"You're awake?"
Ling Yunhe hadn't even opened his eyes before he heard the voice.
The voice held no hostility, and he couldn't sense any killing intent around him. So, after a moment of dazed confusion, he rubbed his eyelids and opened his eyes.
This was a dim space. The ceiling above was deep and dark, leading to who-knew-where. Vines tangled all around, creating a scene of mess and filth. He lay on damp soil, separated from it only by a thin layer of his robe. He could even smell the earth's fragrance.
He circulated the spiritual energy within his body. It flowed smoothly, unimpeded. This made him pause in surprise. He had long-standing internal injuries and had suffered several impacts. In the end, the backlash of his own energy had caused him to faint. He had been certain his injuries would be severe, yet upon waking, his meridians and Dantian were still intact. Only his strength had been somewhat depleted.
"Fellow Daoist Ling?" Seeing the dazed look on Ling Yunhe's face, Mo Tiange frowned. Had his injuries been too severe to recover from yet?
Hearing her voice, Ling Yunhe's attention slowly focused. Finally, his gaze sharpened and settled on her face.
"So it's Fellow Daoist Qin." Ling Yunhe nodded to her in greeting, then turned to look at their surroundings. "Did you save me?"
Mo Tiange shook her head. "Not by my efforts alone."
Her modest words actually stirred a sense of gratitude in Ling Yunhe. He sat up, looked around again, then glanced down at himself. He found his magical treasures were not missing, and his spirit beast, the vulture, was safely inside its spirit beast pouch. Only then did he truly relax.
"Where is this? Where are the others? How are they?"
"They are all resting. This is a tree hollow," Mo Tiange answered.
"Oh." Ling Yunhe nodded, touching his chest. "What about my injuries?"
Mo Tiange said lightly, "I happened to have some healing pills. After Fellow Daoist Yun Fei and I exchanged checks, we gave them to you."
"Is that so..." Ling Yunhe pressed on his Dantian, giving Mo Tiange a deep look. "Fellow Daoist Qin's pills are truly extraordinary. I... thank you." He knew his own injuries well. He had latent injuries in his Dantian, and on top of that, he had forcefully urged his true essence to escape the Giant Ape's pursuit. It could almost be said that even if he survived and returned, winning the position of Sect Master, it would take him years, even over a decade, to recover to his pre-injury state. But now, Mo Tiange's pills had timely controlled his injuries, leaving only some residual damage. If he could recuperate properly, it would at the very least save him half the time. More importantly, with his current injuries not being severe, he would have a much greater chance in the Sect Master selection.
Seeing Mo Tiange merely smile without replying, Ling Yunhe continued asking, "By the way, what exactly happened? How did you find me? What about that Giant Ape?"
After Mo Tiange concisely explained the events, Ling Yunhe looked at her with relief. "So that's how it was. It seems the greatest fortune of this journey for me was inviting Fellow Daoist Qin to join us."
Without Mo Tiange, even if he had escaped the Giant Ape, fainting alone in Carefree Valley would have been a near-certain death sentence. And the others wouldn't have found him so quickly. Now he only felt fortunate. Previously, when he invited Mo Tiange, he merely thought she possessed many spiritual treasures, handled matters steadily, and had decent cultivation—she should be helpful. He hadn't expected her to be of such great use.
Mo Tiange merely smiled slightly at this. Her scrutinizing gaze fell upon him, and she suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist Ling, why did you lure the Giant Ape away alone? Weren't you afraid of perishing?"
Ling Yunhe rubbed his temples, looking utterly weary. "I was confident in some secret techniques I possess; I should have been able to escape. I just didn't anticipate my injuries being too severe. Although I escaped, I couldn't hold on for long." After saying this, he turned to look at Mo Tiange. "What about you all? Is Fellow Daoist Yang's injury alright?"
"Mn," Mo Tiange said. "Although Fellow Daoist Yang's injuries look terrifying, they didn't harm his Dantian or meridians. The physical bodies of us demonic cultivators are tougher than ours. I imagine he'll recover soon."
"That's good," Ling Yunhe sighed in relief, smiling. "Then we can still continue..."
"Fellow Daoist Ling," Mo Tiange's gaze flickered. "Everything you've done is to ensure the search for the Carefree Fruit proceeds smoothly?"
Ling Yunhe's smile halted. He stared at Mo Tiange, neither speaking nor moving.
After a long while, he averted his gaze, still smiling. "I can only say that during the period we are still companions, you can trust me."
Mo Tiange noted he said 'you,' not 'you all.' This made her frown. "Why does Fellow Daoist Ling say that? Do you think the others are untrustworthy?"
Ling Yunhe shook his head, giving her a meaningful look. "Fellow Daoist Qin, whether the others are trustworthy or not, you know yourself."
Mo Tiange fell silent. They were all outstanding among Core Formation cultivators. Precisely because of that, they dared not lightly trust others, nor could they be lightly trusted.
Setting aside Ling Yunfei and Tian Zhiqian, Tian Can was too mysterious, Yang Chengji was too suspicious, and she herself was too cautious. In truth, none were truly trustworthy.
Yet Ling Yunhe's words just now seemed to imply he considered her a trustworthy person.
Mo Tiange couldn't quite grasp his thoughts. She tilted her head in thought, then asked directly, "Do you perhaps find me trustworthy?"
Ling Yunhe smiled slightly, sighing wearily once more—at this moment, he seemed not to mind showing his fatigue before Mo Tiange at all.
"I was chosen as one of the Jiuyan Sect's Sect Master candidates, so of course I have some skill in judging people. Someone like Fellow Daoist Qin can be befriended, not deceived. If treated with courtesy, she returns courtesy. But if constantly guarded against, it would instead provoke her displeasure. Fellow Daoist Qin, am I right?"
Surprise flickered across Mo Tiange's face. She hadn't even thought about it carefully herself, but upon Ling Yunhe's summary, upon careful reflection, it wasn't wrong. If others don't offend me, I won't offend them. If others offend me, they can be killed.
Seeing the expression on Mo Tiange's face, Ling Yunhe laughed. This laugh wasn't like his usual one—though amiable, it kept others at a distance. This one carried a hint of childlike pride and an unburdened ease.
"I hit the mark, didn't I?"
Mo Tiange gazed at the tree canopy for a good while before finally revealing a helpless smile. "If I didn't know better, I'd think Fellow Daoist Ling and I had known each other for a long time."
Ling Yunhe's smile grew wider. After laughing for a bit, he said, "Fellow Daoist Qin, why aren't you a man?"
"Huh?" Mo Tiange didn't understand his meaning.
Ling Yunhe continued, "It's not that I look down on women, it's just..."
He paused for a long time, never finishing the sentence. However, Mo Tiange somewhat understood his meaning. Friendships between the same gender were always more convenient than those between opposite genders, and it was easier to become close confidants.
At this moment, she suddenly thought of Nie Wushang. If not for their opposing stances and those unclear, tangled grievances, perhaps she and Nie Wushang could have become close friends? She wondered how Nie Wushang was now. Had she found a way to control her own Yuan Demon Qi?
"Fellow Daoist Qin?"
"Hmm?" Mo Tiange snapped back to attention.
Ling Yunhe's gaze swept over her. "Are you... missing someone?"
"Huh?" The moment she met Ling Yunhe's gaze, Mo Tiange knew he had misunderstood. However, there was no need to explain this misunderstanding, so she tacitly acknowledged it.
Seeing her expression, a flicker of disappointment—one he himself couldn't quite understand—passed through Ling Yunhe's eyes. Realizing this, his heart suddenly jolted. Was he...?
Fortunately, he timely heard Mo Tiange's question: "... Since Fellow Daoist Ling is skilled at judging people, what do you think of the others?"
Ling Yunhe thought for a moment. "That Fellow Daoist Yang was recommended by Yun Fei. He himself is quite famous among the Core Formation cultivators in our Yunzhong. Don't think less of him just because he's only at the early Core Formation stage. As the favored disciple of Demon Lord Guifang, one of the Three Great Demon Lords of our Yunzhong, his aptitude goes without saying. Moreover, it's said Demon Lord Guifang regards him as his true heir, passing on all his secret techniques. As long as he forms his Nascent Soul, after Demon Lord Guifang steps down, he will inherit the position of master of Guifang City."
"Guifang City?"
"Ah," Ling Yunhe laughed. "I forgot again. Fellow Daoist Qin isn't a cultivator from Yunzhong, so you're not very familiar with our Yunzhong's cultivation world. Their demonic cultivators are quite different from us. They revere individual ability more, so there aren't many so-called great sects like ours. Instead, demonic territories established by some great supernatural demonic cultivators are more powerful. Guifang City is a demonic territory established by Demon Lord Guifang a thousand years ago. It holds immense influence in North Lin Country, even throughout Yunzhong. It can be said that as Demon Lord Guifang's beloved disciple, Yang Chengji holds significant weight in Yunzhong."
"To think it's like that..." Mo Tiange was moved. "Since Fellow Daoist Yang has such a status, what could he possibly lack? Why would he still take risks to trade with Fellow Daoist Ling?"
Hearing this question, Ling Yunhe sighed deeply, his gaze revealing weariness once more. "How could it be that easy? Leaning against a big tree is good for shade, but too many people fight for that little patch of shade. Conflicts always arise. No matter how glorious one's status, one cannot act entirely as one wishes."
Seeing his expression and recalling the previously heard stories of infighting within the Ling Family, Mo Tiange gained some understanding. To outsiders, Ling Yunhe seemed quite glorious: a genius disciple, cherished by the Patriarch, valued by the sect, able to mobilize so many resources, participating in the Sect Master selection. But for this, he was at odds with his clan brother, openly and covertly contending, even sustaining injuries. To avoid these, he pretended his cultivation couldn't recover, appearing downcast. The helplessness and frustration within were hard for outsiders to comprehend.
Although Mo Tiange was also a disciple of a great sect, neither her master nor Qin Xi participated in power struggles, nor were they burdened by family matters, so they had always been at ease. She suddenly thought: Her master was a Nascent Soul cultivator and had a junior like Qin Xi. Why had he never thought of establishing a cultivation family? Could it be for this very reason?
"Demon Lord Guifang doesn't have only him as a disciple. Precisely because he is the most valued, some matters are even harder to handle." Ling Yunhe smiled and continued, "As for that Fellow Daoist Tian Can..." He pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "This person I met by chance. His strength is remarkable, but he's too mysterious. Even now, whether he is friend or foe, I still cannot see through him."
Speaking to this point, Ling Yunhe again looked at Mo Tiange with that meaningful gaze. "However, I presume Fellow Daoist Qin gets along quite well with this Fellow Daoist Tian Can."
Mo Tiange smiled faintly, offering no further explanation. "What about your younger brother and that Fellow Daoist Tian?"
Ling Yunhe was taken aback. "Them... what is there to say?"
Mo Tiange understood and nodded. "It seems they are the people Fellow Daoist Ling trusts the most."
"Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn't have called them to come along." Ling Yunhe said, "Yun Fei has been close to me since childhood. We are both from collateral branches of the Ling Family, similar in age. For so many years, we've supported each other growing up. As for Brother Tian, we also have many years of friendship. To me, he's even more reliable than some fellow disciples or clansmen. It can be said, these two are people I don't need to guard against at all."
These words from Ling Yunhe seemed utterly sincere, as if holding nothing back. Such trust made Mo Tiange feel it was somewhat excessive. She thought, Ling Yunhe was right about her character. She could be befriended, not deceived. If others trusted her, she couldn't bring herself to betray that trust... This was not good. The more he said, the more bound she would become, wouldn't she?