Chapter 54: Su Yun

Chapter 54 Su Hang

A shadow passed through Su Hang's eyes upon hearing this.

Inside the small courtyard of Guanwei Academy, Immortal Venerable Lingqing stood as the formation blocked out the noisy sounds of the disciples outside, leaving only the gentle babbling of the stream passing through the garden. It was tranquil and secluded here, and Su Hang's nervous heartbeat was laid bare under the Immortal Venerable's silent scrutiny.

"If there is nothing else, go practice your sword first. I'll test you after three sticks of incense have burned."

The Immortal Venerable Lingqing's voice was flat, stripped of its usual warmth, his eyes dark and somber, as if displeased by Su Hang's words. He cast one final glance at Su Hang before turning and walking away.

The Immortal Venerable walked past him into the dappled tree shadows, then under the eaves of the residence, and finally entered the house, his figure vanishing into the dimness.

Su Hang instinctively reached out to hold him back, even wanting to chase after the Immortal Venerable's steps, but his heart suddenly skipped a beat, his lips trembling slightly. In the end, he silently lowered his outstretched hand, a trace of loneliness flickering in his eyes.

In the past, knowing that the Immortal Venerable wished to keep him by his side, Su Hang would never have dared to make such a request.

After all, he had no one else but the Immortal Venerable; no one else in this world could ever love him like that.

Su Hang decided to let the matter drop. His fingertips unconsciously rested on the soft sword at his waist. As he turned his gaze, a somewhat blurred figure flashed through his mind.

'Young master, come with me. The world is vast—I've memorized the maps of every continent. There's nowhere we can't go!'

The memory felt veiled in a layer of mist, like the fine drizzle that would sometimes fall in the Southern Continent, blurring his sight. Two tiny figures curled up together, their shadows overlapping, two pairs of glossy black eyes gazing at the scant charcoal...

Su Hang sniffed, as if the hot, humid wind of the Southern Continent had flooded his nose. He shook his head hard, shaking off the ill-timed thoughts.

Under the dappled shade, Su Hang stood there quietly. He tilted his head up. It was a bright, sunny day, but the sunlight stung his eyes a little.

Inside the house, the Immortal Venerable Lingqing's eyes grew darker and darker. He drew a deep breath to steady himself, watching Su Hang outside the door without blinking.

Only when Su Hang gradually walked away did the Immortal Venerable Lingqing withdraw his gloomy gaze and let out a cold snort.

He had been waiting the whole time—waiting for Su Hang to chase after him into the residence, to apologize all pitiful and pathetic, to say he would never leave.

But this time, it didn't happen.

A slight frown creased the Immortal Venerable Lingqing's brow. The hand fanning him came to an abrupt halt. He pulled his gaze back and turned from the window.

*

A crisp wind blew through Guanwei Academy, tinged with the faint scent of grass and greenery. Su Hang stood in a clearing and set his sword down. The soft sword quivered twice in the air, letting out a sharp ring.

Su Hang raised a hand to comb back his wind-blown hair, then looked up at the sky.

The sun had moved west; over three sticks of incense had burned. Su Hang glanced around but didn't catch sight of that white-robed figure.

"Su Hang."

A voice broke the stillness. Su Hang's eyes lit up, and he turned to see the Immortal Venerable Lingqing standing by the stream, watching him from afar.

Su Hang hurried over to the Immortal Venerable Lingqing but came to a dead stop a foot away. He dropped his head stiffly, pressing his lips together, at a loss for words.

The smile on the Immortal Venerable Lingqing's face froze for a beat, then something unreadable flickered in his eyes. He frowned in confusion and asked, "Back on Falling Snow Peak, you wanted to come to Guanwei Academy. Now that you're here, you want to go down the mountain to train?"

Su Hang pressed his lips together, lowering his head even further.

He didn't really know why he was so fixated on this. Was it just that he didn't want to idle away his time and wanted to contribute to the academy? Or was it that subtle ache of watching Ji Chuan and Qu Wenshan grow while he stayed stuck in place, drifting further from his friends?

Su Hang didn't know, and he had no way to answer the Immortal Venerable Lingqing's question.

Moreover, he always felt that even if he let his grievances show, even if he let his face tell the Immortal Venerable Lingqing he was upset, the Immortal Venerable wouldn't scold him the way a father would.

The two stood in a silent standoff. Finally, the slight furrow in the Immortal Venerable Lingqing's brow eased. He let out a sigh and said helplessly, "Remember to keep the storage ring I gave you on you at all times. If you encounter danger..."

Su Hang's head shot up at that, a shy smile blooming on his face as the tips of his ears quietly flushed red.

The Immortal Venerable Lingqing's deliberate pause made Su Hang all the more anxious. He took another half step forward, instinctively tugging at the hem of the Immortal Venerable's robe, his voice carrying a note of urgency: "Immortal Venerable, if I encounter danger, I definitely won't force myself. I'll definitely run."

They were close now, close enough that the Immortal Venerable Lingqing could feel Su Hang's warm breath, soft as a kitten's.

The Immortal Venerable Lingqing's cold, hard heart went soft in an instant. Looking at Su Hang's eager little face, he couldn't help but show a flicker of fondness.

He raised his hand, his cool fingertips gently tapping Su Hang's brow a few times, and said softly, "That's right. If you encounter danger, run."

Su Hang raised a hand to rub the spot where the Immortal Venerable Lingqing had tapped, feeling a hint of coolness seemingly piercing through his forehead and seeping into his meridians.

"Go now. The academy has classes this afternoon. You'll still make it in time."

Su Hang nodded solemnly, but couldn't hide the joy on his face. Even his steps were a bit livelier as he turned to leave.

The Immortal Venerable Lingqing stood behind a tree, arms crossed over his chest, leaning against it in a rare moment of relaxation. A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips as he watched Su Hang's figure gradually swallowed by the light ahead. His heart suddenly skipped a beat.

An indescribable sense of unease gradually rose within him. The smile at his lips slowly faded. The tree shadows layered upon each other, a gust of wind rustling the branches. From afar came the familiar sound of bells, but the Immortal Venerable Lingqing could no longer see Su Hang.

He straightened up, a hint of worry flickering in his eyes. Perhaps he should have followed. It wasn't as if Elder Yang absolutely had to go—there was plenty of work at Baigong Hall. He could help share Elder Yang's burden.

Elder Yang would surely be pleased.

"What a pity. Elder Yang specifically requested to go to the lower realm."

A voice slowly sounded from behind the Immortal Venerable Lingqing. His brows furrowed slightly, displeased by the uninvited arrival. Turning around, he saw the Sect Master gently waving his fan, a meaningful smile playing at the corner of his lips.

The Immortal Venerable Lingqing let out a cold snort upon hearing this, his voice flat and unperturbed, yet carrying his usual arrogance: "Hah, I have a hundred ways to make sure that Elder never dares to speak of going to the lower realm again."

The Sect Master knew at once what his junior brother was thinking. He merely shook his head, lightly tapping the Immortal Venerable Lingqing's arm with his fan, and said with a puzzled expression, "What kind of love potion did that Su Hang feed you? Ever since he arrived, you've been—you've been..."

The Sect Master raised an eyebrow and let out a self-deprecating laugh. He had intended to list the Immortal Venerable Lingqing's previous diligent efforts as a comparison, to show him how lax he'd become—like 'you don't refine pills anymore, you don't forge artifacts anymore.' But on second thought, even before Su Hang arrived at the Outer Heavens, the Immortal Venerable Lingqing didn't do those things either.

Every day he just drank tea, read books, and was terribly bored. But after Su Hang came, the Immortal Venerable Lingqing had actually refined a few pills and forged a weapon—he'd become more diligent, if anything.

The Sect Master could only smack his lips and swallow the words stuck in his throat. Finally, he just said, "Don't push too hard either. This mission has an Elder accompanying them—it's only because Elder Yang wants to go to the lower realm. Most of the time, how could an Elder possibly follow along on missions?"

There were so many disciples in the Outer Heavens, all going down for missions. Did that mean an Elder would follow each one? Impossible.

As for the disciples' safety, they had their own magical artifacts. If they were unfortunate enough to lose their lives, they could only blame their own lack of skill.

The Immortal Venerable Lingqing's eyes darkened. He knew what his senior brother was trying to say. Today he had softened and opened this door. If Su Hang wanted to take on more missions in the future, wanted to go down to the lower realm for training, he couldn't very well stop him.

If he were to serve as the little one's escorting Elder every time—though he didn't care what irrelevant people said—the Immortal Venerable Lingqing himself wasn't sure Su Hang wouldn't feel awkward about it.

Whenever matters involved Su Hang, the Immortal Venerable Lingqing's heart always softened a little more.

"Then I have other ways." The Immortal Venerable Lingqing finally averted his gaze, his brow relaxing as he looked elsewhere, then added, "You wouldn't come without a reason, Senior Brother. Why are you here today?"

*

The sun was setting in the west, the sky turning red, clouds edged with gold. Only a few scattered people remained in the academy's dining hall. Su Hang sat by a window, the rustling leaves outside muffling the voices of his fellow disciples.

Qu Wenshan and Ji Chuan had both already achieved fasting, leaving Su Hang alone in the dining hall, humming a tuneless little melody, enjoying such a tranquil moment.

"Su Hang?"

A voice cut through the stillness around Su Hang. He instinctively looked up, and upon seeing who it was, his body stiffened. The person before him was someone Su Hang felt absolutely should not appear here.

The person who arrived was Su Yun.

A Su family disciple he'd long since lost touch with.

Su Hang stood up, his eyes showing a mix of confusion and tension. He swallowed nervously, his lips parting just enough to show a sliver of teeth. He wanted to say something, but the words felt caught in his throat, unable to come out.

Su Yun across from him seemed somewhat awkward as well, silently averting his gaze that had been fixed on Su Hang. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

"Su Yun, why are you here? I..."

I'm not a Su family member anymore—what's there left to say between us?

Su Hang choked back the rest of his words. He truly did not know how to voice it. His gaze drifted elsewhere, his heart giving a sharp pang. He even felt a trace of resentment toward Su Yun, blaming him for showing up and making him hurt for no reason.

Su Yun seemed completely oblivious to Su Hang's inner turmoil, casually taking a seat at the table, a smile that never seemed to leave his lips.

Su Hang couldn't hide his guard. Even when they were both in the Su family, they'd never really talked. Seeing Su Yun act so chummy, he frowned, his displeasure plain to see.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."

At that, Su Yun quickly spoke up, "Su Hang, don't go! I heard you're also heading down the mountain for training? Is the team leader Qu Wenshan? Then we might be in the same group."

Su Yun pulled Su Hang over as if they were old friends, chattering on with a beaming smile. Su Hang felt even more uneasy upon hearing they might be in the same group. He did not want to have any more dealings with the Su family.

"The elder leading the group was probably Elder Yang before, but now..."

Su Yun studied Su Hang thoughtfully. Su Hang, getting goosebumps from being stared at like that, simply said, "What exactly are you trying to say?"