Liu Ningkong Again—Nominated as Rank Ren Head Disciple?

Li Yun had no idea how long he had been unconscious.

When he woke up, he found that Zhang Ruohan had already returned and was staring at him with a speechless look on her face.

"You rascal... you're awake?"

"You really have some nerve. I forgot to warn you for a moment, and you actually passed through the valley entrance into that Dead Valley ahead?"

"If I hadn't arrived in time, another half an hour later, and all the blood in your body would have drained out..."

Li Yun hurriedly sat up.

He discovered that the cracks across his body had already healed and scabbed over. He immediately understood that Zhang Ruohan must have arrived in time while he was unconscious and given him medicine for his injuries.

Even as gratitude filled his heart, resentment surged up in waves.

"Senior Sister Zhang, you've got the nerve to say that... You left me four days' worth of food, but you didn't come back until five or six days later. If I hadn't found a way to look for food, wouldn't I have starved to death here?"

Zhang Ruohan immediately looked a little guilty.

"Uh... you can't blame me for that either. I was supposed to come back two days ago. Who would've thought Zhao Chuanfeng... Mm, forget it, forget it. Let's not mention it. Aren't you hungry? Hurry over and eat."

As she spoke, Zhang Ruohan opened an exquisite food box. Inside were several dishes—beef, mutton, and even a whole roast goose... Li Yun's saliva nearly poured out, and he had no mind left to complain.

He rushed over, grabbed the roast goose, and tore into it ravenously.

Zhang Ruohan could not help smiling. "You were only hungry for two days. Do you have to act like a starving ghost reborn? Oh, do you drink?"

As she spoke, she pulled a jug of wine from behind her back as if performing a magic trick.

Li Yun had liked drinking in his previous life, though his alcohol tolerance had not been much to speak of. Seven or eight bottles of Heineken would already leave him dizzy. But things were different now—his physique was more than ten times stronger than before.

What was a little wine?

He immediately snatched the jug from her.

"Hahaha, meat without wine is a body without a soul..."

He pulled out the wooden stopper and raised the jug to his lips.

One mouthful of clear wine went down, and he instantly felt invigorated, crying out in delight.

Seeing him like this, Zhang Ruohan said nothing. She simply smiled, a gentle smile.

Li Yun ate and drank to his heart's content.

Only then did he ask, "Senior Sister Zhang, what happened? You mentioned Zhao Chuanfeng just now... what about him?"

At the mention of Zhao Chuanfeng, the smile vanished from Zhang Ruohan's face at once.

She said irritably, "This has nothing to do with you, so stop poking your nose into it."

"Tch, what's wrong with telling me?"

"Besides, if you hadn't been delayed for two days, I wouldn't have nearly died. When all is said and done, it does have something to do with me."

Zhang Ruohan snorted. "Who told you to act recklessly? You would've deserved it if you died. But you're right—this really does have something to do with you."

"Last time, I deliberately chose to bring you here before dawn because I didn't want Zhao Chuanfeng to see us together. For that, I even specially accepted a sect mission and pretended I was leaving the sect because of it."

"But who would have thought that Liu Ningkong, that sinister little man, somehow found out that you had disappeared too? He ran to Zhao Chuanfeng again to wag his tongue, saying that I hadn't gone on a mission at all, but had instead... had a secret tryst with you!"

"Zhao Chuanfeng believed him."

"After I returned, he pestered me all day long and kept asking about where you and I had gone. It was infuriating beyond belief."

"If I hadn't found someone to help cover for me, and if he had kept me tangled up, I might not have been able to get away for three to five days."

At those words, a cold gleam flashed in Li Yun's eyes.

"Liu Ningkong?"

"That bastard again. Damn it, sooner or later, I'll slaughter him!"

Zhang Ruohan froze, then hurriedly said, "Don't do anything rash. Never mind that you don't have the strength right now—even if you did, you still couldn't deal with him. That man's foundation in the Celestial Martial Sect is too solid. Touching him would be like poking a hornet's nest. This is no joke!"

"I know you must resent Liu Ningkong for taking your fiancée, but there's no need for that. A real man should be broad-minded."

"She's just a woman with poor eyesight who clings to the powerful. She isn't worth mentioning!"

"When she learns of your heaven-shaking talent in the future, there will be a day when she regrets it."

"If you still feel unhappy, I'll find a chance to introduce you to someone prettier and gentler than her... By then, I'm only afraid you'll drown in a land of tenderness, so happy you forget home and even forget to cultivate."

Li Yun was dumbfounded.

Damn, this could work too?

A beautiful senior sister was taking the initiative to introduce women to him?

But was he that kind of man?

No!

His eyes held only Martial Dao. He had sworn to become the number one man under heaven. Women would only slow the speed at which he drew his sword!

"Ahem... Senior Sister Zhang, you misunderstand."

"I'm not angry at Liu Ningkong because of Huang Yiyi. Honestly, someone like Huang Yiyi—if Liu Ningkong hadn't taken her off my hands, I'd have had a headache dealing with her. Where would I find the time to bother with her?"

"It's just that Liu Ningkong is too sinister."

"Last time, he already used Zhao Chuanfeng to set me up once. This time, he used the same old trick again. He's practically addicted to it. A person like that is like sticky taffy—once it clings to you, you can't shake it off."

"If I don't get him killed, who knows how he'll continue messing with me in the future?"

Zhang Ruohan said, "What you're saying makes sense, but..."

"Senior Sister Zhang, you don't need to say any more. I know what I'm doing. Don't worry, I won't act recklessly. If there really comes a day when I kill him, I'll definitely leave no loose ends. I won't drag you into it, Senior Sister."

Smack!

The moment he finished speaking, Zhang Ruohan rapped him sharply on the head.

She said angrily, "Is that what I meant?"

"You think I'm afraid you'll implicate me?"

"Let me tell you, although my Zhang Family branch cannot compare to Liu Ningkong within the Celestial Martial Sect, outside the sect, the Liu Family still has to fear the Zhang Family by thirty percent. If we truly tear our faces apart, I'm not afraid of Liu Ningkong either."

"What I mean is, you can't act recklessly."

"With your aptitude, as long as you stay steady, in just a few years, Liu Ningkong will only be able to stare at your back. You cannot gamble away your future."

"Besides, hurry up and eat. We need to leave once you're done."

"I can't stay away for too long. Otherwise, who knows what madness Zhao Chuanfeng will get up to again. I'm not afraid of him making trouble for me—I'm afraid he'll take his anger out on you!"

"Most importantly, Zhang Cong has already sent word. You need to return quickly."

"He has formally submitted an application to the Outer Sect Elder Hall, recommending you as the Rank Ren Head Disciple. But there's some trouble now. Some elders disagree."

"You must return as soon as possible and properly reveal some of your strength, securing the title of Rank Ren Head Disciple."

"Once you obtain that title, you'll officially enter the sight of the sect's higher-ups. Even if Zhao Chuanfeng and Liu Ningkong bear ill will toward you and want to make trouble, they won't dare act too arrogantly!"

"Uh... I understand. But the environment in this valley is really great. It's perfect for cultivation. Can I stay another two days?"

"No!"

"I don't want to be your nanny anymore, running around to arrange food for you every day. Do you really think I have nothing else to do?"

"Hurry up. The sooner you finish eating, the sooner we leave..."