Chapter 283: People's Joys and Sorrows Are Not Interconnected

You have entertainment for Huhu to watch, Huhu is very happy.

But your entertainment is too lousy, Huhu does not like it.

"As the saying goes, Korean dramas have three treasures: car accidents, amnesia, and incurable diseases."

"What are you two doing here? Playing at having amnesia?"

After sneaking a look for a long time, Ren Yidao walked out of the bushes feeling rather listless.

This gossip was neither big nor sweet.

It was just drifting with the sour stench of romance.

Time to go, time to go, it's boring.

At a glance, it was just a little couple's trick of flirting and teasing.

Uninteresting!

Regardless of whether this was Shi Xiaoxiao testing the waters or playing hard to get, Ren Yidao did not want to get involved.

Those kinds of little tricks were all things Huhu had played with long ago.

Not a bit of excitement.

Ren Yidao did not alert the two of them; he concealed his figure, crossed the mountain gate, and headed toward the peak.

Having walked for only a moment, Ren Yidao discovered a detail he hadn't noticed before.

There were more than just the two protagonists present!

This Lingxu Peak looked very quiet at the moment, with no sign of anyone, but in reality, it held a hidden mystery.

Behind the dozens of trees not far from the mountain gate, every single one was hiding a disciple of Lingxu Peak.

Dozens of eyes were staring straight over there, and some even had handkerchiefs ready to wipe away tears.

"……Whoa!"

Good grief!

Aren't you all socially anxious? Why are you all here watching the spectacle?

But then again, social anxiety and watching a show don't necessarily conflict.

Muttering to himself, Ren Yidao thought for a moment, his eyes darting around.

He secretly patted a disciple on the shoulder, then vanished quickly before she could turn around.

"Don't touch me! The critical moment is about to happen! Don't... eh? Who?"

The disciple realized something was wrong, but when she turned her head back, she didn't even see a shadow...

？？？

Who, who just patted my shoulder?

Is it haunted？？？

……

As for Ren Yidao, the culprit, he happily revealed his figure halfway up the mountain and walked toward the top with his hands behind his back.

He could have remained concealed until the peak, but he deliberately revealed his trail.

This was actually to tell the people at the peak that he was coming up.

Familiar as he was with Lingxu Peak, it was, after all, someone else's peak, so it wouldn't be right to just sneak up.

If he were bumped into and misunderstood for something or other, that wouldn't be good.

Being misunderstood by Duan Hong as coming to have a secret meeting with her daughter was just a small matter.

But if he were misunderstood by Duan Xiaoling as coming to find her mother to secretly... secretly chat, then that would be a real riot!

Huhu likes to watch the show, but generally doesn't like to be the show.

And when Ren Yidao arrived at the top of the building, swaying as he walked, he looked around in some confusion.

"Where is everyone?"

Why hasn't anyone come out to welcome me?

I've already arrived!

Where are you people?

You aren't at the top of Lingxu Peak at all!

Although the situation was unexpected, Ren Yidao didn't take it too much to heart and walked skillfully toward the Peak Master's small building.

From the residences of the various Peak Masters, one could actually see some of their personal character.

On the top of Luoyue Peak, large areas of Spirit Plants were planted, and within the bamboo forest, there was a small pond clear to the bottom.

The pond water was serene and the Spirit Plants were lush; Ren Yidao liked to rest by the pond, and when the wind rose, he could hear the rustling sound of the leaves.

But this was not Jing Yueqin's preference, but rather the hobby of her master, Luoyue Shangren; she had merely kept it after succeeding to the position of Peak Master.

Tuling Peak, on the other hand, collected a mountain of craggy, strange rocks, fully displaying an atmosphere of wild, primitive coarseness.

And unlike the tranquility of Luoyue Peak and the ruggedness of Tuling Peak, the characteristic of the top of Lingxu Peak could be summed up in one word—red.

Just like the name of the Peak Master, Duan Hong, it was a sea of crimson, with layers of forest dyed in color.

Red spirit beasts, red Spirit Plants, even the stone bricks underfoot had been replaced with red bricks.

It was currently autumn, and the maple forest outside Duan Hong's small building was a fiery red.

Ren Yidao passed through the maple forest, gently knocked on the door, and then stepped back and said in a clear voice:

"Senior Sister Duan, Ren Yidao has come to pay a visit. May I see you?"

Ren Yidao did not wait long before the door slowly opened.

However, the person who opened the door was not Duan Hong, nor was it Duan Xiaoling or any disciple from Lingxu Peak.

Instead, it was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his thirties.

"Please, come in."

The man was tall and sturdy, his head brushing against the door frame; he must have been over two meters tall.

His voice was low, and at first glance, his face appeared somewhat fierce, with several large scars remaining on it, naturally carrying a powerful aura.

But if one were to ignore those scars, it could be seen that his original features were not bad, at least of above-average appearance.

The beast-like man did not say much more, just silently staring at Ren Yidao, as if observing something.

If it were someone with a weaker mind, even if they had nothing to hide, they would surely feel instinctively uneasy under such a gaze.

But Ren Yidao was completely fearless, as if he hadn't felt that scrutiny at all, calmly meeting that pair of eyes.

Ren Yidao blinked at this unexpected figure, not afraid, and tilting his head, he tentatively asked:

"You are..."

Although he pretended to be confused on the surface, Ren Yidao actually knew the true identity of the person before him.

Duan Yisheng.

Duan Hong's... husband.

It was just a pity that, although they shared the surname Duan, he was not Duan Hong's immediate brother, but a distant clansman separated by who knows how many generations.

According to seniority, he should even call Duan Hong his great-great-aunt, which is to say, his father's father's father's father's sister.

Which also means, his daughter is actually three generations his senior...

Fortunately, the three of them each counted their own, otherwise the seniority would have been a complete mess.

However, the last time Ren Yidao saw Duan Yisheng was decades ago, when he saw them as a white fox while Duan Hong and the other were dating.

Today's "Ren Yidao" had never met this Senior Sister's husband.

"I am Duan Yisheng." After saying this, Duan Yisheng did not offer further explanation and stepped aside from the door, "Come in, your Senior Sister is waiting for you inside."

"Oh, oh, okay."

Ren Yidao pretended to be ignorant and helpless, followed Duan Yisheng into the small building, and soon saw Senior Sister Duan, who was meditating with her eyes closed.

"It is rare for you to come looking for me; what is the matter?"

Ren Yidao did not speak immediately, but like a curious baby, he looked back and forth at the faces of Duan Hong and Duan Yisheng.

Beauty and the Beast?

By the way, how did the two of you manage to give birth to such an ethereal girl?

Two negatives make a positive?

Looking left, looking right, a motherly smile appeared on the corner of Ren Yidao's mouth, and he transmitted his voice:

【"Senior Sister, don't worry! My lips are sealed; I definitely won't go around talking nonsense to others!"】

I definitely won't talk nonsense!

If I must say something, I will tell it honestly according to the facts!

【"What nonsense are you spouting?"】

Hearing this, Duan Hong could no longer keep her eyes closed; she rolled her eyes at this overly "sensible" Junior Martial Brother and helplessly began to introduce:

"This is my husband, Duan Yisheng. He has been traveling with Xiao Ling outside and rarely returns to the sect."

"Oh~ I am Ren Yidao, third disciple of Luoyue Peak, greetings to Senior Sister's husband." Having had a bit of fun, Ren Yidao bowed to Duan Yisheng.

Duan Yisheng's reaction was quite unexpected to Duan Hong; although he did not speak, he took the initiative to stand up and return the bow.

Although they were of the same clan, her husband was not a member of the Divine Path Sect, but a Blade Catcher who captured sect rebels for the Beiqian Dynasty.

Toward people of the sect, although he would not actively provoke them, he never gave them a pleasant look either.

That he would actually return a bow to a sect disciple he had only met once was a very rare thing.

Although she was puzzled, now was not the time to ask, so Duan Hong had to suppress her curiosity and asked:

"Are you here to see Xiao Ling? Xiao Ling is in seclusion; do you need me to call her?"

"No, no need, I am here to see Senior Sister."

"Hmm? You came to see me; what exactly is the business?"

The relationship between the two was not bad because of Jing Yueqin, but it was not particularly good either, and a private visit had never happened before.

And as luck would have it, this matter was just happened upon by her husband, whom she hadn't seen in years...

You brat surnamed Ren, if you don't have anything important, I will not be done with you later!

Reading the meaning in Duan Hong's eyes, Ren Yidao smiled calmly:

"I actually don't have anything major today, it's just that Xiao Ling helped me a lot while I was away, so I came to express my gratitude."

As he spoke, Ren Yidao handed over a Storage Bag.

"Please, Senior Sister, pass this to Junior Martial Nephew Xiao Ling in one month."

Duan Hong did not doubt him, and after taking it, she subsequently handed it to her husband.

"Junior Martial Brother, why be so polite? But why didn't you give it to her yourself? And why must it be passed on after a month?"

Ren Yidao: "Because I am going out again soon, and I definitely won't be in the sect by then."

"This time might take a while; if my Senior Sister comes to look for you again, I hope Senior Sister Duan can be a bit more patient."

Duan Hong's expression had been calm, but upon hearing this, her face changed immediately, and she stood up with a start.

"What? You are leaving again? No!"

The expression and urgency with which she said this made even the silent Duan Yisheng look at her.

W-what is going on?

"Ahem."

Realizing she had lost her composure, Duan Hong covered her mouth, coughed awkwardly twice, and sat back down silently.

She glared at Ren Yidao, who had raised his hands to show his innocence, and said in a deep voice:

"You... leaving again so soon, aren't you worried your Senior Sister won't be able to help herself and will come to catch you?"

Ren Yidao lowered his hands after performing a military salute, shrugged his shoulders relaxedly, and looked back toward the direction of Luoyue Peak.

"Nothing to worry about. I won't be gone too long this time. Besides, she sleeps more and wakes less all day, so she won't be too lonely."

"Besides, this time is different from the last."

Thinking of the contingency he had left behind, Ren Yidao said with a straight face, "I left something to keep her company; it will certainly make her stay home obediently."

Seeing Ren Yidao so confident, Duan Hong couldn't even worry about Jing Yueqin anymore and asked with some curiosity, "What did you leave?"

What kind of thing could make Jing Yueqin stay put? Is it really that magical?

"Nothing much, I just left a child for her."

Duan Hong was stunned, then nodded and said, "Oh, a child. After I had a child, she really did quiet down for a... hmm? A child?"

Duan Hong's eyes widened as she looked at the young man who was lowering his head with a shy expression, and she let out a shout that did not fit her status:

"Ah?"

Say that again!

What did you leave!!?

Jing Yueqin opened her eyes, stared blankly at the top of the canopy, and let out a huge yawn.

"Why do I feel like Junior Brother came back?"

"That dream was quite realistic... hmm?"

Blinking, Jing Yueqin reached her hand into the quilt and fumbled for a moment, then fell into a long contemplation.

Raising her head, she suddenly realized:

"Ah, so that wasn't a dream! He really did come back!"

She sat up wrapped in her quilt and reached out to the side, but instead of touching a person, she touched a hard object.

What is this?

Turning her head, the still-confused Jing Yueqin's eyes lit up.

What she had just touched wasn't some strange thing, but a small cage.

Inside the cage, a slightly chubby Red Fox was ingratiatingly exposing its belly to her.

"Whose little darling is this!"

Huji: Hehe, he, hehe! Sob sob sob...

My life is so bitter—

"That brat!"

After seeing Ren Yidao off, Duan Hong stomped her feet in the room, somewhat losing her composure, and said bitterly:

"I thought he was different from his Senior Sister, an honest kid, but turns out... Hmph! Birds of a feather!"

Thinking of Ren Yidao's innocent look just now, Duan Hong felt her teeth itch with hatred.

She had been played!

After venting for a while, Duan Hong turned to look at her reticent husband and said with a tone of exasperation:

"Are you going to say something!"

Suddenly caught in the crossfire, Duan Yisheng scratched his head, thought for a moment, and shook his head:

"It was just a harmless joke, no need to be angry."

"If you lose your composure too much, you'll fall right into his trap."

Duan Hong frowned, but after thinking about it carefully, her husband was right; it was indeed the truth, so she could only huff angrily.

Hmph!

But she still couldn't swallow the bitter pill in her heart and turned her guns toward the only victim present.

"Speaking of which, you seem to value that kid quite a bit. A dignified hero like Duan would actually take the initiative to return a gift to someone."

"What? Want him to be your son-in-law?"

Seeing his wife's attitude, Duan Yisheng was not angry at all; instead, he found it somewhat refreshing.

How many years had it been since his wife was this childish? It was exactly like it was back then.

"Tsk! Don't laugh! Talk to me!"

Hmm, even this aggressiveness was just like back then, not changed in the slightest...

Seeing his wife's gaze becoming increasingly unfriendly, Duan Yisheng weighed his words and explained:

"I didn't intend for him to specifically have anything happen with Xiao Ling, but normal social interaction between young people is fine."

"Besides, it's not that I value him." Duan Yisheng shook his head helplessly. "Rather, it's that you all don't value him enough!"

Duan Hong blinked and asked in confusion:

"What's wrong? Does this kid have some identity worth paying attention to?"

Seeing this, Duan Yisheng smiled bitterly:

"How would I dare put on the airs of a hero? That is the brother the Emperor just recognized; his name has long since spread throughout the Jianghu."

Duan Hong:?

"There's such a thing? How come I didn't know... Oh, it seems there was something like that a while ago?"

……

Lieyang Peak.

Zuo Yungui was honing his techniques with high spirits, shouting aloud:

"This time, I will definitely crush you!"

Ren Yidao, who happened to be passing by, heard this roar, blinked, and praised:

"Junior Martial Nephew Zuo is truly full of energy! Not bad, not bad."

After sighing with emotion, Ren Yidao continued walking away...