The Light of the Righteous Path 12

If Lin Qi still had even a trace of suspicion towards Du Chengying before, it had completely vanished into thin air tonight. The difference in class was simply too far apart; even if Du Chengying really had entered the demonic path, he wouldn't do such despicable things.

Lin Qi took several deep breaths before slowly letting go of Du Chengying. "I'm sorry, Senior Brother. I lost my composure."

"It's alright," Du Chengying gently patted his back. "In front of me, no matter how you are, I will never laugh at you."

The sudden change in the plot also caught Lin Qi somewhat off guard. Originally, he only needed to peacefully complete every objective of his missions, acting like an observing outsider in these small worlds. But now, the path ahead was unknown and everything was confusing. Lin Qi realized that he was becoming more and more integrated into this world.

He had truly been scared just now.

"It's okay now," Du Chengying said softly, lowering his head upon seeing Lin Qi still looking deathly pale and distracted. "From now on, I won't leave your side for even half a step."

Lin Qi turned his face away, looking at Du Chengying with a complex expression. He really shouldn't have been suspicious of Du Chengying earlier.

"Don't worry, I'm just keeping you company," Du Chengying said with a hint of bitterness, noticing his unusual expression. "I won't..."

"I didn't mean that," Lin Qi hurriedly interrupted, grabbing Du Chengying's sleeve with one hand. His pale face flushed with anxiety. "Senior Brother, I know you are not that kind of person. I really don't look down on you."

Du Chengying stared fixedly at Lin Qi, recalling the scene when he first met this person. Those hands that parted the fog and reached out to him had gently tapped upon his withered heart. From then on, his world gained warmth and color. Lin Qi had always given him unexpected comfort at his most helpless and painful moments.

Du Chengying silently turned his hand to grasp Lin Qi's. Both of their palms were sweating. Steadying his trembling voice, Du Chengying tried to speak as calmly as possible, "Why are you sweating so much?"

"I was scared." Lin Qi smiled embarrassedly.

"I have already sent a Spirit Butterfly to chase after it." Du Chengying took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wiped the cold sweat from Lin Qi's palm, his eyes churning with emotion. "Actually, I was also very scared just now."

Seeing Lin Qi lying on the bed with an expression of agony, the veins on his neck bulging and trembling, Du Chengying's heart had stopped for a moment. He lowered his head and pressed his forehead against Lin Qi's palm, murmuring, "I can't endure a second time."

He spoke without any context, but Lin Qi understood.

Only at this moment did Lin Qi suddenly realize that dying in Du Chengying's arms was merely the end of a mission for him, but for Du Chengying, it was a bone-deep pain.

Thinking of this, Lin Qi abruptly withdrew his hand and evaded, "It's still dark out. We can rest a while longer."

Du Chengying maintained his hunched posture for a long time before slowly straightening up. Looking completely normal, he said, "Go to sleep. I'll stay here and keep watch."

Lin Qi turned around, facing the dark wall on the inside. His mind was a tangled mess. 'This is a small world, and you are doing a mission, Lin Qi. Have you forgotten all of that? What are you letting your imagination run wild and your heart beat so fast for...'

Du Chengying really treated him very well.

In his previous life, he had lent Du Chengying a hand, saved his life, found the Water Qilin for him, took care of him countless times when he was injured, and shielded him from the verbal abuse and attacks of others. He truly had sacrificed a lot.

But stripping away his identity as a mission taker and objectively reviewing those missions, Lin Qi realized that Du Chengying had also given everything he had to repay him.

"Senior Brother," a shy smile appearing on his scar-filled face as he handed over an exquisite little pouch. "This is what I obtained from my experiential journey."

"Senior Brother, this is the horn shed by the Water Qilin. Keep it."

"Senior Brother, the Little Furong at the foot of the mountain have bloomed. Shall I take you to see them?"

Why had he always turned a blind eye? Because he felt they were not people from the same world. Because he had wishfully believed that Du Chengying would eventually become that supreme god and everything would follow its destined path. He was destined to leave, so he had been unwilling to invest his feelings from the very beginning.

It turned out... he really was a very cruel person.

"What's wrong?" Du Chengying leaned over to check, only to realize that Lin Qi was biting his lip and crying. Flustered, he gently patted his back and frowned. "Are you having another nightmare?"

"I'm fine," Lin Qi sniffled, raising his hand to cover his eyes. "I just remembered some things."

Du Chengying remained silent. He really wanted to hug Lin Qi, but his reaching hand only brushed aside the hair stuck to Lin Qi's face. He said softly, "Don't think too much. It will all pass."

Lin Qi's tears immediately flowed even fiercer.

Deceiving someone's feelings was very unpleasant, and deceiving the feelings of someone who loved him was even worse.

He finally understood what the teacher meant by, 'Once a Moderator invests their feelings in a small world, it's a guaranteed dead end.'

It was simply impossible to do.

There was no way to continue deceiving himself with peace of mind. Du Chengying would not become a lofty god after experiencing everything and have a good outcome. He would enter the demonic path, all because of Lin Qi.

Unable to hold back any longer, Du Chengying leaned down and tightly embraced Lin Qi, pressing Lin Qi's wet face into his chest. He gently and wordlessly stroked his black hair. The Water Qilin jumped up and exhaled a breath of Qi of the Yellow Springs.

Surrounded by the Qi of the Yellow Springs, Lin Qi finally fell asleep in a daze. In his dream, it was as if he had returned to the real world, feeding a large snow-white cat in a small park. He felt very at ease and comfortable, unconsciously putting down the burden in his heart.

Du Chengying let out a sigh of relief and laid the person down. Tear stains remained on his fair face, and his relaxed brows and eyes still carried a hint of grievance. Du Chengying couldn't help but smile with affection and pity. He raised his hand, his knuckles slowly gliding over Lin Qi's cheek, before slowly leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss onto his soft eyelid.

The next day, when Lin Qi woke up, the Water Qilin was coiled on top of his head. Its soft belly rose and fell with its breathing as it slept soundly. Lin Qi had thought that since he cried himself to sleep, he would definitely wake up with a headache, but unexpectedly, he felt refreshed and clear-headed. He had barely blinked a few times before the Water Qilin also woke up, jumping down and meowing twice.

Lin Qi gathered it into his arms and stroked its back a couple of times. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not bad." A clear and bright voice drifted over. Lin Qi's arm that was stroking the Water Qilin stiffened as he looked back at Du Chengying.

Du Chengying was dressed in a moon-white robe today. His face was glowing with vitality and his smile was natural. "What about you, Junior Brother?"

"I-I'm alright too." Lin Qi was baffled by Du Chengying's overly natural attitude. Looking as if nothing had happened last night, Du Chengying stepped forward to the bed. "Get up. Rather than Huayuan, I think we should investigate nearby. What do you think?"

"I think so too," Lin Qi said dryly.

Du Chengying leaned down and scooped up the Water Qilin from Lin Qi's arms. "I'll wait for you outside."

Lin Qi was completely dumbfounded.

Had he been dreaming all night?

Pushing the door open, he saw the back of Du Chengying standing in the wind. His broad shoulders and dark sash accentuated his tall and slender build. His temperament and demeanor were even more captivating; even just his back view was exceptionally outstanding. The Water Qilin sat obediently by his feet, looking up at Du Chengying in admiration.

No matter how one looked at it, it was an incredibly heart-stirring scene.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Du Chengying turned his face back. A warm smile graced his handsome features. "Let's go."

Yuelu Town during the day was surprisingly quiet and sparsely populated. The streets were almost completely deserted. A few scattered shops were still open, but there was hardly anyone around. However, Lin Qi also didn't sense any aura of Demonic Cultivators.

He suddenly recalled Du Chengying saying that the Spirit Butterfly went to track the Demonic Cultivator who caused trouble last night, so he asked, "Has the Spirit Butterfly returned from the pursuit?"

"Not yet," Du Chengying said concisely.

Lin Qi furrowed his brows. "How could this happen so suddenly?"

The forces of the Demonic Cultivators had always been very restrained. How could they have suddenly grown so much that even the foot of Mount Yuelu was no longer peaceful?

Du Chengying walked shoulder to shoulder with Lin Qi, his shoulder lightly brushing against Lin Qi's. Lin Qi turned his head, and Du Chengying's gaze was full of concern. "Don't worry too much."

Lin Qi thought to himself, how could he not worry? The plot direction of this world was making it increasingly difficult for him to see the ending. The person in front of him was the only candidate in this small world who could save the common people, yet he completely lacked the self-awareness a protagonist should have.

"Senior Brother, you don't seem very anxious." Lin Qi hesitated for a moment before slowly expressing his feelings.

"Regardless of whether I am anxious or not, the facts are right in front of us," Du Chengying said indifferently. "I only need to be able to protect what I care about, and that's enough."

Lin Qi's footsteps came to a halt.

Du Chengying took another half step, but seeing that Lin Qi hadn't kept up, he also stopped. He turned his head and his gaze landed on Lin Qi's face.

In that exact moment, Lin Qi completely understood what the Blackening Value was.

The destined savior meant to save the common people didn't care about this world at all.

Du Chengying's gaze was very warm. Whenever he looked at Lin Qi, he was always so gentle and tolerant, as if he could accommodate all of his good and bad traits. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Lin Qi licked his dry lips and muttered, "I'm... a little thirsty."

Du Chengying curled his lips into a smile. Lin Qi wasn't good at Inedia, and he had always accommodated him like this. "Let's find a place to rest and have some tea."

"There's no need. Business is more important." Lin Qi clasped his hands behind his back, his expression turning slightly cold.

The two walked all over the small town at the foot of Mount Yuelu, but they couldn't find any trace of Demonic Cultivators anywhere. They still planned to head west to Huayuan.

The sky gradually darkened. Lin Qi didn't want to delay. "Let's travel day and night. I can hold on."

Du Chengying, however, disagreed. "There's no rush at this moment." He insisted on bringing Lin Qi back to the inn, ordering food and water. In order not to make Lin Qi feel uncomfortable, he leaned against the window and gazed outside, trying to minimize his presence.

Du Chengying's attitude made Lin Qi feel increasingly panicked. His eyes would glance at Du Chengying's figure in the dark night from time to time. He called out to the System a few times without holding much hope.

Unexpectedly, the System actually responded, "What is it?"

Lin Qi breathed a sigh of relief. "I think I understand what Du Chengying's hundred percent Blackening Value means."

System: "...You only just realized?!" That was it? What a waste of its time watching its show.

Lin Qi: "He doesn't seem to want to save the common people anymore..."

System: "Yeah, he stopped wanting that a long time ago. He just wants a wife, a Spirit Beast, and a warm bed."

Lin Qi: "..."

System: "Let me give you a hint. Pay attention to his attitude towards others, or others' attitudes towards him. Besides you, has he ever shown anyone else a good face? Do your two senior brothers dare to speak a word of nonsense to him?"

Lin Qi: "..." It seemed to be true... Xiao Mo's attitude towards Du Chengying had always been primarily one of evasion and wariness.

System: "His affection level is directed at you, and his blackening level is directed at everyone else except you. Understand?"

Lin Qi was left speechless. Looking at Du Chengying leaning against the window, he didn't know what to say for a moment.

System: "Dear, my recommendation here is that you use love to touch his heart. The materials are still here. Want to take a look?"

Right at this moment, Du Chengying suddenly turned his head, locking eyes with Lin Qi, who had been staring at him. Du Chengying smiled slightly. "Is it not to your taste?"

Lin Qi, still holding his bowl and chopsticks, slowly put them down. Mustering his courage, he said, "Senior Brother, let's talk."

Du Chengying sat by the window without moving. "Talk about what?"

Lin Qi was choked for words. The words reached the tip of his tongue but he couldn't speak them out.

"Why not talk about this!"

With a thud, it sounded like some heavy object had landed outside the door. Du Chengying instantly dropped down in front of Lin Qi, shielding him, and asked coldly, "Who is it?!"

The tightly shut door was blown open by a burst of astral wind. A slender figure with flowing robes stood under the moonlight, both feet stepping on a patch of pitch blackness. Clipped between his fingertips was a fragile Spirit Butterfly slowly flapping its wings, seemingly struggling to support itself and writhing in agonizing pain.

"Baoshu Zhenren?" Lin Qi stood up in astonishment.

Baoshu's gloomy face was full of complex emotions. His sharp gaze shot towards the person blocking in front of Lin Qi, and he enunciated word by word, "Du Chengying, you have disappointed me too much."