novelraw Chapter 317 315: The Thick Barrier Between Pei Yuhang and Lin Qianyan
Chapter 317 315: The Thick Barrier Between Pei Yuhang and Lin Qianyan
"Brother Pei, is Yueqiu's curse taken care of now?"
Lin Qianyan tilted her head up slightly, a hint of worry in her innocent eyes.
"Yes, it's no longer a problem."
"I'm so glad. Just now, you were covered in Yueqiu's scratches and bite marks, Brother Pei. It scared me to death. It seems the curse on her is truly no small matter."
"..."
Pei Yuhang fell silent for a moment, his gaze dropping slightly to avoid Lin Qianyan's.
'Sigh, deceiving Liyuan at home, deceiving Qianqian out here...'
Pei Yuhang sometimes felt like such a scumbag, finding it hard to face the vows of pure love he had once made.
'How did things turn out like this?'
Lin Qianyan seemed to notice Pei Yuhang's complex emotions. Her brow twitched slightly, and a flash of understanding crossed her eyes.
'Brother Pei must be worried about the disciple he raised since she was a child!'
Lin Qianyan couldn't help but feel a sense of resonance.
After all, she also had a True Disciple and knew this kind of attachment and worry all too well.
Her gaze lingered on Pei Yuhang's face for a moment, her eyes filled with a gentle concern.
Then, she bit her lower lip gently, as if having made a decision, and boldly reached out with her small, fair, slender hand to gently clasp Pei Yuhang's larger, slightly rough one.
Her fingers trembled slightly, yet they firmly conveyed warmth and comfort.
"Don't worry, Brother Pei." Lin Qianyan's voice was as gentle as the wind, carrying a soothing smile.
"There's always a way out. Yueqiu is a person of great fortune; you don't need to worry about her."
"...Thank you, Qianqian."
"Shh~ What's our relationship, Brother Pei? Is there any need to be so polite?"
Lin Qianyan reached out with a lily-white fingertip and pressed it against Pei Yuhang's lips. Her fragrance drifted into his nostrils, making his throat bob involuntarily.
Pei Yuhang was caught off guard by her sudden action, and the tips of his ears turned slightly red.
He subconsciously took a step back and pulled his hand from Lin Qianyan's grasp, his movements looking a little flustered.
"Um... that's too close, Qianqian."
he said in a low voice, a hint of unnatural tension in his tone. His gaze darted away, not daring to meet her eyes.
Seeing this, a flash of disappointment crossed Lin Qianyan's eyes, but it was quickly hidden by a smile.
She gently pulled her hand back, placed it behind her, and tilted her head slightly, saying in a deliberately lighthearted tone, "Brother Pei is still so shy. It really makes one want to tease you."
Pei Yuhang felt the dangerous ambiguity between them, as if a thin thread were tightly wound around his heart. The more he struggled, the harder it was to break free.
Facing Lin Qianyan, he actually found it more torturous than facing that wicked woman, Shang Miaoyan.
Because no matter how forward Shang Miaoyan was, Pei Yuhang knew he would never develop feelings for her. Her flamboyance and domineering nature only made him more determined to keep his distance.
But Lin Qianyan was different.
Her gentleness, her sensitivity, her eyes that seemed to see right through to his soul—he couldn't resist any of it.
Pei Yuhang knew he would truly fall for her... and that was absolutely forbidden.
Given Qianqian's current status, an uncrossable chasm lay between them.
Since fate had already caused them to miss their chance, perhaps going their separate ways was for the best.
Pei Yuhang's eyes were downcast, his long lashes casting a faint shadow beneath them, hiding the complex emotions within.
He didn't respond to Lin Qianyan, instead turning his gaze toward the rolling cloud of yellow dust on the distant horizon, as if it could carry away the turmoil in his heart.
"Qianqian, we're about to reach the Great Desert. Get ready... There are Demon Race tribes active there, so we need to be careful."
His voice was low and calm, as if he were deliberately suppressing something.
Hearing this, Lin Qianyan raised her eyes slightly, her gaze falling on Pei Yuhang's somewhat tense profile.
She sensed his distance, and a sour feeling washed over her heart, as if something inside her chest had quietly shattered.
Lin Qianyan pressed her lips together, trying hard to make her voice sound calm and firm. "...Mm, don't worry, Brother Pei. I'm already prepared."
After speaking, Lin Qianyan sighed softly.
She knew that Pei Yuhang was still sealing himself in that invisible shell of his, unwilling to break through the barrier and be frank with her.
Lin Qianyan's eyes lowered, her long lashes trembling, hiding the flicker of gloom that passed through them.
...
After the Spiritual Ship entered the Great Desert, it activated some kind of Illusion Array, blending in with the surroundings to conceal itself.
The man and three women on board stood on the deck, all watching a glittering, rhombus-shaped golden scale with bated breath.
"This Mirage Dragon Scale, I had someone buy it for me on the black market. It was discovered deep in the Northern Desert by a traveler who brought it back."
"I am quite accomplished in the Soul Spirit Dao. Coincidentally, scales shed from powerful creatures like the Mirage Dragon are extremely rich in Spiritual Charm. I have a way to use this Mirage Dragon Scale as a guide to find the creature itself."
As Ji Xichan spoke, she formed a hand seal and channeled her Spiritual Qi, causing the Mirage Dragon Scale to slowly float into the air.
At the same time, the shadow at the young woman's feet began to boil.
As Ji Xichan bit her fingertip and dripped her Essence Blood onto the Mirage Dragon Scale, her shadow twisted continuously before finally forming an arrow pointing forward.
"It's that way."
Lin Qianyan and Pei Yuhang looked in the direction the young woman was pointing, exchanged a glance, and then Lin Qianyan slapped a palm onto the Spiritual Ship, sending it forward at full speed in the direction Ji Xichan had indicated.
After the Spiritual Ship had flown for about fifty kilometers, the shadow at Ji Xichan's feet twisted and deformed again, becoming an arrow pointing northeast.
"Head northeast."
"Head north."
"Turn around..."
Under Ji Xichan's guidance, the group ventured deep into the Northern Desert. The endless yellow sand that met their eyes now seemed even more disorienting than the Cloud Sea.
Finally, after three continuous days of high-intensity flying and searching, Pei Yuhang squinted as he spotted a huge, ferocious-looking dragon claw mark on a distant cliff face.
"Those are marks left by a dragon claw... We're close to finding the Mirage Dragon."
Qing Yueqiu's beautiful crimson eyes lit up with joy as she looked at the size of the claw marks.
"Master, these claw marks are only a little over ten zhang long. That's much smaller than what's recorded in the scriptures."
"There's a high chance this Mirage Dragon is still in its youth. Its Cultivation and Dao Practice won't exceed a thousand years at most!"
Pei Yuhang nodded, also breathing a sigh of relief.
Although they had three Divinity Transformation cultivators who were all top-tier among their peers, as well as one Void Refining Great Cultivator, they were still facing a mysterious and unpredictable Ancient Strange Beast, so there was always a possibility of danger.
If the Mirage Dragon wasn't as formidable as they had imagined, that would be for the best.
Seeing they were about to find the Mirage Dragon, Lin Qianyan, who was usually calm and reserved, sounded somewhat excited. "Miss Ji, where should we go next?"
Ji Xichan's beautiful eyes flickered, and the shadow at her feet split into two strands.
The two shadow arrows pointed in completely opposite directions, a directive that stunned everyone.
"Miss Ji, what does this mean?"
Ji Xichan's beautiful eyes glinted slightly as she said in a low voice, "Perhaps the Mirage Dragon has already detected my tracking. This is a method it's using to disguise its trail and protect itself."
"The Mirage Dragon has detected us..."
Pei Yuhang frowned slightly.
"Then what should we... do now?"
For safety's sake, Pei Yuhang had intended to say, "Everyone, let's explore in one direction first."
But he quickly stopped himself.
If, as Ji Xichan said, the Mirage Dragon had really discovered their presence, then if they chose the wrong direction, the Mirage Dragon might conceal itself completely, making it impossible for them to ever find it again.
And it would become impossible to further seal the curse on Yueqiu.
And Pei Yuhang knew that even if he used Yin Yang Fusion to inscribe the Demon-Planting Mark on Yueqiu, she might not last even half a year.
Although even the Golden Sun Divine Seal couldn't seal it completely, it could at least contend with the Curse Seal for a few more years. Every moment he could buy mattered. As long as he had time, Pei Yuhang was confident he could find a way to completely eradicate that damn curse.
Therefore, this hunt for the Mirage Dragon absolutely could not end in failure!
Pei Yuhang took a deep breath, a solemn look on his face. After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly, his voice low but firm.
"Qianqian, we have to split into two groups. Even if one path is a decoy, the other will lead to the real body."
Hearing this, Lin Qianyan's brow furrowed instantly, a flash of unease in her eyes.
"Split up? That's too dangerous! The Mirage Dragon's Illusion Technique is already hard enough to deal with. If we divide our strength, aren't we just walking into a trap?"
"Sister Lin is right, Master. Your decision is too reckless. If we split up, won't we be giving the Mirage Dragon a chance to pick us off one by one?"
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, Ji Xichan raised her eyes slightly. "I support Pei Sword Immortal's idea."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over Lin Qianyan and Qing Yueqiu, and continued:
"The Mirage Dragon has already discovered our trail. It possesses Illusionary Divine Abilities. If it decides to hide, we'll never get another chance to find it."
"Splitting up, with me following Pei Sword Immortal and Sister Lin taking Qing Yueqiu, is the only way to succeed."
"Besides, I can sense that the Mirage Dragon is not far from our current position. If one party finds something, the other can quickly come to their aid."
As she spoke, a piece of the shadow at Ji Xichan's feet quietly detached itself and slithered like a living thing toward Lin Qianyan's feet.
"This piece of shadow can also point the way. Sister Lin can use it to search for the Mirage Dragon in the other direction..."
"I disagree!"
Just then, Qing Yueqiu suddenly spoke up, interrupting Ji Xichan.
Ji Xichan raised her eyes, her gaze as calm as still water. She looked placidly at the "bristling" silver-haired girl, her tone still unhurried.
"Qing Yueqiu, what do you disagree with?"
She paused, a flash of understanding in her eyes, and asked softly, "Are you refuting the plan to split up, or is it that you don't want to go with Sister Lin and want to go with Pei Yuhang instead?"
"If you want to stick to your Master, just say so... though I don't think that's a very rational decision. After all, you've only just broken through to Divinity Transformation, so you're the weakest among us. Sister Lin is the strongest; she can protect you better than Pei Sword Immortal can."
"You—"
Qing Yueqiu was struck speechless by the question. Her fair cheeks flushed crimson with an indescribable mix of shame and anger, but she didn't know how to retort.
"Alright, Yueqiu. What Ji Xichan said does make sense. If my group runs into the Mirage Dragon, I might have a hard time protecting you. Qianqian has the highest Cultivation among us, so you'll be safer with her."
"You don't need to worry about me, either. Since Ji Xichan said the Mirage Dragon is already close, if we encounter it, Qianqian can provide support quickly."
Pei Yuhang spoke to comfort his disciple, clearly having already agreed to Ji Xichan's method.
Hearing this, the corners of Ji Xichan's lips curled up slightly.
She gave Qing Yueqiu a disdainful glance and thought to herself: 'Qing Yueqiu, I've been planning this for so long. Did you really think you could ruin everything with just a few words?'