Early the next morning, Jilin brought Wang Yuyan slowly before Qiao Feng and the others, a faint smile on his face.
He gently patted Qiao Feng on the shoulder and said softly, "Brother Qiao, let us part ways here!" Qiao Feng nodded, a trace of reluctance flashing in his eyes.
Then, Jilin turned and walked toward a nearby carriage, opened the door, and gestured for Wang Yuyan to get in. Wang Yuyan was slightly stunned, then silently boarded the carriage.
Jilin closed the door, jumped up to the driver's seat, and flicked his whip. The carriage slowly pulled away from the spot.
Along the way, the carriage rocked as it moved forward, the wheels grinding against the ground with a creaking sound. Wang Yuyan sat inside, her gaze occasionally drifting out the window to look at the scenery along the road. Jilin focused on driving, occasionally turning his head to check on the situation inside the carriage.
As time passed, Wang Yuyan gradually developed special feelings for Jilin. She found that Jilin was not only handsome and dashing, but also exceptionally talented, upright, and kind-hearted.
He always knew how to make her feel at ease and comfortable with gentle words and caring gestures. However, despite this, deep down in her heart, she still missed her cousin Murong Fu.
At this moment, Jilin was more concerned with reaching Tianshan as quickly as possible. He worried whether Tianshan Tonglao had already begun her rejuvenation process. If Li Qiushui suddenly appeared at this time and killed Tianshan Tonglao, the consequences would be unimaginable.
After all, these two martial arts masters were top figures in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and key members of the Xiaoyao Sect. Losing either of them would be a huge loss to the pugilistic world.
After a grueling journey, Jilin and Wang Yuyan finally arrived at the foot of Tianshan. The mountains before them soared into the clouds, shrouded in mist, giving a sense of mystery and solemnity.
Looking up at the mountain from the base, the peak disappeared into the clouds. The two did not delay and began walking up the mountain.
Arriving at Piaomiao Peak, they saw a plaque bearing the characters "Vulture Palace". Two female guards blocked Jilin and the others upon seeing them approach.
"I am Jilin, the new Leader of the Xiaoyao Sect. Go and report to Tianshan Tonglao at once."
After one of the women went in to report, she quickly returned to lead Jilin and Wang Yuyan into the Vulture Palace. Tonglao was waiting in the main hall, looking dignified and mysterious.
Judging by her appearance, she had not yet undergone the rejuvenation process.
After Jilin bowed to Tonglao, he stated the purpose of their visit. Tonglao looked Jilin up and down, a flash of surprise in her eyes. She had not expected the new Leader to be so strikingly handsome, even looking somewhat more youthful and fair than her junior fellow apprentice Wuyazi when he was young.
Inadvertently glancing at the Seven-Treasure Ring on Jilin's left thumb—the symbol of the Xiaoyao Sect Leader—she believed his words without a shadow of a doubt.
However, when her gaze fell upon Wang Yuyan, who had accompanied Jilin, she could not help but be greatly startled, thinking to herself in astonishment, "How can they look so much alike?"
Suppressing her curiosity, Tonglao asked with a cold expression, "What is your business here?"
Jilin respectfully replied, "This junior, entrusted by my late master Wuyazi, has come to ask Senior Uncle to instruct me in the supreme martial arts of the Xiaoyao Sect."
Tonglao nodded slightly, signaling Jilin to follow her into the inner chamber. Inside, upon learning of the Xiaoyao Sect's recent state and hearing the news of Wuyazi's passing, Tonglao could not help shedding tears.
Jilin silently pondered to himself: "A twist of fate, loving someone you cannot have."
Many matters in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils stemmed entirely from the word "love"—Tianshan Tonglao and Li Qiushui fighting over Wuyazi, Duan Zhengchun's romantic escapades, Xuanci and Ye Erniang's ill-fated connection...
Once Tianshan Tonglao's emotions had settled, she began teaching Jilin the various martial arts secrets of the Xiaoyao Sect.
As the senior martial sister of the Xiaoyao Sect, Tianshan Tonglao knew no small number of peerless martial arts: the Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies Violetocto Art, the Tianshan Plum-Plucking Hands, the Tianshan Six-Yang Palms, the Life-Executioner's Talisman... every single one of them was an exquisite martial art.
Jilin studied with utmost diligence. Seeing this, Tianshan Tonglao was extremely gratified and passed on all her life's learning to him without reservation. Not disappointing her, Jilin made rapid progress, and Tianshan Tonglao even declared him the new Palace Master of the Vulture Palace, bringing the Vulture Palace back under the banner of the Xiaoyao Sect.
During his time at the Vulture Palace, Jilin lived quite freely. Every day consisted of practicing martial arts. Of course, he would occasionally take time to tease Wang Yuyan, and seeing her shy and adorable appearance, a sweet sensation would well up in Jilin's heart.
Just like that, the feelings between the two blossomed rapidly like spring flowers.
However, at this moment, Tianshan Tonglao's Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies Violetocto Art reached the critical moment of rejuvenation. Jilin had to pause his cultivation to concentrate on protecting her.
Who could have guessed that misfortunes never come singly? Li Qiushui actually chose this time to track them down. To make matters worse, the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands, controlled by the Vulture Palace using Life-Executioner's Talismans, revolted and attacked Tianshan at the same time.
Faced with such a perilous situation, Jilin made a prompt decision. He ordered Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju to lead the Vulture Palace members to fend off the rebels first, while he stayed behind alone to fight Li Qiushui.
During the fierce battle, Li Qiushui gradually found herself no match for Jilin and was ultimately forced to concede defeat. After swiftly subduing her, Jilin rushed to the front lines to quell the rebellion.
Stepping into the main hall, Jilin pacified the rebellious crowd in the blink of an eye, with Wang Yuyan cheering him on from the sidelines. At that moment, someone among the rebels saw this scene and instantly flew into a rage.
That person lunged forward to attack, every strike aiming straight for Jilin's vital points.
During the clash, Wang Yuyan caught sight of the attacker's face and cried out, "Cousin!"
Hearing this, Jilin immediately knew the person before him was Murong Fu. Showing no more mercy, he struck with a single palm. Murong Fu was sent flying backward, coughing up blood when he hit the ground.
At that, Wang Yuyan rushed over and begged for Murong Fu's life to be spared. Hearing her plea, Jilin withdrew his hand.
Seeing that Wang Yuyan had pleaded for him, Murong Fu was consumed by sudden rage and hurled vicious insults at her. Wang Yuyan was bewildered; the gentle and cultured cousin in her memories had vanished without a trace.
The person before her was utterly unlike the man in her memories.
On the other side, Jilin made an example of the rebel leader to deter the rest, while showing benevolence to those who had been deceived, acting like a compassionate bodhisattva as he removed the Life-Executioner's Talismans from their bodies. At the same time, he did not forget to issue a stern warning.
Once everything was settled, Jilin gave Wang Yuyan and Murong Fu some time alone before going off to handle internal matters of the Xiaoyao Sect.
Seeing Li Qiushui—whom he had subdued—sitting obediently, Jilin hurried over and said respectfully, "Senior Uncle, I was too presumptuous just now; I hope Senior Uncle will forgive me."
"Since you know you've offended me, why haven't you released my acupoints yet?"
Jilin promptly released her acupoints. Just then, Tonglao also emerged from seclusion. Catching sight of her arch-rival before her, dark intentions instantly stirred in her heart, and the same went for Li Qiushui.
Before the two could make a move, their acupoints were sealed again by two bolts of sword qi from Jilin, leaving them unable to channel their internal energy.
"Jilin, what is the meaning of this? Hurry up and release my acupoints, and by the way, slaughter this wretched woman!" Tonglao shouted sternly.
On the other side, Li Qiushui also anxiously added, "If you kill Tianshan Tonglao, I will make you the Prince Consort of Western Xia!"
Clinging to the notion that grievances are better resolved than prolonged, Jilin chose not to release their acupoints.
After settling them both down in seats, Jilin told them a story.
"What on earth is this thing called love in this world? It makes people disregard life and death itself. Love always makes people confused, brings heartache, and even drives them to do things that make them regret it to their very bowels."
"There was once a sect whose members were all exceptionally handsome men and gorgeous women. Well, the senior apprentice and the third apprentice of this sect both fell in love with the second apprentice. Fighting for affection, the two even came to blows, eventually ending up as mortal enemies."
"What they didn't know, however, was that the second apprentice only had eyes for the youngest junior sister of the sect..."
Just like that, Jilin laid out the tangled romance among Wuyazi and the three women from beginning to end, and even took out the portrait of Wuyazi.
The two women finally believed that all their romantic feelings over the years had been cast to the winds.
Looking at Li Qiushui and Tianshan Tonglao hugging each other and crying, Jilin rubbed his forehead.
"Alas, for Wuyazi to make two women scheme against each other for a lifetime, he really was a supreme scumbag. He probably has a lot of common ground with Duan Zhengchun."
After pondering for a moment, Jilin muttered, "Love? Love is just a lot of nonsense."
With that, he planned to go check on Wang Yuyan.
Who would have thought that before even reaching the main hall, he would spot a young girl wiping her tears in a corner—was that not Wang Yuyan?
Jilin hurried over and asked with concern, "Yuyan, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
The moment Wang Yuyan saw that it was Jilin, she threw her arms around him, buried her face against his chest, and wept bitterly.
Jilin gently patted her back and comforted her, "There, there, stop crying. If you keep crying, you won't be pretty anymore."
Wang Yuyan slowly raised her head, wiped away her tears, and choked out an account of Murong Fu's harsh attitude toward her just moments before, even mentioning some crude and unspeakable language he had used. Furthermore, Murong Fu had told Wang Yuyan never to look for him again because he never wanted to see her again.
Hearing this, Jilin gritted his teeth in fury and raged, "That Murong Fu goes too far! I'm going to kill him right now."
Appalled, Wang Yuyan hurriedly grabbed Jilin's hand and pleaded urgently, "Brother Jilin, you mustn't!"
Putting on an act, Jilin said, "Fine then, if you don't want me to kill him, you have to give me a smile."
Wang Yuyan lowered her head shyly and reproached playfully, "Young Master Jilin, you're teasing me again."
Jilin looked at Wang Yuyan as a brilliant smile broke across her face, then said earnestly, "Alright, since you've smiled, you mustn't cry anymore. You know, you look truly stunning when you smile."
Gazing into Wang Yuyan's eyes, Jilin said affectionately, "Yuyan, actually I've always wanted to tell you... I like you." His voice was filled with sincerity and determination.
Sincerity is always an unbeatable killer move, coupled with Jilin's formidable martial arts and a handsomeness rivalling that of the reader—it was an absolute atomic bomb!
A slight blush crept across Wang Yuyan's cheeks. She lowered her head gently, then looked back up, a tender light flickering in her eyes, and nodded softly to accept Jilin's confession.
Overjoyed upon receiving Wang Yuyan's response, Jilin could no longer contain his excitement. He flung his arms wide and pulled Wang Yuyan tightly into his embrace, feeling each other's warmth. This embrace was filled with affection and promises, drawing their hearts even closer together.
Afterward, Jilin and Wang Yuyan walked hand in hand toward Tianshan Tonglao and Li Qiushui. When the two women saw their tightly clasped hands, they both wore gratified smiles.
Jilin smiled as he introduced Wang Yuyan to Tianshan Tonglao and Li Qiushui.
Looking at Li Qiushui, who shared such a striking resemblance to her, a hint of confusion rippled through Wang Yuyan's heart. She had never imagined that two people in the world could look so alike, and she could not help feeling curious about this mysterious woman.
Meanwhile, Li Qiushui seemed to recall something as well. She excitedly took Wang Yuyan's hand, tears shimmering in her eyes.
Standing nearby, Jilin hurriedly explained to Wang Yuyan, "Yan'er, this is Senior Li Qiushui. Your mother, Madam Wang, was originally named Li Qingluo, born to Wuyazi and Senior Li Qiushui. Therefore, in terms of seniority, you should address Senior Li Qiushui as your grandmother."
Hearing this, understanding dawned on Wang Yuyan, though she still found it hard to believe. Tentatively, she called out, "Grandmother..." Her voice was soft and tinged with a touch of shyness.
"Ah!" Hearing Wang Yuyan's call, Li Qiushui was so moved that her eyes brimmed with tears as she hastily answered. She grasped Wang Yuyan's hand tightly, as if she had found a long-lost relative.
Tianshan Tonglao and Li Qiushui warmly welcomed Wang Yuyan into the room, showering her with affectionate inquiries. Tianshan Tonglao smiled and praised, "These two youngsters are truly a match made in heaven." Her words were full of joy.
Li Qiushui chimed in as well, "Indeed. Jilin is a talent of exceptional bearing, a
perfect match for our Yan'er. If this brat ever dares to treat you poorly or follows in the footsteps of his master Wuyazi, you just come and tell Grandma, and see how Grandma deals with him." With that, she cast a glare at Jilin.
Jilin and Wang Yuyan exchanged glances, both of their faces radiant with happy smiles. They gripped each other's hands tightly, as if wishing to pass their warmth to one another. At this moment, their hearts were filled with sweetness and bliss.