After a satisfying al, Lin Yun bid everyone farewell and returned ho with Lu Bingning and Lan Xi. Zhang Jingxiang hadn’t rested during his absence and was sitting in the main hall waiting for him.
After years of separation, Zhang Jingxiang doted on Lin Yun completely. She was terrified of losing him again—this was, quite simply, a mother’s love for her son.
Zhang Jingxiang finally relaxed upon seeing the three of them return and imdiately began showering Lin Yun with concerned questions. Although she was being a bit fussy, Lin Yun answered patiently, a warmth spreading through his chest.
He asked Zhang Jingxiang about Luo Feng and learned he still hadn’t co back. It looked like Lu Bingning and Lan Xi’s teachers’ fate was sealed. After bidding his mother farewell, the three of them returned to their rooms to cultivate.
Upon entering his room, Lin Yun didn’t imdiately begin to cultivate. He was pondering the matter of Qing Zhu. The issue with the Royal Family was now resolved, but he still rembered the four Ghost-faced Masked n he encountered when leaving the Mysterious Forest.
Although they hadn’t said they were connected to Qing Zhu, Lin Yun refused to believe it was a re coincidence. They knew far too much about him. In his heart, he was certain this incident was inextricably linked to Qing Zhu.
’I’ll go check out Qing Zhu Tavern tomorrow,’ he muttered to himself. Lin Yun was determined to get to the bottom of this. He also needed to figure out the purpose of the fragnt he had obtained in the Mysterious Forest and why the four Ghost-faced Masked n had been so desperate to get it. These were all questions that needed answers.
With that in mind, Lin Yun decided to pay a visit to the Qing Zhu Tavern the next day.
After a night of cultivation, Lin Yun felt refreshed and clear-headed. He had breakfast and left early the next morning. Today, he didn’t bring Lu Bingning and Lan Xi, taking only Little Ape with him.
He made his way to the entrance of the Qing Zhu Tavern, which looked exactly the sa as before, completely unchanged. Since it was still early, the tavern was practically empty.
He walked straight inside. Upon seeing him, a maid approached. "Are you here to dine, sir?"
"No, I’m looking for Miss Qing Zhu," Lin Yun replied.
But upon hearing the na Qing Zhu, the maid simply shook her head and said there was no one by that na there.
"We have no one nad Miss Qing Zhu here. Sir, perhaps you’ve co to the wrong place?"
’No one?’ Lin Yun found this strange and asked the maid to take him to their shopkeeper.
Lin Yun didn’t know that just as he was speaking with the maid, on the Third Layer of the main building, Qing Zhu’s forr maid had been watching him. Seeing the other maid lead Lin Yun away, Qing Zhu’s maid smiled faintly.
’Lin Yun, to think you actually joined the Flawless Palace. I wonder what will happen the next ti you and my lady et.’
If Lin Yun had been there, he would have been stunned, for this was the very woman from the group of Ghost-faced Masked n who had ambushed him outside the Mysterious Forest.
The maid led him to the Qing Zhu Tavern’s shopkeeper, a middle-aged man Lin Yun had never seen before. After so questioning, the shopkeeper also stated that there was absolutely no one nad Qing Zhu at the tavern.
It was as if Qing Zhu had vanished into thin air; no one in the entire Qing Zhu Tavern knew she even existed. But instead of dispelling Lin Yun’s suspicions, this only made him more confused.
After leaving the Qing Zhu Tavern, Lin Yun went to the Hundred Herbs Hall, but it was the sa story. No one there recognized the na Qing Zhu, and all the people he had known before were gone, replaced by strangers—including the shopkeeper.
After checking two places and finding nothing, Lin Yun started to lose hope. He figured Qing Zhu had probably already left the Capital City, maybe even the entire Southeast Domain.
Lin Yun’s questions about Qing Zhu only deepened. The woman, whose beauty rivaled even that of Lu Bingning and Lan Xi, was as mysterious as a dense fog—impossible to see through, impossible to grasp.
’Who is Qing Zhu? What does she want? What is her connection to the Ghost-faced Masked n?’ At present, Lin Yun had no way to find answers to these questions.
Though he returned empty-handed, Lin Yun wasn’t overly disappointed. At the very least, he could now be certain that there was much more to Qing Zhu than t the eye. If he could prove she was connected to the Ghost-faced Masked n, her identity would be even more formidable.
’After all,’ he thought, ’a mysterious power that massacred hundreds of thousands of people in the Southeast Domain, one that even the Celestial Eagle Valley couldn’t handle... could such a power possibly be simple?’
Leaving the Hundred Herbs Hall, Lin Yun made his way to a Demon Beast Essence Blood Shop. Since the Black-striped Tiger would be staying in the Capital City, Lin Yun wanted to get it so Tier Three and Tier Four Demon Beast Essence Blood, hoping it could break through to a Tier Four Demon Beast by the ti he returned again.
Following his mory, Lin Yun found his way to the Demon Beast Essence Blood Shop, only to discover that its location had been replaced by a general store.
This left Lin Yun utterly speechless. After asking around, he learned that the Demon Beast Essence Blood Shop had moved out a month ago. No one knew where it had gone.
Unable to find a Demon Beast Essence Blood Shop, Lin Yun figured he would just have to hunt so Tier Three Demon Beasts himself. A Tier Four Demon Beast was out of the question, so he would have to make do with the Essence Blood of Tier Three beasts.
Lost in thought, he returned ho, where he finally found Luo Feng. The sight of the man, however, left Lin Yun speechless.
Lin Yun had just stepped into the main hall when he saw Luo Feng being all lovey-dovey with the teachers of Lu Bingning and Lan Xi, causing him to shake his head in private.
’Sigh... Avert your eyes, avert your eyes,’ he sighed, shaking his head. Lin Yun had no intention of engaging with Luo Feng, but just as he was about to detour around the main hall, he heard Luo Feng call out.
"Lin Yun."
Lin Yun turned to look at Luo Feng. With an arm wrapped around each of the won, the smug look of triumph on his face was practically permanent. "Lin Yun," he said, "I have so business to attend to for a while. This is a good chance for you to spend more ti with your parents. We’re in no rush to get back to the Flawless Palace. Let’s head back in a month."
Hearing this, Lin Yun had the strong urge to curse out loud. ’Bullshit you have business! You’ve just fallen into a honeypot and don’t want to leave! I’ve really seen it all... the great and mighty Palace Master of the Flawless Palace...’
Of course, he couldn’t possibly say that to Luo Feng’s face. Forcing a smile, Lin Yun replied, "Alright. As it happens, I have so things to take care of as well."
"Mm, then go handle your business. I’ll be very busy for the next few days, too. You can go." With a wave of his hand, and without even waiting for Lin Yun to leave, Luo Feng imdiately went back to being affectionate with the teachers of Lu Bingning and Lan Xi.
Watching the three of them, Lin Yun found it hard to believe. The two great beauties of Yanhuang Academy had been won over by Luo Feng just like that. And from the looks of it, they couldn’t stand to be apart from him.
’Jeez, what is the world coming to?’ Lin Yun sighed helplessly to himself and headed for the backyard. Since there was no Demon Beast Essence Blood Shop, he decided to take Little Ape and the Black-striped Tiger out to hunt so Tier Three Demon Beasts.
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