“Su Yueli. I'm also participating,” Su Yueli replied after a brief pause.
Upon hearing this, Lin Ye’s eyes lit up instantly, as if he had found a long-lost relative.
Lin Ye seemed to be someone who got instantly familiar with strangers.
Even though Su Yueli exuded a cold, aloof aura that practically screamed “stay away,” he was like a clueless blockhead who didn't notice a thing. Once he opened his mouth, he couldn't stop.
“Really? What a coincidence!”
“I'm from the Lin family of Shuozhou City. My family does some fur and medicinal herb trading, so we're pretty well-off. I've hated business since I was a kid and only loved saber practice. This time, I'm heading to the Great Li Imperial City just to see the heroes of the world!”
Lin Ye spoke non-stop about his life while taking huge bites of meat, his words carrying a hearty, innocent vibe untouched by the harsh realities of the world.
Su Yueli simply listened quietly, occasionally nodding in response.
Although his endless chatter was a bit of a headache, he was simple-minded and lacked any deviousness. His hot-blooded passion formed a stark contrast with her quiet, taciturn nature.
“By the way, Miss Su, where is your hometown?”
Lin Ye leaned in curiously. “Judging by your demeanor and bearing, your parents must be martial arts experts, right? To raise someone like you, they definitely can't be ordinary folks.”
Su Yueli’s chopsticks paused mid-air.
Her eyelashes fluttered down, her tone remaining calm. “They're gone. They were killed by cultivators. Afterward, I lived in a small mountain village near Fengling City.”
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
The smile on Lin Ye's face froze. He wished he could slap himself.
“This... I'm sorry, Miss Su. I didn't know...”
He scratched his head awkwardly, trying to salvage the atmosphere. “Then... the people in that village must have treated you well, right? Most folks in small mountain villages are simple and kind. At least you have those memories to hold onto.”
Su Yueli glanced up at him and said flatly, “The village was destroyed. All four hundred-plus villagers were slaughtered. Not a single soul survived.”
“Hiss—”
Lin Ye gasped, his mouth twitching wildly. He began to sweat profusely, visibly turning pale.
He clenched his teeth, cursing himself inwardly. Talk about stepping on a landmine with every single sentence!
“I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! My big mouth!” Lin Ye apologized profusely, bowing repeatedly, his face flushed red as he squirmed in his seat.
“It's fine. It's all in the past,” Su Yueli shook her head, not minding it.
Seeing her expression remain normal, Lin Ye finally let out a small sigh of relief, silently swearing to never bring up family again.
His eyes darted around, landing on Su Yueli's wine gourd. He braced himself and tried to find another topic. “Then, Miss Su, who did you learn your martial arts from? For your master to teach someone like you, they must be an incredible expert. They must have treated you very well, right?”
Su Yueli put down her chopsticks and looked at him.
“Dead.”
Su Yueli spat out those two words, then added, “He committed suicide after slaughtering the entire village. However, there is definitely more to the story.”
“Uh...”
Lin Ye's eyes went wide, his mouth agape. He was completely dumbfounded.
Her master slaughtered the entire village? And then committed suicide?!
What kind of human tragedy was this?!
He felt his brain buzzing. His usually prideful eloquence was completely useless at this moment.
Swallowing hard, he made one last, desperate attempt, his voice dry. “Then... surely you have a few close friends you can confide in?”
“Dead. Froze to death in a ruined temple.”
For a moment, a deathly silence fell over their corner table in the restaurant.
Lin Ye sat frozen on his bench like a statue, unable to utter a single word. The surrounding air seemed to drop several degrees.
He didn't dare speak again, fearing that if he kept asking, Su Yueli would start telling him how her pet dog died a tragic death.
Seeing Lin Ye's shattered worldview and his utterly devastated expression, Su Yueli actually felt a strange trace of amusement rising in her heart.
It was a rare sight to see this chatterbox completely shut down.
“Alright, drop that look.”
Su Yueli took some tea from the side to rinse her mouth, her tone softening slightly. “I'm not that fragile. Besides, my master's life-and-death friend treats me extremely well, so I do have a place to stay.”
Hearing this, Lin Ye felt as if he had grasped a lifesaving straw and let out a long breath.
“That's good! That's good!”
He slapped his thigh hard. To cover up his previous embarrassment, he thumped his chest and declared heroically, “Don't worry, Miss Su! Since we're traveling together and heading to the same place, I, Lin Ye, am definitely making you my friend!”
“To be honest, I just turned twenty this year, and I'm already a peak Third Realm martial artist!”
Lin Ye lifted his chin, his eyes filled with confidence. “The journey to the imperial city is long. If we run into any bandits or thieves, just hide behind me. My saber will protect you!”
Su Yueli's lips twitched twice.
Peak Third Realm? Protect her?
She was currently just a step away from the Fifth Realm Martial Opening. If they really ran into danger, a single punch backed by her blood qi would probably be stronger than Lin Ye himself.
However, looking at the youth's sincere face, Su Yueli swallowed the retort that was on the tip of her tongue.
Forget it, she didn't have the heart to crush his spirit.
It wouldn't be good if she actually made this chatterbox introverted.
In all fairness, reaching the peak of the Third Realm at twenty was considered quite a rare genius among mortal martial artists.
“Then I shall thank Young Hero Lin,” Su Yueli said, cupping her hands half-heartedly.
After they finished eating, the rain outside eased up a bit.
Su Yueli stood up to pay the bill and walked straight back to the inn.
With his long saber slung over his back, Lin Ye followed her closely like an inseparable shadow, chattering the entire way.
“Miss Su, look at this rain. Although Lingshui City is small, it has quite a nice charm...”
“Have you been to the Great Li Imperial City? I heard there are countless dojos there...”
“And many immortal sects...”
Su Yueli's head throbbed. Having lived two lives, what she feared most was dealing with this kind of overly energetic, overly familiar person.
Stopping at the entrance of the inn, Su Yueli turned to Lin Ye and tried to dismiss him. “I'm back. Where are you staying?”
Lin Ye paused, looking up at the sign of the inn.
Then, he slapped his thigh hard, looking excited. “Why stay anywhere else? The room I just booked is in this very inn! Perfect, we can set off together tomorrow morning!”
...
Su Yueli stood there, utterly speechless.
Of all the people in the lobby, how did she end up staying in the exact same inn as this chatterbox?
“Fate! Miss Su, this is absolutely fate arranged by the heavens!” Lin Ye shouted excitedly.
Su Yueli's temple twitched. Resisting the urge to turn around and punch him, she walked into the lobby with a dark face.
However, the moment she stepped into the lobby, she sensed that the atmosphere was off.
The previously rowdy crowd was now huddled in the corners, pointing toward the corridor leading to the backyard, their panicked whispers filled with dread.
“That man is too unreasonable.”
“Exactly. Relying on his brute strength, he's forcing the shopkeeper's daughter to drink with him. What a sin.”
Su Yueli followed their gazes.
Standing at the corner of the corridor was a burly, ferocious-looking man.
He was bald, with a face full of scars, wearing a sleeveless vest. His exposed muscles were covered in crisscrossing scars, instantly marking him as a ruthless character who lived by the blade.
At this moment, the bald brute was tightly gripping the arm of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl, dragging her toward the guest rooms with a lecherous grin.
The girl was pale with fright, crying and struggling. The inn's shopkeeper was kneeling on the ground, begging bitterly, only to be kicked aside by the brute, coughing up blood.
Su Yueli frowned, a trace of displeasure flashing in her eyes.
But she stopped her steps.
She had seen too much of the cultivation world's cruelty, and mortal bullying was equally common.
Carrying a blood feud on her back, her rule of conduct had always been to avoid unnecessary trouble.
As long as it didn't cross her, she didn't really want to meddle in others' business.
Just as Su Yueli was about to turn around and head up the side stairs,
a gust of wind suddenly rushed past her ears.
“In broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of heaven, what kind of man bullies a weak woman!”
The next instant, a furious roar echoed through the lobby.
Without even unwrapping the cloth around his saber, Lin Ye charged past Su Yueli like a tiger descending from a mountain.
He pointed at the brute, standing tall and imposing, his eyes filled with youthful chivalry.
“Let go of that girl!”
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