Chapter 54

Walking on the mountain path, Qin Lie listened to Ling Feng's narration, feeling as if a bottle of mixed flavors had been overturned in his heart, a mix of sourness, sweetness, bitterness, and spiciness all blending together.

Just half a year ago, when Ling Yushi learned that he held the Star Cloud Token and could become a core member of the Star Cloud Pavilion at any time, she had been anxious and uncertain. To avoid holding him back, Ling Yushi devoted herself to intense cultivation, hoping to one day join the Star Cloud Pavilion with him and stay on par with him.

Ling Yushi had once said she didn't want to fall too far behind him and hoped to always keep up with his pace...

Half a year later, he was still cultivating in Ling Family Town, but Ling Yushi had encountered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, allowing her to directly leap over the Star Cloud Pavilion and step into the Seven Sins Valley, a formidable force at the Black Iron level.

Such unpredictable events made Qin Lie feel both amused and bewildered, his heart becoming a mess.

"The family head is waiting for you at the town entrance..." Ling Feng suddenly said.

Qin Lie was surprised and then saw Ling Chengye, with sunken cheeks and an extremely haggard face, standing at the town entrance, staring blankly at the sky and sighing deeply from time to time.

In the southeast of Ling Family Town, where the Du Jiaolan family's courtyard used to be, a luxurious carriage made of white jade was parked. The carriage was intricately carved with beautiful floral patterns and inlaid with gemstones and pearls, shimmering in the sunlight, making Qin Lie's eyes hurt.

Four Golden Rock Beasts, each chained with silver chains, stood majestically beside the carriage, the usually fierce second-stage spirit beasts now docile.

Several beautiful female warriors, each with a restrained aura, clearly of high cultivation, were scattered around the carriage, whispering and laughing softly.

Qin Lie looked at Ling Chengye and then at the direction of the carriage, his brows slightly furrowed.

"You finally came out." Ling Chengye, at the town entrance, finally saw his figure and his spirit suddenly lifted. He quickly walked over.

In the distance, the beautiful female warriors in Du Jiaolan's courtyard noticed Ling Chengye's actions and smiled, finding it amusing, covering their mouths and laughing softly.

They occasionally glanced at Qin Lie, but even with their smiles, their gazes still carried a natural arrogance...

That was the attitude of the superior looking down on the inferior.

"Ling Uncle." Qin Lie stepped forward, sighing lightly, "You specifically waited for me, what do you want me to do?"

Ling Chengye suddenly became awkward, not knowing how to speak for a moment. He looked back at the direction of the carriage, thinking about the deadline tomorrow, and finally steeled himself to say, "It's Ling Uncle who has wronged you..."

Qin Lie remained silent.

"But for Xiaoshi and Xuanxuan, for the entire Ling Family, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, something I never dared to dream of!" Ling Chengye took a deep breath and sighed, "The Ling Family is just a very small force, forced to rely on the Star Cloud Pavilion to survive. Ten years ago, because of the Ling Family's weakness, I lost my wife and many childhood companions."

"Because of the Ling Family's weakness, my second brother died in humiliation, and I had to continue enduring. I knew who was behind it but could only pretend not to know, and had to endure the cold words of Du Jiaolan..."

He looked deeply at Qin Lie, his expression painful and sincere, "Ling Uncle has wronged you, no matter how you despise me, Ling Uncle is willing to bear it, without a word. But, but Ling Uncle hopes you can persuade Xiaoshi, because this opportunity is not just about the future of the Ling Family, but also about Xiaoshi's entire life. If she misses it, Xiaoshi will regret it for the rest of her life, and the Ling Family will also regret it deeply..."

"Qin Lie, please persuade Xiaoshi." Ling Chengzhi and Ling Kang'an, upon hearing the news of his return, hurriedly came and begged him together.

Qin Lie's mouth was bitter, looking at their anxious and worried expressions, listening to their pleas, he remained silent for a long time before saying, "Why do you think I can persuade her? You are her father, her uncle, her grandfather, if you can't, why should I be able to?"

"Because sister loves you." Ling Xuanxuan's voice came from behind the three, her eyes shimmering, her lips pursed, "Because she doesn't want to dissolve the engagement with you, she doesn't want you to be sad, because she fears that once she leaves Ling Family Town, she will lose you..."

Qin Lie's mind was suddenly jolted.

"Qin Lie, don't listen to my father and the others. If sister leaves, it will be very hard for her to return to Ling Family Town. Unless, unless you can become strong enough to enter the Seven Sins Valley or the Senluo Hall, otherwise, there will be no hope for you and my sister..."

Ling Xuanxuan, ignoring Ling Chengye's scolding, said stubbornly, "I had some misunderstandings about you before, but you have saved the Ling Family several times, helping us openly and secretly, and I remember it all. I don't understand the big picture of the family, I just think the Ling Family should repay kindness and honor the agreement with Grandpa Qin Shan, that's all, I've said my piece..."

With that, she ignored Ling Chengye, Ling Chengzhi, and Ling Kang'an's scolding and turned to leave.

Qin Lie was stunned for a long time because of her words.

"Unless you can become strong enough to enter the Seven Sins Valley or the Senluo Hall, otherwise, there will be no hope for you and my sister..."

"I don't want to fall further behind you, I just want... just want to keep up with your pace, I don't want to be a burden to you..."

Ling Xuanxuan's and Ling Yushi's words echoed in his mind, making him lost in thought for a long time.

"Where is she?" After a long time, Qin Lie suddenly asked.

Ling Chengye's brows were deeply furrowed, his mood very tense and uneasy. He pointed to Qin Lie's stone house and said, "For these three days, she has locked herself in your stone house..."

Qin Lie's heart suddenly tightened, and without waiting for Ling Chengye and the others to ask more, he quickly rushed towards his stone house.

"Do you think that boy will make a decision?"

"Who knows? He should be very clear that after the girl leaves today, she will soar to great heights. If he lets go, he might lose her forever."

"What if he doesn't let go? If the girl regrets it in the future, will she blame him every day?"

"I'm very curious about his decision."

Beside the luxurious carriage, several beautiful women watched Qin Lie's figure from a distance, whispering to each other, their beautiful eyes filled with extreme curiosity.

One of the women, who looked to be in her early twenties, wore a dark green silk dress, her tall and slender figure leaning against the white jade carriage, her skin like frost, her beautiful face glowing like jade...

She seemed indifferent to the others' conversation, remaining silent, her head lowered as if in silent cultivation.

However, the other women, who were in their thirties, seemed to pay great attention to her. One of them couldn't help but ask, "Lu Li, what do you think of this? If that boy lets go, you will have two more junior sisters, what do you think?"

These women were just warriors of the Yinsha Valley, not direct disciples of Jiuliu Yu, and their status was inferior to Lu Li.

"I don't want to waste energy on wild guesses, I'm only interested in the final result." Lu Li opened her eyes, her beautiful eyes sharp like ice blades, her tone cold.

The other women laughed awkwardly, and seeing her speak, they stopped their discussion.

...

On the other side.

"Knock, knock, knock." Qin Lie gently knocked on the door.

"Who said I want to see anyone!" Ling Yushi shouted from inside the room.

"It's me." Qin Lie's voice was low.

The room was silent, but the sound of someone tidying up clothes could be heard...

After a while, the door opened from the inside, and Ling Yushi, with a gloomy face, turned to the side, looking at him with a sad expression. After he entered, she closed the door tightly, blocking the view of Ling Chengye and the others who had followed.

Inside the room, the two looked at each other in silence, both feeling a lot to say but not knowing how to start.

"I..." Qin Lie opened his mouth.

"If you're here to persuade me, don't bother, I don't want to hear it." Ling Yushi suddenly interrupted.

Qin Lie sighed, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "I came here not because of the Ling Family, not because of your father, uncle, or grandfather's persuasion, and not for your sister. It's just for you and me..."

Ling Yushi's eyes shimmered, waiting for him to continue, a hint of curiosity rising in her heart.

"You said you want to help me in the future, you don't want to be a burden to me, you want to keep up with my pace..." Qin Lie looked at her, for the first time taking the initiative to hold her hand. When Ling Yushi's eyes became disordered, he continued softly, "I can clearly tell you, if you stay in Ling Family Town, you won't be able to keep up with my pace. You have to leave, you have to go to the Seven Sins Valley, only then can you keep up with me in the future..."

"No, no, I don't want to hear it." Ling Yushi was on the verge of tears, shaking her head continuously.

"Go, leave Ling Family Town, enter the Seven Sins Valley, and work hard for our future reunion." Qin Lie's voice was low, taking out the first successful spirit plate he had refined in the past half year, and placing it in Ling Yushi's soft palm. "This spirit plate is my only successful product, the first step I took on the path of refining. For it, I have shed a lot of sweat and effort. Today... I give it to you."

Ling Yushi's hand trembled, she bit her lower lip hard, her beautiful eyes filled with tears.

"If we want to have a future, you must leave Ling Family Town. Only the Seven Sins Valley can shape you!" Qin Lie said firmly.

Ling Yushi's body shook violently.

"Go, go out, tell your father, tell that Jiuliu Yu, tell them you've thought it through, you want to go to the Seven Sins Valley." Qin Lie, with a stern face, held her hand and pulled her out of the stone house. Then he went back into the house and closed the door, shouting through the door, "Wait for me in the Seven Sins Valley, wait for me to come find you. I, Qin Lie, swear here! I will definitely come!"

Ling Yushi stood at the door, listening to Qin Lie's hoarse voice, her eyes filled with tears.

After a long time, under her father's expectations, she moved with a numb expression, heading towards the direction of the luxurious carriage.

Inside the room, Qin Lie's body curled up behind the door, his eyes red, his teeth clenched, silent.

On the other side, seeing Ling Yushi approach, Lu Li's sharp eyes showed a look of surprise. She stood up and came to the window of the original Du Jiaolan's room, saying through the window, "Master, she has thought it through."

"Very good, go find that boy, give him a Qi Yuan Pill, let him forget about Ling Yushi from now on." A cold old woman's voice came from inside the room.

"Understood."

Lu Li responded and then walked towards Qin Lie's stone house. As she passed Ling Yushi, her body paused slightly, turning to look at Ling Yushi's wooden expression before continuing her steps.

After a short while, she arrived at the door of Qin Lie's stone house, pushing a small, exquisite medicine bottle through the gap under the stone door, and said coldly, "If you can break through to the Kaiyuan Realm, the Qi Yuan Pill will greatly increase your chances of success when you advance from the early to the middle stage of the Kaiyuan Realm, reducing the risk of your body exploding and dying."

She paused slightly and continued, "Your decision surprised me, but I still have to tell you, from now on, she will be my junior sister, no longer the little girl from Ling Family Town. She has already stepped into a new world of cultivation, with a broader future ahead, and she is no longer in the same world as you... I hope the Qi Yuan Pill can make you forget her, and not have any unrealistic thoughts, which would be good for both of you."

With that, she didn't even bother to listen to Qin Lie's response, preparing to leave.

"Wait!" Qin Lie suddenly opened the stone door, threw the Qi Yuan Pill into her hand, his handsome face cold as ice, and said to Lu Li, "You and your master don't have the right to decide matters between her and me, you don't have that qualification! The Seven Sins Valley? One day, I will go find her, you will see!"

"An interesting guy, fine, I'll wait for you." Lu Li curled her lips, giving a proud and indifferent smile, put the Qi Yuan Pill back, and muttered, "Not knowing how to appreciate it..." before walking away.

...