The Qingling Sword Sect.
Sunlight spilled through the window lattice into the room, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow.
Lin Yuan lay quietly on the bed, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, as though he had been through an intense dream.
In his dream, a slender figure stood with his back to him, his voice low and resolute. "Little immortal lord, from now on, we owe each other nothing!"
A powerful unease surged through Lin Yuan. He abruptly reached out and seized the hand that was about to slip away, crying urgently, "Gu Yi, don't go..."
The man whose hand Lin Yuan held turned back, but gave a soft laugh. "Little immortal lord... you must forget me!" There was a trace of finality and helplessness in his voice.
Yet his face was a blur, as though shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see his features, much less touch his presence.
Lin Yuan had never seen Gu Yi, but that faint, fresh scent of greenery in his memories clung to him like a shadow, lingering without fading.
"Gu Yi... don't go... don't... Gu Yi!!!" Lin Yuan's eyes flew open. He sat up in bed, gasping for breath, his gaze filled with bewilderment and pain.
His heart pounded so violently it seemed about to leap from his chest, and his body trembled slightly.
"Xiao Yuan! My precious grandson, you're finally awake!"
Lin Hai cried out excitedly, then rushed to the bedside and clasped Lin Yuan's hand tightly, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face. His voice brimmed with excitement.
"Where have you been these past four years? I've been looking for you all this time. If your life tablet hadn't still been lit, I would have thought I'd never see you again. Thank goodness I've finally found you."
He gripped Lin Hai's hand in return and asked anxiously, "Grandpa?" Then he pressed urgently, "Grandpa, where's Gu Yi? Have you seen him?"
"On purpose? What was on purpose?"
Lin Hai frowned and asked in confusion.
He gently stroked Lin Yuan's forehead and said with concern, "Xiao Yuan, are you confused? I'll have the doctor take another look at you."
Lin Yuan's gaze suddenly grew bewildered. He stared blankly at Lin Hai before him, momentarily dazed.
He blinked, discovering in disbelief that his sight had actually returned.
He murmured to himself, "My eyes..." Have they healed?
Noticing something amiss with Lin Yuan, Lin Hai hurriedly asked, "What's wrong, Xiao Yuan?"
Lin Yuan came back to his senses and moved to get out of bed, his tone anxious yet firm. "Grandpa, when you found me, was there anyone else beside me?"
He hastened to add, "His name is Gu Yi!"
Lin Hai hurriedly pressed Lin Yuan back onto the bed, stopping him from getting up. He said anxiously, "Xiao Yuan, don't rush. Be good and stay in bed."
Then he continued, "There was no one else when I found you. I went looking because I sensed a change in your life tablet. When I got there, you were lying beside an ancient tree at the foot of Heaven-Reaching Peak. There was no one else beside you."
Lin Yuan stared blankly at the floor, his heart filled with loss and confusion.
Gu Yi really had left just like that, yet he could clearly feel that he had not gone.
"Xiao Yuan, you said the person who was with you was named Gu Yi?"
Seeing Lin Yuan looking so lost and dejected, Lin Hai's expression grew grave. "If it really is him, I'm afraid this will be very difficult."
Lin Yuan raised his head and looked at Lin Hai in bewilderment, asking, "Grandpa, what do you mean? Do you know him?"
Lin Hai sighed deeply, a trace of worry flashing through his eyes. "Not long after you disappeared, a demon named Gu Yi suddenly rose to prominence in the Illusory Demon Sect. He was extraordinarily gifted, reaching the Tribulation Transcendence Stage in just three years. Not only that, but he was decisive and ruthless, swift and forceful in his actions. In just three years, he successfully united all the Demonic Cults and proclaimed himself the Demon Venerable."
Stroking his beard and narrowing his eyes, Lin Hai said, "A year ago, the righteous sects joined forces and drove Gu Yi to the summit of Heaven-Reaching Peak. Ruthless and vicious, Gu Yi slaughtered everyone who took part in that encirclement. Only one person returned alive."
"The Demon Venerable, Gu Yi..."
Lin Yuan listened silently to Lin Hai, recalling what Gu Yi had told him in the cave.
"I was surrounded and wounded, and fell from Heaven-Reaching Peak. When I woke up, I was here."
"The Qingling Sword Sect wasn't among those who surrounded the Demon Venerable. I suppose they were too busy looking for you to come out... haha..."
"Little immortal lord, whose side are you on, exactly? Aren't you happy the Demon Venerable is dead?"
"I served under the Demon Venerable. When he died, people were hunting me down too."
"Little immortal lord... take your spiritual energy back. I don't have long left anyway. I'm already content to have lived another half month."
Served under the Demon Venerable? Gu Yi was the Demon Venerable!
No wonder Gu Yi had refused to reveal anything about himself back then, no matter how much he pressed him.
Was it because he feared being hunted by the righteous sects?
Or did he simply not trust me?
He had known from the very beginning that Lin Yuan belonged to the Qingling Sword Sect. He had known everything about him.
Yet Lin Yuan had known nothing about him.
He could not even be certain whether he was the Demon Venerable Gu Yi his grandfather had spoken of.
"You said the person traveling with you was Gu Yi? If that's true, things may become difficult. Many disciples died on the summit of Heaven-Reaching Peak that day. If word gets out that Gu Yi is still alive, it will certainly cause an uproar, and may even unleash another bloody storm."
Lin Hai looked at his grandson with heartache and asked, "Xiao Yuan, did your disappearance have anything to do with this demon too? Did he capture you?"
Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, clenched both hands into fists, and said through gritted teeth, "I don't know whether my Gu Yi and the Gu Yi you're talking about are the same person, but this had absolutely nothing to do with Gu Yi. Someone in the sect wanted me dead!"
"What did you say?"
Lin Hai was shocked. Back then, Lin Yuan had only been sixteen. Who could have been vicious enough to want to kill his precious grandson?
Lin Yuan gave a cold laugh, a glint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. "Grandpa, is the third elder still in the sect?"
Lin Hai nodded and asked in confusion, "Why are you asking?"
Lin Yuan flexed his wrist and pulled his lips into an icy smile. "It's time to settle some old scores with him!"
Four years earlier.
At the summit of Heaven-Reaching Peak, fierce winds howled, making it impossible to keep one's eyes open.
Lin Yuan stood there, swaying, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. The wounds on his body were even more horrifying.
Bloody tears had already flowed from his eyes, yet his gaze remained unyielding.
Just moments earlier, the third elder's vicious strike had dealt him an injury unlike any he had suffered before. Now, he could barely remain standing.
Meanwhile, the third elder advanced toward him step by step, a cruel gleam in his eyes. The longsword in his hand rose again, as though ready to deal Lin Yuan a fatal blow at any moment.
Lin Yuan tilted his head up to look at the third elder, his tone defiant. "Chu Ping, are you that eager to see me dead?"
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