Chapter 57

Some people, you think they’re here to extinguish a fire, but it turns out they’re here to stoke it.

When Lin Du spoke, Ju Yuan almost wanted to bow to this junior sister and cover her mouth himself.

But he couldn’t.

He could only be thankful that Lin Du’s master was Yan Ye, the one who, after focusing on closed-door training, had ascended to the second position on the Sky Ranking, Yan Ye.

Yan Ye was the youngest cultivator to reach the Seventh Stage in the cultivation world. His relationship with Feng Chao and Hou Cang was somewhat akin to Lin Du’s relationship with Mo Lin and Tian Wu—young, high in rank, and surpassing others in cultivation.

Currently, Hou Cang seemed to be at an impasse, stuck at the Fifth Stage of the Qian Yuan Realm, looking as if he was on par with Feng Chao.

The former number one talent had faded into obscurity.

Feng Chao wished she could applaud Lin Du for her words. It was clear that Yan Ye had taught her well.

However, Hou Cang still showed no reaction. His demeanor was not the pure coldness of Tian Wu, nor was it the instinctive cover of Lin Du. It was like a stagnant pond; whether the snow ceased or continued, it stirred no ripples within him.

“Returning to an old place to find an old friend, I haven’t violated any of the Supreme Sect’s rules. Why then am I excluded by the Sect Leader?”

Lin Du began to understand why Feng Chao was so angry.

Her master was not the previous Sect Leader Lin Tuan, but rather an honest worker who had never intended to take over the heir business. Suddenly, one day, because the rightful heir quit, she was forced to step in, ruining all her plans.

Now, the one who had abandoned the post for hundreds of years had returned as if nothing had happened. Feng Chao had not dealt with him harshly only due to sect rules and personal ethics.

Lin Du clicked her tongue inwardly, realizing how much a person in love can bear.

Carrying a ten-ton burden, everyone becomes a tragic figure.

Just as Feng Chao was about to speak, the wind and snow suddenly roared, and someone came through the storm, their dark purple robe billowing.

The hoarse voice carried by the wind was lost.

“Back already?”

It was an ordinary statement, but Lin Du saw a fleeting change in Hou Cang’s face.

His dark eyes momentarily reflected many emotions, complex like the last draft of Lin Du’s array calculations, overlapping various elements repeatedly.

Frustration, urgency, embarrassment, and meticulous caution all stacked up on that paper.

Lin Du sensed something was off.

The relationship between Lin Tuan and Hou Cang was perhaps far more complex than depicted in the book.

Before Hou Cang could respond, a righteous voice suddenly rang out through the snowstorm, “Disciple Lin Du, greetings to Master Lin Tuan!”

Following Lin Du’s signal, the few disciples who had finally caught up lined up, bowing deeply and saluting, their aura grand, “Greetings, Master Lin Tuan.”

Lin Tuan chuckled, “Child, it’s you again.”

This child was straightforward to the point of being endearing, even in her greetings.

Lin Du smiled brightly, completely different from her earlier attitude towards Hou Cang, “I heard that the former number one talent on the Qing Yun List had arrived, so I came to see what kind of person I might become in the future.”

Feng Chao suddenly interrupted, “Don’t say such things; they’re inauspicious.”

How could such a misfortune compare to their little junior sister?

Hou Cang looked at Lin Tuan in surprise, “Master, weren’t you in closed-door training?”

“Today, we have a guest.” Lin Tuan said, but her gaze remained on Lin Du.

The snow-condensing spell just performed by Lin Du was extraordinarily talented for her cultivation level and years in the sect.

No wonder she was the number one talent.

It also reminded her of the old Hou Cang.

Once extraordinarily gifted and ambitious, he would often surprise her with unexpected talents, driven by his humble origins.

He was much like Lin Du now.

Except, when that child was picked up, he was like a wild wolf, while Lin Du seemed like a delicate and obedient cat.

Lin Tuan’s gaze lingered on Lin Du for a while, so long that Hou Cang couldn’t help but speak, “Guest, am I?”

Lin Du suddenly clenched her fist to her lips and coughed violently, hiding her rising smile and Lin Tuan’s slip of the tongue.

This man rarely showed insecurity.

“Junior Uncle!” The people behind shouted in unison, “Are you okay? Where’s the medicine?”

“Is there any medicine left?”

A group of people fussed around the thin young man in the green robe, and even the ever-watchful and sarcastic Feng Chao was too preoccupied to focus on Hou Cang.

Lin Tuan was also startled, realizing that this child looked excessively pale and weak, as if suffering from congenital deficiencies. She stepped forward.

“Are you alright?”

Lin Du was perfectly fine, but the act was coming to an end.

She needed to go back and review Lin Tuan’s script carefully; otherwise, she wouldn’t understand the current state of these two characters.

【Darling, it’s probably like this now…】

“Be quiet for a moment,” Lin Du responded mentally.

Her mind was overloaded; even a 128-thread CPU couldn’t handle so much information at once.

Luo Wei Zhi and Luo Lin Tuan, the people from Lan Jujie, and Lin Tuan and Hou Cang.

More complex than the ancient ruins’ residual arrays her master had given her.

Lin Tuan checked Lin Du’s pulse and then frowned, “Has Jiang Liang found a complete cure?”

Lin Du shook her head, “First, let’s stabilize my condition and then see. Maybe a treatment method will turn up in some ancient text in the future.”

Lin Tuan pondered for a moment. Lin Du’s heart condition wasn’t just a common weakness; it was almost shattered, like a bowl that had been crushed but still held its shape—you never knew when a force might come along to make it fall apart completely.

This body of hers was somewhat peculiar.

Jiang Liang should have done his best.

Lin Du seemed to sense Lin Tuan’s thoughts and smiled, “Master, this is the first time you’ve seen someone this weak, right? My talent in this world is unmatched, and my illness is unique in the world as well.”

【Host, you’re acting like a terminally ill yet optimistic white lotus. Isn’t this overacting? You weren’t like this before Lin Tuan arrived.】

A hint of emotion flashed in Lin Tuan’s eyes, and she couldn’t help but pat Lin Du’s head again. “If there’s any shortage of medicinal materials, just let me know. I’ll issue a sect order to have all the roaming disciples gather them.”

She glanced at her disciple, Hou Cang. “You too, keep an eye out for Lin Du.”

Hou Cang looked at Lin Du, pressed his lips together, and responded in a deep voice.

Considering Lin Du’s condition, everyone dispersed.

Lin Du said to the system in her mind, “I’m just putting on an act. What can he do about it?”

She was relying on her illness as a shield, daring to misbehave without fear of retribution.

“The child is still young, and her health is poor.”

With these two buffs, even the heartless and irresponsible scoundrel couldn’t touch her.