76. Illness Worsens
"Go early and come back early, be careful on the road."
Seeing Jingwei and Lin Chaoyu come out, Yun Ling yawned and prepared to go back to lie down on the big rock.
"Senior brother, Master said you should go with her," Lin Chaoyu reminded him from the side.
"?" Yun Ling glanced sideways, seemingly doubting his own ears.
"Let's go."
A fragrant breeze swept by, and the unique scent emanating from Jingwei brushed past Yun Ling's nose, causing him to lose his senses for a moment.
"Chaoyu, I'll go first then."
However, Yun Ling did not show any joy, but simply whispered instructions to Lin Chaoyu.
"Don't worry, senior brother, I'll take good care of Mount Taixu." Lin Chaoyu waved goodbye to the two of them.
The two traveled at a leisurely pace, after all, there was still some time before the "Holy Flame Assembly".
"Master, what made you think of bringing me along?"
Yun Ling asked directly.
"You've slacked off quite a bit over the past three years. This trip down the mountain will also be a chance to test your strength," Jingwei replied without changing her expression.
Then, fearing that Yun Ling wouldn't believe her, she added, "There was no other meaning behind it."
"Ahem... Master, you don't need to emphasize the last part. I won't misunderstand," Yun Ling joked.
But Jingwei remained calm, as if she hadn't heard Yun Ling's teasing at all.
"Master, is the cosmetic I gave you any good?"
"...I gave it to Chaoyu."
"I see... Master is naturally beautiful, so she really doesn't need these things." Yun Ling nodded, indicating his understanding.
This was somewhat unexpected for Jingwei; she had thought Yun Ling would show some anger or similar emotions.
Of her three disciples, Yun Ling was the one she couldn't understand the most.
Yun Ling is a very scheming person. At least three years ago, he had always behaved perfectly in front of Jingwei.
Since that night, Yun Ling seems to have become a different person.
His daily behavior is the same as before, but it doesn't feel like him.
Jingwei couldn't figure out what he was thinking.
However, one thing is certain: he should be...
A slight ripple appeared in Jingwei's eyes.
But she was bound by her mission and could neither accept nor face that straightforward love.
So she chose to escape, and these three years became her escape period.
The reason for letting Yun Ling out this time was simply to find an opportunity to make things clear and completely extinguish his hopes.
"Let's take a rest," Jingwei suggested, seeing an inn ahead and noting that it was getting late.
"Yes, Master." Yun Ling nodded in response.
"I'm sorry, there's only one room left tonight, but it has two beds," the waiter said apologetically.
"Then let's open one." Yun Ling paid the money and then sat down at the table to quietly drink tea.
With Jingwei's keen hearing, she naturally heard what the waiter said. She looked at Yun Ling, as if she wanted to say something, but hesitated.
"Master, are you nervous?" Yun Ling asked, looking at Jingwei, who seemed a little restless.
"I...I didn't." Jingwei tried her best to remain calm.
But then, Jingwei felt a bit angry; after all, Yun Ling was practically teasing her.
"I'm going out for some fresh air." Seeing that things were going badly, Yun Ling slipped away.
"...Haa."
A long sigh cannot express all her sorrow.
Yun Ling casually found a place to sit down; for him, staying up all night was not a difficult task.
The problem is that the body can't enter a resting state and keeps coughing, which is quite a challenge.
"Cough...cough cough cough..." Yun Ling coughed heavily a few times, and blood seeped out from between his fingers.
He was already used to it and casually washed his hands in a river.
After he turned twenty, his condition deteriorated rapidly. If he hadn't practiced the "Taixu Sword Qi" and his self-created martial arts, he probably would have died a year ago.
"That's a really accurate calculation... But do I really have a few more decades to live?" Yun Ling murmured.
If the last bit of self-created martial arts is completed, then it might be possible.
Although the Taixu Sword Qi has reached the realm of "immortal magic", it still cannot make one an immortal.
At least in terms of increasing lifespan, it does nothing about it.
The cultivation method created by Yun Ling is a true "immortal technique".
If you cultivate to the highest level, you can truly become an immortal!
Both strength and lifespan will increase significantly.
Conservative estimates suggest it could extend lifespan by at least a thousand years...
Of course, ideals are often grand, but reality is often harsh.
Even with Yun Ling's talent in swordsmanship, creating an "immortal technique" would be extremely difficult.
Of course, it wasn't talent that limited him, but rather his knowledge and vision.
Of all the immortals he had ever seen, only Jingwei was the one he knew was real.
However, Jingwei could not offer him any help in these areas.
Jingwei meditated in the inn all night, but Yun Ling didn't return.
It wasn't until dawn that Yun Ling walked in through the main entrance of the inn and sat down at the table, leisurely eating peanuts.
Jingwei didn't say anything. After all, she knew... living in the same room was impossible.
Either she's outside, or Yun Ling is outside.
However, the god of romantic comedy always likes to play pranks.
For three days in a row, every inn they passed by only had one room left.
Yun Ling would always find an excuse to go out and leave the inn, only returning in the early morning.
On the fourth day, just as Yun Ling got up, Jingwei grabbed his wrist.
"What's wrong, Master?" Yun Ling looked at Jingwei with a hint of confusion.
"You'll be sleeping at the inn tonight," Jingwei said earnestly.
"It's not really appropriate to sleep with master," Yun Ling said, feigning embarrassment.
"?" Jingwei tilted her head. When did they start sleeping together?
"Today is a single-person room," Yun Ling explained.
Jingwei's face froze for a second, then blushed for a moment, before she forced the blush back down by circulating her inner energy.
"You sleep tonight, I'll keep watch," Jingwei said coldly.
"That won't do. I like to enjoy the breeze outside at night. I often sleep in the big trees outside on Mount Taixu," Yun Ling explained.
"You're not even listening to me anymore?" Jingwei said in an unquestionable tone.
"...Yes, Master." Yun Ling nodded helplessly.
"Waiter, bring me a pot of wine," Yun Ling called out to the waiter.
"No need to serve it." Jingwei knew exactly what he wanted to do with the wine.
"Master, I..."
"I'll help you, but in the future... drink less alcohol." Jingwei's face revealed no emotion at the moment.
Having said all that, it would be ungrateful of me to say anything more.
To prevent Yun Ling from running away, Jingwei used Fenghuang Down Feather to hypnotize Yun Ling, then casually picked up a book and started flipping through it on the table.
But not long after, Yun Ling, who was sleeping behind him, suddenly started coughing violently.
"Cough, cough, cough cough..."
Jingwei could only use Fenghuang Down Feather again to make him sink into a dream.
However, half an hour later, Yun Ling woke up again, with traces of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
"Has your illness become this serious?" Jingwei frowned, completely unaware of Yun Ling's condition.
He used to be able to sleep soundly until dawn.
"Yes, it looked about the same a year ago." Yun Ling took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.
"So you went out to sleep because..." Jingwei remembered what Yun Ling had just said.
He often slept outside on Mount Taixu; was it because of this illness?
"I want to breathe fresh air," Yun Ling casually made up a reason.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Jingwei asked.
Upon hearing this, Yun Ling did not answer, but stared intently at Jingwei.
Jingwei felt a little guilty under that gaze and subconsciously looked away for a moment.
"If my master hadn't been avoiding me, I would have told her, but there was no chance."
"I..."
...