On horseback, the woman slowly lifted her cloak, revealing a face of unparalleled beauty, none other than Dong Cang, whom Lin Zhao had been thinking of not long ago. As she looked down at Lin Zhao's radiant smile and saw Chang Zhi and Yu Wan Ning standing in the snow, smiling at her, tears welled up in her eyes. This was the scene she had dreamt of countless times in the dead of night, the image she had yearned for for ten years.
The next second, Dong Cang rushed from the horse's back into Lin Zhao's embrace, burying her delicate face in his neck and sobbing uncontrollably. Her delicate body trembled, as if to release all the worries, bitterness, and despair of the past decade.
"It's alright, you're back now," Lin Zhao said, stroking Dong Cang's hair. "It's good that you've returned. We still have a chance to start anew at our mountain villa. We who are alive can begin again."
"Mmm..." Dong Cang pulled away from Lin Zhao's embrace, her face streaked with tears, then flushed with emotion. She seemed to realize this was inappropriate, pursed her red lips, and looked at Lin Zhao's face. "Young Master, are you well?"
"I am well." Lin Zhao gently clenched his fist and smiled. "Being suppressed by Mount Wuwang for ten years has only solidified my cultivation. I am now at the peak of the eleventh realm as both a sword cultivator and a martial artist. It can be considered a blessing in disguise."
"Mhm!" Dong Cang smiled and nodded, tears still on her face.
"Mountain Master," Yu Wan Ning said, "let's not linger here. Firstly, it's too close to Mount Wuwang, and the demons might make a move. Secondly, Dong Cang and Lin Zhujie have returned from the depths of the demon realm and must have suffered greatly along the way. Let them return to Tianranju quickly."
"Good." Lin Zhao nodded. "Let's go back to Tianranju. Lin Zhujie, prepare your sword."
"Alright, Mountain Master!" Lin Zhujie happily nodded. With a flash of sword light, he swept up the five people and the thin horse towards the mountain. In an instant, they landed in front of Tianranju.
Seeing Tianranju as it was before, Dong Cang's lips quivered, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
"Chang Zhi," Lin Zhao smiled, "make two more bowls of noodles?"
"Okay!"
Not long after, Dong Cang and Lin Zhujie sat down to eat noodles, while Lin Zhao, Chang Zhi, and Yu Wan Ning watched from the side. Even Shi Hanyin sensed the activity at the mountain villa and had come up, sitting gracefully and virtuously beside Lin Zhao like an obedient young wife.
"???" Dong Cang glanced at Shi Hanyin, whom she didn't recognize.
"Oh!" Lin Zhao quickly explained, "Her name is Shi Hanyin. She's a newcomer to our mountain villa. You should know about how Miss Shi raised a large sum of money to procure provisions for our Snow Territory Heavenly Pool, right?"
"I do." Dong Cang understood as soon as she heard this and nodded. "Young Master, in the depths of the demon ancestral land, Lin Zhujie also led me through the martial world for a time. The storytellers spoke of how Miss Shi burned hundreds of demon generals to death in Yunzhou City. I know of it, but..."
"It's like this..." Lin Zhao knew what she was wondering. "Although Miss Shi died, a wisp of her soul remained in the ashes of Yunxiang Tower. After I emerged from Mount Wuwang, I went to Yunzhou City and met her. Afterwards, Zero Yu and I found a way to rescue Hanyin's soul. Finally, Zero Yu intervened and obtained an imperial decree for her, allowing her to transform into a peach blossom spirit in Hefeng Academy. Her fate is actually very close to yours, and she is also from our mountain villa. From now on, you can be sisters."
"Yes." Dong Cang nodded with joy and looked at Shi Hanyin with respect in her eyes. "Miss Shi is truly heroic and admirable. In comparison, Dong Cang was captured by Chen Rusong and did nothing for the mountain villa. I am truly useless..."
"You can't say that," Lin Zhao frowned. "You were able to stall Chen Rusong, which is a great contribution to the human world. By the way, what happened afterward? All I know is that Dong Cang was abducted by Chen Rusong. I had no knowledge of what happened to you afterwards. Lin Zhujie, you tell me."
"Yes!" Lin Zhujie clasped his fists respectfully. "Mountain Master, this matter is truly a long story. In fact, while the Mountain Master was suppressed beneath Mount Wuwang, Lin Zhujie never slacked off. I accomplished three tasks for the mountain villa, perhaps you could say I earned three immense merits for it."
"Oh?" Lin Zhao couldn't help but chuckle. "Are you asking for recognition! Yu Wan Ning, go to the study and fetch my brush and ink. I will record Lin Zhujie's merits in a small notebook."
"Yes, Mountain Master!" Yu Wan Ning went joyfully and returned with the brush and ink. Lin Zhao indeed took out a small notebook from his pocket and dipped his wolf-hair brush in ink, preparing to record.
"Yu Wan Ning," Lin Zhujie scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "For this first merit... why don't you tell the Mountain Master?"
"Yes." Yu Wan Ning pursed her red lips and said softly, "Mountain Master, after Mu Zha and Chu Yu sacrificed themselves in the realm, I was guarding the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool alone and was attacked by a group of great demons in the upper five realms. I was severely injured and even on the verge of death. It was Lin Zhujie who saved me by using a technique to conceal my heavenly secrets, allowing me to escape the demons' pursuit. He eventually took me to Baidi City to recuperate. Since Lin Zhujie never appeared afterward and you didn't ask, I didn't mention it."
"I see..." Lin Zhao nodded. "This can be considered a top-tier merit for our mountain villa!" As he spoke, he wielded his vermilion brush and wrote a line in the small notebook: "Lin Zhujie: Battle of Baicheng, saved Yu Wan Ning of the Reborn Realm, one merit recorded."
"Oh my..." Lin Zhujie saw Lin Zhao recording so diligently and became thoroughly embarrassed, scratching his head. "Thank you, Mountain Master. Lin Zhujie will definitely do his best and work wholeheartedly for the mountain villa from now on!"
Lin Zhao smiled and nodded. "Alright, what about the second merit?"
"The second merit is saving Miss Dong Cang," Lin Zhujie said with a deep breath. "After Dong Cang was abducted by Chen Rusong, I didn't dare to act immediately. After all, the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool was filled with thirteenth and fourteenth realm demons at that time. If I had acted, I could have been killed at any moment. So, I followed Chen Rusong into the depths of the demon ancestral land and only acted when we reached Chen Rusong's lair, killing Chen Rusong and rescuing Dong Cang."
He said it with ease, but the danger of a twelfth realm cultivator killing a thirteenth realm cultivator was unimaginable.
Lin Zhao gazed at Lin Zhujie and said softly, "You must have been severely injured yourself, right?" Lin Zhujie trembled. Lin Zhao's words were more comforting than any other. His suffering had not been in vain, so he grinned. "I am a demon, and my body is naturally strong. Even a mere stick insect's body is comparable to a human martial artist. Besides, Chen Rusong's skills were only average."
Dong Cang added, "After killing Chen Rusong, Lin Zhujie fell into a coma for six months before waking up..."
"You suffered." Lin Zhao frowned and wrote the second line in the small notebook: "Lin Zhujie: Went alone to the depths of the ancestral land to rescue Dong Cang, killed the thirteenth realm demon Chen Rusong, a great merit recorded!" Great merit! Seeing these words, Lin Zhujie felt immense satisfaction. He would have something to boast about in the mountain villa from now on!
Lin Zhao looked at Lin Zhujie again and asked with a smile, "The third merit?"
"Oh!" Lin Zhujie said gravely, "Mountain Master, this third merit might be a pleasant surprise for you. Allow me to keep it a secret for now. Let's not discuss it yet. Please, Mountain Master and everyone, follow me to the summit."
"Alright!"
...
The group arrived at the summit. Lin Zhujie led everyone to the broken stone wall and clasped his fists. "Mountain Master, Liu Liying was once pursued by an eleventh realm demon sword cultivator to this place. She then transformed into a mural goddess within the stone wall, but was still shattered by the fierce sword cultivator, who broke the mural and severed Liu Liying's roots. You should know about this, right?"
"I do." Lin Zhao nodded, his mood heavy. "Liying..."
"Mountain Master, do not worry. Lin Zhujie was also here at that time!" Lin Zhujie gently raised his hand and brushed over the stone wall, dispersing a bamboo leaf that concealed his aura. Beneath the bamboo leaf, there were fragments of the mural, and between the fragments, traces of divine aura, invisible to the naked eye, remained. This was precisely a wisp of Liu Liying's soul residing within!
"Ah?!" Lin Zhao trembled and took two steps back. He could already sense the aura in the mural fragments, incredibly familiar, as if Liu Liying were whispering in his ear.
"Liying..." He frowned and quickly turned to look in the direction of Hefeng Academy, saying gravely, "Zero Yu, come up the mountain!"
"Coming." The next moment, the young scholar in a scholarly robe transformed into a gust of clear wind and ascended the mountain, drifting gracefully to Lin Zhao's side. He looked at Liu Liying's residual soul within the stone wall and frowned. "It's just a few fragments of primordial spirit. Although this means Liu Liying still has a sliver of hope for survival, the price to revive her will likely be immense."
"It doesn't matter." Lin Zhao said, "I will pay any price!"
"Yes." Gu Lingyu said, "Little Martial Uncle, Liu Liying's fate is that of a mural goddess decreed by the heavens and earth, a product of the spiritual energy of the world. However, she possesses immense divinity. Ordinary means cannot revive her. Therefore... there is only one path: to repair her mural of the fan-wielding goddess, restore her essence, and then use the method of nurturing her with spiritual money from the Hundred Flowers Realm to call her out of the mural again."
Lin Zhao was slightly taken aback. "You mean... to revive Liying, we need to restore that mural of the fan-wielding goddess?"
"Precisely." Lin Zhao's mind became a jumble. "Originally, the fan-wielding goddess was painted by Wu Yuanzi, an eleventh realm umbrella-wielding inner demon. Wu Yuanzi was not good at much else, but his painting skills were truly divine. Do we still need to find a peerless painter in the world?" He frowned. "Do you, Zero Yu, also know how to paint?"
Gu Lingyu, with his elegant demeanor, smiled slightly. "Little Martial Uncle, when I was young, I also traveled through mountains and rivers with my easel, painting flowers, birds, fish, and insects. I can try."
Lin Zhao took a deep breath. Thankfully, I have the all-capable Gu Lingyu!