Chapter Eighty One

"Yan'er?" He Ming didn't recognize him at first either. After two months, how had his beloved, radiant disciple turned into this?

"Master." Cen Yan turned sideways and bowed to He Ming properly, his face still expressionless.

Cen Yan had always been reliable in his actions. Lian Ci had originally intended to send him to the mystic realm, but seeing Cen Yan's desolate state, he couldn't help but hesitate: "The ancient land is full of dangers, and your injuries haven't fully healed. Perhaps it would be safer to stay in the sect."

"This disciple is willing to give his all for the sect. I beg Sect Leader to grant my request!" Cen Yan's tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

Lian Ci sighed lightly, yet a hint of relief flashed in his eyes. It seemed his desperate attempt to save Cen Yan from the Immortal Venerable's grasp had been worth it. Cen Yan truly had not disappointed him.

That Qingyang Tianzong could have a disciple as loyal and righteous as Cen Yan was truly a blessing for the sect.

"Very well, very well, very well." Lian Ci said 'very well' three times in a row and didn't waste any more words: "I will immediately send someone to trade with the Tianji Sect. You two make preparations and set off soon."

"Yes." Cen Yan bowed to accept the order.

Exiting the main hall, Cen Yan returned to Wusong Residence to pack his luggage: magical artifacts, talismans, scrolls, healing pills... he left nothing out.

He Ming caught up with him from behind, his face full of disapproval: "Why do you want to go to the mystic realm? The Dragon Vein Ancient Land is fraught with danger. What if something happens again..."

"Master." Cen Yan interrupted He Ming without looking up, his hand continuously putting pills into his storage artifact. His stubbled face showed an expression as indifferent as if he were just making a casual remark: "I want to bring Chu Rong back."

Chu Rong?

The topic shifted too quickly. He Ming was bewildered. Why was Yan'er bringing up Chu Rong again?

Before He Ming could ask further, he heard the young man before him continue: "I want to renew the marriage contract with him."

Renew the marriage contract?

He Ming's pupils contracted. He unconsciously pulled out a few strands of his white beard from the force in his hand.

The sharp pain shot to his brain, making He Ming wince, but he completely ignored it. He looked at Cen Yan in disbelief, as if he had heard something absurd: "Have you lost your mind?"

The previous marriage contract was forced by Chu Rong, holding a favor over his head. Wasn't Cen Yan very displeased with it? Now that the contract was finally dissolved, why did he want to repeat the same mistake?

Cen Yan's cultivation had already been destroyed once. If not for the Golden Core left by Elder Lin, Cen Yan would probably still be lying on his bed, his life hanging in the balance.

Cen Yan's expression didn't change. He neither confirmed nor denied it: "Master, I have made up my mind."

He hadn't lost his mind. He was perfectly clear-headed. Two months were enough for him to figure out many things.

Yes, he had failed his benefactor, neglected him, and almost driven him to his death. He was a petty man. But was Ning Yuan Immortal Venerable any better?

The gap between a cultivator and a mortal was like a chasm. Perhaps the Immortal Venerable's help was just a momentary whim. But once that whim faded, he dared not imagine what would await Chu Rong.

He owed Chu Rong his life. Before things became irreversible, he would rescue Chu Rong, no matter the cost.

And forming a marriage contract was the best protection for Chu Rong.

This time, he would not let anyone hurt Chu Rong. No one in the sect would be allowed to lay a finger on Chu Rong.

He Ming's throat tightened. He could see that Cen Yan wasn't joking.

"Nonsense!" He Ming was furious and stormed off with a flick of his sleeve.

Cen Yan didn't even lift an eyelid, calmly and methodically packing his luggage.

Yun Zhi, who was guarding the door, clenched his rough hands on his clothes. His numb, dark face, which had been expressionless for two months, showed a hint of suppressed excitement: "Senior Brother Cen, is it true? Will you really bring the young master back?"

Would he see the young master again?

Cen Yan paused, his hand holding a talisman. He turned his head to look at Yun Zhi, then shifted his gaze to the wall connecting to the next room. A glimmer of light appeared in his empty eyes, and he answered without hesitation: "Yes."

Yun Zhi's eyes widened, and a brilliant light ignited in them. His face flushed bright red, and he stammered: "R-really? I... I can see the young master again!"

Cen Yan withdrew his gaze, turning to look at the excited Yun Zhi: "You and Chu Rong...?"

Yun Zhi blushed, lowering his head. After a moment's hesitation, he said softly: "The young master once saved me."

Chu Rong had saved Yun Zhi? How did he not know? Cen Yan asked in confusion: "When?"

Since things had come to this, Yun Zhi no longer hid the truth. He knelt on both knees and told the whole story: "The young master is a good person. If he hadn't shown me the way, I'm afraid I would still be being bullied."

So that was it. No wonder Yun Zhi, an outer sect disciple, had suddenly come to him seeking justice. It turned out Chu Rong was guiding him from behind the scenes.

Cen Yan curled his fingers tightly, a sour, astringent feeling rising in his throat: "Why have you never told me this?"

"The young master told me not to." Yun Zhi repeated Chu Rong's words verbatim: "The young master also said not to get too close to him."

Why?

Cen Yan's vision gradually lost focus. He suddenly remembered that when he had saved Yun Zhi, it was two or three days after the incident in the main hall. At that time, Chu Rong had been suffering under the puppet Gu, yet he, Cen Yan, had falsely accused Chu Rong, forcing him to confess in the main hall, making Chu Rong's situation within the sect even more difficult.

Chu Rong had told Yun Zhi not to speak up, probably to avoid implicating him.

Cen Yan raised his hand to press against his chest, clutching the fabric over his heart. The pain welling up in his chest made it hard for him to breathe, heavy and difficult.

Chu Rong was clearly in such a bad state himself, yet he still reached out to help the suffering Yun Zhi, just like he had saved him back then.

From beginning to end, Chu Rong had never changed.

It was him.

He was the blind and foolish one, superficial, unable to see the truth.

Poof—!

Cen Yan's neck turned bright red, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood!

"Senior Brother!" Yun Zhi was startled and quickly stood up, reaching out to support Cen Yan.

Cen Yan clutched his chest, staggering back two steps, grabbing the edge of the table to steady himself: "I'm fine."

Cen Yan took a deep breath, suppressing the taste of blood in his mouth. Disheveled strands of hair fell, hiding his pale profile: "Go clean the next room."

Cen Yan remembered that Chu Rong seemed to love cleanliness. He didn't want Chu Rong to face any neglect when he returned.

Yun Zhi looked at Cen Yan for a moment, confirmed he was alright, then grinned and happily retreated: "Yes!"

-

The disciple Lian Ci sent soon bought the information about the ancient land's entrance from the Tianji Sect.

Lian Ci summoned Cen Yan and Pei Zhan once more, pondering with a lowered brow: "There's no time to lose. You two set off immediately. Make sure to secure an opportunity in the Dragon Vein Ancient Land."

Thinking of something, Lian Ci paused, then earnestly instructed: "Just one opportunity is enough, don't be greedy. If you need support, send the sect's signal flare, and I will bring people immediately."

Regardless, the opportunities in the Dragon Vein Ancient Land were a once-in-a-millennium chance that Qingyang Tianzong could not afford to miss.

The various immortal sects were all eyeing the ancient land, especially the number one sect, the Qingxu Sect. He wondered if the Immortal Venerable would go to the mystic realm too.

Qingyang Tianzong definitely couldn't compete. They certainly wouldn't get the lion's share of the resources. But even grabbing just a tiny bit of opportunity would be a godsend for the sect.

As for the ancient true dragon's breath, Lian Ci didn't even dare to think about it.

"Disciple understands!" Cen Yan and Pei Zhan accepted the order.

The two exited the main hall and rushed towards the ancient land without stopping.

Cen Yan had rested and cleaned up, shaved off his stubble, and changed back into white robes. His elegant, refined features were striking, but his eyes, once clear and cold, were now like a deep, unfathomable well, showing no ripples.

Pei Zhan's golden-brown eyes narrowed. He sneered, his tone full of sarcasm: "How does it feel to wrongly accuse your savior? Cen Yan, you don't deserve him. Stay away from him."

"What business is it of yours, what's between him and me?" Cen Yan turned his head, glaring coldly at Pei Zhan, his killing intent barely concealed: "As for you, if you dare bully him again, I will definitely kill you."

Cen Yan hadn't forgotten how Pei Zhan had repeatedly bullied Chu Rong after coming out of seclusion. This time, when he brought Chu Rong back, he wouldn't let Pei Zhan get close to Chu Rong.

Pei Zhan didn't take Cen Yan's threat seriously at all. He had never respected Cen Yan before, and even less so now.

If Cen Yan hadn't known the method to dissolve the marriage contract but dragged it out for over three years, Chu Rong would have had no chance to leave Qingyang Tianzong. Chu Rong would have probably already moved into the golden cage of the Dragon Scale Jade Pendant and become completely his.

...

For the rest of the journey, Cen Yan and Pei Zhan were like oil and water, not speaking a single word to each other.

The two rushed day and night to the outskirts of the ancient land. Almost all the immortal sects had already arrived, including Yun Tan from Dufa Temple.

Sensing his gaze, Yun Tan glanced sideways at him. His immortal-like face showed neither joy nor sorrow.

Cen Yan nodded slightly in return, then looked around. He was surprised not to see a single disciple from the Qingxu Sect. As the number one sect, they shouldn't be this slow.

The outskirts of the ancient land were a forest, thick with impenetrable miasma. Cen Yan suppressed his thoughts, didn't act rashly, and quietly observed the sect disciples present, noticing that before entering the dense forest, everyone took a detoxification pill.

Following suit, Cen Yan took a detoxification pill and followed behind the other sects.

Qingyang Tianzong's resources were scarce, and the quality of their detoxification pills wasn't high. Cen Yan had to take another pill every two hours. By the time his bottle of pills was almost empty, he finally emerged from the forest.

Before him stretched endless mountain ranges, undulating like dragon spines, majestic and towering.

"The Tianji Sect wasn't lying, it really is a dragon vein!" The immortal sect members were excited, impatiently passing through the barrier and entering the ancient land.

Cen Yan didn't say a word, following the crowd inside. As soon as he stepped into the mountains, a dazzling white light lit up beneath his feet.

Cen Yan's vision went white, and in the next moment, he disappeared from where he stood.

When he opened his eyes again, the scene before him had changed completely. The surrounding light was dim, faint green lights floated in wisps, and he could vaguely see menacing, sprawling tree canopies.

It seemed the teleportation array had brought him here.

It wasn't unusual for mystic realms to have teleportation arrays. Cen Yan wasn't surprised. He cautiously observed his surroundings and carefully walked forward. His shoulder accidentally brushed against a floating green light. The light seemed to come alive, burrowing into his body.

In an instant, Cen Yan's internal injuries felt slightly lighter.

Cen Yan keenly sensed the change in his body. He paused, lowering his eyes to stare at the green light around him.

...

There was no daylight in the mystic realm. Cen Yan didn't know how much time had passed. The surrounding green light had all been absorbed into his body, and his internal injuries were nearly seventy to eighty percent healed.

Cen Yan no longer lingered, searching for teleportation arrays to go to the next place, and the next.

Cen Yan wandered through the mystic realm. Although he sustained countless injuries, his internal injuries not only fully healed but his cultivation also solidified back to the late Golden Core stage, the level he had before it was abolished.

As expected of the Dragon Vein Ancient Land, opportunities were hidden everywhere. But these opportunities paled in comparison to the dragon's breath.

Before leaving, Lian Ci had warned him not to covet the dragon's breath. But the Qingxu Sect members didn't seem to have arrived. So perhaps he could try to compete for it.

Cen Yan cast a cleansing spell to clean off all the grime and began to intentionally search for the dragon's breath.

After stepping into an unknown number of teleportation arrays, a bright, long street appeared before Cen Yan's eyes. Pavilions and towers lined both sides, and people in various clothes milled about endlessly, presenting a lively scene reminiscent of a mortal market.

And right in front of him stood a tavern with its doors wide open.

A gilded plaque hung above, and strings of lanterns dangled from the pillars on either side. The candlelight flickered, the bright yellow light dancing on Cen Yan's eyelids.

Cen Yan narrowed his eyes slightly and turned to leave when a teasing laugh came from inside the tavern: "Where are you going? Come have a drink with us brothers."

The man's voice was loud and rough, accompanied by heavy, rapid breathing, clearly with ill intentions.

Cen Yan followed the sound into the tavern. In the opposite corner, several men with muscular, bare arms had someone surrounded. One held a bowl of wine, while the others reached out to grab the person. The person dodged left and right. As the crowd jostled, a wisp of rich orchid fragrance drifted out from the encirclement, mixing with the tavern's strong wine aroma, tantalizing and making one's throat dry and tongue itchy.

Cen Yan's expression changed drastically. He rushed into the tavern in big strides.