It would be a miracle if she could fall asleep now.
Li Fei coughed dryly twice, trying not to appear so nervous. It was just a shoulder to lean on—no big deal.
"Hey, Xiu Yuan..." She racked her brain for a topic and suddenly remembered the massive sword he had summoned in front of the demons that afternoon. She immediately asked, "What was that Immortal Technique you used? How did you manage to cast it?"
For young disciples like them, the limit of their strength was typically summoning flying swords with the Supreme Harmony Art. But she could clearly sense the difference in the technique he had used when the miasma thickened—its terrifying lethality was on an entirely different level from ordinary Immortal Techniques. Moreover, the miasma had been so dense that no spiritual energy was available. How had he even cast it?
Lei Xiuyuan was silent for a moment before answering softly, "I don’t know. It just happened instinctively."
Instinctively? Like five years ago in Green Mound when he faced Zhen Yunzi? Back then, he had passed out from the excruciating pain—a side effect of pushing his potential to the absolute limit.
Two outbursts of power, both for her sake.
Li Fei’s throat felt as if someone had rubbed sand into it. She rested her head lightly against his shoulder and murmured, "Xiu Yuan, don’t push yourself like this next time."
He flicked her cheek lightly twice. "Alright, go to sleep."
Li Fei shook her head. "I can’t sleep. Let’s talk. By the way, that Le Cailing seems to really hate you. What are you going to do about it?"
Lei Xiuyuan replied indifferently, "Too many people hate me. If I worried about every single one, I’d die of exhaustion."
That tone—the one that dismissed others as if the whole world were fools! Though he had softened somewhat since leaving Cinnabar Cave, his core nature hadn’t changed at all.
Li Fei couldn’t help but laugh. "You’re still the same as ever."
Back at the Academy, she had both resented and envied him—resented his infuriating attitude, envied his extraordinary talent. Now, the resentment was gone, but the envy remained. She envied him deeply, wordlessly. He was normal, blessed with the finest gifts and a boundless future. His arrogance and aloofness stemmed from the justified confidence of a genius.
She could never be that self-assured. She had to hide, to bury her secrets carefully, pretending to be just like everyone else.
Li Fei’s throat tightened as she gazed at the blurry nightscape in the distance. "Xiu Yuan, this afternoon... those demons, and Zhu Yan... I..."
She wanted to confess. If there was anyone in this world she could pour her heart out to, it was Lei Xiuyuan. She could hardly believe it herself—had she really come to trust him this much? But how could she say it? How could she tell the boy she cared about most that she was different? He was so sharp; he could probably guess most of it already. But guessing and hearing it from her were two different things.
A vague, inexplicable fear gripped her heart, rendering her speechless.
"I know." Lei Xiuyuan’s hand suddenly covered her head, pressing her closer to him with a bit of force. "Don’t say it."
Her eyes burned. He said—he knew.
"What if I’m different from others..." she whispered. "What if I’m not like any of you... What then?"
He lowered his head again and pressed a light kiss to her forehead. "That little difference of yours? I’ll overshadow it so completely no one will ever notice."She scoffed with a laugh. Was this the tone of a heaven-sent prodigy? So arrogant, so conceited, so utterly unlikable.
But as she laughed, her face began to burn again. Just now, he had kissed her again, hadn’t he?
“Ahem…” Li Fei coughed twice. “You… you just now…”
“Hmm?” He feigned ignorance.
“Never mind…” She cowardly retreated again, not daring to ask.
After a long pause, Lei Xiuyuan suddenly asked, “What’s the name of that Fox Demon?”
Li Fei instinctively replied, “Ri Yan.”
The moment she said it, she clapped a hand over her mouth, glaring at him in both anger and shock. He had tricked her?! He actually tricked her into answering at a time like this! She had fallen for it without realizing!
Seeing her wide-eyed glare, Lei Xiuyuan couldn’t help but chuckle. He pinched her cheek and gave it a gentle tug. “Now we’re even.”
Even? Did he mean the incident where Zhen Yunzi had chased them because of Ri Yan? Had this child really held onto that for five years?!
“Talking to you requires ten thousand times the vigilance,” Li Fei grumbled. This was the first time she had mentioned Ri Yan in front of an outsider.
Lei Xiuyuan only smiled. As his laughter faded, he leaned against the wooden hut and murmured, “By tomorrow morning, I’ll have forgotten everything.”
Li Fei’s heart trembled. She stared at him dazedly, feeling tears well up again—lately, she cried so easily. She hurriedly lowered her head, hiding her face against her knees.
Neither of them spoke another word. The sky was still dark, the night breeze cool. In the distance, shadows of trees loomed, while nearby, the water rushed swiftly. All the worries that had plagued Li Fei’s heart earlier had already dissipated like smoke. Her tense body gradually relaxed as she let herself lean against Lei Xiuyuan, savoring the warmth he radiated.
Sometimes she thought she really disliked him, yet she was also deeply drawn to him. Sometimes he seemed fragile and easily hurt, yet at other times, his resilience was astonishing.
Thank the heavens for letting him cross paths with her.
The trial at Chestnut Blaze Valley was quickly completed by the group of four. Whether it was the disciples’ imagination or not, from the second day onward, the monstrous creatures and ferocious beasts they encountered seemed listless, lacking their usual ferocity. This directly led to most disciples finishing the trial ahead of schedule.
Passing through the Spiritual Source, everyone felt the light and shadows shift around them. In an instant, they were transported from Chestnut Blaze Valley to a grand hall—the main hall of Literature Ancient Peak in No Moon Court.
“Incredible,” Su Wan praised. “To have a portal set up here, saving us the journey back.”
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to them shakily from ahead. “Junior Brother Lei, Junior Brother Deng… you… you’ve finally come.”
They turned to see Ying Yuankai and his group of four sitting at the base of a stone pillar, their faces pale and eyes glistening with tears. Standing before them were three figures, one of whom was the frosty-faced Le Cailing.
Behind her stood a man and a woman, each with three black stripes on their sleeves—direct disciples of some elder, though it was unclear whose. Li Fei studied the scene in confusion. Judging by the situation, had Le Cailing deliberately had Ying Yuankai and his group cornered here? Were they waiting for them?
The female direct disciple behind Le Cailing stepped forward, offering an elegant salute. She appeared to be in her twenties, strikingly beautiful, yet as cold and aloof as Le Cailing."I am Hong Shunying, a direct disciple under Qing Yue Elder, and Le Cailing is my junior sister. Fellow disciples, I fear Junior Sister Le may have offended many of you in Chestnut Blaze Valley. I ask that you consider our shared sect ties and refrain from blaming her."
Her words were unexpectedly diplomatic, contrary to their aggressive demeanor which had suggested they came to demand accountability.
Deng Xiguang rubbed his nose with a foolish grin, repeatedly saying, "No, no, we were also at fault. How could we blame Junior Sister Le?"
Hong Shunying ignored him and continued, "The Immortal Technique Junior Sister Le practices requires her to refrain from speaking to male disciples for three years. Perhaps her temperament is somewhat aloof. Friction among fellow disciples during trials is common. If she is unlikable, you may simply ignore her. However, deliberately sabotaging her cultivation is unacceptable. I demand an explanation from all of you."
This convoluted speech left everyone puzzled for a while before realizing she had indeed come to demand accountability.
Su Wan glanced at Ying Yuankai, who whispered tearfully with the others, "They've trapped us here for two days, refusing to let us leave until everyone was gathered to clarify matters!"
Frowning, Su Wan said, "Senior Sister Hong, your words are biased. If she didn't speak, how were we to know she was practicing the Mute Immortal Technique? Are you implying we deliberately plotted against her? The situation was extraordinary—we encountered the ferocious beast Zhu Yan..."
She recounted the events of that day in detail. The more she spoke, the darker Hong Shunying's expression grew. Finally, the latter turned to glare at Le Cailing and snapped, "Their account matches what these juniors said earlier. What more do you have to say? Look at your own cultivation level! How dare you recklessly take the Heart of Zhuyan! And then, in a fit of pique, you abandoned the trial altogether. I must report this to our master and let her decide your punishment!"
At these words, Le Cailing's eyes reddened, and two streams of tears fell, her face full of grievance and unwillingness.
The male direct disciple behind her suddenly spoke with a smile, "Junior Sister Hong, it's not uncommon for public opinion to condemn the innocent. Disciples under Qing Yue Elder are not the type to overreact. It's possible these male disciples, captivated by Junior Sister Le's peerless beauty, employed some trickery. There's more to this matter—don't take their words at face value."
Su Wan nearly laughed in anger. "Whether someone chooses to speak or not is entirely their own decision. Your sophistry is unbecoming of a direct disciple."
The male disciple smiled faintly. Suddenly, he called out, "Junior Sister Le."
"Hmm?" Le Cailing had been staring blankly at him as he defended her. Caught off guard by his call, she reflexively responded in surprise.
He said leisurely, "As you've just witnessed, sometimes speaking isn't entirely within one's control. If I call out suddenly, it's natural for someone to respond. If someone maliciously schemes against another, such methods are impossible to guard against. Tell me, who is being unreasonable here?"
Su Wan was instantly furious, but his twisted logic left her momentarily unable to refute, her face turning livid with rage.
Li Fei stepped forward and said coldly, "And who are you? With such nonsense and distortion of truth, is there any justice left in this world?"
The male disciple's eyes lit up when he noticed another stunning junior sister emerging from behind, one who rivaled Le Cailing in beauty and whose words carried an inexplicably captivating charm. "I am Qin Yangling, a direct disciple under Zheng Xu Zhang Lao. And you are...?""Who I am is none of your concern," Li Fei said coldly, staring at him. "I have no interest in Le Cailing's beauty, nor would I resort to any underhanded tricks. She summoned Zhu Yan and then interfered while we were dealing with it. It was me who kicked her qin away—otherwise, she probably wouldn’t have lost her technique. Do you have anything to say? I never knew it was acceptable for a direct disciple to corner someone like this. I wonder what Qing Yue Elder would think?"
Qin Yangling hadn’t expected her to appear gentle and mild-mannered yet speak so sharply. For a moment, he actually laughed.
Hong Shun Ying frowned slightly. "Senior Brother Qin is, after all, a direct disciple. How can you be so disrespectful?"
Truthfully, she had never been keen on cornering someone like this. But Le Cailing was Qing Yue Elder’s most valued disciple, destined to inherit the mantle of the elder of Zixi Peak. If Qing Yue Elder found out that her Mute Immortal Technique had been broken, she would surely be shocked and dismayed. Moreover, Le Cailing had insisted she was entirely blameless in the matter, so as her senior sister, Hong Shun Ying couldn’t just stand aside.
As for Qin Yangling, he had been sticking close to her all these years, likely with intentions of courtship. After the incident, he had volunteered to serve as a witness. Having two direct disciples present made the act of cornering someone feel slightly more justified to her.
However, first, Lei Xiuyuan was Guangwei Zhanglao’s most beloved disciple. Second, once the truth came out, their side would be in the wrong. And third, if the elders were truly alerted, this matter might not end well.
She didn’t want things to escalate, so she sighed and said, "Cailing, you were also at fault in this. Don’t act so willfully in the future."
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