112: Chapter 112 Response

[You absolutely cannot let Chi Chuan fall in the preliminary rounds, otherwise you won't be able to follow him to the Grand Competition venue either.]

[The reward of the Fengming Zixiao Grand Competition is extremely important to you, and it's called the Luanfeng Blood Pool. Without even thinking, that thing will definitely be of immense help to your soon-to-awaken Qinghuang Sacred Body.]

[This time, you must rush to the scene to watch the whole thing and memorize the methods of many powerful opponents; the next simulation will be the time you amaze the world with a single brilliant feat.]

[Thinking of this, your lips moved slightly, and a gentle voice quietly fell into Lin Bufan's ears:]

["Junior Brother Lin, how have you been recently?"]

["Senior Sister still remembers me?"]

[Hearing this, Lin Bufan's eyes flickered slightly, and he transmitted his voice back nonchalantly.]

["Mhm... Junior Brother is very special. Back when we were at the Tianxuan Sword Sect, Senior Sister noticed you for a long time."]

[Your delicate voice, matched with an extremely appreciative tone, made Lin Bufan's heart skip a beat.]

["Then why did Senior Sister come here, and also..."]

[He wanted to ask why you had to marry this person. It's just that among cultivators, the biggest taboo is speaking deeply when the acquaintance is shallow. If you hadn't come from the same sect, and you weren't an extremely charming and beautiful woman, Lin Bufan wouldn't have paid you the slightest bit of attention.]

["I have my own difficulties."]

[A trace of helplessness flashed through your eyes.]

["Junior Brother, can Senior Sister ask you for a favor?"]

["What matter?"]

[Lin Bufan instantly grew vigilant. Years of tempering had long made him accustomed to the deceit and treachery among cultivators; he was no longer the naive youth of the past.]

["Can you not make a move against Chi Chuan?"]

[Hearing this, Lin Bufan glanced sideways and saw you looking at him with a pitiful and imploring gaze.]

[His throat tightened, and the words of refusal that he wanted to blurt out subconsciously just wouldn't come out.]

[Looking at your heartbroken appearance, Lin Bufan felt that you must have unspeakable difficulties.]

[Yet when the pitiful woman in front of him quietly overlapped with the spirited figure on the arena that day, Lin Bufan couldn't help but develop a bit of mischievous intent to tease.]

["Senior Sister actually trusts me this much. Could it be you truly believe Junior Brother will definitely defeat Chi Chuan?"]

["Mhm!"]

[You nodded heavily without the slightest hesitation, your eyes full of admiration.]

[But the sharp-eyed Lin Bufan still caught it.]

["Then..."]

[Lin Bufan, who was just about to agree, let his gaze linger on your face for a moment before abruptly changing the subject.]

["Senior Sister must promise me one thing: after the competition ends, spar with me at the same realm!"]

[Heh~]

[You let out a soft chuckle in your heart; he was actually playing mind games with his Senior Sister.]

[You feigned hesitation, then lightly bit your red lips, and after a moment, you still agreed with a troubled expression.]

[Looking at your pitiful appearance as if you had been wronged yet dared not make a sound, Lin Bufan guiltily touched the tip of his nose while silently thinking to himself:]

[Everything is for the sake of cultivation, I definitely don't have any other bad intentions!]

[Just as you were conversing, the two people on the arena had already locked in a fierce battle.]

[The fighting styles of these two were extremely similar; various magical treasures flew all over the sky, making it exceptionally flamboyant for a moment.]

[Han Xuan had no idea what he had experienced over these years; his combat methods were exceptionally seasoned, and for a moment, he actually forced Chi Chuan into a purely defensive stance with his late Foundation Establishment cultivation.]

[At a glance, you could see that he wasn't seeking victory, but rather venting. His spiritual power surged like a tide, depleting at an alarming rate, and I'm afraid it won't be long before he exhausts his strength.]

[After all, Chi Chuan was no ordinary peak Foundation Establishment cultivator; every single spiritual artifact on his body was a masterpiece.]

[Under the same realm, Han Xuan might have a chance to catch him off guard and defeat him, but with such a head-on clash right now, defeat would only be a matter of time.]

["Fellow Daoist Han, that's enough."]

[A familiar voice suddenly came from his ear, causing Han Xuan's figure to stall slightly, but when he met those calm, rippless eyes of yours, his heart instantly sank to the bottom of the valley.]

[After a long while, he abruptly retreated and swept off the arena.]

["I admit defeat."]

[As his voice fell, he turned around and wanted to leave, but his steps paused upon hearing your voice transmission once again.]

[Then he nodded slightly and quickly merged into the crowd.]

[Sigh~]

[You let out a soft sigh and gave a disgruntled side-eye to Chi Chuan, who wore a smug expression.]

[Trash!]

[He couldn't even handle a small matter properly, forcing you to step in yourself.]

[...]

[With the moon bright and stars sparse, you quietly sneaked out of the mansion.]

[On the second floor of a very ordinary inn in the city, Han Xuan sat cross-legged on the bed. He wasn't cultivating, but simply stared quietly at the moonlight outside the window, his eyes filled with confusion.]

[At this moment, a figure quietly leaped into the room.]

[Han Xuan abruptly opened his eyes.]

[As your eyes met, you blinked, and seeing his ready-to-eat-someone posture, your eye sockets quickly reddened with grievance.]

["... "]

["Sigh~ Don't make that expression."]

[Han Xuan let out a helpless sigh. Although he could tell you were faking it, after all, he still couldn't bear to see you looking like this.]

[After a long silence in the room, he slowly spoke:]

["Over these years, how have you been living?"]

["Not very well."]

[You lowered your small head, absentmindedly kicking the corner of the table gently.]

["Why didn't you escape? With your intelligence, you should have been able to escape."]

[Because I didn't want to avoid it~]

[Of course you couldn't say that. You didn't show weakness as usual; instead, your gaze gradually deepened, and a trace of indescribable weariness leaked from your voice:]

["Han Xuan, the words of a Golden Core grandmaster are like destiny to you and me. You... how do you expect me to resist?"]

[This statement wasn't really a lie either.]

[Hearing this, the anger in Han Xuan's eyes dissipated quite a bit. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked:]

["Are you willing to leave with me?"]

[You were first stunned, a flash of struggle crossing your eyes, but you still slowly shook your head.]

["Chi Chuan and I... have already become husband and wife..."]

[At least you couldn't betray him in this simulation, otherwise wouldn't you be torn apart by Yucha Sect and Hehuan Sect?]

[Han Xuan's expression darkened for a second, but looking at your resolute expression, he slowly nodded, knowing that he couldn't give you any guarantees right now. However, before leaving, he still dropped a sentence:]

["Sooner or later, I will come back."]

[His figure then plunged straight into the night.]

[Watching his retreating figure, you came to the table and sat down, your fingertips lightly tapping against the tabletop.]

[The thread of love at your dantian expanded by another circle; sure enough, such dramas of life and death separation were best at stirring people's hearts.]

[Thinking that there was still a Son of Fortune that needed to be dealt with, you slowly rubbed the space between your eyebrows.]

[Sigh~ The Dao is arduous and long...]