A Handsome Guy Who Preferred to Remain Anonymous

A Handsome Guy Who Preferred to Remain Anonymous

"Cough! Cough, cough!"

Just two coughs were enough for the pain wracking her entire body to jolt Youqin Xuanya awake from her slumber.

Where was this...?

Youqin Xuanya sat up warily. A faint crimson glow flickered in her pitch-black eyes, and the dim cave instantly became as bright as day to her, every detail laid bare.

As a Qi Refiner already at the Fourth Stage of the Void Returning Realm, seeing in the dark was effortless for her; there was no need to deliberately cultivate any spell for it.

The first thing she saw was the large Round stone blocking the cave entrance. It had likely been dug out from here, fitting the cave's outline perfectly, with only thin cracks around it letting in faint traces of light.

It should be nighttime outside as well. The light was exceedingly dim.

She sent out her spiritual sense. Within several miles, only a few poisonous beasts were moving about. Other than herself, there was not a single person in sight.

Had she... been saved?

Several scenes surfaced in her mind. She had been surrounded and attacked by a group of bandits, captured after a bitter battle. While they were preparing their gu insects, she had found an opportunity to tear open the life-saving talisman bestowed by her master and teleport herself a thousand miles away.

Such teleportation had no fixed destination and was an extremely risky move. Fortunately, she had landed in a place drenched by torrential rain, and through the curtain of rain, she had seen that fellow disciple senior brother she had only recently met...

Did he save me?

When she saw the two stacks of talismans and several Porcelain bottles placed nearby, Youqin Xuanya froze slightly.

Then she lowered her head to look at herself. Her already somewhat pale face suddenly flushed red, and she gently bit her soft, thin lip.

Unfortunately, there was no one here to appreciate the shy expression that so rarely appeared on such a beauty's face.

—Li Changshou had slipped away long ago.

The reason Youqin Xuanya had suddenly become so bashful was because more than ten wounds across her body had been bandaged.

The wounds had been bound with blood-stopping Qi-nourishing bands that all Du Xian Sect disciples could receive—clean linen soaked in various medicinal brews.

To be fair, the bandaging was impeccable. Healing and detoxifying spiritual ointment had even been applied beneath the blood-stopping Qi-nourishing bands. Most of her injuries had already recovered seventy or eighty percent, though the pain had yet to fade.

But...

The wounds in the hollow of her shoulder and beneath her left ribs were extremely deep, and the bandages had been wrapped across her chest. To treat them, her long dress had to be pulled down slightly from both shoulders...

Youqin Xuanya suddenly raised her right hand and slapped herself, saying firmly, "Senior Brother Changshou saved my life and treated my injuries with such patience. How could I doubt this senior brother's character in my heart?"

Her gaze quickly regained its usual clarity. She performed an Internal scan and found her breath had stabilized; her injuries overall were nearly healed.

Clearly, someone had adjusted her breathing as well.

Tilting her head, she discovered a folded piece of sheepskin where she had just been lying. It had served as her pillow, with a little bloodstain on it, and there seemed to be writing.

She picked it up and saw a passage written on it, along with a simple map.

'There is no need to dwell on mutual aid between fellow disciples. This place is two thousand miles from the Treasure Forest of Chaotic Miasma. A map is attached below; you may take a detour to leave this place.

Above all else, cherish your own life. Beside you are Miasma-Averting Talismans, a Concealment Talisman, Detoxification Pills, and Qi-nurturing Pills.

A word for my junior sister:

The human heart is hidden behind the belly; never trust others lightly.

The road ahead is perilous. Take care of yourself.

A handsome guy who prefers to remain anonymous, leaving this behind.'

Youqin Xuanya blinked, staring at the final vertical line of words, somewhat unable to grasp its meaning.

The writing rapidly grew lighter and fainter. Within just a few breaths, it disappeared completely...

Fortunately, the map below had not been treated with such a special method. The terrain and scale drawn upon it were quite detailed, and it even specifically marked Youqin Xuanya's current location.

It was worth noting that the detour marked on the map went in the exact opposite direction from where Li Changshou was currently heading.

"This Senior Brother Changshou... truly is a thoughtful and kind man."

Youqin Xuanya gently furrowed her brows, put the sheepskin away, and said solemnly in a soft voice, "Great kindness needs no words of thanks. If Xuanya survives this time, I will give all I have to repay Senior Brother's grace."

After speaking, she gave the sheepskin a Daoist salute, then put away the map.

Lowering her head, she saw that Miasma-Averting Talismans and a Concealment Talisman were attached to her shoulders. The spiritual power within the two talismans was still plentiful, so there was no need to replace them immediately.

After gathering the pills and talismans beside her, Youqin Xuanya sat where she was and began regulating her breath, restoring herself to her peak condition.

Her Greatsword lay in the corner, its spiritual glow gradually beginning to recover as well.

Gradually, two figures appeared in her heart...

The person on the left was her so-called childhood sweetheart, Yuan Qing, who had entered the Du Xian Sect with her and would swiftly follow whenever she appeared.

Long ago, Youqin Xuanya had felt that this fellow townsman and fellow disciple who was always approaching her seemed to be someone whose outward appearance did not match his inner self. Thus, she had always kept her distance from him.

But she had never expected that once this man tore off his usual hypocritical mask, he would be so vicious, so despicable!

What had happened these past few days?

The human heart was hidden behind the belly. Senior Brother Changshou's words were indeed true.

Thinking of this, Youqin Xuanya gave a miserable smile. She keenly felt the coldness of the world, disappointment and anger mingling in her heart.

But among the two figures surfacing in her heart, the one on the right...

This figure had originally been somewhat faint, but it gradually became clearer now. Yet all she could make out was a side profile as he slightly turned his head, as well as the back view that had left a deep impression on her.

Before this Training Assembly, Xuanya had never met Senior Brother Changshou. When she learned that he had reached the ninth stage of Spirit Transformation and was heading to the Northern Continent of Julu in search of medicine, she had merely been a little surprised.

The only thing that had deeply impressed Youqin Xuanya was this senior brother's "illness that caused him to constantly convulse whenever he came into contact with women."

Wait!

Senior Brother Changshou had such an illness, yet he had endured the agony of full-body convulsions and foaming at the mouth to bandage more than ten of her wounds!

What kind of self-sacrifice was this? What kind of righteous and benevolent man was he!

In her mind, Youqin Xuanya involuntarily imagined such a scene:

Inside a dark, narrow cave, a certain senior brother trembled all over, his breathing in disarray, his hands and feet somewhat twisted, his face filled with agony. Yet with incomparably determined eyes, he stretched out a hand to save her...

Slap!

Youqin Xuanya raised her hand and slapped herself again.

Senior Brother endured such terrible pain to save me, yet I actually questioned his character just now.

Youqin Xuanya, when did you become such a petty person...?

Biting her lip, she gave the sheepskin map another Daoist salute.

"If I ever have the chance to repay Senior Brother Changshou, I must not show the slightest stinginess or hesitation."

With that resounding vow, Youqin Xuanya's gaze became ever more resolute. She first gathered the various items in the cave, then raised her hand and gripped the hilt of her Greatsword.

She shifted into a half-kneeling stance, her bloodstained skirt spread around her. Her left hand formed a Sword Finger and stood upright before her as the aura around her body began to tremble continuously!

Survive.

Expose Yuan Qing's true face, repay a truly kind and benevolent person like Senior Brother Changshou, and send word to her royal father, warning him to beware of these treacherous villains!

A fiery red radiance began to shine from Youqin Xuanya's right hand as it gripped the Greatsword.

"Nine-Element Spirit Nurturing, Thousand-Lotus Heart Fortification!"

She chanted softly. The Greatsword in her hand burst forth with streams of fire, distinct patterns emerging across it as the cracks in its blade rapidly vanished.

As her long hair fluttered, blossoms of fire lotus floated around Youqin Xuanya, reflecting off her delicate skin and illuminating those star-like eyes.

"Immortals lie north, mortals dwell south; soaring to the heavens, swallowing cloud and fire, shining brilliantly across the four seas!

**Fire Qilin Sword Casket!

Open!**"

Three ringing clangs, sword cries for ten miles!

The Round stone at the cave entrance exploded. A fiery-red figure shot out of the cave, more than a dozen flying swords circling around her!

After racing several dozen zhang, Youqin Xuanya concealed the firelight around her and swiftly vanished into the dark forest thick with Miasma, heading southwest...

Uh, heading northeast!

Judging by instinct, this should indeed be southwest. As long as I follow the detour on the map Senior Brother Changshou left behind, I'll surely be able to avoid those vile bandits.

I must!

Return alive!

Meanwhile, six hundred miles north of the cave where Youqin Xuanya was hiding.

Li Changshou lay prone atop a cliff, carefully searching through crevices in the rocks filled with Miasma.

After another half day of work, Li Changshou could only shake his head and drift away from the area.

It seemed that there truly was nothing to gain in this region where Ancient books recorded the growth of Immortal-Resolving Grass...

Li Changshou found an open stretch of ground and sat cross-legged. Holding a dagger, he drew every area he had searched on the ground, then pondered for a while.

He would search north for another two or three days.

After going through so much trouble without finding any Immortal-Resolving Grass, he could not help feeling somewhat unwilling to give up. After all, he had prepared for this Northern Continent Exploration Plan for so long...

"Keep at it!"

Patting his knees, Li Changshou got up and headed north, leaving only afterimages in the night.

Perhaps because of yesterday's heavy rain, gaps had appeared in the Miasma clouds over this region. A beam of moonlight happened to shine through, falling upon Li Changshou's path.

A faint bout of literary sentiment rose within Li Changshou as well. After finding a suitable position and cover, he stood in the moonlight and gazed at the moon for a few moments.

Ah, this moon is so long...

Ahem, this shape is so white...

Mm, this crescent moon is round and big...

Poisonous fog rolled in, cutting off the hard-won moonlight at once.

"Has your brother reached that age?"

Li Changshou raised his brows, shook his head with a chuckle, leaned forward, and sped away, blending perfectly into the night.

A Dao companion was an existence even more terrifying than junior sisters—a volatile karmic nuclear bomb, practically speaking...

He could not afford to provoke one, nor did he dare think about one.

And compared to a fellow-generation Qi Refiner like Youqin Xuanya, whose appearance was peerless but whose identity was far too complicated, Li Changshou instead felt that...

A female immortal like Martial Uncle Jiu Jiu, who was already quite strong, gave him more of a Sense of security.