Chapter 16: The Hopelessly Foolish Woman

Chu Ling'er did not understand how things had come to this.

She had thought about it for a long time, yet still could not figure it out. Could it really be that she was the one in the wrong?

“No, I did nothing wrong. The one at fault was that heartless, despicable Ye Fan!”

“Was it really so terrible that I merely put him to a small test? He was the one who could not withstand it!”

“That’s right. All of this was his fault. He was the one who ruined everything that should have been beautiful.”

“Ye Fan is nothing but a heartless, ungrateful bastard!”

“And that damnable Lin Yi is no different. I treated him so well, yet he actually tried to harm me from the shadows.”

“All the men in this world are alike. Not one of them is any good!”

“When they are in love, their mouths are filled with honeyed words.”

“Liars! Every last one of you is a liar—changeable hypocrites!”

Chu Ling'er vented her emotions like a madwoman. The successive blows she had suffered during this period had driven her mental state far from normal.

Alone, she wandered through the unfamiliar surroundings of the Qishan Secret Realm, muttering softly to herself from time to time.

Anyone who saw her now would surely think she had lost her mind.

After wandering for an unknown length of time, Chu Ling'er grew tired and leaned against a large tree to rest.

Yet just as she drifted between sleep and wakefulness, a familiar figure entered her vision.

Her eyelids, which had nearly closed, flew open.

Lin Yi. It was Lin Yi!

She knew that silhouette far too well. Even with the shadows of the trees obscuring it, she recognized him at once.

“Lin Yi, you bastard!”

Chu Ling'er sprang to her feet and began cursing him at the top of her lungs.

Lin Yi was startled by the sudden outburst.

He turned around and was astonished to discover that it was Chu Ling'er.

For a moment, he stood frozen. Chu Ling'er should have long since been buried in the belly of the giant python. How could she have appeared here? Could this be an illusion?

Chu Ling'er quickly ran toward him and then fiercely slapped him across the face.

Staggering back two steps from the pain, Lin Yi finally came to his senses.

This was no illusion. Chu Ling'er was truly standing alive before him.

But how was that possible? He could not understand how she had survived under those circumstances.

Lin Yi's reactions were exceptionally quick. His face immediately filled with delighted surprise, and he pulled Chu Ling'er into his arms.

“Junior Sister Ling'er!”

“Wonderful! Seeing that you are safe and sound makes me happier than I can say!”

Chu Ling'er struggled violently and shoved him away.

“Get away from me! You despicable, shameless wretch—I’m going to kill you!”

As if possessed, Chu Ling'er clenched her fists and struck at Lin Yi.

But with her mere Foundation Establishment cultivation, she could not even touch a hair on his head.

Lin Yi dodged from side to side while desperately trying to defend himself.

“Junior Sister! Junior Sister, listen to me!”

“It really isn’t the way you think!”

“I took the snow lotus to protect you, and I left to seek help!”

Upon hearing this, Chu Ling'er's punches gradually slowed.

Lin Yi seized the opportunity and embraced her once more.

“Ling'er, I told you before: no matter what happens, I will always protect you.”

“This time, you truly misunderstood me.”

Chu Ling'er calmed down somewhat, but the anger in her heart was still difficult to dispel. She could never understand why Lin Yi had acted as he did.

Thus, she questioned him angrily, “You keep saying that you did it to protect me, but you clearly took the snow lotus and pushed me toward that spirit beast.”

“Tell me—how do you explain that?”

Lin Yi drew a deep breath, then said with profound remorse, “It was all my fault. The situation was urgent, and there were some things I failed to explain to you.”

“Once you retrieved the snow lotus, you enraged that spirit beast.”

“It must have been the snow lotus’s companion beast. In its subconscious mind, the snow lotus was everything to it.”

“So whoever took the snow lotus would become its target.”

“When I saw that beast charging at you, I acted in desperation. I snatched away the snow lotus, hoping to draw its attention and lure it away.”

“As for pushing you, I only wanted to get you out of its range of attack.”

“In short, I truly did everything to protect you.”

“Besides, I knew that with the strength of the two of us, we could never defeat it. That was why I went to find help, but unfortunately, I found no one.”

“Afterward, I was worried about your safety and returned to look for you, but I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“At the time, I thought that beast had already…”

“To see you standing before me now feels like a dream!”

“Junior Sister, whether you hate me or resent me, even if you want to kill me right now, that’s fine.”

“As long as I can see you standing here unharmed, I have nothing more to worry about.”

“If you still don’t believe me, you can kill me now.”

As he spoke, Lin Yi untied the sword at his waist and offered it to Chu Ling'er with both hands.

Seeing the utter sincerity on Lin Yi's face, Chu Ling'er's heart was moved once more.

So this was the truth. Lin Yi was still the same Lin Yi—he had not changed at all!

The heart that had grown cold now felt warm again.

Chu Ling'er threw the sword to the ground, then threw herself into Lin Yi's arms, weeping bitterly, her face streaked with tears.

“Senior Brother… Senior Brother!”

“It was Ling'er’s fault. Does your face still hurt?”

Chu Ling'er gently stroked Lin Yi's cheek. She had struck him with considerable force.

Lin Yi shook his head. “It doesn’t hurt. This is something I deserved to endure.”

“I’m simply so happy that you’re safe.”

“The snow lotus no longer matters. Nothing is more important than you.”

“It’s just a shame that the snow lotus was snatched away by that bastard Ye Fan.”

Chu Ling'er immediately comforted him. “It doesn’t matter. The secret realm hasn’t closed yet. We can continue exploring.”

“If we’re lucky, perhaps we’ll encounter an even greater treasure!”

“As for Ye Fan, he will suffer the consequences sooner or later!”

“Junior Sister is right. Let’s go!”

…

Elsewhere, after obtaining the Millennium Frost-Tempered Snow Lotus, Ye Fan was not satisfied.

He had developed a keen interest in the Qishan Secret Realm and continued deeper into its heart.

Along the way, he encountered several spirit beasts, but their strength was mediocre, and he dispatched them with ease.

After all, the cores of spirit beasts were worth something. Though they could not compare with rare treasures, they were still resources.

He was desperately short of resources at present. Regardless of their value, the more he had, the better.

Besides the cores of those spirit beasts, he also obtained a number of treasures, both large and small.

A day passed quickly. With two days remaining, he had to quicken his pace and strive to find several more high-quality treasures.

He had no idea how much the disciples of the various sects had gained. He certainly did not expect those people to obediently hand over all the good things they had found.

But if each of them surrendered a portion, it should still amount to a considerable harvest.

Once this journey through the secret realm came to an end, his cultivation would likely break through yet again.