Chapter 522: Destiny

Chapter 522: Destiny

The firelight illuminated their faces. Chen Chao's complexion was pale, while Liang Jinjin's face was slightly flushed. She said softly, "Regardless, thank you for saving my life."

Chen Chao teased, "Just saying thanks?"

Liang Jinjin was taken aback, then replied a bit pitifully, "But I already gave you my medicinal pill."

She thought for a moment, her face turning a bit red, and looked up at Chen Chao, her lips moving slightly as if to speak. However, before she could say anything, Chen Chao interrupted with a serious expression, "Young lady, take back your indecent thoughts. I'm a good person."

Liang Jinjin was stunned but quickly covered her mouth and laughed.

Chen Chao chuckled and said, "There are many ways to repay someone. How about telling me about the whatever sect ruins?"

Liang Jinjin shook her head, frowning, "That's a sect secret. Before we left, my master told me not to tell anyone."

"This isn't really a secret, is it? At least, many cultivators know about it. I'm the only one who doesn't know about it. You'll just be talking about something everyone already knows, so it doesn't count as breaking any sect rules." Chen Chao coaxed her patiently with a smile, "How about this, you tell me, and I promise not to tell anyone that it was you who said it. How's that?"

Liang Jinjin hesitated as she looked at Chen Chao.

She had little worldly experience, how could she be a match for someone like Chen Chao?

Chen Chao continued, "You're alone now. You can't return to your sect by yourself, can you? The desolate northern plains are vast. If you try to leave on your own, it won't take long before you end up as food for those demons. You have no choice but to travel with me. I can't go back now anyway, so why not take me along and show me the ruins? I promise I won't take anything. As a martial artist, I wouldn't have any use for those items anyway, so they'll all still be yours."

As he spoke, Chen Chao could not help but feel a deep sense of guilt. Deceiving an innocent girl like this was truly shameful.

However, not everything he said was a lie. It was indeed nearly impossible for the young woman before him to leave the desolate northern plains on her own. Without a companion, she would likely die out here in the desolate northern plains.

But if Liang Jinjin was unwilling, Chen Chao would not mind escorting her out of the desolate northern plains. But what to do afterward was a bit of a headache. He knew the least about this place and was like a headless fly wandering around.

It was likely that other young cultivators from Great Liang faced the same confusion.

Liang Jinjin thought for a long time before asking, "Are you really willing to help me?"

On this journey, her senior brothers and senior sisters had already died in the desolate northern plains. If she returned empty-handed, she would certainly be punished according to sect rules. The qi refiners' sects always prioritized the Heavenly Dao, and matters like master-disciple bonds or camaraderie among peers were rarely valued. She was an exception in this regard.

Chen Chao nodded his head.

This time, Liang Jinjin looked at him for a long while without saying a word.

Chen Chao grew increasingly nervous under her gaze.

“Our Pinecreek Mountain has a technique called the Qi Observing Technique. Very few people on the mountain are suited to cultivate it, but I've been cultivating it since young. Because of this, I can see many ethereal forms of destiny in the world that ordinary people cannot. Every sect has its own destiny, which only qi refiners can perceive. However, when a sect is destroyed, its destiny dissipates, and over time, it fades away into the world. But a faint trace of destiny remains, and only those who practice the Qi Observing Technique can detect it.”

Chen Chao smiled and said, "Doesn't that mean everything is determined by the person? Screw whatever fate and destiny?"

Hearing this, Liang Jinjin's expression changed dramatically. She quickly performed a series of complicated gestures and finally knelt down, muttering, "Heaven and earth, please don't be angry, please don't be angry!"

After finishing all this, she stood up again, saying somewhat angrily, "You must respect heaven and earth! Otherwise, you will face retribution!"

Chen Chao laughed, "If anyone is to face retribution, it should be me. Why are you worried?"

Liang Jinjin snorted and remained silent.

Chen Chao understood that Liang Jinjin’s actions were her way of apologizing to heaven and earth on his behalf.

This girl indeed had a kind heart. In the lineage of qi refiners who only respected Heavenly Dao and disregarded human relations, she was indeed an anomaly.

Chen Chao then remembered the qi refiner master-disciple pair he had killed. The middle-aged daoist nun had been so furious, likely not just because Guo Xi was her disciple, but because her own disciple had been killed by Chen Chao.

It was a bit convoluted, but that seemed to be the case.

"Let's get back on topic. Talk about the ruins."

Chen Chao quickly spoke up, wanting Liang Jinjin to continue.

Liang Jinjin was a bit angry, but soon explained, “Before your Great Liang, it was the Great Qi. At that time, the northern plains were still under human control. There were once several sects in the northern plains, scattered over the thirty thousand miles of the desolate north. There were dozens of sects of various sizes, but due to the demons moving southward, these sects were all destroyed. They were wiped out before the fall of the Great Qi.”

Chen Chao asked again, “Why would any cultivators choose to establish sects so close to the demon race?”

The foreign lands typically avoided demons as much as possible. Even though the thirty thousand miles of desolate north were part of human territory back then, it was still on the front line close to the demons. It was hard to understand why cultivators would set up sects there.

Liang Jinjin frowned, “How do you not know anything?”

Chen Chao felt somewhat helpless. Perhaps Xie Nandu knew about this, but aside from reading a few books with Xie Nandu at the beginning, he had been busy with various matters and had not had much time to learn about such things.

“As you know, we martial artists are seldom taken seriously. How would we know about these things?” Chen Chao sighed, but immediately regretted it, fearing he might be accused of lying again.

Liang Jinjin did not look at him but nodded thoughtfully, feeling there was some truth to his words.

However, her next sentence left Chen Chao stunned.

“Those cultivators naturally established sects in the northern plains to resist the demons and protect the human race!"