Inside the water pavilion, there was a deathly silence.
It was not until the auras of the members of the Demon Inspection Department had completely vanished that Yan Qingli finally breathed a sigh of relief. She collapsed onto a stone stool, looking as though she were on the verge of exhaustion.
Jiang Keke simply plopped down onto the ground, gasping for breath. She struggled to stand back up, but Yun Heng, who had quickly walked over, raised a hand to stop her.
“Don’t move. You have internal injuries.”
He knelt down, retrieved several bottles of elixirs from his storage bag, and popped two pills into Jiang Keke’s mouth before handing her a bottle.
“Three times a day for seven days. During this time, you are not allowed to use martial arts or cultivate. Just focus on recovering.”
“But…”
“No buts.”
Yun Heng’s tone left no room for argument.
Jiang Keke opened her mouth to speak but ultimately closed it obediently. She could tell that the Young Master was in a very bad mood.
It wasn’t exactly anger or worry, but a state she had never seen before — a mixture of exhaustion and something else she didn’t quite have the words for.
After tending to Jiang Keke, Yun Heng turned to look at the girl behind him.
The girl was still clutching his arm tightly. She looked up at him, her amber eyes filled with panic.
“Don’t be afraid. They’re gone.”
Yun Heng softened his voice and reached out to pat her head, but he paused mid-air. His hands were still stained with the ink and ice crystals left over from the array he had just drawn.
The girl, however, took the initiative to lean in, rubbing her cheek against the back of his hand. Her movements were cautious, as if testing the waters, yet filled with dependence.
Yun Heng was momentary dazed.
He originally had many questions regarding this girl — such as why the remnants of the flood dragon race possessed more than one type of dragon race essence blood within them, why she was able to absorb medicinal power and the strength of an array so quickly, and why his coma after drawing a Rank 9 array had only lasted a few minutes…
However, looking at the child’s clear, baby-like eyes, Yun Heng knew it was useless to ask. He could only let out a self-deprecating laugh and give up on the idea.
‘I’ll deal with it later.’
He sat down on the ground, letting the girl hold his arm as he turned his gaze toward Yan Qingli. “Sect Master Yan, how much longer can Liuli Valley’s mountain protection array hold out?”
He was a top-tier array master, and after his cultivation broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he could easily detect the minute changes in most arrays.
“At most, three days,” Yan Qingli said with a bitter smile.
“When Xuan Sun left just now, he left a hidden force in the mountain protection array. That force is slowly eroding the array’s foundation. Although I can resist it, the array will definitely break in three days. When the time comes, if Xuan Sun returns…”
She didn’t continue.
Yun Heng pondered for a moment. “That’s enough.”
“Enough?” Yan Qingli was confused.
“Yes.”
Yun Heng didn’t explain further. He simply took a jade slip from his storage bag and pressed it to his forehead. The jade slip glowed with a faint light before dimming a moment later.
He handed the jade slip to Yan Qingli. “I must trouble Sect Master Yan to deliver this to Master Rong Yu at the Alchemist Association in Yunmeng Prefecture. He will know what to do.”
“This is…”
“A plea for help,” Yun Heng said calmly. “However, it isn’t a plea to the Yun family, but to the Heavenly Way Academy.”
This was only half-true.
Yun Heng had indeed sent a plea for help to the Heavenly Way Academy, but that message had already been transmitted to the academy’s logistics department the moment the jade slip glowed.
The one he had just handed to Yan Qingli was actually an “order” for Master Rong Yu to fulfill their agreement, leave Yunmeng Prefecture as soon as possible, and head to the Changsheng Yun family.
Yan Qingli’s pupils constricted.
The Heavenly Way Academy?
The Heavenly Way Academy that stood above worldly affairs and almost never interfered in secular disputes? Yun Heng could actually call upon them?
As if sensing her doubt, Yun Heng smiled. “Sect Master Yan, please rest assured. I know what I’m doing. You only need to deliver this item. Leave the rest to me.”
He had promised Master Rong Yu to “protect Yan Qingli,” so no matter what, he wouldn’t actually let Liuli Valley’s mountain protection array collapse.
Based on what he could see, Xuan Sun’s goal was only the demon race girl.
As long as Yun Heng left with her within three days, Xuan Sun wouldn’t risk offending the Heavenly Way Academy by attacking Yan Qingli. Instead, he would choose to track Yun Heng.
The problem was that Yun Heng couldn’t possibly repair the mountain protection array within three days. Putting his cultivation aside, there simply wasn’t enough time.
Rather than worrying about how to achieve a perfect outcome for everyone, it was better to go with the flow, offer a favor, and leave it to the professionals.
Yan Qingli stared at him for a long while before finally nodding. “Fine.”
She took the jade slip and turned to leave.
“Wait,” Yun Heng called out.
“One more thing. Within these three days, it would be best to close Liuli Valley. No disciples are allowed to leave, and no one except the Heavenly Way Academy is allowed to enter. If anyone asks, say that I am in secluded meditation and refusing visitors.”
After finishing his business at Liuli Valley, the next things Yun Heng needed to do were to help Jiang Keke reach Foundation Establishment and investigate the secrets surrounding the girl as much as possible.
To deal with Xuan Sun’s subsequent pursuit, he needed to find a safe place to make thorough preparations over the next few days.
Liuli Valley was a perfect location.
Yan Qingli hesitated for a moment. “Does that include the eldest daughter of the Su family, who might be on her way?”
While Yun Heng had been unconscious and before Xuan Sun arrived, Yan Qingli had received a communication jade slip from Su Zhenxue of the Everlasting Su Clan in the upper three provinces.
The message was brief but clear — she would be visiting Liuli Valley in a few days.
Yun Heng’s movements stiffened.
‘What is she doing here?’
Yun Heng’s memories of his fiancée were truly pitifully few.
In his past life, Yun Heng hadn’t returned to the upper three provinces until he was 260 years old.
By then, Su Zhenxue was already a powerhouse at the Void Refinement stage, traveling everywhere in search of the immortal path.
After that, the extra-terrestrial demons invaded. Both the Su and Yun families were so busy saving the world that they tacitly agreed not to pressure the two younger members.
Furthermore, as the title of “natural Dao companions” grew louder for Yun Heng and Ling Yao, the matter of the engagement was simply dropped.
After rubbing his temples and thinking for a long time, Yun Heng finally exhaled slowly. “Especially her.”
It seemed three days was too long to wait. At most, he would have to take the others and flee this place within two days.
***
At the same time, on the border of Yunmeng Prefecture.
A silver-white flying artifact shaped like a shuttle broke through the clouds, racing through the air.
The cabin door opened, and Su Zhenxue, dressed in white, stood at the bow.
Her cold gaze was fixed in the direction of Liuli Valley. She held a constantly vibrating compass in her hand, its needle pointing directly toward the valley.
“Demon race… dragon blood…” she whispered to herself, a flicker of complexity crossing her eyes.
This compass was a high-grade artifact linked to the communication jade slip. it could directly locate the position of the jade slip she had previously used and possessed a minor detection function.
“Demon race” and “dragon blood” were fragments of information she had picked up through the detector.
Why would he be involved with these two troublesome races?
Su Zhenxue didn’t understand what her “fiancé,” whom she had never met, was thinking.
However, having heard about Yun Heng from various elders since she was a child, she was incredibly curious about this man who acted strangely, had low cultivation, yet was so famous.
She would be celebrating her twenty birthday next year and heading to the Heavenly Way Academy, yet she hadn’t been able to find any information regarding his whereabouts until yesterday.
Now that she finally had a lead, Su Zhenxue had no reason not to go and take a closer look.
After all…
Su Zhenxue’s face flushed slightly.
That man would very likely be her future husband.
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