Chapter 380: Four People Reunite at the Yuanqing Sect

Long Qi had been thrown out again, which left him feeling somewhat depressed. What was even more mind-boggling was that this time, he had been tossed out without a single word.

The Painting Scroll was like rotten tofu that had been soaked in swill for thirty days; the moment it was unfurled, it spat Long Qi out without a shred of attachment. By the time Long Qi reacted and reached back toward the painting, it was nothing more than a painting.

What is he, some kind of object? How is it that everyone can just toss him around? Do these old antiques really love throwing people around that much? It's truly outrageous.

But what could he do? He'd already been tossed, and he couldn't get back in; who could he even go to for justice?

Although Long Qi was unwilling to let it go, he was powerless to do anything and could only give up.

The commotion inside the room was not small. After Liu Xia and Lianqiao in the courtyard heard it, they hurried over and happened to see Long Qi tidying up a hanging Painting Scroll.

This was truly strange; the person the two of them had searched for for half a month had actually appeared out of nowhere!

"Where have you been fooling around for the past half month?!"

Liu Xia stepped forward and opened his mouth with just this sentence, startling Lianqiao on the side until she was dumbfounded, her round apricot eyes widening until they were almost the size of copper bells.

After getting along for these past few years, Lianqiao knew well that Liu Xia was a nag, but she hadn't expected him to be a pining lover as well!?

Lianqiao forcibly suppressed her disgust, her face contorting as she turned to the side.

It wasn't that Lianqiao was biased; it was truly that she could not bear to witness this relationship that was destined to end in nothing and was not tolerated by the secular world. After all, she was just a worldly person—greedy for life and afraid of death, with desires that could never be satisfied.

Yet, the person involved seemed not to notice the impropriety in the words at all, only nervously staring at Long Qi and checking him up and down, fearing he had suffered some mishap, looking exactly like a mother hen who had lost her chick for three days and then found it again.

Long Qi understood that Liu Xia was concerned for him, but this sudden enthusiasm was truly more than he could handle—the two of them were hardly at an age of youthful recklessness, so there was no need to make such a fuss, right?

But Liu Xia was truly too nervous, and Long Qi found it difficult to respond for a moment. He looked at Lianqiao as if seeking help, hoping she could lend a hand, only to see her turn her face away with a look of disgust.

It's over, it's over; did she misunderstand something?

Forget it, forget it; she couldn't be counted on. It was better to pacify Liu Xia first. After all, it was the concern of a good brother; he couldn't be ungrateful and let him down, could he?

Long Qi offered a good deal of gentle comfort, and only then did Liu Xia feel at ease, though he did not answer what was asked and simply changed the subject.

"I've only been gone for half a month?"

Long Qi found it hard to believe. Although it was difficult to distinguish the passage of time within the painting, he was certain he had stayed in there for no less than half a year.

"What? You think half a month is too little?" Lianqiao, who had turned to the side, finally responded. "We searched the entire Qingwei Peak, but you were nowhere to be found for half a month, and now you suddenly appear in Fucang Elder's room."

Lianqiao looked back at Long Qi, the investigative intent in her eyes unclear: "What exactly happened to you this past half month?"

Looking at Lianqiao's scrutinizing gaze, Long Qi didn't know where to begin for a moment. To him, this entire experience was like a dream, and even now, he couldn't fully digest it.

Seeing Long Qi stammer for a long time without saying anything coherent, Lianqiao rolled her eyes in disgust again.

"Forget it, let's report this matter to the Acting Sect Leader first; we can talk about the rest later."

Liu Xia deeply agreed.

The moment he stepped out the door, Long Qi felt as if a lifetime had passed.

In the courtyard, fallen flowers fluttered, water splashed with a tinkling sound, and birds chirped long calls.

Long Qi could no longer remember when the last time he saw such a vibrant scene was; he only remembered that at that time, there was always a bright face before his eyes, but now, the people and things had changed.

Just as the three of them were about to walk out of the Xianyun Abode's gate, Long Qi cried out in alarm—he had left the God-Man Tiger Pattern Mirror in the painting.

This was trouble; if Lingxiang found out about this, there was no telling how she would mock him!

But he couldn't get back into that Painting Realm; what was to be done?

Forget it, forget it; fortunately, the two Shuihuolingzhu were not lost. He would take that painting with him first, and when he saw Lingxiang, it would count as having an explanation.

Long Qi only said he had dropped something and ran back toward Lingxiang's room on his own, leaving Liu Xia and Lianqiao to look at each other. The latter simply shook her head, signaling for the two of them to go ahead to Wuji Hall.

At Wuji Hall, Fuyin had his brows tightly locked, and Danzhu and Danyang by his side also wore solemn expressions.

Ever since the last anomaly, True Person Fuyin had been having Hanyang keep a close watch on the Hunyuan Instrument, but unfortunately, since then, the Hunyuan Instrument had not shown any further omens.

Yet, just a moment ago, after bursts of strange sounds from the horizon, the Hunyuan Instrument had actually stirred again.

This time, the omen was dim and unclear; even for True Person Fuyin, he could not fathom the mystery of the changes within. While he was deep in thought, the two True Persons, Danyang and Danzhu, rushed into the hall in a flurry.

The reason the two were like this was because after the strange sounds, the entire Yinyu Peak had become strange.

Ever since the Ghost Gate collapsed and Chenyou was cut off, all living things in the world had been in a state of decline, with flowers and plants being the most severe. The reason Elder Danyang rarely asked about sect affairs was precisely for the sake of the living beings on Yinyu Peak.

Jiuque Mountain had nine peaks, each with its own characteristics, and because of the talents of Danyang and Danzhu, many living beings liked to gather on Yinyu Peak.

But not long after the incident three years ago, the two True Persons discovered something unusual, which was why Elder Danyang would stay behind on Yinyu Peak all day.

That year, after all the flowers and plants on the entire peak withered, they never bloomed again, and even the common trees withered one by one, never turning green again. Even those mountain spirits and grass sprites that had gained intelligence became listless afterward, as if they would dissipate at any moment.

Yet, just a moment ago, strange bird calls echoed incessantly from the horizon, and in an instant, all the flowers and plants on the entire peak bloomed out of season, filling the mountains and plains with fragrance. And those spirits also stretched out, intertwining with each other, full of vibrant life.

This matter was extremely suspicious. Danyang and Danzhu guessed that it must be related to the strange calls from the horizon. The two dared not delay, which was why they rushed to Wuji Hall together.

None of the three knew how to interpret the anomaly of the Hunyuan Instrument, but based on the phenomenon on Yinyu Peak, Danzhu felt that it should not be a bad thing.

Just as there was no decision in the hall, Long Qi and the others arrived.

The three reported what had happened on Qingwei Peak to True Person Fuyin, but Long Qi concealed the matter of the Painting Scroll, only saying that he had entered an illusion after entering the Dharma Array, and said nothing more.

After hearing what the three said, Danyang and Danzhu looked at each other, feeling even more bizarre.

"Strange calls..."

Whether it was the anomaly on Yinyu Peak or the movement of the Hunyuan Instrument, even Qingwei Peak had been affected by the strange calls; it was truly too unusual.

"It's the strange calls again; what exactly are those strange calls?" Danzhu asked True Person Fuyin, puzzled.

True Person Fuyin frowned and shook his head; he also did not know what they were, having never heard of them since he began cultivating the Dao.

And just at this moment, a voice came from outside the door.

"It is a phoenix."

Hearing this, everyone looked toward the entrance of Wuji Hall. After seeing who had come, Long Qi and Liu Xia immediately showed joy on their faces.

"Xin Yi! Wuyang!"