Chapter One Hundred and Three: Departure Without a Farewell

The first page.

The jumble of voices soon drifted faintly into Lianyue’s ears. By now, she had long since left that embrace and was crouching helplessly on the ground, tugging at the wild grass.

Looking at the crimson flush on her profile, Yuwen Lingxi felt thoroughly embarrassed as well. The crowd was drawing nearer; he had already heard his younger brother’s voice and knew it was time to leave.

Yet the words he wished to say caught in his throat and would not come. After gazing at Lianyue for a few breaths, he ultimately chose to depart in silence.

While plucking at the grass and lingering over the warmth of what had just passed, Lianyue was also exchanging thoughts with Meng Chuchen in her mind. Just after she sent, "I heard your voices," she turned her head and found that the dark figure was gone. Her heart suddenly felt hollow, and the disappointment in her eyes could not be concealed. She murmured into the empty air, "You still haven’t even said when we’ll see each other again. You must come find me again."

Yuwen Lingxi, who had not actually gone far, heard her words and nodded with resolve before truly sweeping away into the air.

Lianyue seemed to sense something and looked up toward the sky overhead, but found nothing. Standing where she was, she gathered herself, took a deep breath, and called out, "Big Brother, Yaoyao, I’m here! Here!"

Everyone who heard her voice was overjoyed and hurried toward the sound.

Meanwhile, five or six miles behind them, Nineteen stood with tears streaming down his face, staring at the six corpses beside him that were slowly fading away. His heart felt as though a blunt knife were dragging across it again and again.

Now only he remained from that group. He could not die yet; he still had to return and report the mission. On his back rested the duty entrusted to him by his brothers.

Yaoyao charged ahead. The moment she saw Lianyue beneath the tree, tears poured from her eyes, yet her feet never stopped. She rushed over at once, circled Lianyue twice, and sobbed, "Wah... Sister Yue’er, it’s really wonderful that you’re all right... Wah... You scared me to death... Wah..."

The sadness Lianyue had felt over Dark Abyss’s departure was temporarily set aside by Yaoyao’s crying. With tears welling in her own eyes, she reached out her small hands to wipe Yaoyao’s face and comforted her.

At the same time, her eyes were red as she looked at Yue Lingjun and Meng Chuchen, whose expressions were openly filled with surprise and affection, and she choked out, "Big Brother, Brother Chen." Then she could say no more.

On the side, Qiao Zhi looked at Lianyue, who was somewhat disheveled but unharmed, and an unexpected mist rose in his eyes. He quickly steadied himself and returned to his usual roguish demeanor.

He strode over to Lianyue, rapping her twice on the head without ceremony. "Sister Yue’er, have you not seen me? After all, this prince has been worried about you too." His tone carried deep dissatisfaction.

His actions made Yue Lingjun and Meng Chuchen, who had just found their younger sister, instantly furious. Had they not taken into account that Qiao Zhi had spent so many days outdoors with them searching for Lianyue, they would not have cared whether he was a prince or not; they truly wanted to beat him straight into the ground until he could not get back up.

Lianyue was in a good mood now and did not mind. She sincerely thanked him. "Thank you!"

Qiao Zhi had originally been waiting for her to flare up, but with that apology from Lianyue, he suddenly did not know how to respond. Then inspiration struck, and he shifted the topic to the ice-cold Yuwen Lingxi standing nearby.

"Why thank me? You should be thanking your divine physician fiance instead. If not for him, all of us would have been ruined by the people of the Hall of Asura."

When speaking with Qiao Zhi, Lianyue had already noticed Yuwen Lingxi beside them and vaguely recognized him as her fiance, Yuwen Lingxi. She truly did not know how to face him, always feeling as though she had done something wrong to him. Now that Qiao Zhi had pointed him out, she could only offer a perfunctory thanks before quickly changing the subject.

"What does the Hall of Asura mean?" What truly concerned her was this. Wasn’t the master of the Hall of Asura Dark Abyss?

Qiao Zhi then dutifully recounted how they had been poisoned. The more he spoke, the more clouded with doubt Lianyue’s heart became. Had Dark Abyss not said those people were enemies? Had he lied to her? No, that couldn’t be. They must have been traitors from the Hall of Asura, or people deliberately borrowing the hall’s name to confuse Big Brother. But was it really so?

"Yue’er, what are you thinking about? Does that person have something to do with the Hall of Asura?" Meng Chuchen’s voice sounded in her heart, and Lianyue hurriedly pulled her thoughts back. In her moment of distraction, how had she forgotten about this? Had Second Brother heard everything?

Feeling guilty, Lianyue looked toward Meng Chuchen. Seeing that he too was full of confusion, she finally let out a quiet breath.

At last, someone noticed the black-clad man. Yaoyao, who had already stopped crying, looked around curiously and asked, "Sister Yue’er, where is that bad man? Where did he go?"

Lianyue’s gaze dimmed. "He’s already gone."

"What! Gone! How could you let him go!" Yaoyao’s voice shot up at once. Looking toward Meng Chuchen, she cried, "Senior Brother Chuchen, hurry and send someone after him!"

"Don’t!" Lianyue quickly stopped her.

"Why not?" Yaoyao’s gaze returned to Lianyue, full of growing confusion.

"Actually, he is not as bad as you think. He is a good person."

Yaoyao reached out and felt Lianyue’s forehead. "You don’t have a fever! A good person? He kidnapped you and made you fall from such a high cliff; you nearly lost your life. How could he be a good person?"

"It’s true. Although he abducted me, he was going to let me go once we reached the woods. It was only because I accidentally startled the horse that he fell off the cliff," Lianyue knew there was no point explaining to Yaoyao, so she simply stepped before Yue Lingjun and Meng Chuchen and said earnestly, "When I fell off the cliff, I was frightened unconscious, so that counts as him saving my life. And all the way here, it was he who looked after me, so I didn’t starve to death. Look over there—there’s the lamb he roasted."

Lianyue subconsciously concealed the part involving the black-clad man. She would ask Dark Abyss about that face-to-face.

Yue Lingjun and Meng Chuchen could see that their younger sister indeed seemed to have put on some weight, and the large roasted lamb was there for all to see. Though they still intended to investigate this person in secret, for now they would follow Lianyue’s wishes.

As for Yaoyao, the moment Lianyue mentioned roasted lamb, she had already been drooling as she ran to the fire and began eating without ceremony. After these days of deprivation, she had long been craving meat.

After asking Qiao Zhi and Yuwen Lingxi for their opinions, Yue Lingjun had everyone rest where they were. Perhaps because the earlier poisoning had left a shadow over them, all the food was first placed before Yuwen Lingxi to be checked. Once it was confirmed safe, the crowd, their appetites fully awakened, finally enjoyed a proper feast.

Lianyue, who had been mentally prepared, was called aside alone by Yue Lingjun and Meng Chuchen. They questioned her carefully. Aside from Dark Abyss’s identity and the group of black-clad men, Lianyue told them everything. Comparing notes, they unexpectedly discovered that her memory was missing five days. No wonder she had felt this morning as though she had slept for several days. The next time they met, there would be another matter to ask about.

The last page.

In the end, Yue Lingjun and Meng Chuchen still did not feel at ease. Despite Lianyue’s resistance, they insisted that Yuwen Lingxi check her pulse.

Yuwen Lingxi’s face remained as cold as ever, but inside he was thoroughly amused by Lianyue’s awkwardness. This was the first time he had seen his future sister-in-law; she seemed rather adorable.

But when his icy fingers touched her pulse, he was struck by a tempest of shock. Their technique came from the same school. He had only intended to make a symbolic diagnosis; after all, Lianyue staying with his elder brother was the safest place of all.

Yet the pulse unmistakably showed that the person before him was no longer a virgin, and her memories had been sealed away.

Even his perpetually feigned cold expression nearly cracked.

Big Brother, this is far too... no, wait? Could it be...

Yuwen Lingxi calmly withdrew his hand. "It is nothing."

Only then did Yue Lingjun and Meng Chuchen relax. They thanked him again. As for the embarrassed Lianyue, she ran at once toward Yaoyao.

Yuwen Lingxi still could not calm his heart. He had basically guessed what had happened, and for the first time he felt somewhat resentful toward his father. Would Big Brother truly end up clashing with Father this time?

Did Big Brother know he was right behind him? Was this also his way of conveying helplessness to him? Fortunately, if their family’s unique technique were replaced by another practitioner who did not know it, Lianyue would still be considered a virgin.

"Elder Qiang, did you know?" Yuwen Lingxi asked quietly, questioning the black-clad middle-aged man who had always stood at his side.

The middle-aged man he called Elder Qiang nodded under his gaze.

"When did you know?"

"On the third day after the trouble here began. The family head ordered in his letter that you were not to be told."

A bitter smile flashed and vanished from Yuwen Lingxi’s lips. His father was afraid he might ruin things. Yet indeed, if he had learned of it in advance, he would certainly have told Big Brother.