Chapter 83: Meeting

The journey continued.

Shi Yan, having lost his carriage, could only sit on the horseback every day, lost in deep thought, yet he persisted in seeking a way to merge the Life Seal and the Death Seal.

Every night, as soon as he had a moment to spare, he would find an excuse to leave for a while and put his thoughts into action.

However, every time he tried to merge the Life Seal and the Death Seal, he ended in failure.

The merging of the Life and Death Seals was clearly very difficult. Each time he tried, he could not make the Life Seal and the Death Seal burst out of his palms simultaneously.

Either the Life Seal would shoot out first, or the Death Seal would burst forth first.

To merge the Life and Death Seals, the first step was to make both seals burst out of his palms at the same moment!

Only by achieving this could the Life and Death Seals have the possibility of merging.

This required extremely precise control, ensuring that the essence and the negative energy condensed at the same rhythm, without the slightest error!

Shi Yan understood this principle, but when he actually tried, he found it incredibly difficult, and he could never succeed.

As they approached the entrance to the Dead Silence Swamp, Shi Yan no longer continued his nightly practices. After all, to use the Life and Death Seals, he needed to consume both essence and negative energy.

Each time he practiced, his body would weaken for a while.

Especially the cultivation of the Death Seal.

This required him to go into a frenzy first, and the backlash from the frenzy always lingered. To ensure that his body was in the best condition when they entered the Dead Silence Swamp, he had to reluctantly cancel his subsequent practices.

Deciding to stop working so hard, Shi Yan relaxed his tense nerves. During the rest of the journey, he no longer spent his days in deep thought and had ample time to interact with Wu Yunlian and Zuo Shi.

Through this period of interaction, Shi Yan gained some understanding of Wu Yunlian and Zuo Shi. Although their relationship was not particularly harmonious, there had been no conflicts.

...

On this day.

Shi Yan rode his horse, riding alongside the Zuo family's carriage, his expression indifferent, still thinking about how to merge the Life and Death Seals.

"Master, we're here," Han Feng pointed ahead and whispered, "The people from the Ethereal Pavilion are already waiting."

Shi Yan was taken aback and looked over, indeed seeing three black dots in the distance.

Wu Yunlian also poked her head out of the carriage, took a distant look, and softly said, "Everyone, be careful. To us, the Ethereal Pavilion is outsiders. That woman has reached the Heavenly Rank, so be on your guard."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Shi Yan, however, frowned, unsure of how Xia Xinyan would react upon seeing him.

That day, before Xia Xinyan fainted, she had clearly seen him. Xia Xinyan must have already known why she appeared at the Rainy Pavilion.

This meeting, he wondered if Xia Xinyan would come to question him.

However, Shi Yan was not particularly worried. At the Rainy Pavilion, the only time he had violated Xia Xinyan was when she was unconscious.

Xia Xinyan should not know what he had done.

...

Xia Xinyan had not been far from Shi Yan's group. Although she had readily thrown away half of the treasure map, she was still secretly wary of the Zuo and Shi families, fearing they might act secretly without her.

That day, she had heard Shi Yan's evaluation of her clearly, which naturally made her uncomfortable.

When Shi Yan's figure truly appeared in her line of sight, she immediately recognized him as the person who had brought her to the brothel, which made her even more annoyed.

That day's incident had left a deep impression on her.

Several times at night, Xia Xinyan would wake up and momentarily feel as if she were still at the Rainy Pavilion...

Thinking about that room, where she had been unconscious on the ground while a man was moving on two brothel women right in front of her, made her feel inexplicably angry.

Finally, Shi Yan appeared before her.

Xia Xinyan glanced at Shi Yan, pointed at him, and said coolly, "Come with me, I have some questions for you."

Wu Yunlian, Zuo Shi, Han Feng, and the others all looked stunned and stared at Xia Xinyan in confusion, not understanding why she would want to speak to Shi Yan alone instead of asking about Chixiao.

Shi Yan had anticipated this and nodded calmly, "Alright."

Shi Yan's attitude only made Wu Yunlian and the others more puzzled.

Han Feng hesitated, slightly worried, "Master..."

"It's fine," Shi Yan waved his hand and followed Xia Xinyan away with a casual air.

Soon, the two arrived under an ancient tree.

"Was it you that day?" Xia Xinyan's bright eyes stared directly at him, speaking calmly.

"Yep."

"At the brothel that day, you... you did that with two brothel women while I was unconscious?" Xia Xinyan gritted her teeth.

"Yep."

"You're a real lecherous demon!"

Shi Yan laughed wryly and nodded frankly, "Men, it's just our nature, nothing to hide. But, I didn't do anything to you, right? On the contrary, I saved you! That night, if you weren't at the brothel, the Beiming family might have found you. From that perspective, you should thank me."

Xia Xinyan's eyes showed surprise; she had not expected Shi Yan to admit his lechery so openly.

She stood there, her eyes flickering with various emotions, as if she wanted to scold him but didn't know where to start.

Scold him for being lecherous? He had already admitted it, and he was so shameless; would scolding him even help?

Xia Xinyan felt inexplicably frustrated and, after a long pause, shook her head helplessly, "You did save me, but I don't feel grateful! I don't want anyone to know about that night, understand?"

Xia Xinyan's beautiful eyes turned cold, the threat in her words clear.

"Don't worry, I'm not that bored," Shi Yan's expression was indifferent.

"Then, that night, did you... did you do anything else to me?" Xia Xinyan's eyes suddenly became flustered.

"Anything else?" Shi Yan was taken aback, his face full of confusion, "What else?"

A surge of anger rose from her heart, Xia Xinyan gritted her teeth, repeatedly telling herself to "calm down," and took several deep breaths before coldly demanding, "I mean, did you do anything improper to me?"

Of course, I did!

Shi Yan thought to himself but maintained a serious expression, shaking his head, "No, I'm not that kind of person."

"You're not that kind of person?!"

Xia Xinyan's eyes widened; she suddenly found it easy to get angry with this person. Clenching her teeth, she sneered again, "A lecherous demon who still has the heart to visit a brothel during a critical battle between families, and then claims not to be a casual person—what a huge joke!"

"Just normal physiological needs," Shi Yan said calmly.

Xia Xinyan stared at him dumbfounded, her beautiful eyes flashing with disdain, disgust, and anger.

Waving her hand weakly, Xia Xinyan seemed to have no more words, and finally said, "I hope you forget everything about that night! You saved my life, and I will remember it. On this journey to the Heavenly Gate, I will do my best to ensure your safety, and after that, we will be even."

With that, Xia Xinyan could no longer stay, turning and heading back the way she came. She was still full of anger but had nowhere to vent it.

"Thank you in advance," Shi Yan called out to her retreating figure, a faint smile on his lips, seemingly unaware of how upset Xia Xinyan was.

...

In the sky, within a thick cloud.

A ten-meter-long fifth-level demonic beast, the Wind Apex Eagle, was perched in the cloud. Beiming Shang, Beiming Ce, Yin Kui, Jiushan, Mu Yudie, and Di Yalan were all sitting on the Wind Apex Eagle.

Beiming Shang, at the head of the Wind Apex Eagle, leaned out and looked down at the ant-like figures of Shi Yan and the others, speaking solemnly, "They should be heading to the Dead Silence Swamp."

"Grandfather, when will we reveal ourselves?"

"After they reach their destination," Beiming Shang frowned, "Chixiao should appear soon. Chixiao is truly at the Heavenly Rank and might discover us. Let's leave first."

Mu Yudie clenched her fists, her bright eyes full of anticipation.

The fifth-level demonic beast, the Wind Apex Eagle, suddenly took flight, turning into a black dot and quickly heading toward the Dead Silence Swamp, soon disappearing from sight.