Together

Not until the lecture ended did the disciples finally come back to themselves, still savoring it endlessly. The crowded mass on the training ground gradually dispersed as well. Yet Fairy Ye did not leave at once. She drifted through the crowd, choosing a spot before appearing gracefully in front of them. She asked one disciple, "You know Chen Fan, don't you? Do you know why he skipped class today?"

The one questioned was Murong Zhu. He was greatly surprised, but he replied with utmost respect, "Reporting to Fairy Ye, this junior does indeed know Junior Brother Chen. Today, several of us fellow disciples came together to attend the lecture. We went to look for Junior Brother Chen beforehand, but he was not in his room. We waited quite a while without seeing him return, so we stopped waiting, lest we delay the lecture."

"Then do you know where he went?" Ye Wan pressed.

"This... this junior does not know. Oh, right. A few days ago, Junior Brother Chen asked me where he could gather medicinal herbs. It seemed he intended to make a trip to the back mountain."

"The back mountain? Do you know when he went?" Ye Wan suddenly sounded anxious.

"This? This junior is not sure of the exact time. Perhaps three days ago, since none of us have seen Junior Brother Chen for at least three days." Murong Zhu answered, thinking, Isn't skipping class perfectly normal? Fairy Ye is far too concerned about Junior Brother Chen. Does she have some kind of younger-brother fixation? But Junior Brother Chen looks ordinary enough. I'm no worse-looking than him. Comparing people really can drive one to death with anger.

Yet upon hearing this, Fairy Ye's expression abruptly changed. Her figure blurred, and after several flashes she had already vanished dozens of yards away in a certain direction. A few breaths later, she disappeared altogether. The others looked at one another in confusion.

After a moment, Murong Zhu seemed to realize something. Wasn't that direction... the back mountain?

Hearing Murong Zhu's words, Ye Wan recalled something. Two days ago, many people from the neighboring Sword Control Pavilion had hurried into the Swordheart Hall, then hurried away again, seemingly searching for someone. Later, they had stirred up a great commotion and mobilized nearly a hundred disciples from the three inner-court palaces to head into the back mountain. Ordinarily, she could not be bothered with such affairs. It was not her place to search for people anyway. Out of curiosity, she had casually asked the Second Elder a few questions. The Second Elder had merely said, "What else could it be? That fellow's little treasure went missing." Ye Wan had then understood—no wonder they had made such a grand display. Now, connecting that with Murong Zhu's words, she could not help feeling a faint sense of foreboding. She hurried all the way toward the back mountain, spotting some inner-court disciples heading that way along the road. Naturally, none of them were anywhere near as fast as she was.

On a small path in the back mountain, two youths hurried along at flying speed without seeming the least exhausted. They were Qin Ziyan and Chen Fan, returning after traveling nonstop.

"Once we pass through this path, we'll be within the sect's territory." Qin Ziyan was somewhat anxious. She had never been away from home for so many days without returning, and some people must have been worried. Although the back mountain also fell under Swordcry Mountain's jurisdiction, only upon returning to the sect's territory could they truly be considered safe.

Suddenly, two figures darted out ahead. Qin Ziyan and Chen Fan instinctively tensed, as though facing a formidable enemy. But when the newcomers saw the girl clearly, they were overjoyed. "Junior Sister Ziyan, it really is you? We finally found you! Do you know that if you hadn't shown up soon, all us inner-court disciples would have been in misery?"

Recognizing the two men as somewhat familiar, the girl stuck out her tongue and said, "Ziyan was too playful and made all you Senior Brothers suffer." The instant she saw their condition, she roughly understood what had happened. Her palace must have mobilized the entire inner court to search for her. If they kept failing to find her, these people might truly have been made scapegoats.

"It's fine, it's fine. It's enough that we found you." Both men let out deep breaths of relief. Then one of them narrowed his eyes. "Who is this person beside you, Junior Sister? Could he be connected to your disappearance?"

Here it came. What was meant to come would come eventually. Chen Fan thought this, yet his expression remained calm as still water.

"Senior Brothers, do not misunderstand. This Junior Brother is a disciple of the Swordheart Hall. Thanks to him, this Junior Sister was able to..."

"Swordheart Hall?" Before Qin Ziyan could finish explaining, the moment the two heard those words, murderous light flashed in their eyes. They directly drew their swords and pointed them at Chen Fan. One of them said, "The two of us are disciples under the Swordheart Hall's Third Elder. Junior Sister Ziyan, I can tell you responsibly that this man is absolutely not a Swordheart Hall disciple. We have never seen him before."

"What?" Qin Ziyan was deeply perplexed. She had seen these two Senior Brothers before. If that was true, then this youth really was suspicious. But in that case, he would likely be treated as a sect spy. If he were suspected of having something to do with her disappearance, the outcome would be even worse. Yet over these past days, she had clearly sensed that although this youth was somewhat more calculating than others his age, he had absolutely no ill intentions. After all, she had been unconscious at the time—if he had wanted to do anything to her... Besides, he had saved her life.

"Senior Brothers, there must be some misunderstanding here. This Junior Sister traveled with this Junior Brother the whole way and can guarantee that he is no villain." After speaking, she turned to Chen Fan, only then realizing that she did not even know his name, yet had already trusted him so much. She said, "Junior Brother, did you bring your disciple token? Could you show it to these two Senior Brothers?"

Chen Fan was speechless. If I had a token, would I need you to remind me? Still, speaking of tokens, he really did have one.

But would Fairy Ye giving her token to an outsider violate sect rules? He had some acquaintance with Fairy Ye, after all, and he did not want to drag her into this for no reason. Their acquaintance was limited to begin with; if he offended Fairy Ye as well, perhaps even she would not be able to protect him, and they would become enemies. More importantly, even showing the token might not help in the current situation. These two were Swordheart Hall disciples, and they knew better than anyone whether his identity was real. Taking out the token would only make him seem even more suspicious.

Seeing that Chen Fan said nothing and could produce no proof, the two exchanged a glance and immediately attacked together. Two streaks of sword light shot toward Chen Fan. Damn it, they won't even let me speak before starting a fight? Chen Fan was not afraid. He held his shabby little sword horizontally before him and used a stabbing sword technique fused with the Clear Wind Art. In the span of one breath, he thrust out several times. All the Sword Qi converged at the tip, and points of sword light met the two men from different directions. Several streaks even stabbed forth at tricky, insidious angles. The two had considerable combat experience. Seeing this, they withdrew their swords to block, greatly weakening the sword force aimed at Chen Fan. Their attacks collided with several streaks of sword light Chen Fan had unleashed and dispersed together. Meanwhile, they blocked the remaining Sword Qi directed at their bodies.

Qin Ziyan had originally intended to intervene, but upon seeing Chen Fan make his move, she merely narrowed her eyes and watched the fight with great interest. Once again, she marveled inwardly. This fellow can actually stand against two Swordheart Hall disciples at once. He really is no simple character. Swordheart Hall disciples did not primarily cultivate External Force techniques, but their External Force techniques still focused mainly on swordsmanship. Moreover, these two had personally studied under the Third Elder and had trained in the sect for quite some time. Whether in combat experience or mutual coordination, they were quite capable. Yet even attacking together, they had gained no advantage.

Qin Ziyan knew she herself could not stand against these two Senior Brothers alone. And that Green Mountain Sword Art the fellow had used just now seemed to have incorporated another sword technique as well. His comprehension was truly impressive. Still... wasn't his sword a little too broken?

Little did she know that Chen Fan had merely relied on his slightly higher Internal Qi cultivation and the fused sword technique he had comprehended earlier to catch them off guard. He only had these three moves. If the fight continued, his monotonous techniques would leave him utterly defeated.

The two Swordheart Hall disciples were equally astonished. Their combined attack had been so easily neutralized. Still, they were confident they could win. After all, their opponent was only one man.

One of them shouted, "You actually know our palace's Green Mountain Sword Art. As expected, you came to secretly learn sword techniques. Senior Brother, let's capture this man quickly and hand him over to the sect for punishment." "Fine, then let's directly use our strongest moves!" the other agreed.

Was this for real? They had to shout out their strongest move before using it? Were they stupid? If I can't beat you, can't I just run? But Chen Fan truly found the two of them unpleasant. They wanted to fight at the drop of a hat. He said, "Knowing the Green Mountain Sword Art means I secretly learned sword techniques? You two Senior Brothers are rather good at forcing crimes onto others, aren't you?"

"Heh, stop trying to quibble. You probably don't know this, but although the Green Mountain Sword Art is merely an ordinary low-grade sword technique, only Swordheart Hall disciples in the sect currently cultivate it. If you say you did not secretly learn it, then what is it?" While their words clashed like needle against wheat, the treasured swords in their hands had already turned and shifted, seemingly preparing to unleash a powerful strike.

Just as Chen Fan was about to continue arguing, a streak of light suddenly tore across the sky, followed by an icy female voice. "Who says he secretly learned it?!"

The furious voice rang in the ears of everyone present, but each reacted differently. The two Swordheart Hall disciples were shocked, Chen Fan was overjoyed and greatly relieved, while Qin Ziyan's curiosity only deepened.

As soon as the words fell, a graceful figure arrived and stood before the four of them, placing herself between Chen Fan and the two Swordheart Hall disciples. After briefly staring blankly, the two hurried forward to bow. "Greetings, Martial Aunt Ye!"

The one who had come to save the day had finally arrived. At the very least, his identity could now be verified. If Fairy Ye offered him even a little protection afterward, the matter in the back mountain should be resolved perfectly, right?

Ye Wan did not even look at Chen Fan. She glared angrily at the two men. "Very good! You two, very good indeed! I taught him that sword art. Do you have any more questions?" Cold sweat immediately poured down the two men's backs. Martial Aunt Ye was always incomparably aloof and cold in ordinary times. She never concerned herself with others, nor did she readily praise or scold anyone. These two "very goods" had clearly been spoken through clenched teeth. What did that mean? Sarcasm? At that moment, both men felt the urge to cry. Trembling, they said, "N-no more questions. Since Junior Sister has been found, and Martial Aunt Ye is here, there is no problem at all. We'll return now..." After saying this, neither dared look at Fairy Ye. They turned and fled as though for their lives.

Only after the two had left did Ye Wan turn around, a faintly vexed look on her face. "Am I that frightening?" She looked at Chen Fan, though it was unclear whether she was asking him or mocking herself. This... was a deadly question. How was he supposed to answer?

"With Fairy Ye's beauty, if that counts as frightening, then there are probably no lovely people left in this world." The flattery in Chen Fan's words was so thick it was practically nauseating.

"Is that so?" The two words came from the mouths of both women at once. Yet after asking them, their reactions differed. Ye Wan had originally revealed a faint smile at his words, but when she heard Qin Ziyan speak, her face stiffened as she looked at her suspiciously. Chen Fan certainly has a sweet tongue, but he was only flattering me. What is this little girl getting excited about? Could the two of them...

Qin Ziyan had wanted to refute something when she heard him, but suddenly realized she had lost her composure. She shrank her head and no longer dared look at Fairy Ye.

Fairy Ye did not look at Qin Ziyan either. She asked Chen Fan, "Chen Fan, where have you two been these past few days? Were you together with Ziyan?"

The moment she asked that, all three felt awkward. Ye Wan: It seems I said something wrong... But I didn't ask wrongly, did I? Chen Fan: How am I supposed to answer that? Fairy Ye, you should stay aloof and cold. The moment you open your mouth, your composure falls apart. You're simply a conversation killer. Qin Ziyan: Together? Together? Did she mean that kind of together? Why would Martial Aunt Ye ask that? If he says yes and word gets out, how will I ever face people again? And he... his name is Chen Fan.

Fortunately, Chen Fan was not afraid of answering any question. Looking wronged, he said, "Fairy Ye does not know the whole story. Senior Sister Qin and I truly took a trip through the gates of hell..." He recounted everything from getting lost while gathering herbs in the mountain, to encountering Qin Ziyan, being poisoned, fighting the giant snake, treating their injuries, and recovering. Naturally, he did not mention stealing the egg. The more Fairy Ye listened, the more alarmed she became. From time to time, she looked at Qin Ziyan, who repeatedly nodded, lingering fear still visible in her expression.

"...To be safe, we only set out to return after Senior Sister Qin had recovered. Speaking of which, the medicine I gave Senior Sister Qin that day was rather crudely made. I do not know whether it might leave any aftereffects. If there truly is a problem, the inner-court elders will not punish me, will they?"

After hearing everything, Fairy Ye took a deep breath. She too felt a wave of lingering fear. "You brat, do you know that not only will you not be punished this time, you have rendered a tremendous service!"

Just as I expected, Chen Fan thought. He had long seen that Senior Sister Qin must hold an extraordinary position in the inner court. As long as she returned to the sect alive, with that little snake venom plus the poison he had made, what aftereffects could remain once some great expert took action? He had only said that deliberately just now.

Qin Ziyan also chimed in, "Chen Fan, don't worry. This young lady said it before: I will definitely repay this life-saving debt."

Though her words carried a slight ambiguity, her sincerity was unmistakable. Ye Wan had long known the little girl's reputation. She was the granddaughter of the Sword Control Pavilion Master. The Pavilion Master's son had died young, leaving behind only this sole descendant. The old Pavilion Master had treasured her beyond measure since childhood. Naturally, this had fostered her somewhat fierce and domineering temperament. Yet deep down, the little girl was exceptionally kind-hearted. She clearly distinguished love from hate: whoever treated her well, she treated well in return; whoever offended her would be targeted at every turn and meet no good end. Thus, many inner-court disciples avoided her like the plague and called her the Little Witch. But she was adorable in appearance and had been raised by the Pavilion Master and all the elders since childhood. Those people were all masters at protecting their own, so no inner-court disciple dared complain or provoke her.

This time, the Pavilion Master was absent from the sect. When the First Elder learned she had vanished, he had practically gone mad, nearly tearing the roofs off all three palaces. Yet no one dared say much. They all cooperated in the search. For every day she remained unfound, no one could know peace.

When the three returned to the sect, every inner-court disciple who saw that Qin Ziyan had been found let out a great sigh of relief. The tension they had carried for the past two days instantly faded. At last, they could return to their usual lives.