Chapter 83: Into a Martial Arts Novel, Day 5

Chapter 83: Day Five of Transmigrating into a Wuxia World

Comment Section:

"??????"

"This guy's seriously messed up! What are you trying to do!"

["Drinking solo is no fun"... is he hinting at something? (covering face)]

["Memorable"... does that mean they almost fought? That's how I understand it, right? (just kidding, don't come at me)]

"This conversation's getting weird..."

An Yi furrowed his brow. Why's this guy so slick with his words?

Ignoring the bait and the teasing in his words, he calmly looked at him: "Find anything, or was it a bust?"

Ling Fengyao shrugged and spread his hands in a helpless gesture, his demeanor unrestrained: "Young Master has keen insight. Your sect's tighter-lipped than a fortress. After all my efforts, all I got were empty compliments like 'the Young Master has recovered and is more majestic than ever'—utterly dull."

"Young Master knows exactly what I'm looking for."

He shifted the topic, his gaze casually sweeping over An Yi: "Speaking of which, Young Master... is the backlash from the Heart Erosion Art fully dealt with? You know, when it comes to inner energy cultivation, if the hidden danger isn't eliminated, it will eventually become a serious issue."

His question came out of nowhere, sounding almost concerned.

An Yi's eyes flickered. Is he testing me?

He didn't answer directly, only saying: "Don't worry about it."

Ling Fengyao didn't press further. Instead, he crossed his arms, leaned against a bamboo stalk, and tilted his head to study An Yi.

Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows on his handsome profile, making his peachy, always-laughing eyes seem a bit deeper.

An uneasy silence settled between them, only the rustling of bamboo breaking it in the wind.

They didn't seem like adversaries, but rather two people who happened to meet in a quiet place, each harboring their own thoughts.

After a long moment, Ling Fengyao suddenly let out a soft laugh, breaking the quiet.

He straightened up, took two steps forward until he was only three steps away from An Yi—a distance that broke the usual safe zone, allowing them to clearly feel each other's presence.

He dropped some of his joking attitude, his voice tinged with an indescribable mix of curiosity, probing, and a hint of impulsive instinct:

"So... Young Master An, stuck in this gloomy base all day, surrounded by people who either fear you or hate you, dealing with trivial power struggles—doesn't that get suffocating?"

An Yi curled his lips: "I don't stay in the sect all day. I often go out to bully guys and girls."

Ling Fengyao was left speechless.

He quickly switched gears, leaning in and lowering his voice, like he was sharing a secret, coaxing:

"The clues to the Youhuan Shu—the jianghu's a big place, and the Fuyi Sect isn't the only one looking for it. Instead of waiting around here, why not... take a trip with me?"

Even he seemed surprised by his own invite, but then his eyes lit up, and he enthusiastically added, as if finding the perfect excuse:

"Treat it like dealing with the hidden danger of your Heart Erosion Art. If we can find the Youhuan Shu, it might completely resolve your cultivation problem. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"

An Yi turned around fully to face him.

The mountain wind lifted a few strands of hair from his forehead, brushing past his cold, clear eyes.

He met Ling Fengyao's gaze, those bright eyes full of obvious anticipation and testing.

This invite was ridiculous.

Wasn't this guy a solo act?

His first instinct was to say no.

But the Youhuan Shu, though?

He wanted it, too. Since his special ability came with his soul, could his internal energy skills as well? Perhaps it was the same?

Sticking with the main lead would surely give him a better shot at obtaining the Youhuan Shu.

Though it couldn't match his ability, An Yi, ever since gaining his space, had developed a hoarding habit. A collectible like that really interested him.

The refusal sat on An Yi's tongue, then he swallowed it.

Since he was already in this wuxia world, he might as well explore!

An Yi didn't reply right away. He just stared at Ling Fengyao.

Ling Fengyao didn't rush him either, smiling back with unending patience, even adding a hint of encouragement, as if saying, "Say yes—it'll be fun."

After a long pause, An Yi gave the faintest, barely-there smirk. His tone remained calm, but there was no clear refusal in it:

"Coming with me? Young Hero Ling, don't you have enough enemies already? Want to make yourself a target for the whole righteous faction?"

Ling Fengyao cracked up at that, waving his hand: "Ah, not at all! Who would dare touch me? Besides..."

He winked mischievously: "With your current 'deep pool of ice' aura, Young Master, as long as you make a slight disguise, who would recognize you? They might even think you're some reclusive master I've befriended."

He took another half step forward, now practically within breathing distance, his voice seductive: "What do you say? The martial world is vast, good wine is plentiful—surely better than drinking alone under the moon here..."

An Yi's smile faded slightly: "A disguise? I won't pretend. You go on your own."

Ling Fengyao blinked: "Don't be like that. If you won't disguise yourself, so what? I was just talking."

He continued: "I don't mean any offense to your identity. I was just joking along with your words. It's my fault—my mouth runs wild. Don't mind me!"

An Yi lowered his eyes, as if in thought. His long lashes cast a small shadow under his eyes, hiding the faint glimmer within.

When he looked up again, his eyes held a clear resolve.

"When do we leave?"

Ling Fengyao's smile burst forth anew, and he immediately replied: "The sooner, the better! Tonight at midnight, at the base of the western cliff of the headquarters, there's a hidden plank road. I'll wait for you there."

An Yi glanced at him: "In such a hurry? Someone chasing you?"

"Not at all! Young Master sure knows how to tease!"

Ling Fengyao paused, then added lightly, his tone playful: "Kind of feels like we're eloping, doesn't it?"

An Yi: “...”

“I don’t elope with someone I’ve only met three times.”

Ling Fengyao tilted his head and corrected, “Hey~ it was twice!”

With that, he flashed a brilliant smile at An Yi. Without lingering, his form flickered and he vanished into the bamboo grove like a gust of wind, leaving no trace.

An Yi stood alone, gazing at the direction where Ling Fengyao had disappeared. The air still carried a hint of the crisp wine fragrance of “Zui Chunfeng,” along with the free-spirited aura that the man brought, so out of place in the Fuyi Sect.

He raised an eyebrow slightly.

Wandering the martial world? Sounds quite interesting—a different kind of life.

Midnight tonight, huh?

He turned and walked toward Chenxin Hall, listening to the comments in his ear. His steps seemed a bit lighter than when he had arrived.

“So this new An Yi is the male lead’s companion?”

“I told you, why would anyone bring gay stuff into a male-oriented novel? Scared me to death! (holding chest)”

“How does the guy above know for sure this is the new An Yi?”

“Didn’t you just see he didn’t deny it when Ling Fengyao said it?”

“Not denying is admitting by default, and admitting by default is confession!”

“So this new An Yi is really the previous Young Master’s twin or a trained stand-in?”

“Has the previous demon cult Young Master already died from qi deviation?”

“Really?”

“Maybe!”

“Adding this character: could it be that later, after An Yi inherits the demon cult, he’ll submit to the male lead, and then the male lead unifies the righteous and demonic paths?”

“Highly likely!”

“...”

An Yi: ...

Very good guesses. Don't guess next time.

You're dreaming!