Chapter Twenty-One: A Maiden's Confession

Hearing the sound, Yun Yi paused in his tracks and frowned as he looked at the person approaching.

"Young hero, please, I am the manager here. The academy has strict regulations regarding our restaurant, so could you please..."

A middle-aged man spoke as he hurried over to Yun Yi. After shooting a meaningful glance at Zhao Kuanglei, he offered an apologetic explanation.

"Oh? You want me to give you face and let him go?" Yun Yi asked with a cold sneer on his lips.

"Yes, exactly!" The manager, seeing that Yun Yi seemed to be backing down, was overjoyed and spoke up hastily.

"Go to hell!"

At that moment, Zhao Kuanglei, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly sprang to his feet. His eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted in a hideous grimace, and he lunged at Yun Yi with a blade in his hand.

"Seeking death!"

Yun Yi had kept his focus on Zhao Kuanglei the entire time. As soon as Zhao moved, Yun Yi struck first, slamming his palm heavily onto the crown of Zhao’s head.

*Bang!*

A loud crack echoed, and Zhao Kuanglei’s head instantly burst open. Red and white matter sprayed everywhere, turning the scene into a gruesome spectacle.

Silence descended upon the room instantly, everyone staring at Yun Yi in disbelief.

Yun Yi’s lips curled into a faint arc as he looked toward the manager. "It’s not that I wouldn't give you face; I was simply acting in self-defense."

He really had to thank Zhao Kuanglei for drinking so much that day; with alcohol clouding his judgment, he couldn't think straight. While cultivators could technically evaporate the effects of alcohol by circulating their spiritual energy, most drank for the sake of the thrill, so very few bothered to do so.

"You! You actually killed Brother Lei! The Zhao family will never let you go!"

Little Niu, stunned, pointed at Yun Yi and shouted in fury. He was the one who had treated Zhao Kuanglei to the drinks; now that Zhao was dead, he could not escape the blame.

"Let's go." Yun Yi left the manager with a smile and turned to leave with Ling'er and the others, leaving the crowd in a state of bewilderment.

Although he had killed a man, Yun Yi felt no fear. It was self-defense; everyone in the tavern had witnessed Zhao Kuanglei attempting to kill him. How could he be in the wrong?

Once outside, Qian Mo looked at Lei Ling'er and Yun Yi, suddenly catching on. He said, "Boss, Qian Duoduo and I will head off now!"

Qian Duoduo looked confused at the sound of this. "Old Qian, aren't we going the same—"

"Same nothing! Let's go!" Qian Mo grabbed Qian Duoduo by the ear and hurried away, leaving Yun Yi and Lei Ling'er alone.

Yun Yi wasn't oblivious. Regarding his good brother's actions, he could only think: Brilliant! Truly brilliant!

The two walked shoulder to shoulder for a while, the atmosphere growing subtle. Lei Ling'er felt incredibly nervous.

Watching Yun Yi's somewhat dim-witted expression, Lei Ling'er felt a internal struggle. *Brother Yi, what if he confesses to me? If I reject him, will he be heartbroken? But Brother Yi is truly wonderful!*

"Ling'er, why is your face so red? Has the alcohol still not worn off?" Yun Yi teased, looking at her flushed cheeks.

"Ah! Is it? Perhaps the alcohol hasn't faded yet!"

As her words fell, the two lapsed into silence once more, devoid of topics. When one is lost in thought, time passes quickly. Before they knew it, they had reached Lei Ling'er’s residence.

"Ling'er, you're here!" Yun Yi smiled at the pensive girl beside him.

"Ah! So soon?" Lei Ling'er whispered in surprise, then lowered her head and began walking slowly forward. She fiddled with her dress, feeling quite conflicted.

Yun Yi smiled and shook his head before turning to leave. Their shadows lengthened under the moonlight. Both the girl and the boy were lost in their own thoughts.

Suddenly, just as their figures were about to blur into the distance, both stopped simultaneously.

"Yun Yi!"
"Ling'er!"

Under the moonlight, their gazes met. Even the usually composed Yun Yi felt a flush of heat rise to his face.

"You go first," Yun Yi said with a smile, his face appearing even more handsome in the moonlight.

Lei Ling'er’s already rosy face turned even deeper red. Taking a deep breath, she summoned her courage, looked at Yun Yi, and spoke softly.

"Brother Yi! I... I like you! I... I want to be with you!"

"Ever since we started, from the assassination attempts to the grand tournament and until now, you have always protected me. So, can you continue to protect me?"

After her words tumbled out, Lei Ling'er didn't wait for Yun Yi to respond. She turned and ran back to her residence, leaving Yun Yi standing alone in the moonlight.

"This girl! She didn't even wait for me to finish!" Watching her run away, Yun Yi gave a wry smile and returned to his own quarters.

Yun Yi spent the entire night in meditation, but no matter how many times he recited the mantras of the Flame-Yellow Art, he could not calm his heart.

In his mind, Lei Ling'er’s voice echoed repeatedly.

The young girl, too, spent the night sleepless. Throughout the night, she constantly questioned herself, wondering if Yun Yi liked her back, terrified that he did not.

***

Seven days later.

Yun Yi had spent the last few days in seclusion. Since the incident with Zhao Kuanglei, he had developed a deeper craving for power, realizing more than ever that might makes right.

Opening his eyes, he felt frustrated. He was only a hair's breadth away from the Foundation Establishment stage, yet he could not seem to pierce through that final barrier.

"Oh, no!"

Before he could sigh, a thought occurred to him. He slapped his forehead and hurriedly took out his identity token to search for Lei Ling'er.

"Where did this girl go?" Yun Yi frowned, then sought out Feng Lingling.

"Ling'er? I believe her mission was to go to the back mountain. It didn't seem like a very difficult task."

Hearing this, Yun Yi sensed something was amiss. Out of so many missions, how did Ling'er happen to draw one in their own back mountain? Most missions were located down the mountain and were generally challenging, while very few were posted for the mountains themselves.

Suddenly, as Yun Yi pondered, Lei Ling'er’s identity token began to transmit a sound.

"Yun Yi! Can you tell who this is?"

"Mou Qian? Is Ling'er in your hands?" Yun Yi felt a surge of dread and demanded coldly.

"Don't be so excited! Come to the back mountain alone at midnight. If you don't show up, you can prepare to collect your woman's corpse tomorrow!"

Before Yun Yi could respond, the voice vanished.

In a cave on the back mountain, Mou Qian wore a sinister smirk. He believed that if Yun Yi dared to come, he would ensure he never left, especially since Shen Ziyi was there as well!

Watching the beautiful Lei Ling'er nearby, Mou Qian swallowed hard, his eyes filled with lecherous glint.

"If you want to die, go ahead and touch her," Shen Ziyi warned coldly, glancing at Mou Qian. He had ordered Mou Qian to call Yun Yi because he feared that if he reached out himself, Yun Yi would not come.

Yun Yi’s eyes were ice-cold, filled with fury. He knew full well that Mou Qian lacked the courage for this, and that Shen Ziyi was certainly lurking nearby. It was a trap.

Taking a deep breath, Yun Yi looked toward the back mountain. With murderous intent raging in his eyes, he muttered to himself, "So what if it's a trap? It remains to be seen who will be the one to fall."