Chapter 109

Chapter 109: Why Feng Lin Dotes on Yu Ruan Ruan

Faced with Feng Lin’s sarcasm, Huo Yi Han remained cool and said: “Were those three Qi Refining Stage disciples really killed by a demonic cultivator?”

Feng Lin shot him a sidelong glance and said: “What, you suspect their cause of death is different? Do not tell me you mean those three wastes were killed by Rong Shu, a mere fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator.” He gave a short, derisive laugh.

“We cannot be one hundred percent certain,” Huo Yi Han said with a shake of his head. “Now that we cannot find their corpses, there is no chance to check for clues.”

“I thought it was a foolproof plan. Three tenth-layer Qi Refining disciples besieging a fourth-layer small fry should have been effortless, yet this accident still happened.” As he spoke, regret and pity showed faintly on his face, mixed with a fresh itch to try again.

Seeing through his thought, Feng Lin did not indulge him this time and instead stopped him: “Enough. I already let you run wild once.”

“For the time being, do not target Rong Shu. She still has the defensive talisman Master gave her. Even a Golden Core Stage cultivator would not be able to take her down in the first instant.”

Feng Lin did not consider himself a good man, and he despised Huo Yi Han’s way of killing with borrowed knives. For Yu Ruan Ruan’s sake, he had turned a blind eye and let him try once. Since Rong Shu escaped, it could only be said that her fate was not to die.

Huo Yi Han smiled with a hint of meaning and nodded: “Fine, I will do as senior brother says. We will talk again after Rong Shu uses up that talisman.”

As the two were speaking, a melodious girl’s voice suddenly sounded: “Brother Yi Han!”

At the sound, Huo Yi Han’s gaze sank a fraction. A pretty, lively girl in the robes of a Sky Piercing Sect personal disciple fluttered over like a butterfly.

“Brother Yi Han, I finally found you. Why are you and Senior Brother Feng Lin here?”

With a polite, distant smile at his lips, Huo Yi Han said: “It is nothing. We were just discussing a few matters from the demonic cultivators’ stronghold.”

The girl’s cheeks flushed with shy pink as she asked: “Then do you have time later? Why not come to our ship first? I have some cultivation questions I want to ask you.”

Impatience flashed in Huo Yi Han’s eyes as he replied: “Apologies, I still have several pills to refine, so I do not have the time.”

“Ah, I see,” the young lady said, crestfallen.

Huo Yi Han did not wish to say more. He turned directly to go and said: “I am leaving.”

“Hey, Brother Yi Han…” Her voice trailed after him.

Watching Huo Yi Han get tangled up by Elder Wu’s cherished granddaughter, Wu Ming Zhu, Feng Lin snorted without the least camaraderie and said: “Hypocrite.”

If they had not grown up and cultivated together on Limitless Peak, Feng Lin would truly have suspected Huo Yi Han was an undercover agent sent by the demonic cultivators. Outsiders might not know, but Feng Lin knew perfectly well that Huo Yi Han was a consummate hypocrite, sinister and vicious, cunning and unscrupulous, while in public he delighted in playing the role of a gentle young master.

“Which is just as well,” he muttered, “one less person hovering in front of Ruan Ruan.”

He lifted his right wrist. Beneath the wristguard lay an old red cord bracelet, the sort of little trinket one might weave for a young lady at home. When Feng Lin’s gaze fell on the red cord, it softened to the utmost, though deep in his eyes there was a thread of sorrow.

Before he entered the cultivation world, he had a younger sister. Their family was poor, their parents died early, and only his younger sister remained to keep him company.

But then… remembering something, his eyes dimmed.

Back then, he had been too weak, and could only watch as his younger sister died before his eyes. It became a heart demon, and he failed his first attempt to break through to Golden Core.

Later, Yu Ruan Ruan came to Limitless Peak. In her, Feng Lin seemed to see the shadow of the younger sister he had once doted on.

Bit by bit, with Yu Ruan Ruan’s companionship, Feng Lin escaped his old heart demon and successfully advanced to the Golden Core Stage. From that moment, he treated Yu Ruan Ruan as a second younger sister and wished he could heap every good thing under heaven before her.

Feng Lin carefully tucked the red cord back under his wristguard to keep it safe and vowed in his heart: [In the past I had no ability and lost a younger sister. I am not the same now. I will protect Ruan Ruan and will never allow her to suffer even the slightest grievance.]

Elsewhere, after the head count, the elders sent to investigate Maple Leaf City returned and reported that none had seen the three disciples who were dead or missing. There were not even corpses to be found.

An entire ship could not continue wasting time waiting for those three.

With no other choice, Cheng Xiao Feng assigned two elders to remain behind, both to finish clearing out the demonic cultivators’ stronghold and to continue searching the city for the three disciples.

After nearly two hours of bustle, the great ship lifted off again and flew toward Cloud Link City.

On board, Rong Shu explained the whole sequence of events to her companions Cheng Bu Fan and Fu Yong Kang. Of course, she did not say that the three disciples had meant to harm her and that she had killed them herself.

Cheng Bu Fan clicked his tongue twice and said: “So long as you are fine. With your cultivation where it is, running into a demonic cultivator and still getting away, I would call that luck.”

“Rong Shu, I have a few decent life-preserving artifacts here. I can sell them to you cheap for self-defense, all right?” said Fu Yong Kang.

Rong Shu shook her head and said: “No need. I already asked Master for another defensive talisman. Once we reach Cloud Link City, the city will be safe anyway.”

“Come on, let us keep playing cards.”

Seeing that the two were not in the highest of spirits, Rong Shu volunteered with a playful lilt: “I have other ways to play.”

“Come, come!” said one.

“There are more?” said the other.

“…”