Chapter 39: Clouds and Mud

The scene, though alarming, had ended safely. Some hearts were glad, while others churned with mixed feelings.

A group of Sunset Sect disciples on the periphery all let out a huge sigh of relief. If Yang Yao truly fell here, and within the sect grounds no less, it would be no small matter.

They looked at the one in the bronze ghost mask, murmuring amongst themselves.

“So that’s our sect’s Saint?”

Not to mention the other sects—today was also their first time seeing this Saint, who remained deeply mysterious beneath his bronze ghost mask.

But to casually block You Meng’er’s sword strike and save Yang Yao—his strength needed no further explanation. He might even far surpass Yang Yao.

Might makes right. They couldn’t help but feel admiration and longing.

Off to the side, Jiang Luo was also watching everything that had just unfolded.

Like everyone else, she had broken a cold sweat for Yang Yao when the lethal strike came down. But when she saw Xu Lin appear in his bronze ghost mask, her eyes lit up again.

In her eyes, Xu Lin really was the kind of person who would step in to help at a critical moment.

But as she watched the seemingly intimate posture between Xu Lin and Yang Yao, the light in her eyes dimmed a little.

Her arms tensed, her fingers suddenly tightened, instinctively clutching the hem of her clothes, unknowingly applying more and more force.

She didn’t even realize that her teeth were lightly and repeatedly biting her lower lip. She only felt her breath grow shallow and stifled.

An inexplicable jealousy and loneliness clogged her chest, yet she dared not show even a trace of it among the crowd, afraid of being noticed by others.

This time, successfully advancing to Inner Sect Disciple, Jiang Luo should have been happy, but there wasn’t a shred of joy in her heart now.

From the side, no one knew who spoke up.

“Even though we don’t know what the Saint looks like, looking at them from here, he and the Saintess really do make a good match.”

Jiang Luo’s body trembled.

She opened her mouth to speak, but then sensed something was off and swallowed the words back down.

What does Xu Lin look like?

After all the close contact during this period, Jiang Luo could say exactly what he looked like, down to the smallest detail.

She even knew perfectly well his personality—how he loved to joke around and tease people.

But… even if she really said it out loud, would anyone believe her?

She figured that at that point, everyone would just look at her with strange eyes, thinking that after advancing to Inner Sect Disciple, she’d been momentarily swept away by joy.

Who was Jiang Luo? Not long ago she was merely an Outer Sect Disciple. Even now that she’d advanced to Inner Sect, the gap between her and the Saint was plain to see. If no one else knew what the Saint looked like, why would she?

Jiang Luo knew she wasn’t outstanding in the Sunset Sect—just one among all the disciples, insignificant and hardly worth mentioning. Even her advancement to the Inner Sect changed nothing.

She had never felt this kind of chasm so vividly—the distance between heaven and earth, clouds and mud.

It was like how the Saints and Saintesses of every sect rose and fell in the center of the arena, while people like her could only huddle at the periphery.

Though she’d long suspected that Xu Lin was the mysterious Saint appointed by the Sect Master, his playfulness and teasing over this period had temporarily made her forget about it.

Because Xu Lin truly had not a single shred of Saint-like airs, and he never looked down on her for being an Outer Sect Disciple.

He always talked about mutual help, but even now, Jiang Luo still didn’t know what she could possibly help Xu Lin with.

Now that the truth was right before her eyes, Jiang Luo couldn’t help but feel she had to look up to him. There really was a vast chasm between her and Xu Lin.

For a brief moment, she even fantasized that the person in the bronze ghost mask had watched her match a little less discreetly, so she could have recognized him as Xu Lin at once.

Or that Xu Lin was standing right beside her right now, still wearing that playful smile, commenting on the Saints and Saintesses up above.

That, Jiang Luo felt, would have been the best.

But the fantasy ended. The noise around her went on as before. In the end, it was all just her own illusion.

Leaving her alone where she stood, her breathing turned careful and guarded.

On the other side, Li Hanjue listened to Xi Ranchen’s explanation, paused, and found it absurd.

“Your Sunset Sect’s Saintess is deeply afflicted by poison? Don’t tell me you’re joking.”

“Every word I’ve said is true.”

Xi Ranchen said with a solemn expression.

“Someone poisoned her long ago. The poison had seeped deep into her root bone, and even I failed to notice.”

“Oh?”

Li Hanjue lowered her gaze, rather surprised.

She and Xi Ranchen had their grudges, but she also knew Xi Ranchen wouldn’t joke about certain matters.

Besides, given the situation, even Xi Ranchen herself hadn’t detected it—admitting it wasn’t exactly flattering.

Xi Ranchen silently took in the expressions of everyone present, noting each shift in their demeanor.

Then she continued, “Fortunately, our sect’s Saint here is quite remarkable. He discovered Yao’er’s condition and has already taken measures to purge the poison. However, she has yet to fully recover.”

Hearing this, all gazes once again converged on Xu Lin.

A hidden poison that even Xi Ranchen couldn’t detect—this Saint had seen through it and even acted to remove the poison.

As everyone mulled it over, some began to think there was some sense in Xi Ranchen deliberately having him wear the bronze ghost mask to cover his face.

“That matter is in the past now, nothing significant.”

Xi Ranchen let out a faint laugh, but her tone turned cold and sharp in an instant as she swept her gaze over everyone present.

“However, should I ever find out who administered that poison—regardless of their identity—I will not let them off.”

No one present thought Xi Ranchen was just putting on airs with that warning.

Given her temperament in her younger years, she really was capable of it.

Xu Lin hovered in the high air, feeling everyone’s gaze on him. He felt utterly uncomfortable, as if something was crawling all over his body.

He was completely speechless. For all Xi Ranchen’s lofty talk, she was just using him as a sword.

This woman—using Yang Yao was one thing, but she had to drag him into it too.

“Alright, I won’t dampen everyone’s spirits any longer. Do forgive me, and let’s not keep the juniors waiting too long.”

Xi Ranchen then said to Yang Yao, “Yao’er, step back now. It’s time to let the Saint have his fun.”

Yang Yao understood.

She cast a hesitant glance at Xu Lin, steadied her mind, and still warned him, “Be careful. Don’t die here. Your life belongs to me.”

With that, she turned and descended toward Xi Ranchen’s direction.

“Huh?”

Xu Lin didn’t even know what to say.

‘Does she mean—if I die, I’m dead, and if I survive, I’m still dead?’

“Boy, perform well.”

Xi Ranchen said to Xu Lin via sound transmission across empty space.

“Don’t you righteous path disciples all love making a name for yourselves? An opportunity like the one before you is a rare find.”

Even without seeing Xi Ranchen’s expression, Xu Lin could imagine her mocking smile.

“Are you out of your mind? You want me to fight all of them? You’re really going too far.”

Xu Lin sent his reply back to Xi Ranchen.

Setting aside Demon Sect and Righteous Path, the people before him were the cream of the crop among their generation. They were no small fry.

“Don’t worry. I believe in your skills, and I won’t so easily let you die here.”

To Xu Lin’s ears, Yang Yao and Xi Ranchen’s words were much the same—neither of them considered his own thoughts or feelings.