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Chapter 44

The Mortal Realm, that was once a land of green leaves, animals and people, has now turned into a wasteland filled with dried and burned lands. It was as if the environment of the underworld realm went to the Mortal Realm as well. Almost no living could be seem anymore, except for the people below who are chained in a line as they carried a boulder on their shoulder.

The demon raised his whip and started whipping people. The edge of the whip was thin and sharp, leaving a bloody mark on the people's body as they continued to carry the boulder while enduring the unbearable pain of the whip.

Lian Ren immediately grabbed Shao Ling who was about to jump down and grab the demon's throat. His arms enveloped on Shao Ling's waist while his other hand was brushing on Shao Ling's cheeks, whispering soft words to calm him down.

Lian Ren sighed. I swear Shizun always do this even in my past life. For what significance does those people have for him to not pay his full attention to me? I'm kind of getting impatient as the time goes by.

Even though Lian Ren also want to choke that demon to death, moving recklessly would cause their mission to fail, and there's a possibility that they won't be able to go back to the present world. Lian Ren glanced at Shao Ling who was still lost on his own thoughts, brows deeply frowning and lips tightly pursed. It will be no good if he tried to persuade Shao Ling to start moving right now because of his anger—

Lian Ren was still dumbfounded even when Shao Ling grabbed him by the hand and started moving towards the huge tower from afar.

Shao Ling gave him a quick glance and spoke,

Lian Ren was astounded as he followed along with him. This is the first time Shizun listened to me. Really.... His lips curved into a sweet smile, eyes staring intently at his shizun as he spoke in a soft, gentle voice,

Shao Ling nodded.

Lian Ren replied.

Shao Ling arched his brows at him, staring with his brows deep furrowed as if Lian Ren had said something that offended him. From the look on Shao Ling's eyes, Lian Ren immediately realized his wrong. He was about to open his mouth to apologize when Shao Ling spoke with a heave of his breath,

Lian Ren stood still and waited on Shao Ling searching through his spatial ring. His Shizun's back was in front of him, his hips slightly bended and squatted as he searched through his spatial ring. Lian Ren stared at the curve of his waist. His word let out a quiet 'ah'. It had been a while since he slid his hand to touch it's very spectacular line and feel it through his fingers. Appreciating the view, his eyes found itself into his bottom. It was like a sweet and fresh peach, ready to be eaten and gobbled up. Ah.... I could stare at this the whole day—

All of a sudden, a leader-like thickness of a silk was slapped through his face as it slid out of the spatial ring. Shao Ling stood up as he grabbed the silk and stared down at Lian Ren who was sitting on the ground, massaging his nose with his eyes closed and brows frowned. Shao Ling asked, his voice was slightly sharp.

Shao Ling stared down at the ground. There were no slanted or misplaced rocks on the ground that they're stepping in. It was a slick and smooth stone of mountain like a smooth sand in the dessert. Shao Ling redirected his gaze at Lian Ren, his disciples gave him a grin as if trying to convince him that he really tripped. Shao Ling sighed, slowly folded the silk as he spoke in a sarcastic tone,

Lian Ren averted his gaze in embarrassment until he redirected his gaze at the silk that Shao Ling is folding. He slowly stood up and brushed up the dust in his pants, asking:

Shao Ling replied.

Lian Ren closed his eyes and pursed his lips. What the hell, am i supposed to always say everything right?

Lian Ren opened his eyes at Shao Ling's words.

Lian Ren stared down at the sink and replied,

Shao Ling nodded with a half smile. Lian Ren was about to feel bad when he was somehow flattered by Shao Ling's statement. Shao Ling said and started walking.

The two of them started walking further up the mountain where there are no demons to be spotted. Shao Ling stared down at the ground as he stepped at the edge of the cliff. He glanced at Lian Ren and pointed the cliff below,

Lian Ren also stared down at the cliff. He pondered for a while until his cold lips turned into a warm smile as he slowly approached Shao Ling.

Shao Ling looked at him with a bewildered expression.

Lian Ren raised his palms, bended down at the edge of the cliff and touched the very edge of the stone. In a second, the ground his touch was frozen and a stairs started to materialize at the edge of the stone, growing downwards continuously. Lian Ren paved way for Shao Ling, giving him a sweet smile as he spoke in a gentle manner as he reached out his hand for him,

Shao Ling tilted his head and raised his brows. He stared at the hand that was reaching out for him in a while until his hand subconsciously raised, accepting Lian Ren's hand as they both walked down the stairs. Before the walk down, Shao Ling spread the silk open and covered themselves.

It was only silence that enveloped both of them. While Shao Ling's hand was on Lian Ren's, the sides of their shoulders were also brushed against each other, trying to fit into the invisible silk that covers them. Shao Ling can feel Lian Ren's breath on his ears. He doesn't even dare to look at him because he knew that Lian Ren's face were turned to his side. If ever he looked at him, their noses will brush against each other and their breaths will instantly become one.

The two finally walked down the cliff of the mountain, still enveloped in silence as they started to venture hundreds of miles to the barrier. The journey only lasted one day and one night. On half a mile, they will stop and camp for a while, eating the rice ball that was stored on Shao Ling's spatial ring and sleeping with the invisible silk completely covering them and concealing their presence. Then on the day, another half a mile, they walked again, drinking on their water bottle every thirty minutes.

Lian Ren drank the last drop of water in his bottle. Shao Ling stopped in front of him and spoke in a soft voice,

Lian Ren looked up. A large, mix of black and red barrier were in front of them, gigantic as a whole mountain. Lian Ren dipped the tip of his finger on the barrier as he spoke,

Shao Ling replied, Lian Ren silently lifted his gaze on him, his lips slightly opening. Lian Ren spoke in a low voice, his lips curved into a small smile.

Shao Ling glanced at him and only sighed, stepping through the barrier. Lian Ren was about to grab his hand as his Shizun entered the barrier. But surprisingly, Shao Ling was unhurt at all. He completely passed through the barrier as if he's a ghost that passed through a sturdy wall. Lian Ren also followed along with him, passing through the wall without any scratch on his body.

The two lingered and wandered their eyes inside the wall. The air inside was rather humid, beaming with pure spiritual energy and life. Lian Ren spoke as his hand slid down the softness of the bright green leaf.

Shao Ling replied.

Lian Ren replied with a smile on his face.

The two ventured deep down the forest. As further as they went, the tall and thick trees became smaller, until a large city that almost look like a capital greeted them. Shao Ling covered his eyes from the brightness of the sun. The forest they went in were so dark because it's leaves completely covered the entire sky above. Lian Ren, on the other hand, stared at the city with his brows raised. The people inside were walking all over the road, carrying a basket where their family belongings and reminiscence were inside. Some women were sitting under the roof of the houses, their fingers were calloused and slightly bruised from continuously sewing new clothes and blankets while children bring them one silk to another.

Shao Ling was quite astonished, thinking that the world that has gone to a wasteland still has a bit life beaming somewhere. It was as if hope continued to lit up in the midst of the darkness, continuously warming up the hearts of those in need. Shao Ling stared down at the silk that the women were stitching. It was a black and gold silk, white and pink, many more combination of colors that are either warm or cold in hue. However, the flower logo that was embroidered near its manga caught his attention.

Shao Ling called out to his disciple. Lian Ren's ears lit up at his name being called by his Shizun and he immediately approached like a filial dog. Lian Ren responded with a smile.

Shao Ling replied. And as he said that, a women dressed in white and pink clothing, blood splattered on its hems and blade unsheathed approached their direction. Her eyes were quite sharp, as if it didn't let it's guard down for so many battles. Her eyes furrowed as she stared at their direction, but after a while, the woman dropped her sword, eyes about to tear up as she ran to their direction.

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