Chapter 343 - 339: Returned To Us

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Chapter 343 - 339: Returned To Us

"Uhn..." Hong Ru’s freshly created eyes were filled with curiosity and confusion. ’Where am I?’ She tried to observe the surroundings, but the lighting had made everything indistinct as her eyes tried to adjust. She could only discern a tall silhouette hovering over her body and, in the background, several silhouettes that glinted with reflective light.

’What happened? Where am I? What is this?!’ She tried to move, feeling a gradually receding numb sensation within her fingers, hands, and forearms. She could feel traces of air circulating between her fingers. Slowly, she clenched her fist to get the feedback from the pressure.

When she tried to speak, to ask a question, her voice came out in mumbles. She wasn’t sure if she heard herself wrong or not, but it sounded like baby noises. A wisp of frustration emerged within her heart. Why was this happening?

Her heartbeat started to race. She felt a headache that pounded incessantly, her mind trying to recall the last events in her memory. But she had to go through some massive exploring, recalling her most emotional memories first.

Her fifth birthday. She was celebrated by her entire family. It was one of her fondest memories filled with happiness and love.

When she was fifteen and received word of her cousin’s death. How she cried for days in grief, unable to eat for quite a while. She had given her father quite a scare.

When she was sixteen, meeting a frigid-acting young woman in a meeting between clans. She found her interesting, curious, and incessantly asked her questions without pause. But she received indifference and a cold shoulder, which only made her more curious, and more intent on causing this wintry young girl to change her expression.

When the two of them became official disciples of the sect, entering the Astral Core Realm on the same day. They competed against each other, and while it ended in what was declared a draw, she felt that she had lost by a small margin. This ignited her spirit, and their rivalry continued for decades.

There were so many memories, many of which included that white haired young woman. She tried to speak again and when she did, her words were more stable and clear.

"Xi-Xiao Bin...g..." After saying that name, tears welled up within her eyes.

She remembered.

She was participating in the Grand Spirit Trials. She had met Xiao Bing after noticing her distinct aura nearby, an aura she was extremely familiar with. They met another girl, and they traveled trying to subdue beasts. But they met Huangfu Jinwei. He was chasing after Long Chen, a young boy that the two girls found interesting. It felt like their rivalry had extended to him, both trying to one-up each other in protecting him.

They unwittingly became close to this boy, one of the few boys they had ever decided to give their attention to.

Then...

Then...

Then...!

Her head started to hurt and her body shifted about in discomfort. She knew what happened, but she didn’t want to remember.

"Hong Ru! I’m here."

She heard a soft voice that carried a hint of icy essence, and it calmed her raging emotions. She discovered that she was now surrounded by silhouettes, and the closest one held her hand, revealing an expression she hadn’t thought she would ever see—a smile.

It was merely a smile, but it was extremely new to her.

If she did...

If he knew...

She...she didn’t know if she should be worried or happy. This feeling brought about a complex conflict in her heart.

Wu Baozhai on the other hand couldn’t help but glance at Lin Ziyan, realizing that she hadn’t made any attempts to get close to Long Chen. Before, she would always position herself the closest to Long Chen, clearly trying to state her intentions. But now, she was even ensuring a set distance between her and Long Chen remained.

’Did Wei Wuyin do something to her?’ She felt that, given Wei Wuyin’s personality and actions thus far, he would find it beneath him to play hidden tricks. He wasn’t bothered by Na Xinyi’s indecision nor Qing Qiumu’s close relationship with Long Chen. This showed that he wasn’t the jealous-type, or at least the jealous possessive type that tried to claim women as objects of his own.

Those opulent young masters of various clans or leaders of factions within the sect had this type of mentality or a variation of it. The competitive environment was a breeding ground for obsessive ego and a need for control, especially towards the fairer sex. However, Wei Wuyin had always shown a distinctive respect for women and their choices. There were no rumors of him aggressively pursuing women or forcefully snatching beauties as trophies.

If we eliminated the improbable, then the only thing she could think of was...

Her mind instantly recalled a memory. A memory of Wei Wuyin talking to Long Chen at Qing Qiumu’s execution. He had cleverly goaded Long Chen into giving up his ring, using psychological tactics. At the time, she hadn’t taken it too seriously, but there was a certain exchange:

-

"Lin Ziyan, oh Lin Ziyan." Wei Wuyin folded his arms and tilted his head slightly. "Did you know, I was ’this’ close to marrying her all those years ago. To think she would end up like this, tch tch. Her life might’ve been better if she..." He shook his head with a wisp of pity in his eyes, but the implication was clear.

"Shut up! She would never marry you!" Long Chen’s breathing became erratic as his Slaughter and Sword Intent flared within his eyes, unleashing a faint spiritual pressure.

Wei Wuyin remained entirely unbothered, his eyes similarly flickering with Saber Intent. He was completely unaffected by this level of spiritual suppression, and shrugged it off as he calmly stated: "She once came to the Scarlet Solaris Sect and said that anyone who could reach a certain level of the Haven Heart Qi Method would earn her hand in marriage. As you can clearly see..."

Wei Wuyin lifted a finger, causing Saber and Elemental Qi to flow upwards and become two wisps that intermingled and swirled around each other above his finger. It was quite a beautiful and elegant display of qi control.

Long Chen gritted his teeth.

"Oh? It seems you already knew about her promise. She must’ve given it out often. Then, you should know that I cultivated it fully when I was twenty-six. You would’ve been, what? Twenty-one at the time, right?"

-

She recalled every little detail perfectly. Her countenance paled slightly. Is it possible that Wei Wuyin had told her? No, that’s impossible. If he wanted to tell her this before, he could’ve long done it numerous times.

Then, how would she have learned of this? She wasn’t present that day? Her thoughts scurried about as she recalled the numerous visits everyone had given to Lin Ziyan on the regular, even taking turns watching over her.

One of them must’ve mentioned it...

One of them...

Her light-brown eyes swept those present. The bad feeling she had earlier spiraled into an exploding eruption. Just as she thought this, Lin Ziyan spoke words that caused her heart to plunge. Words that the Lin Ziyan she knew would never have spoken, never have suggested with Long Chen nearby.

"Sister Bing, Sister Hong, I’ve asked Wei Wuyin to allow you both to cultivate in his Sky Palace. It’s the quickest way to regain your cultivation base, Hong Ru, and this would be a good opportunity for Xiao Bing." Her words caused everyone to look towards her with unexpected surprise or complex emotions.

’So it’s true...’ Wu Baozhai’s expression became unsightly, knowing what was to come as she witnessed Long Chen’s expression contort in real-time.