Chapter 203: Suspicion Grows, Hard to Discern

"Look, this is Yunmeng Daze!" Seeing Long Qi emerge from the cave, Lingxiang pointed outside and said.

Long Qi looked in the direction Lingxiang pointed, instantly stunned by the scenery before him. The two of them were merely on a hill, not some high mountain, and as he looked out, beyond a hazy mist, there was only an endless expanse of water. Listening carefully, he could almost hear the sound of rushing water.

Most importantly, even with his cultivation only at the Foundation Establishment stage, he could feel the dense Spirit Qi in the surroundings; if he were to cultivate here for a few days, his cultivation would surely increase greatly.

However, Long Qi was not intoxicated by this dense Spirit Qi. Although he very much wanted to succeed in his Dao cultivation early so he could avenge the destruction of his sect, he kept in mind what Lingxiang had once said.

Lingxiang had said that haste makes waste, and that Yunmeng Daze was as dangerous as it was magnificent. This place was an ancient marsh kingdom governed by Yunzhongjun, where spirits and monsters were not rare, and bizarre, grotesque sights were common; if one were to indulge here, there was no guarantee one wouldn't lose both body and soul.

Long Qi lowered his head and pondered for a moment before turning back to look at Lingxiang. He always felt there was something strange about Lingxiang, but upon seeing her smiling face, he felt it was no different from usual.

Could he be overthinking it?

Just as Long Qi was filled with confusion, he heard Lingxiang say, "There are many dangers here. If you don't nurse your body back to health, and we encounter danger while looking for the others, I might not be able to look after you then."

As she spoke, Lingxiang used a dagger to cut the roasted meat and handed it to Long Qi.

Long Qi took it suspiciously, staring at the piece of meat in his hand for a long time without taking a bite. Seeing this, Lingxiang hurriedly asked him what was wrong.

Long Qi hesitated for a moment before asking, "Aren't you..."

But before the words were even out, he heard footsteps coming from outside the cave. Long Qi became alert instantly, hurriedly drawing his sword and pressing against the cave wall to hide, shielding Lingxiang behind him.

The footsteps grew closer and closer, and by the sound, they had reached the cave entrance. At this moment, Long Qi suddenly swung his sword horizontally. With a "clink," his sword was actually blocked by the newcomer. The person who arrived was none other than Xin Yi, and following behind him was his mother, Lady Lu.

Xin Yi had been solemn, but upon seeing it was Long Qi, he retracted his aura. Long Qi was also surprised; he hadn't expected that before they could go out to look for them, Xin Yi would find them first.

But why were there only the two of them, mother and son?

It turned out that the group had been together at first, but after falling into the water, they hadn't expected there to be a whirlpool beneath the surface. Unable to withstand the turbulent current, they had lost their grip and were separated.

Xin Yi had passed out shortly after entering the water. Fortunately, Lady Lu found him, and he had thought to find a safe place to settle Lady Lu first before going to look for the others, never expecting to encounter Long Qi and Lingxiang here.

Long Qi was listening to Xin Yi explain the situation, but he didn't expect that after Lingxiang and Lady Lu exchanged a few pleasantries, they would start chatting, looking extremely familiar with each other. Lady Lu was even eating the piece of meat that Lingxiang had handed to Long Qi.

Seeing the two of them like this, Xin Yi felt it was strange. In his memory, his mother was not the type to be close to others, so why was she so intimate with Lingxiang? Come to think of it, this was the first time the two had met.

Seeing Xin Yi standing at the cave entrance, Lady Lu smiled and greeted him, "Son, come quickly. Lingxiang's craftsmanship is truly excellent; come and have a taste."

Xin Yi was about to agree when his robe was tugged by Long Qi. Long Qi gave him a look, then bowed to Lady Lu, who was chatting heatedly with Lingxiang, and said, "My Lady, this place is very secure. With Lingxiang here, she can keep you safe. I am a bit worried about Wuyang and the others. Xin Yi and I will go look for them first; you two wait here for a while."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he pulled Xin Yi outside without waiting for Lady Lu to say anything.

Xin Yi didn't know what was wrong with Long Qi. He hadn't even had a chance to say a few words to his mother before being pulled out. He had always known Long Qi to be impatient, but not someone lacking in manners; what had just happened was truly strange.

Not until the two were about to reach the bottom of the mountain did Long Qi speak in a low voice: "Do you feel something is strange?"

"What is strange about it?" Xin Yi had vaguely sensed something too, but hadn't spoken of it.

Seeing him like this, Long Qi laughed and punched him: "How long do you think I've known you? I can see those subtle expressions on your face clearly."

"You must have discovered something unusual."

Hearing Long Qi be so certain, Xin Yi lowered his head and pondered for a moment before voicing his doubts. It turned out that ever since Lady Lu had found him, he had felt something was amiss.

In his impression, Lady Lu was a woman of few words with a cold temperament who would not be overly close to others. Yet, along the way just now, his mother had been extremely talkative, constantly chattering, and when she met Lingxiang just now, she had acted like an old friend.

Hearing what Xin Yi said, Long Qi voiced his own doubts. Lingxiang never ate meat, and ever since he had known her, he had never seen her use any weapons. Yet, earlier, Lingxiang had actually gone out carrying a small bow, and just now she had used a dagger to cut meat for him.

But the person before them was clearly Lingxiang.

The two looked at each other, both at a loss. Could it be that this Yunmeng Marsh makes women become strange?

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