CH 22.3

Ye Bingran stopped in front of a stall selling spiritual herbs, picked up a stalk of spiritual herb, and sensed the unusual gaze. He turned his head and glanced back.

‘Su Baiche’ blinked at him, with a hint of playfulness in his eyes.

Ye Bingran followed his line of sight and saw the figure of the Demon Sovereign ahead.

He frowned, understanding what was happening.

Without hesitation, he acted, blocking between ‘Su Baiche’ and Nan Yaoquan with his sword. At the same time, he appeared beside ‘Su Baiche’ and knocked Liu Shenyun out with a palm before taking him away.

“Are you feeling uncomfortable?”

Ye Bingran helped Shen Liuxiang and sat him down in a clean place. “Nan Yaoquan’s cultivation is profound. If we don’t use the Thousand Miles Technique, we might be intercepted.”

Shen Liuxiang’s body almost tore apart from traversing a thousand miles with his Foundation Building cultivation.

He took a deep breath and shook his head with a pale face. When he wanted to express his gratitude, he suddenly remembered something and quickly closed his mouth.

He picked up a piece of dead branch and moved away the fallen leaves on the ground to write a few words – “Great kindness, unforgettable.”

“Are you under a voice sealing technique?” Ye Bingran extended his hand. “Let me release it for you.”

Shen Liuxiang avoided his hand and quickly wrote three words – “Sore throat.”

So, Ye Bingran took out a jade bottle from his storage pouch and handed it to him. “This is Qingling Liquid. It will help with your throat.”

Shen Liuxiang was amazed.

To use high-grade spiritual liquid to soothe his throat, the Sword Venerable really had a way with him.

He declined and rolled up his sleeve, revealing the Binding Spirit Rope tied around his slim wrist.

Ye Bingran’s expression changed slightly. “The Binding Spirit Technique can only be broken by Nan Yaoquan. The only way is to… cut off the bound area.”

Cut off his hand?!

Shen Liuxiang was frightened and quickly retracted his hand.

Seeing his panic, Ye Bingran’s stern expression softened slightly. “Don’t be afraid. There will be a way.”

He stood up, “Since you have the Binding Spirit Rope on you, Nan Yaoquan will find us soon. We need to get farther away.”

Shen Liuxiang vigorously nodded, and Ye Bingran took him away on his flying sword. A sword hum tore through the sky in an instant.

They were still at the intersection of the two realms, where the spiritual energy was several times more volatile at night than during the day, making it dangerous to travel.

In the evening, they found a secluded mountain cave. Ye Bingran brought Shen Liuxiang inside and lit a campfire with a spell.

Shen Liuxiang was exhausted after a day of running. He directly crouched on the damp ground. When he raised his head, he saw Ye Bingran looking at him with a surprised expression.

Startled, he quickly got up from the ground, found a rock, and sat gracefully on it. He pursed his lips and smiled faintly at Ye Bingran.

Ye Bingran’s puzzled look dissipated, and he quietly closed his eyes, meditating beside Shen Liuxiang.

The cave was too quiet, and Shen Liuxiang was not used to it. He reached out and poked Ye Bingran.

Ye Bingran looked at him, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Liuxiang picked up a twig and wrote on the dusty ground, “Why are you here?”

Ye Bingran calmly replied, “My whip wounds haven’t healed yet, so I came to find some spiritual herbs.”

Shen Liuxiang: “······”

Shen Liuxiang felt a little regretful.

He wrote on the ground with remorse, “I’ve wronged you!”

He had been too harsh.

Ye Bingran fell silent for a moment. “Baiche, you should understand my intentions.”

Shen Liuxiang’s heart skipped a beat.

Could this situation lead to a confession…?

Thankfully, Ye Bingran only said that one sentence and didn’t seem to want to force him. He changed the subject, “Has he bullied you again?”

Shen Liuxiang shook his head and took the opportunity to praise himself, writing, “He treated me well.”

Ye Bingran furrowed his brows as if he didn’t recognize those words. “Do you really think so?”

Shen Liuxiang nodded.

After contemplating for a while, Ye Bingran seemed to be moved by something deep in his heart. His icy gaze hesitated as he looked at Shen Liuxiang.

He moved his lips, “Then what about me?”

If even someone like Shen Liuxiang thought well of him, what about himself?

Shen Liuxiang’s fingers holding the twig tightened slightly. After thinking for a moment, he wrote on the ground, “Naturally, you are better than him.”

If in Su Baiche’s heart, Ye Bingran was still inferior to him, he should just jump off a cliff!

Seeing the answer, Ye Bingran didn’t look away, staring at Shen Liuxiang word by word, “I mean, am I the best?”

This question was really difficult to answer.

Shen Liuxiang was hesitating whether to continue pretending, but suddenly, he noticed a soft little creature wiggling on the ground, illuminated by the firelight.

A string in Shen Liuxiang’s mind snapped.

He immediately jumped behind the only living person in the cave and pointed, “Help! There’s a bug, a bug!!!”

“Who are you?!”

A flash of a sword, and it was aimed at his neck.

Ye Bingran’s face turned iron blue. The voice sounded familiar, but it was definitely not Su Baiche!

Shen Liuxiang kept his gaze fixed on the bug slowly burrowing into the ground, and his face eased.

Then he glanced at the sword by his neck and smirked. A mischievous smile appeared on his fair and beautiful face. “Your old lover.”

The cave fell into silence.

Ye Bingran’s face turned cold as ice, his voice tinged with gritted teeth.

“Shen… Liu… Xiang–”

“Yes, it’s me,” Shen Liuxiang stepped back and respectfully bowed, “Thank you, Sword Venerable, for helping me despite our past conflicts.”

Ye Bingran’s face alternated between green and white, his lips moved as if he wanted to say “go away,” but his good manners kept him from saying it. After struggling for a while, he sheathed his sword.

“Goodbye, you’re on your own!”

“Don’t–” Shen Liuxiang grabbed his sleeve, “You helped me this far; now that I’m in the Foundation Building stage, I’ll be killed as soon as I leave.”

Ye Bingran’s face was expressionless. “What does that have to do with me?”

Shen Liuxiang blinked and said sincerely, “How about you consider it for the sake of your old lover?”

Ye Bingran’s handsome face was filled with coldness. He pulled his sleeve back from Shen Liuxiang’s grasp and his words were full of anger, “Don’t spout such licentious nonsense with that face!”

“Alright, alright,” Shen Liuxiang said, “We are both cultivators in the immortal sect. If you abandon me today, people will say in the future that the Beilun Sword Sect is full of heartless cultivators who watch others suffer without helping.”

He raised an eyebrow and changed the subject, “But if you save me, my Senior Brother might be happy and might even arrange a relationship for you with Lord Su. Then you might have a chance with Lord Su, hehehe.”

Ye Bingran listened to his babbling and replied coldly, “You’re so noisy.”

“…,” Shen Liuxiang was speechless.

“I am not currently a match for Nan Yaoquan,” Ye Bingran continued, his tone stern, “If he comes looking for you, I can only let him take you away.”

Shen Liuxiang whispered, “But you just comforted me earlier, saying you and the Demon Lord are evenly matched.”

Ye Bingran shot him a cold glance, “I have whip injuries, I can’t fight.”

Shen Liuxiang wisely kept quiet. Ye Bingran looked at Shen Liuxiang’s fair and slender wrist and seemed lost in thought, “Or perhaps I could help you cut the binding rope with my sword.”

Shen Liuxiang quickly withdrew his hand into his sleeve, “I’d rather be captured by the Demon Lord.”

Just as he finished speaking, footsteps came from the entrance of the cave. “Is that so? Since that’s the case, come back with me.”

“?!?”

Boom!

The entire forest shook violently.

Shen Liuxiang was almost torn apart by the surging spiritual energy in the air, but thankfully, Ye Bingran used his sword as a protective measure, setting up a barrier for him.

Shen Liuxiang was deeply moved.

If only he had known earlier, he would have voted for Sword Venerable when they were selecting the best supporting male character!

Ye Bingran had not lied. His whip attacks targeted the body 70% and the soul 30%, with the soul being the most difficult to deal with. Even now, it had not fully recovered.

Moreover, although he was very close to the Nascent Soul stage, he was still one step away from it. At this moment, he was no match for Nan Yaoquan, and after several confrontations, he was already showing signs of defeat.

Blood oozed from the corner of Ye Bingran’s lips, and his face was pale as he landed back on the ground, retreating several steps.

Shen Liuxiang hurriedly went forward to support him, wanting to say something but hesitating. “How about…?”

Ye Bingran gave him a cold glance, “Are you trying to persuade me to leave? We are both cultivators in the immortal sect; I can’t do such a thing.”

“No,” Shen Liuxiang chuckled dryly, “I mean, how about you put in more effort?”

“…,” Ye Bingran remained silent.

T/N: Ye Bingran has finally entered the scenes again LMAO