What kind of person was Du Chengying?

He had a rough background, a firm temperament, and an upright personality. Because he had endured all kinds of hardships and suffered immense injustice, his strength to move forward on the righteous path became even more resolute.

Lin Qi was actually quite surprised by Du Chengying's blackening.

After all, this child had the holy father character setting of generously saying 'I forgive you' even after slapping faces back.

For Du Chengying to so grandiosely say 'Let's use some underhanded methods', Lin Qi was simply full of question marks. This was not the Du Chengying he knew...

Since Lin Qi had just said he climbed the mountain through the back door, he didn't have much of a stance to lecture Du Chengying right now. He held it in for a while and weakly replied, "Senior Brother has troubled himself."

"It's no trouble," Du Chengying patted his shoulder, "It's just a small matter."

Lin Qi: "..." Why did he feel like Du Chengying was very adept at doing bad things?

It seemed his understanding of Du Chengying was indeed very superficial.

Du Chengying comforted him with a few more words. Perhaps because they had just met, Du Chengying spoke rather implicitly. The general meaning was still for Lin Qi to relax; it was just an entrance examination, and Du Chengying had a way to help Lin Qi pass it safely.

Lin Qi, dizzy and disoriented, was half-embraced and coaxed back to the cave dwelling by Du Chengying. Du Chengying pressed him down onto the soft couch and said with a firm expression, "Junior Brother, you don't need to worry about anything. You just need to be happy every day and do whatever you want to do."

"I..." Lin Qi was stuffed by this mouthful of sugar-coated bullets. Actually, what he wanted to do most was his mission...

Du Chengying explained, "Everyone under Sanyue Zhenren is like this. You will slowly get used to it."

Oh, right... Lin Qi suddenly thought of another serious problem. Since Du Chengying was also under Sanyue's tutelage now, wouldn't he be a salted fish along with them? Then how could he become a god?

Whenever Lin Qi thought of the future plot development, he got a headache. There was far too much uncertainty.

He could only take it one step at a time.

A few days later, Xiao Mo, who had gone out, returned. Lin Qi and Du Chengying welcomed him under the cedar tree together.

Xiao Mo was the number one head disciple under Sanyue Zhenren. He wasn't the first disciple Sanyue had taken in—the first few had all run away. He was the disciple who had persisted the longest under Sanyue Zhenren, and ordinarily, he basically acted as Sanyue Zhenren's spokesperson.

Xiao Mo had a tall and sturdy physique. He didn't look like a cultivator with a transcendent, immortal bearing; instead, he looked more like a stablehand. He also didn't like long robes, wearing a neat short coat and trousers that gave off a plain and unadorned aura. He gave the newly-entered Lin Qi a hearty smile. "You must be Lin Qi, right? We both come from Huayuan; I'll take good care of you."

"Many thanks, Senior Brother Xiao." Lin Qi bowed in greeting. He was relatively familiar with Xiao Mo, so his posture unconsciously relaxed.

Watching coldly from the sidelines, Du Chengying instantly became dissatisfied.

Over the past few days, Du Chengying had taken meticulous care of Lin Qi, doing everything in his power from his daily food and clothing to his cultivation and talismans, yet Lin Qi didn't act as naturally with him as he did with Xiao Mo.

Du Chengying also knew that sometimes he shouldn't press so closely.

But how many people could restrain the obsession in their hearts? To not get as close as possible to the person they loved?

Xiao Mo also appeared to be thick-nerved, seemingly completely unaware that his newly-promoted genius junior brother was secretly jealous of him. With a wave of his large hand, he said loudly, "Come look at what treasures your senior brother brought back for you."

Lin Qi asked curiously, "Did Senior Brother go out to gain experience?" Why else would Du Chengying come out to represent Sanyue.

"Not at all," Xiao Mo shook his head, sitting down cross-legged on the spot, and said bitterly, "Something happened at home. A junior was abducted by a Demonic Cultivator. His vital essence was sucked dry, and his mind is unclear, so I went back to help out."

The moment he heard the words 'Demonic Cultivator', Lin Qi's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He involuntarily thought of the System mentioning the matter of Du Chengying falling to the demonic path.

Could it be Du Chengying's doing?

Once this thought sprouted in Lin Qi's mind, his internal suspicion towards Du Chengying fermented and grew larger and larger. He didn't even hear what Xiao Mo was saying, until Xiao Mo stuffed something ice-cold into his hands, at which point he reacted, "So cold!"

Immediately after, a pair of large hands took the ice-cold orb away from his palm. Du Chengying was looking at him with concern, "Junior Brother, what's wrong?"

Meeting Du Chengying's deep eyes, Lin Qi felt like shrinking back for the first time. It seemed that ever since he had laid down his principles and wanted to understand Du Chengying, he had faintly and instinctively become a little afraid of Du Chengying.

Even though Du Chengying clearly hadn't done anything and had always been very good to him.

Lin Qi said with mixed feelings, "It's nothing, I zoned out."

"Haha, Junior Brother Lin, one look and it's obvious you're one of us," Xiao Mo greatly appreciated the salted fish aura radiating from Lin Qi, and said, "This is kneaded from Heavenly Ice Silk. Drape it over your body, and it can save your life at a critical moment. The entrance examination is coming up soon. Take this with you, and when the time comes, just find a place to hide and wait until the trial ends to come out."

It seemed Xiao Mo, just like Du Chengying, knew that their new junior brother was a piece of trash, so he thoughtfully gifted him a life-saving artifact.

Lin Qi thanked Xiao Mo.

Du Chengying toyed with the balled-up Heavenly Ice Silk and said lightly, "If you encounter ferocious beasts in the secret realm, the Heavenly Ice Silk is indeed not bad. But what if you encounter people with malicious intentions?"

Xiao Mo furrowed his brows, "Are you talking about Baoshu Zhenren?"

It seemed the matter of Baoshu Zhenren stealing a disciple and beating someone up had already spread; even Xiao Mo, who had been away, knew about it.

Xiao Mo pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice, "How about this, I'll go contact Master and see if Junior Brother Lin can skip participating in the examination."

"Inappropriate," Du Chengying rejected Xiao Mo's suggestion. "Master's whereabouts are elusive. Even if we contact him, at most he would just pass a message back. What if Baoshu Zhenren feigns compliance but acts otherwise?"

Xiao Mo was stumped by the question. He stayed silent for a long time, then irritably scratched his head, "Then what should we do?"

"Actually, Baoshu Zhenren might not necessarily do anything," Lin Qi said softly. He had figured it out later: as a villain, Baoshu would naturally direct his efforts towards Du Chengying. Since Du Chengying wasn't going, he should still be safe.

Du Chengying didn't think so, however, and he felt somewhat apologetic about it, "Junior Brother, there is something you don't know..."

"Baoshu Zhenren simply holds a grudge against Junior Brother Du," Xiao Mo spoke frankly and rapidly, "Whatever it is that Junior Brother Du participates in, he has to intervene and make things difficult for him at every turn. Even if it's just a path Junior Brother Du has walked on, the Zhenren has to lay down a talisman. Not to mention, you were personally picked and brought back by Junior Brother Du, and it caused quite a scene. Baoshu Zhenren will not let the matter drop."

Lin Qi: "..." Is this a brainless villain? I'm loving it.

"Senior Brother Xiao, I actually have an idea," Du Chengying slowly said. "How about I accompany Junior Brother."

Xiao Mo widened his eyes, "Will Baoshu Zhenren agree to that?"

"There is no need for his agreement," Du Chengying said briskly. "I have my own methods."

Hearing this, Xiao Mo immediately approved of Du Chengying's idea. Du Chengying had accomplished many things in just the three months since he joined their tutelage that Xiao Mo couldn't achieve in thirty years. Xiao Mo completely trusted his abilities. Standing up and wiping the sweat from his forehead, he said to the blankly sitting Lin Qi, "Don't worry, with your Senior Brother Du here, anything can be handled."

Xiao Mo cheerfully walked into the dense forest. Not long after, a deafening exclamation of surprise came from within the dense forest: "What a magnificent palace!"

Lin Qi blushed.

Du Chengying's face was also a bit red. That was indeed ill-considered on his part.

Xiao Mo ran out like the wind and asked Du Chengying, "Junior Brother Du, you made this?"

Du Chengying nodded reservedly, trying his best to keep his face calm.

"Too amazing," Xiao Mo sincerely praised. Turning his head to look at the slightly blushing Lin Qi, "Junior Brother Lin, can I go in and take a look?"

"Of course you can," Lin Qi said embarrassedly. "Senior Brother Du was too polite."

Xiao Mo said regretfully, "It's a pity I entered the sect earlier than Junior Brother Du."

Du Chengying smiled without a word.

With a swish, Xiao Mo ran back inside.

"Junior Brother," Du Chengying leaned closer, bending over to say softly, "Another day I will still push that cave dwelling down and build a new one that you like."

"There's no need," Lin Qi involuntarily lowered his voice as well, "I quite like this one." He really didn't want to cause such a big commotion in front of Xiao Mo again.

Du Chengying's expression warmed. Lin Qi's fair side profile was close at hand, and he wished he could take a bite right now.

After Xiao Mo finished his tour, he let out a soulful lament to Lin Qi upon returning, "From now on, I'll call you Senior Brother."

Du Chengying immediately and sensitively replied, "No."

He answered too quickly, and Xiao Mo beat his chest and stamped his feet, lamenting why he was born decades earlier but didn't encounter any decent senior brothers—one or two of them ran faster than rabbits.

Lin Qi was amused by him.

As soon as he smiled, the aura around Du Chengying sank again. Why didn't Lin Qi smile like this around him?

After wailing for a bit, Xiao Mo felt a bit cold. He glanced at Du Chengying and tactfully said, "I'll go back to my own cave dwelling and tidy up first."

The seemingly very careless Xiao Mo actually had a mind as fine as a hair. From the moment he saw Lin Qi and Du Chengying standing together, he felt something was wrong. Du Chengying cared deeply for Lin Qi, caring to a point beyond the ordinary... as if there was only Lin Qi alone in his eyes.

After Xiao Mo left, Lin Qi said, "Senior Brother Xiao is quite interesting." A hint of a smile still lingered at the corners of his mouth.

"What about me?" Du Chengying said indifferently.

Lin Qi choked on his question. Looking at Du Chengying's handsome, upright, and ethereal face, he simply couldn't utter the word 'interesting', so he muttered, "Senior Brother Du is also very good."

Du Chengying's face turned even colder. "Also?"

Lin Qi had never seen Du Chengying look so ice-cold before; he truly had a bit of a great demon lord vibe now. A string in his heart tensed up once again.

Du Chengying's expression suddenly softened, and he smiled faintly, "I'm just teasing you."

Lin Qi: "..." Scared me to death.

Du Chengying's joke failed to amuse Lin Qi, and when he left, his body still radiated low air pressure.

Lin Qi asked the System, "Did Xiao Mo leave because of a trick pulled by Du Chengying?"

System: "I don't know. The world line has completely changed, and I don't have a script in hand either." It threw the question back to Lin Qi, "What do you think?"

Lin Qi sighed softly without answering. It seemed he had finally roughly figured out the current situation.

Lin Qi's impression of Du Chengying had now taken a massive turn. That great, glorious, and correct image in his mind seemed to have suddenly turned into a great demon lord.

His heart was thumping.

A month quickly passed, and the entrance examination instance was right before their eyes. Over this month, Lin Qi crammed at the last minute, but his teacher, Du Chengying, clearly didn't have his mind on teaching. He brought out countless unfunny jokes, and was more focused on feeding him than teaching him.

Xiao Mo always hid on the side and whispered, "Junior Brother Du, what are you feeding Junior Brother Lin?"

Lin Qi said very embarrassedly, "Senior Brother Xiao, let's eat together."

Xiao Mo glanced at Du Chengying and whispered, "Ah, better not. I've been practicing inedia for many years."

Then don't drool...

Lin Qi didn't want to eat that much either, but unfortunately, the things Du Chengying brought back were simply too delicious. Adding to the fact that Du Chengying always looked at him with an intent gaze, Lin Qi simply couldn't resist, hurriedly avoiding Du Chengying's gaze to stuff food into his mouth.

Therefore, before the entrance examination, Lin Qi hadn't learned any new spells, but the person himself had gained a layer of fat.

He originally had an extremely slender appearance. After gaining some weight, his cheeks plumped up, paradoxically giving off a natural, charming naivety. In Xiao Mo's words—"Junior Brother Lin is even cuter now." After saying that, he received another slightly chilly look from Du Chengying.

Xiao Mo secretly smiled a bit. Sometimes, teasing the serious Junior Brother Du was also quite fun.

Du Chengying said he was going to help Lin Qi cheat. In front of Lin Qi and Xiao Mo, he cast a spell, and his entire person disappeared before them like water vapor.

Xiao Mo was dumbfounded. The Invisibility Spell was a beginner spell and wasn't rare, but it could only hide the body, not the presence. Yet, Du Chengying was like his entire person had vanished, without a single trace of presence.

Lin Qi was also astonished. "Senior Brother?"

The back of his hand suddenly grew warm, as a pair of invisible hands gently held him, "I'm here."

Lin Qi's heart gave a violent jump.

Xiao Mo in front of him was still jumping up and down looking for him; evidently, only Lin Qi alone could hear Du Chengying's voice.

A warm breath slipped past his ear, "Junior Brother, only you can feel me. Relax, go on."

Lin Qi didn't heave a sigh of relief; instead, his heart beat even faster. His intuition told him that something else would happen with Du Chengying accompanying him, but that was fine too. The world line had to progress eventually.

The location of the entrance examination was concentrated at the top of the Cultivation Ladder. By the time Lin Qi arrived, quite a few people were already there. They were all familiar faces to Lin Qi.

The people whose faces were slapped by Du Chengying in the first instance.

"Looks very ordinary."

"Yeah, is that even worth fighting over?"

"Du Chengying must be blind."

...

Discussions drifted over one after another. Lin Qi was very calm. These were the exclusive lines of cannon fodder; they were all 'colleagues', so let's not hurt the peace.

He acted as if nothing had happened, but Du Chengying, who was following beside Lin Qi invisibly, furrowed his brows tightly. What right did they have to speak about Lin Qi like this? He really should poison them all mute one by one. Seeing Lin Qi's face full of calm, he felt even more heartache and... fondness for Lin Qi.

To be unswayed by external matters was Lin Qi's charm, and also what Du Chengying sometimes found regrettable. Lin Qi... would he be swayed by him?

The person who truly made Lin Qi tremble appeared—Baoshu Zhenren debuted in a black robe, acting as if he was afraid others wouldn't know he was a villain. He descended upon the top of the Cultivation Ladder. The disciples all bowed in greeting, and Lin Qi also followed suit.

Baoshu didn't even say a word. Pointing two fingers in the air, a bizarre and multicolored ring appeared in the midair. He said in an irritable tone, "There are numerous spirit beasts in the Mountain Shadow Heaven Pavilion. Anyone with two legs can bring one back. Go in."

After saying this, he deliberately glanced at Lin Qi. However, strange as it was, Lin Qi didn't feel any particular malice from that glance.

Lin Qi followed at the very back of the crowd into the Mountain Shadow Heaven Pavilion.

Although everyone entered together, after going in, they were individually scattered throughout the Mountain Shadow Heaven Pavilion. The Mountain Shadow Heaven Pavilion merged all the mountains, rivers, and domains of the world. The probability of two people meeting was infinitesimally small, preventing the possibility of forming teams to clear the stage and letting someone cling to a thigh.

Like in his previous life when Lin Qi was able to meet Du Chengying, that was purely due to mission arrangements.

Lin Qi landed by a lake. Beneath him was a lush green lawn, and a tall cherry tree was shading the sunlight. Snow-white cherry blossoms drifted down one after another, falling onto the mirror-like surface of the lake—a dreamlike scene.

Lin Qi called out softly and tentatively, "Senior Brother?"

There was no response.

Lin Qi called out again, but there was still no response.

The Mountain Shadow Heaven Pavilion was indeed formidable, flushing the invisible Du Chengying off to who knows where.

Lin Qi looked around. His area was extremely vast and empty. With a single glance, the emerald grass stretched endlessly. Besides a cherry blossom tree overhead and a green lake in front of him, there was nothing else.

No Du Chengying, no mission. Lin Qi lost his target. He stood blankly beneath the cherry blossom tree, involuntarily murmuring softly, "Du Chengying..."

A gentle breeze swept past overhead, brushing off the cherry blossoms stuck to his dark hair. The wind blew past his strands of hair, then warmly and comfortably touched his cheek.

Lin Qi suddenly felt something was amiss. His eyes lit up, the corners of his lips curling slightly, as he asked in pleasant surprise, "Senior Brother?"

The sound of deep breathing drifted over. Du Chengying was right beside him, his tone gentle as he said, "You've finally smiled."