Lin Zhao's story was a long one, starting from his encounters with Yu Wanning and Xu Beilin by the river. It then moved on to meeting Chen Changsheng in Cuiwei Mountain and being pursued by the Feiyun Sect. This was followed by meeting the painter Wu Yuanzi by the river, stirring a ripple of longing on the water, and then using his hook to pull Qingyan from the official boat. The story continued with Lin Zhao accompanying Qingyan for a full day, and by the moment of her passing, Leng Yan's eyes were red.
"Mayflies know not dawn or dusk..."
Leng Yan said softly, "This story is truly beautiful... Sadly, I am not Qingyan."
"No."
Lin Zhao said softly, "Qingyan's appearance was exactly like yours. She was born from my feelings for you in my heart, which is why the story of 'mayflies know not dawn or dusk' came to be."
"Mm."
Leng Yan gently bit her red lip and turned to look at Lin Zhao, saying, "If I were Qingyan, I think I would have done everything she did."
Her lips were like ripe fruit. She leaned softly into Lin Zhao's embrace, and Lin Zhao unconsciously, gently raised his hand to caress Leng Yan's hair. It felt wonderful to hold the person he liked like this.
"Oh dear!"
Suddenly, someone not far away clutched their face and said, "Did I come at the wrong time?"
"???"
Leng Yan turned around and looked at her cousin Xu Ran, who was wearing a high-end casual suit. She had already cursed him in her heart, "Xu Ran, you little brat!" If he hadn't come to interrupt, and with the atmosphere already built up like this, her first kiss would have been hers!
"What is it?"
Leng Yan still maintained a cool demeanor. After all, she was the leader of the Shengtian Alliance and had to maintain her older sister's dignity in front of Xu Ran.
"Cough cough..."
Lin Zhao also felt a bit awkward.
"Sis."
Xu Ran scratched his head and said, "Tonight, a few of my troublemaker friends invited me to go clubbing at the bar downstairs. They asked me to see if you wanted to go? Even just showing your face would be enough. Several of my buddies really want to meet you. They say if they can clink glasses with you, their lives would be complete~~~"
Leng Yan narrowed her beautiful eyes. "You called them troublemakers yourself, so why should I meet them? Get lost, get lost."
"Alright, alright~~~"
Xu Ran chuckled and said, "You guys continue, you guys continue. If you're really in deep… Sis, you can even take my brother-in-law Lin Zhao back to the suite. I absolutely won't tell Uncle. May lightning strike me if I do."
"Alright, alright, hurry up and go."
"Alright~~~"
Xu Ran said with a smile and left. Before leaving, he waved at Lin Zhao, "Brother-in-law, I'm off!"
Lin Zhao subconsciously nodded, "Go ahead, go ahead."
But then he suddenly felt that something might be wrong. He wasn't sure if Xu Ran was there to disrupt or to help.
"Cough cough..."
The atmosphere had been broken. Forget hugging, they were even interrupted from holding hands. Leng Yan was a little angry, wishing she could rush downstairs and throw Xu Ran off the rooftop. Lin Zhao also felt a bit awkward and said, "Then how about today? I'll ask you out for dinner next time."
"Mm, mm!"
Leng Yan nodded repeatedly.
Not long after, Huo Dao came over with a group of people who had eaten their fill. He started the engine of the transport plane. Leng Yan stood alone on the rooftop, watching Lin Zhao depart. As he saw Leng Yan standing there alone, Lin Zhao felt a pang of reluctance. He thought, if you like someone, be bold about it. Is my hesitation too ungenerous?
So, Lin Zhao jumped from the cabin door and rushed forward, pulling Leng Yan into his arms.
"Ah?!"
Leng Yan hugged him back and said softly, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Lin Zhao smiled, affectionately patted her head, and said, "Alright, I'm leaving now. After I get back, I have to continue with the plot of 'A World of a Hundred Beauties'. This plot is quite long. I don't know when I'll be able to return."
"Mm, keep going!"
"I'm really leaving this time."
Lin Zhao gently patted Leng Yan's back, turned, and boarded the plane. As the transport plane took off, he saw the beautiful sight of Leng Yan's short skirt fluttering on the rooftop. Her long, smooth jade legs were truly amazing, worthy of the title "Goddess of Legs" in the national server. Lin Zhao waved at her through the cabin door, and then the transport plane flew in a straight line, heading for Suzhou.
...
Around seven o'clock, he arrived at the studio.
He logged in and continued with the plot.
"Swish!"
His character appeared on a royal road. In the nearby woods, a wild donkey that had eaten its fill of grass happily ran up to Lin Zhao, nuzzling his arm repeatedly with its head as if affectionately demanding attention. This donkey had carried Qingyan for a day and a night. When Lin Zhao saw the donkey, he would miss Qingyan very much. However, he had already seen Qingyan's true form, Leng Yan, in reality. Especially when he held Leng Yan in his arms, Lin Zhao felt a profound sense of peace at that moment. The inner demon that Wu Yuanzi had set for him was thus completely broken.
In the end, he had to thank Miss Leng for this matter.
He took a deep breath, urged his horse forward, and soon arrived at a small town on the border of the ancient Shu Kingdom and the Xu Dynasty. The eateries in the town were very lively. At this time, Lin Zhao's hunger value was running low again. So, he tied the donkey outside and, carrying his sword alone, entered the eatery. He ordered a few small dishes, some steamed buns, and for wine, he brought his own Green Bamboo Wine. He sat down and began to feast.
At the surrounding tables, there were mostly martial cultivators, and even an old immortal holding a cane. He looked like a sixth-realm spirit cultivator, appearing very esteemed.
"Ancestor."
A young third-realm sword cultivator said with a smile, "Where are we going next?"
"Lingze Mountain."
The sixth-realm old immortal narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, "Let's go see the legendary 'Hundred Beauties Painting' and also see if you young talents have the fortune to awaken a peerless beauty from the murals of the 'Hundred Beauties Painting'."
"Ah?"
A disciple in green clearly knew little and asked, "Ancestor, what do you mean by that?"
"You don't even know this?"
A middle-aged cultivator beside him laughed and said, "The world only knows that there is a 'Ascension Terrace' on Lingze Mountain, where the best talents in the world will eventually ascend to heaven. But the world does not know that in the valley behind Lingze Mountain, there are many murals of beauties. It is said that these murals of beauties were created by Wu Yuanzi, the current painting saint. Each mural of a beauty is lifelike and possesses extremely profound charm. Even if you invest 'Feiyu Coin' or 'Qingfu Coin' and have enough destiny, you have a chance to awaken the beauty in the painting. These beauties are the essence of heaven and earth. Once you have a beauty to assist your cultivation, the great Dao can truly be expected."
Several disciples were all pleased.
Beside them, Lin Zhao, who was eating, naturally listened with his ears pricked. He then said with a smile, "Fellow Daoists, how do I get to Lingze Mountain?" Da Feng Novel Network
"Ah?"
The middle-aged cultivator smiled and said, "Little friend, are you also interested in the 'Hundred Beauties Painting' by the painting saint?"
"No, I'm just going to join the fun. I know my own capabilities." Lin Zhao said humbly.
"Hahahaha~~~"
The cultivators all laughed heartily. The middle-aged cultivator then said, "Lingze Mountain, it used to be on the border between the ancient Shu Kingdom and the Xu Dynasty, protected by the Lingze River. But for the past ten years, the Xu Dynasty's military has been pressing closer and closer, and the ancient Shu Kingdom has continuously lost territory. As a result, the entire Lingze River has been taken by the Xu Dynasty. Now, Lingze Mountain is completely within the territory of the Xu Dynasty. To go to Lingze Mountain, you probably need a permit from the Xu Dynasty. Do you have one?"
"No."
Lin Zhao grinned and said, "Then I'll sneak in!"
The middle-aged cultivator gave him a thumbs-up and laughed, "This is how our generation of cultivators should be. If your Xu Dynasty doesn't let me climb the mountain to seek immortality, will I really not go? Is there such a reason in this world! Little friend, you just need to head east. You will see a great river called the Lingze River. Following the Lingze River eastward for another five hundred li, you will see Lingze Mountain."
"Thank you!"
The sixth-realm old immortal glanced at the donkey Lin Zhao had tied outside the eatery and said with a smile, "With your donkey's pace, it should reach Lingze Mountain in half a month at most."
Lin Zhao laughed, "Old immortal, you jest!"
...
After eating, the sixth-realm old immortal and his group of disciples were about to set off.
Lin Zhao also untied the wild donkey from the tree stump outside. Then, an unexpected scene occurred. A group of cultivators who were following the sixth-realm old immortal up the mountain watched as the sword cultivator suddenly hoisted the wild donkey onto his shoulder. Then, with a leap, a fiery red glow traced a trajectory and landed under his feet. Immediately, accompanied by the roar of the sword dao, the young sword cultivator actually rode his sword away with the donkey!
"Ah!?"
The old immortal stumbled, almost dropping his jaw to the ground.
Who was this fellow?
Although he was now an ancestor of a sect, he was only a sixth-realm spirit cultivator. He had heard his late master say that any sword cultivator on the mountain who could fly was a true sword immortal. A sixth-realm sword immortal was the starting point. The faster the sword flew and the heavier the load it carried, the higher the sword immortal's cultivation.
That young sword cultivator, carrying a donkey, could fly away on his sword. He disappeared into the heavens and earth in an instant. His speed and carrying capacity were something the old immortal had never seen before. Could he be an eight-realm sword immortal who had hidden his true strength, or a legendary peak ninth-realm great sword immortal? If that were the case, that fellow would truly be the world's top great sword immortal, the kind who could establish a sect and be revered as an ancestor!
What a formidable person!
The sixth-realm old immortal felt dejected. Not only was his realm high and his cultivation formidable, but he was also so amiable and made one feel as if in a spring breeze. That was a true immortal!
The disciples were all astonished, their mouths agape.
...
Mountain Summit Villa.
Under the clear moonlight, a stunningly beautiful woman in a red dress and white shirt stood before a gourd rack, squeezing out the spiritual liquid from a "golden mullet coin" and pouring it onto the gourd vine. Although Brother Lin Zhao was gone, she had to help him take care of the assets of the Mountain Summit Villa. This gourd rack held great importance in Lin Zhao's heart, perhaps even more than the lotus pond.
After she finished, she sat quietly in the bamboo chair, resting her slightly chubby chin on the chair, pouting her small mouth and waiting for Brother Lin Zhao to come home.
Lin Wanhua had returned to guard the Fusu Great Wall, and her aunt would be guarding the Xijian River. Old Huang, Mu Zuo, and Chu Yu had gone to handle military affairs. Si Zhi was teaching Zhang Luobai sword techniques. Everyone was busy with their own tasks. Only Xiao Jiuer wanted to do nothing but wait for Brother Lin Zhao here. Until Brother Lin Zhao returned, she wouldn't even have an appetite for food.