"Su Xue'er?"
Upon hearing Xu Changsheng's words, Ye Ling's eyes instantly lit up. "You know Su Xue'er?"
After Tian Yin Pavilion was suddenly annihilated, Ye Ling had lost all clues about Xiao You. He never expected a twist of fate, only to encounter Xu Changsheng!
"I do."
Xu Changsheng nodded. "When I was young, my village was massacred by bandits. It was Su Xue'er who saved me. It was also thanks to her that I, at the advanced age of twenty, was able to join the Shu Shan Sword Sect and cultivate to this day."
"At that time, I couldn't remember my own name. The name Changsheng was also given to me by Su Xue'er..."
As he spoke, a hint of longing appeared in Xu Changsheng's eyes, as if he were reminiscing about the time he traveled with Su Xue'er.
"Su Xue'er saved you..."
Ye Ling murmured the words, then asked, "How much of your past do you not remember?"
"I don't remember anything before my village was massacred," Xu Changsheng replied honestly without hesitation.
After all, things had come to this point, and he had nothing left to hide.
"After I joined the Shu Shan Sword Sect, I didn't see Su Xue'er again for decades, only occasionally exchanging letters with her."
"During that time, I also heard that Su Xue'er had betrayed Tian Yin Pavilion and was being hunted by them."
"Later on, I completely lost contact with Su Xue'er until six years ago when she found me."
"She found you six years ago?"
Hearing this specific timeframe, Ye Ling's eyes narrowed slightly, and his voice rose a few decibels.
Xu Changsheng, unaware of what the words "six years ago" meant to Ye Ling, nodded. "Yes. Not long after I joined the Shu Shan Sword Sect, I gained the favor of my sect's ancestor and became his disciple, entering seclusion for cultivation."
"Six years ago, I coincidentally obtained the Xuanyuan Sword and became a Supreme Elder of the Shu Shan Sword Sect. It was around that time that Su Xue'er approached me, asking me to guard Xue Yin Valley and prevent anyone from entering."
"Do you know why Xiao You... why Su Xue'er asked you to guard Xue Yin Valley?"
Xu Changsheng shook his head. "I wanted to ask at the time, but she seemed to be in a hurry. After entrusting me with the task, she left in haste. I wanted to press her for details, but I couldn't."
"After that, I settled outside Xue Yin Valley, and anyone who tried to enter was eliminated by me."
"You are the tenth or so group. I thought you were like the previous intruders."
Ye Ling then asked, "Were the intruders from Hong Chen Pavilion?"
Xu Changsheng replied, "I did hear those people mention Hong Chen Pavilion, but I'm not sure if it was them. I never asked. I only know they were searching for something within Xue Yin Valley."
"What were they looking for?"
"It seemed to be a notebook? I never touched Su Xue'er's belongings, and what I learned from those intruders was only fragmented information. I don't have a deep understanding."
At this point, Xu Changsheng looked at Ye Ling and asked, "You've asked so much. I'd really like to know, what is your relationship with Su Xue'er?"
"What is your purpose in coming to Xue Yin Valley?"
Xu Changsheng hadn't forgotten Su Xue'er's instructions. Although he sensed that Ye Ling was likely not an enemy, he still felt a bit uneasy.
If Ye Ling intended to harm Su Xue'er, he would stop him with all his might!
"The relationship is very complicated, but to put it simply, Su Xue'er is most likely my biological sister."
"Su Xue'er is your sister?"
Upon hearing Ye Ling's answer, Xu Changsheng was instantly astonished, almost jumping out of bed.
Ye Ling pressed Xu Changsheng down. "Alright, your soul is injured, you shouldn't get agitated. Rest assured here in Xue Yin Valley. Once your injuries heal, return to Shu Shan; it's safer there."
Xu Changsheng hesitated. "But this Xue Yin Valley..."
Ye Ling said, "I have a general idea of what they were looking for. The item is already in my possession. There are no more rare artifacts in this valley, so there's no need for you to continue guarding it, lest you lose your life in vain."
After Tian Yin Pavilion was annihilated, Ye Ling felt Ye Feng becoming increasingly unhinged. His actions would only become more brutal from now on.
However, Ye Feng's madness was also a good thing for Ye Ling.
No plan was truly flawless. No matter how meticulous a person's thoughts were, the more actions they took, the more loopholes would appear.
Ye Ling only needed to follow the plan step by step, waiting for Ye Feng's next move. Ye Feng would eventually reveal his hand.
This scheme spanned a century, and it wouldn't be easily resolved in a short time.
Ye Ling had lived for sixty thousand years; he had enough patience.
"I understand..."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Xu Changsheng no longer insisted and agreed to stop guarding Xue Yin Valley, preparing to return to Shu Shan.
He was extremely weak now, likely unable to even lift the Xuanyuan Sword, let alone guard Xue Yin Valley. He might even lose his own life!
The priority now was to return to Shu Shan as quickly as possible, recover from his injuries, and then he could better help Su Xue'er!
Seeing Xu Changsheng agree, Ye Ling nodded with satisfaction. He then spent some more time stabilizing Xu Changsheng's condition before getting up to leave.
As for the Xuanyuan Sword, Ye Ling's initial thought was to kill Xu Changsheng and collect the divine weapon.
However, now that he realized Xu Changsheng was an ally, Ye Ling could no longer bring himself to attack him.
Although the Xuanyuan Sword was powerful, it held no practical value for Ye Ling. Rather than letting it gather dust in his spatial ring, it was better to let Xu Changsheng keep it.
With Xu Changsheng's strength, despite his soul's weakness, he could already roam freely across Hua Guo with the Xuanyuan Sword. Furthermore, as an elder of the Shu Shan Sword Sect, he held considerable influence in Hua Guo.
If Xu Changsheng utilized it well, he could provide Ye Ling with significant assistance in tracking down Xiao You's whereabouts.
To foster a good relationship with Xu Changsheng, Ye Ling lingered in Xue Yin Valley for a few more days. During this time, he urged Feng Ke to cultivate the techniques of the Xue Yin Sect within Xue Yin Valley, indirectly confirming their identities and solidifying Xu Changsheng's goodwill.
After confirming that Feng Ke was a disciple of the Xue Yin Sect, Xu Changsheng's attitude towards Ye Ling became noticeably warmer, and their relationship improved dramatically!
Within a few days, Ye Ling had completely stabilized Xu Changsheng's soul injuries.
However, the missing soul and spirit that Xu Changsheng lacked were something even Ye Ling couldn't restore; he would have to find them himself.
Once his injuries had healed, Xu Changsheng gave Ye Ling a token of the Shu Shan Sword Sect, then bid farewell to Ye Ling and the others, returning to the Shu Shan Sword Sect.
Feng Ke stood at the entrance of Xue Yin Valley, watching Xu Changsheng's retreating figure as he flew away on his sword. She then turned to Ye Ling, who was smiling, and playfully accused him, "You've been pushing me to cultivate the techniques of Xue Yin Valley these past few days, haven't you? Was it to gain his trust?"
"Don't put it so crudely... I just wanted our relationships to warm up faster," Ye Ling chuckled. Da Feng Novel Network.
"Tch!" Feng Ke rolled her eyes at Ye Ling and asked, "We can't go to Tian Yin Pavilion, so where are we going now?"
"Shanghai."