After My Faked Death Failed, My Ex-Wife Came Chasing After Me - Chapter 43.2

Lin Zheng was slightly startled, seemingly not understanding why she had suddenly become cold. But by nature, she didn’t like to ask too many questions and silently followed her back to the guest room.

But before they could step through the door, Lu Ting’an seemed to remember something. She turned around and said to Lin Zheng, “Um… could I trouble you to get me a bucket of hot water? I want to bathe.”

Lin Zheng nodded: “Alright, wait for me.”

Lu Ting’an stood in place, watching her figure disappear at the end of the corridor, before finally letting out a slight sigh of relief. After a moment of hesitation, she turned and walked quickly toward the main hall of the Danhe Gathering Immortal Bridge—Hengyang Palace.

Lin Zheng walked along the corridor to the back kitchen. Because many disciples wanted to bathe and change after the competition, the kitchen was crowded. Lin Zheng stood silently in line. A few disciples carrying water buckets saw her, and their eyes immediately took on a strange look as they began to whisper.

Lin Zheng ignored them. She had seen scenes like this countless times since she was a child, which had helped her develop a heart of steel. It was just that the surrounding noise was too loud, making her feel a bit irritable.

“Are you Lin Zheng?”

A voice suddenly came from behind. Lin Zheng turned around to see several people dressed in the disciple uniforms of Shiya Moon-Drenched Pool standing in the courtyard, their arms crossed, looking at her with fake smiles.

Lin Zheng replied calmly, “I am.”

The leading disciple sneered, pointed a finger at her, and his eyes suddenly turned cold: “Lin Zheng, you’re quite arrogant, aren’t you? Is it because you defeated that trash Zhou Mu today that you think my Shiya Moon-Drenched Pool is easy to bully? If you have the guts, come over here and let’s have a go!”

Lin Zheng glanced at him and spoke in a calm tone, “During the Grand Heroic Assembly, you want to have a private brawl? Aren’t you afraid of Sect Leader Cui finding out?”

At the mention of Cui Daorong, the disciples immediately fell silent. Ever since the elder Cui passed away, Cui Daorong had succeeded his father as the new sect leader. But as it turned out, although they were father and son, their temperaments were worlds apart. Cui Runian was always kind to others, but Cui Daorong had a fiery temper and was extremely concerned with face; if anything slightly displeased him, he would scold or beat them.

The disciple swallowed hard but continued to put on a brave front: “Don’t try to scare me! You’re just afraid!”

By this time, it was Lin Zheng’s turn to get the hot water. She had no interest in entangling herself with these people and brushed them off casually: “Sure, whatever you say.”

As if completely enraged by her indifferent attitude, the group of disciples exchanged glances and suddenly raised their voices: “A mere demon creature, putting on a human skin, pretending to practice immortality for a few days—you really think you’re something? Someone like you… it’s only because Sect Leader Lu is kind-hearted that he actually accepted you as an inner disciple. If it were anywhere else, you wouldn’t even be worthy of carrying my shoes!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the people from the mysterious sects who already harbored disdain for Lin Zheng couldn’t help but cover their mouths and snicker, casting gloating looks at her.

Lin Zheng’s hand gripping the water bucket tightened slightly. Although she had heard these mocking words behind her back countless times, this was the first time they had been so blatantly thrust into the open. A surge of anger rose in her heart. She slowly turned her head and looked at him with an icy expression: “If I remember correctly, Zhou Mu is your senior brother, right?”

Seeing that she had nothing to say in response, the person became even more smug: “So what if he is?”

Lin Zheng looked at him expressionlessly and said word for word, “Since even your senior brother is inferior to me, what about you? You are nothing but a barking dog, all bark and no bite.”

“You!” The person’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to swear, but with the facts before him, he couldn’t find a reason to refute her for a moment. He could only watch as Lin Zheng walked away through the crowd carrying the bucket.

“That demon…” He stomped his feet in anger, gritted his teeth, and hissed, “One day, I’ll make her pay the price!”

Upon returning to the guest room, Lin Zheng stood outside and took a deep breath, but the fire in her heart simply wouldn’t go down. She was worried that Lu Ting’an would see something was wrong, but the door suddenly opened from the inside.

When Lu Ting’an saw her, she was slightly startled, then smiled, “You’re finally back! I’ve been waiting for you for ages.”

Lin Zheng pursed her lips, looked at her with a softened gaze, and said, “Yes. Go and wash up quickly; get some rest early today.”

Lu Ting’an gave a compliant reply and carried the water bucket into the inner room. Lin Zheng entered the room and sat on the couch. Having nothing to do, she casually picked up an ancient, old book from the side table. She had just flipped through two pages when she suddenly felt something was wrong.

She closed the book and looked at the five large characters on the cover: “Guihe Jingyuan Jing” (The Quiet Primordial Scripture of the Returning Crane). She was suddenly stunned.

If she wasn’t mistaken, this was an internal cultivation manual written by the ancestor of the Danhe Gathering Immortal Bridge. Although only a fragment remained, it was still regarded as a precious treasure that was hard to find for even a thousand pieces of gold. Countless people scrambled for it; why would it appear here for no reason?

Lin Zheng was greatly surprised, but as a cultivator, it was truly hard to resist such a classic left behind by a famous figure of the immortal sects. After a moment’s hesitation, she eventually set her questions aside for the time being, reopened the pages, and began to study the subtleties within with focused attention.

After Lu Ting’an finished washing and came out, seeing Lin Zheng still enthralled and not even lifting her head, she couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly: “It wasn’t in vain that I spent so much time wheedling Sect Leader Song to get that fragment of the Guihe Jingyuan Jing; she really does like it.”

Knowing that the group of disciples would definitely mock Lin Zheng in private after hearing her words, Lu Ting’an wanted to do something to soothe her. She remembered hearing several senior brothers grumbling when they arrived that the internal cultivation manual by the ancestor of Danhe Gathering Immortal Bridge was extraordinary, and they hoped to borrow it from Sect Leader Song to take a look. Relying on her status as the eldest miss of the Baiyun Luying Sect, she acted coquettishly toward Song Yanwu until she finally got the book.

Seeing Lin Zheng so focused, Lu Ting’an didn’t disturb her. She quietly climbed onto the couch and lay down peacefully beside her.

[Ding—Congratulations to the host for completing the sixth plot node! Female lead blackening value +5, current blackening value: 55%.]

[Original plot progress: 40%]

Listening to the system broadcast, Lu Ting’an glanced at Lin Zheng and entered dreamland with satisfaction.

The next morning, the disciples gathered again in front of Hengyang Palace. Song Yanwu stood on the high platform with a solemn expression, placed two fingers to his lips, and whispered a few incantations.

In an instant, ripples appeared on the surrounding lake. Droplets of water rose from the surface, slowly flying into the air, attracting and condensing with one another. Before long, they formed a giant water mirror in front of the platform, in which the outlines of mountain shadows were faintly visible.

Song Yanwu exchanged looks with the other sect leaders and then spoke: “Everyone, the second part of the Grand Heroic Assembly is to enter the hunting grounds in the back mountains to hunt demons. In these mountains, there are a total of 1,072 demons, 514 evil spirits, and countless other ghosts and monsters. The one who captures the most within two hours will be the winner.”

Finally, he added one more thing: “Evil spirits are fierce. If anyone is injured during this period or wishes to withdraw midway, they can light a signal flare. I and the other sect leaders will personally go and escort them out of the hunting grounds.”

With that, the disciples from various sects exchanged knowing looks and polite pleasantries, then entered the hunting grounds in order. Lu Ting’an followed behind Lin Zheng, swallowing her saliva nervously. When she looked up, she happened to meet Sun Youqing’s dark, unreadable eyes.

Perhaps sensing someone was looking at him, Sun Youqing’s eyelashes under his deer-horn mask trembled slightly, then he gave her a smile and mouthed the words: “Be very careful, and do your best.”

Lu Ting’an waved her hand as a response and then nervously gripped her sword. Seeing her unusual expression, Lin Zheng comforted her softly: “Don’t be afraid, just follow me.”

For some reason, hearing her say this made Lu Ting’an feel much more at ease, and she became more courageous. After entering the mountains, the surroundings were shrouded in mist, and below were bottomless abysses. Chen Yunxiao’s gaze fell on Lu Ting’an’s hand, which was constantly tugging at Lin Zheng’s sleeve. He gritted his teeth and said in an unhappy tone, “The hunting grounds are too large; walking together would be a waste of time. Why don’t we split up?”

Zhao Jingyi caught a glimpse of his expression, understood his intention, and immediately agreed, “Second Senior Brother is right. In that case, I’ll be in a group with Third Senior Brother.”

Zhang Yunming was stunned for a moment, then realized that if he didn’t agree, he would be in a group with Lin Zheng, so he hurried to reply, “Okay, okay.”

Ye Yunlan’s face contorted for a moment, and his heart cried out in misery, but in order not to offend Chen Yunxiao, he still turned his head stiffly and smiled at Lin Zheng, “Senior Sister, why don’t the two of us be a group?”

Lin Zheng gave him a slight glance and said calmly, “No. I want to protect Lu Ting’an by her side.”

Hearing this, Chen Yunxiao gritted his teeth even harder. He still had to pretend to be calm on the surface, smiling as he said, “Senior Sister, you are mistaken. A small matter like protecting Junior Sister can be left to me. You have profound cultivation; you should take this opportunity to display your skills and help the Baiyun Luying Sect take the lead.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he impatiently turned to Lu Ting’an and said with a smile, “Junior Sister, how about moving with me?”

He had originally thought Lu Ting’an would readily agree as she had in the past, but surprisingly, Lu Ting’an took two steps back, moving closer to Lin Zheng, and said with disdain, “With your meager skills, I don’t believe you. I want Lin Zheng to protect me.”

Hearing her say this, Chen Yunxiao was instantly struck as if by a bolt of lightning, standing there in a daze. Beside him, Zhao Jingyi couldn’t bear it and hurriedly signaled Lin Zheng, “Oh my, what is Junior Sister saying? Second Senior Brother’s cultivation is profound; protecting you will certainly be no problem. Senior Sister naturally needs to prioritize the reputation of the Baiyun Luying Sect, don’t you think?”

“It’s fine; I will go with her.” Standing with her hands behind her back, Lin Zheng interrupted him calmly.

Zhao Jingyi was suddenly silenced, opening his mouth but not knowing what to say. Chen Yunxiao finally couldn’t hold it in anymore; he pointed at her and shouted in anger, “Lin Zheng, don’t be so ungrateful!”

Lin Zheng didn’t speak but looked at him expressionlessly. Lu Ting’an was angry and was about to go forward to argue, but she felt the light in front of her dim as Lin Zheng took a step forward, firmly shielding her behind her back. Lin Zheng said in a cold tone, “Lu Ting’an has already stated she wants to go with me. Second Junior Brother, why are you forcing her?”

Chen Yunxiao wanted to curse more, but when he saw the undisguised disgust in Lu Ting’an’s eyes behind her, his pupils suddenly widened. He stared at her in disbelief, then lowered his head dejectedly and said in a muffled voice, “…Fine, as long as you’re happy.”

With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.

“Hey, Senior Brother!” Ye Yunlan and the others called out to him, all of them casting harsh glares at Lin Zheng before quickly chasing after him.

Seeing that these annoying people had finally left, Lu Ting’an couldn’t help but breathe a long sigh of relief. In a great mood, she turned to look at Lin Zheng, but as soon as she looked up, she saw her slightly reddened ear tips and that faint smile at the corners of her mouth that hadn’t had time to dissipate.

Lin Zheng noticed her gaze, let out a light cough, and quickly retracted her expression, saying calmly, “Let’s go; we need to start looking for demon beasts as soon as possible.”

Lu Ting’an was momentarily stunned, looking at her with some disbelief. A wild thought suddenly popped into her head as she remembered the favorability that had soared yesterday: “Could Lin Zheng be…”

Before she could finish the thought, Lu Ting’an immediately shook her head and dismissed it: Don’t overthink it; she might just be happy that Chen Yunxiao was annoyed. That guy thought he could bind her just because of the marriage promise Lu Qingchen had made, but she wasn’t falling for it.

She followed Lin Zheng deep into the heart of the forest. From the initial turtle and rabbit spirits to the increasingly dangerous demon beasts later on, Lin Zheng always handled them with ease, often subduing them within a few moves.

Lu Ting’an followed behind her, stuffing all the hunted items into the Qiankun bag until it was almost full. When it became too heavy to drag anymore, she stopped, panting, and said to Lin Zheng ahead of her, “That’s enough; the time is almost up. If we don’t go back, none of this will count.”

Lin Zheng looked back at her, nodded, and said, “Alright, I’ll take you on my sword.”

Hearing that she didn’t have to walk, Lu Ting’an clapped her hands in joy: “Great, great! You have no idea—even though I didn’t fight at all, just climbing these steep mountains has nearly exhausted me.”

Lin Zheng summoned “Suiyue” from her sleeve. Lu Ting’an was just about to step onto it happily when Lin Zheng’s expression suddenly changed, and she let out a sharp shout: “Who’s there?!”