Chapter 81: Into a Martial Arts Novel, Day 3

Chapter 81: The Third Day of Transmigrating into a Wuxia Novel

An Yi thought of the phrase "peerless under heaven," and suddenly an old chestnut from several lifetimes ago flashed through his mind—Ling Fengyao is peerless under heaven, but now he's here; does that count as "a foe from the heavens"?

Peerless under heaven, a foe from the heavens?

An Yi couldn't help but let out a barely audible laugh.

The mountain breeze swept past, stirring the hems of their robes.

Ling Fengyao watched his subtle reaction, the corners of his mouth rose even higher, the interest in his peach-blossom eyes grew stronger. He stroked his chin and took another step forward, drawled:

"It seems the Young Master's injuries this time… are indeed not light. You've even forgotten someone who nearly fought you to the death and snatched away the man you wanted to take back as a 'male concubine'?"

Male concubine?!

An Yi searched his memory. Indeed, the original owner had a bad habit of forcibly taking men…

An Yi: ...

But he didn't bring those men back as cauldrons—he brought them back for martial arts training.

The original owner was proud and haughty, believing that those taken men were unworthy of him, not even fit to be cauldrons.

As for Ling Fengyao, memory fragments showed that two months ago, he had stepped in to stop the original owner from forcibly taking a scholar. The two had fought fiercely, resulting in mutual injuries.

But judging by the current situation, the original owner was likely the one hurt worse.

Ling Fengyao watched how his lips instantly tightened and unconsciously pressed together. A glint flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly chuckled again, as if suddenly understanding something:

"Come to think of it, the Young Master today… is completely different from that day."

His gaze sharpened, as if it could pierce through the skin and reach the depths of the soul: "That day, you were like a prairie fire—fierce and unbridled. But today, you're like… icy water of a deep pool—cold and unfathomable."

He tilted his head, grinning like a fox that had found a new toy, his tone growing more suggestive: "No wonder everyone says you've gone berserk from qi deviation—has your personality completely changed?"

"Or has the Young Master finally seen the light and realized that winning people over with reason is better than forcing them?"

An Yi was utterly speechless.

Ling Fengyao, the original male lead, the future pillar of the orthodox martial arts world.

With this kind of demeanor, and this seemingly carefree yet relentlessly probing style…

Another troublesome person.

I miss Du Guyuan every day. Without you, who else would be so simple-minded and easy to handle?!

But in the original plot, did the protagonist appear at the Demon Sect's lair at this point in time?

Maybe he did, but it wasn't described in the story. Given his habit of coming and going without a trace, even if he showed up, no one might notice. That would make sense.

And in the original story at this time, the original owner had already passed away.

The mountain wind stirred up tiny specks of dust, spinning between them.

Ling Fengyao's remark about "winning people over with reason" was clearly teasing, but it was also an obvious suspicion of why his personality had suddenly changed.

An Yi's thoughts raced.

The original owner was a sullen, short-tempered firecracker that exploded at the slightest provocation, unable to tolerate any doubt or offense.

If he acted too calm and composed now, it would only arouse more suspicion.

If it were the original owner, he'd flash a sullen, violent look after being offended, and then his chilling Erosion-Heart inner force would stir, and he would snarl: "Didn't I rip you apart last time? And now you're delivering yourself to me, looking for death?"

But... An Yi didn't want to do that.

In his previous worlds, he had maintained the original owner's persona early on because he lacked the strength to protect himself, especially in the second world...

But now, if he still acted like that, wouldn't all those centuries of transmigration and growth be wasted?

Was his ability worthless?

So An Yi didn't answer Ling Fengyao's question. Instead, he asked, "What? If I want to do something, does this Young Master have to explain anything to you? Tell me, what is your purpose in trespassing into the Fuyi Sect's sacred ground?"

Ling Fengyao paused, staring at him, but the smile in his peach-blossom eyes deepened.

He let out a puzzled, drawn-out "Hm?" as if he had discovered something extremely interesting. He suddenly stepped even closer.

An Yi stood still, watching Ling Fengyao "dance around" in front of him.

Ling Fengyao gradually closed in, his gaze locked onto An Yi's eyes, scanning his face.

"No… no, no!" Ling Fengyao muttered to himself, his voice so low only they could hear: "The eyes are different."

He tilted his head, his demeanor not like that of someone looking at a demon lord: "That day's eyes were murky and greedy, full of desire. But today's eyes…"

He paused, searching for the right words: "Cold, yes, but pure, like an icy lake on a snowy peak, with… hmm, some very interesting things hidden beneath."

He suddenly gave a short laugh and dropped a bombshell: "Hey, you're not An Yi at all, are you? This human skin mask is quite exquisite—I couldn't find a single flaw."

An Yi: ...

He let out a very faint laugh, his expression seemingly gentle, but his eyes held no warmth: "If I'm not An Yi, then are you?"

"What does that mean? This An Yi is fake? (Rubs chin, thinking)"

"Could he be a spy infiltrating the Demon Sect? A master of disguise?"

"That doesn't seem right. This An Yi's got guts!"

"...Is no one else creeped out by what Ling Fengyao said?"

"...+1, same here."

["Very interesting things"... Bro Ling, what exactly do you mean by 'things'! (Squirming and crawling)]

"What do you mean 'clean like a mountain lake'? For real? Can you describe an enemy like that?"

"I didn't go to school, don't mess with me!"

"So freaking gay!"

"I ship them."

"Shut up! Get lost!"

"..."

Ling Fengyao suddenly burst into laughter, not the appraising kind from before, but a genuinely hearty laugh, as if he had encountered some incredible stroke of luck.

He even ignored the inner force An Yi had gathered, lifted a hand to stroke his chin, his tone light:

"Interesting, very interesting! Could going into qi deviation have such a marvelous effect? If I had known, those old stick-in-the-muds from the esteemed orthodox sects in the martial world ought to all come and try this Heart Erosion Art!"

An Yi was taken aback by his completely unpredictable reaction. This man... was there something wrong with his mind?

In that fleeting moment of distraction, Ling Fengyao's eyes flashed, and his left hand, which had been hanging naturally at his side, shot out like a ghost—not to attack, but straight toward An Yi's wrist!

An Yi's expression remained unchanged.

If it had been this body's original owner, he would have either erupted in fury and counterattacked or dodged.

But An Yi's combat instincts were still intact, especially his apocalypse-honed reflexes, etched into his very soul!

Just an instant before Ling Fengyao's fingers touched his skin, An Yi's wrist moved like a slippery ice fish, executing a subtle, exquisite twist impossible for someone with stagnant inner force who had just gone through qi deviation, and silently slipped out of Ling Fengyao's grasp!

The movement was so fast it left only a faint afterimage!

It even stirred a faint trace of cold energy not belonging to the Heart Erosion force!

Ling Fengyao's hand clutched empty air and halted midair.

An Yi had already retreated half a step, the hem of his robe lifting gently.