"It's truly regrettable that we were still caught," Xia Shixun's eyes flashed with helplessness. They had left as quickly as possible, yet after Elder Yu departed, they were apprehended.
"The Ghost King is dead; you no longer need to worry," Chu Lingwei consoled.
Leng Xingzhi stood beside Chu Lingwei, his hand lightly brushing the small sword at his waist. Seeing his junior sister had sheathed her own sword, he made a slight movement, and the small sword on his waist vanished.
"You are fellow Daoist Leng Xingzhi."
Just then, an uncertain voice called out from the side.
"Yes."
"Many thanks to fellow Daoist Leng for the rescue." The person's eyes lit up upon Leng Xingzhi's acknowledgment, and they immediately bowed to him, "I will certainly repay fellow Daoist Leng's life-saving grace."
Xia Shixun's eyes widened as he stared at Leng Xingzhi's face. He finally recognized the person before him as Leng Xingzhi, the unparalleled genius of the Xuantian Continent, the head disciple of the Spiritual Cultivation Academy, and the young master of the Leng family.
"Many thanks to fellow Daoist Leng for the rescue."
"Many thanks to fellow Daoist Leng for the rescue."
Most of the disciples present were at the Spiritual Wheel or Spiritual Movement realm. Seeing Leng Xingzhi was like seeing an idol, and they immediately surrounded him, pushing Chu Lingwei to the side.
Chu Lingwei: "..." So, the world of spiritual cultivation also had celebrity effect.
"He is fellow Daoist Leng, then you must be..." Xia Shixun was not foolish. Leng Xingzhi had only one junior sister, and over the years, the only female cultivator who had appeared by his side was his junior sister, Chu Lingwei.
"Fellow Daoist Xia, it was not my intention to hide my identity." Chu Lingwei smiled. It was wrong of her not to have revealed her true identity to them.
Xia Shixun quickly shook his head, "Fellow Daoist Chu, there is no need to blame yourself. We all have means to protect ourselves when we are out."
"Big Brother Xia." Nan Xiang slowly opened her eyes, looking a little dazed, held in her brother's arms. "Brother."
"They are awake. I must leave now. We shall meet again." Chu Lingwei cupped her fists towards Xia Shixun and walked to her senior brother's side.
"Fellow Daoists, the slaying of Ghost King Zhu Li was my sect's mission. You do not need to thank me. Farewell."
Seeing his junior sister approach, Leng Xingzhi waved his hand and disappeared from everyone's sight with her.
Chu Lingwei sat on her senior brother's flying artifact, glancing at the rescued cultivators whose spiritual power had not yet recovered. "Senior Brother, do we really not need to escort them out of the Thin Sea Forest?"
"If they are united, they will surely be able to find their way out." Ghost King Zhu Li had established his ghost market here, and there was not much danger around. They could leave the Thin Sea Forest.
"Senior Brother, was killing the Ghost King really your sect's mission?" Chu Lingwei had heard her senior brother say that to the cultivators earlier.
Leng Xingzhi saw that his junior sister intended to get to the bottom of it and smiled. "Yes, it was a task specifically assigned to me by our master."
As expected.
Master had thrown her here to temper her.
"Then have I not met master's requirements?" Chu Lingwei sighed, thinking she had done nothing. It seemed she was still too weak.
"Junior sister, do not belittle yourself. You have done very well." Leng Xingzhi's expression softened, his eyes filled with affection. "You are already very capable."
Chu Lingwei remained silent.
"Pfft!"
Suddenly, Leng Xingzhi spat out a mouthful of black blood, startling Chu Lingwei greatly.
"Senior Brother, you are injured!" Chu Lingwei rushed to her senior brother's side and saw that the blood he spat out contained ghostly energy, indicating a ghostly qi infusion. "Senior Brother, quickly drink this."
Chu Lingwei quickly took out a spiritual condensation bead and fed it to her senior brother.
"Thank you."
Leng Xingzhi said, then sat in place to begin his healing.
Chu Lingwei sat beside him, watching him meditate. His white robe had a drop or two of black blood on it, and his complexion was pale. His black hair fluttered in the wind, coupled with his exquisitely beautiful and moist features, he possessed an ineffable, captivating beauty in the darkness of the night.
Chu Lingwei propped her chin, gazing at her senior brother, lost in thought.
From his eyes to his lips, then to his jaw, his facial features were sharply defined. Without the usual gentle smile on his face, Chu Lingwei suddenly wished to see what her senior brother looked like when he was decisive in combat.
It would probably be cooler.
The more she wanted to see her senior brother in that state, the more Chu Lingwei unconsciously moved closer, wanting to get a clearer look.
Suddenly, a pair of smiling eyes met Chu Lingwei's.
"Junior sister, are you satisfied with your senior brother?"
"Satisfied."
Chu Lingwei had not expected Leng Xingzhi to wake up so quickly. Spiritual condensation beads were formed from condensed heavenly and earthly spiritual energy; it would take a long time to absorb them into one's body.
She thought her senior brother would not wake up so soon, hence her boldness.
Leng Xingzhi let out a low laugh, his voice seeming to possess a bewitching quality, seeping into Chu Lingwei's heart and stirring it.
"Senior Brother!" Chu Lingwei snapped back to reality. Thinking of how she had answered her senior brother, her face turned crimson, and she stood up, stepping back a few paces.
"What is it?" The smile in Leng Xingzhi's eyes spread to the corners of his mouth, his smile widening continuously.
He was very satisfied with his junior sister's answer.
Chu Lingwei, with a flushed face, thought that her senior brother's artifact should be a pair with the sword he had given her, and her heart began to flutter uncontrollably. "Senior Brother, how is your injury?"
Taking a deep breath, Chu Lingwei forced herself to calm down, attempting to gloss over the recent event.
Leng Xingzhi coughed lightly, covering his chest with one hand, and shook his head. "The Ghost King's ghostly qi is very potent."
"Is it very serious?" Chu Lingwei hurried forward, crouching beside Leng Xingzhi and reaching out to grasp his wrist.
She felt a surge of ghostly qi within her senior brother's body, constantly impacting him, which caused her heart to ache inexplicably.
"Senior Brother, you... why didn't you say so earlier." Her senior brother might have been injured during his fight with Ghost King Zhu Li, and he had been enduring it all along.
"Do you really think your senior brother is omnipotent?" Leng Xingzhi smiled at his junior sister. At this moment, her eyes were filled with concern, which made the smile on his lips grow even larger.
Chu Lingwei's eyes reddened. In the three years she had been in the Xuantian Continent, Senior Brother Leng Xingzhi had spent the most time with her. Seeing him injured, Chu Lingwei was very worried. "I..."
"Silly girl, this little injury will not harm me one bit." Leng Xingzhi chuckled softly, reaching out to ruffle Chu Lingwei's hair. "Let's return to the inn first, and I will expel the ghostly energy from my body."
Chu Lingwei was taken aback for a moment. Seeing that her senior brother's complexion was normal, as if he were not lying, she asked, "Really?"
"Of course, it's true. Your junior sister's condensation bead wasn't eaten for nothing." Leng Xingzhi took Chu Lingwei's hand, and the two of them were already standing in the courtyard of the inn.