Chen Qiaoqian gazed at the handsome young man sleeping before her, and her face flushed involuntarily. As she recalled everything that had happened, her cheeks burned like fire, and she remained dazed for a long while.
Her experiences that night had been utterly bizarre. From sheer terror to supreme pleasure, the wild swings had left her feeling as though she were still lost in the clouds. In her daze, she almost thought she was dreaming.
The lover who had always clung to her like glue had actually tried to kill her? And then she had shared a night of passion with a junior brother she had never even met before. After all that, Senior Sister Chen could not calm herself for quite some time.
"Senior Sister Chen!"
The man beside her suddenly opened his eyes. Chen Qiaoqian silently nodded in response, unsure what to say.
Lin He hurriedly said, "Senior Sister Chen, we've already spent too much time here. We need to leave quickly. Don't forget, Senior Brother Lu died here."
At the mention of Senior Brother Lu, Chen Qiaoqian finally came to her senses. Recalling what had happened, she seethed with rage, only to discover that his corpse was nowhere to be seen. She could not help asking,
"Where's that bastard Lu's body?"
"I burned him. Oh, Senior Sister Chen, you should put your clothes on first, so you don't catch a chill."
At Lin He's hurried reminder, Chen Qiaoqian finally felt the cool air against her bare skin, and her face turned crimson. Senior Brother Lu had rummaged through her Storage Bag and thrown all her clothes onto the ground. She hastily went over to pick them up and dress, even taking special care to hide inside the cave so Lin He could not peek at her.
Lin He could not resist smiling at the sight. He teased, "Senior Sister Chen, I've already seen everything I should and shouldn't have seen. What are you still hiding for?"
"You..." After getting dressed, Chen Qiaoqian flared up at his words, but then seemed to remember something, and her tone softened considerably. After all, she had been the one to make the first move. She could hardly blame him for it.
"Junior Brother, thank goodness you were here this time. Otherwise, I really would have died at that bastard's hands. By the way, what's your name?"
"Lin He!"
"So you're Junior Brother Lin." Chen Qiaoqian nodded. "Thank you for everything, Junior Brother Lin. About that bastard Lu's Storage Bag..."
Naturally, Lin He understood what she meant. He promptly handed her a Foundation Establishment Pill. "This Foundation Establishment Pill belonged to you in the first place, Senior Sister Chen, so I'm returning it to its rightful owner. But I was the one who killed that bastard Lu, and I've taken everything in his Storage Bag, including his Foundation Establishment Pill. You don't have any objections, do you?"
Chen Qiaoqian accepted the Foundation Establishment Pill with delight, then shook her head. "Of course not. You killed him and saved me. Those spoils rightfully belong to you."
With a face thicker than a city wall, Lin He claimed the credit for himself. It had clearly been Han Li who killed Senior Brother Lu, but after Lin He drove Han Li away, Chen Qiaoqian naturally assumed that Lin He had done it. After all, there was nobody else there, and she had been so consumed by passion after taking the pill that she could not remember clearly.
"Senior Brother Lu might have been a rotten person, but he did have a genuine wind spirit root. Since he died here, Yellow Maple Valley will definitely send someone to investigate. If they trace it back to me, I'm afraid..."
Lin He suddenly interjected, his expression grave. Seeing this, Chen Qiaoqian quickly said, "This isn't your fault. You only killed him to save me. He was the one who deserved to die! Don't worry. Leave this matter to our Chen Family."
That was precisely what Lin He had been waiting to hear. Once Chen Qiaoqian agreed to take care of it, he naturally breathed a sigh of relief. "In that case, I should hurry away from here too. It could be troublesome if someone discovers us."
With the Chen Family's influence, once they stepped in, the Lu Family would probably have no choice but to hold their noses and swallow it, however unwilling they might be. After all, Senior Brother Lu had been the one to act dishonorably, so he had nobody else to blame. Whether the Chen Family would seize the opportunity to demand compensation, Lin He did not know, nor did he need to worry about it.
After bidding Senior Sister Chen farewell, Lin He was just about to leave when she called him back.
"Wait! Junior Brother Lin, which room do you live in?"
"Hm?" Lin He turned back in surprise. Sure enough, Chen Qiaoqian's face was crimson. She hurriedly waved her hands. "Don't misunderstand. I don't mean anything else. I just mean that once our Chen Family settles this matter, I'll come let you know. I need to know where you live for that, don't I?"
Lin He smiled faintly and told her where he lived, then strode away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Once Lin He had left, Chen Qiaoqian also breathed a sigh of relief. After a good while, and a torrent of curses to vent her anger, she finally returned to the Chen Family.
After returning to Yellow Maple Valley, Lin He went back to his little house, his heart brimming with excitement. He had gained a great deal from this outing, and naturally needed to take proper stock of it all.
First, at the Yellow Maple Valley Market, he had purchased a set of Golden Toad Mother-and-Son Blades, a Black Iron Flying Shield, a Heavenly Thunder Seed, a Talisman Treasure-the Golden Light Brick-and two mid-stage rank-one Icefire Wolves.
Then, outside the cave, he had obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill, the Azure Flood Dragon Banner, a premium top-grade magical artifact, and two high-grade magical artifacts, the Azure Rope and the Silver White Hook, from Senior Brother Lu's Storage Bag.
There were also several dozen low- and mid-tier elementary talismans, along with more than twenty low-grade spirit stones.
"It's a pity about that high-tier elementary talisman-the Wind Wall Technique."
Lin He felt some regret over this, but soon let it go. He had already gained so much. If he still refused to be satisfied, he really would be far too greedy.
Of all these gains, the Foundation Establishment Pill was what tempted Lin He most.
His cultivation was currently at the eleventh level of Qi Refining. If he took this Foundation Establishment Pill, there was a very good chance he could rise to the thirteenth level, and then establish his foundation.
The urge was incredibly strong, but after a short while, Lin He forcibly suppressed it.
"Foundation Establishment cultivators can't enter the Forbidden Land Trial. If I take one Foundation Establishment Pill and accidentally establish my foundation, that really would be a ridiculous blunder."
Lin He had pinned great hopes on the Forbidden Land Trial, and naturally did not want to give it up just like that.
"I'll leave Senior Brother Lu's affair to the Chen Family, and wait until after the Forbidden Land Trial to take the Foundation Establishment Pill. There's still over a month left. I need to raise these two Icefire Wolves to the peak of rank one."
Having made his plans for the days ahead, Lin He enjoyed a good sleep. Perhaps he had been too exhausted, for he did not wake until the following afternoon.
He had only just awakened when footsteps sounded outside his door, followed by a familiar woman's voice.
"Junior Brother Lin, are you there? I have something to discuss with you!"
Lin He knew that voice very well. He rubbed his nose, then opened the door.
Standing outside was a young woman as lovely as a flower. Who could she be but Senior Sister
Chen?