Yan Ling was very unlucky.
In the first year after returning to Yan Family Mountain when Zhuxing House was supposed to gather, while planting medicinal herbs, he mistakenly mixed a poisonous grass seed among spiritual medicines. When testing medicine on himself, he nearly lost his life—unconscious for a full half month before waking.
The second year was even better. Though his body had no major problems, the snow lotus Yan Ling had carefully nurtured for over a year met its doom at the hands of a small spirit beast on the mountain the night before blooming. Angering Yan Ling until his lungs nearly exploded, he grabbed Yan Yue’s sword and chased the “culprit” all over the mountain for three days and nights.
Naturally, he also missed the Zhuxing House gathering.
By the third year, the Zhuxing House people had all learned—they let Yan Ling choose the place and time in the Rhinoceros Horn Lamp, lest he have some other mishap.
Yan Ling pondered deeply. In the end, he still decided on Central State.
This time, Yan Ling prepared to go to Central State three days early. Madam Zhao was somewhat worried about him going out alone and wanted to use a flying vessel to send him there.
“Mother.” Yan Ling packed his things, saying helplessly: “I’m already seventeen. The Zhuxing House people are also about to reach the capping ceremony age. We’re not children anymore—no need to worry so much.”
Madam Zhao stroked Yan Ling’s head, sighing: “From childhood until now, you’ve never gone out alone.”
Yan Ling said unconvinced: “At the academy, going out for training—wasn’t that all me going out alone?”
“That’s different.”
Yan Ling said gloomily: “It’s the same. I can take care of myself.”
Madam Zhao didn’t insist either. She just gave him several more bottles of spirit pills and rhinoceros horn lamp oil, telling him if anything happened to promptly seek them.
“I know.” Yan Ling poked out his head. “Where’s A Yue?”
Madam Zhao said: “Following your father to cultivate. Won’t be back for several days.”
Yan Ling’s face immediately showed a pitying expression.
Yan Hanque was terribly strict. Since Yan Yue turned ten, he’d been following Yan Hanque cultivating the sword dao—tormented daily until crying for his parents, but still persisting until now.
Thinking back to childhood when Yan Yue was always weepy—when grown up, he’d probably really become a cold, ruthless sword cultivator.
Yan Ling tied on his cloak and bid farewell to Madam Zhao, going down Yan Family Mountain alone.
About ten li from Yan Family Mountain, there was a Flying Vessel Pavilion in a small town. This was Yan Ling’s first time down the mountain since three years ago—everything looked fresh.
But his good mood stopped at the Flying Vessel Pavilion no longer selling jade tokens to Central State City today. He’d have to wait until early tomorrow morning to buy jade tokens.
Yan Ling’s brows furrowed tightly. Estimating the distance to Central State City, he felt with just his Golden Core cultivation, he’d probably have to fly non-stop for two days and nights to arrive. But if he went back now, Madam Zhao would definitely think him unreliable going alone—not even figuring out when the flying vessel departed.
No choice—Yan Ling could only plan to find a place to stay for the night first.
But just after leaving the Flying Vessel Pavilion, a man suddenly came bouncing over, saying with a smile: “Young master, are you going to Central State City?”
Yan Ling wasn’t too used to strangers being so close. Frowning, he retreated half a step.
“Who are you?”
“We have a flying vessel about to depart for Central State City. There happen to be a few spots left inside. If young master doesn’t mind, you could ride along.”
Yan Ling said puzzled: “Didn’t they say there were no flying vessels to Central State?”
“But private rentals still exist. We came to the Northern Territory for training—with many people, we separately rented a flying vessel.” That person said with a smile: “We also thought having more people could share some spirit stones.”
Yan Ling looked in the direction he pointed toward the flying vessel not far away. Indeed, it had the Flying Vessel Pavilion’s mark. Thinking about it, he agreed.
The man led him onto the flying vessel, even specially giving him an elegant room with all kinds of food and drink available.
Before long, the flying vessel took off. Indeed heading toward Central State City’s direction.
Yan Ling gradually relaxed his guard. Sitting in a chair, he stretched lazily, calculating when they could reach Central State City.
The flying vessel leisurely headed toward Central State City. Yan Ling, bored with nothing to do, set up a barrier around himself and nestled on the soft couch to nap a while.
But unexpectedly, this nap went straight until evening. Groggily, he was awakened by rumbling thunder sounds.
Yan Ling rubbed his eyes and got up. Surrounded by darkness, he groped to take out a night pearl from his storage ring to illuminate the surroundings. Just planning to see if they were passing through thunderclouds outside the window, he felt the thunder seemed to be getting closer and closer.
Boom—
A thunder sound suddenly rang from overhead, seemingly striking the flying vessel. Yan Ling frowned and removed his ear cuff. An overwhelming sound of crying and shouting echoed in his ears. Following it came intense killing intent.
Thunder rumbled continuously.
The next instant, Yan Ling violently covered his ears. A bolt of lightning struck straight at the flying vessel’s top. The originally stable flying vessel shook violently in mid-air. Yan Ling hurried to stand against the wall to avoid being flung out.
This situation—most likely they’d encountered bandits.
Flying vessels flew at high altitude, always passing through thunderclouds. Every flying vessel in the Thirteen States, regardless of size, would place lightning-avoiding talismans at the top. There was absolutely no way lightning could strike directly.
Yan Ling grimly wrapped the cloak around himself. Just about to push the door to go see what was happening, but after pushing hard, the door didn’t budge at all—like it had been locked from outside.
Even without ‘Idle Listening to Sounds,’ Yan Ling could hear waves of girls’ crying shouts outside, accompanied by shrill screams.
Rumble rumble.
Thunder sounds that only came with life’s extinction entered Yan Ling’s ears wave after wave, shocking his legs weak, nearly unable to stand steady.
Someone…
Was slaughtering outside.
Yan Ling forced composure, trying hard to use spiritual power to ram the door. But this door was stuck tight—even Golden Core spiritual power couldn’t break it open.
Soon, footsteps gradually approaching his direction shattered Yan Ling’s heart wanting to go out and save people—because his own life was also in danger.
The person outside had cultivation around Nascent Soul stage, even approaching Spirit Transformation Realm. Anyway higher than Yan Ling—crushing him to death was just a casual matter.
Yan Ling didn’t expect on his first time going out alone he’d encounter this kind of thing. Forcing himself to struggle toward the window under that formidable pressure, he forcefully opened the sealed window.
Night wind howled and swept in, blowing his disheveled long hair wildly.
Yan Ling tried looking out—
Ten thousand zhang high in pitch-black sky, like an abyss.
Yan Ling pulled his head back in again.
A bit scary. Look, look again.
Yan Ling clung to the window frame, heart pounding like a drum. At the moment of life and death, his mind went completely blank.
Finally, the footsteps stopped before his elegant room.
Yan Ling struggled to hold his breath, eyes wide open.
The next instant, a heavenly thunder sound boomed, directly destroying the door lock barrier of this elegant room. Door wood chips flew everywhere, incidentally shattering Yan Ling’s barrier too.
Yan Ling was so scared he hurriedly climbed onto the window frame, making as if to jump down.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from the flying wood chips.
“Yan Ling?”
This was Yan Ling’s first time encountering such a dangerous matter. So nervous his mind went blank, he belatedly realized that person called his name. He looked back in a daze.
Sheng Jiao in Xiezhi Sect black clothes slowly walked over. On his wrist, one hundred and seven Tianyan Pearls faintly flashed with crackling lightning patterns. He carried his sword at his waist. As if afraid of scaring Yan Ling, he smiled gently at him.
Yan Ling looked dumbstruck: “Sheng—Sheng Jiao?!”
“It’s me.” Sheng Jiao said.
Between great sorrow and great joy, Yan Ling finally relaxed. Happily about to come down from the window frame: “Sheng Jiao…”
But just now he’d thought he was surely dead—his legs were still weak. This movement didn’t matter—his body directly stumbled and actually fell straight out the window.
A feeling of weightlessness swept overwhelmingly. Yan Ling’s pupils contracted violently to a point, instantly falling.
“Ah—!”
Sheng Jiao: “?!”
Sheng Jiao didn’t think—directly leaping down from the window frame, activating spiritual power to scoop the falling Yan Ling wholly into his embrace.
Yan Ling was scared out of his soul. Suddenly being embraced, he immediately grabbed Sheng Jiao like a lifeline, sobbing and refusing to let go.
Sheng Jiao originally wanted to return to the flying vessel. But Yan Ling gripped too tightly. Thinking about it, he hooked Yan Ling’s knee bend to hold him in his embrace, riding the wind toward the small flying vessel stopped not far away in mid-air.
That was Xiezhi Sect’s case-investigating flying vessel.
The flying vessel Yan Ling had been riding was already surrounded by Xiezhi Sect executors. Dozens of young ladies tearfully wrapped in robes boarded Xiezhi Sect’s flying vessel. Several faced the executors with tears streaming, thanking them profusely.
The man who’d lured Yan Ling onto the vessel was covered in blood, forcibly pressed into Xiezhi Sect’s prison mustard seed.
Yan Ling was carried onto Xiezhi Sect’s flying vessel. Still shaken, he looked at the surrounding scene, saying blankly: “What—what happened?”
“This flying vessel was heading to Jiuxiao City in the Southern Territory.” Sheng Jiao looked at him helplessly. “How could you casually board an unknown flying vessel? Even if sold, you wouldn’t know.”
Yan Ling didn’t understand: “Jiuxiao City?”
Sheng Jiao didn’t say more, just deeply felt lingering fear.
The beautiful women on this flying vessel were all gathered by those human traffickers from throughout the Thirteen States, precisely to sell them to flower houses in the Southern Territory’s Jiuxiao City to exchange for spirit stones.
If Xiezhi Sect hadn’t come, Yan Ling would probably have been sold to Jiuxiao City along with those women to compete for the courtesan title.
Initially when Xiezhi Sect’s executor reported that human traffickers had even abducted a young man planning to sell him to Jiuxiao City, Sheng Jiao was somewhat skeptical. After all, men in Jiuxiao City were extremely rare. He didn’t know how good-looking that youth must be for traffickers to risk bringing him onto the flying vessel.
But after arriving, Sheng Jiao immediately understood.
Not seeing each other for two or three years, Yan Ling had grown taller and more slender. In white robes fluttering elegantly, slender waist bound by a waist sash, standing tall like an immortal. His childhood baozi face had lost that baby fat. His facial features were gorgeous and beautiful, like a spirit creature transcending the mortal world.
The youth just standing there could attract everyone’s attention—let alone human traffickers selecting beauties.
Sheng Jiao, seeing he was still confused, silently sighed.
Fortunately, Yan Ling’s luck was good this time.
Several executors returned to the flying vessel. Just about to report the situation to Sheng Jiao, suddenly glimpsing these two’s posture, they all froze. Being coldly swept by Sheng Jiao’s gaze, they immediately lowered their heads, pretending they saw nothing.
Yan Ling also belatedly realized he was still being held by Sheng Jiao. Ears turning red, he gently pushed him: “Put me down.”
Sheng Jiao “mm’d” and placed Yan Ling’s legs on the ground.
Yan Ling had received consecutive shocks. Suddenly landing, his legs were still weak. Leaning on Sheng Jiao’s shoulder, he fell down.
Sheng Jiao supported him, saying: “Scared badly?”
“No.” Yan Ling stubbornly denied with a duck’s hard mouth, unwilling to admit before Sheng Jiao that he’d been scared senseless. Forcing his two weak legs, he followed Sheng Jiao into a secluded room.
Whether Xiezhi Sect was poor or Sheng Jiao was habitually frugal, the secluded room was very narrow—only a small bed placed there. On the window frame, a small lamp silently burned, illuminating the entire secluded room.
Yan Ling stumbled to sit on the small couch, finally settling his mind to curiously look around: “This place is so small.”
Sheng Jiao smiled: “It’s okay.”
“How is it okay?” Yan Ling pursed his lips. Extending his hand to measure on the small couch: “Can’t even fit two people sleeping.”
Sheng Jiao’s eyes darkened, but still didn’t speak.
Yan Ling and Sheng Jiao hadn’t seen each other for two or three years but were still very familiar. He unceremoniously monopolized the entire bed, curling up there lazily looking at Sheng Jiao: “Are we returning to Central State City?”
“Mm.” Sheng Jiao said. “Now that the person’s caught, we’ll depart immediately. We can arrive by noon tomorrow. You can sleep again.”
Yan Ling closed his eyes and nodded. After a long while, he suddenly said: “Sheng Jiao?”
Sheng Jiao sat cross-legged on a cushion without a trace of cultivation intention. After Yan Ling closed his eyes, he stared intently at his face.
Seeing Yan Ling suddenly open his eyes, Sheng Jiao immediately closed his eyes, his expression feigning casualness: “What?”
Yan Ling looked at Sheng Jiao’s handsome features, saying quietly: “I missed you.”
Sheng Jiao’s five fingers resting on his knee suddenly curled.
**
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1