Chapter 128: Eve of Departure (III)

Lin Fan was slightly stunned, inwardly smiling bitterly, but he took the opportunity to reply: "Yes, Senior Sister, I have just joined the sect, and there are many areas where I still need your guidance."

A trace of pity flashed in Cuier's eyes, and she gently patted his shoulder: "It's alright, just practice more. Come, I will teach you how to perform the salute."

She slowly stood up and demonstrated it gracefully; her movements were soft and natural, like a wisp of breeze.

Lin Fan watched intently, feeling a warmth in his heart; it seemed as if all his worries vanished in that instant.

"Look," Cuier said while practicing with Lin Fan, "When performing the salute, you must be steady, your gaze should be natural, and do not be overly nervous."

Lin Fan tried hard to imitate her; although his movements were still a bit stiff, he gradually found the rhythm and couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.

He secretly observed Cuier's smile and realized her gaze was full of encouragement, which touched him deeply.

"That's right," Cuier nodded with satisfaction, "As long as you put your heart into it, you will definitely be able to do it."

"Thank you, Senior Sister," Lin Fan replied with a smile, secretly chuckling in his heart: 'She probably never imagined that I am the Young Master, right?'

Cuier seemed to notice the passage of time and sighed slightly: "I still have some things to handle, I really wish I could chat with you for a while longer."

"Then I won't disturb you," although Lin Fan felt reluctant, he understood that he shouldn't stay too long. He bowed slightly and slowly exited Cuier's courtyard.

"Come find me next time, and remember to practice the musical rhythms you've learned," Cuier said softly, watching Lin Fan leave.

"I will, goodbye, Senior Sister!"

Lin Fan left Cuier's courtyard, still ruminating on the warm interaction just now, with a smile unconsciously hanging on his face.

Just as he was immersed in his thoughts, Xiao Du suddenly popped up.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, I didn't expect the first person you looked for to actually be Cuier," Xiao Du teased, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes.

Lin Fan shrugged and asked, feigning innocence: "Then who did you think I would look for?"

"Look for Lin Chen, of course. She thinks about seeing you every day; she even embroidered your name on her Storage Pouch," Xiao Du's tone was teasing, clearly quite knowledgeable about Lin Chen's secret crush.

Lin Fan felt a secret dread; he had long since seen through Lin Chen's feelings, but he didn't know how to face them himself.

"Hmm, let's go find her right now. Don't pop out later; my identity is sensitive right now. If an accident happens, I won't be able to beat Bai Youyou, and we'll both end up dead."

"Got it, got it."

Lin Fan hurried toward the Qimeng Courtyard where Lin Chen lived. At this moment, his appearance was no different from an ordinary inner-sect female Disciple, so naturally, no one discovered the secret hidden within him.

The surrounding Disciples were busy Cultivating and chatting, completely unaware of his presence.

Qimeng Courtyard was in a quiet place behind the main hall, surrounded by lush trees. A breeze blew by, and the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers.

Lin Fan stood in front of the courtyard gate, carefully confirming that he was no different from an ordinary female Disciple, then tried his best to act like a lady and gently knocked on the gate.

The gate slowly opened, and what came into view was a stunningly beautiful woman. She was wearing a silver-white long dress, and her temperament was like a fairy; it was none other than Fairy Qimeng.

Her long hair was loose, and she looked a bit weary, clearly having just woken up from a rest.

Lin Fan immediately bowed: "This Disciple greets Sect Master Qi Meng."

Sect Master Qi Meng let out a sleepy yawn, looked at him gently, and asked softly: "It is late at night, why are you not sleeping yet? Is there something urgent?"

Lin Fan's mind raced; he knew he had to find a reasonable excuse, otherwise, it might arouse Sect Master Qi Meng's suspicion.

He hesitated slightly, then pretended to be somewhat dejected and said:

"Today, this Disciple tried her best but still failed to enter the top one hundred."

"But I feel this is because of the need to form a team. If it were an individual competition, I would definitely be able to enter the top one hundred and go to the Nether Ghost Realm with Senior Sister Lin Chen."

"I beg Sect Master to give me a chance to prove my individual strength."

Fairy Qimeng listened, sighed softly, and her tone carried a hint of helplessness:

"I understand your thoughts; many Disciples' individual strength is indeed very strong. However, when facing unexpected situations, everyone must cooperate in the form of a team to increase the survival rate."

"I am sorry, I cannot help you with this matter."

Lin Fan pretended to sigh. He knew this excuse definitely wouldn't work, but it was just to dispel Sect Master Qi Meng's doubts; now it was time to get to the point.

"Alright, this Disciple has disturbed you. Is Senior Sister Lin Chen here? I have a small gift I would like to give her."

Hearing Lin Chen mentioned, a trace of joy flashed across Fairy Qimeng's face, and she chuckled:

"You are too late. She just left to meet an important friend. In the middle of the night, and she wouldn't even let me follow!"

After saying this, she pointed in a direction, "If you go after her now, you might still catch up."

"Many thanks, Sect Master Qi Meng."

Lin Fan bowed again, then quickly flew in the direction pointed out by Sect Master Qi Meng, secretly rejoicing in his heart that he had obtained news of Lin Chen.

He sped through the night sky, but began to wonder: who could be so important that Lin Chen would meet them in the middle of the night? And who is this "friend"? Doubts lingered in his heart, making him even more eager to catch up with Lin Chen.

A moment later, the area ahead was brightly lit; it was clearly a prosperous town in Liangjing.

Suddenly, Xiao Du's voice rang in his mind, sounding the alarm:

"Lin Fan, this is bad! The person Lin Chen is looking for is you, but this 'you' is actually Bai Youyou's spirit body!"

"If you let her see Bai Youyou's spirit body, and she talks about you giving away the nano cube today, our identities will be completely exposed!"

Lin Fan's heart tightened as he realized the severity of the problem. "Damn it, it really is dangerous at every step!"

Xiao Du anxiously directed: "Follow me quickly, we must stop Lin Chen before she sees the spirit body!"

"Otherwise, Bai Youyou will definitely discover that you are not Bai Yi, and we probably won't survive three episodes!"

Hearing this, Lin Fan was frantic. Without hesitation, he used Void Evasion with all his might, turning into a traceless afterimage and speeding in the direction Xiao Du indicated.

Not long after, he saw Lin Chen's figure from afar amidst the hustle and bustle of the street.

Lin Fan gritted his teeth inwardly: "This is tricky! I cannot appear in my true form; there are probably Bai Youyou's eyes and ears here."

"And just using the identity of an ordinary Xuanyin Qin Sect Disciple, I'm afraid I won't be able to stop her."

Xiao Du smiled triumphantly: "Don't worry, this is up to me. You just need to quietly get close to Lin Chen, and leave the rest to me! No matter how high Bai Youyou's cultivation is, she won't be able to detect anything."

Lin Fan hid in the Void Realm, quietly approaching Lin Chen while keeping his distance.

Xiao Du began to transmit sound to Lin Chen through the System: "Lin Chen, Lin Chen!"

Upon hearing this familiar voice, Lin Chen felt a surge of joy: "Xiao Du! Is that you? Where have you been? Why haven't there been any messages for so long?"

Xiao Du knew this was not the time for chatting. Lin Fan was continuously hiding in the Void Realm, consuming a huge amount of energy, and time was tight, so he hurriedly said:

"Lin Chen, now is not the time to talk. Follow my voice, and don't stay in busy places; it's too dangerous."

Although Lin Chen had some questions in her heart, she knew that Xiao Du was a mysterious System operative. If he wasn't bound to her System, he couldn't appear at will unless there was a major reason.

After a moment of thought, she decisively replied: "Alright, I'll follow you!"

Thus, Lin Chen turned without hesitation and, following Xiao Du's guidance, left the bustling street and headed toward a more secluded path.