The forest was deathly silent. Occasionally, the wind blew, making the leaves rustle. Feng Xingzhi looked around, his eyes filled with a hint of wariness. However, he detected nothing amiss. Involuntarily, he tightened his grip on Ji Yunxi's hand.
"Azhi, why are you so tense?" Ji Yunxi gave him a gentle smile and patted his shoulder.
"It's not the coldest winter month yet. There should be the chirping of birds in the forest, but it's so quiet. When something is out of the ordinary, there must be something fishy going on."
"It is indeed a bit strange, but I don't sense anyone else's aura." After hearing this, Ji Yunxi looked up at the sky above the forest. Most of the trees looked alike, with lush branches and leaves, which made her feel dizzy.
This was also what Feng Xingzhi was worried about. It meant that this person was highly skilled in martial arts and good at hiding himself. "We meet again." A deep voice came from above. The two of them looked in the direction of the sound. Suddenly, they felt the light dim in front of them. A dark shadow flashed by from above very quickly, accompanied by the sound of clothing rubbing. When they looked forward again, there was an extra figure.
"Who are you?" Ji Yunxi frowned and shouted at him.
The man turned around. They found that he was wearing a white mask. He was tall and straight, dressed in a moon-white luxurious robe. The fabric of the robe had excellent drape and faintly glistened with starlights in the sun. Golden threads were embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns on the cuffs. A moon-blue belt was wrapped around his waist, with a white jade pendant on it. Even wearing a mask couldn't hide his elegant temperament.
Feng Xingzhi stepped in front of Ji Yunxi, looking highly vigilant. "You are highly skilled in martial arts. Why don't you dare to show your true face?"
The man didn't say a word. He just stared straight at Ji Yunxi. Their eyes met. Ji Yunxi felt that his gaze was cold, selfish, and emotionless, like a dead, still pool. Even if a stone were to fall into it, it wouldn't cause any ripples, but would just sink into the boundless depths.
She seemed to have seen this kind of look somewhere before. Something flashed through her mind. Suddenly, a name popped up in her mind. "Are you... Yue Chen?"
The man nodded but didn't say a word.
Why did Yue Chen say they met again? They clearly hadn't met before. Ji Yunxi sized him up discreetly. After thinking for a while, she still spoke. "Although I don't know why you stopped us, we have important matters to attend to. Please get out of the way." Ji Yunxi said calmly. She pulled Feng Xingzhi and was about to leave. Although she had many doubts in her heart, this obviously wasn't the right time to solve them.
"I know you're looking for someone." As soon as Yue Chen said this, Ji Yunxi stopped in her tracks. Her search for someone had been carried out secretly. When had the news leaked?
She turned around. A hint of sharpness flashed in her eyes. She quietly looked at Yue Chen, waiting for him to continue. Feng Xingzhi secretly gathered his strength, ready to launch an attack at any time.
"Don't be so tense. Relax. I mean no harm. It's just a coincidence. The person you're looking for is in my hands." Yue Chen slowly approached them, his tone a bit light, as if he were catching up with an old friend.
"Then tell us who we're looking for. Otherwise, who knows if you're just lying to us?" Ji Yunxi narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at him inquisitively.
"Jiang Linyin."
As soon as Yue Chen finished speaking, Ji Yunxi's eyes suddenly became sharp.
"Stop." Feng Xingzhi raised his hand. A white light flashed. A sword seemed to slide into his hand from his sleeve. His body flashed in front of Yue Chen like an arrow off the string, and the sword was placed on his neck.
"Hand over the person." Ji Yunxi looked at him coldly, her lips slightly pursed. Her eyebrows were filled with an inescapable chill, exuding a cold aura.
"Threatening me?" Yue Chen looked down at the sword on his neck, his tone nonchalant. His gaze was like a vicious snake tightly locking onto its prey.
"No! Quickly get out of the way, Xingzhi." Ji Yunxi's pupils suddenly dilated. She looked at Feng Xingzhi worriedly.
A terrifying aura rushed towards Feng Xingzhi overwhelmingly. He even couldn't hold the sword steadily for a moment and his body staggered.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yue Chen made a feint and dodged from under Feng Xingzhi's sword. Then he struck at his chest with his palm.
Feng Xingzhi blocked this move with his sword. Then he released his divine power to protect himself all around and leaped into the air. Yue Chen missed his target. He gathered strength in his palm. Ji Yunxi flew towards him with her sword in hand, but found that she couldn't even get close to his body.
It was actually the power of a forbidden spell! Where did this person come from? Ji Yunxi didn't dare to underestimate him. She looked at him warily. "Tell me, what do you want?"
"It's very simple. You come back with me as my guest. I'll send someone to deliver Jiang Linyin to Lingyun Mountain." Yue Chen withdrew his magic power and returned to his calm and composed appearance.
Ji Yunxi and Feng Xingzhi were shocked after hearing this. They glanced at each other. They didn't expect that Yue Chen had known about the situation of Lingyun Mountain for a long time.
"You don't need to be surprised. I just think that Feng Heyang has had a hard time these years and I want to help him."
Ji Yunxi didn't believe that he was so kind-hearted. However, the condition Yue Chen offered was really tempting. Instead of searching aimlessly like this, it was better to follow the direction Yue Chen had pointed out to them.
Ji Yunxi looked at Feng Xingzhi and nodded. Feng Xingzhi grabbed her and silently shook his head.
Seeing their interaction, Yue Chen curled his lips into a smile. "I just want to help you. You think too badly of me. I'll give you time to discuss. Think it over carefully."
As he said this, Yue Chen walked to one side. For some reason, Ji Yunxi had the feeling that he pronounced the last few words especially heavily.
"You can't go. Yue Chen is unpredictable. It's not safe. Let's go. We'll find another way to save the person." Feng Xingzhi looked at Ji Yunxi, a bit agitated.
"You're bleeding. Does it hurt?" Ji Yunxi just bandaged his wound.
"Yunxi, if we join hands, we can fight him." Feng Xingzhi pressed on her shoulders. Ji Yunxi didn't stop her movements. "And then? We'll both be seriously injured. You've seen his strength. We can't kill Yue Chen just by the two of us. Moreover, Jiang Linyin is still in his hands. He knows that we're helping Feng Ji to be reborn, but he still hasn't stopped us. That means either he doesn't take Feng Ji seriously, or he knows clearly that we won't succeed at all."
"In that case, there's no need to save Jiang Linyin at all." As he said this, Feng Xingzhi took Ji Yunxi's hand.
"Jiang Linyin saved us. If we leave him alone today, it's not in line with morality." A hint of reluctance flashed in Ji Yunxi's eyes.
"I understand what you're thinking, but I'm worried about you."
While they were still arguing, Yue Chen's voice rang out. "Well, have you made a decision?"
"Since you've invited me so warmly, I'm naturally willing to visit the Moon Glow Palace." Ji Yunxi looked at him without any hesitation. Hearing this, Yue Chen laughed heartily. "As expected of you. You're brave. Let's go."
"Wait. I'm going too." Feng Xingzhi stretched out his arm and stood between the two of them. Yue Chen gave him a cold look and immediately refused. "No. Only she can go."