Chapter 20

Under the setting sun, Ling Yushi, dressed in a long green dress, faced the cave entrance, her figure slender and graceful, but her eyes were lifeless, and her face lacked luster.

Qin Lie stopped, staring at her captivating silhouette, gazing indifferently for a while before deliberately making his steps heavier.

Ling Yushi, who seemed to be lost in thought, suddenly woke up. She turned her head sharply, and her dark eyes instantly brightened.

"Why did you come out so late? It's almost four days. How did you survive without eating or drinking?" She exclaimed, quickly approaching Qin Lie, her face showing concern. "Drink some water quickly. I also brought some cooked meat to fill your stomach."

She hurriedly handed him the water bag.

Qin Lie was extremely thirsty and hungry. He took the water bag and drank greedily for a while, then, after catching his breath, he wolfed down the cooked beef she offered.

After a long while, Qin Lie, having eaten and drunk his fill, finally felt better. He turned his head and saw Ling Yushi frowning, still worried.

"You really are something. You stayed in the cave alone for four whole days. If you were going to do this, you should have told me in advance so I could prepare enough food and water for you. I was really scared, thinking you were going to starve to death..." Ling Yushi muttered, gently brushing off the meat crumbs from his shirt. "Go back and wash up. You really smell. I don't know what you were doing in there."

Qin Lie's expression was wooden as he let her tidy his shirt and wipe the dust from his face, a warm current flowing through his heart.

After walking out of the cave with Ling Yushi, he noticed it was already evening. He didn't see any members of the Ling family near the cave entrance, indicating that they had gradually given up.

"Miss, we're here!"

Ling Ying was waving vigorously from a stone at the foot of the mountain, with Ling Feng standing beside her. They had been assigned to this area recently to prevent Qin Lie from being ambushed by the Du family.

In the evening, the sky was filled with red clouds, like flames burning, illuminating the mountains in a red glow.

The four of them walked together on the mountain path, bathed in the red light. Qin Lie remained as expressionless as ever, while Ling Ying was lively and cheerful, occasionally glancing at Qin Lie and chatting with Ling Yushi with a smile. Ling Feng, on the other hand, was calm and composed, just listening with a smile without offering any opinions.

"Miss, have you taken the Hundred Meridians Pill and the Sea Opening Pill? Are their effects amazing?" Ling Ying suddenly became very excited, glancing secretly at Qin Lie, who seemed to be puzzled by how he could have such precious cultivation pills.

Even Ling Feng showed a curious look, turning his head to look at Ling Yushi seriously, paying attention to her response.

Ling Yushi naturally looked at Qin Lie, a hint of gratitude in her eyes, and said casually, "I'm currently preparing to take the Hundred Meridians Pill. As for the Sea Opening Pill... I plan to use it when I reach the Ninth Heaven. It's a bit early now. My cultivation talent is not as good as yours, so without the help of spirit medicines, it would be difficult for me to break through to the Origin Opening Realm." She smiled wryly.

"Miss, you're too modest," Ling Feng said seriously. "From my perspective, Miss's cultivation talent is not inferior to Second Miss. It's just that Miss was tied up with family affairs earlier and didn't focus all her energy on cultivation. Also, the family head might have given more cultivation resources to Second Miss, which is why Miss and Second Miss are at the same realm."

"You don't need to comfort me. I know my talent is not as good as hers," Ling Yushi said with a smile. "In our Ling family, both of you have outstanding talents. If you work hard, you might have a chance to enter the Nebula Pavilion."

At the mention of the Nebula Pavilion, both Ling Ying and Ling Feng's eyes showed obvious longing.

In their hearts, the Nebula Pavilion was the ultimate cultivation holy land, and being able to cultivate there was their ultimate dream.

The three of them continued talking on the way.

As it was getting dark, the four of them returned to the Ling family town. As soon as they entered the town, they learned that Ling Chengzhi and Ling Xuanxuan had returned.

"Uncle Chengzhi came back and went to Qin Lie's house in the eastern part of the town with the family head. Qin Lie is over seventy and has been bedridden for years. I wonder why the family head went to his house," a member of the Ling family explained.

Ling Yushi, Ling Feng, and Ling Ying were equally puzzled, but only Qin Lie was somewhat surprised. Thinking about the purpose of Ling Chengzhi and Ling Xuanxuan's trip to the Nebula Pavilion, he couldn't help but think of Tu Ze and his group. He wondered: Could they have encountered Tu Ze and his gang?

"I'll go check. Ling Feng, Ling Ying, take Qin Lie back first," Ling Yushi said, puzzled, and hurriedly headed to the eastern part of the town.

When she arrived at Qin Lie's house, Ling Chengye, Ling Chengzhi, and Ling Xuanxuan were just coming out. The two brothers had disappointed looks on their faces and were shaking their heads.

Ling Xuanxuan, seeing her, suddenly became agitated, looking like she was about to cry.

"Father, you?" Ling Yushi called out.

"Let's talk about it when we get back!" Ling Chengye waved his hand.

After a while, the family gathered in the Ling family hall. Ling Xuanxuan's eyes were already brimming with tears as she cried, "Sister! Who made you agree to the engagement with that fool?"

"I did it willingly," Ling Yushi said with a calm smile.

"Who would agree to an engagement with him?!" Ling Xuanxuan, who had been holding back for a long time, suddenly burst into tears. "He's just a fool! Why are you putting yourself through this? Did Father force you?"

"Shut up!" Ling Chengye roared. "You went to the Nebula Pavilion, but do you know what our Ling family means to them? Your sister knows how to sacrifice for the family. What do you know? Just don't cause trouble for the family!"

Ling Xuanxuan, who rarely saw him so angry, was frightened. Recalling her experience at the Nebula Pavilion, she lowered her head and sobbed softly.

"Either the Nebula Pavilion made a mistake, or... this 'Qin Lie' is someone else!" Ling Chengzhi suddenly said.

"What happened?" Ling Yushi asked.

"Your third uncle encountered something strange at the Nebula Pavilion..." The family head explained. "Elder Han Qingrui of the Nebula Pavilion not only waived our Ling family's two-year spirit grass payment but also said that this 'Qin Lie' had made a great contribution, directly entering the core member list of the Nebula Pavilion and earning 1,200 contribution points. If it weren't for 'Qin Lie,' your third uncle and your sister might not even have been able to enter the Nebula Pavilion and might have been further humiliated..."

Ling Yushi's face showed surprise and shock as she exclaimed, "Ah! Directly becoming a core member and earning so many contribution points from the Nebula Pavilion, when did our Ling family produce such a remarkable person?"

"There's only one Qin Lie in the Ling family town. We just went to see him, and he has been bedridden for almost two years. It's already a miracle that he's still alive. He also said he hasn't left the Ling family town in ten years, so it can't be him. Apart from him, there's no one else in the Ling family named Qin Lie, or even with the character 'Lie' in their name..." The family head frowned deeply, shaking his head and muttering.

"Brother, what about Qin Lie... Is it possible? His name also has the character 'Lie'?" Ling Chengzhi suddenly said.

"That fool is indeed strange, but he's far from being a remarkable person! How could it be him?" Ling Xuanxuan, who had been sobbing, pouted, her tear-streaked face full of ridicule and disdain. "If he could become a core member of the Nebula Pavilion and earn so many contribution points, anyone in our Ling family could join the Nebula Pavilion! If he really had that ability, I would have agreed to the engagement long ago!"

Ever since she learned that Ling Yushi had taken her place in the engagement with Qin Lie, she had become extremely averse to the name Qin Lie, feeling uncomfortable even hearing it a few times.

"Qin Lie, Qin Lie..."

The family head had a thoughtful look, waving his hand to signal Ling Xuanxuan to leave and stop making a fuss. Then he lowered his voice and said, "There might be a possibility. At the engagement ceremony, the dowry he presented gave the Du family a hard slap. I'm increasingly convinced that Qin Lie is not simple. If anyone is most likely to be that Qin Lie, he is the most suspicious."

"I also think Qin Lie is not an ordinary person," Ling Chengzhi nodded. "Many things can't be done by a fool. There are no such coincidences. He might be hiding something, or his mind might sometimes be unclear, but to say he's always a fool... I don't believe it anymore."

As Qin Lie's unusual behavior after his awakening became more frequent, he gradually showed some signs. The Ling brothers were not foolish; they slowly figured out some things and realized that Qin Lie must have some mysterious qualities.

Ling Yushi listened to their conversation, her beautiful eyes sparkling, and a faint smile appeared on her face. She suddenly felt much better.

"Xiao Shi, pay close attention to him. If you discover anything, let us know immediately!" Ling Chengzhi instructed.

"Ah!" Ling Yushi, who was lost in thought, was startled by his shout and quickly nodded, saying, "I know, I know..."

"What are you thinking about, girl?" Ling Chengzhi frowned.

"Nothing, nothing. I'll go out first." Ling Yushi playfully stuck out her tongue, her eyes excited as she left, went to the dining hall to get some food, and hurriedly went to Qin Lie's stone house.

In the stone house, Qin Lie was sitting on the bed with his eyes closed, trying to enter the state of no mind and no form.

Perhaps because of his realm improvement or the strengthening of his mental consciousness, he could now enter the state of no mind and no form much faster than before, and it was not particularly difficult to break out of it.

Being able to enter and exit the state of no mind and no form at will greatly improved his cultivation efficiency, which was of great benefit to his martial path breakthrough, so he valued it highly.

Moreover, he vaguely realized that repeatedly entering and exiting the state of no mind and no form seemed to temper his soul consciousness.

This discovery made him even more excited!

Mental consciousness was the key force to unlock the Soul Suppressing Pearl's seal. Whether he could recover his memories from ten years ago depended on whether his mental consciousness was strong enough in the future, so he was somewhat obsessed with trying to enter and exit the state of no mind and no form.

Before Ling Yushi arrived, he once again broke out of the state of no mind and no form, hearing light footsteps. Qin Lie was surprised, not knowing