Cheng Hui couldn’t speak, but as long as he didn’t make any “ah-ba ah-ba” sounds, he was a really good listener.

The old man clearly didn’t want to share his past glories with the young disciples, as it would likely become a reason for them to mock him instead.

Cheng Hui wasn’t naive enough to think the Corpse Puppet Sect was a great place, nor that its disciples were particularly kind.

Don’t be fooled by Zhang Yifan’s friendly demeanor when facing Lin Qingyang; in front of outsiders, he’s cold and arrogant, not easy to deal with.

Even Wu Youzi, who seemed like a kind and gentle old grandpa, left an impression of being cold and ruthless in many people’s minds.

It seemed their “good” side was reserved only for those closest to them.

As a walking corpse, Cheng Hui was a common sight in the Corpse Puppet Sect, and the low-level servants wouldn’t guard against these walking corpses.

The truly intelligent mysterious corpses behaved no differently from ordinary people, so there was no mistaking them.

Only Cheng Hui, with his special abilities, could unintentionally gather so much information.

Because of this access to information, Cheng Hui had mixed feelings about the Corpse Puppet Sect.

Rationally, he knew it wasn’t a proper sect, no matter how they dressed it up; fundamentally, the people here had skewed values.

Think about it, a group of people who constantly dealt with corpses and lived with them—who would believe they were normal?

Emotionally, Wu Youzi and Zhang Yifan treated Lin Qingyang quite well.

Cheng Hui felt like these people formed their own circle, and only those within it could receive normal care and affection.

In short, these people weren’t good in the conventional sense, but Cheng Hui couldn’t see them as bad either.

It was quite a contradiction.

Cheng Hui listened silently to the old man’s stories.

Perhaps the old man had been holding it in for too long, as he rambled on about all sorts of things, including his experiences while training outside.

These were invaluable insights for Cheng Hui at the time.

As a walking corpse, he couldn’t actively seek out information, and living in the cultivation world, he definitely had some ambitions.

However, as someone who understood the gap between dreams and reality, he knew his limitations.

For instance, he was just a corpse.

Theoretically, he was on the path of cultivation, but in reality, even a strong adult with a thick stick could take him down.

After listening to the old man’s stories all afternoon, Cheng Hui learned a lot.

As night fell, he felt Lin Qingyang’s call.

The disciples of the Corpse Puppet Sect had a very close bond with their life-bound mysterious corpses, and for someone like Lin Qingyang, it was even more so.

He could know Cheng Hui’s location at any time if he wished.

“Huihui? What are you doing here?”

Soon, Lin Qingyang came running to the library and was surprised to see Cheng Hui sitting quietly beside the old man.

Cheng Hui didn’t speak, staring blankly at Lin Qingyang, which was typical behavior for a walking corpse.

Honestly, Cheng Hui wasn’t sure if Lin Qingyang knew about his special nature.

He felt his acting skills were average, and despite putting in a lot of effort, he wasn’t confident he could fool this eight-year-old boy.

To be fair, Cheng Hui had never met such a clingy little boy, and this kid was so clever that it was hard to tell when he was acting and when he was being genuine.

Lin Qingyang always behaved well in front of Cheng Hui, which Cheng Hui attributed to a child’s reliance on familiar people in a new environment.

It was like a foster child being especially well-behaved to avoid being abandoned.

Lin Qingyang gave Cheng Hui this impression, which sometimes made Cheng Hui feel a bit sorry for him.

In his view, no matter how clever a child was, he was still only eight years old.

In a completely new environment, his anxiety was probably no less than Cheng Hui’s.

Whether it was self-strategy or not, Cheng Hui found himself being more patient with Lin Qingyang, even softening his internal complaints.

“Huihui, shall we go back? Okay?”

Lin Qingyang walked over to Cheng Hui, took his hand, and asked softly.

The old man chuckled, and Lin Qingyang glanced at him.

The old man said warmly, “Are you a new disciple?”

“Yes, I’m a disciple of the Thirteen Peaks,” Lin Qingyang replied politely.

He didn’t know who the old man was, but he knew not to underestimate anyone in the sect.

“Thirteen Peaks, huh…” The old man seemed to recall something, his eyes momentarily vacant before he came back to his senses.

“You must be new. Is this your life-bound mysterious corpse?”

“Yes, may I ask who you are, senior?” Lin Qingyang asked.

“I’m just an old man,” the old man waved his hand dismissively.

“You haven’t been cultivating long, and your life-bound mysterious corpse doesn’t have complete intelligence yet. Why do you consult with him?”

Lin Qingyang showed a displeased expression.

“Senior, Huihui is my fiancé. It’s only natural for me to take care of him. How could I disregard his preferences just because he’s unwell and order him around?”

The old man was clearly taken aback by the term “fiancé,” probably not expecting an eight-year-old boy to say something like that so confidently.

But having been in the Corpse Puppet Sect for a long time, he’d seen all sorts of people, so he quickly recovered and asked, “Do you know your fiancé is already dead? Even if he regains intelligence, he won’t be the same person as before.”

“You’re lying! Huihui isn’t dead; Huihui is Huihui!” Lin Qingyang was angry, and his words seemed a bit disjointed.

Cheng Hui was moved.

Could it be that this child knew his intelligence was intact?

The old man was taken aback, then laughed.

“Alright, alright, your Huihui isn’t dead. Will you always treat your Huihui well?”

“Of course! I’ll always like Huihui!” Lin Qingyang said as he hugged Cheng Hui tightly.

Cheng Hui’s expression remained blank, but he felt helpless inside.

Why did this kid insist on sticking to him like glue?

The old man looked into Lin Qingyang’s eyes, as if trying to discern his true thoughts.

After a moment, he shook his head, thinking he was foolish.

What could a child understand?

He patted Lin Qingyang’s shoulder.

“Your intentions are good. Keep it up. In our Mysterious Corpse Sect, we must treat our mysterious corpses well. Remember, you must protect him.”

With that, he sighed and stopped talking, staring blankly into the distance, lost in his memories.

Lin Qingyang slowly led Cheng Hui back, reminding him along the way, “Huihui, don’t wander so far next time. It’s dangerous outside.”

Cheng Hui felt helpless.

Seriously, what danger could there be for a common walking corpse like him?

Was someone going to rob him in broad daylight?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, he heard a voice from above.

“Oh… what a pretty child?”

Cheng Hui: … My mouth must be blessed, right???

Immediately, a man in a gray robe descended from the sky, his sinister gaze unabashedly fixed on Lin Qingyang. Cheng Hui could tell from the man’s eyes that he was trouble. He quickly staggered forward, as if out of control, to block the man’s view of Lin Qingyang.

The man frowned in displeasure, but seeing it was just a walking corpse, he wasn’t too upset. Everyone knew what walking corpses were like—wobbly things that couldn’t possibly block his view on purpose. He casually pushed the walking corpse aside and looked down at Lin Qingyang.

“Hey, kid, are you a new disciple? Why haven’t I seen you before?”

Cheng Hui’s body fell uncontrollably to the ground, and he caught a glimpse of Lin Qingyang staring intently at the man’s hand.

Cheng Hui: ??? Why are you looking at his hand? Shouldn’t you be running away?

Lin Qingyang slowly raised his head, showing an innocent smile.

“Yes, I’m Lin Qingyang. What’s your name, big brother?”

The gray-robed man’s eyes lit up, his gaze growing even more sinister. What beautiful eyes—if he could dig them out, they’d make a great collection!

He smiled even more brightly, his eyes scanning the area. The library was in a remote spot, and with nightfall, there was no one around. He spoke as gently as he could.

“Little brother, I’m a senior from the Seventh Peak. Want to come play at the Seventh Peak with me?”

He didn’t care whose disciple this was. 

Once at the Seventh Peak, he could just say the kid annoyed him, and he sent him away. What happened to the kid afterward was none of his business. Without evidence, who could do anything to him? His father was the peak master of the Seventh Peak!

Lin Qingyang also smiled brightly.

“Really? Senior wants to take me to the Seventh Peak?” Then he hesitated a bit. “But my master won’t let me go to other peaks. He says there are no good people there.”

“Nonsense!” The gray-robed man feigned anger. “How can your master say that? Am I not a good person? Oh, right, who’s your master?”

“My master…” Lin Qingyang rolled his eyes and made a funny face. “I’m not telling you!”

The gray-robed man didn’t mind, thinking his master was probably a powerless elder. Otherwise, why wouldn’t the disciple flaunt his master’s name? It must be because it wouldn’t help. He was more determined than ever to take the kid away.

“Come on, I’ll take you to the Seventh Peak.” He reached out to pick up Lin Qingyang.

But Lin Qingyang cleverly dodged.

“Senior, I don’t want to go to the Seventh Peak. It’s just a mountain. Can you take me somewhere more interesting?” He blinked, pretending to be cute. “Somewhere my master won’t let me go? If you can take me there, I’ll go play at the Seventh Peak with you.”

“Oh? Where won’t your master let you go?” the gray-robed man asked impatiently.

“The Earth Yin Cave,” Lin Qingyang replied.

The gray-robed man was startled. The Earth Yin Cave was a forbidden area in the Corpse Puppet Sect, a place even he dared not venture. This little brat wanted him to take him there? Was he crazy?