Let me explain, it's not what you think.

"alright."

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Chen's voice came from behind.

But Lin Xi did not turn around.

"Wait, wait for someone to come over."

Lu Chen: "???!"

Faced with Lu Chen's doubts, Lin Xi did not explain and remained silent.

Until... the figure of Meiji, with its slender branches laden with fruit, appeared.

"No, what do you two mean...?"

……

Outside Lin Tian's training room.

Lu Chen had been waiting here for a long time.

Lin Xi and Mei Ji have also left, saying they have urgent matters to attend to at the sect and need to return first. They asked him to tell Lin Tian about it later.

Lu Chen had no choice but to comply.

He could roughly guess that there must be a descendant of the White Lotus Sect, but he didn't know exactly who it would be.

It doesn't matter. When I get back this time, I'll announce that I'm going into seclusion to break through to the Golden Core stage. I won't see or talk to anyone then.

By the time we leave this world, who knows how many years will have passed? By then, many things will likely have been forgotten by time.

As for the fact that he treated his guests to crab sticks, he and his guests will probably keep that to themselves forever.

After all, this is a delicacy from Earth; if it were placed in the world, no one else would have ever seen it before!

By the way, he's a Cancer.

……

After waiting a few more days, Lin Tian finished refining the magic runes that Mei Ji had given him and emerged from seclusion. Lu Chen explained the reason and then returned to the Xuan Tian Sect with Lin Tian.

Lin Tian originally wanted to play, but didn't want to face Zhuang Jingbai's cold face.

But Lu Chen insisted on going back to cultivate in seclusion to break through his limits. This was a big deal, and as his senior brother, he definitely had to show his support, so he went back with him.

When the two landed on their swords in front of the Xuantian Sect, it was almost dark.

"You're finally back. You have no idea how many messages Jingbai has sent me these past few days. Sometimes she's really angry, and other times she's urging me to come back quickly. It's really hard to understand..."

Lu Chen responded absentmindedly.

Because Zhuang Jingbai bombarded him with thousands of messages.

He was angry because he couldn't be bothered with her, and he urged Lin Tian to come back because she wanted him to...

"Oh, right, Senior Brother Wang said that after we get back, we should go to Zhang Fan's place because something happened!"

"Let's go take a look!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen had a vague sense of unease.

Soon, the two arrived at Zhang Fan's cave. The cave door was wide open, and a strong smell of alcohol wafted out.

Lin Tian frowned and went inside first.

Zhang Fan was sitting on the floor in the hall, leaning against the table, with seven or eight wine jars lying around him.

His eyes were sunken, and he looked as if something had hollowed him out. Wang Feng sat beside him, watching him silently.

"Junior brother? What's wrong with you?"

Zhang Fan raised his head, his eyes frighteningly red.

"Senior brothers, you're back."

"What happened? Did someone bully you?"

"Hehe, I'd rather be the one being bullied!" Zhang Fan said inexplicably.

"What exactly happened?!" Lu Chen asked anxiously.

"Yu Ning is gone."

"Gone? Where did they go?"

"I don't know, we broke up a few days ago."

"Why? You were all fine, how could this happen..."

"I'm the same as my senior."

The moment those words were spoken, the room fell silent.

Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat.

She said... I have injuries.

Lu Chen's face turned deathly pale instantly.

How... is this possible? She's actually one too...!

"She kept it from me for three years, three years! Do you know how stupid I was for those three years? I thought I... I thought I...!!!"

As Zhang Fan spoke, he suddenly slammed the wine jar onto the ground, scattering shards everywhere.

"And the result? The result was something else entirely! Ah!!!"

His roar echoed through the cave, making people's ears hurt.

Wang Feng sat to the side, not saying a word from beginning to end, just staring at him to prevent him from having any suicidal thoughts.

As someone who's been through it all, he knows all too well that at this time, his emotions need to be released.

"I asked her who that sorcerer was, and she said she didn't know."

"You bitch!"

When Zhang Fan uttered those two words, they carried a chilling aura.

"I trusted her so much, I loved her so much, and this is how she treated me."

Lin Tian opened his mouth, wanting to offer some advice, but didn't know what to say. No one could bear this kind of situation.

"When she left, she took... with her. That's good. It saves me from feeling uncomfortable if I see it."

Lu Chen stood at the door, not saying a single word from beginning to end.

His fingernails were digging into his palms, but the pain was nothing compared to the agony in his heart.

It's because of him again!

Zhang Fan looked up at Lu Chen, his eyes frighteningly red.

"Senior brother, why did things turn out this way? I'm childless..."

Lu Chen pulled him into his arms and patted his back.

Zhang Fan had no other emotions, he was just trembling all over.

As Lu Chen watched all this, he felt as if his heart was being squeezed and twisted repeatedly.

"Junior brother? What's wrong? You look so pale." Lin Tian called out to him.

"No, I was wondering how Junior Brother Zhang got injured? I feel like our righteous alliance is being shrouded by a giant dark force!"

"Absolutely! I must get to the bottom of this!" Lin Tian agreed with Lu Chen's words.

"Alright, let's not talk about the mastermind yet, let's try to persuade Zhang Fan," Wang Feng said.

"It's okay, I just... I just feel unwell. Senior brother, I just feel unwell."

These words, spoken by Zhang Fan, were exactly the same as those spoken by Wang Feng back then.

Lu Chen closed his eyes, feeling something crack open in his chest.

He turned and walked out of the cave, leaning against the wall to stop, panting heavily.

He wiped his face and found his hands were wet. Not from sweat.

……

Lu Chen didn't try to calm anyone down this time; he didn't even know how he left Zhang Fan's cave.

In a daze, he returned to his cave.

He pushed open the door to the cave dwelling. The hall was lit, illuminating a beautiful figure standing by the table.

Yu Ning was dressed in pure white, her long hair loosely tied up with a wooden hairpin, with a few stray strands falling beside her cheeks.

She was thinner than before, with a sharper chin and a slimmer waist, but other parts of her body didn't lose any weight; in fact, they became even more prominent because of her thinness.

A faint, sweet milky scent wafted in the air, mingling with her unique, serene aura, gently wafting into her nostrils.

Lu Chen stood at the door, stunned.

"Senior brother is back."

Yu Ning's voice was very gentle, as if she was waiting for him to come home...