It was night.
Ye Anping was wrapped in bandages, sitting in his room, meticulously reviewing his plan one last time.
According to the game's plot, "Wu You" destroyed Hundred Lotus Sect due to his cultivation technique, which required sacrificing living beings for recovery. The fundamental reason was that the protagonist had severely wounded him.
Before "Wu You" came to Hundred Lotus Sect, he would encounter the protagonist in Martial Creek Town, located within a hundred miles of Hundred Lotus Sect, while the protagonist was on her way to participate in the entrance test of Profound Star Sect.
Because of the protagonist's remarkable talent, he intended to cultivate her as a rare talent and therefore engaged in a battle.
At this point, the protagonist was only at the Qi Refining stage and was no match, but due to the Immortal Emperor's bloodline within her, she managed to counter "Wu You" at a crucial moment, severely injuring him and forcing him to flee.
As the saying goes, attack your enemy when they are weak.
After the protagonist wounded "Wu You" using her main character's aura and plot armor, "Wu You" became vulnerable.
This was the perfect moment for him and Pei Lengxue to make their appearance.
By this time, his cultivation level would be at most middle Core Formation stage.
"Opportunities come only once, right?"
There couldn't be a moment's respite for that person.
As long as "Wu You" died, the Hundred Lotus Sect would be safe.
With Hundred Lotus Sect secure, he could continue to grow at his own pace. Later on, he could try to seize a few insignificant opportunities that wouldn't matter much to the protagonist, find Xi Yue and make her his wife, and live a peaceful life until world peace was achieved.
Ye Anping nodded solemnly, glancing at a magical tool on the table displaying the date.
If he remembered correctly, the protagonist would encounter "Wu You" thirteen days from now. That meant he and Pei Lengxue had to prepare to set out.
They needed to arrive at Martial Creek Town ahead of time to prevent missing the opportunity.
With this in mind, Ye Anping unwrapped his bandages, packed his belongings in his room, stowing all the pills and magical tools he had into a storage pouch. Then, he left a note on the table to prevent his father, Ye Ao and his mother, Kong Yulan from worrying and searching all over for him.
As he put pen to paper, Ye Anping deliberated for a moment.
Although he didn't believe his ten-year preparation would fail, it was better to be safe than sorry.
So, he wrote:
[Father, I'm taking Pei Lengxue to kill the Grand Elder of Poison Gu Sect. If I haven't returned by the fifteenth day of next month, please lead all the disciples and elders of the Hundred Lotus Sect to leave the sect immediately and seek refuge in the Profound Star Sect.
I know you've never believed what I said, but this time, please believe me.]
After leaving this note, he opened the door and glanced outside. He noticed that Xiao Die's room next door had its lights out. He closed his door securely, jumped out the window onto the rooftop, and headed towards the courtyard where Pei Lengxue resided.
...
Pei Lengxue had just returned from the Heavenly Pavilion, looking exhausted.
After her powerful shoulder throw at Ye Anping in the afternoon, Kong Yulan had come rushing over.
Kong Yulan had sent Ye Anping to Hundred Lotus Sect's infirmary for treatment and immediately took her to the Heavenly Pavilion. She was met with a torrent of scolding.
Kong Yulan had berated her for three hours straight, a relentless stream of criticism. In the end, it was Ye Ao who pleaded for her, and she had to write a pledge promising never to hit Ye Anping again before Kong Yulan finally released her.
"It was clearly him who asked me to hit him..."
Pei Lengxue pouted her cheeks in complaint, but on second thought, she realized that she was lucky to escape with just a scolding.
Ye Anping was Hundred Lotus Sect's young master, and she was just an ordinary disciple.
In another sect, an ordinary disciple who had left the Sect Young Master bedridden wouldn't have been tolerated. In stricter sects, she might have been subjected to severe punishment or even corporal punishment.
She was well aware that she and Ye Anping were different.
Ye Anping was born into a prestigious cultivator family, while her parents were ordinary farmers, tending to their fields and cattle.
As a commoner's daughter, her ability to embark on the path of immortality was all thanks to Ye Ao bringing her to Hundred Lotus Sect.
Because she was a disciple of Hundred Lotus Sect, her parents were now living a comfortable life.
Two months ago, she received a letter from her family.
The letter said that her family had been granted the title of "Immortal Kin" by the Emperor. Her father had been appointed a sixth-grade minor official in the capital, and she had gained a younger brother and two younger sisters.
Pei Lengxue took out a fire stone and a water stone, threw them into a tub, and quickly prepared a bath. She removed her clothes, tested the water temperature with her toe, and then sank into the water.
"Ah~~ Maybe I'll ask for leave from the Sect Master next year to visit my parents during the New Year. I haven't seen them in ten years."
She sprinkled some flower petals into the bath and closed her eyes, fully enjoying the relaxing bath.
She didn't know how long she had soaked when suddenly there was a "bang," and it seemed like the door to her room had been pushed open.
Pei Lengxue was so startled that her whole body trembled. Instinctively, she stood up in the bath, ready to grab the sword she had placed on the rack. But as she was getting out of the bath, a figure darted past the doorway and circled around the screen, landing right in front of her.
"Junior Sister, quickly pack up. We're about to set out."
"..."
Seeing Ye Anping, who was now carrying a large bag, Pei Lengxue was utterly dumbfounded and even forgot to shield her naked body from his vision.
"Don't just stand there. We have a long journey ahead."
"... ..."
"If we miss this, ten years of preparation will go down the drain." Ye Anping glanced at her chest, looked around the room, then ran to the rack, grabbed her clothes, and tossed them to her. "Sister, hurry up and put on your clothes. Then, pack all the pills and spirit stones into your storage pouch. For clothes, bring a few extra pieces..."
As Pei Lengxue caught the clothes, she finally realized she was completely naked. Her face instantly turned crimson, and she hurriedly used the clothes he threw to cover herself.
"You-"
"Quickly put on your clothes. Do you want me to help you put them on?"
"... ..."
At this moment, Pei Lengxue felt like her blood was boiling all over her body. Her eyes twitched like two rapidly pulsating nerves, and her forehead, the back of her hands, and her cheeks were covered in countless question marks.
However, Ye Anping didn't pay it any mind. He just sighed and approached to help her put on her clothes.
"You're grown up now, and yet you still need your senior brother to help you get dressed."
This time, Pei Lengxue couldn't hold back. She clenched her fist and swung it at his face.
There was a muffled sound, and Ye Anping crashed through the window, flying out of the room. Immediately after, a furious shout echoed from inside the room: "Senior brother, you rascal!"
...
After a while, Pei Lengxue finished putting on her clothes. She walked out again and dragged the unconscious Ye Anping back into the room, using a medicinal balm to wake him up.
Ye Anping now sat in a chair, holding a bronze mirror and looking at his swollen right cheek, speechless.
"Senior brother, why did you suddenly barge in?"
"Why are you asking that?!" Pei Lengxue suppressed the urge to give him a good beating and said,
"While I was taking a bath, you suddenly burst in without saying a word... and then..."
"You hit me just because of this?"
Pei Lengxue looked incredulous. "Isn't that reason alone enough? You saw me completely naked!"
"It's not like I haven't seen you naked before before, and what's so fascinating about a fourteen-year-old girl body anyway? It's not like you have any breast or butt to boast about."
Ye Anping opened his hands and then put on a serious expression, saying, 'Hurry up and pack your things. We need to make our way to Martial Creek Town quickly. If we miss this opportunity, Hundred Lotus Sect and your future will be in jeopardy.'"
"..."
Looking at Ye Anping's earnest expression, Pei Lengxue suddenly felt like there was something stuck in her throat, rendering her unable to speak.
"You're really going?"
"I've said it so many times. I've always been serious. That demonic cultivator should already be in Martial Creek Town."
"Then..." Pei Lengxue hesitated and asked, "Why not go and talk to the Sect Master?"
"It's useless to talk to my father. His treasures and techniques were suppressed by that person. Besides, I've tried telling him, but he always thinks I'm just overindulging in those fantasy novels."
Ye Anping sighed deeply and stood up, reaching out to hold Pei Lengxue's hand.
Pei Lengxue, whose hand was held, unconsciously took a step back, her cheeks turning red.
"Ah- Why- why are you holding my hand?"
"Junior Sister, no matter what, please believe me this time. These ten years of hardships have all been for this day."
"Ah..." Pei Lengxue weakly looked at him, "Bu-but if it's really like that, and that demonic cultivator is at the middle Core Formation Stage, won't we be walking into a trap if we approach him?"
"Trust me, Junior Sister. You can defeat him. I'll be with you. If anything goes wrong, I'll go with you to the gates of the afterlife."
Hearing this, Pei Lengxue blinked in surprise.
To die together?
It sounded like a declaration of martyrdom.
Avoiding his gaze, Pei Lengxue blushed and said shyly, "Senior Brother, what are you saying? It's so ominous."
Ye Anping furrowed his brow and shook his head, repeating, "Junior Sister, I'm serious."
Ye Anping had already made up his mind. If anything unexpected happened, and Pei Lengxue couldn't defeat that demonic cultivator, he would voluntarily stab her to death. He was deeply attached to their brother-sister relationship over the past decade with Pei Lengxue. He couldn't let her fall into the hands of "Wu You" under any circumstances.
Pei Lengxue clearly didn't grasp Ye Anping's intention. She only felt that Ye Anping was expressing his affection for her.
Seeing Ye Anping's furrowed brow, she hesitated for a moment and bit her lip before nodding slowly, her face flushed: "Then, I'll go prepare."