The Matter of That Year

Lin Yun felt no fear toward the withered bones; relying on his night vision, he reached out to rummage through them.

A small, black-covered notebook fell out from between the bones.

Zhang Lexuan couldn't help but let out a soft sound of surprise, then struck a match and used its light to examine the book.

After picking up the notebook, Lin Yun opened it and began to flip through the pages.

As Lin Yun turned the pages, Zhang Lexuan's expression grew increasingly rigid, and her face turned pale.

The events recorded in this notebook were none other than the massacre of Zhang Lexuan's family all those years ago.

However, it was not recorded from the perspective of Zhang Lexuan's family, but from the perspective of the perpetrator's clan.

With this shift in perspective, the events of that year took on an entirely different appearance.

According to the version written by the perpetrator's clan:

An unkempt old man, chewing on a chicken leg and drinking from a wine gourd, had sought them out.

The old man did not reveal his identity, only displaying his strength as a nine-ring Titled Douluo.

He suppressed all the guards of the perpetrator's family on the spot, then gave the family a choice.

They could enjoy a brief moment of glory before dying, or they could die by his hand immediately.

The family had no choice but to choose to live for as long as they could.

However, the head of that family was not a short-sighted man.

He specifically left behind one child, taking this notebook and hiding in the family's secret passage.

He had not expected Mu En to strike with such thunderous force, slaughtering everyone in the house, and the child lacked the ability to break through the walls of the basement.

Trapped and left to die, the child had filled in the details of the notebook with resentment, hoping that one day someone would dig it up and clear their family's name.

"But it is very strange; why didn't the senior Mu En discover this secret passage back then?"

Lin Yun was not an impatient person; instead, he began to deduce the ins and outs of these events on the spot.

Zhang Lexuan closed her eyes to sense her surroundings, then knocked on the basement wall. With a tone filled with melancholy and loss, she said to Lin Yun:

"It is this type of wall. It is a specialty of the Heaven Spirit Empire, a Spirit Crystal Ore. Its texture is extremely fragile, and its ability to conduct Soul Power is terrible. It isn't considered a valuable material, but it has one benefit: because its conductivity is so poor, it can largely mask a Soul Master's perception of Soul Power."

"The Spirit Crystal wall here is probably five centimeters thick. Combined with the fact that Mu En never intentionally searched the entire villa, and there may have been other more urgent matters at the time, these factors combined allowed the kid to hide successfully."

Zhang Lexuan's eyes had lost their luster; she analyzed the situation for Lin Yun in a calm, mechanical tone.

Lin Yun saw that Zhang Lexuan's state of mind was wrong, but not knowing how to comfort her, he could only step forward and say:

"Since that is the case, everything is clear. Let us look for other evidence or new clues, and then we shall return."

Zhang Lexuan nodded, then followed Lin Yun to search the entire villa again, after which they went to check on various related properties.

There was nothing of the sort in the other properties, but after careful recollection, Zhang Lexuan had come to believe what was written in the notebook.

Before leaving, Lin Yun actually took the plaque down on his way out.

In the room, Zhang Lexuan looked at the plaque, occasionally raising her head to look at herself in the mirror.

Her eyes were filled with confusion and self-reproach.

Lin Yun bought some wine and snacks from the hotel, carried a bag of them, and went to Zhang Lexuan's room.

Zhang Lexuan raised her head to look at Lin Yun, reined in her emotions, and said:

"I really cannot eat anything today. Why don't you go eat somewhere else?"

Lin Yun smiled, then said to Zhang Lexuan:

"One cannot keep negative emotions bottled up inside; otherwise, something will go wrong before long."

"Keep me company for a few drinks. Once you've had enough, you'll forget everything."

Zhang Lexuan gave a bitter smile, then said to Lin Yun:

"Forget?! How could such a thing ever be forgotten?"

Lin Yun said calmly:

"Haven't I forgotten? If we are talking about being wronged, I am far more wronged than you. For no reason at all, I was saddled with gambling debts. Just as I was about to awaken my Martial Soul and improve my life, my home was gone."

Lin Yun put some genuine emotion into his words; he truly had the right to speak on this matter. He had worked hard to get into university, only to open his eyes in the Douluo Continent and nearly be executed under the false charge of being an Evil Soul Master.

With his original self's history being impactful enough, Zhang Lexuan looked up at Lin Yun.

"Fine. Then today, I will cast aside the 'lady' and 'senior sister' act and be a 'bad influence' for once."

Lin Yun smiled and said:

"I am not exactly a child anymore. According to the laws of the Douluo Continent, anyone above the rank of Soul Elder can be considered an adult. Only the academy is so rigid about age."

Zhang Lexuan poured herself a glass of wine and said to Lin Yun:

"To hell with the academy. From now on, I don't want to hear about that place ever again."

After a night of drinking, Lin Yun woke up the next day to find Zhang Lexuan still sleeping beside him.

Touching her fair, clean face, Lin Yun looked out the window.

The sunlight remained, making the entire city appear slightly downcast, yet it carried a tranquil scenery.

Just like life, no matter how violent the storm was the night before, the morning light would still be there the next day.

It shone quietly upon everyone, illuminating lives that were either brilliant or destitute.

Lin Yun went to contact Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng, and the three of them left the Heaven Spirit Empire once again through the snakehead.

On the way back, Zhang Lexuan had already adjusted her state of mind, and a glimmer of radiance gradually returned to her eyes; it seemed that the drunkenness of the previous night had indeed eased some of the knots in her heart.

"I never imagined that the first half of my life would be like this, feeling grateful to an enemy."

Zhang Lexuan said to Lin Yun with a self-deprecating smile.

Lin Yun smiled and then replied, "You cannot be blamed for this. Even I find it hard to believe that this was actually a meticulously planned layout. One can only say that in this world, those who can reach the position of Limit Douluo—which of them is not a master?"

Lin Yun said with a sigh, and Zhang Lexuan then asked, "What do you plan to do next?"

Lin Yun thought for a moment before answering, "There is very little we can do right now, as our individual strength is not yet powerful enough. I heard that the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament is about to begin. Once we return, I will start preparing to participate in this competition."

"I want to see the strength of the various academies and, incidentally, seek some benefits from the tournament. I heard that the first prize of the academy tournament is a spirit bone; that is much faster than trying to hunt one down yourself."

Zhang Lexuan nodded, then said to Lin Yun...