mesbooks Chapter 132: We've Already Set Off
Chapter 132: We've Already Set Off
The group flew on their swords, traversing most of Zhaoning Sect before finally arriving at Mingsan Peak.
Chen An hovered above Ming San Peak, his unique black color still conspicuous.
A slight smile played on her lips as she softly said, "I'm going down."
Xuan Qingyuan stood still, watching Chen An's back, and silently clenched his fists.
A moment later, the group landed. The large rock engraved with the name of Mingsan Peak was still in the distance, but it had lost much of its spiritual energy.
This stone was brought back by Elder Mingsan during his travels. It wasn't that the stone was anything special; it was just that he was extremely drunk at the time.
Xuan Qingyuan vaguely remembered how much he admired his master when he was drunk and in a mess, yet he could easily carve neat characters with one hand while wielding his cane.
Elder Mingsan's handwriting was crooked and uneven, just like his personality—excessively unrestrained and carefree.
These three characters don't seem to be from his hand, yet they are indeed written by him.
There were too many things to recall, and Chen An felt uneasy from the moment he landed.
"Chen An!" A trembling voice, filled with excitement, came from inside the house. Shen Qinghe's eyes shone brightly. "You're finally back."
Chen An's heart skipped a beat. It turned out that the person his senior brother was talking about was Shen Qinghe.
"Long time no see, how have you been?" Chen An asked politely.
As soon as Shen Qinghe came down the stairs to the second floor, she started looking around suspiciously, like a thief.
"No, not good at all. You have no idea how annoying my master is." After checking the surroundings, he felt relieved and continued standing in front of Chen An, "My master didn't let me go to see you before, and now he wants to send me home. It's so annoying. Am I the kind of person who would run away in the face of danger? Besides, home is not necessarily safer than here."
Chen An smiled awkwardly and patted Shen Qinghe's shoulder. With so many demonic cultivators around, Chen An also wanted a home to rely on. Unfortunately, what she couldn't have, others might not even want.
“That makes sense, but if I were you, I would definitely go back. The sect is a mixed bag, so it’s best to be careful.”
"No, no, no, I won't go back. I want to kill the demonic cultivators." Shen Qinghe shook her head like a rattle-drum, but her tone was exceptionally firm.
Chen An smiled and said, "Young Master Shen, how come I didn't realize you were so ambitious before?"
When Shen Qinghe heard Chen An say that he was ambitious, her eyes lit up even more: "So, are you willing to let me follow you to exorcise demons? I've heard about your deeds over the past few years, and I really regret not sneaking out to work with you back then, otherwise my cultivation level would definitely be higher now."
When it came to cultivation level, Chen An was somewhat shocked. Shen Qinghe had actually made the fastest progress, having already reached the Great Perfection of Yin and Yang, just one step away from the Nascent Soul stage.
"Did you agree?" Shen Qinghe stared at Chen An expectantly. When Chen An did not react, she gestured to Xuan Qingyuan to speak up for him.
Xuan Qingyuan smiled at Shen Qinghe and said, "Qinghe is currently living in your house. Would you like to go up and take a look?"
Shen Qinghe's eyes widened. He had asked Xuan Qingyuan to speak, not to change the subject.
Seeing Chen An walk upstairs without looking back, Shen Qinghe was furious.
No matter how powerful a force is, it shouldn't refuse Shen Qinghe. If he were useless, that would be one thing, but he is so young and has already reached the Great Perfection of Yin and Yang. Among cultivators of this age, there are very few who can reach his level.
"Hey, wait for me, Chen An, say something!"
Chen An felt somewhat helpless. Shen Qinghe's cultivation level was not bad, nor was her character.
Emperor Zhaoning sent him home because he was afraid that something might happen to him and he wouldn't be able to explain it to the Shen family.
If Shen Qinghe went to her place and something happened to her, she would have no way to explain it to the powerful Shen family.
“Since Young Master Shen moved in, my little shabby house has become much more luxurious. Look at this wood, it’s expensive.”
Seeing that Chen An had also changed the subject, Shen Qinghe felt like crying. He was indeed being disliked. Why did no one understand him?
He stood alone at the back, watching Chen An and the others chat for a long time. His dark eyes flickered, and he left Ming San Peak when no one was paying attention.
Chen An smiled, but her heart was filled with bitterness. She knew that the people who left, the people who wanted to help her, were just characters in a book.
She shouldn't be too saddened by them, but the actions of these characters in the book constantly tugged at her heartstrings.
"What are your plans for the future?" Xuan Qingyuan asked with a gentle smile.
Chen An shook his head. "What plans could I possibly have? I'm just being pushed along, taking it one step at a time. But strengthening the Yihe Sect is imperative."
"Qinghe is gone. Taking him to Yihe Sect is not a good idea. How about taking me instead?"
Chen An tightened his grip on the cup. "Are you sure?"
“I know what you’re worried about. I haven’t told you, but my parents died early and I have no ties. If you really want to know what I’m thinking, like Qinghe, I want to kill some demonic cultivators and save the common people. That would be a good deed.”
Being with Xuan Qingyuan felt like a gentle breeze, and Chen An felt embarrassed to refuse when he heard him say that.
"Of course you're welcome, my senior brother. When Shen Qinghe comes back later, could you please talk to him for me?"
Xuan Qingyuan looked at Chen An with a hint of sympathy and said, "From what I know of him, he is already on his way to Yihe Sect."
"..."
Chen An supported his head with his right hand, leaning weakly, while raising his left thumb.
The following evening, Chen An set up the teleportation array and led the group directly back to Yihe Sect.
Shen Qinghe, who had secretly sneaked into the sect, sensed Chen An's presence, but could only look at the dark wall in front of her and smile bitterly.
Last night, he was caught red-handed by Hua Yuan and Chen Mingde, who were on patrol.
Without saying a word, the two summoned Qiao Sheli and his men, captured him, and threw him into this dark and gloomy place.
To avoid being killed, Shen Qinghe had no choice but to swallow her anger and stay in this awful place for several hours.
After finally waiting for Chen An, he discovered that Chen An had brought Xuan Qingyuan back as well.
Xuan Qingyuan is a good person, but what does he lack?
Chen An was willing to bring Xuan Qingyuan back, but he didn't want him. In order to follow Chen An, he ran away alone and was even thrown here by the elders of Yihe Sect.
Chen An and the others would never know his thoughts.
They were in Chen An's room, waiting for Shen Qinghe to appear so they could tease him a bit, and then coax him when he got angry.
A knock sounded at the door, and it was Xile who came in. She whispered, "Last night, we captured a cultivator who had reached the Great Perfection of Yin and Yang."
Chen An and the others exchanged glances, smiled, and stepped forward to open the door.
The woman standing at the entrance, Xi Le, had already reached the Great Perfection of the Core Formation stage. She was full of energy, with a gentle yet firm gaze. Although she wasn't a conventionally beautiful woman with an oval face and a willow-like waist, she possessed a unique and unwavering temperament. No matter the occasion, she exuded a powerful aura that made her stand out from the crowd.
Seeing the familiar faces change so much, Chen An was genuinely happy.
With a smile on his lips, Xile continued, "When Elder Mingde led the arrest, he didn't resist much and even shouted that he knew you, so we locked him up first. Why don't you go and take a look?"
"Don't mention it, it's too formal. Let's go together. I bet that young master has already fainted from anger." Chen An took Xi Le's arm, waved towards the house, and walked towards the dungeon.