The majority of the disciples instantly collapsed when they heard that they could rest. They fell to the ground, feeling limp. Traveling for two hours in the darkness at maximum tension had pushed them to their limit. As soon as they relaxed, they felt like they couldn’t even move.
Only a bit more than five hundred people were able to stay standing. They were exhausted but still had some energy, unlike the others who had overdrafted themselves.
Most of these people were the ones that Long Chen had picked out for the main force. Hence, Mu Qingyun, Zhong Ling, Zhong Xiu, and the others practically prostrated themselves toward Long Chen’s sharp vision.
After a moment of rest, Mu Qingyun took out the flying boat. The disciples with energy then crawled up, while some were already unconscious and had to be carried by the disciples of the Elite Group.
Li Cai was the most enthusiastic about this work. He was the first to kindly carry a disciple on his back up the flying boat. When he passed Long Chen, Long Chen simply looked at him, not saying a word.
“Helping people is its own pleasure.” Long Chen’s gaze made Li Cai feel a bit uneasy, but he still spoke confidently.
“When you go out into the world in the future, don’t tell people that I taught you this shamelessness,” said Long Chen disdainfully.
Mu Qingyun, Zhong Ling, and Zhong Xiu laughed. Li Cai was carrying a female disciple on his back. Although it couldn’t be said that he was taking advantage of her, it also couldn’t be said that he was being completely pure-hearted.
“Yes, helping people really is its own pleasure. Just looking at your face is proof,” laughed Zhong Xiu.
Seeing that his thoughts were easily seen through, Li Cai lowered his head and hastily carried people up the flying boat.
It was only once everyone was on the flying boat and the doors were closed that people finally felt at ease. The flying boat had its own defenses. At the very least, they wouldn’t have to worry about being eaten.
However, they didn’t turn on any lights for fear of drawing over any terrifying beasts. Within the wilderness, not even flying boats were completely safe.
In the darkness, it took less than an incense stick’s worth of time before people began to fall into a deep slumber. Their mental strength had been used up on this journey, and sleeping was the best way to recover.
Long Chen sat against a wall, and Mu Qingyun was on his left. As for Zhong Ling and Zhong Xiu, they were like cats curled up on his right side. After a while, it seemed that they were uncomfortable in their sleep, and they ended up using his leg as a pillow.
In the darkness, Long Chen then saw something glinting. There was a line of saliva dripping out of Zhong Ling’s mouth.
“No wonder this girl spends all day giggling. This innate ‘mouth like a torrent’ skill must have been passed down from generation to generation.” Long Chen shook his head.
Beside him, Mu Qingyun laughed. She was only a bit tired and was much better off than the others.
“Brother San, you really are a curious person. You can make people laugh or cry with a single word. When you want to, you can seem warm and safe, but you can also seem possessed by the devil to the point that people don’t even dare to look into your eyes,” whispered Mu Qingyun. Perhaps it was due to the darkness, but at this moment, she dared to say the words in her heart.
Everyone else was asleep. Only she and Long Chen were still awake. Within this black space, this atmosphere was a bit beguiling, so without being aware of it, she blushed slightly. Her heartbeat quickened.
“Brother San, I’ve never heard you talk about your past. Are you willing to share it with me? I’m very curious about your past,” whispered Mu Qingyun.
“There’s nothing worth saying. It was just fighting and killing. There’s nothing interesting about it.” Long Chen shook his head.
Mu Qingyun was disappointed. She knew that this was his way of tactfully declining. It was also a kind of rejection.
Mu Qingyun was a female expert. Even under Chu Kuang’s suppression, she had not submitted as she had her own pride. Although she had bled countless times on her cultivation path, she rarely cried.
However, just these simple words from Long Chen were enough to make her eyes red. Fortunately, it was dark, so she did her best to adjust her mental state, not wanting Long Chen to notice.
“Have you ever fallen in love with someone before?” asked Long Chen suddenly.
This sudden question caught Mu Qingyun off guard. She shook her head. “Not in the past.”
Long Chen thought about it and then said, “Loving someone is like a bird flying in the air willingly chosen to confine itself in a cage, a cheetah binding itself with chains, a hedgehog letting its quivers be taken.”
“What does that mean?”
“To love someone is giving them the power to hurt you when you put down your guard. You break your own wings and give up your ability to run. It means to stand by their side and face a hundred deaths without regret, a thousand tribulations without hesitation.” Long Chen sighed, his voice heavy with grief.
He thought of the Pill Fairy, of her words. She had spent a thousand lifetimes, a thousand reincarnations calling to him just to awaken him.
Every reincarnation, she died in front of him. He would never be able to repay her.
Although Long Chen still didn’t know his own identity, the gaze that the Pill Fairy had given him right before her death made him feel the unforgettable love she had for him, a love that endured multiple lifetimes. Now she had reincarnated again, but he had no idea where.
If she had reincarnated, due to the difference in spacetime, would there be some oddities in the passing of time? Would a day here be half a year where she was? In any case, he felt uneasy about it.
It had been over two months since he had ascended to the immortal world. However, his cultivation base didn’t really improve that much as he was with these greenhouse flowers. There was no current crisis, yet that made him worried. He had to get stronger to find his family.
Mu Qingyun silently mulled over Long Chen’s words. Just now, she almost cried because Long Chen wasn’t willing to reveal his past. Was this a warning?
“Don’t easily fall in love with someone. You can treat me as your big brother, a close big brother. Perhaps that will make it easier for us to get along.” In the darkness, Long Chen patted Mu Qingyun’s shoulder.
He realized that Mu Qingyun already started to have some feelings for him. Hence, he had to throttle these emotions while they were just sprouts. It was because his heart was riddled with holes, so he couldn’t accept these feelings.
He could face an army of thousands and slay millions of devils. He could look down arrogantly on the rest of the world, but he didn’t dare to touch the thing called love again.
Fortunately, these feelings were still hazy and indistinct in Mu Qingyun. Hearing that Long Chen could be her big brother, she felt much better.
Just like that, she wrapped around Long Chen’s arm and fell asleep with a content smile.
When the sun silently rose, Long Chen called everyone awake and prepared to move out.
“This is…”
When they woke up, Li Cai suddenly realized that there was something in front of him.
