has done her utmost…”

The wording sounded ominous. Ling Yun Gao’s heart tightened as he reached for Ling Bu Fei’s pulse.

Ling Bu Fei lay back, sweat still beading on his brow, his expression strained. He forced his voice steady. “Uncle, I’m fine. This time was much faster than before. The pain has already eased…”

Ling Yun Gao checked carefully. The demonic qi still churned, but it had mostly settled.

“You’re fine,” Ling Yun Gao said at last. “Give it time.

“Martial Niece Bai can smooth it, but her realm is far below yours. Getting results like this is already very good. Don’t rush.”

“Yes,” Ling Bu Fei said hoarsely.

Yang Xiang Tian’s gaze was sharper. “Young Sect Master, what was that divine sense just now?”

Ling Bu Fei blinked, feigning confusion. “I’m not sure. For a moment, my power suddenly wasn’t bound… Elder Yang, if she smooths it a few more times, could I recover my cultivation?”

He looked up with bright, foolish hope.

Yang Xiang Tian exchanged a quick look with Ling Yun Gao, then answered carefully. “We’ll have to see. Her cultivation is still low, so her smoothing isn’t perfect. But perhaps when she reaches the Nascent Soul Stage—or even the Divine Transformation Stage—she’ll be able to pull the demonic qi out completely.”

Ling Bu Fei’s mouth split into an unguarded grin. “That’s great.”

Ling Yun Gao’s expression softened. “Rest well. Uncle won’t disturb you further.”

With a subtle look, he led Yang Xiang Tian out.

On the way back to the Purple Sky Hall, Yang Xiang Tian said, “The Jade-Tempered Body works even better than I imagined. If we figure out why the Young Sect Master could release his divine sense just now, could we use other methods to press down the demonic qi and take the Devil-Suppressing Cauldron out of him?”

Ling Yun Gao’s answer came slow. “That will be difficult. After all these years, the Devil-Suppressing Cauldron and he have been coexisting like one. Forcing them apart would likely harm both.”

Yang Xiang Tian’s face tightened with displeasure. “The Devil-Suppressing Cauldron is our sect’s treasured artifact, not his personal property. It’s kept him alive all these years. That’s already enough for Senior Sister Jiang.”

“That isn’t the right way to put it,” Ling Yun Gao said gently. “When the Devil Realm attacked back then, we fought an unprepared battle.

“If Senior Sister Jiang hadn’t sealed the Devil-Suppressing Cauldron inside Bu Fei, it might have been stolen.”

He glanced sideways. “Junior Brother Yang, Bu Fei isn’t to blame. Don’t take it out on him.”

Yang Xiang Tian snorted. “Why would I argue with a junior? I just think Senior Sister Jiang acted carelessly and left us stuck today.” His voice sharpened, then dulled. “Forget it. She’s dead. And it was a mother’s love. There’s no point criticizing her now.”

Ling Yun Gao nodded. “Either way, receiving a Jade-Tempered Body to heal him is already the Heavenly Dao’s blessing.”

Yang Xiang Tian muttered, almost to himself, “This kid really has something strange about him.

“Born into tragedy and unable to cultivate, his luck should be awful.

“Yet the Devil-Suppressing Cauldron favors him, and he even picked up a Jade-Tempered Body… Does the Heavenly Dao love him or hate him?”

Ling Yun Gao smiled faintly. “Won’t we know if we keep watching?

“When he grows a bit older, we might see clearly.”

Back at Startling Swan Reflections, the demonic qi in Ling Bu Fei’s body finally settled. Bai Li Xu called the attendant boy to tidy inside and out, then said, “Young Master, rest well. Call us if you need anything.”

Ling Bu Fei’s voice was thin but firm. “Go.”

Bai Li Xu turned to leave, but as he closed the door his gaze flicked to Bai Meng Jin standing off to the side.

A small stove burned there. Bai Meng Jin was stirring porridge, herbs mixed in until the scent turned warm and faintly sweet.

Noticing his look, she glanced up and smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll watch him.”

Bai Li Xu lowered his head in thanks and closed the door.

The moment it latched, Ling Bu Fei sprang off the bed like he’d never been in pain. “Did I act convincing?”

Bai Meng Jin killed the flame, ladled out the medicinal porridge, and handed him a bowl. “Not bad.”

They sat facing each other and ate. Outside, the night deepened. Inside, the air felt strangely ordinary, quiet and warm.

Ling Bu Fei couldn’t stop smiling. “I’ve lived for so many years, but I’ve never felt as hopeful as I do now.

“I’m so glad I went to Perching Phoenix Valley. Otherwise, I never would’ve met you.”

In her past life, she hadn’t met him—and he still climbed to the Sect Master’s seat.

Bai Meng Jin lowered her gaze to her bowl. In truth, she had approached him because she needed his influence. Repayment was only right.

After they finished, they prepared to rest.

Bai Meng Jin opened the door between their rooms. “I won’t close this tonight. That way I can sense your condition at any time.”

“All right,” Ling Bu Fei said, too quickly.

He lay down, listening to the soft rustle from the other side—fabric sliding, a faint shift of breath. His mind, traitorous, flashed to the moment he’d fallen and she’d caught him.

No. Absolutely not.

Ling Bu Fei pressed a hand to his burning cheeks, forced his thoughts blank, and finally fell asleep.