After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

Luo Yiyan arrived outside the barrier of Qiyue Peak.

He took a deep breath, raised his hand and touched the pale purple light barrier, but the barrier did not repel him.

This was beyond his expectations.

He walked along the stone path and heard a whooshing sound coming from the courtyard in the distance.

When he arrived at the courtyard gate, which was not closed, he immediately saw Lin Zhixu practicing his sword in the courtyard.

His sword light was sharp and fierce, showing a significant improvement since the grand competition.

Lin Zhixu caught a glimpse of a figure at the courtyard gate out of the corner of his eye, paused in his sword-wielding stance, and sheathed his sword.

The moment their eyes met, all the words Luo Yiyan had prepared suddenly got stuck in her throat.

Lin Zhixu put down his sword, his tone calm, seemingly unsurprised by his arrival: "You've come? Come in and sit down."

Luo Yiyan entered the courtyard.

Little Black wagged its tail and circled around him twice before being chased away by Lin Zhixu with a single look.

Luo Yiyan sat down at the stone table, and Lin Zhixu poured him a cup of tea.

Luo Yiyan looked down at the tea leaves floating in the cup and suddenly calmed down.

"Did you know I was coming?"

Lin Zhixu curled the corners of his lips slightly: "Among those here, I'm the only one who truly understands you. You're too persistent; you won't give up until you get the answer you want."

Luo Yiyan raised her eyes, her gaze softening slightly: "Then, will you give me the answer I want?"

The slight smile on Lin Zhixu's lips slowly faded. "I made myself very clear that day."

"I don't know." Luo Yiyan's voice was dry. "Why did you suddenly become so cold towards me? Was it Feng Heng Immortal Venerable who forced you to be like this?"

Lin Zhixu paused for a moment, then said, "No. It has nothing to do with him."

"What is the reason? You never used to be so cold to me, never got angry with me, and never said such harsh words to me."

Lin Zhixu lowered his eyelashes, and when he spoke again, his tone was cold, "...If you insist on an answer, then just consider it my resentment."

"Our talents are unequal. You can easily increase your cultivation level through cultivation, while I struggle my whole life just to barely catch up with you. Seeing how easy it is for you makes me jealous. Are you satisfied with this answer?"

Luo Yiyan froze, staring at his face as if she didn't recognize him, before finally finding her voice after a long while: "I don't believe it. You're not that kind of person."

Lin Zhixu sneered: "Then tell me, what kind of person am I? A lackey who will always follow you around, a weakling you protect, with no hope of ever getting ahead. That's what you think of me, isn't it?"

Luo Yiyan retorted, "No! We grew up together, and I know you better than anyone. You wouldn't be jealous of me, much less hate me for something like this. If you cared about these things, you wouldn't have been so kind to me back in the village."

"Lin Zhixu, I'm not stupid. I can tell the difference between good and bad people."

Lin Zhixu listened expressionlessly.

Looking at his cold demeanor, Luo Yiyan felt a pang of sadness. "What's wrong with you? Tell me, whatever the reason, we can figure something out together..."

"Has Immortal Venerable Fengheng treated you badly? I'll go back and beg my master to take you back. You can become my master's disciple, and we can cultivate together, okay?"

"Enough." Lin Zhixu interrupted him, her tone cold and hard. "Luo Yiyan, do you think you know me so well? We grew up together, so you think you know everything? There are many things you don't know."

He raised his eyes, his gaze devoid of any warmth: "You think I want to be your shadow for the rest of my life? You think I enjoy living in your shadow forever? Have you ever considered that I also want to win, and that I also don't want to be treated like trash?"

"But as long as I stand next to you, your talent and your brilliance will always overshadow me. I will always be that useless person who needs to be protected."

"Then let me protect you!" Luo Yiyan blurted out, "When have I ever disliked you? I'm willing to... protect you for the rest of my life."

After all, that's how we've always done it, hasn't it?

Why the sudden urge to change?

"I don't want to." Lin Zhixu stood up, looking down at him. "I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore. Let bygones be bygones. If we meet again, we'll be competitors."

"You should leave before my master returns, and don't ever come back again."

Luo Yiyan sat on the stone bench, his reddened eyes reflected in the teacup.

After a long silence, he finally stood up, his voice soft and gentle: "...Fine. If that's really what you think, then I'll leave. But I don't believe a single word you said today."

"Perhaps you have some unspeakable difficulties that you're not comfortable telling me. Then, when I become stronger and able to protect you, I hope you can tell me the truth."

Lin Zhixu: "..."

Although it feels good to be trusted, why is this kid so stubborn?

No wonder he was betrayed so cruelly by the original owner in the original story.

He felt that a large part of it was due to Luo Yiyan's indulgence.

Not long after Luo Yiyan left, Yu Linzhou returned.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he glanced around, his nose twitched slightly, and he raised an eyebrow, his gaze lingering for a moment on the two cups of still-warm tea on the stone table.

"That kid from Wucang Peak is here again?"

Lin Zhixu: "..."

Do you have a dog's nose?

"...Yes. I've already made it clear to him that he won't be coming again."

"That's more like it." Yu Linzhou nodded in satisfaction.

Lin Zhixu didn't want to bring up the topic anymore, so he asked something else: "Has the outcome been decided regarding Elder Chu and Chu Yuxiu?"

"It's out. After discussion, the elders concluded that the Chu family father and son's behavior was egregious, so they have abolished their cultivation and expelled them from the sect."

Lin Zhixu pursed his lips: "It's one thing for Chu Yuxiu to be crippled, but Elder Chu has at least put in a lot of effort in the sect, even if he hasn't made any great contributions. Is the sect really willing to let him go like this?"

Yu Linzhou sneered: "Whether they're willing to part with it or not, do they have the right to decide? They've offended my people. If they don't give me an explanation, I will definitely turn the Tianheng Sect upside down. So they naturally know what to choose."

He leaned back in his chair and said casually, "Besides, the sect rules cannot be violated. If we let them off easily, who will take the rules seriously in the future? Wouldn't the Tianheng Sect be in chaos?"

Lin Zhixu said "Oh," picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

Yu Linzhou didn't tease him as usual. He remained silent for a moment, his deep eyes fixed on Lin Zhixu.

His tone carried a hint of probing: "By the way, there's something I've been wanting to ask you. Do you know anything about Luo Yiyan?"

Lin Zhixu paused, then looked up at him, puzzled. "Why do you ask that?"

"The lightning tribulation that day was too strange," Yu Linzhou said slowly. "What's even stranger is that with so many people present, the lightning only targeted you."

"You're just a lowly cultivator in the Qi Refining stage, how dare you attract heavenly lightning? And what you said back then..."

Yu Linzhou narrowed his eyes: "What do you mean by 'If he dies, we all die. If he survives, all of this will end'?"