Growing within a pile of scorched rubble was a bunch of small red flowers.

Gao Yanan who was currently clasping a military water container was a bit absent-minded as she stared at these small flowers, feeling that for the seeds of a small flower like this to still germinate and bloom under the blistering heat, it really was quite the miracle in itself.

Lin Xi reached out a hand to stroke her forehead, discovering that it already cooled down, thus releasing a breath of relief. Then, he pried open an area of dried earth in front of him, fishing out some coals that were still slightly red, quickly covering them with mud again, and then dug out an extremely hot clay pot.

Inside the clay pot was hot congee that was extremely hot, but not boiling.

Lin Xi first filled up an iron plate for Gao Yanan, moreover carefully adding some side dishes for her, and then he scooped some for himself, starting to eat next to Gao Yanan it in an extremely happy manner.

Feelings of bliss and satisfaction were things extremely difficult to describe with words.

After his battle against Xu Qiubai in Meteor City, he still had one greatest enemy left; Wenren Cangyue.

He knew that the emperor deliberately separated Green Luan Academy from this southern war, he didn’t want to be caught up in the royal court’s matters either. On top of all of this, he already promised Changsun Wujiang some things, he didn’t wish to deliberately make the emperor his enemy, which was why he directly left Meteor City, continuing to assassinate some high ranking military officers from Great Mang just like before, continuing his cultivation.

However, because he was roaming about the battlefield like a knight-errant, assassinating some enemy officers and rescuing some leftover defeated Yunqin troops he just happened to run into, that was why Lin Xi didn’t actually know that all of Yunqin was in a huge uproar over the emperor’s unfavorable treatment of him. Even though the backlash of many officials and some criticisms from the people were severely suppressed under the emperor’s rage, the attitudes of countless civilians towards the emperor had already changed, from the previous beliefs that the emperor was the most wise and brilliant ruler to now already feeling that the emperor was obstinate and self-opinionated, as well as brutal and muddle headed.

Many times, a small matter can completely change one’s opinion of another. This was especially the case after the southern expedition, after Meteor City, as well as the emergence of Lin Xi, this type of youngster who gave many people hope, the one who granted the families of hundreds of thousands a trace of warmth; in the eyes of Yunqin people, these weren’t small things.

Lin Xi didn’t know that despite not being in the royal court, he was once again pushed to the edge of the royal court’s storm, nor did he know that an unprecedented disturbance was currently taking place in Green Luan Academy, to the extent where even a third of the lecturers and professors died, to the extent where even someone like Purgatory Mountain Patriarch, one of the world’s most powerful individuals also died in this type of chaos. He didn’t know that this type of chaos would make Green Luan Academy reach its most stable state since Principal Zhang left Green Luan Academy, but also its weakest age. Similarly, he didn’t know that Wenren Cangyue’s request to Purgatory Mountain received a response. The order to move out some powers from Purgatory Mountain to kill him had already been released from Purgatory Mountain’s greatest and most imposing volcano’s patriarch shrine.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

However, starting from five or six days ago, both him and Gao Yanan already clearly sensed that there were many Great Mang cultivators who crossed over Thousand Sunset Mountain and entered South Tomb Province, moreover, they began to target him and Gao Yanan.

It was just like what that Green Luan Academy elder who died under Brother Ming said, Lin Xi could kill a State Master like Xu Qiubai, but it didn’t necessarily mean that Lin Xi had enough strength to kill other State Masters.

In this word, Sacred Expert level individuals could be described as the most scarce resource. Almost all Sacred Experts had their own place, watching over extremely important locations.

For example, Yunqin’s Central Continent Imperial City that had the most Sacred Experts. If these Sacred Experts weren’t Grand Court Consecrators, then they were Sector Heads, personal bodyguards of the elders behind layers of curtains, or highest ranked officers in Central Continent Guards. For example, in this type of border pass, Sacred Experts were precisely like Wenren Cangyue, Shentu Nian[1] and Gu Yunjing, generals on this level.

Even if it was a place like Green Luan Academy with many secluded Sacred Experts, Sacred Experts like Xu Shengmo, Madman Qin and others would all be placed in the most crucial locations, all of them had their own missions and responsibilities. That was why if Lin Xi really was powerful enough to the point where he could kill cultivators with strength at the peak of State Master level at any time, if his enemies wanted to kill Lin Xi, at that point, they could only move out Sacred Experts. Meanwhile, transferring out Sacred Experts to surround and kill Lin Xi was an extremely difficult matter.

Using the simplest comparison, if it was someone like Shentu Nian who led an army of a hundred thousand, using him to personally track down and kill Lin Xi, this was something completely impossible.

However, right now, Lin Xi and Gao Yanan’s strength wasn’t at a level where only Sacred Experts could take them down, to the extent where not even State Masters were needed to take them down.

This was because cultivators weren’t machines that didn’t grow weary, they would still get injuries, they still bled and weakened. It was just like how before an army with enough ordinary elite soldiers, they would similarly be killed. With enough cultivators, they could even smother a Sacred Expert level existence. In order to kill a State Master level cultivator, what was needed were only some State Knight level cultivators and some other lower level cultivators, their continuous pursuit would already be enough to wipe the State Master level cultivator out.

The current battle situation was serious, there was no way Great Mang’s military could transfer over a Sacred Expert. Ever since Great Desolate Swamp, all the way to Jadefall City afterwards, Purgatory Mountain suffered severe Sacred Expert losses. If they were to make a Sacred Expert abandon some of the responsibilities they currently held just to kill a cultivator who appeared and disappeared unpredictably, this was naturally still a bit difficult. However, with Purgatory Mountain’s abilities, moving out a large amount of lower level cultivators was just too easy.

It was because even though the number of cultivators in Great Mang added up together definitely couldn’t compare to Yunqin, Yunqin’s cultivators were grasped in the hands of the nine elders, several academies and various powers in Central Continent Imperial City. However, all of Great Mang, including the current Thousand Devil Nest and Great Mang Dynasty, had to respect Purgatory Mountain’s intentions, they had to obey Purgatory Mountain’s transferring.

That was why even if his traces were always mysterious, starting from five or six days ago, Lin Xi and Gao Yanan still had their traces seized by some Great Mang cultivators, some of their possible whereabouts circled out on a sand table. That was why Lin Xi and Gao Yanan couldn’t help but experience some bitter battles.

Even though he used his unique ability to avoid some opponents they couldn’t defeat several times, after fighting an intense battle in the evening of the day before yesterday, under a great rain, Gao Yanan who used up too much soul force caught a cold, starting to become weak and producing a fever.

For Lin Xi, in this type of situation, the best choice was naturally to try and return to a region under Yunqin military’s protection. However, he also understood extremely clearly that these large amounts of Great Mang cultivators who suddenly emerged from who knew where definitely scattered a huge net in those directions, so the two of them could only carefully make their way around them as they advanced.

Fortunately, today, in these town ruins, after taking some medicine, Gao Yanan’s fever finally went down.

Moreover, in this house’s rice jar that wasn’t too damaged, he even found enough white rice to cook a few servings of hot congee, as well as some pickled vegetables within a stand that had been swept through. As such, using the methods he learned in Green Luan Academy, he began to smother cook a pot of hot stew without producing any smoke that would alert the enemy.

White rice congee and pickled vegetables, these were the simplest things in Yunqin.

However, on the battlefield, in the wilderness, ordinary hot congee instead became something that easily made one feel satisfied.

Moreover, with the one he loved by his side, also drinking the hot congee he prepared in satisfaction, this even more so made a feeling of bliss spread through Lin Xi’s heart.

After finishing the entire pot of congee, Lin Xi first went out to get some water, then placed some rice inside it and placed the clay pot into the red coals, covering everything with dirt.

Lin Xi stroked Gao Yanan’s forehead again, feeling that it was warm, but this type of warmth wasn’t the heat of a fever, but rather from a bit of sweat after drinking the hot congee, a type of warmth that made one feel at ease.

“You don’t have to worry about me anymore, it is just a wind chill. My soul force has already more or less recovered, so there naturally won’t be much problems.” While looking at Lin Xi’s nervous appearance, Gao Yanan pursed her lips, saying this quietly. The thing called bliss within her heart even more so began to spread wantonly.

“How can I not be worried? If these were normal times, then I would stop here, but those Great Mang cultivators might come out of nowhere. I’m not sure if it is because my performance made Wenren Cangyue feel uneasy or if it was due to other reasons, but according to normal reasoning, there shouldn’t suddenly be so many Great Mang cultivators.” Lin Xi stubbornly moved over Gao Yanan’s body, having her lean against his shoulder. “Rest for a bit longer. We’ll leave after finishing another pot of congee.”

Gao Yanan released a light en of acknowledgement. For some reason, she felt as if Lin Xi’s body became a bit warmer.

She raised her head slightly, but saw that Lin Xi was also looking at her.

As such, her face suddenly flushed red.

“Don’t hit me.”

After a bit of hesitation, he suddenly spoke these three words. Then, he gathered enough courage to lower his head, placing his lips on hers.

Gao Yanan’s eyes were extremely nervous, carrying a bit of alarm as they widened. Her hands even wanted to push Lin Xi away, but Lin Xi instead held her gently.

Her hands powerlessly landed on Lin Xi’s back, grabbing tightly onto his clothes.

Only after a long time passed did the two separate.

Lin Xi breathed heavily with difficulty, Gao Yanan’s chest also rising and falling heavily.

“Sweet and sour…”

Lin Xi suddenly laughed, speaking these words in a stupefied manner.

“I don’t know what kind of nonsense you are spouting, what kind of bad things you are thinking in your head.” Gao Yanan’s head lowered, saying fiercely, “If it wasn’t because I don’t have much strength left, I would have definitely given you a beating.”

Lin Xi chuckled.

Suddenly, he felt something strange, Gao Yanan also picking up on this abnormality.

Pa ta pa ta… Some strange noises sounded from Lin Xi’s chest.

The two of them saw that both Lucky and Ruirui’s head reached out from Lin Xi’s chest, both of them looking at Lin Xi and Gao Yanan with keen interest and confusion. This was especially the case with Lucky who stuck out its lips, that pa ta pa ta sound precisely came from its mouth.

Gao Yanan’s face immediately became even redder than apples in autumn.

“This is something only adults can do. Children who don’t understand shouldn’t peep.” Lin Xi laughed, lightly tapping Lucky and Ruirui’s heads.

1. One of Great Mang’s seven generals B11C48