Chapter 555 – Somewhat Ambiguous

　　Edited by: NZRose

　　Right now, however, Gu and Qi were worried about one thing: Was Yan Tianhen bewitched? Or was he seduced by Huarong Sword Immortal, so that he threw all caution to the wind? Not to mention the fact that the secular and Daoist worlds had stayed away from each other all these years; even if Huarong Sword Immortal truly intended to enter the secular world, it wasn’t likely that he would harbor those kinds of feelings for Yan Tianhen.

　　Gu and Qi, as his best friends, naturally knew about Yan Tianhen’s crush on Huarong Sword Immortal. But most of the time, they merely felt that Yan Tianhen’s feelings were like that of a child’s, and also seemed like imprinting — it was just a kind of misplaced emotion born when Huarong Sword Immortal saved his life.

　　This kind of feeling would soon be set right again by Yan Tianhen himself and couldn’t be real. But what exactly was Yan Tianhen doing right now?

　　No matter how outsiders looked at it, Gu Ruyu could see it clearly — Yan Tianhen was deliberately interacting with Huarong Sword Immortal and wanted to pursue him using this method.

　　That was the biggest problem.

　　Gu Ruyu wasn’t worried about the consequences if Huarong Sword Immortal also had the same feelings for Yan Tianhen; instead, he was afraid that Yan Tianhen might have given away his sincere heart by mistake. Those in seclusion who lived outside of worldly affairs disdained to step into the secular world.

　　And the Star of Salvation was precisely the number one person that the orthodox Dao now respected.

　　If Lin Xuanzhi really got together with Yan Tianhen, then how could the orthodox Dao let them go so easily?

　　If both the orthodox Dao and the Yan family exerted pressure, would Huarong Sword Immortal be willing to give up his present reputation, status, and dignity just to be together with Yan Tianhen?

　　Gu Ruyu couldn’t guess the answer, and he also couldn’t see the future.

　　Just like how, from beginning to end, he never understood Huarong Sword Immortal.

　　When Yin Changge saw that the two of them didn’t talk, he took the initiative to say, “Since you two have a good relationship with him, you might as well clear away the rumors for him. I heard that Steward Zhang in the warehouse say that it was Huarong Sword Immortal who took the initiative to allow Ah Hen to go to his place to plant spiritual fields; Ah Hen wasn’t the one who was determined to get closer, let alone coerce and threaten Huarong Sword Immortal. Those rumors are too much.”

　　Qi Feiqing nodded severely. “Yeah, these rumors are too much. No, wait. What did you say? Huarong Sword Immortal took the initiative to invite him to Little Penglai? How is that possible?!”

　　Yin Changge blinked. “It should be like this. I specifically asked Steward Zhang. He said that Yan Chenxiao and Yan Huanyu of the North Courtyard were also there that day. They should be able to testify. However, I don’t know them very well, and I don’t plan to look for them.”

　　A trace of astonishment flashed through Gu Ruyu’s eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

　　He thanked Yin Changge and then spoke, “Since the Prince didn’t bother covering it up, it seems that he does not put these rumors in his eyes. Maybe he’s even immensely satisfied with himself right now. If so, then why should we worry in his place?”

　　Qi Feiqing thought about it and felt that Gu Ruyu’s words were also true. He nodded and immediately said excitedly, “Forget it, why should we be concerned about Ah Hen, this fellow who values beauties over friends? Today is a rare rest day. Let’s go to Ethereal City and have a good meal.”

　　Therefore, Gu and Qi wanted to drag Yin Changge along as they went out to eat and shop together.

　　Yan Tianhen excitedly harvested many spiritual plants. These spiritual plants were more than enough to support his daily alchemy needs.

　　The entire soul plate belonged to Lin Xuanzhi, so as soon as Yan Tianhen arrived on the island, Lin Xuanzhi had already noticed. He had originally planned to practice swordsmanship, but since Yan Tianshen came over, he decided to push back cultivation for the time being.

　　Lin Xuanzhi came over and glanced at the spiritual plants. “How does using these spiritual plants feel?”

　　Yan Tianhen smiled and looked back at Lin Xuanzhi. “I have already tried the spiritual herbs planted by Huarong Gege before. They are untouched by the dust of the mortal world and are indeed the best of quality. The medicinal pills refined with them are much better in appearance than those refined from ordinary spiritual plants. Huarong Gege, that soul plate of yours is really a fengshui treasure land.”

　　When Lin Xuanzhi heard this, he smiled faintly. “This is indeed a fengshui treasure land. However, in the end, this place still isn’t built specifically for cultivation. Don’t stay in here for too long.”

　　After all, the soul plate was a place that nourished the soul, and the spiritual Qi here was extremely dense. As the saying went, “too much is as bad as not enough”. If a living person did not reach a certain realm and stayed in this soul plate day and night, they would probably experience adverse effects such as a tightness in their chest, shortness of breath, blockage of meridians and veins, and even death. Therefore, after staying in this soul plate for at most three days in succession, Yan Tianhen would leave here and absorb and digest the spiritual Qi his body took in, thus turning it into primordial energy.

　　However, those spiritual plants adapted excellently to the environment and were full of vitality.

　　Yan Tianhen tilted his head. “Huarong Gege is right. It’s just that after I leave, the time I spend with you will be shortened quite a bit, and I’m reluctant to do that.”

　　“I’ll still be here — where else can I go? If you want to see me, you can always find me in Little Penglai. I won’t avoid you either.”

　　Yan Tianhen couldn’t help laughing again. His eyes curved like crescent moons. “If Huarong Gege dotes on me so much, I will be spoiled rotten.”

　　“So what if you’re spoiled rotten?” Lin Xuanzhi asked.

　　“After I’ve been spoiled rotten, I’m afraid that no one will like me anymore. When that happens, I might just cling to you, the culprit, and refuse to leave.” Yan Tianhen seemed like he was joking, but he also seemed to be very serious.

　　Lin Xuanzhi thought about it. “I’ve pondered this — although I am not rich enough to buy four oceans, I can afford to raise just you.”

　　Yan Tianhen’s heart shook suddenly. He was a little startled and also somewhat at a loss.

　　He couldn’t help but think to himself, Lin Xuanzhi’s words sound somewhat ambiguous, but according to my understanding of Huarong Sword Immortal’s cool and aloof temperament, he doesn’t seem like the type of person to develop such ambiguous feelings so easily.

　　Could it be that I’m too sensitive?

　　Therefore, Yan Tianhen chuckled. “It is very expensive to raise me. I will only use the best items, eat the most delicious food, and admire the best person.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi readily accepted Yan Tianhen’s viewpoint. “You deserve the best of everything.”

　　Yan Tianhen felt that if this topic continued, it would develop in an uncontrollable direction. Although his heart wanted to be close to Lin Xuanzhi, the closer the better, in reality, he felt more bewilderment–

　　Lin Xuanzhi’s future was limitless, and his path was clear. The outside world even crazily spread rumors that he would be Myriad Dao Academy’s next Sect Master.

　　Myriad Dao Academy was called the Tenth Land. It was not within the jurisdiction of the Qianyuan Dynasty and formed a school of its own instead. It had never been stained with the dust of the mortal world, yet the Qianyuan Dynasty, especially the Yan family sitting on the throne, was ambitious and never gave up trying to get their hands on Myriad Dao Academy.

　　It’s just that no major event had happened so far, which was why the Qianyuan Dynasty and Myriad Dao Academy could still maintain a delicate peace.

　　However, this kind of peace was like a great mansion on the verge of collapse; all it needed was one last straw to break the camel’s back, and everything would fall apart and collapse completely. No one would be able to predict what might happen then.

　　Yan Tianhen’s mood became a little heavy. He was the second heir to the Qianyuan Dynasty. No matter what, every single move he made outside would always be watched by countless pairs of eyes. What he represented was not himself, but the entire Qianyuan Dynasty.

　　Do I really dare to drag Lin Xuanzhi, who has been recognized by Myriad Dao Academy and praised as the light of orthodox Dao, into the water?

　　This kind of matter really couldn’t be thought about too deeply. Once you’ve thought about it too deeply, you won’t be able to stop yourself from feeling a chill at the bottom of your heart, so much so that you’ll curl up and shiver, unable to move forward.

　　At the end of the day, however, it was because he wasn’t sure exactly what Lin Xuanzhi thought of him. Although his thoughts about Lin Xuanzhi were almost abundantly clear, he had no choice but to admit that from beginning to end, Lin Xuanzhi was a person he couldn’t see through.

　　Yan Tianhen came back to his senses and clumsily changed the subject, “It’s time to harvest these spiritual plants. Huarong Gege, let’s harvest mature spiritual plants together.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi’s heart was a little disappointed, but he didn’t show it on the surface. He agreed and helped Yan Tianhen place mature spiritual herbs into his storage bag. This time, Yan Tianhen left earlier than before.

　　Although he had stayed in the soul plate for a whole day, in the real world, it only took less than four hours. Yan Tianhen left Little Penglai with a bag full of spiritual plants and went straight back to the dormitory of the East Courtyard. After packing up some things, he planned to go out.

　　He met Yin Changge in the yard. Yin Changge stopped Yan Tianhen and informed, “Just now, two of your friends came to find you and went to Ethereal City together. I told them that you went to Little Penglai.”

　　Yan Tianhen said, “Got it.” Then he continued, “I’m going to the alchemy room for closed-door cultivation for a while. If someone wants to find me, you can tell them that I’m going into secluded cultivation. I will ask for leave on the academy’s side.”

　　Yin Changge was shocked. Suddenly, he was somewhat pleasantly surprised. “Did you experience any enlightenment? Are you about to break through?”

　　“I have this intention.”

　　In reality, he couldn’t help but smile bitterly in his heart and think, It’s not like I can tell Yin Changge that I have no choice but to enter secluded cultivation and meditate because my thoughts are very disorderly, right?

　　Although attending class was important, having an enlightening epiphany was even more important. This was the so-called situation where everything suddenly became clear in a flash, and a person was able to enter the Dao overnight.

　　Such an opportunity could only be encountered by chance and not sought, so the academy would naturally consider the students’ actual situation. It was very tolerant to the disciples who intended to enter closed-door cultivation because they had gained some enlightenment and insight, allowing them to cultivate in seclusion first. They could then continue to attend classes after leaving closed-door cultivation.

　　Ever since Yan Tianhen made it clear that he didn’t want his heart to be seen through at a glance, Yin Changge never used the art of mind-reading on him again, so Yin Changge sincerely congratulated Yan Tianhen while secretly breathing a sigh of relief. Closed-door cultivation is good. The longer the closed-door cultivation, the less time Yan Tianhen will have to look for Lin Xuanzhi. Thus, all kinds of rumors from the outside world will naturally fade until they disappear into smoke.

　　Therefore, Yin Changge said, “I hope everything goes well for you. I will quietly wait for good news here.”

　　“Thank you very much.”

　　He asked the academy for leave. Steward Ruan was surprised at first, then reached out and lightly patted him on the head. “Your cultivation indeed shows signs of advancing. I hope you can successfully make a breakthrough during this secluded cultivation.”

　　When Yan Tianhen was patted by Steward Ruan, his whole person became much more energized. He only felt that there was a soft spiritual Qi flowing from the crown of his head to all four limbs and his bones, and even his somewhat impetuous and uneasy heart seemed to be calmed down.

　　He gratefully looked at Steward Ruan and said, “Thank you.” At the same time, he was even more convinced that there were crouching tigers and hidden dragons inside Myriad Dao Academy.

　　………..

　　Yin Chongyue appeared on Little Penglai shortly after Yan Tianhen left.

　　Yin Chongyue looked at Lin Xuanzhi in surprise, then glanced around. “Didn’t he say he would stay here all day? Why did he leave so soon after arriving?”

　　Lin Xuanzhi had already put away the soul plate. At this time, he was standing at the door of the only immortal abode in Penglai Island, overlooking the misty mountains in the distance.

　　Lin Xuanzhi curled his lips. “I probably scared him away.”

　　“You were able to scare him away?” Yin Chongyue asked, “What did you do to him?”

　　“I merely said that I can afford to raise him.”

　　Yin Chongyue, “….”