147. An Old Friend

After a brief conversation, Lingyu understood their situation.

To put it bluntly, they were a group of unlucky souls. When the demon cultivators invaded, the major sects evacuated mortals and low-level cultivators away from the coastal region, establishing defense lines and setting up arrays. As for them, due to various reasons, they missed the opportunity, got left behind within the defense line, and now could not get out.

After finishing his words, Zhu Liancheng looked at her with hopeful eyes.

Lingyu thought for a moment and said, "To take you away is probably beyond my ability, but passing on a message should not be a problem. If I return safely, I will certainly report this."

Having obtained this promise, Zhu Liancheng was already very satisfied. He expressed his gratitude repeatedly, left his daughter to take care of her, and went outside.

"Senior, is there anything junior can do for you?" the young girl looked at her with slight apprehension.

Lingyu shook her head, gesturing for her to sit nearby. "Accompany me for a chat."

Seeing her amiable attitude, the girl relaxed and smiled, sitting down as instructed. "My name is Zhu Tan'er. May I ask how senior is addressed?"

"My surname is Cheng, and my Daoist name is Lingyu." With that, Lingyu swept her divine sense over the girl and discovered that this child was merely at the third layer of Qi Condensation. Given the standards of cultivation in the Cangming Realm, this cultivation level was far too low; the young girl probably possessed mediocre aptitude.

The two chatted casually. Zhu Tan'er lacked any deep shrewdness, and at a casual mention from Lingyu, she poured out everything about herself like beans spilling from a broken bamboo tube.

"... Father was injured previously, and the outside is very dangerous; we dare not wander in and out of the battlefield. We can only hide here. A few days ago, several mountains were burned black, and we couldn't even find medicinal herbs." Zhu Tan'er asked with concern, "Senior, when can we drive away the demon cultivators?"

"Well..." This question was one Lingyu truly could not answer. Judging by the posture of the sects' response, it was clear that the demon cultivators had come with ferocious momentum, and the matter would likely not be resolved in the short term.

Zhu Tan'er had merely asked casually, not expecting an immediate answer. She continued to shake her head and sigh, "Alas! We have been waiting here for more than half a year and tried to go out a few times, but then we ran into battles..."

Their cultivation level was far too low; taking risks to reach White Deer Nunnery or Danxin Pavilion meant almost zero chance of survival.

"Is it safe here?"

Zhu Tan'er nodded without hesitation. "There is a stone forest in Yangming Mountain, which is a natural barrier formation. The demon cultivators will not find us."

Lingyu felt slightly relieved. Since that was the case, she could rest assured and recuperate here, returning only after she felt better.

She asked, "Miss Zhu, how did your father get injured?"

Zhu Tan'er's mood dipped somewhat as she replied, "It was to protect me and my senior brother... Otherwise, Father would have already retreated."

After brief consideration, Lingyu reached into her Qiankun pouch and produced a jade bottle. "Miss Zhu, I am carrying injuries myself and will likely have to stay here for a while longer. Thank you for your hospitality. Here are two Minor Returning Pills, which should be sufficient for your father's recovery as a token of my gratitude."

"Minor Returning Pills?" Zhu Tan'er was first startled, then delighted. "Are these the legendary healing holy pills, Minor Returning Pills?"

Lingyu nodded. For Qi Condensation cultivators, Minor Returning Pills could indeed be considered a holy medicine for healing, carrying a rather high price. Loose cultivators without any background, like them, would likely never be able to afford them.

Overjoyed, Zhu Tan'er accepted the medicine bottle and said solemnly, "Senior, rest assured, junior will definitely handle everything else well and will not disturb senior's recuperation."

With that, she hurried outside, shouting as she ran, "Father! Father!"

Lingyu smiled, shook her head, and crossed her legs to focus on her own affairs.

Detonating the fire talisman had been a desperate move for survival. If not for Wu Weiyang's life-preserving secret technique she carried, the sheer power of those talismans would have blown her into dust. Fortunately, water-type spells were the most gentle, preserving her little life. However, her physical injuries were by no means minor; the injuries to her meridians would require at least several months to heal properly.

Lingyu opened her Qiankun pouch and extracted several jade bottles.

Having been sent to the battlefield, she was naturally well-prepared with various elixirs. Combined with her own savings and her master's rewards, recuperating posed no problem at all.

She tossed out a few array flags to set up a simple defensive formation, then swallowed a pill and closed her eyes to heal.

As the pill entered her stomach, a warm aura diffused, flowing toward her limbs and bones, repairing the damaged areas bit by bit.

Simultaneously, her true essence circulated automatically, starting from her dantian and moving slowly along the microcosmic celestial orbit.

Cultivation knows no passage of time, and healing is much the same. In the blink of an eye, several months passed.

Lingyu stayed indoors, spending every day solely on healing and cultivation.

Having obtained her two Minor Returning Pills, Zhu Liancheng's injuries were nearly healed. The father and daughter kept their promise, guarding her doorway so she could recuperate without disturbance.

"Father, why hasn't senior come out yet? It's been several months!" Near dusk, in the clearing outside the stone house, the Zhu family father, daughter, and apprentice sat in a circle around a burning bonfire, cooking a pot of vegetable soup.

They were all Qi Condensation cultivators and could not yet practice inedia. Hiding here, they could only hunt some game and gather wild vegetables to stave off hunger. Fortunately, there was a patch of stone forest at the entrance of the mountain hollow, and the massive fire from several months ago had not reached this place; otherwise, they would have either burned to death or starved.

Zhu Liancheng's injuries were mostly healed, and his complexion was rosy. As he stirred the vegetable soup, he said, "Senior's injuries were so severe, how could they possibly heal so quickly? Don't rush, let's wait a bit longer."

Zhu Tan'er sighed, resting her chin on her hand as she gazed at the sunset glow on the horizon with deep yearning. "I really hope we can leave soon. Living here in constant fear prevents us from cultivating properly..."

Zhu Liancheng knew this all too well, but what could they do? Exiting the stone forest meant facing the dangerous battlefield. He could barely manage it, but his daughter and apprentice certainly could not.

The youth, who was Zhu Liancheng's apprentice Yu Zishan, said, "Junior sister, don't worry. Once senior recovers and goes back to report, someone will be sent to escort us out."

"... Well, let's hope so."

When the vegetable soup was ready, the three of them shared it while chatting and laughing, presenting a serene scene.

Right at that moment, Zhu Liancheng suddenly raised his head, set his bowl aside, and stood up.

"Master, what's wrong?" Noticing his abnormal expression, Yu Zishan quickly stood up as well.

Before Zhu Liancheng could reply, a deafening explosion echoed as a beam of purple light struck the stone forest, blasting several huge boulders into fragments. Within the mountain hollow, the few other Qi Condensation cultivators besides the Zhu family were all startled.

Immediately afterward, several streaks of light flashed in, and five cultivators suddenly appeared above the stone forest.

These five cultivators all looked like young men, and three of them wore identical purple robes with long swords strapped to their backs.

"Could this... could this be the Zixiao Sword Sect?" Zhu Liancheng remembered seeing disciples of the Zixiao Sword Sect in an immortal city when he was young, and the Dao robes they wore looked just like these.

Before he could finish reminiscing, the five cultivators quickly engaged in battle. Sword qi crisscrossed, sword light fluttered, and huge boulders were blasted into the air from time to time. The fatal part was that these individuals were all Foundation Establishment cultivators, and sword qi frequently surged past.

The various Qi Condensation cultivators hurriedly retreated for cover.

Could the Zixiao Sword Sect be exterminating demon cultivators here? Zhu Liancheng thought to himself, but the other two individuals did not look like demon cultivators either...

Inside the stone house, Lingyu abruptly opened her eyes, halted her cultivation, grabbed the Kanli Sword, and stepped out.

Seeing her emerge, Zhu Liancheng was overjoyed. "Senior!"

Lingyu waved her hand, casually casting a protective barrier in front of them, and instructed, "Don't come out." Then, she raised her head to watch the battle above the stone forest.

The figures were no longer clear; she could only see the intertwining sword light and sword qi flashing back and forth.

Presently, Lingyu possessed considerable discernment and easily recognized that these were sword cultivators from the Zixiao Sword Sect. The bizarre thing was that all five of them were from the same sect—could this be infighting?

Just as she was thinking this, one figure plummeted downward, and another lunged forward to catch the falling person, tumbling together.

As the sword light dispersed, revealing their figures, Lingyu was startled upon seeing them!

Wasn't the person who had dived down to catch the other Fu Yuanqing, whom she had briefly met in the Star Luo Islands? Oh, his real name was Yuan Fu.

As for the three people standing above the stone forest, one was Xu Zheng, another was his Junior Brother Duan, and the third was unfamiliar.

Had Fu Yuanqing returned to Lingcang? And what was going on with Xu Zheng? Had they not fought enough in the Star Luo Islands? Coming back to Lingcang and fighting again—were these two never going to stop?

Just as she was pondering this, Fu Yuanqing turned his head, caught sight of her, and went from startled to delighted, waving at her.

Lingyu thought for a moment, then walked forward slowly.

"Fellow Daoist Cheng? It truly is you!" Fu Yuanqing was overjoyed. "I never expected that after parting ways in the Star Luo Islands, we would meet here again. This is truly fate."

However, there was not the slightest trace of joy on Lingyu's face. She cast a guarded glance at Xu Zheng and the others overhead, and said to Fu Yuanqing, "Fellow Daoist Fu, we share at least some acquaintance; why must you harm me?"

Fu Yuanqing paused, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "Apologies, it's just that Fellow Daoist Cheng appeared at precisely the right moment, and I..."

Lingyu looked up at the three people above and sighed. "I have no intention of meddling in your grudges. Do as you please."

Just as the words left her mouth, and she turned to leave, a sudden chill struck her back. Lingyu spun around with lightning speed as a strand of Qi struck the open ground. She glared angrily at the three men above: "I already said I have no intention of meddling! What is the meaning of this?"

Xu Zheng carried a sword box on his back and held the purple lightning sword in his hand, speaking indifferently, "So it's you. I didn't expect you to have joined the Taibai Sect and even reached Foundation Establishment."

Lingyu snorted and said, "Young Master Xu, although we share a past, we harbor no enmity. What do you intend to do?" In truth, having reached Foundation Establishment, she could entirely address him as Fellow Daoist Xu, but she deliberately called him Young Master Xu because Fang Xiyan had addressed him that way on that day, merely to mock him.

Looking down from his superior vantage point, Xu Zheng said coldly, "You knew Yuan Fu first. I do not trust you."

"..." Lingyu was so angry she laughed. "So, you are forcing me to stand against you?"

Xu Zheng did not reply; the hostile gaze in his eyes already expressed his thoughts.

Lingyu let out a breath and said, "Fellow Daoist Xu, eight years have passed. I am no longer that helpless little Qi Condensation cultivator of the past. Are you really going to drag me into your grievances?"

Before Xu Zheng could speak, Fu Yuanqing smiled. "Fellow Daoist Cheng, this shows that you and I are truly destined. What do you say—would you be willing to lend me a hand?"

"..." Lingyu glared fiercely at him. Her past acquaintance with Fu Yuanqing had actually involved him deliberately utilizing her as well, but since she had not suffered any losses, she hadn't taken it to heart. Who would have thought that after eight years, this Fu Yuanqing would scheme against her once more!

Truly odious!