Chapter 43

Eight days later, Qin Lie and Ling Yushi finally arrived at Medicine Mountain. Looking at the familiar cave entrances on the mountain, everyone's expressions were filled with joy.

"Finally, we're home," Ling Xiao chuckled, patting the bulging cloth bag on his body and said with bright eyes, "Although we've been away from Ling Family Town for less than a month, this trip was so perilous that it felt like a long time. Fortunately... we survived the disaster and gained a lot, hahaha!"

"Under the treacherous schemes of the Feng family and the Shuibing Manor, and their relentless pursuit, our survival is indeed a miracle," Ling Feng looked deeply at Qin Lie and said with a smile, "Moreover, we obtained a lot of spirit stones and materials, and we have done a great service for the Star Cloud Pavilion. Yes, this series of events was truly thrilling."

Everyone then looked at Qin Lie.

Everyone was clear in their hearts that without Qin Lie's several stunning performances, the Ling family would have been doomed, with all the men killed and Ling Yushi and Ling Ying's situations even more tragic, possibly making life worse than death.

Even Liu Yan and Gao Yu would not have escaped death, and they would have been wiped out together.

"Qin Lie, when you come and go to Ling Family Town in the future, will you still pretend to be crazy?" Ling Yushi said with a smile, her lips pursed.

They were about to reach Ling Family Town. She had changed out of her martial artist's clothes the night before and put on a light green dress, adorned with small flowers and blue crystal pendants at the hem, making her look elegant and beautiful. Her beautiful eyes sparkled, making her look radiant.

This trip, the Ling family not only gained many spirit stones and materials but also earned credit for the Star Cloud Pavilion and won Liu Yan's favor. Even the long-standing worry that troubled her was completely resolved.

—Her fiancé was not only not foolish but also exceptionally outstanding, always protecting her.

With fewer worries and more joy, her mood was excellent, and her face always wore a gentle smile, making her look radiant.

In the past few days, everyone had noticed that Ling Yushi and Qin Lie's relationship had become closer. Hearing her tease Qin Lie, they all chuckled and looked at Qin Lie.

"That's not pretending to be crazy; it's just a state of cultivation. I might still be like that in the future, so don't be surprised," Qin Lie said with a bitter smile, explaining helplessly, "So, when you see me in that state in Ling Family Town, don't be surprised. I'm just cultivating in that state, that's all."

"Not surprised, not surprised, hehe, I won't be surprised by anything you do in the future," Ling Xiao laughed, "You can even repair a Liu-level fifth-grade spirit weapon, which is even more impressive than your grandfather. What else could surprise us? There are too many strange things, so they're not strange anymore..."

With that, everyone burst out laughing, saying that there were too many strange things about Qin Lie, and they had gradually gotten used to it.

"Alright, I won't talk to you much. I'll go to Medicine Mountain first to put down the fire crystal stone, and then I'll go to town for a proper hot meal. You guys go ahead, no need to wait for me. I'll be there soon," Qin Lie said with a calm smile.

"I'll go with you," Ling Yushi said with a serene smile, "We've been away for almost a month, so there's no rush. You go ahead, I'll wait for you."

"We're not in a hurry either, we'll wait for you here," Ling Xiao said loyally.

Ling Xin glared at him, "Idiot, Miss Ling wants to be alone with Qin Lie. You're really stupid!"

Upon hearing this, everyone realized it and chuckled, their eyes teasingly glancing at the two.

Ling Yushi was slightly annoyed and her face turned red, scolding, "You talk too much, it's the same anytime!"

Ling Xin didn't get angry, scratching his head and laughing awkwardly, "Miss Ling, forgive me, it's my fault, I spoke too loudly..."

Qin Lie was speechless but felt a warm feeling inside.

He couldn't remember his memories from ten years ago, and in the past five years, he had been practicing alone, with almost no contact with people his age, which sometimes made him seem a bit aloof.

However, the time spent with the Ling family made him feel very comfortable and warm, especially with Ling Yushi...

"I'll go to Medicine Mountain first," he smiled, nodded to everyone, and headed towards Medicine Mountain.

After he left, Ling Xin and the others were very considerate and immediately said they would return to Ling Family Town first. Only Ling Ying pouted, unwilling to leave, as if she also wanted to wait for Qin Lie.

"You little girl, he's already engaged, why are you getting involved?" Ling Xiao pulled her and whispered a reminder.

"It's just an engagement, not a real marriage. Fine, I'll go with you..." Ling Ying muttered.

Ling Yushi saw everything but didn't say much to Ling Ying. After a moment of thought, she said to everyone, "Qin Lie has been practicing hard for the past five years. It was I... who disturbed his peaceful life and involved him in the Ling family's trivial matters."

Pausing for a moment, she frowned and continued, "The Ling family's messy affairs should not be imposed on him. They have nothing to do with him. So, when we return to town, don't say much about him. If he wants to practice in peace, we should let him be as peaceful as possible."

"Right, we understand. The Ling family has a lot of messy affairs, but they are our problems and should not be imposed on him," Ling Feng nodded and sternly instructed everyone, "When we return to Ling Family Town, don't say anything about Qin Lie. If others find out about his extraordinary abilities, they will surely pester him, which will definitely affect his cultivation."

Everyone agreed, promising not to say anything about Qin Lie.

Then, under Ling Feng's urging, everyone returned to Ling Family Town together.

Ling Yushi stood gracefully at the foot of Medicine Mountain, waiting alone. She suddenly recalled the time when Qin Lie was attacked, and she carried him back to Ling Family Town, holding his thigh tightly.

Qin Lie, lying on her back, was pressed tightly against her buttocks...

Thinking about it, her cheeks flushed, and a question arose in her mind: Was he awake then?

As she thought, her eyes sparkled, and her face showed a charming and alluring expression.

Inside the Medicine Mountain mine, Qin Lie's face suddenly turned serious as he entered the cave.

The complex stone paths inside the cave were constructed by his grandfather over time, forming a unique array that could block outsiders and allow him to practice in peace, creating a private space where he could truly release himself.

Recently, under Du Jiaolan's pressure, Ling Chengye had to reveal the cave's secrets, leading to the Ling family's eager exploration of Medicine Mountain.

Unfortunately, none of the martial artists in Ling Family Town were experts in array formations, so they gradually gave up.

However, at the mine entrance, there were obvious signs of the array being tampered with. Some of the stone paths were blocked by large rocks, altering the airflow, and new paths had been created, seemingly to break the original array.

—No one in the Ling family could do this.

Who could it be?

Qin Lie frowned deeply, his heart tightening, and quickly followed the original path deeper into the cave to check if anyone had intruded into the deepest part.

There, it was his private space, the key area for his early-stage Thunder Punishment cultivation, and a small piece of his inner peace.

He would not allow any outsider to intrude!

Soon, he reached the inner cave and found everything as usual. From the traces, it seemed the person who tried to break the array had not made it this far.

"Fortunately, that person hasn't managed to break the array yet. They are probably still trying to figure it out," after entering, Qin Lie carefully placed the fire crystal stone, rubbed his chin, and thought for a moment, his eyes gradually turning cold, "It's not someone from Ling Family Town. Who could it be? What do they want? Do they really think there are treasures inside?"

Knowing Ling Yushi was waiting outside, he didn't stay in the cave for long and quickly went out.

Sure enough, as soon as he left the cave, he saw Ling Yushi standing there, still waiting for him.

She was blushing, her beautiful eyes sparkling, exuding a different kind of charm and allure, unlike her usual elegant and refined self, giving Qin Lie a different impression.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?" Qin Lie quietly approached her from behind and suddenly called out.

Ling Yushi's body trembled, clearly startled. When she saw it was him, she smiled and looked at him teasingly, saying, "I was thinking, when I carried you back, were you awake?"

Qin Lie's face twitched, and just as he was about to deny it, Ling Yushi敏锐地察觉到了，娇喝道：“果然是这样！我就知道，你这家伙简直坏透了！”

Qin Lie尴尬地干笑着，不再解释，任由她怎么说。

Ling Yushi却没有继续追究，噗嗤一笑，白了他一眼，说：“看在你订婚时，握紧我的手，帮我分担压力的份上，我就原谅你了。”

当时，她忍受着族人的嘲讽和讥笑，忍受着杜家人的刻薄言语，在最凄然无助的时候，是秦烈紧紧握住了她的手……

她心情激荡之下，不自觉地用力，指甲都刺破了秦烈的掌心，秦烈都没有吭声。

经过了天狼山一行，以她的蕙质兰心，自然能猜出秦烈当时是清醒的，也因此，每每想起当时，她心中就溢满了感动。

单单那一件事，就能让她原谅秦烈的一切过错，更何况在她内心深处，也并不是真正介意秦烈的一些小坏心思……

“药山内部石道的阵法，正在被人破解，对方应该不是凌家镇的人，你猜会是谁？”为了避免尴尬转移话题，秦烈提起刚刚的发现，简单说明情况，说道：“那人懂得阵法，应该是个炼器师，不过等阶似乎不高，花费了很长时间也没有能真正破开来。”

“不用猜了，肯定是杜娇兰搞的鬼，应该是她将药山的情况告诉了杜海天，由杜海天安排人过来破解的。”凌语诗果断地说道，“她想染指药山很久了，一直都在筹谋取代我爹，接替凌家的家主一位，药山内部的奇妙对她而言是个突破口，她自然会上心。”

秦烈默默听着，眉头渐渐皱起来，脸色也沉了下来。

药山内部的奇阵，是他爷爷亲手为他布置的，即便是要破坏毁掉，也只能由他亲自下手，不允许外人干涉！

那山洞，更是他心灵上的一小片净土，是他唯一的私密空间，连凌语诗他都没有带其进入，岂容外人涉足！

……

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(Note: The last part of the translation was cut off due to the original text being incomplete. The last few sentences are a repetition of the original text and have been omitted for clarity.)