“Miss, there is a human ahead. Do not approach carelessly in case he harms you,” the two elven experts said.
“He is the friend who once saved my life. This is none of your concern!” Zi Tong snapped.
In the blink of an eye, Zi Tong reached Lin Yun and caught hold of him as he swayed from his injuries.
At that moment, Lin Yun’s face was deathly pale, his robes stained red with the blood he had coughed up earlier.
Yet the instant he saw Zi Tong, the tension that had been coiled tight inside him finally eased.
Lin Yun knew the danger had passed.
“Lin Yun… how badly are you hurt?” Worry and concern filled Zi Tong’s beautiful face.
When Lin Yun had saved her, he had still been a death servant of the Heavenly Fire Divine Hall, but he had told her his real name back then.
“I am fine. The injuries are serious, but nothing I cannot handle,” Lin Yun answered with a pallid smile.
Thanks to his powerful physical body, recovering from wounds was relatively easy for him.
“Lin Yun… why did you suddenly barge into elven territory like this? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for a human to come here alone? A few days ago I heard that a human had trespassed and Elder Luo You had personally taken the task of hunting him down. I never imagined… it would be you!” Zi Tong gazed at him, her eyes full of worry.
She had left Heavenly Sacred City today by chance and noticed signs of battle on the outskirts, so she came to investigate. That was how she found them.
She dared not think what would have happened if she had not left the city today, if she had not discovered this. Lin Yun would probably have died here.
“Cough, cough!” Lin Yun coughed violently several times, spitting out more blood. “Zi Tong, I came to elven territory… to find you.”
“To find me?” Zi Tong’s delicate frame trembled with surprise.
“You came all this way just for me? You fool, you could have used the jade pendant I gave you as a pass! I gave it to you precisely as a token! There was no need to force your way in like this!” Zi Tong exclaimed.
Lin Yun gave a wry smile and shook his head. “In the Ancestral Heart Realm I showed Cang Chen the jade pendant and told him we were friends. He promised to escort me to you, but the moment we reached elven territory he turned on me and tried to kill me. I barely escaped, yet I know nothing about this place.”
Lin Yun truly had a bellyful of grievances.
This journey into the heart of elven lands had been nothing but unpredictable and perilous for him.
He then recounted everything that had happened since entering elven territory.
Anger surged across Zi Tong’s lovely face as she listened.
“Cang Chen, what is the meaning of this? You knew perfectly well he was my friend, yet you still tried to kill him! You saw my jade pendant with your own eyes and did this anyway. Are you deliberately targeting me?” Zi Tong demanded furiously.
“This…”
Cang Chen’s expression turned extremely awkward under her questioning.
According to his original plan, once Lin Yun was dead and the jade pendant taken, Zi Tong would never have learned the truth.
There would have been no trouble at all.
But events had spiralled far beyond his expectations.
He had underestimated Lin Yun’s strength, allowing him to escape.
After that escape, Cang Chen had no choice but to see it through; he had to kill Lin Yun.
Yet things had ended up like this.
If everything had gone according to plan, Zi Tong would never have known.
“Lady Zi Tong, although he produced the jade pendant, he is still a human. Naturally I refused to believe he could truly be your friend. I concluded he had obtained the pendant through improper means,” Cang Chen explained.
“Hah! You, Cang Chen, simply wanted to target me, did you not?” Zi Tong snorted coldly.
“Lady Zi Tong, I… how would I dare target you?” Cang Chen forced an unnatural laugh.
“We will settle this account later. Now get out of my sight. I do not want to see you!” Zi Tong shouted in anger.
“Lady Zi Tong, then I shall take my leave.”
With that, Cang Chen hurriedly departed with the elf elder. They knew Zi Tong was furious and had no wish to provoke her further.
Once Cang Chen and the elder were gone,
“Zi Tong, Cang Chen clearly saw the jade pendant. Why did he still do this?” Lin Yun could not help asking.
This was his greatest confusion.
“Cang Chen and Elder Luo You who was just here both belong to my fourth uncle’s faction. My fourth uncle’s faction has always been at odds with my father’s,” Zi Tong explained.
Only then did everything click for Lin Yun.
“Lin Yun, I am truly sorry. This was originally an internal matter of our elf race, yet you were dragged into it,” Zi Tong said, guilt written across her face.
She had given Lin Yun the jade pendant as a token, yet it had nearly cost him his life. How could she not feel responsible?
“It is all right. The journey was dangerous, but at least I have seen you safely now. Everything else is in the past,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
Having finally found Zi Tong, the weight on his heart had lifted.
“We parted in Heart City so long ago. I never imagined you would already have reached the Unity Realm. Your cultivation speed is absolutely terrifying,” Zi Tong could not help remarking.
