She was definitely going to ask about that pink bow.
Lin Yue didn’t change his expression.
He even put on a “simple and moved” smile.
“Satisfied! Very satisfied! Junior Sister’s handiwork is truly exquisite. That pink ribbon is tied so firmly!”
He deliberately stressed the word “firmly.”
An Xiaoxiao covered her mouth and chuckled.
“As long as Senior Brother likes it. That green token was so cold and had a nasty sword aura on it. Xiaoxiao dressed it up, and now it’s much more well-behaved. Right?”
“Right, right. Junior Sister is always right.”
Lin Yue nodded repeatedly, but inside he was cursing Chu Wanning and An Xiaoxiao ten thousand times.
“Then…”
An Xiaoxiao’s gaze suddenly turned dreamy.
Her eyes slowly drifted downward and landed on Lin Yue’s waist.
“Senior Brother, are you carrying it on you right now? Take it out and let Xiaoxiao see it again, okay?”
The moment those words were spoken, the air around them seemed to freeze.
A cold sweat instantly broke out on Lin Yue’s back.
Take it out?
Are you kidding me?
This was the outer sect dining hall—crowded and full of prying eyes.
The moment Chu Wanning’s soul-bound jade token appeared, it would cause an uproar.
And on top of that, there was an extremely eerie pink bow tied to it.
If another disciple saw it, word would spread to the inner sect.
What would Chu Wanning think?
“Oh, the soul-bound jade token I gave you—not only did you hang it around carelessly, but you let another woman tie a bow on it?”
That would be like rubbing Chu Wanning’s face into the dirt!
But if he didn’t take it out…
Given An Xiaoxiao’s possessive streak, who knew what she might do in the dining hall?
In the blink of an eye, Lin Yue’s brain began working furiously.
“Not convenient.”
Lin Yue suddenly dropped his smile.
His face turned stern, even carrying a hint of “defiant resolve.”
An Xiaoxiao’s smile froze.
Her gaze instantly turned cold.
The temperature around them seemed to drop a few degrees.
“Why?”
Her voice was no longer sweet, but carried a suffocating chill.
“Is Senior Brother afraid of being seen? Or… did Senior Brother already untie it in secret?”
“Neither!”
Lin Yue slammed the table, splashing soup from his bowl.
His outburst drew the attention of every other disciple in the hall.
Lin Yue ignored them.
He stared into An Xiaoxiao’s eyes, lowered his voice, and spoke with intense “possessiveness” and “deep affection”:
“What Junior Sister gave me is a secret between the two of us!”
“That token was forced on me by someone else, but the bow you tied to it is your feelings for me!”
Lin Yue clutched his chest—exactly where the jade token was in his inner pocket.
“I keep it against my heart! Right where my heartbeat is closest!”
“If I take it out now, doesn’t that mean showing our secret to the whole world? Doesn’t that mean exposing your feelings in front of these ordinary people?”
Lin Yue grew more agitated as he spoke.
Even his eyes reddened from the strain.
“I may be a poor boy, but I know what it means to treasure something! Your gift is for me alone to see! For me alone to feel!”
“If anyone dares to make me show it in public, I’ll smash their head with this iron pillar!”
Lin Yue grabbed the black iron heavy sword beside him and slammed it onto the ground.
Thud!
The entire dining hall fell silent.
Everyone stared at Lin Yue like he was a madman.
And An Xiaoxiao, sitting across from him, was completely stunned.
The coldness in her eyes shattered instantly, replaced by a violent tremor.
Her originally deep, unfathomable black pupils were rapidly overtaken by a shocking pink blush.
“For… only you to see?”
An Xiaoxiao murmured to herself.
Her cheeks instantly flushed bright red, as if they might drip blood.
Her breathing became rapid and shallow.
She twisted the hem of her skirt tightly with both hands, not daring to look at Lin Yue again.
“Senior Brother… you, you can’t just say things like that in public…”
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s.
The yandere queen aura from before was completely gone.
Now she was just a shy, love-struck little girl.
“I’m not saying nonsense.”
Lin Yue pressed his advantage, maintaining his devoted persona.
“Eat your noodles! They’re getting soggy!”
“Mm…”
An Xiaoxiao nodded obediently.
She actually lowered her head and drank from her bowl of plain water.
After two sips, she suddenly stood up, covering her flushed cheeks.
“Xiaoxiao… Xiaoxiao has to go listen to Elder Chen’s sermon! Senior Brother, remember to finish the soup!”
With that, she scurried out of the dining hall like a frightened rabbit.
At the doorway, she even tripped slightly from being too flustered.
Watching An Xiaoxiao disappear from the hall, Lin Yue finally let out a long sigh.
He felt he had exhausted a lifetime’s worth of acting in that one moment.
“Too exhausting. This is harder than fighting on the front lines.”
Lin Yue wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
He couldn’t even finish the remaining noodles.
He knew that his words had temporarily fooled An Xiaoxiao and even greatly satisfied her twisted possessiveness.
But that was only a temporary fix.
As long as that jade token with the bow was still on him.
As long as Chu Wanning was still in the Nine Heavens Sect.
This landmine would eventually explode.
“I can’t stay in my broken thatched hut anymore.”
Lin Yue shouldered his heavy sword and walked out of the dining hall.
“An Xiaoxiao is watching me like a hawk. These three days, I have to find an absolutely safe, completely isolated place. I need to figure out how to untie that impossible knot on the jade token.”
Who could help him?
In the entire outer sect, there was only one person who could arrange a place for him.
Without hesitation, Lin Yue changed direction and headed straight for the Outer Sect Steward Hall.
Half an incense stick later.
In the back hall of the Steward Hall.
Mo Feng was savoring a cup of top-tier spirit tea.
When he saw Lin Yue walk in carrying an iron pillar, he nearly sprayed the hot tea all over his face.
“Lin… Junior Brother Lin! What brings you here again?”
Mo Feng hastily set down the teacup and respectfully welcomed him.
Lin Yue sat down grandly in a master’s chair and leaned his heavy sword against it.
“Steward Mo, I need a quiet place.”
Lin Yue got straight to the point.
“Quiet?”
Mo Feng was startled.
“Yes, extremely quiet. Preferably a place where no birds shit, no one goes for three days, and it’s incredibly dangerous—the kind normal people wouldn’t dare to approach.”
Lin Yue tapped his fingers on the table.
“For the next three days, I’m going into seclusion. No one—including you—can disturb me. Got it?”
Mo Feng’s eyes instantly lit up.
Seclusion!
Lord Lin was going into seclusion on the eve of the Ten Thousand Swords Ceremony!
And he wanted an extremely dangerous place!
This meant only one thing: he was going to break his seal and restore his true cultivation!
Mo Feng trembled with excitement.
“Got it! I totally got it!”
Mo Feng slapped his thigh, turned, and walked to the wall covered in wooden task plaques.
His eyes swept over a pile of miscellaneous labor plaques, finally stopping on the highest one—a dusty black wooden plaque.
“Junior Brother Lin, how about this place?”
Mo Feng took down the black wooden plaque with both hands and respectfully handed it to Lin Yue.
Lin Yue took it and saw three large characters written in vermillion:【Abandoned Sword Grave】