CFRSIO Chapter 54

In the Soul Lamp Hall of the sect, there are many disciples of the Qingyun Sect. After becoming skilled in their techniques, many disciples choose to go out for experience. It is normal for a few soul lamps to be extinguished in a sect with countless disciples.

But today is a little different.

The young disciple who came to sweep, holding a water bucket, ran out stumbling within minutes.

“Something… something has happened!!”

“Help! Quick, help!! Something has happened!”

Dozens of soul lamps in the Soul Lamp Hall have been extinguished. This situation is not common, and these soul lamps were extinguished at the same time. Moreover, these soul lamps do not all belong to disciples from the same mountain peak; they are from several mountain peaks. Such a situation is almost impossible.

The current situation made the sweeping young disciple extremely panicked. He dared not conceal such a matter and immediately ran to find the elders.

“What is it? So flustered?” the elder in charge of the Soul Lamp Hall said unpleasantly, looking at the sweeping young disciple.

“Elder Jiang! Something has happened!”

Elder Jiang, who was originally indifferent, became agitated upon hearing this and quickly asked, “What has happened?”

The Soul Lamp Hall is a vital area in the sect. If something truly happened, he, the elder in charge, would not be able to escape responsibility.

“Reporting to the elder, the soul lamps of several disciples in the Soul Lamp Hall have been extinguished!”

“Several?” The elder’s face also changed.

The extinguishing of disciples’ soul lamps is not a rare occurrence, but several? This is unlikely. Moreover, the sect disciples have not participated in any secret realm trials recently. How could several disciples’ soul lamps be extinguished?

“Are you sure you checked carefully! Have the soul lamps of several disciples really been extinguished?”

“I checked carefully! At least ten disciples’ soul lamps have been extinguished!”

Elder Jiang’s heart skipped a beat. The Qingyun Sect holds a significant position on the Chengyuan Continent, and no one has ever dared to attack them! How could ten disciples’ soul lamps be extinguished at once?!

This incident happened suddenly, so the sect naturally suppressed the news.

However, there were whispers among the disciples from various mountain peaks, and it was easy for them to catch wind of it. This was because the disciples who were said to be returning from their external experiences had not returned for a long time, which led to some suspicion.

Many people wanted to go to the Soul Lamp Hall to see and understand the situation of their fellow disciples, but they were all turned away. This further fueled their suspicion.

They suspected their matters, but Zhang Qing’an did not care. He could barely stay still now, not even enjoying his classes, because he had more important things to do.

Lin Yunliang looked at the person busy in the field with some helplessness. Everyone else was thinking about how to leave Lingtian Mountain, but this person actually wanted to come over.

“Alright, alright,” Lin Yunliang couldn’t stand it anymore and immediately walked over, grabbing the person.

Zhang Qing’an’s eyes lit up, he breathed a sigh of relief, and wiped the glistening sweat from his forehead. Lin Yunliang also reached out to help wipe it. Zhang Qing’an was not tired. In the first small world, although his family was quite wealthy, that was later.

In the beginning, his family had also endured hardship, and he had worked in the fields with his parents. The current work did not make him feel tired.

Lin Yunliang looked at the person in front of him with amusement and exasperation. He didn’t want the person to work so hard, but the person insisted on doing it himself, which made him feel distressed.

“It’s very satisfying,” Lin Yunliang said somewhat irritably. He wanted to flick the person’s forehead, but seeing the bright eyes, Lin Yunliang couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Zhang Qing’an smiled.

Although helpless, he couldn’t say anything harsh. He could only lead the person to sit aside, open the water flask, and let him drink a few mouthfuls to relieve his fatigue.

Fortunately, this place was allocated to them by the elders of Lingtian Mountain, and usually, no other disciples would come here. This was why Lin Yunliang felt so relieved to let the person come. Otherwise, Lin Yunliang would have directly taken the person back to his dormitory.

He didn’t want the disciples of Lingtian Mountain to discover their relationship.

“What are your plans next?” Lin Yunliang asked.

“When can we leave Qingyun Sect?” Zhang Qing’an also happened to speak.

The two were quite in sync. They looked at each other and both smiled.

Siam, who was playing with a ball on the table, didn’t want to bother with them. He was just playing with his ball, not caring, as they would find them themselves if they needed anything.

“It will be a few more days,” Lin Yunliang said. He confessed his situation, “Since the last promotion, I can feel my spiritual energy growing at an exponential rate.”

“I’m afraid I will be promoted again in a few days.”

“After I am promoted, I will go to settle accounts with Ning Xiyu, and then we can leave.”

Zhang Qing’an did not object upon hearing this. He only had one sentence: “Take me with you.”

What for? Naturally, to go and trouble Ning Xiyu together.

Lin Yunliang naturally did not want the person to accompany him, but since the person had already proposed, he naturally would not refuse now. “Okay.” He held Zhang Qing’an’s hand.

“We’ll do it together then.”

The two were safe and sound here, and they didn’t care about the chaos outside.

Lin Yunliang and the others didn’t really care. “How are you?”

Last time, he hadn’t considered all the circumstances during his promotion. He didn’t know if Zhang Qing’an would be affected as well. Otherwise, he would never have been promoted at this time.

Zhang Qing’an shook his head. The last promotion had brought him more benefits.

One of them was at the Golden Core stage, and the other at the Foundation Establishment stage. Moreover, they were different from ordinary people. Their life threads were clearly more intertwined, causing Lin Yunliang’s promotion to drive Zhang Qing’an’s cultivation. Now, the person’s cultivation had reached the Half-Step Golden Core level.

However, no one on Wuxiu Mountain knew about this. They all thought he was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining. It was also thanks to the magic item Siam had given him earlier that allowed him to hide all the changes in his body.

Seeing that the person’s demeanor was very good, Lin Yunliang knew that the person was not pretending. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

“It’s quite peaceful here,” Zhang Qing’an said, looking around the surroundings. He saw that everything in the house was quite good.

He thought that if he had known this earlier, he should have used the money to rent a single room.

Lin Yunliang smiled. His place was only peaceful because it was remote.

After he returned, he had always been very restrained. Coupled with the fact that their formation had Siam’s help, it made it appear to outsiders as if there were no changes here. Therefore, no one knew he had returned. The already peaceful area naturally became even more quiet and tranquil.

—

After many disciples within the sect had an accident, many empty positions were vacated, giving Sun Gu and others some ideas.

Furthermore, Ning Xiyu also discovered some things. His secret chamber could not be opened.

Ning Xiyu was accompanied by Ning Shijiang. Recently, there had been a series of incidents in the sect. First, Guang Baiqiao had an accident and his whereabouts were unknown. Now, disciples from various mountain peaks of the sect had accidents, and their soul lamps were extinguished.

This also made Ning Xiyu somewhat worried. Although Ning Shijiang knew many of the sect’s secrets, some of his thoughts had not yet changed. He originally thought that this person would know right from wrong and stop looking for Zhang Qing’an. However, it seemed that this person still hadn’t seen clearly.

Therefore, Ning Xiyu wanted to take the person to see the current plight of Lin Yunliang, to let him know what a miserable fate people without ability would fall into, especially those with special abilities like him and Lin Yunliang.

However, he discovered that he could not open the secret chamber door.

While surprised, he also guessed that something must have happened. He couldn’t help but curse the research fanatic, thinking that this fellow hadn’t transmitted any news at all. Could it be that the Divine Book was special, and Lin Yunliang’s blood was special, causing him to be taken away privately?

“Shijiang,” Ning Xiyu said, “come here.”

The lock on this secret chamber door was intentionally made with Lin Yunliang’s blood. It was much more advanced than others. Now that it couldn’t be opened, it showed that something had happened.

Ning Shijiang could see the contents of the Divine Book and would definitely be able to open this lock.

The person could indeed open the lock.

Upon opening the secret chamber door, a foul odor assailed their nostrils. This was unexpected. Ning Xiyu had originally thought the person had left. Now it seemed he had misunderstood. The research fanatic had not abandoned him and left directly.

Instead… he was dead.

Ning Shijiang’s face also changed. The pungent smell made him panic for a moment because he also recognized the smell as blood. His father had a secret chamber in his room, which already made him suspicious. Now that he smelled blood in his father’s secret chamber, how could he not be flustered?

Lin Yunliang’s figure was no longer visible in the secret chamber. There was only a blackened blood pool and a skeleton that had long since lost its breath and flesh. Ning Xiyu knew whose skeleton this was.

“Lin Yunliang was originally imprisoned here,” Ning Xiyu said, his silent attitude making people feel unfamiliar, and emanating an endless aura of pressure. “Do you know why?”

Ning Shijiang’s expression changed. He had never expected such a thing to happen. Even though he had some idea in his heart, he still shook his head, pretending not to know.

“Because he was useless.”

“Lin Yunliang’s strength was low, yet he possessed extraordinary abilities, so he was bound to be schemed against.”

“I captured him not only to tell you that the weak get beaten, but also for you.”

“His blood is what makes the Divine Book manifest. Otherwise, do you think your strength was improved how?”

With every word Ning Xiyu spoke, Ning Shijiang’s expression changed. He knew that his father was advising him, telling him that if he didn’t know his place and improve his abilities, he would eventually end up like Lin Yunliang.

“Don’t think that he is not here now,” Ning Xiyu said. “However, since we were able to capture him once, we will have a second chance.”

“Ning Shijiang, you must be clear about your identity.”

“From now on, you are not allowed to do anything improper, understood?”

“Yes.” Ning Xiyu had placed these things so plainly before him, how could he not understand?

His heart sank slightly. He knew that it would be difficult to obtain Zhang Qing’an in a short period. Yes, his current strength was insufficient. When his strength was sufficient, wouldn’t he be able to do whatever he wanted?

After thinking it through, Zhang Qing’an’s expression clearly improved.

Seeing the person’s expression, Ning Xiyu understood his son quite well and knew that he had come to his senses. At this point, his expression also improved considerably. Otherwise, Ning Xiyu would have surely taught him another lesson.

“It’s good that you’ve understood.”

“My son is a capable person. When your strength is sufficient to manage the entire Qingyun Sect in the future, you will be able to do whatever you want.”

“Do you understand?”

This was Ning Xiyu’s last piece of advice. If Ning Shijiang disappointed him again in the future, he would no longer care about him. There were not only Ning Shijiang in this world who could be useful.

“That’s enough, go back and rest,” Ning Xiyu said. Then he remembered something else. “The sect competition is in a few months. You must be prepared.”

“Yes.” Speaking of this, Ning Shijiang’s spirit instantly revived.

The sect competition was a major event. It only happened once every hundred years, and it was related to the Chengyuan Secret Realm on the Chengyuan Continent. The Chengyuan Secret Realm was the largest secret realm on the Chengyuan Continent, and it only opened once every hundred years.

The conditions for entering after it opened were extremely strict. Only cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage and under the age of one hundred could enter. And every cultivator who could enter would surely gain great rewards. In the future, whether it was Nascent Soul or Soul Transformation, it would be a natural progression without needing much effort.

Therefore, many cultivators wanted to participate in the Chengyuan Secret Realm.

The ownership of the Chengyuan Secret Realm had been contested for many years, and finally, the current situation emerged. The main part fell to the three major sects, and the rest belonged to those who were destined to obtain it, either by chance or by purchasing it at an auction. In short, almost every (pass) could stir up a storm.

This was a major event on the Chengyuan Continent, and naturally, everyone took it seriously. There were also those who did not take it seriously, such as Lin Yunliang and Zhang Qing’an.

Everyone on Wuxiu Mountain was working hard to obtain the pass to enter the Chengyuan Secret Realm, but Zhang Qing’an, who was usually the most diligent, had suddenly become lazy recently.

“Junior disciple Zhang is quite at ease,” said Senior Brother A, looking at Zhang Qing’an with disdain. “This is a major event for the sect. You joined the sect not long ago and were fortunate enough to encounter it.”

“However, wasn’t junior disciple you usually the most diligent?” Senior Brother A continued, looking at him with disdain.

In fact, everyone thought that the most glorious person in this sect competition would be Ning Shijiang and Guang Baiqiao, both with single spiritual roots. However, they did not expect that Guang Baiqiao had been missing for a long time with no news. The sect had searched for a long time without any clues.

In fact, they still felt that this matter was Zhang Qing’an’s fault, but the person had not shown any connection to Guang Baiqiao’s disappearance recently. He seemed unconnected, but they didn’t think so.

“Senior brother is too kind,” Zhang Qing’an said, taking in the disdainful look from the person. He didn’t have any thoughts about it. He didn’t care about this sect competition at all.

“Junior disciple is not as good as senior brother. Not as diligent as senior brother.” Zhang Qing’an continued, thinking about going to find Lin Yunliang later and asking him to make something to eat. “Senior brother has higher talent, and I believe you will shine in the sect competition.”

Zhang Qing’an said a few more flattering words, making Senior Brother A, who wanted to speak, speechless. Seeing this, Zhang Qing’an continued, “Since senior brother has nothing else to do, junior disciple will take his leave first.”

“Senior brother, goodbye.”

Only then did Zhang Qing’an turn and leave. This made Senior Brother A unable to say many of the things he wanted to say. He reacted belatedly and felt a bit annoyed, but soon he no longer cared about these matters, as after all, the sect competition was more important.

Zhang Qing’an planned to go find Lin Yunliang again, but he was blocked on the road.

Zhang Qing’an: “…” Should he not have gone out at all? Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been stopped repeatedly.

And the person who stopped him this time was unexpected: the drunkard he had encountered back then. Zhang Qing’an frowned, clearly surprised that this person had such an identity.

Anyone who could come in here was definitely not an ordinary character. It seemed that this person’s identity was unusual. But why did this person block him at the tavern? Had this person discovered his identity?

No, it shouldn’t be. He shouldn’t scare himself. After all, he had been very careful all along, and with Siam around, he shouldn’t have been easily discovered.

Zhang Qing’an was a newly joined disciple and had almost always stayed on Wuxiu Mountain. At most, he later went to Lingtian Mountain to find Lin Yunliang, but he did so stealthily. Therefore, he didn’t recognize many of the sect elders. He also didn’t know who this person was.

Since he didn’t know who it was, he should just ignore the person and leave.

However, he was still stopped. The person who appeared stepped forward, blocked him, and said with a curious and gossipy expression, “Little fellow, how do you know Lin Yunliang from Lingtian Mountain?”

This address made Zhang Qing’an frown. He felt that this person was truly annoying and lacked discernment. How could anyone approach him like this?

He was also shocked by what the person said. How did he know that he went to find Lin Yunliang? Did he know Lin Yunliang? But he had never heard Lin Yunliang mention these things. Of course, Lin Yunliang’s memory had not fully recovered either, so it was possible that they did know each other.

However, regardless of whether they knew each other or not, it was better not to interact with him, lest they discover the anomaly between them, which could lead to unforeseen consequences.

“Hey! Little fellow! Why aren’t you ignoring me!” the drunkard leaned closer again, reaching out to grab Zhang Qing’an.

Zhang Qing’an dodged to the side. He felt that this person was unreasonable and chaotic. Moreover, he just wanted to find Lin Yunliang and didn’t have the mood to deal with the person who appeared, so he dodged again.

“Hey! You!” The drunkard was clearly unhappy. He opened his mouth and tried to grab the person again.

Instead, Zhang Qing’an blocked him with his hand. Zhang Qing’an was not polite either. His temperament was inherently a bit arrogant, but he had always restrained himself due to his family reasons. Now that someone was backing him, and he had some abilities, he naturally acted without reservation.

“We are not familiar with each other. Don’t touch me.” Zhang Qing’an said with a cold face. Then, seeing the person stunned, he immediately flashed away.

He couldn’t go to find Lin Yunliang for the time being, otherwise, what if he implicated Lin Yunliang? Moreover, he also had some curious things to do, but he hadn’t remembered them before. Coupled with the fact that he had finally found Lin Yunliang, he wanted to be with the person even more, so he had forgotten about this matter.

The drunkard could only watch him leave helplessly. He had some admiration. This little fellow was indeed Lin Yunliang’s person, and he was capable. He didn’t intend to do anything, he was just curious.

He could only watch him leave, then turned and went to Lingtian Mountain. Speaking of which, the drunkard was curious. It was simple why he knew Lin Yunliang; it was because Lin Yunliang had a good skill in brewing wine.

His taste was particularly picky, and he could not stomach ordinary wine. However, Lin Yunliang’s brewed wine was fragrant just by its smell, let alone drinking it. Just one sip made him feel invigorated, and he felt extremely smooth.

The drunkard drank it once and never forgot it. Later, he often wanted to ask Lin Yunliang for a drink, but unfortunately, the sect leader assigned him a task, so he had no choice but to go. After returning, he found that the person had come to Lingtian Mountain.

He originally wanted to continue looking for the person, but then the person disappeared without a trace. After finally finding him again, he saw that there was another person by Lin Yunliang’s side. Although there were no intimate actions between the two, he could feel the sweetness between them, which showed their relationship.

The drunkard was very curious, which was why he made such a rash move today. However, he did not expect this person to be so daring. Although he was injured due to a moment of carelessness, it was enough to prove this person’s ability.

A fellow with some ability was naturally admired by Lin Yunliang.

As for Zhang Qing’an, who had left, he went to the place where Guang Baiqiao had schemed against him before. They had only thrown the person there at that time, and there were no subsequent actions. So why did the person disappear?

Where had the person gone now?

Zhang Qing’an had long felt it was strange, but he hadn’t said anything before, and over time he had forgotten about it. Recently, seeing people coming to trouble him again, he remembered this matter. Coincidentally, he ran into the drunkard causing trouble, so he went to the place he wanted to go.

He looked around the desolate house. It was indeed not very conspicuous, no wonder it was used as a place to scheme against people. But where had the person gone?

Zhang Qing’an wandered around the house with confusion.

“So what he said is all true,” a voice came.

Zhang Qing’an recognized whose voice it was and naturally knew who “he” referred to. It was not surprising that he was discovered. Zhang Qing’an only blamed himself for not being patient enough.

He should have waited a while longer, otherwise, why would there be all these things?

Turning around, he saw Ning Shijiang with a look of grief, which he found amusing. What was this person thinking now? He had no connection with this person at all. Why was he so grief-stricken?

Moreover, what did this matter have to do with him?

“Zhang Qing’an, what else do you have to say!” The person beside him immediately stepped forward, pointed at his nose, and reprimanded him, wishing he could rush forward and teach him a harsh lesson.

And then, something interesting happened.

Guang Baiqiao, the “victim,” also appeared. At the same time, he stepped forward, frowned, and looked disapprovingly at the person speaking, then spoke “on behalf of” Zhang Qing’an to defend him: “No, it’s not like this.”

“Senior brothers, let’s not blame Senior disciple Qing’an first.”

Zhang Qing’an was almost amused to death by this person who spoke for himself. Didn’t he realize at all? Zhang Qing’an had no intention of paying attention to them.

“Are all of you from Qingyun Sect this biased?” Zhang Qing’an said. This was the first time he wanted to say something for himself.

Then he was interrupted again, still by Guang Baiqiao. Guang Baiqiao frowned and looked disapprovingly at Zhang Qing’an, “What are you saying, Senior disciple Qing’an? What do you mean by ‘all of you from Qingyun Sect’!” We are all disciples of Qingyun Sect.”

“If Senior brother speaks like this, all the fellow disciples will feel sad!”

As he said this, he actually clutched his chest and put on a sad expression, showing how good he was at acting. And Ning Shijiang on the side also looked at Zhang Qing’an accusingly, as if he had done something unpardonable.

But in reality, if one were to investigate carefully, Guang Baiqiao was the one who made the first move. Zhang Qing’an had never bothered anyone from beginning to end. Now, it seemed that his forbearance was wrong; he should have sought trouble with others.

Only then would people not be able to use this matter to constantly make things difficult for him.

“Qiao’er, don’t be sad,” Ning Shijiang said, half-hugging the person beside him, speaking considerately, but his eyes still fell on Zhang Qing’an.

Zhang Qing’an must have felt it and frowned. He felt that this person was truly outrageous. He was holding someone in his arms, yet he dared to look at him like that, dare to look at him!

“With the sect involved in this matter, justice will surely be served for you,” Ning Shijiang continued, not hiding his favoritism.

After Ning Shijiang’s education from Ning Xiyu, he was no longer as fixated on Zhang Qing’an as before. Of course, he still had some covetous thoughts in his heart. Since he had ideas, he could use other means. This time was a good method.

“Junior disciple Qing’an, I hope you will cooperate fully with the sect’s investigation.”

He had just said that justice would be served for him, and now he was asking him to cooperate with the investigation. Zhang Qing’an understood what he meant from the look in his eyes just now. He glanced at the person in front of him. He was at a numerical disadvantage. If he really made a move, it might expose other things. Zhang Qing’an was not willing to expose those things.

So, he could only suppress his actions for now and let a few people step forward to control him.

Zhang Qing’an looked up and saw the person hiding. That person wanted to make a move, but Zhang Qing’an stopped him with his eyes.

The person who came was Lin Yunliang. He had returned simply because the drunkard had found him. He told him that he had encountered Zhang Qing’an on the road. But the person had not come after waiting for a while. Worried, he came out to look for him.

This led to the current situation. Lin Yunliang understood when he saw Guang Baiqiao and Ning Shijiang. He wanted to make a move but was signaled by Zhang Qing’an not to act rashly.

He was somewhat anxious. At the same time, he was also somewhat confused. He had clearly made a move against Guang Baiqiao, so why did Guang Baiqiao seem fine? This was unlikely.

Despite his anxiety, Lin Yunliang also knew that Zhang Qing’an was not a person without plans. Since he was nearby now, he couldn’t let Zhang Qing’an leave alone.

He would definitely follow behind.

Moreover, Lin Yunliang also had some things he was curious about. Therefore, he had to investigate.

After following them, he saw them take the person to see Ning Xiyu. This was not surprising. Ning Xiyu was the Great Elder, a person from Wuxiu Mountain, and also Zhang Qing’an’s master. It was normal for them to take them to see Ning Xiyu.

“Master,” Ning Shijiang said, cupping his hands in a salute, and told Ning Xiyu everything in detail.

Ning Xiyu frowned upon hearing this and silently questioned, “What exactly is going on?”

“Did you really make a move against Baiqiao?”

Ning Xiyu said this, but in his heart, he had already made his plans. This Zhang Qing’an had always been disobedient. When Guang Baiqiao came to tell him that Zhang Qing’an was the one who harmed him, he believed him. Therefore, he was not surprised when he saw them bringing the person over.

He even planned to use this opportunity to get rid of him. Otherwise, keeping such a person would always be a cause for concern.

Moreover, Ning Xiyu had recently heard some rumors, which made him increasingly hesitant about this disciple.