Not long after Zhou Zilong's departure, Jun Xiaomo gradually collected the threads of spiritual energy that she had suffused through the grooves and recesses of the master formation array.She had expended an incredible amount of mental energy s.h.i.+fting each of the ink-black stones onto the positions she needed them to be. Thus, when she collected her spiritual energy, she discovered that she had already pushed herself beyond her limits.Jun Xiaomo took a few steps back from the heart of the master formation array, thinking of taking a break before continuing. Just then, a powerful wave of weariness washed over her, sending her mind spinning. Her body swayed slightly, and her knees buckled. Then, everything in front of her suddenly went black, and she fell backwards.“Xiaomo!”“Xiaomo!”Several martial brothers cried out at the same time. Ye Xiuwen was standing closest to Jun Xiaomo right now, and he immediately extended his arm to support Jun Xiaomo. Unexpectedly, there was someone whose actions were quicker than his.A black shadow flickered across in front of him, and Jun Xiaomo landed safely in the bosom of a man wearing the Eternal Summit Sect's uniform.“Little Martial Sister! Who are you? What are you trying to do to Martial Sister Xiaomo?!” Another one of the Heavenly Peak disciples immediately barked as he adopted a threatening, offensive stance with his body.There were so many of them around, yet not a single person had detected the man's sudden and swift arrival! Just when did this person slip into their midst?The man calmly lifted his head and glanced dispa.s.sionately at the Heavenly Peak disciples. Then, he quickly lowered his head and gazed deeply at Jun Xiaomo as she rested in his bosom. His deep and abstruse eyes were evidently filled with complex and profound emotions right now.“Brother Rong, it's been a while.” Ye Xiuwen walked towards the man and greeted him casually.So, it's someone that Martial Brother Ye knows. As soon as the Heavenly Peak disciples heard Ye Xiuwen's casual greeting, they began to lower their stances.Rong Ruihan lifted his head once more and sized up Ye Xiuwen. It was evident that he could no longer recognize Ye Xiuwen.Ye Xiuwen smiled faintly, “I'm Ye Xiuwen.”“So, it's you.” A trace of realization surfaced in the depths of Rong Ruihan's blood-red eyes as he curtly responded, “It's been a while.”As he finished speaking, he ignored Ye Xiuwen and turned his gaze back to Jun Xiaomo as she continued to lie in his bosom.Ye Xiuwen furrowed his brows. The manner that Rong Ruihan was embracing and supporting his Little Martial Sister made it seem as though she were his possession. It was far too glaring to his eyes.Just as Ye Xiuwen was contemplating how he could ask Rong Ruihan to set his Little Martial Sister down, Jun Xiaomo began to stir. After groaning slightly, Jun Xiaomo opened her eyes once more.“You are…?” The first thing Jun Xiaomo noticed was the Eternal Summit Sect's uniform, and a trace of bewilderment surfaced on her heart.She was still slightly groggy from having overused her mind and spirit, and her reactions were naturally slightly more r.e.t.a.r.ded at this moment.“Xiaomo.” Ye Xiuwen took a few steps forward, thinking to pull Jun Xiaomo back from Rong Ruihan's embrace. Unfortunately, with one quick leap, Rong Ruihan moved several paces back with Jun Xiaomo, increasing his distance from Ye Xiuwen again.Rong Ruihan looked up and sized up Ye Xiuwen once more. It was evident that there was some measure of disdain in the depths of his blood-red eyes right now.Ye Xiuwen's gaze immediately grew frigid and cold. He was an item with Martial Sister Xiaomo, so what was Rong Ruihan doing cutting in between them like that?!The Heavenly Peak disciples watched Ye Xiuwen and Rong Ruihan with bated breaths. Even as outsiders, all of them could tell that their present interactions reeked of a confrontation over the right to love.Just then, Jun Xiaomo finally regained clarity of mind, and she immediately recognized the man who was supporting her.“Brother Rong?” Jun Xiaomo blinked curiously as she muttered.Was she still asleep? Why was Brother Rong carrying her? No, what was she doing earlier…?Jun Xiaomo's greeting tugged strongly at Rong Ruihan's heartstrings. He lowered his head once more and gazed into Jun Xiaomo's clear, pristine eyes. He could see his very own reflection in her eyes.“Xiaomo.” Rong Ruihan appeared to have just encountered a gust of warm wind, melting away the thick layer of ice encasing his heart, revealing its soft tenderness once more.I guess this man still knows how to smile, huh… The Heavenly Peak disciples exclaimed in their hearts.In fact, Rong Ruihan was hardly a stranger to any of them. After all, they had all interacted with Rong Ruihan during the previous Secondary Inter-Sect Compet.i.tion. However, that period of interaction was far too short, and they had not seen Rong Ruihan for the years to come since then. Thus, they could hardly be blamed for having forgotten his appearances and mistaking him for one of the a.s.sailants.Jun Xiaomo groaned again and furrowed her brows. Then, scratching her dazed head, she muttered to herself, “Why does this dream appear to be so real? Is this an illusion that my mind has constructed in my stupor?”Rong Ruihan began to laugh heartily, “What do you think? Is this an illusion, Xiaomo? Or are you saying that you dream of me all the time?”Ye Xiuwen's face grew ashen as soon as Rong Ruihan's words echoed out – I'm Jun Xiaomo's rightful lover! How can Rong Ruihan be teasing Little Martial Sister under my nose like that? What does he take me for? A dead person?!The Heavenly Peak disciples exchanged sheepish glances as their eyes vacillated between Ye Xiuwen and Rong Ruihan – No way. Are we really going to get into an internal tussle before our enemies even arrive?Rong Ruihan was unaware of the icy cold gaze that Ye Xiuwen had trained on his body. To the best of Rong Ruihan's knowledge, the relations.h.i.+p between Jun Xiaomo and Ye Xiuwen was still the same as that which it had been since ages ago – there were feelings for each other, but the extent of their relations.h.i.+p was still completely unclear. That being the case, he knew that he still had a chance to slip in and steal Jun Xiaomo's heart before it was too late.Gradually, Jun Xiaomo began to realize that she was not in fact in a dream. She looked about blankly at her surroundings and began to recall just what she had been doing moments ago – she had earlier been breaking through the valley's master formation array, and she had only pa.s.sed out momentarily because of the intense strain to her mind and spirits.Then, she noticed Ye Xiuwen's ashen expression, before turning her eyes to how Rong Ruihan appeared to be carrying in his bosom right now.Jun Xiaomo's face immediately flushed awkwardly, and she hurriedly pushed Rong Ruihan away as she scrambled back to her feet. Then, coughing dryly, she attempted to avoid the elephant in the room, “Brother Rong, I'd never expected to see you here.” Jun Xiaomo's mind had completely returned to normal right now.A victorious gleam flickered across the depths of Ye Xiuwen's eyes as he strode over to Jun Xiaomo's side. Then, placing his arm around her shoulder, he added, “I'd previously already suspected that the person in the paper crane's image was brother Rong. Unfortunately, the lighting was too dim for me to state that with any certainty.”“Is that so?” Jun Xiaomo turned to look curiously into Ye Xiuwen's eyes. For some strange reason, something told her that there were implications hidden behind the express meaning of Ye Xiuwen's words.Ye Xiuwen patted her head and smiled, remaining silent.Rong Ruihan could feel the lingering warmth in his bosom gradually fading away. When he witnessed how the interaction between Jun Xiaomo and Ye Xiuwen left no room for a third party, his heart felt incredibly empty, as though a piece of his heart had been irretrievably carved out and crushed to pieces.A pained expression surfaced in the depths of Rong Ruihan's eyes. Unfortunately, neither Ye Xiuwen nor Jun Xiaomo noticed this.The Heavenly Peak disciples exchanged sheepish glances once more. In that instant, everyone felt at a complete loss as to how they should deal with Rong Ruihan. He was Martial Brother Ye's love rival, and yet he was also ostensibly on good terms with Little Martial Sister.In the end, it was Chen Feiyu who broke the silence first as he addressed Rong Ruihan, “Brother Rong, you appear to be rather familiar with Little Martial Sister and Martial Brother Ye. I presume you knew each other from somewhere?”Rong Ruihan turned his gaze away from Jun Xiaomo and looked at Chen Feiyu.“I guess you can say we've experienced some things together.” Rong Ruihan responded placidly. However, his face no longer gleamed with the same radiance it had earlier when he was first reunited with Jun Xiaomo just moments ago.“So that's the case…” Chen Feiyu was struggling to make conversation, but he could sense that the atmosphere was getting increasingly tense and awkward, “Then are you from the Eternal Summit Sect? I noticed that you're wearing their uniform.”“No. I was here to look for an old friend. Donning the Eternal Summit Sect's uniform was something I'd done in order to slip into their ranks.” Rong Ruihan explicated languidly. Then, turning his gaze to Jun Xiaomo, a swathe of complex emotions surfaced in the depths of his blood-red eyes, “Since you're well and good, I guess it's time for me to take my leave.”Rong Ruihan's final statement was evidently directed straight towards Jun Xiaomo.“Hang on a minute, brother Rong. Since you're already here, why are you leaving in such a hurry? Besides, it's not safe back there. You should leave together with us.” Jun Xiaomo anxiously tugged at Rong Ruihan's sleeves as she attempted to persuade her.Rong Ruihan looked at his sleeves that Jun Xiaomo was holding. Then, sweeping his gaze across to Jun Xiaomo's shoulders where Ye Xiuwen's arms were resting, his heart sank once more.He had begun to realize that he might well have missed his opportunity. This was a sight that he was least willing to see.Since Jun Xiaomo already has someone around her, is there really a need for me to remain around here? Rong Ruihan mocked himself contemptuously. He thought about the series of dreams that had plagued him for such a long time, before turning his mind to contemplate all the thoughts of vengeance in his heart over the last ten years. All of a sudden, everything felt like a dream – a dream that he would soon wake up from, only to realize that everything which he had done for the girl of his dreams had been in vain. Everything that he had done had been borne out of mere unrequited love.Rong Ruihan's blood-red eyes deepened slightly in colour, and they appeared as though they were about to bleed in the very next moment.After gazing into Jun Xiaomo's eyes once more with deep contemplation, Rong Ruihan finally responded, “We'll leave it at that. I'd only come here to ascertain the veracity of the rumours. I'm satisfied knowing that you're still alive and well.”As Rong Ruihan finished speaking, he turned around, motioning to head back on the path that he had come from.“Wait a minute, brother Rong!” Jun Xiaomo's heart bemoaned in anguish, and she rushed forward and held Rong Ruihan tightly by his arm, “Don't go out that way – it's dangerous. The Eternal Summit Sect and Zhang Shuyue's sect will be waiting for you. You're only going to end up walking into an ambush if you keep going on like that.”“Their target isn't me. Furthermore, I've got Invisibility Talismans with me.” Rong Ruihan placidly responded, evidently unmoved by Jun Xiaomo's words.Jun Xiaomo burst out with rage, “Do you think that Invisibility Talismans make you invulnerable? Do you really think that they wouldn't have thought of the possibility that you would be using an Invisibility Talisman? Since you're already here, why don't you want to leave together with us? Are you trying to distress me with the worry and concern that something's happened to you after I leave this place?!”Rong Ruihan's cold and stoic expressions finally cracked slightly at Jun Xiaomo's final statement.“Would you worry for my safety?” Rong Ruihan stared at Jun Xiaomo, taking in every slightest s.h.i.+ft in expression on her face, “Tell me truthfully – does my life mean anything to you?”Rong Ruihan waited expectantly for Jun Xiaomo's answer. Her answer would determine whether he stayed, or whether he left.
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