“Ling’er, don’t run so fast,” Xiu Jiming followed behind Lin Ling with a sense of helplessness, quickening his pace to keep up with her.
Lin Ling was running forward with all her might, her short legs moving very quickly.
She had to get away from Xiu Jiming right now.
‘Who would want to be so close to someone who can hear their inner thoughts?’
“Ling’er, I really didn’t lie to you. It’s only for a short time,” Xiu Jiming walked up beside her to explain.
“As long as you manifest the Jade Void Grotto-Heaven, I can hear your inner thoughts, but it really is only for a brief moment.”
He explained seriously, “Listen to me, Ling’er. The Grotto-Heaven I entered is called Clear Sight.”
Hearing this, Lin Ling stopped and looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.
“The Clear Sight Grotto-Heaven possesses the ability to see into one’s heart and nature. Don’t find it strange; I’ve had dealings with your Yuzhou Fox Clan before, so I naturally know a few things about the Jade Void Grotto-Heaven. Of course, it’s only a little, but it was just enough for me to recognize which Grotto-Heaven I had fallen into,” Xiu Jiming said.
Lin Ling crossed her arms and stared coldly at Xiu Jiming.
He sighed and continued, “I assume that right at that moment, you unsealed the Jade Void Grotto-Heaven that was trapping me, snatching it from Liu Que and releasing me from within.”
Xiu Jiming looked at Lin Ling’s delicate face and spoke seriously.
“From that moment on, I should have been able to hear your heart’s voice. However, once you put the Jade Void Grotto-Heaven away, I won’t be able to hear anything after about half an incense stick’s time.”
Lin Ling sighed, her internal tone quite complex.
‘Is that so? Xiao Ming, your head is full of bubbles, I’m serious.’
Hearing her thoughts, Xiu Jiming nodded helplessly.
“Yes, as long as you manifest the Jade Void Grotto-Heaven, I can hear your voice.”
Lin Ling sighed and silently put away the Jade Void Grotto-Heaven, resolving not to use it casually in the future.
The next day, Lin Ling followed Xiu Jiming to find the Cultivators of the Zhu You Sect.
She wanted to see if they could remove the mark Liu Que had left on her hand.
Along the way, she followed behind him without saying a word, clearly still bothered by what had happened the day before.
Seeing this, Xiu Jiming felt helpless.
He did not understand why she cared so much about such a thing.
After meeting the experts of the Zhu You Sect, they received an answer: the mark could be cleared, but it would cause some damage.
It would be better to let it fade naturally.
The person who placed the mark did not have a very high cultivation level, so it would gradually dissipate over time.
Xiu Jiming thought the same.
With him protecting Lin Ling, he wasn’t worried about a sneak attack from Liu Que.
In fact, he could even use the mark to lure Liu Que back and capture him.
However, since that would involve using Lin Ling as bait, he found it difficult to say it out loud.
He looked at her, waiting to see what she thought.
Lin Ling looked at the mark on her wrist, which represented the character for “Jade,” and frowned slightly.
She didn’t say much, though; she didn’t actually care about it that much.
She wasn’t an ordinary girl who loved beauty so much that she would worry about a small scar.
As for Liu Que, she wasn’t worried about him either.
She wouldn’t be leaving the Xun Zhu Si alone anyway.
If Liu Que were strong enough to ignore the guards of the Xun Zhu Si and kidnap her, then worrying would be useless.
She might as well live her life well.
The Little Fox had always been open-minded.
Back when she was a bandit living a hard life, she had always been cheerful.
In the time that followed, Lin Ling fixed her daily routine.
She was either in the Pavilion of Records or her room.
Aside from occasionally going out to eat with Xiu Jiming, she handled most of her meals in the dining hall.
Xiu Jiming drank tea while watching Lin Ling busy herself in the Pavilion of Records.
The Little Fox had claimed a small, private area for herself in a corner, where she worked away with her head down.
At that moment, Xiu Jiming saw streaks of Ling Qi flowing along the Talisman lines Lin Ling had drawn and entering her body.
A moment later, the energy within her reached a critical point.
Her aura circulated, and her cultivation successfully stabilized at the early stage of the Law-Condensing Realm.
The Little Fox cheered happily.
When she saw Xiu Jiming drinking tea at the door, she immediately calmed down.
Ignoring him, she continued her research on her own.
Xiu Jiming felt a bit helpless.
Ever since he told her he could hear her thoughts, she had been deliberately distancing herself from him.
She no longer clung to him like she used to.
He felt a faint sense of loss, but he knew it was better not to provoke her right now.
He had to let nature take its course.
In truth, Lin Ling didn’t have any malicious intentions.
She just found it incredibly embarrassing that someone could hear her private thoughts.
Therefore, she found it difficult to chat with him, feeling that being caught complaining about him behind his back was mortifying.
Consequently, she simply decided to focus on her own work.
Besides, she hadn’t had any nightmares recently, so she didn’t need to go to Xiu Jiming’s side.
Just like that, they passed ten or so days in peace.
It had been nearly one month since the two of them arrived in Longchuan County, and it had been a real eye-opener.
She had read through all the records in Longchuan.
Most of the Talisman Cultivator methods recorded there were not as profound as the book Gong Xuance had given her.
However, the advantage was that the variety was complete.
Most of the basic Talismans and Runes of various schools were available, allowing her to build a more solid foundation as a Talisman Cultivator.
Over the course of this month, the Little Fox had committed most of the information to memory.
She was getting bored of Longchuan County by now, and being here alone wasn’t much fun.
After some thought, she felt like returning to Yueshan County.
That night, Lin Ling slowly put away the second-rank Talisman she had recently researched.
After placing it in the Jade Void Grotto-Heaven, she wanted to talk to Xiu Jiming about when they would head back.
After all, she still needed to ask Lin Kejing exactly how she had been brought back all those years ago.
She needed to know the details.
She also hoped to bring either the Miao Zhu or Lin Kejing here to speak with Xiu Yansheng.
Otherwise, she might not be able to get any information out of him.
The matters she came to Longchuan for were all resolved; it was time to go back to Yueshan County.
As for Gong Xuance’s mission to hunt down Liu Que, it essentially had nothing to do with them.
They had only received an Imperial Decree to assist.
Currently, Gong Xuance was having the time of his life investigating on his own.
They hadn’t even seen a glimpse of him for many days, so it seemed he didn’t need their help.
“Ling’er, I heard from others that you were looking for me.”
Lin Ling, who had just finished packing her things, looked up to see Xiu Jiming.
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