The current situation of the scattered Yunqin troops was just like that of roving bandits, all supplies extremely scarce.

That was why after successfully killing the four Great Mang cultivators, after a short celebration, these Yunqin soldiers began to carefully search these four Great Mang cultivators’ possessions, moreover carefully hiding all battle traces.

Lin Xi and Gao Yanan already sat down to drink water and rest. While looking at these bustling Yunqin soldiers, Lin Xi released a light sigh.

Gao Yanan quietly looked at Lin Xi’s side profile. After experiencing so many days of life and death battles, moreover associating with these Yunqin border army soldiers who had the toughest wills for so long, she also naturally lost a bit of her childish side, also becoming more like a female soldier, looking more like a female general instead of a girl from a wealthy family. Before, when there were many people around, she would appear extremely shy, wouldn’t get too close to Lin Xi, let alone directly lean against his body in front of everyone. However, in this type of situation where she was extremely weary, she instead directly leaned against Lin Xi’s body.

She felt that this was extremely natural. Moreover, those soldiers around her also felt that this was extremely natural.

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“What are you thinking about?”

When she heard Lin Xi release a light sigh, she who already became a bit thinner than a few days ago, the fair skin on her face also becoming a bit rougher asked quietly.

“I was thinking that the words of a certain person were indeed true, that there are no unrivalled cultivators in this world.”

Lin Xi turned around to look at her, saying with a warm smile, “Or perhaps I should say that I originally already felt that these words were correct, it is just that these past few days of battle have made me understand this point even further… It is because even the most powerful cultivators cannot continue without eating and sleeping. Cultivators and troops are indeed an excellent combination. Cultivators can help the military deal with some formidable cultivators, or exhaust the soul force of some formidable cultivators, while the military can help cultivators do many things, for example, these odd jobs… For example, they can help us keep watch, scout around, even carry us, in this way, we would have more time to rest and replenish soul force through meditation cultivation.”

“This is an extremely simple reasoning to begin with.” Gao Yanan laughed, her nose wrinkling in a somewhat cute manner, “It isn’t something you need to continuously think deeply about, so why are you always thinking about it?”

“Because these words make me remember that Wenren Cangyue will definitely be defeated… Because no matter how strong one person is, in the end, there is no way they can defeat the entire world.” Lin Xi looked at Gao Yanan, his face instead filled with a bit of mysterious emotion. “Also… these words were what Principal Zhang specially left on the stele.”

Gao Yanan suddenly raised her head. When she raised her head, her face was only a few inches from Lin Xi’s , but she didn’t produce any charming and gentle emotions. “Principal Zhang’s stele?” She looked into Lin Xi’s eyes with a bit of a serious expression, trying to see into Lin Xi’s depths.

“Yeah.”

Lin Xi nodded with a bit of a bitter smile. He looked at her and said seriously, “I could understand the inscriptions on the stele Principal Zhang left behind.”

Gao Yanan looked at him with a bit of shock. Even though many things that couldn’t be explained with reasoning already happened with this person, these words still made her feel shock.

“When I was in the academy, you told me that everyone has their secrets. Later on, I knew that your secret was precisely that you were Grand Secretary Zhou’s daughter.”

Lin Xi quietly nodded. He looked into her pretty eyes and said, “Later on, when we went to Jadefall CIty, you directly discovered that I was a Divine General, you even told me not to tell your father, since then I’ve always been thinking over this matter… I know that even Principal Zhang didn’t tell his secret to anyone, because he doesn’t know what kind of impact and affect this secret will have on this world. Moreover, he didn’t know if those around him would produce any changes in attitude towards him.”

“I wasn’t as familiar with the world as Principal Zhang, I didn’t think that much in the beginning either. That was why in the beginning, I only told my folks back in Deerwood Town some things, even said some things to Uncle Liu who brought me to Green Luan Academy. However, none of them could understand or believe me. It was to the extent where because I said that the world I came from didn’t have any rulers and ministers, everyone of equal status, they thought that this was disgraceful and unfilial, that I was definitely not allowed to speak randomly again. Afterwards, they naturally wouldn’t tell anyone else about these disgraceful words either. Later on, as I left Deerwood Town and entered Green Luan Academy, learned about more things, I understood more and more things.” After a slight pause, Lin Xi looked at Gao Yanan whose expression was becoming more and more grave with a slightly bitter expression, saying with a bitter smile, “I also learned that in order to protect my own life, I could only guard this secret. I don’t know what kind of consequences this type of secret would bring about if Vice Principal Xia and the others learned of it either. Either way, this type of consequence isn’t something I can take on, so I must continue to guard this type of secret… However, you are different, I feel like I should tell you more about myself. Otherwise, the less you hide from me, the more I love you, yet because I have to hide things from you, not tell you about my true self, the more I will feel as if there is something between us, that my heart cannot truly be near yours. This will make me feel the same loneliness in this word like in the beginning, it will make me feel terrible.”

Gao Yanan’s brows furrowed.

She didn’t understand many of the things Lin Xi told her, but her heart immediately pounded fiercely. It was because she could clearly sense the affection behind Lin Xi’s words.

Right now, she didn’t say anything else, only placing her hand in Lin Xi’s.

Her hands were a bit cold, but when he felt her soft hands, Lin Xi’s heart was instead filled with warmth.

“This is quite the long story, I don’t know if you will be able to understand, or whether you can believe it. I originally wasn’t a person of this world… To put it simply, this world is better at unearthing the body’s own strength, but my world was better at using tools, better at bringing out the power of tools like military equipment. We have machinery that can bring people away at high speeds without soul force, things that can allow people to fly high up in the sky. However, because I unexpectedly died in that world of mine, my consciousness arrived here through an unknown reason, occupying the body of a Deerwood Town youth.” When Lin Xi said these things, he instead felt a bit more relieved, he also felt like he really was too pure and innocent. As such, he chuckled in self-mockery and pride, asking Gao Yanan, “Does this make sense to you?”

Gao Yanan thought seriously for a bit and then shook her head. “I don’t really understand… because this doesn’t make much sense. When one dies, they die, how can they enter another person’s body? Moreover… how can there be another world?”

“This is precisely the case. This is indeed inconsistent with the reasoning of this world’s people.” Lin Xi released a bitter smile. “Actually, before I arrived at Green Luan Academy, I almost thought I went crazy too. I almost thought that I really was Lin Second, that I really experienced a great dream after my great sickness, dreamed about that type of world, that I lived in that type of world. Only when I saw Principal Zhang’s stele afterwards, saw that Principal Zhang came from the same place as me, was I sure that I didn’t go crazy.”

Gao Yanan remained quiet for a bit. She thought seriously for a bit, and then she raised her head to look at him. “If we explain it through a dream, then it makes sense.”

Lin Xi stared blankly, “It makes sense?”

“Indeed.” Gao Yanan looked at Lin Xi, saying with a gentle voice, “Some of Yunqin’s ancient texts have recorded some similar things, recorded that when some people dream, a dream can last an extremely long time, they can experience an entire life through a dream. Some people even dreamt that they served as a great official, married three wives and took on four concubines. Then, after producing much offspring, they died of old age. When they woke up again, they discovered that all of it was but a dream.”

Lin Xi released a bitter smile, “Then how do we explain Principal Zhang?”

Gao Yanan looked at him and said, “If we interpret it as him also experiencing a dream, dreaming a similar world as you, then it still makes sense.”

Lin Xi stared blankly again.

“Speaking in terms of reasoning, what can be explained a step further is that you two are cultivators with the same type of talent.” Gao Yanan looked at Lin Xi and said, “It is precisely because of you two having the same type of talent that you would dream about a similar world, even dreaming that you two completed an entire life in a similar world., obtaining many similar experiences and knowledge. In this way, you two became ‘heavenly instructors’ or precisely ‘Divine Generals’, which makes sense. That is why there are indeed some people in this world who don’t need to be taught cultivation, yet they already understand some things about cultivation, even obtaining knowledge about symbols.”

Lin Xi swallowed, shaking his head in a bit of a distressed manner. “In that case, you really think that me and Principal Zhang dreamt a long dream, moreover dreamed about the same world?”

“I believe you, but this is the only type of reasoning I can understand.”

Gao Yanan shook her head. She looked deep into Lin Xi’s eyes. “Actually, regardless of whether this world really has so many things that don’t make sense, or if it was just a dream you experienced when you were sick… what you said to me is real, you are real. Also, I know that those years were definitely lonely for you, definitely terrifying, definitely difficult. You definitely wished for people who could understand you. It is because back then, this world was a completely unfamiliar one for you, one without a single loved one or friend.”

Lin Xi looked at her in a daze. He looked at Gao Yanan whose head leaned against his shoulder again, his heart indescribably moved.

Only a while later did he smile, saying, “This is indeed a good way. I will tell you my real story, and then you can understand it through the reasoning you find normal.”

“Of course, Principal Zhang’s consideration is also reasonable.” Gao Yanan also smiled. She became serious, saying like a tongue twister, “Without using things that make sense to explain it, instead of thinking about so many things that don’t make any sense, yet will never obtain an answer from, this will only make one go crazy.”

Lin Xi smiled. “If I knew things were going to be like this, I wouldn’t have felt so conflicted in speaking with you.”

“However, curiosity can also kill a person.” Gao Yanan looked at Lin Xi’s smile, able to understand Lin Xi’s thoughts further. She thus became even gentler, acting a bit like a spoiled child as she said, “Then what exactly did Principal Zhang write on that stele?”

“There are many things that can only be explained slowly over time.”

Lin Xi laughed, and then said with a serious expression, “However, that line that he said before about none of this world’s cultivators being unrivaled seems more like a warning for me. It is because the more talented one is, the easier it is to place oneself above the cultivators and people of this world, the easier it is to become arrogant, to look down on others. In the end, not only would they be defeated by the people of this world, they will naturally bring this world much suffering.”

Gao Yanan gave the Yunqin soldiers nearby a look, nodding her head.

Right now, a thirty something year old officer already walked over, once again expressing his sincere gratitude towards Lin Xi and Gao Yanan.

While looking at this Yunqin soldier whose arrow chest wound was already starting to ulcerate a bit, yet his gaze was still grave and steady, equipped with the most outstanding character out of all of the eighth ranked officers he had ever met, Lin Xi first called him over to sit across from him, and then without any superficial displays of affection, he shook his head and said, “Sir Huo Qing, there is really no need for all of this formality. Even though I brought all of you here, you all also helped me a lot. We’ve made it through all of the recent difficult battles together.”

This officer Huo Qing who was originally a part of the earliest troops who came to provide Thousand Leaf Pass with assistance, but was ultimately part of one of the first troops to scatter, surviving all the way until now shook his head. With a serious and respectful voice, he said, “The reason I am thanking sir isn’t because of these victories, but because of the hope of life your respected self has brought us. Sir, your respected self has wandered about this place for so long, faced so many Great Mang cultivators for so long, yet you are still alive and well… your respected self has granted us faith that we can continue living. Otherwise, we would have long fallen into despair.”

Lin Xi opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Huo Qing already looked at him, continuing, “There is no need for sir to be modest. We’ve already witnesses sir’s abilities these past few days, as well as sir’s true radiant qualities. That is why as long as we survive for one day longer, we will listen to sir’s respected command, follow sir regardless of what the others in the empire think of sir.”

Lin Xi released a forced smile.

This type of extremely clear oath of loyalty was extremely difficult to earn for even other Spiritual Sacrifice Priests, but for him, it seemed a bit too easy, even him feeling a bit out of sorts. Moreover, his deeds had previously traveled far and wide, these people should understand his current situation, as well as the fact that even though he had the status of a Spiritual Sacrifice Priest, he couldn’t enter Priest Hall. If these people vowed oaths of loyalty to him, they wouldn’t be able to receive the recognition of the royal court, at most becoming his attendants.

“Sir, what should we do next?” However, Huo Qing didn’t seem to allow Lin Xi to refuse, only showing him another military salute, asking resolutely.

Lin Xi nodded, not saying anything more either. He took a deep breath, and then stood up. He reached out a hand, sensing the water vapor that seemed to become thicker and thicker in the wind. He looked at Huo Qing who was waiting for his orders and said, “The first great storm of summer is about to arrive, it will wash away many traces. Have everyone get some proper rest now, we need to take advantage of the rain to cover some distance… Once we reach that place, we should be safe.”

Huo Qing turned around towards the direction Lin Xi was looking at, a bit shocked as he said, “Thousand Sunset Mountain?”

Lin Xi smiled.

He looked at the continuous mountains that were already clearly visible, saying with confidence, “I’ve spent some time in Dragon Snake Border Army, the mountain forests aren’t suitable for a great army to attack in. That is why even though Thousand Sunset Mountain is occupied by Great Mang’s army, if I bring all of you inside and avoid the other provinces, it will be safer. After facing so many enemies, we are tired as well… After this violent rain passes, I will bring all of you home.”