Chapter 180: Mobilizing Troops to Question Wrongdoing

Love hurt so much it brought me to tears; crying so much left me exhausted.

After an hour, Ouyang Lanlan, face wet with tears, slumped into Meng Ruyan's embrace and fell asleep.

Even in her sleep, she kept sobbing.

If you don't love anymore, why did you fall in love in the first place?

If you did love before, why don't you love now?

As the brother who had been in love, Zhang Xingyu couldn't understand.

Not understanding, he went to find the person involved to get an answer.

At the first light of dawn, Zhang Xingyu came to the entrance of the Welcoming Immortal Academy.

Upon arriving at the Welcoming Immortal Academy's gate, he strutted right in.

The gate guards, seeing this, stepped forward to stop him.

"This is immortal sacred ground; mortals may not enter!"

The guard pointed to a big red sign and said.

"You're ignorant!"

Zhang Xingyu curled his lip, drawing the fire dragon from his back.

"Go!"

Zhang Xingyu gave a light cry, and the fire dragon soared into the sky, its long tail streaming behind.

"See? I'm a cultivator."

Zhang Xingyu shouted at the guard.

"Oh, you're an immortal master; please pardon my mortal eyes for not recognizing you. Please, sir, come in."

The guard bowed and nodded, saying.

Zhang Xingyu nodded.

He had no interest in arguing with the guards, and stepped inside.

The Welcoming Immortal Academy occupies a huge area.

Looking around, the immortal peaks loom hazy, lakes glisten, and pavilions, terraces, and towers dot the landscape.

What a lovely place.

If this were on Earth, it would outrank every five‑star tourist attraction.

Hmm. The Welcoming Immortal Academy seems modest from the outside, yet inside it holds breathtaking scenery.

It must be using a formation similar to the mustard‑seed‑containing Sumeru.

Though the view was lovely, he had no leisure to linger and admire it.

He had come today to seek redress.

He wanted to ask his Fifth Senior Brother, Cheng Haonan, why he suddenly wanted to break up with Ouyang Lanlan.

Back at the academy, the Fifth Senior Brother and Ouyang Senior Sister were madly in love, regarded as the institute's model couple.

The Welcoming Immortal Academy boasts many pavilions and towers; Zhang Xingyu rushed in, not knowing where to start.

He glanced around.

A pavilion lay ahead, with a girl sitting inside.

Zhang Xingyu pondered, then decided to go ask that girl.

She was a tall lady, her lovely face appearing as if dusted with a faint frost.

"Fairy maiden, where do the disciples of the Gan River Sword School live?" Zhang Xingyu stepped forward and asked.

The woman turned her face, looked at Zhang Xingyu, and softly asked, "What do you want with the Gan River Sword School?"

"I'm Zhang Xingyu; I'm looking for my senior brother Cheng Haonan. Fairy maiden, are you also a disciple of the Gan River Sword School?"

The woman nodded, produced a message jade talisman, and whispered into it, "Junior Brother Cheng, lakeside pavilion, Zhang Xingyu is seeking you."

"Thanks!"

Zhang Xingyu cupped his fists toward the woman in greeting.

The woman nodded, then turned her back, staring off into the distance with a frosty visage.

Seeing her ethereal, aloof bearing, Zhang Xingyu dismissed any flirtatious notions and stood silently outside the pavilion, waiting.

Soon after, a figure sprinted over.

"Junior Brother Zhang! Junior Brother Zhang!"

The comer was none other than his strikingly handsome Fifth Senior Brother, Cheng Haonan.

Cheng Haonan's appearance hadn't changed much; only the flying‑sword Dao robe he wore reflected his new status.

"Fifth Senior Brother!"

Zhang Xingyu shouted to Cheng Haonan.

"Junior Brother Zhang, Junior Brother Zhang, is that really you?" Cheng Haonan seized Zhang Xingyu's hand and asked.

"It's really me. Fifth Senior Brother, surely you haven't forgotten your junior brother just after joining the immortal sect?" Zhang Xingyu teased.

Cheng Haonan laughed: "How could I not? When I heard you were being chased by a Nascent‑Soul great demon, the academy thought you were as good as dead. Hearing the news, I felt truly sad for a while."

"Heh, my life is hard to take; wanting my life isn't that easy." Zhang Xingyu said, touching his nose.

Cheng Haonan nodded: "You kid really have a lucky life, escaping a Nascent‑Soul great demon's grasp. Just now I got a transmission from Senior Sister Ruoshuang and almost thought I'd misheard."

The two stood outside the pavilion, sharing what had befallen each other since they last met.

Qin Ruoshuang looked at them both, then turned and exited the little pavilion.

Her steps were quick; with a turn of her waist she was already far off.

Zhang Xingyu pulled back his gaze and softly asked Cheng Haonan, "That senior sister is a real ice‑cold beauty. Fifth Senior Brother, you wouldn't have dumped Ouyang Senior Sister just for her, would you?"

Cheng Haonan shook his head.

His expression became somewhat dejected.

The joy of the brothers' reunion just moments ago vanished instantly.

"Fifth Senior Brother, the purpose of my visit today is twofold: first, to chat with you about our parting feelings; second, to confront you on behalf of Senior Sister Ouyang. Fifth Senior Brother, I ask you, why do you want to break up with Senior Sister Ouyang?"

"I, I......"

Cheng Haonan uh-ed for half a day but couldn't get a word out.

Zhang Xingyu couldn't help but feel a little angry.

"Fifth Senior Brother, are you really going to break up with Senior Sister Ouyang without even a reason?"

"This is just too ridiculous."

"Fifth Senior Brother, is it that after entering the immortal sect you look down on Senior Sister Ouyang?" Zhang Xingyu pressed.

Cheng Haonan shook his head.

"That means you've transferred your affection to another woman. Fifth Senior Brother, although the women of the immortal sect are beautiful, Senior Sister Ouyang is no slouch either! Why must you insist on breaking up with Senior Sister Ouyang?" Zhang Xingyu voiced his speculation.

Cheng Haonan shook his head again.

"It's not that I look down on Senior Sister, nor that I've transferred my affection. Could it be that you've cultivated some heretical art, planning to castrate yourself and avoid women, so as not to hinder Senior Sister Ouyang's happiness, you want to break up with her?" Zhang Xingyu gave his judgment.

Cheng Haonan stared dumbfounded, then after a moment lightly shook his head again.

"No, Junior Brother Zhang, stop guessing wildly—none of those are right?" Cheng Haonan said, pounding his forehead.

"This isn't it, that isn't it either. So what exactly is the reason?" Zhang Xingyu lowly growled at Cheng Haonan.

"Junior Brother, stop pressing me so hard! Senior Brother I have my own difficulties, I really can't tell you." Cheng Haonan answered while holding his head.

"Senior Brother, if you have any difficulties, just tell me. I can then tell Senior Sister Ouyang. Do you know? Just because of your one sentence 'forget it,' Senior Sister jumped into the lake and tried to kill herself!" Zhang Xingyu shouted loudly.

"What?"

Cheng Haonan heard this and was shocked and dismayed.

He jumped to his feet, anxiously shaking Zhang Xingyu's shoulders as he asked.

"Junior Sister, how is Junior Sister doing?"

Zhang Xingyu was shaken by him to the point of almost falling apart.

He quickly replied: "Senior Sister Ouyang was rescued by someone, she didn't die."

"Thank goodness, as long as she's not dead! Thank goodness, as long as she's not dead!"

Cheng Haonan let out a sigh of relief, and the hand gripping Zhang Xingyu's shoulders also relaxed.

Ouch!

My shoulder! It's probably been bruised by Fifth Senior Brother's grip.

Zhang Xingyu rubbed his shoulder and loudly complained: "Fifth Senior Brother, my shoulder is about to be broken by your grip. You're impossible—if you care so much about Senior Sister Ouyang, why bother breaking up with her?"

"I have my reasons, and I have my difficulties." Cheng Haonan said softly.

He grabbed Zhang Xingyu's hands and loudly said: "Junior Brother Zhang, I beg you to help me out!"

"What?"

"Junior Brother, please take good care of Junior Sister Ouyang. If possible, make her forget me. Introduce her to an outstanding man, treat her well, make her happy, make her blessed."

"Fifth Senior Brother, I can't help you with this. If you want Senior Sister to be happy, you should reconcile with her!"

Cheng Haonan painfully clutched his own head: "I can't!"

Zhang Xingyu left, dejected.

He failed to get an answer from Cheng Haonan.

Why, though we clearly love each other to this day, must we part?

As for Zhang Xingyu, this love‑struck fool, he neither understands nor comprehends.