Chapter 100

Rip!

This was the sound of Sun Yu, in her panic, finally tearing the fabric.

She lifted her tear-streaked, pretty face in a fawning manner, trying her best to transform the terror on her face into something alluring and charming.

She knew all too well that this was her only chance to survive.

The next instant.

Whoosh!

A flash of blood-moon blade light swept past.

The expression on Sun Yu's face suddenly froze.

Those tear-filled eyes still held a complex look of mixed fawning and fear, but her pupils had already begun to dilate.

She could finally see her father, mother, and second brother.

The moonlight was slightly cool.

Jiang Ye returned to the inn without a sound.

"Hmm?!"

Jiang Ye, just about to push the door to return to his room, seemed to sense something and looked up toward the roof of the inn.

He saw a graceful figure dressed in purple standing elegantly atop the roof.

Her eyes were half-open and half-closed as she gazed at the bright moon in the sky; the night breeze brushed past, her skirt fluttered, and her ribbons danced in the wind, as if she were ready to ride the wind and depart at any moment.

The moonlight fell upon her, and her skin, fair as fine jade, actually emitted a faint, lustrous glow—cold and soft—making her look like a fairy under the moon.

This woman was none other than the eldest young lady of the Yang family, Yang Han.

"This... is she actually absorbing moonlight?!"

Jiang Ye was slightly startled, a flash of hidden shock crossing his aged eyes.

Although Yang Han appeared to be looking up at the moon, Jiang Ye keenly sensed that her body seemed to be absorbing the moonlight.

That moonlight, like threads and strands, descended from the nine heavens and was slowly drawn into her body.

To verify his conjecture, Jiang Ye immediately activated his Fire Eyes to investigate.

The sight that met his eyes was extraordinary.

There was indeed moonlight gathering around Yang Han; those silvery-white light threads swirled and circled around her like a thin, light veil, shrouding her within.

That halo was extremely faint and soft, yet it outlined her figure, making her appear even more ethereal and otherworldly, like a goddess who had stepped out from the moon.

He wanted to see more closely, but the halo formed by the moonlight acted like a living thing, rippling gently and blocking his line of sight.

"Interesting."

A look of intrigue appeared on Jiang Ye's aged face.

He was actually unable to verify her status.

This was the first time.

Moreover, the fact that Yang Han could actually absorb moonlight was truly bizarre.

"Could it be that this is also a Qi-nourishing method..."

Jiang Ye's thoughts turned abruptly.

He had only heard of animals becoming spirits and absorbing moonlight; he had never heard of a human being able to do so.

What secret was this Yang Han hiding?

On the roof, Yang Han seemed to sense something and slowly opened her eyes.

She looked down and saw Jiang Ye below, a strange look flashing across her brow.

Immediately after, she moved her lotus steps, tapped her feet lightly, and floated down from the roof like a fairy descending from the Moon Palace, landing gracefully before Jiang Ye.

As her skirt settled, the moonlight spread out in a silver radiance behind her, making her appear dreamlike.

"Such keen perception..."

Jiang Ye felt a slight shock in his heart.

It seemed that his use of Fire Eyes to observe Yang Han had been detected by her.

This woman's perception was far keener than he had anticipated.

A faint smile appeared on Yang Han's beautiful face, a smile as cold and gentle as the moonlight itself:

"Elder Jiang, are you also unable to sleep at night and came out to enjoy the moon?"

Jiang Ye's expression was calm, and he said in a flat tone: "At my age, I have no heart for enjoying the moon; it's just that I'm old and my sleep is light, so I just came out for a walk."

As he spoke, Jiang Ye turned to leave.

Suddenly, Yang Han's somewhat melancholic and soft voice came from behind: "Elder Jiang, do you... do you dislike me?"

Jiang Ye turned his head slightly.

Jiang Ye turned his head slightly to see Yang Han looking at him with a melancholic expression; her autumn-water-like eyes reflected the moonlight, and also reflected his figure.

A look of intoxicating inquiry appeared on her beautiful face.

Jiang Ye's expression remained unchanged, and he smiled faintly: "Miss Yang is overthinking it."

Having said this, he did not linger and turned back to the inn.

The door closed gently behind him, shutting the moonlight and that purple figure outside.

Yang Han watched Jiang Ye's figure disappear from her sight, the faint smile on her face slowly fading into coldness.

The next day.

Jiang Ye rose early as usual and practiced the Five Animal Fist in the open space in front of the inn, unhurriedly.

Every move and stance was smooth and natural; his sleeves fluttered gently in the morning breeze, and he stood like an old pine tree, steady and composed.

Zheng Feng was the second to rise.

When he saw Jiang Ye practicing his fist techniques so early, his face was full of admiration, and he couldn't help but sigh, "Elder Jiang's diligence truly makes us feel ashamed..."

Jiang Ye smiled faintly and stood still, finishing his practice: "I am not the earliest to rise; those people from the Yang family have already left."

"Oh?!"

Upon hearing this, a hint of solemnity appeared on Zheng Feng's face, and he frowned slightly: "Then we must speed up; we can't let them get ahead."

"Hmm."

Jiang Ye nodded slightly.

After Chen Lili and Zheng Hui came down, the group quickly finished breakfast and set off.

Three days later.

Jiang Ye and his group finally arrived near Mount Tai'an, travel-worn and weary.

"Elder Jiang, look, that ahead is Mount Tai'an."

Zheng Feng reined in his horse and pointed into the distance.

Jiang Ye looked up, his aged eyes suddenly narrowing.

He saw that at the end of the horizon, a towering silhouette spanned the space between heaven and earth, like an insurmountable barrier that had split the sky and the earth asunder.

The mountain range was continuous and endless, stretching beyond sight, with peaks piled upon peaks, layer upon layer, becoming more deep and unfathomable the further one looked.

The highest main peak pierced the clouds, and everything above the waist of the mountain was hidden in a vast sea of clouds, its true form invisible. Only occasionally, through gaps in the clouds blown by the wind, could one see sections of steep cliffs, dark and heavy, like a giant curtain hanging down from the nine heavens.

"This is really huge..."

Zheng Hui covered her small mouth and exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief. She tilted her head back to look up, her neck aching, yet she still couldn't see the summit.

She had seen the city walls of Yunling Prefecture and the six peaks of the Tianqing Sect, but compared to this great mountain before her, those seemed insignificant.

This Mount Tai'an, rather than calling it a mountain,

it was more like a mountain range spanning the earth, with gullies crisscrossing and deep valleys; a person inside would be like an ant entering a forest, swallowed up in the blink of an eye.

"To find the ruins inside this..."

Zheng Hui swallowed, her voice sounding a bit weak: "Impossible, right..."

"Let's go!"

Jiang Ye withdrew his gaze, spurred his horse, and led the way toward the mountain path.

Behind him, the others hurried to follow, the sound of hoofbeats echoing in the vast wilderness.

When the group arrived at a mountain path entrance of Mount Tai'an.

"Little Zheng, you're a step slow again!"

"Yo, Little Zheng, you actually brought your precious sister along this time."

Two crisp, bell-like laughs rang out.

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw two figures of peerless beauty standing on a giant rock on the mountain road.

Seeing these two, Zheng Feng's expression stalled slightly, and he then respectfully cupped his hands: "Greetings, two Senior Sisters; your speed is as fast as ever."

Immediately after, he introduced them in a low voice to Jiang Ye beside him: "Elder Jiang, these two are the true-transmission disciples of Profound Water Peak, Hua Ning and Hua Tian; as for who is the elder sister and who is the younger, I can't tell them apart..."

Jiang Ye nodded slightly.

In fact, he had already recognized them; weren't these the two he had accidentally bumped into while he was nourishing his water Qi in the cold pool...

At this moment.

Zheng Hui, behind him, spoke up impatiently: "I know how to tell them apart; the one with a mole on her left buttock is the older sister, and the one with a mole on the right is the younger sister!"