Chapter 91: Li Sifeng’s Return
Between the mountains and wilderness, a woman and a young boy were carrying a stretcher, struggling to climb the mountain path.
Upon the stretcher lay a young man, covered in wounds, both hands clutching a sword.
That young man was none other than Li Sifeng.
At that moment, he appeared utterly disheveled—his face pale, and a streak of blood ran between his brows.
The boy walked in front.
His small, thin body was drenched in sweat, yet he gritted his teeth and pressed on.
“Sanwa, if you can’t go on, let your sister take over.”
The woman behind spoke.
She appeared to be in her twenties, wearing a tattered cloth robe, her long hair tied back with a strip of old cloth.
Her fair face was covered with beads of sweat the size of soybeans.
The boy called Sanwa didn’t even look back as he replied, “It’s fine, Sister. Even if my feet are worn to the bone, I’ll still protect our benefactor!”
The cloth-garbed woman smiled with relief, though her eyes showed deep pain.
Li Sifeng half-opened his eyes and weakly said, “Miss Xiu, once we survive this calamity and return to the Clear Sky Sect, no one will be able to harm us again… My Senior Brother is very protective of me… My Third Senior Brother can’t tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes—he’ll definitely avenge us. Those who harmed us… none of them will live…”
The woman he called Miss Xiu was the cloth-garbed woman—her true name was Cheng Xiu.
Cheng Xiu forced a smile.
“All right, don’t worry. We’ll do our best to bring you back to the Clear Sky Sect.”
Their family had been destroyed by traitorous villains.
If not for Li Sifeng’s timely intervention, her younger brother Sanwa would’ve died, and she herself might’ve been defiled to death.
Even though following Li Sifeng afterward had brought them much hardship, neither harbored any regret.
Li Sifeng truly had no strength left to open his eyes.
His breath was faint as he muttered, “My Senior Brother…”
He gripped the sword at his chest tightly.
Sunlight spilled over it—the dark-golden scabbard reflected a cold gleam, and the hilt, patterned like dragon scales, emanated an ancient yet domineering aura.
The wilderness stretched endlessly; the road ahead seemed without end.
The siblings continued carrying Li Sifeng, step by trembling step.
By the time the sun began to set, they still hadn’t stopped.
The glow of dusk coated them, as though they were draped in a mantle of gold.
Whoosh—
A sharp sound sliced through the air from behind.
Before they could react, an arrow pierced Cheng Xiu’s calf, blood spraying.
She cried out and fell to her knees.
Sanwa, losing balance, toppled sideways.
Li Sifeng was flung from the stretcher, rolling down the mountain slope—yet even then, he refused to release the sword in his grasp.
When he finally stopped, it felt as though every bone in his body had shattered.
He opened his eyes, despair filling his gaze.
Ahead, a group of martial experts on horseback were approaching—less than a hundred meters away.
Cheng Xiu and Sanwa turned back and were terrified—their faces ashen like death.
They no longer had the strength to flee; all they could do was watch the pursuers draw near.
“Roar—!”
A thunderous bellow echoed from the mountain peak behind them, scattering birds from the forest.
They turned to look, eyes widening in disbelief.
Atop the slope stood a majestic dark-red beast—body like a stag, head like a flood dragon, twin horns like swords, and fiery hooves wreathed in flames.
Its dark-golden eyes looked down upon them with divine dominance.
Li Sifeng turned his head and froze.
“Prison Qilin…”
He called out in a trembling voice, unable to believe what he was seeing, fearing it was but a dying illusion.
At that instant, the Prison Qilin leapt, soaring over Cheng Xiu and her brother.
They felt the sky darken above them for a breath before light returned.
Landing heavily, the Prison Qilin charged straight toward the horsemen.
Its previous roar had already startled the horses into halting, refusing to advance.
Now, seeing the beast charge, the terrified horses turned and bolted, throwing their riders to the ground.
“Wha… what is that…”
Sanwa sat limp on the ground, dazed and muttering.
Cheng Xiu could not answer—her mind was completely blank with shock.
……
Among the mountains, a massive black eagle circled the skies.
Li Qingqiu stood upon its back, brows tightly furrowed.
He had already searched the entire Ancient Great Mountain Range for half a day and still could not find the Prison Qilin.
Normally, the Prison Qilin’s movements weren’t restricted—it was only forbidden from approaching living humans.
But earlier that day, Li Dongyue had told him that it hadn’t been seen for several days, so he set out to search.
He never expected it to have already left the mountains.
For some reason, Li Qingqiu felt uneasy.
“The Qilin is an auspicious beast… and it acknowledges Sifeng as its master. Could it be that Sifeng has met with trouble?” Li Qingqiu thought grimly.
Yet even if he descended the mountain now to search for Li Sifeng, finding him would be difficult—after all, the world was vast, and he had never been to the Eastern Tomb Province before.
He patted Little Eight’s head, signaling it to return.
By the time he reached Lingxiao Courtyard, it was near dusk.
Along the way, he had been debating whether to send someone to find Li Sifeng.
But Li Sifeng’s descent had been his own choice.
If the enemies who could harm him appeared, then other disciples might also be in danger.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, Zhang Yuchun approached, face brimming with joy.
“Senior Brother, that Chu Jing truly is a genius! His martial skills have grown so fast. Tell me, should we pass him the Primordial Unity Scripture?” Zhang Yuchun asked eagerly.
It had been ten days since Chu Jing joined under Zhang Yuchun’s command.
Li Qingqiu hadn’t expected him to come so soon to plead for Chu Jing.
That man’s ability to bewitch others had far exceeded expectations.
Li Qingqiu’s expression turned stern.
“Second Junior Brother, that Chu Jing cannot be trusted.”
Zhang Yuchun froze in surprise.
“Why? He seems diligent and treats the other disciples warmly.”
“That’s precisely what’s terrifying about him. He isn’t a genius in the way you think. Or rather, he is a genius—but his martial arts are far greater than you can imagine, hidden extremely well. Even the Demon Emperor may not be his equal. I once placed my hand on his shoulder—his body felt older than any elder I’ve ever met. I didn’t expel him because I wanted to observe his true intentions,” Li Qingqiu said gravely.
He had intended to remain cautious and watch developments, but Zhang Yuchun being swayed by him could not be allowed.
If Zhang Yuchun persisted in his delusion, Li Qingqiu would have no choice but to abandon his plans and act early—to force Chu Jing to reveal his true form.
Zhang Yuchun’s face turned pale with fear.
“A man like that truly exists in this world? Could it be that he came for the Primordial Unity Scripture? His rate of advancement has far surpassed any disciple’s… I was blinded by his supposed talent! If he truly obtained that scripture, the consequences would be unimaginable!”
His expression darkened further, anger flashing in his eyes.
Seeing his junior trust him more, Li Qingqiu felt relieved.
“I’ll give you two choices,” Li Qingqiu continued.
“First, I’ll capture him myself and force him to reveal his true self. Second, you continue cooperating with him—but do not grant any of his requests. Try to uncover his true identity and purpose. It’ll test your resolve and acting—something you may not manage.”
Zhang Yuchun met his gaze and replied without hesitation, “I’ll choose the second plan. Such a person must be backed by a greater power—we can’t startle the snake. Don’t worry, Senior Brother, I won’t let him see through me.”
As he spoke, his mind was already devising countermeasures.
“Remember what I said,” Li Qingqiu warned seriously.
“His martial strength is truly formidable. Avoid being alone with him. I’m not joking.”
Zhang Yuchun nodded—he had no desire to gamble with his own life.
“Now that we’ve spoken of him, let’s talk about Sifeng. The Prison Qilin has vanished—I fear Sifeng is in trouble,” Li Qingqiu said next.
Zhang Yuchun frowned again, silent for a moment.
“Since that auspicious beast has descended the mountain, perhaps it’ll bring him fortune. Senior Brother, you mustn’t descend the mountain rashly. There could be traps. Moreover, the mountain still needs your presence—recently, all sorts of vile characters have been trying to infiltrate the Clear Sky Sect.”
Li Qingqiu remained uneasy.
“Then let’s wait ten days. If he hasn’t returned by then, I’ll descend myself—and bring Chu Jing along.”
Zhang Yuchun opened his mouth but stopped.
He felt that this was indeed the safest course.
With both his Senior and Third Brothers absent, leaving Chu Jing here would be far too dangerous.
“Then we’ll wait ten days,” Zhang Yuchun agreed.
……
In the following days, Li Qingqiu found it hard to calm his mind.
Countless possibilities plagued him, but he couldn’t act impulsively—Li Sifeng wasn’t his only junior.
After five days, his anxiety only worsened.
He couldn’t even focus on cultivation.
Fortunately, when he checked the Dao Lineage panel, Li Sifeng’s portrait was still lit.
And finally—on the seventh day, Li Sifeng returned!
The news was brought by Yuan Qi.
“Sect Master, Hall Master Li Sifeng has returned! He’s at the mountain’s foot—seriously injured, it seems. Hall Masters Zhang and Li have already gone down to bring him back,” Yuan Qi reported urgently.
Li Qingqiu frowned.
“How serious are his injuries?”
“I’m not sure. I heard he’s unconscious,” Yuan Qi replied.
“I understand. You may go.”
Li Qingqiu waved his sleeve.
Yuan Qi bowed and left.
Since Li Dongyue had already gone, Li Qingqiu wasn’t in a rush.
He decided to use this as an opportunity to teach Li Sifeng a lesson.
That boy had been far too reckless!
However, after waiting a full hour, Zhang Yuchun finally arrived—carrying Li Sifeng on his back, with Li Dongyue following behind.
Li Qingqiu sat at the long table, not rising.
“What’s his condition?” he asked.
“Injured internally, but Fourth Junior Sister stabilized him. No lasting damage,” Zhang Yuchun quickly replied.
Li Qingqiu exhaled in relief, though his expression remained dark.
He noticed Li Sifeng’s right hand clutching a sword tightly—this made him furious.
He strode forward and snatched the sword away.
Li Sifeng jolted awake, shouting, “Let go—!”
When he saw that it was Li Qingqiu who had taken the sword, his anger melted into joy—and then he fainted again.
“This brat’s practically possessed!” Zhang Yuchun cursed as he adjusted Li Sifeng on his back—but when he looked at Li Qingqiu, he froze.
Li Qingqiu stood there, holding the sword, his expression strange—his gaze fixed on the scabbard, as if his soul were being drawn into it.