Chapter 82: Into a Martial Arts Novel, Day 4

Chapter 82: The Fourth Day in the Wuxia Novel

The smile on Ling Fengyao's face slowly faded. His peach blossom eyes, always appearing to hold a smile, narrowed slightly, their light turning sharp and deep, like a hawk locking onto its prey.

He withdrew his hand, his gaze falling on An Yi's hand hanging naturally as if nothing had happened, then slowly moving back to his overly calm face.

The air around them felt frozen.

This person is definitely not An Yi!

But... the internal energy flowing in his body is definitely from the Heart Erosion Art!

Could it be?

In an instant, a bunch of martial arts novel clichés flashed through Ling Fengyao's mind: twins, switcheroos, sect infighting, secret body doubles...

...and he automatically filled in a ton of details.

If An Yi knew, he'd probably roll his eyes. That guy's imagination is way too vivid.

"!!!!!"

"Holy shit!!!!"

"When did An Yi get so strong?"

"This reaction speed! This footwork! Is this how someone just waking up from qi deviation should move?!"

"Ling Fengyao: Oh ho?"

"Could it be a body double? The kind that often appears, like a substitute for the Young Master or the Sect Leader?"

"Does this book even have that setting?"

"Maybe he was faking it all along! (Dog head)"

"..."

Ling Fengyao stared at him silently for a full three seconds.

Suddenly, he snorted with laughter again, as if that sharp scrutiny had never happened.

He clapped his hands, his tone becoming lazy again, with a hint of exaggerated admiration:

"Excellent! Truly excellent! The Heart Erosion Art is indeed profound and mysterious, letting someone recovering from severe injuries improve their footwork so much! Admirable, admirable! Seems I've been ignorant, underestimating your sect's divine art!"

Ling Fengyao stepped closer, lowering his voice, his tone carrying a meaningful tease: "Young Master An's 'surprise' is truly... breathtaking."

"I have disturbed you enough today. It seems the Young Master has recovered extremely well, so there's no need for me to 'worry.'"

He smiled and cupped his hands, as if taking his leave.

An Yi smiled faintly: "Come and go as you like?"

The man, about to turn and leave, paused. He looked back and winked at An Yi, his smile dazzlingly bright:

"Young Master, are you going to call someone to capture me? That's fine too. Let me experience the hospitality of the Fuyi Sect."

With that, he let out a loud laugh, his form flickered, and he drifted away like a flowing cloud, disappearing behind the jagged rocks in a few bounds.

Leaving An Yi alone, standing there with a faint smile, saying nothing.

Of course, he wouldn't call anyone to capture Ling Fengyao. He couldn't catch him anyway unless he did it himself.

Better not. But... this person seems convinced he is not the original An Yi...

Even so, it doesn't matter.

An Yi doesn't care.

After wandering enough, he turned and walked toward his residence, "Chenxin Hall."

Each step was extremely steady, his black robe sweeping the ground without gathering any dust.

The sect members he encountered respectfully stepped aside, their heads bowed low. Apparently, the news that the "Young Master" had resumed his activities had spread.

Returning to Chenxin Hall, the heavy doors closed behind him, shutting out the outside world. An Yi walked to the bronze basin and looked again at his reflection in the water.

On that overly young and handsome, overly pale face, there was only calm.

In the following days, An Yi often went out for walks, but spent most of his time in the hall stabilizing his cultivation.

His supernatural ability operated silently. In just a few days, the meridians severely damaged by the qi deviation were mostly repaired, even becoming stronger and smoother than before.

During this time, his mysterious sect leader father sent someone to ask about his recovery. His tone was flat, showing little concern, more like a routine check. An Yi dismissed the messenger with a few words.

Several elders and protectors of the sect also sent rare medicinal herbs, their words mostly probing.

An Yi dealt with them all with words like "Mm," "Scram," "Put it down," not bothering to say a single extra word.

This behavior made everyone think the Young Master's temper had worsened after the qi deviation, so fewer people bothered him.

That day, An Yi was strolling in a bamboo grove behind the hall, and the comment section became active again:

"The male lead is at the Fuyi Sect's outer black market again! He's inquiring about sect news! Is he going to spy on the demon sect again?"

"He seems to be checking the sect's reaction after his last infiltration? The focus is on An Yi's movements!"

"He even bought a pot of 'Drunken Spring Breeze,' smiling like a lover heading out on a date?! (Horrified)"

"Damn! What kind of description is the author using?! What does 'smiling like a lover going on a date' mean?!"

"What's going on?!"

"The one above: he's heading towards the headquarters! Not fast, like he's strolling in his own backyard!"

"..."

An Yi paused. Again?

An Yi thought about it and figured that this person must have come for news about the Youhuan Shu.

Rumor in the martial world said the Heart Erosion Art was derived from a fragment of the Youhuan Shu, but it was extremely incomplete with major flaws, which was the root cause of the original owner's eventual qi deviation.

Generations of sect leaders and elders had wanted to find the complete version, but had no clues.

However... Ling Fengyao might have miscalculated this time.

If the Fuyi Sect truly had solid leads on the Youhuan Shu, would they have waited until now? Any real breakthrough won't come until much later in the story, and it'll show up somewhere completely different.

A gentle breeze rustled through the bamboo, carrying a faint, familiar presence from afar.

An Yi stopped in his tracks, not turning around, and spoke flatly, his voice crisp and cold, like jade striking stone: "Since when did the Fuyi Sect's bamboo grove become a public market where anyone can just wander in?"

As his words fell, the tip of a lush bamboo behind him trembled slightly. A figure in indigo blue landed as light as a bird—it was Ling Fengyao, back again.

The vermilion wine gourd at his waist swayed with his movements. He had an easy, carefree grin, as if he'd just stumbled upon the place.

"The Young Master has sharp ears."

Ling Fengyao brushed imaginary dust off his clothes and walked over grinning, saying, "I simply found the scenery of this bamboo grove quite charming and couldn't help but linger. I never intended to disturb the Young Master's cultivation."

An Yi slowly turned around. His gaze lingered on Ling Fengyao's face for a moment before falling to his empty hands. "Linger? More like you've thoroughly picked up every bit of info from our sect's black market. How was the 'Drunken Spring Breeze'?"

Ling Fengyao’s smile froze for an instant, then spread into an even broader, almost innocent grin. His peach blossom eyes shimmered with a mix of being caught red-handed, a little candor, and even some pride.

"So the Young Master has been paying such close attention to my whereabouts? I’m truly flattered."

He paused, his tone turning more teasing: "The 'Drunken Spring Breeze' was decent, but drinking alone is dull. Nowhere near as memorable as that day I met the Young Master..."