Chapter 76: I Seem to Have Fallen for You—What Am I Supposed to Do?

Yuqishan Main Peak, amid a thriving bamboo forest.

Sunlight filtered through the bamboo gaps, scattering a mottled pattern, and Lu Xingfeng sat cross‑legged on a stone, practicing martial arts.

This place is the back courtyard of his residence; he had instructed the eight trusted elite he sent out that, once the task was completed, they should bring the person here to see him.

He was confident in those confidants, for across the entire Tianshu Sect, they were all top‑tier masters.

Estimating that they should be returning soon, his mood was especially pleasant.

When he hands over both the Yu Guo Crown Prince and the Xuan Guo monarch to Yu Guo, he will become the Yu Guo National Teacher, a position second only to the ruler in a nation.

Suddenly, faint, wavering footsteps drifted from afar.

Lu Xingfeng furrowed his brows.

Just from that feeble, stumbling sound, he could tell the speaker's condition was off.

He instantly opened his eyes and leapt toward the source of the footsteps, his toes skimming the grass without leaving a trace, moving as fast as lightning—proof of his high martial skill.

"What's happening? Why are you the only one back?" the voice arrived first, and the figure appeared before the newcomer.

The person was one of the eight trusted elites Lu Xingfeng had dispatched.

He was covered in blood, his clothes in disarray, as if he had suffered greatly.

"Senior Disciple…" he knelt before Lu Xingfeng, "We… failed; the other seven are likely dead."

Lu Xingfeng was shocked, "What on earth happened?!"

The man then recounted the entire situation in detail.

When he mentioned escorting Xiao Qidi and that woman through Zhuiyingjian last night, he still shivered with lingering fear.

"Even though we were careful enough, we still fell into Xiao Qidi's trap; that guy is truly cunning!"

"If I hadn't, at the moment of falling, swiftly thrown a grappling hook to snag him, using his momentum to launch a light‑step and luckily cling to a protruding rock wall, I would have certainly fallen!"

Hearing this, Lu Xingfeng's complexion changed, his inner fury rising.

He placed a hand on the man's shoulder and said coldly, "So, according to you, if you hadn't thrown the hook to save yourself, Xiao Qidi wouldn't have fallen?"

"It seems… that's the case."

"Ha! So originally I still had some chance to catch him within Yuqi Mountain, but now there's absolutely no hope?"

"Senior Disciple, I…"

"It's fine if the Yu Guo Crown Prince isn't rescued; at least we captured Xiao Qidi. Even if I can't become National Teacher, holding him will earn me a high official reward from Yu Guo, but you—"

"Senior Disciple, spare me!"

The confidant grew increasingly uneasy, hastily kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Lu Xingfeng forced down his murderous intent, "If you hadn't been loyal to me for over a decade, I would have killed you!"

The confidant broke into cold sweat, "Thank you, Senior Disciple, for sparing my life."

The more Lu Xingfeng thought, the more resentful he became, grinding his teeth, "No. The high official reward that should have been mine I cannot just watch slip away."

"Senior Disciple… what do you intend to do?" the confidant whispered.

Lu Xingfeng pondered, "What else can be done? I must go myself to Xi Tun Guan and rescue the Yu Guo Crown Prince. You useless ones, even this minor matter ends up requiring me to do it alone."

The confidant hurried, "Senior Disciple, Xi Tun Guan isn't simple."

"Oh? It's just a crude frontier fortress; you can come and go freely. Why can't I?"

"No, no, no. At the time we rushed to finish the mission, we had no time to investigate inside, but… we discovered that Xi Tun Guan's walls are no longer ordinary earthen stone walls."

"So what?"

"Not only are the walls unusual, the iron‑chain locks on the prison holding the Yu Guo Crown Prince are far from ordinary cast iron, and the Xuan Guo soldiers' armor is unlike anything we've seen. We didn't have time for a close inspection, but we felt that catching Xiao Qidi this time involved a lot of luck."

After hearing the confidant's analysis, Lu Xingfeng tightened his brows.

"So you're suggesting I give up?"

"Senior Disciple, we have already been there once, as cautious as possible, yet we can't guarantee they won't notice any anomaly and tighten defenses. My thought is that if you go again to rescue the Yu Guo Crown Prince, you must be fully prepared; you cannot go alone."

"Hmm… makes sense."

Lu Xingfeng gave a slight nod.

He paced back and forth among the bamboo, pondering briefly, a cold smile appearing in his eyes, "Now that things stand like this, I must quickly seize the Sect Leader position, take over the Tianshu Sect, mobilize the whole sect—no problem, right?"

The confidant was startled, "Wouldn't that make the Tianshu Sect offend Xuan Guo?"

Lu Xingfeng stood with his arms crossed, "So what if we offend them? Even if, by then, everyone in the Tianshu Sect except my men is dead, it doesn't matter. I don't just want to be a sect leader of a wandering clan; I aim to become a powerful minister in a nation's court."

"Even if we only rescue the Crown Prince and I can't become National Teacher, I will thereafter be a benefactor of the Yu Guo royal family. Should I later help Yu Guo subdue Zhong Yuan and unify the world, my standing will be obvious!"

His words rang with soaring momentum, as if they would become reality instantly.

The confidant knew that, although Senior Disciple always appeared carefree and indifferent before others, in truth he was an ambitious man.

These years, he had endured constantly to win the favor of his Sect Leader junior sister.

Though he didn't know why he suddenly stopped pretending, once he made a decision, the confidant would simply continue to obey.

"I'm willing to give my liver and brain for Senior Disciple!" the confidant pledged, clasping his fists.

Lu Xingfeng suddenly blurted, "Then go kill the Sect Leader."

The confidant was stunned, "This… I'm afraid I can't do that…"

It's not that the current Sect Leader's martial skill is too high.

On the contrary, that Ye Zhangmen possessed little martial skill, especially when she first arrived ten years ago, having no foundation at all.

Later, favored by the old Sect Leader, she was even exceptionally taught the Tianshu Sect Unique Heart Method, which only successive Sect Leader heirs are qualified to learn.

However, she seemed uninterested in learning martial arts.

After years of practice, she made no progress.

Instead, almost all her thoughts were spent crafting strange contraptions.

She even spent several years traveling for materials and personally forged a one‑of‑a‑kind Divine Weapon of the age.

Even the Senior Disciple, who has the highest martial skill within the Tian Shu Sect, has no confidence he could oppose it.

Although not long ago that Divine Weapon fell into Zhuiyingjian, no one can say what other divine artifacts Ye Zhangmen might still possess.

Lu Xingfeng laughed, "Hahaha! Even if you could do it, I still don't want her to die; I want her to watch me become a superior, to make her understand that all these years I've just been spoiling her. Anything I want, as long as I'm willing, I can take back at any time! Including her as a person!"

The subordinate let out a slight sigh, "Senior Disciple, what do you plan to do?"

"I have my own plan," Lu Xingfeng said with confidence, "You go rest and heal; when the time comes, I'll assign you a task."

"Yes, Senior Disciple!" the subordinate stood and left.

——

Below Zhuiyingjian, Ning Jinli returned to the cave cradling a bunch of wild fruits.

After finishing the wild fruits, Xiao Qidi finally had enough strength to circulate his inner Qi; though it wasn't enough to heal his injuries, at least they wouldn't worsen.

"What martial art are you learning?" Ning Jinli asked while roasting his clothes.

Xiao Qidi answered with his eyes closed, "Just ordinary basic martial arts, nothing special."

Ning Jinli asked curiously, "Can I learn it too?"

"Of course you can."

"Will you teach me?"

"I can."

"Alright, since you're so generous, I'll try to get you an extra meal."

Having said that, she placed Xiao Qidi's outer garment on a rack made of branches beside the bonfire and sprinted out of the cave.

A little over half an hour later.

Ning Jinli returned, drenched in sweat.

The clothes she had painstakingly dried earlier were now damp again.

Snap—

She relaxed her arm, and two already gutted, cleaned big carp fell from her arms.

Xiao Qidi exclaimed in surprise, "How did you catch them?"

Ning Jinli giggled, "When I was a kid my parents often took me to the countryside to play; I was best at catching fish, and the river here is full of them—just hitting the bank with a stone can snag one."

Then she skewered the carp on a branch and placed them by the fire to roast.

When the fish meat was cooked, she carefully removed the bones and fed Xiao Qidi bite by bite.

"Aren't you eating?" Xiao Qidi asked as the two big carp were almost all fed to herself.

Ning Jinli said, "You're so badly wounded; you need nutrition most. As for me, I'm just dieting."

Xiao Qidi frowned, "You're so slender, why would you be on a diet?"

Ning Jinli laughed, "You just don't get it; girls always think they're not thin enough."

Xiao Qidi, a bit speechless, said seriously, "Even in daylight this place is quite chilly; you need to eat more to fend off the cold."

"Got it, little brother, ah, open your mouth, and the last piece. You eat your fill first, I'll go catch more fish." Ning Jinli pinched the fish meat and placed it at his mouth.

Xiao Qidi silently ate the last piece of fish, a hint of concern flashing in his eyes.

Ning Jinli, unable to rest, ran outside to gather leaves and branches.

Now, of the two, only she can do these tasks; she must prepare for the night before darkness falls.

If the fire goes out, it's uncertain whether they can survive the night here.

She, like a diligent little bee, tirelessly went back and forth collecting again and again, and also used grass and leaves to make a simple bed for Xiao Qidi so he could sit more comfortably.

After finishing all that, the light outside the cave had already begun to dim.

Being deep in this mountain gorge, night comes far earlier than outside.

Cold, dense fog slowly spread into the cave; fortunately the fire burned brightly, otherwise the oppressive cold could have engulfed the two inside.

"See, I'm glad I was foresighted. I gathered fire‑making materials early," Ning Jinli said with a proud look, "Little brother, praise me."

Xiao Qidi's cheeks tightened, "But you haven't eaten anything; is that really okay?"

"It's fine, I'm perfectly healthy," Ning Jinli stood up, "Look, I'm still lively."

Just as she finished speaking, she suddenly felt darkness over her eyes.

Xiao Qidi quickly reached out and pulled her into his arms before she collapsed.

Since waking, Ning Jinli had barely rested, relying on willpower; now she truly could not hold on.

"I… so cold…" Ning Jinli's lips trembled, her eyelids growing heavier.

Xiao Qidi held her tighter.

She still felt very cold, stumbling she nestled into Xiao Qidi's embrace.

Xiao Qidi thought for a moment, then untied his clothing, letting her press close to his skin, and wrapped her fully with his outer garment.

Thus he could use his body heat to warm her further.

Outside the cave quickly fell into darkness.

Apart from the eerie howling wind, there was no other sound.

Inside the cave, Xiao Qidi leaned against the rock wall, cradling the curled Ning Jinli, quietly watching the fire before them.

Ning Jinli was wearing summer shorts and short sleeves, which gave Xiao Qidi a feeling of skin‑to‑skin closeness.

He, being this grown, was still experiencing such intimate contact with a woman for the first time.

He had been held by Ning Jinli before, and that feeling… made him both repulsed and oddly anticipatory.

Now, his heart was oddly restless.

As thoughts fluttered, he even entertained the notion that he wished time would stop right then, completely still.

So he could keep holding her forever.

There is no longer any clamor from the outside world; no need to think about anything anymore.

When that thought arose, he startled himself.

"Miss Ning…" Xiao Qidi lowered his head, his mouth touching Ning Jinli's forehead, murmuring softly, "I seem to… like you. But you probably don't feel that way about me, so what am I supposed to do?"

……

One night passed.

Ning Jinli gradually regained consciousness, yawned and stretched lazily.

In an instant, the soreness throughout her body jolted her awake.

"Sss… so painful!"

She flinched and sat up, and Xiao Qidi's roomy coat slid off her shoulder.

The fire beside them burned, with a few fish skewered on branches added.

The fish were nearly roasted, emitting an enticing aroma.

Ning Jinli rubbed her eyes hard, sighed with mixed feelings, "I still thought… everything yesterday was just a nightmare. How I wish that upon waking I were still in the original tent."

"Wait… where did he go?" Ning Jinli looked around; the cave wasn't large, she could see all of it at a glance, yet she found no trace of Xiao Qidi.

She hurried to her feet, draped in his coat, and ran out of the cave, "Xiao Qidi! Xiao—Qi—"

"I'm here." A deep voice came from above.

Ning Jinli turned and looked up.

She saw, to her astonishment, Xiao Qidi on a sheer cliff ten meters above the ground, picking something.

"Why are you climbing so high? Come down quickly!" Ning Jinli's heart leapt into her throat.

Xiao Qidi clung to the cliff, slowly moving downward.

Ning Jinli watched, terrified, not daring to breathe.

He already had injuries; a single night of rest wouldn't heal him. If he fell again, he'd surely end up reporting to the King of Hell.

When Xiao Qidi safely returned to the ground, she glared at him in anger, "Are you crazy? Do you have no regard for your life?"