Chapter 210: Even When You’re Unhappy, You Still Have to Eat
Inside the room, the candlelight flickered, casting long shadows as Chen Yin gently placed Qingying on the bed.
She was sleeping soundly, her lips murmuring his name softly.
He glanced out the window.
…He had sensed someone outside.
But the presence was gone in a flash.
Chen Yin opened the window, and a gentle breeze carried a small card into the room. He picked it up. A single line of text was written on it.
“Yunlin Province. Shen Li.”
He stared at the card, his gaze fixed on the darkness outside.
…Yunlin Province. Half a day’s journey from here.
Chen Yin took out a small paper kite, infused it with his blue spiritual energy, and sent it flying into the night.
Then, he left the room.
The darkness over the Wu Xuan Cave was receding, the stench of blood fading slightly.
Chen Yin followed the path, walking past ruined houses, burning wreckage, and charred bodies.
He saw Heitie.
The stubborn boy’s body was now a charred husk, unrecognizable.
He continued towards the main hall in silence.
The bodies along the path changed. Fewer villagers, more cultivators, their remains even more gruesome, their bones blackened and broken, their bodies twisted in unnatural positions.
By the time he reached the main hall, nearly a hundred bodies lay scattered around, not a single one intact. A gruesome scene of carnage.
Chen Yin stepped over the bodies and entered the hall.
A bloodcurdling scream echoed from within. “Aaaaagh! No! It wasn’t me—! Grand Witch, please spare me!”
Chen Yin ignored the screams and went to the side room.
He opened the door, and Luo Luo stood there, her eyes wide with fear.
“Young Master…”
“Don’t worry.” He ruffled her hair gently. “How’s Lian’er?”
“Big Brother, I’m fine.”
Lian’er sat up in bed, her body wrapped in bandages.
Chen Yin sat beside her and checked her condition.
…Most of her wounds had healed. So many fatal injuries, yet she was stable, her spiritual energy strong. Such resilience… he had only seen it with Master’s “Forgotten Everlasting Heart Sutra.” But Lian’er was just a beginner.
“Big Brother?”
Lian’er’s voice brought him back to reality. She blinked at him with wide, innocent eyes.
“It’s okay. Rest. The Grand Witch has taken care of the bad guys.”
“I knew she would avenge me.”
Lian’er’s eyes were red-rimmed, her lips trembling.
“But… but everyone else…”
She burst into tears, burying her face in Chen Yin’s chest.
He gently stroked her back, comforting her silently.
As dawn approached, the door opened again.
Grand Witch Bi Luo entered.
She was wearing a new set of clothes, her dark green hair flowing loosely around her shoulders, a strange fragrance clinging to it. Her fingertips were slightly stained with black.
Her eyes were cold and lifeless as she sat down at the table.
“Is Lian’er alright?”
“You arrived just in time,” Chen Yin said without looking up. “A little later, and her wounds would have healed completely.”
The Grand Witch didn’t reply, just sat there silently, her arms crossed.
“…Who were they?”
“The Lingyu Sect, the Chiyu Sect, and the Huanxi Sect.”
The Grand Witch’s voice was low. “They’re all cultivation sects from the Southern Region, but they’re located outside the Ten Thousand Mountains.”
“Someone told them I was fusing with a Heavenly Dao Fragment and that I was vulnerable.”
Her voice was filled with suppressed rage.
“…Shen Li.”
“They’re truly audacious.”
“I don’t understand why they would do this. Luring those three sects to attack us… aren’t they afraid of angering me?”
“They were probably trying to pressure you into joining them,” Chen Yin said calmly. “By creating conflict between you and the three sects, they could then swoop in and save the day, earning your gratitude and making you more likely to join them.”
“But why didn’t they show up?”
“Because,”
Chen Yin’s gaze lowered, his voice cold,
“The one responsible for this plan is already dead.”
The Grand Witch’s eyes narrowed.
“You killed him?”
“He hurt Qingying. I had to.”
Chen Yin said slowly, “I suspected Shen Li would make a move after my conversation with that masked figure, so I had Ye Huang inform my Master. But… I was too late.”
The Grand Witch slammed her fist on the table.
“Shen Li!”
“I will have my revenge!” She gritted her teeth.
Lian’er flinched, startled by her outburst.
She had never seen the Grand Witch so angry.
It was terrifying.
Chen Yin calmly poured himself a cup of tea and asked softly, “What did you do to the three Sect Masters?”
“I locked them up in a secret chamber.”
The Grand Witch’s voice was filled with venom. “I crippled their cultivation and filled the chamber with flesh-eating insects. They’ll suffer for a long time.”
“How long?”
“A decade or two.”
Chen Yin’s eyebrows twitched.
This Grand Witch was more vindictive than he had imagined.
“What about the Wu Xuan Cave villagers?”
The Grand Witch fell silent, her face darkening.
“…Almost all of them are dead.”
“Only Lian’er remains.”
“It’s my fault.”
Chen Yin looked at her.
Her body was trembling slightly.
Unlike her previous cold fury, she now looked like a child who had done something wrong, her head lowered, her lips bitten raw, her hands shaking.
Chen Yin was surprised. He hadn’t expected this side of her.
He had always seen her as a ruthless and powerful leader.
She had casually crippled Nan Xiaoxiang and cast her out.
She had slaughtered the three sect disciples without mercy.
But now, he realized she was just a young woman, around Nan Xiaoxiang’s age.
“Where’s Nan Xiaoxiang?”
“Sister Nan is treating the injured villagers,” Luo Luo said softly.
Chen Yin nodded and stood up to leave.
As he passed by the Grand Witch, he said,
“Aren’t you going to see them?”
The Grand Witch bit her lip and whispered, “What for?”
“…I can’t heal them. I only know how to kill.”
“Let that woman have the glory.”
Chen Yin glanced at her sideways.
“Why… did you cast her out all those years ago?”
The Grand Witch didn’t answer.
But Chen Yin already knew.
There could only be one Sacred Child.
Nan Xiaoxiang wouldn’t have been able to defeat Bi Luo in the final trial. Her only fate would have been death.
Even if Bi Luo had wanted to spare her, the Wu Xuan Cave elders wouldn’t have allowed it. Nan Xiaoxiang knew too much.
Unless she was crippled and rendered harmless.
And banished from the Wu Xuan Cave forever.
That was all Bi Luo could do at the time.
After a long silence, Chen Yin said,
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have asked.”
“But honesty is always the best policy.”
“Remember, you still owe me a favor. Don’t forget to pay up when I get back.”
The Grand Witch blushed slightly, then changed the subject. “Where are you going?”
“To find someone.”
Chen Yin looked into the distance, his voice soft. “Someone is waiting for me.”
Yunlin Province.
Located on the border between the Eastern and Southern Regions, Yunlin Province was a small, unremarkable province.
Besides its coastal location and bustling trade routes, it had few resources for cultivation. There wasn’t even a single sect with a Supreme Clarity Realm cultivator.
But due to its convenient location, it had a large mortal population.
Many lived there, running small businesses, catering to the merchants and travelers passing through.
In a remote inn outside Yunlin City…
As the sun set, casting long shadows across the desolate landscape, the innkeeper was startled by a loud bang.
A masked figure in black robes stumbled through the door.
The innkeeper, thinking they were being robbed, froze in fear.
But the figure just whispered,
“…A room.”
“R-right away.”
The innkeeper and his assistant quickly prepared a room, and the masked figure slowly made their way upstairs, their body weary and wounded.
“Leave some hot water outside my door. And don’t disturb me.”
The assistant nodded quickly and hurried away.
The masked figure closed the door, leaned against it, and slid to the floor, their breath coming in ragged gasps.
The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood.
“…I’m impressed,”
The System’s voice suddenly echoed in their mind. “You actually made it this far in your condition.”
“Not… far enough…”
The masked figure’s eyes flickered, their voice weak. “Almost… there…”
“Even if you reach him, what then? You’re barely alive.”
“Just one pill would help. At least for the pain—”
The masked figure didn’t answer.
The System sighed helplessly.
“I don’t understand you humans. Such stubbornness… only humans are capable of it.”
The masked figure’s lips were dry and cracked, the taste of blood filling their mouth.
A knock came at the door.
“Just leave the water outside…” they whispered, their voice barely audible.
But the knocking continued.
“Sir, I also brought you some food and wine. It’ll get cold.”
The masked figure gritted their teeth, struggling to stand up. They opened the door, their voice filled with annoyance.
“I told you not to disturb—”
Their voice trailed off.
Chen Yin stood there, a tray of food and wine in his hands, a smile on his face.
“Please, calm down.”
“Even when you’re tired, hurt, and unhappy,”
“You still have to eat.”