Page 40

The moment their eyes met, it was as if a current stirred between them, crossing endless time and space with an opportunity neither could put into words.

Pei Ling studied Wen Ziheng, trying to place the young man from memory. Then he realized that part of his memory seemed to have vanished along with the damage to his Divine Soul.

He could not be sure whether he knew Wen Ziheng, but Qiao Ranran certainly did. Her initial loss of composure and the deliberate way she ignored him after forcing herself to calm down both pointed to a problem—and a serious one.

Pei Ling suddenly smiled. His cool, impassive face took on a vivid warmth, his youthful features becoming so beautiful they took her breath away.

Qiao Ranran could only stare, completely entranced.

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister. I'm fine." Pei Ling stepped sideways, quietly blocking Wen Ziheng's view of Qiao Ranran. "It's inconvenient to take him with us, so I'll go into the city ahead and find someone to help. Will you be all right guarding this place alone?"

Qiao Ranran: "..." Should she consider the possibility that, after apparently undergoing Rebirth, this junior brother of hers was now showing signs of being possessed by someone from another world?

Back at the Profound Heart Sect, she had seen how well-behaved Pei Ling acted in front of Senior Brother Qi. It was only around her that he freely showed his strange, dangerous side. So who was this modest, courteous, gentle act for when he faced Wen Ziheng?

The confusion on Qiao Ranran's face deepened Pei Ling's smile. She was much more pleasing to look at when her attention was on him.

"Don't worry, Senior Sister. I'll be back soon. We're quite close to the city, so there shouldn't be any danger."

Qiao Ranran thought: I'm not worried at all. Danger never even crossed my mind.

Wen Ziheng had no idea why these two were discussing this when they were barely an arrow's flight from the city, but that did not stop him from offering his help. "There's no need to worry. The area for hundreds of miles around Vast Sea City is peaceful. Neither Demon Beasts nor bandits dare cause trouble here. I don't know why you two need to split up, but if you're concerned, I can stay and help!"

Qiao Ranran: "..." She had known from the start that Wen Ziheng was warm and full of energy. Right now, though, his eagerness to help felt like more than she could bear.

Pei Ling turned his gentle gaze on Wen Ziheng. The stillness in his eyes conveyed his meaning perfectly.

Quick-witted as ever, Wen Ziheng understood at once: he was the one they were worried about.

"Heh." Wen Ziheng scratched the back of his head, his grin widening. "I know Vast Sea City well. If you don't mind, I can help you find whatever you're looking for!"

Pei Ling: I mind.

But he had no intention of giving Wen Ziheng a chance to get close to Qiao Ranran. He could tell that Wen Ziheng was very curious about her.

As it happened, Pei Ling was curious about him too.

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

"No trouble at all. I was heading into the city anyway." Wen Ziheng seemed delighted to have struck up a conversation with Pei Ling. When his gaze passed over Qiao Ranran, it held nothing but openhearted warmth. "I have a few Talismans here. You can take them to protect yourself. It's safe here, but it never hurts to be prepared, right?"

Considerate and attentive, careful in how he looked after others, measured in his words, and respectful of boundaries—a man like that... Qiao Ranran looked at the Talismans held out to her. They were all low-grade, just right for her cultivation level. From the familiar patterns and brushwork, she could tell Wen Ziheng had drawn them himself.

Qiao Ranran closed her eyes for a moment, then looked away with an impassive face and walked a couple of steps farther off.

Wen Ziheng: "..." Well, that was awkward.

Pei Ling had already walked some distance away. He turned and saw Wen Ziheng still trying to engage Qiao Ranran, and his gaze darkened again. "Fellow cultivator?"

"Ah, coming!" Wen Ziheng finally gave up trying. Still concerned, he set the Talismans on a nearby tree trunk where Qiao Ranran would spot them at a glance, then turned to catch up with Pei Ling. "May I ask your name? My surname is Wen. Wen Ziheng."

Pei Ling's tone rose slightly. "Heng?"

"Heng, written with the wood radical."

"Hmm." Pei Ling looked thoughtful. "It seems your family doesn't value you much."

Wen Ziheng: "Huh?"

"There are so many characters with the wood radical. Why would your elders choose that one? Even if they hoped you'd become a pillar of the family, heng is a rather peculiar choice."

Heng could mean an instrument of punishment. It could also mean a crossbeam.

If they wanted his name to suggest a pillar of the family, there were plenty of other characters to choose from. Why that one? Pei Ling smiled at Wen Ziheng.

Wen Ziheng: Don't ask me why. I've never thought about it in my life—and no one's ever brought it up to my face!

Only then did Wen Ziheng realize his mistake. Pei Ling's soft, almost obedient smile made him look easy to fool and push around. But Wen Ziheng had judged him wrong. This young man was anything but simple.

Wen Ziheng did not believe for a moment that Pei Ling's choice of words had been accidental.

But Wen Ziheng was no pushover either. He waved a hand with a smile. "Ah, none of that matters. I heard your senior sister call you Junior Brother Pei. Is Pei your surname?"

"Pei. Pei Ling." Pei Ling curved his lips into a smile. "Ling as in mausoleum. A touch more peculiar than the heng in your name."

Wen Ziheng: "..." There was no talking to him.

Wen Ziheng prided himself on livening up any conversation and finding common ground with anyone. Rarely had he felt so defeated. Qiao Ranran ignored almost everything he said, and the one thing she had said had cut him down. Pei Ling, meanwhile, turned every topic in a strange, unsettling direction. Together, they left Wen Ziheng feeling utterly helpless.

For the rest of the journey to Vast Sea City, Wen Ziheng gave up trying and stayed silent.

Pei Ling, however, had no intention of letting Wen Ziheng off so easily. He wanted to know where this man came from, what he wanted, and how he knew Qiao Ranran. He also had a feeling that, despite the stretch of memory he had lost, he might have known Wen Ziheng in the future of his previous life.

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