By now, several disciples from the Dragon Name Sect had recognized that Lei Xiuyuan and Li Fei’s robes belonged to the Moonless Court. Given their young age, they must be prodigies highly valued by the elders of their sect. A confrontation here likely wouldn’t end well.
The oldest disciple among them spoke sternly, “This trial has just begun. The outcome is yet unknown! You’d all best be careful! Remember, immortal techniques are indiscriminate!”
With that, the group immediately turned and flew away, leaving quite decisively and swiftly.
Bai Ligelin was still fuming, “What did they mean by that? Are they threatening us? Don’t tell me they plan to follow us and ambush us when they get the chance?! I’ve always known there’s nothing good about the Dragon Name Sect! Just because they’ve refined a few magical treasures, they think they rule the world!”
By now, Yan Fei’s injuries had healed, and her agitated emotions had gradually calmed. Her face full of gratitude, she stood up and respectfully offered the Demon Cinnabar Fruit with both hands, saying softly, “Thank you all for saving my life. Earlier, in my anger, I said many unpleasant things. Please don’t take offense. This Demon Cinnabar Fruit was retrieved thanks to the junior brother from the Mountain Sect. I have no way to repay you, so I’m willing to give it to the two friends from the Mountain Sect.”
Lu Li said gently, “Why don’t you join us? You can still search for your senior sister along the way. You should keep the Demon Cinnabar Fruit yourself.”
Yan Fei was overwhelmed with gratitude. Suddenly, she hugged Lu Li and kissed him twice on his bewildered face. Then she turned and hugged the shocked Bai Ligelin, kissing her twice on the cheek as well. Li Fei was also enthusiastically embraced and received two firm kisses on the cheek. Yan Fei then moved to hug Lei Xiuyuan, but he stepped back with a faint smile, shaking his head. His refusal was quite clear.
Yan Fei giggled, not minding at all, “The friends from the Mountain Sect are indeed quite shy.” With that, she clasped her hands and bowed deeply to express her gratitude.
Li Fei touched her kissed cheek, murmuring, “That’s the first time a girl has kissed me…”
Bai Ligelin laughed, “Me too. Li Fei, don’t tell me you mean you’ve been kissed by a boy? Who? Lei Xiuyuan?”
How did the topic circle back to this again? Li Fei’s face immediately turned red, feeling very guilty. She tried to act nonchalant, unconvincingly defending herself, “Don’t talk nonsense! Xiuyuan and I are just fellow disciples!”
Bai Ligelin laughed heartily, “Fellow disciples? Senior Brother Lu and I are fellow disciples too, but you don’t see him treating me well, sticking together all day, or exchanging meaningful glances and whispers.”
At these words, Li Fei inexplicably felt sad. She didn’t know what she and Lei Xiuyuan were. He would kiss her forehead, risk his life to protect her and say all sorts of things to cheer her up when she was depressed. But they weren’t like Chang Yue and Ye Ye, a publicly acknowledged couple. They couldn’t even define their relationship.
How did those deeply-in-love couples get together? He had done so much – if this wasn’t love, what was it? And if it was love, why wouldn’t he give her any confirmation?
Li Fei couldn’t help but look at Lei Xiuyuan. He was standing at the front of the centipede spirit, chatting with Lu Li and Yan Fei about something, a faint smile on his face.
Was his treatment of her just another impulsive prank? If she couldn’t hold back anymore and went to ask him, would he mockingly sneer, “You’re overthinking it”?
“…We don’t have any relationship,” Li Fei said softly, looking away.
Bai Ligelin, perceptive as ever, had long noticed the subtle changes in her expression and tone. She gently held Li Fei’s hand and asked seriously in a low voice, “Li Fei, do you like him?”
Li Fei didn’t answer the question, her lips tightly pressed together.
Senior Sister Zhao Min always told her to be reserved, but here she was, being constantly teased by a man who never said anything, and she wasn’t even angry about it. Every time she wanted to refuse, she found herself unable to resist. She couldn’t lie to herself and say she wasn’t happy when she was with him; she was so happy that she felt light as a feather. But after each moment of joy came an inescapable fear. She truly didn’t know what she and Lei Xiuyuan were to each other.
Bai Ligelin patted her shoulder and smiled, “There’s a saying in the Eastern Sea: a man’s thousand sweet words are not worth one small deed he does. Some people are just like that – willing to do things but unwilling to say them out loud. I’ve always seen Lei Xiuyuan as someone with his own set of principles, never agreeing with anyone else. Sometimes he’s unexpectedly clever and sometimes unexpectedly clumsy. You’re too close to see it. Don’t think too much for now. If he’s willing to be good to you, just accept it gracefully. Our Li Fei is now a stunning beauty, are you afraid you won’t have any suitors?”
Li Fei listened in a daze. At first, Bai Ligelin seemed to be making sense, but towards the end, she started talking nonsense. Li Fei’s face reddened again as she pretended to want to hit her.
Bai Ligelin laughed as she blocked Li Fei’s hand. The two joked around for a while, and the sudden sadness in Li Fei’s heart gradually dissipated. Suddenly, she saw Ri Yan floating down from above, yawning boredly, “Finished talking about your love affairs?”
Seeing Bai Ligelin go over to chat and laugh with Yan Fei and the others, Li Fei turned her back and said softly, “Ri Yan, have you stayed in the Eastern Sea before?”
The fox rarely showed emotion as he said, “Indeed, the Eastern Sea is a good place.”
This was the second time he had said the Eastern Sea was a good place, and his eyes were full of nostalgia. What kind of experiences had he had in the Eastern Sea before?
Ri Yan suddenly let out a long sigh, muttering as if to himself, “The human heart is fragile, yet those who can achieve great Dao are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. How can someone so brilliantly talented willingly fall from grace? Humans! Humans! Humans! Alas, I grieve that my years are old and declining, time passes swiftly and does not return! I think of my long life and eternal immortality, yet it does not compare to returning to my homeland!”
Li Fei heard him mumbling some abstruse and ancient phrases and felt both confused and enlightened. Was he remembering someone?
“What did you just say?” she asked.
Ri Yan said flatly, “It’s the death poem of an immortal who was obstinate and deluded. Little girl, you should grow up a bit! All this love and affection is nothing but stones and mud. It’s because humans are obsessed with matters of the heart that they often make mistakes! Even if you have a perfect match for a hundred years or a soulmate for a thousand years, you can never truly be of one mind. The great Dao is lonely; it only has room for a single cultivating heart.”
Even he had circled back to the old topic. Li Fei smiled and shook her head, “But if one is all alone, even if they attain the great Dao, what joy is there?”
Ri Yan spoke slowly, “If one day, your beloved wants your life, your soulmate wants you dead, if every person dear to you, every friend you’ve confided in, wants to kill you, you won’t say such things anymore. On the path of cultivation, is it any wonder that human hearts kill people? That’s just how humans are!”
Li Fei was chilled by his words, which also stirred memories of her past. She felt her heart slowly growing cold. After a while, she said softly, “They won’t.”
“They won’t? Then why are you so uneasy? That little brat knows all your secrets, but what do you know about him? He doesn’t need to do anything to make you unable to eat or sleep in peace, consuming your spirit and emotions. If that’s not killing, what is?”
Li Fei remained silent for a long time. She remembered his kiss in Chestnut Valley, and how he had thrown her out of harm’s way. He had said, “That little difference in you, I suppressed it in an instant.”
She shook her head, “He won’t. I believe in him.”
“Stubborn fool,” Ri Yan sighed deeply, his enormous body dissolving into mist. “There’s an extremely fierce beast lurking in this area. Be careful on your own.”
Li Fei said softly, “You’re going to sleep again so soon?”
Ri Yan angrily retorted, “I have nothing more to say to an idiot like you! Am I not allowed to sleep? “
Li Fei smiled, “Don’t sleep, I won’t bother you. Don’t you like the Eastern Sea? Just quietly enjoy the scenery. Oh, and what fierce beast were you talking about? Don’t always be so cryptic, tell me quickly so we can prepare in advance.”
“It cannot be spoken of. This fierce beast is unlike others; even mentioning it would affect me. In any case, remember this: flowers in a mirror, moon in the water, a dream of golden millet – do not become trapped within.”
Li Fei saw that he had fallen silent for a long time after speaking, and couldn’t help but call out again, “Ri Yan? Are you still there?”
He gave a low “Mm” in response. So he was enjoying the scenery.
Li Fei smiled and stood up, walking over to the others. Yan Fei was chattering away, laughing. This native girl of the Eastern Sea was very lively and straightforward, quickly becoming familiar with Gelin and the others. She stood in front of Lei Xiuyuan, intimately telling him about the customs of the Eastern Sea, her hand almost hooking onto his sleeve.
Li Fei couldn’t help but look a few more times before stepping forward and asking, “Are there any formidable fierce beasts in this trial ground? Has anyone heard of any?”
Yan Fei smiled, “We haven’t seen any particularly formidable demon beasts in the Eastern Sea, they’re just big. Not like in your Central Plains, where every demon beast is powerful. Rather than worrying about fierce beasts, it’s more important to be concerned about others coming to steal the Demon Cinnabar Fruits. Oh, Junior Brother Lei, why don’t you tell me about some customs and traditions of the Central Plains? I’ve told you so much already!”
Ugh, she’s already calling him Junior Brother Lei.
Lei Xiuyuan subtly avoided her hand and said coolly, “When Senior Sister has the chance to see for herself one day, you’ll know.”
Yan Fei’s eyes lit up, “Are you inviting me to visit the Central Plains?”
Lei Xiuyuan smiled faintly, “There are thousands of disciples in the Central Plains. Why would it need to be me inviting you?”
He suddenly raised his hand and pressed it on Li Fei’s head, pushing her forward a few steps. Then his arm fell on her shoulder, gently embracing her.
Yan Fei looked a bit disappointed, “Oh? So the two of them are lovers? I made a mistake earlier. I hope I didn’t upset that girl!”
Bai Ligelin clapped her hands and laughed, patting her, “Yan Fei, this man isn’t a good person. He’s not the type who’s cold on the outside but passionate on the inside – he’s truly bad. You can’t handle him! Give up!”
Before she could finish speaking, this enthusiastic Miss Yan Fei had already turned to Lu Li, her eyes sparkling as she started chatting with him. The girls of the Eastern Sea were too enthusiastic! If one doesn’t work out, they immediately switch to another.
Bai Ligelin shook her head and gave up on her. Let her have a hard time with Lu Li!