After the assassination incident led by the Eighth Elder’s personal disciple, An Xiaoyao rarely left the sect. At the same time, she began visiting Lin Que much more frequently, and every time she came, she would stay until sunset before leaving.
“No wonder Lin Lang respects Master so much…”
Watching the dreamscape of Lin Que and Jiang Moqing’s cave residence, Qin Wanyuan couldn’t help but sigh. An Xiaoyao truly treated Lin Que exceptionally well. If Lin Que didn’t already have a family in the mortal world, she might have suspected he was actually her Master’s illegitimate son.
After the calamity, not only did An Xiaoyao undergo some changes, but the relationship between Lin Que and Jiang Moqing also began to subtly shift.
Lin Que no longer spent all his time focused solely on sword training. Occasionally, he would even experiment with cooking. Though there’s an old saying that “a gentleman stays away from the kitchen”, he clearly didn’t care about that.
As for Jiang Moqing, she became his taste tester, offering critiques on his dishes. Sometimes, when Lin Que was cooking, she would stand behind him…not to help, but simply to watch him quietly.
In short, it seemed these two “ice blocks” had finally begun to spark a little warmth between them.
Day by day, their relationship grew closer. Though they were still some distance away from falling in love, the warmth between them continued to deepen.
The only imperfection was that Lin Que’s injuries still hadn’t fully healed.
In the cultivation world, severed meridians are considered an incurable condition. It was an absolute death sentence unless a powerful cultivator is willing to intervene and use countless rare spiritual herbs and treasures to revive the meridians. Without that, recovery is impossible.
An Xiaoyao clearly didn’t have those kinds of connections. All she could do was give her utmost effort to make Lin Que’s life a little easier.
Lin Que, however, did not grow discouraged or fall into despair. He continued practicing swordsmanship day after day. Though he had never been good with his left hand, he trained it to near perfection, reaching a level of mastery.
In addition, he began studying medical texts, trying to find a way to heal himself.
Perhaps moved by his unyielding determination, Jiang Moqing’s personality also began to shift slightly. She was no longer as cold as before, showing faint signs of the icy mountain beginning to thaw.
Since these were events from the past, the present-day Qin Wanyuan already knew that Lin Que’s so-called incurable condition was eventually healed. After all, he couldn’t have reached the peak of the Core Formation stage otherwise.
But… how had he managed to reverse his fate in such a desperate situation?
Qin Wanyuan’s question was soon answered.
The peaceful days lasted only three months. After that, Jiang Moqing was dispatched on a secret mission as the newly appointed chief disciple.
Apparently, the task involved investigating a noble family suspected of colluding with demonic cultivators.
Both Lin Que and An Xiaoyao opposed Jiang Moqing’s departure, but… she was uncharacteristically resolute about carrying out the mission.
In that moment, a strange emotion seemed to ignite in her eyes. Not the usual coldness, but a burning intensity.
Lin Que couldn’t understand that emotion, but An Xiaoyao seemed to. So, she let go of her hand.
Jiang Moqing left.
Only Lin Que and An Xiaoyao remained on Drunken Jade Peak. Because of the previous assassination attempt, An Xiaoyao didn’t dare leave Lin Que alone on the mountain. Naturally, this meant she couldn’t secretly follow Jiang Moqing to protect her.
Even though Lin Que insisted he didn’t need protecting, An Xiaoyao refused to leave. She simply comforted him, saying things like, “Qing’er knows her limits. She won’t take risks lightly.”
More days passed, but there was still no word from Jiang Moqing.
She had completely disappeared.
This time, Lin Que could no longer sit still. He wanted to go search for Jiang Moqing, but An Xiaoyao persuaded him not to. Yet she didn’t set out herself either.
It was clear that An Xiaoyao knew something, but she didn’t tell Lin Que. He was kept entirely in the dark. No matter how much he pressed her, An Xiaoyao only shook her head and said sadly,
“This was Qing’er’s own choice. We can’t interfere.”
Lin Que tried to force his way out to search for Jiang Moqing, but An Xiaoyao knocked him out.
By the time he regained consciousness, it was already deep into the night.
He stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling, then glanced at the door and windows sealed with An Xiaoyao’s restrictive barrier. Clenching his fists tightly, he slammed them down onto the bed frame.
The frame shattered instantly, splintering into pieces. His hand trembled slightly from the intensity of his rage.
This was the first time he had ever been so angry.
Angry at being kept in the dark. Angry at being completely treated like an outsider.
Watching this scene, Qin Wanyuan once again felt her heart ache. She almost forgot it was just a dream and instinctively took a step forward, wanting to comfort the Lin Que within the dream.
However—
In the next instant, the scene before her suddenly shattered into fragments, scattering like pieces of glass. The last thing Qin Wanyuan saw in her field of vision was a black-and-red shadow.
Everything dissolved into nothingness.
Qin Wanyuan froze for a moment. “Did the dream end? But… something feels off…”
Based on her previous experience, when a dream ended, she should have woken up immediately. But this time, she hadn’t.
The dream wasn’t over.
When the void in front of her gradually transformed back into a dreamscape, Qin Wanyuan was completely stunned. What she saw was no longer Lin Que’s room but a completely unfamiliar scene and a massive structure she had never seen before.
At this very moment, the massive, majestic structure was engulfed in roaring flames. Numerous buildings lay in ruins, cut down by the sword.
Lin Que stood with his back to the fire, his entire body soaked in blood. His presence was like that of a god of war descending upon the world. In his arms, he held the severely wounded Jiang Moqing, step by step walking toward the outside world.
And in his eyes, a red gleam flickered…something Qin Wanyuan had never seen before.
Against this backdrop, Lin Que looked down at Jiang Moqing and spoke calmly, “Wang Moqing, is this the thing you all chose not to tell me?”
Calling her by her full name was enough to show how serious and how angry he was.
Gazing into the young man’s eyes, Jiang Moqing lowered her gaze slightly, as if weighed down by guilt.
“Mm… actually, my surname isn’t Wang. It’s Jiang…”
And with that, the dream finally came to an end.
The scene shattered. Qin Wanyuan opened her eyes to the sight of the familiar ceiling above her.
“What a long dream that was…”
She could clearly feel that this dream had lasted much longer than the ones before. When she glanced out the window, she realized that the sun was already high in the sky.
Beside her, Lin Que’s eyes carried a hint of weariness and a touch of imperceptible fatigue.
System, this Shared Dream Talisman… it’s not draining Lin Lang’s energy, is it?’
Qin Wanyuan frowned and questioned the system.
If exploring Lin Que’s past came at a cost to him, she would rather know less.
[It’s not. The reason your Dao companion feels tired and woke up late today is because he helped you open your meridians last night.]
So that’s what it was…
Qin Wanyuan thought for a moment, then turned to gently kiss Lin Que on the cheek like a pecking chick.
“Lin Lang, take it easy today. I’ll cook, and I promise it’ll all be your favorite dishes,” she said softly and tenderly.
“Mm, thank you, Wanyuan.”
Lin Que didn’t turn down Qin Wanyuan’s kindness. Instead, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her in return.
“Hehe.”
With a smile, Qin Wanyuan got out of bed and headed off to prepare lunch.
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