CSMCDB - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Ah, I'm still alive… What a relief…

Wen Yuncheng thought groggily as someone pressed down hard on her stomach a few times. She rolled over and coughed up several mouthfuls of water, then weakly raised a hand to stop Lin Jinyu. "Stop… stop pressing…" Any more and my intestines will break.

They were both soaking wet. Wen Yuncheng's neatly tied hair had come undone. She lay there for a moment to recover before looking at Lin Jinyu.

Lin Jinyu was also drenched, looking quite a mess. Water dripped continuously from her hair and clothes, but she didn't seem to mind. She was trudging unsteadily along the edge of the large pool, seemingly observing the terrain.

Are there any demonic beasts nearby? 1947…

[Safe for now.]

Wen Yuncheng pushed herself up, her body still feeling a bit weak, probably from the shock. She raised a hand to wipe her face, but it was covered in mud and sand. She went to the edge of the pool to wash her hands, then wiped her face again. "Lin Jinyu, let's change our clothes. There shouldn't be any demonic beasts around here."

"Okay." Lin Jinyu looked up at the waterfall. Getting back up that way was impossible. They could follow the stream, but there was no telling where it would lead… "There are no demonic beasts here, but there might be other dangers."

"The entire Demonic Beast Great Forest is dangerous right now. We're so weak, the dangers are all the same to us no matter where we are," Wen Yuncheng said reassuringly. "For now, let's hurry and change. I'll build a bonfire to warm us up so we don't catch cold."

Star Practitioners don't catch colds easily. Lin Jinyu had wanted to say that, but in the end, she kept it to herself and simply nodded, accepting Wen Yuncheng's kindness.

By the time she had changed into comfortable, dry clothes and was sitting by the bonfire, Wen Yuncheng had already fashioned a simple rack by sticking branches into the ground and tying them with cloth strips and rope. She hung their wet clothes on it, close to the fire, to dry.

Wen Yuncheng took stock of the firewood and demonic beast meat in her ring. It should be enough for them to live on for a while. Besides, there were plenty of fish in the pool—strangely enough, there were no ferocious fish-type demonic beasts in the fresh water here. Had they all been eaten? Or was the river too small to accommodate them?

"A battle must have taken place in the depths of the forest," Lin Jinyu said suddenly, staring at the burning flames. If they could have witnessed a battle between experts of that level, it would surely have been a great inspiration for their own cultivation and combat skills.

"Yeah, our teachers are probably frantic by now." Wen Yuncheng thought of Yan Ling's impatient demeanor and instinctively shrank back. She had a feeling that if Yan Ling found her, the first thing she would do was give her a beating…

To think they'd ended up stranded. They would probably have to rest for a bit, then start looking for a way out. The communication stones had no signal here, so they had to find their own way… She wondered if anyone had ever been here before. Hopefully, there were no hidden dangers. As she thought, Wen Yuncheng glanced at Lin Jinyu's profile. She was a transmigrator, she thought. She hadn't been old in her past life, nor was she old now, but her soul's age was still more mature than Lin Jinyu's.

At a time like this, she should act a little more reliable. Whether it was fear of death or fear of danger, she shouldn't be showing such despair. Clearly… it should be her, the "adult," protecting Lin Jinyu, the "child."

Even though Lin Jinyu's face was expressionless, Wen Yuncheng could still sense her confusion and helplessness. After all… this was the first time either of them had encountered a giant dragon or a Beast Tide. Someone like Lin Jinyu, who had been coddled by the Flowing Cloud Sect, had probably never faced such danger before.

"Lin Jinyu, aren't you curious why I have to disguise myself as a man?"

Lin Jinyu looked over, meeting Wen Yuncheng's eyes, and silently shook her head. "I'm not curious."

"…" Her attempt to start a conversation failed. Wen Yuncheng scratched her head. "So, will you tell anyone? I can explain, really."

"I won't, and you don't need to explain to me."

Frustrated for a moment, Wen Yuncheng said, almost in a pique, "But I want to tell you."

Lin Jinyu's icy face blanked for a moment. She then lowered her gaze, and just as Wen Yuncheng thought the Little Ice Mountain had tuned her out, Lin Jinyu spoke. "…Then, is ten minutes enough?"

[Hahahahaha, Lin Jinyu is afraid you won't be able to stop once you start talking!] 1947 burst out laughing, completely unconcerned with its cub's pitiful state. It even chuckled as it pulled up its log to record the event.

Wen Yuncheng was at a loss for words.

Wen Yuncheng huffed internally and looked away shyly toward the small waterfall in the distance. "It's enough."

In truth, there wasn't much to say. It was a simple matter. A small family was lucky enough to secure a marriage alliance with a major sect. Because the condition was one boy and one girl, and Lin Jinyu was a girl, she had to be a boy… that was all. Wen Yuncheng sat on the ground, hugging her knees and burying her head in her arms. "Alright… it's just that my parents don't like to cultivate and haven't contributed anything to the family. Normally, they would have been cast out, but because of the marriage alliance, they get to live off the family for free. So when I was born and they found out you were a girl, I had to be a boy…"

"Will you go back to the Wen Family in the future?" Lin Jinyu asked. "They don't know you came to Star Academy." After running into Wen Yuncheng at the academy gates, Lin Jinyu had looked into her past and living situation. After all, even if she got in through the back door, Star Academy didn't just accept any trash.

"No, I have nothing to do with the Wen Family anymore." Wen Yuncheng smiled, looking a little shy. "Didn't you give me a hundred thousand Star Stones back then? I gave half to my parents, but the amount they spent on me probably adds up to less than fifty thousand."

"When I left the Wen Family, it was the annual family assessment. They all knew my talent had been restored. But my parents didn't come to see me… Then again, even when I still had my talent, they never cared much about me." Wen Yuncheng paused, then said with a sigh, "I think… I don't owe them anything."

"…" Lin Jinyu was silent for a while before asking, "Is that all?"

"Ah, yes, that's all…"

The Little Ice Mountain nodded, and Wen Yuncheng couldn't read any particular emotion on her face. But 1947's laughter grew even louder, the "hahahahaha" spamming her mind until her head ached.

"The Empire doesn't meddle in personal grudges," Lin Jinyu said. "If you become strong enough, the Empire will take the initiative to recruit you, grant you a title and a fiefdom. If you don't want those, the Empire will still grant you certain rights and provide you with support and resources."

Wen Yuncheng nodded, not quite understanding what Lin Jinyu meant.

"According to records, seventeen years ago, the Protector of the Nation single-handedly wiped out the Lounan Sect. He was once a disciple there, constantly suppressed and bullied. Later, he defected and focused on cultivation, and once he was strong enough, he took his revenge." Lin Jinyu stated this seriously, word for word. "The Empire did not interfere in any way." After all, this continent was, by and large, a place where the strong preyed on the weak and strength was paramount.

Wen Yuncheng finally understood. Was the Little Ice Mountain comforting her in a roundabout way? Was she trying to tell her that being bullied and suppressed was all in the past, and as long as she became strong enough, she could retaliate a thousand times over? Wen Yuncheng felt a smile tugging at her lips, but she managed to hold it back. Still, the corners of her mouth curved up, her eyes crinkling. "That's all in the past. I'm not that upset. Since strength is what matters most, the way they treated me back then was probably normal in their eyes, right? When I become powerful in the future, truly powerful, there's no need to dwell on the injustices I faced as a child. After all… by then, they'll probably be dying of regret themselves."

At her words, Lin Jinyu lowered her head and fell silent. Wen Yuncheng touched the tip of her nose, wondering if she had said something wrong, or if she should thank the Little Ice Mountain for her kindness. Before she could figure it out, she heard Lin Jinyu speak again.

"Your mindset is good. Therefore, you should focus solely on cultivating diligently and increasing your strength."

Wen Yuncheng: "Huh…?"

Wait, didn't that mean… "Then, would you be willing to spar with me? I want to work on my practical combat skills."

"Alright."

"!!!" 1947! The mission can be completed! Wen Yuncheng screamed internally, then shamelessly pushed her luck. "Th-then, in today's spar, can you lose to me on purpose?"

"…?" Lin Jinyu hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright."

The peculiar Wen Yuncheng made a peculiar request. But when you put two peculiarities together, they somehow seemed less peculiar.

[Cub? Are you exploiting a loophole and cheating right in front of me?] 1947 was incredulous.

Wen Yuncheng: But the mission requirements didn't say I couldn't do this!

1947 was a little angry, but its anger dissipated when it remembered how pitiful its cub's situation was. It sighed. Who could it blame? The revised Long Aotian template was much more balanced now. Otherwise, its cub would have probably charged into the depths of the forest to slay a dragon by now. (?)

Oh well, it would just pretend it didn't see anything.

Wen Yuncheng stood up, the smile in her eyes almost impossible to hide. She looked at Lin Jinyu with great excitement. "Th-then, can we do it now?" There were no demonic beasts here, and it was relatively safe. If they went looking for an exit later… what if they were chased again?

Lin Jinyu didn't quite understand why Wen Yuncheng was so excited, so… eager and impatient. But then she thought about how she herself was unwilling to waste a single second when it came to cultivation, and she could somewhat understand Wen Yuncheng's excitement. She obediently stood up, hesitating to draw her longsword. A spar, but she had to lose to Wen Yuncheng… so, how was she supposed to lose?

Lin Jinyu and Wen Yuncheng stood facing each other in a clear space to the side. Lin Jinyu was waiting for Wen Yuncheng to attack so she could analyze her moves and see what flaws she had in practical combat. After all… she was supposed to lose. In her fifteen years, the battles in Lin Jinyu's memory fell into only two categories: going all out and winning, or going all out and losing.

They had to spar, Wen Yuncheng had to improve, and she had to lose… The Little Ice Mountain sighed internally. This strange request from the peculiar Wen Yuncheng was truly difficult.

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