The night in the wilderness was bitterly cold, the chill seeping into the bones. It was so silent that the desolation seemed capable of swallowing every sound.
Nights like this were the easiest to stir the longings buried deep in one’s heart.
Xiao Rangchen had not gone far. He sat down behind a tree.
From within his robes, he took out a jade-green hairpin. His fingertip rested lightly upon it, slowly tracing the carved patterns.
Two years.
The trace he had left in Lou Yue’s heart had probably faded more and more by now...
He tugged at the corner of his lips.
With her carefree, unburdened nature, if she could remember him for two years, he ought to kneel before the heavens and offer thanks.
“Sigh. If you miss her so much, why not simply go back and take a look? Even your master can’t bear to watch you carry on like this...” Yu Youchun sighed.
Xiao Rangchen raised his head and gazed at the full moon hanging in the sky.
Even when bright, the moon over the wilderness seemed veiled by a layer of gray haze.
After a long silence, he rasped, “I’m afraid that if I see her even once, I’ll never be able to leave again...”
He rested his head against the tree trunk, his gaze passing through the silver radiance toward a distant place beyond reach.
“I swore that I would take revenge, but I still haven’t reached Deity Transformation. Without enough strength, I’ll only hold her back.”
“Master... I can’t go back.”
Yu Youchun was exasperated by his stubbornness. He wanted to scold him for becoming so obsessed with a boy, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to sprinkle more salt on his disciple’s already-wounded heart.
“Didn’t you just go kill demonic beasts this morning? This time, you lasted far too short a while.”
Over the past two years, Yu Youchun had noticed a pattern. Whenever his disciple missed that boy too intensely, he would use his brute strength to fight demonic beasts. Afterward, he could usually hold out for seven or eight days.
Who would have thought that this time he wouldn’t even make it through a day before falling into it again?
Xiao Rangchen lowered his eyes. His fingers continued to toy with the hairpin, the jade-green color glowing faintly beneath the moonlight and reflecting in his eyes.
“Master, I saw her shadow in someone else.”
“She doesn’t resemble her in the slightest, but I... can’t help thinking of her.”
Yu Youchun thought for a moment before arriving at the answer. “You mean that young woman who was smashing people with a club today?”
The corners of Xiao Rangchen’s lips lifted, spreading into an almost imperceptible smile. “If it were her, she’d probably hit even harder. She wouldn’t be outdone in the slightest.”
But she would never come, and that person couldn’t possibly be her.
The smile at the corners of Xiao Rangchen’s mouth suddenly faded.
From the moment Xiao Rangchen brushed past her, Lou Yue had stood frozen in place.
She couldn’t quite describe what she felt. Perhaps it was the brief chill that swept over her skin the instant the wind passed by.
She had always known that Liufeng Xin had been joking, yet some subconscious part of her had still taken it seriously.
“Sis, don’t be upset. I don’t want that kidney anymore.” Regret flashed through Liufeng Xin’s eyes as she hurriedly dragged Lou Yue away.
Once they were out of everyone else’s earshot, she clasped Lou Yue by the arms and said softly, “He doesn’t know it’s you. If anything, this proves that he keeps his distance from women. Don’t overthink it.”
Lou Yue slowly blinked and raised the corners of her lips. “I’m fine. Why are you making such a huge fuss?” It would be a lie to say she didn’t care at all, but she was nowhere near being heartbroken.
Liufeng Xin fell silent, assuming that Lou Yue was merely pretending to be strong.
Seeing this, Lou Yue laughed. “I really am fine. I just didn’t manage to help you.”
She gripped Liufeng Xin’s arm and comforted her in return, her voice firm and carrying an unyielding determination:
“We don’t need his charity. We’ll go get them ourselves from now on!”
Hearing this, Liufeng Xin broke into a smile as well. She clenched her fist and cheered, “That’s right! We’ll rely on ourselves and let those lousy men cool their heels somewhere else!”
“Mhm. So, little fairy, can you ‘sleep soundly’ now?”
Seeing that Lou Yue was joking with her, Liufeng Xin finally relaxed. “Of course! I’m going to cuddle up with my soft, fragrant bestie and sleep, just to make those lousy men jealous, envious, and furious!”
“Then hurry back and go to sleep. We’re entering the ruins tomorrow. Once we’re inside, you won’t have time even if you want to sleep.”
Liufeng Xin gave her a suspicious glance. “You’re not going back?”
“On the way here, I sensed a wolf den several miles away. I’m suddenly in the mood to beat them all up.” A spark flashed in Lou Yue’s eyes. “Well, if you want to watch, you can come with me.”
“I’m not going. Isn’t getting my beauty sleep much better?” Liufeng Xin thought that working out and venting her frustration might be good for Lou Yue, so she stopped interfering. “Be careful.”
“I will.”
Lou Yue watched Liufeng Xin walk away. Then she concealed her aura and headed toward the wolf den. She had only darted a few dozen yards when she abruptly stopped and quickly suppressed her aura to the utmost.
A familiar figure stood not far away.
It was Xiao Rangchen.
He was looking at something in his hand again.
It was a jade-green hairpin. It didn’t look like something that belonged to him.
So that was what had held his attention so completely—a hairpin.
Lou Yue glanced at it from afar and was about to look away when she saw him bring the hairpin to his lips.
He kissed it, earnestly and reverently.
Lou Yue immediately scoffed inwardly and turned away.
Her pack of wolves was probably tired of waiting to be beaten by now.
**
Around noon the next day, they arrived at the legendary Ancient Saint Ruins.
Several dozen other groups arrived right behind them.
“There are so many people!” Liufeng Xin exclaimed, rising onto her toes to look into the distance.
Fat Second said, “These are only the rogue cultivators. The disciples of those aristocratic clans entered long ago. They look down on the treasures in the outer region and are all aiming for the rare heavenly materials in the inner regions, as well as the inheritances left behind by the Ancient Saints.”
Big Brother Wei walked up to Lou Yue and Liufeng Xin, his expression solemn.
“According to the rumors, the ruins have five inner regions, all of which can lead to the core region where the Ancient Saint inheritances are located. The farthest we’ve reached on our previous visits was the outer region. We never even made it onto the Cloud-Locking Path. That’s all the experience we have, so we can’t help you much. Are you going in on your own to meet up with the other clans, or...”
Liufeng Xin interrupted him. “Of course we’re going in with you! I don’t want to go with those aristocratic clan disciples who walk around with their eyes on top of their heads. They’re such a hassle. Right, sis?”
“Let’s go in.” Lou Yue answered with action instead of words.
Big Brother Wei let out a hearty laugh. “Good! Then we’ll enter together! With you two joining us, we’ll definitely make a proper attempt at the Cloud-Locking Path!”
The Cloud-Locking Path Big Brother Wei mentioned was a stone path suspended in midair. Its blue-black slabs were carved with ancient patterns, and it stretched upward into the distance. Each slab was only wide enough for one person to stand on, with no barriers on either side. Far below, boiling magma churned and surged, scarlet tongues of flame occasionally leaping up as waves of scorching heat struck them in the face.
Fat Second couldn’t help sighing. “We only took an hour to get here this time? Last time, I remember it took an entire day.”
“A day and a half,” Qiao Qiniang corrected him.
Fat Second rubbed his hands together. “I have a feeling that this time, we might actually make it to the inner region...”
Skinny Three cast him a cool glance. “Your predictions are usually the opposite of what happens.”
“Skinny Three, you jinx! If you don’t believe me, at least believe Brother Chen and the two sisters!” Fat Second shouted.
“That’s enough. Stay alert.” Big Brother Wei’s voice rang out sternly. “The Cloud-Locking Path is ten miles long, with more than six thousand steps. Strong winds will sweep through from time to time, so don’t underestimate it. We’ve never been here before, and all the information we have is hearsay. There may be other unknown dangers. Stay on your guard!”
“There will be spatial rifts that randomly transport people to other parts of the ruins.” Xiao Rangchen suddenly spoke. Then he added indifferently, “I’ll walk in the middle.”
The person in the middle could keep an eye on both the front and the rear. If something happened on either side, they would be able to provide support in time.
The others understood this as well. Big Brother Wei drew a deep breath. “Thank you, Xiao Chen.”
He should have been the one to take on that role, but with Xiao Rangchen—whose strength far surpassed his own—doing it instead, there was no doubt the plan would be far safer.
At last, the group set out along the Cloudlock Path in the order of Big Brother Wei, Fat Second, Qiao Qiniang, Xiao Rangchen, Skinny Three, Liufeng Xin, and Lou Yue.
“This is clearly a hurricane! Even a solidly built man like me is about to be blown off!” Fat Second staggered as he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Though there were several mishaps along the way, they eventually reached the end without further danger. Big Brother Wei was the first to step onto solid ground. Just as Fat Second was lifting his foot, a crack suddenly split open directly beneath Qiao Qiniang, and the gale was abruptly drawn toward them as though pulled by an unseen force.
Qiao Qiniang bore the brunt of it. In her panic, she reached out to grab Fat Second in front of her. Fat Second was already leaning forward with his weight off balance, and when she tugged him, the gale struck him head-on. He plunged straight toward the fissure.
Xiao Rangchen reacted with astonishing speed. Hooking the tips of his toes over the edge of the stone slab, he shot out an arm and caught Fat Second firmly.
Just as everyone else breathed a sigh of relief, Skinny Three was swept sideways by the gale.
Lou Yue’s Yanxiang formation instantly transformed into a rope and wrapped around Skinny Three, while Xiao Rangchen reached out and caught him as well.
A flash of green slipped from his robes.
Xiao Rangchen’s eyes suddenly darkened.
Lou Yue caught sight of the hairpin, but rescuing them was the urgent matter at hand. Everyone’s attention was fixed on the people being tossed about in midair by the wind, and no one had the time to spare for such a tiny hairpin.
Just as the hairpin was about to fall into the magma, a spatial rift a zhang wide happened to open beneath it and swallowed it whole.
Lou Yue helped pull Fat Second and Skinny Three back onto the stone path. Then she saw Xiao Rangchen release his feet from the edge and leap toward the spatial rift that lay nearly flush with the magma!
The spatial rift would close on its own. Who could guarantee that he would still be there if he fell in?
Lou Yue’s brows drew tightly together. When she saw him accelerating downward, she lunged after him without a second thought and seized his ankle.
The gale slammed into her, tearing away her veil and headscarf. A head of softly curled hair came loose at once, streaming wildly in the wind.
Xiao Rangchen’s gaze lingered on the curls for only an instant before he shouted harshly, “Let go!”
Lou Yue gritted her teeth and refused.
From the corner of his eye, Xiao Rangchen saw the rift below narrowing at a visible rate. Spiritual power burst from his ankle in an attempt to shake her hand loose.
But then something changed.
The rift below, already half-closed, suddenly erupted with a savage suction force. Like a giant beast opening its jaws, it dragged the two of them downward from midair.
Lou Yue could hold on no longer. The instant she was pulled away from the stone slab, the Yanxiang formation shot upward, but the suction was too strong and too swift. Before the formation could secure itself, the two of them were swallowed by the rift, completely cutting off the shouts of the others behind them.
The world spun around them. Lou Yue crashed heavily onto the ground.
She had only just pushed herself upright and had yet to look around when she saw Xiao Rangchen bend down to pick up the hairpin. His fingertips brushed over its body, and he tucked it carefully inside his inner robes, close against his skin.
Lou Yue felt a raging fire surge from the depths of her heart straight to the crown of her head.
“Xiao Rangchen, are you insane?! You nearly threw your life away for a lousy hairpin?!”
Her voice was sharp with urgency, her breathing still uneven.
Xiao Rangchen’s hand abruptly stilled. Slowly, he turned to face her. His ink-dark eyes were unfathomable, like a deep, tranquil pool, locking heavily onto her.
“What did you just call me?”
Lou Yue’s ragged breath caught. The blood in her entire body seemed to freeze.
What had she just called him? Xiao Rangchen... She had called him by his name, and she had shouted it loudly at that. She had spent all this time warning Liufeng Xin to be careful, only to be the one who made a mistake herself?
Lou Yue forced herself to calm down. It was only a name. It did not mean anything.
The man stepped toward her, his gaze slowly moving from the softly curled hair falling beside her cheek to her unfamiliar brows and eyes.
“You know me.”
Her heart, which had yet to settle, began racing again. She licked her dry lips and hastily replied, “I’ve seen you before.”
“Where?” he pressed immediately. His eyes remained fixed on her face beneath the mask, leaving her no time to think.
“In Xuandu.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the man took another step forward, and the cold aura surrounding him closed in around her layer by layer.
Lou Yue’s back tensed.
“Lou Yue,” he suddenly called.
Her pupils contracted sharply, shock filling her eyes.
He had recognized her?!
How had he recognized her? What had given her away?!
Xiao Rangchen simply stared at her. The dark, bottomless pool of his eyes remained perfectly still, without a single ripple, like a lurking beast waiting for its prey to panic and reveal itself.
Lou Yue’s heart jolted. Then she suddenly came to her senses—
No. Xiao Rangchen hadn’t recognized her. He was testing her!
Her heart pounded so hard that her eardrums buzzed. She suppressed her panic, lifted her eyes to meet his, and answered with studied indifference, “Who are you talking about? I don’t know anyone by that name.”
Xiao Rangchen’s gaze traveled inch by inch over her tense jaw and tightly pressed lips before settling once more on her eyes, which she was struggling to keep calm. His low voice held a hint of seduction.
“Did I say it was a person’s name?”
Lou Yue’s throat tightened.