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

Yu Linzhou was so badly injured that he was barely clinging to life when Yan Lingcang carried him back to the sect.

Mu Changqing quickly instructed Yan Lingcang to help Yu Linzhou into the secret room.

She took out her treasured Frost Lotus, broke off two petals, and put them into his mouth.

The snow lotus melted instantly in his mouth, and its medicinal power seeped into his limbs and bones through his meridians. Yu Linzhou's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little, and his breathing gradually became steady.

"Let's go, let him get some rest." Mu Changqing straightened up and said softly.

Yan Lingcang followed him out of the secret room, and the master and disciple sat facing each other on the futons in the outer room.

The candlelight flickered, and Mu Changqing remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "You knew everything?"

Yan Lingcang nodded.

Mu Changqing sighed, his tone heavy: "Although your junior brother isn't human, he's not a bad person at heart. You must keep this a secret for him; don't tell anyone, understand?"

Yan Lingcang solemnly replied, "I understand."

Mu Changqing suddenly coughed a few times and covered his lips with his sleeve.

Yan Lingcang frowned slightly, looking at him with concern. "Master, you've been coughing a lot lately, and your complexion isn't as rosy as before. Are you ill?"

Mu Changqing lowered his sleeves, waved his hand with a smile, and said the most shocking words in a relaxed tone: "I am not sick, but my time is coming to an end."

Yan Lingcang's face showed obvious shock: "How could this be?"

Seeing his rare loss of composure, Mu Changqing smiled even more gently.

He sighed, "I have been unable to break through to the Nascent Soul realm, and my lifespan is coming to an end. It is all fate. You don't need to panic. I won't die anytime soon, and I can stay with you for several more hundred years."

He paused, his gaze falling on Yan Lingcang's face, his tone becoming more serious, "I originally planned to tell you after some time, but since we've come this far today, I'll be frank with you."

"I want to pass the position of sect leader to you."

Yan Lingcang was surprised, and then shook his head almost without hesitation: "Master, I know you trust me, but I'm really not suitable. Besides, I don't want to take on this responsibility."

Mu Changqing chuckled at his eagerness to avoid the issue, then sighed helplessly, "I knew you'd refuse. In that case, let's wait a little longer."

He stood up, patted Yan Lingcang on the shoulder, and turned to walk towards the door.

Yan Lingcang sat alone on the futon, watching the receding figure, remaining silent for a long time.

……

Yu Linzhou didn't know how long he had been unconscious.

As his consciousness slowly rose from the chaos, he vaguely saw a blurry figure sitting by the bed, looking down at him.

Her figure was slender, and against the candlelight, her face was obscured; only her thin outline was discernible.

Yu Linzhou almost instantly concluded that the other person must be a beauty.

He instinctively tried to grab the hem of the garment, but his fingers only passed through empty air.

The candlelight flickered, and when he opened his eyes again, there was no one by the bed, as if that glance was just a hallucination caused by his long unconsciousness.

He stared at the empty edge of the bed, slowly withdrew his hand, and a sense of loss welled up in his chest again.

Actually, he had known for a long time that something had been following him.

At first, he was wary; he didn't know what the other party's purpose was.

He gradually got used to the other person's presence.

He even began to become greedy, no longer satisfied with what he couldn't see or touch.

He wanted to know who the other person was, what they looked like, what their name was, and why they were willing to spend so much time by his side.

He tried countless methods, but none of them worked.

The other party seemed to belong to this world, unbound by any rules; he couldn't even touch them, let alone exchange a single word.

He eventually compromised.

It doesn't matter if I can't see him or touch him, as long as he's still here.

At least he's not alone.

At least there are still people who can stay by his side.

Lin Zhixu thought he had been seen.

He almost held his breath for a moment, but when he looked closely into Yu Linzhou's eyes, he didn't see his reflection in them.

Lin Zhixu was slightly disappointed.

He knew that Yu Linzhou must have sensed his presence, after all, Yu Linzhou was so smart.

But there is an invisible dimensional barrier between them. He can see him, he can sense him, but they can never communicate.

Lin Zhixu raised his head, and he had a premonition that this place was about to end.

He has already found the answer to what he wanted to know, and staying any longer might not be a good thing.

He lingered here for too long, and several times he almost lost himself.

……

The opportunity for Lin Zhixu to leave came a century later.

A heavy bell tolled from the main peak.

One, two, three... a total of nine bangs, startling the birds flying in the mountains, which then circled in the hazy sky.

Mu Changqing has passed away, and the entire Tianheng Sect is immersed in grief.

Yu Linzhou was away on training at the time, and after receiving the news, he rushed back like a madman.

But he was ultimately too late.

Mu Changqing's coffin has been closed, and he will never see that kind face again.

He stood in the mourning hall, trembling all over, and then he learned that Mu Changqing had passed the position of sect leader to someone else, not Yan Lingcang, as he had thought.

When he found Yan Lingcang, the man was standing alone in the corridor outside the mourning hall, his white clothes fluttering in the wind, and he seemed to have no sadness on his face.

Yu Linzhou grabbed his collar, his voice hoarse: "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Yan Lingcang didn't pull his hand away, but just looked at him quietly, his tone calm: "Your temper is too impulsive. Your master was afraid you would do something reckless, so he didn't tell you."

Yu Linzhou's eyes were red-rimmed, and he gritted his teeth: "What about the position of sect leader? Why wasn't it passed on to you? He clearly values ​​you the most! Why would he rather pass it on to an outsider than to you, or even to me?"

Yan Lingcang was silent for a moment, then raised his hand and pushed his hand away: "I refused to pass it on to me. I didn't want to take on this trouble. I won't pass it on to you—"

He looked at Yu Linzhou: "Do you think your personality is suitable for being the sect leader?"

Yu Linzhou sneered: "You all kept things from me. Master kept things from me, you kept things from me, you made all the decisions for me. In your eyes, I'm always an outsider."

"That's not how it works..."

Yan Lingcang felt a pang of sadness as he recalled his master's dying words of advice to take good care of Yu Linzhou.

He wanted to tell him that the person his master cared about most was him.

But Yu Linzhou was furious and didn't want to hear any explanation from him.

Yu Linzhou turned and left.

Yan Lingcang took a few steps to catch up and called out "Junior Brother" to him. But it would have been better if he hadn't called out. As soon as he did, Yu Linzhou walked even faster, as if a dog was chasing him from behind.

Then Lin Zhixu witnessed a scene of "Let me explain" and "I won't listen, I won't listen."

Lin Zhixu: "..."

No wonder you two can be fellow disciples.