I Need a Hint

Southern Continent, Yuzhou City.

Chu Xingchen stood in mid-air, his gaze sweeping over the completely normal Yuzhou City sect below.

Chen Baiqing was still her usual petite self, holding a book to read, with a plate of preserved fruit on the table beside her.

Xie Lingyu sat opposite Chen Baiqing, holding a cup of hot tea, a gentle smile on her face as she also looked up at Chu Xingchen.

Li Yingling was holding an ordinary iron sword, contemplating a divine sword technique, while Li Xingtian sat nearby. Today seemed to be a rare day of rest.

A wave of confusion, suspicion, and strangeness flooded Chu Xingchen's mind. Something felt off, yet he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

It was as if he had just woken from a vivid dream, momentarily unable to distinguish which side was reality.

But here...

The spring breeze was warm and gentle, all was calm and peaceful.

"Master, you're back?" Chen Baiqing looked up, her face lighting up with joy as she gazed at Chu Xingchen. She quickly reached for a piece of preserved fruit on the table, stretching her hand out towards him.

Her smile was radiant, full of anticipation as she spoke:

"I missed you so much, Master. Here, have a piece of preserved fruit."

Chu Xingchen felt slightly dazed, but seeing Chen Baiqing's sincere expression, a smile also appeared on his face. He prepared to descend and accept the treat from her hand.

He wasn't particularly fond of sweets, actually. However, he very much appreciated the sweetness of the sentiment behind it.

Chu Xingchen began to move towards Chen Baiqing, but he had only shifted slightly when he suddenly felt a pull on his arm, yanking him back a bit and halting his forward movement.

The strange sensation made him stop. He looked down at his arm in confusion.

What... was this?

Chu Xingchen circulated his spiritual sense through his own body but found nothing unusual.

"Master, did you bring me back a gift from your trip this time?"

Li Yingling suddenly called out from below, looking at her master with a displeased expression.

"Looking at your face, I know you didn't. You dump all the work on me, run off to have fun by yourself, and don't even bother bringing me a gift."

"But forget it, what can I do? You're the master after all."

A smile spread across Li Yingling's face as she raised an eyebrow and laughed:

"Master, come down quickly. I have a gift for you. Come and see."

Chu Xingchen smiled, but before he could descend, he felt his arm being pulled again, and this time the force was not light.

What was going on?

Chu Xingchen looked at his arm again, waving it strangely.

"Chu Xingchen..." Xie Lingyu's call rang out.

This call drew his gaze once more.

Xie Lingyu's eyes and tone were extremely gentle:

"What are you waiting for?"

Looking at Xie Lingyu's tender expression, Chu Xingchen instinctively started to tease her, but then suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Xie Lingyu only wore this expression and used this tone when she was shy and they were alone.

Whenever others were present, she always wore a look that said—no matter what happens under heaven, I can handle it perfectly well by myself.

Xie Lingyu had always been fiercely independent. Even though her cultivation had fallen far behind Chu Xingchen's, she had never given up.

She never allowed herself the slightest slack with the excuse that the gap was too large to ever close.

Instead, she worked harder than ever.

Xie Lingyu would never allow herself to be a mere vase (pretty but useless).

Seeing Chu Xingchen hesitate, Li Xingtian, who was nearby, also spoke up:

"Master..."

But just as Li Xingtian uttered the word "Master,"

Chu Xingchen suddenly laughed, cutting him off:

"Xu Linglong, you really think this third-rate illusion technique can work on me? I was just putting on a show for you."

"Sister Bai, you pulled a bit too hard just now. I thought, given how well you know me, you'd realize I was just bluffing to mess with the opponent."

"I guess my acting was pretty good, fooling even you."

Chu Xingchen looked at Chen Baiqing with a flippant expression:

"Is this your method and ultimate move? It's far too ordinary. I saw through your trick with just a glance."

Li Yingling shot him a look that said, "Master, are you okay?"

"Master... what nonsense are you talking about in broad daylight? What are you bragging about?"

Chen Baiqing looked at him with concern:

"Master, are you alright?"

Chu Xingchen's gaze rested on Chen Baiqing, and on the tag above her head — 【Xu Linglong】

The tag had also changed dramatically.

The two characters 【Heavenly Demon】 clearly looked like nothing good.

Although he was somewhat confused about the situation,

and couldn't quite remember who Xu Linglong was,

he knew for sure he hadn't renamed Little Baiqing to anything like Xu Linglong.

That name sounded like someone who liked to hook men for money. That kind of taste was probably only appealing to hot-blooded young men like Li Xingtian.

Thankfully, the system tag reminded him; he was most likely caught in an illusion.

Chu Xingchen knew he had no hobby of undergoing mental trials. Mental trials were something for the local, hardcore ascetics to do; it had nothing to do with him.

So, most likely, he had been pulled into an illusion during a fight.

But to be able to forcibly drag him into an illusion and cause some confusion in his perception and memory, the opponent's cultivation must be far above his own.

Plus, given his usual preference for bullying the weak, if someone could pull him into an illusion, there must definitely be a powerful expert protecting him.

Otherwise, why bother with an illusion to trick his positioning? Wouldn't it be simpler to just kill him with one strike?

He must have knowingly walked into danger. In that case, the most trusted expert by his side could only be one person — Bai Xuanling.

Chu Xingchen maintained his mocking smile for a moment.

The expressions of his disciples and Xie Lingyu below shifted from confusion to ones of "are you okay?"

Chu Xingchen dropped the act, realizing his attempt to feign clarity hadn't worked. The opponent was still controlling the illusion.

This Xu Linglong was truly formidable, able to manipulate an illusion while clashing with Bai Xuanling.

And quite sharp-minded too, not falling for the bluff.

Or perhaps... the opponent wasn't just Xu Linglong alone? Maybe someone else was responsible for dealing with him?

So what should he do now?

Stand still and do nothing?

Chu Xingchen's eyes scanned his surroundings, then he looked up at the sun.

He only felt warmth and gentleness, a soft breeze brushing past.

If the opponent could fight Bai Xuanling for this long without being killed and the illusion dispelled, they must at least be at the Tribulation Transcendence stage.

The residual waves of a battle between Tribulation Transcendence experts probably wouldn't be this gentle.

Had they altered his sense of touch as well?

His spiritual sense couldn't detect anything either.

Except... his spiritual sense seemed to be operating excessively.

Was it a technique applied by the opponent or something else?

Chu Xingchen's gaze returned to Chen Baiqing, who looked at him with worry, and to the name 【Xu Linglong】 hanging above her head.

This time... what should he do?

Chu Xingchen felt the gentle breeze, yet sensed killing intent in everything.

Standing still most likely meant waiting for death, but moving recklessly might mean dying even faster.

Chu Xingchen's mind raced.

What matter... required him to take this risk?

Or did he have some purpose of his own?

Was he really going to die here this time?

After a moment of thought, he realized that without sufficient information, further speculation was useless. He summoned Wan Ban to protect his surroundings and simultaneously spoke:

"Sister Bai, say something useful so I know."

As soon as the words fell,

he waited for about three breaths.

Suddenly, a spray of blood flew from Chu Xingchen's left shoulder, and Wan Ban was sent flying away.

Intense pain shot from his left shoulder straight into his divine sea.

Any further shift, and it would likely be my head falling off.

Chu Xingchen did not move recklessly. He took two soft breaths and remained standing where he was.

"Don't worry, Sister Bai, I trust you. I won't move rashly, nor will I act hastily. I just need a little hint..."