Chapter 91: Li Sifeng Returns

In the wilderness, a woman and a young boy were carrying a stretcher, struggling to climb a mountain. On the stretcher lay a young man covered in injuries, his hands clutching a sword.

This young man was none other than Li Sifeng. At this moment, he looked very disheveled, his face pale, with a bloodstain between his eyebrows.

The boy walked in front, his thin body drenched in sweat, gritting his teeth and persevering.

“Third Child, if you can’t carry it anymore, let Big Sister take over.”

The woman carrying the back of the stretcher spoke. She looked to be in her twenties, wearing old cloth clothes, her long hair tied with an old cloth, and her fair face covered in large beads of sweat.

The boy, called Third Child, said without turning his head, “It’s fine, Big Sister. Even if my soles wear out, I must protect Benefactor.”

The cloth-clad woman’s face showed a relieved smile, her eyes also filled with tenderness.

Li Sifeng half-opened his eyes and said weakly, “Miss Xiu, as long as we get through this, once we return to Qingxiao Sect, no one can harm us… My Senior Brother is very protective of me… My Third Senior Brother tolerates no injustice and will surely avenge us. Those who harmed us, not a single one will live…”

The Miss Xiu he spoke of was the cloth-clad woman, whose real name was Cheng Xiu.

Cheng Xiu forced a smile and said, “Okay, don’t worry, we will definitely try our best to bring you back to Qingxiao Sect.”

Their family members had all been harmed by villains. If Li Sifeng hadn’t intervened in time, her younger brother, Third Child, would have died, and she herself would likely have suffered humiliation and death. Even though they had endured much hardship with Li Sifeng afterward, they had no regrets.

Li Sifeng was actually too weak to open his eyes. His breath was faint, and he muttered to himself, “My Senior Brother…”

He tightly clutched the precious sword on his chest. Sunlight shone down, and the dark golden scabbard reflected a cold light. The hilt seemed covered in Dragon scales, with clear patterns, exuding an ancient feel of time, yet also a hint of dominance.

The wilderness was vast, and the road ahead seemed endless.

The siblings continued to carry Li Sifeng forward. When the sun began to set, they still didn’t stop, trembling as they advanced. The afterglow of dusk fell upon them, as if they were draped in a golden cloak.

Whoosh—

A sound of something cutting through the air came from behind. Before they could react, a sharp arrow grazed Cheng Xiu’s calf, blood splattered, and she cried out, falling directly to her knees. Third Child lost his balance and tumbled to the side. Li Sifeng was thus flipped over and rolled down the hillside, but he always held tightly to the precious sword in his hands, refusing to let go.

When he finally stopped, he felt as if all his bones were about to fall apart. He opened his eyes and despair filled them.

A group of Martial Forest masters came riding on horses, less than a hundred meters away from them.

Cheng Xiu and Third Child looked back, equally terrified, their faces ashen.

They no longer had the strength to escape, only watching as their pursuers drew closer.

“Roar—”

A roar came from the mountaintop behind them, startling the birds in the forest. They turned their heads, their eyes wide, faces showing disbelief. They saw a majestic, tall, dark-red beast appear on the top of the slope at some unknown time. Its body resembled a deer, its head a flood Dragon, its two horns like swords, and its four hooves burned with fierce flames. Its dark golden eyes looked down at them from above.

Li Sifeng turned his head and was stunned.

“Prison Qilin…”

He called out tremblingly, unable to believe his eyes, fearing it was an illusion seen before death.

Just then, the Prison Qilin leaped, soaring over Cheng Xiu and the boy, making the siblings feel as if the sky had suddenly darkened, then instantly brightened again.

After landing, the Prison Qilin charged directly towards the group of mounted Martial Forest masters. Its previous roar had already scared the horses into stopping, unwilling to advance. Seeing it charge, the horses, without their masters’ commands, frantically turned and fled, throwing many Martial Forest masters off.

“What… was that?”

Third Child slumped to the ground, his expression blank, muttering to himself. Cheng Xiu couldn’t answer him, because she was equally shocked, her mind a blank… In the mountains, a giant black eagle circled. Li Qingqiu stood on the eagle’s back, his brows furrowed.

He had flown all over the Taikun Mountain Range, spending half a day, but still couldn’t find the Prison Qilin.

Normally, the Prison Qilin wasn’t restricted in its freedom, as long as it avoided living people, but today, Li Dongyue told him that she hadn’t seen the Prison Qilin for several days, which prompted him to search.

He didn’t expect the Prison Qilin to have already left the Taikun Mountain Range.

For some reason, Li Qingqiu felt uneasy.

“A Qilin is an Auspicious Beast, and it recognizes Sifeng as its master. Could something have happened to Sifeng?” Li Qingqiu thought with a frown.

But even if he were to go down the mountain now to find Li Sifeng, it would be difficult, as the world is vast, and he had never been to Dongling Province and didn’t know the way.

He patted Little Eight’s head, signaling it to return.

By the time he returned to Lingxiao Courtyard, it was almost evening. All the way, he had been thinking about whether to send someone to search for Li Sifeng.

However, Li Sifeng’s descent from the mountain was his own choice. Enemies strong enough to make Li Sifeng suffer would likely put other Disciples in danger as well.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Zhang Yuchun hurried in, his face full of smiles.

“Senior Brother, that Chu Jing is indeed a Genius. His martial arts are improving too quickly. Look, should we teach him the Hunyuan Scripture?” Zhang Yuchun asked happily, coming to Li Qingqiu’s side.

It had been ten days since Chu Jing joined Zhang Yuchun’s command, and Li Qingqiu didn’t expect him to speak up for Chu Jing so quickly.

Chu Jing’s ability to bewitch people exceeded his expectations.

Li Qingqiu’s expression turned serious, and he said, “Second Junior Brother, this Chu Jing cannot be trusted.”

Zhang Yuchun was stunned and asked in surprise, “Why? I see him as very diligent in his work and very enthusiastic towards other Disciples.”

“This is precisely what makes him terrifying. In fact, he is not a Genius at all. To be precise, he is a Genius, but not the Genius you think. His martial arts are extremely high, he just hides them very well. Even the Devil Emperor is far inferior to him. Moreover, I once touched his shoulder; his body is older than any elder I have ever seen. The reason I haven’t expelled him is because I want to see what he plans to do,” Li Qingqiu said seriously.

He had originally intended to wait and see, but he didn’t expect Zhang Yuchun to be bewitched by him. That wouldn’t do.

If Zhang Yuchun remained stubborn, Li Qingqiu would have no choice but to disregard the plan and act against Chu Jing prematurely, forcing him to reveal his true form.

Zhang Yuchun’s face changed drastically, and he said in alarm, “There is such an extraordinary person in the world? Could he be after the Hunyuan Scripture? That’s right, his promotion speed has far surpassed other Disciples. I overestimated his Genius status. If he truly obtains the Hunyuan Scripture, the consequences would be unimaginable…”

His face grew even uglier, and anger even showed in his eyes.

Seeing that Zhang Yuchun trusted him more, Li Qingqiu was relieved.

“Now I give you two choices: one is for me to capture him and force him to reveal his true form; the second is for you to continue cooperating with him, but try not to meet his demands, and find a way to extract his true identity and purpose. This will greatly test your Heart-Nature and disguise abilities, and you may not be able to do it.”

Li Qingqiu stared into Zhang Yuchun’s eyes and said. Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuchun said without hesitation, “I choose the second strategy. Such a person is too terrifying. He likely has a powerful force behind him. We cannot alert the enemy. Senior Brother, rest assured, I will absolutely not let him see any flaws.”

While speaking, Zhang Yuchun’s mind had already flashed with a countermeasure.

“Remember Senior Brother’s words, his martial arts are truly profound. Try to avoid being alone with him. This is not a joke,” Li Qingqiu said solemnly.

Zhang Yuchun nodded; he wouldn’t joke with his own life.

“After talking about him, let’s talk about Sifeng. The Prison Qilin is gone. I suspect something has happened to Sifeng,” Li Qingqiu continued.

Zhang Yuchun frowned again after hearing this. He was silent for a moment, then said, “Since that Auspicious Beast has gone down the mountain, perhaps it can bring him good luck. Senior Brother, you must not easily go down the mountain, lest there be a trap, and the mountain needs you to be in charge. Recently, there have been quite a few monsters and demons sneaking into Qingxiao Mountain.”

Li Qingqiu remained somewhat worried and said, “Wait ten more days. If he still doesn’t return, I will personally go down the mountain. When I go down, I will also take Chu Jing with me.”

Zhang Yuchun opened his mouth, but the words caught in his throat. He felt that Senior Brother’s approach was the most stable.

With Senior Brother and Third Junior Brother away, keeping Chu Jing was too dangerous.

“Then let’s wait ten more days,” Zhang Yuchun could only agree… Every day thereafter, Li Qingqiu found it hard to calm his mind. He considered many possibilities, but he didn’t only have Li Sifeng as a Junior Brother; he couldn’t act impulsively.

Five days later, Li Qingqiu grew increasingly anxious, even finding Cultivating irritating. Fortunately, when he checked the dao lineage panel, Li Sifeng’s avatar was still there.

Fortunately, on the seventh day, Li Sifeng returned!

The news was brought by Yuan Qi.

“Sect Leader, Hall Master Li Sifeng has returned. He’s at the foot of the mountain and is said to be seriously injured. Hall Master Zhang and Hall Master Li have already taken people down the mountain,” Yuan Qi said urgently, coming before Li Qingqiu.

Li Qingqiu frowned and asked, “How serious are the injuries?”

“I’m not sure, he seems to be unconscious,” Yuan Qi shook his head.

“I understand, you may leave.”

Li Qingqiu waved his sleeve, and Yuan Qi immediately bowed and withdrew.

Since Li Dongyue had also gone, Li Qingqiu was in no hurry to go. He wanted to use this opportunity to properly discipline Li Sifeng.

This boy was too reckless!

However, he waited for a full hour before Zhang Yuchun carried Li Sifeng into Lingxiao Courtyard, with Li Dongyue following behind.

Li Qingqiu sat at the long table, not rising. He asked, “How is this boy’s condition?”

“He suffered internal injuries, but Fourth Junior Martial Sister stabilized his condition, and he has no lasting disabilities,” Zhang Yuchun quickly replied.

Li Qingqiu breathed a sigh of relief, but his face remained grim. He noticed Li Sifeng’s right hand tightly clutching a sword, which immediately angered him. He walked over at once and snatched the sword from Li Sifeng’s hand.

Li Sifeng suddenly woke up and roared, “Let go…”

His gaze fell upon Li Qingqiu, who had taken his sword, and his anger instantly dissipated. A surprised smile appeared on his face, and then he fainted again.

“This boy is practically possessed!”

Zhang Yuchun, carrying Li Sifeng, cursed aloud, but when he looked at Li Qingqiu, he couldn’t help but freeze.

Li Qingqiu held the sword, his expression strange, his gaze fixed on the scabbard, as if his soul had been captivated by the sword.

Third update!