Chapter 281: Chapter 153: Tears Long for Relief from Bitter Cold

After being rescued, Wu Yanjun ate something and chatted a lot with He Kao. He felt quite exhilarated at first, but after a while, he drowsily fell asleep.

When the sky brightened, he was awakened by He Kao, who asked if he was ready to leave. He patted his chest confidently and said, of course!

But when they actually set off, perhaps his mood had relaxed, which reflected in his body. In the snowy terrain, he inevitably felt a bit weak and occasionally needed He Kao’s support.

Fortunately, the road wasn’t long. They crossed a mountain ridge and out of the woods to find a village. They didn’t stop in this village but continued along a country road for a few more miles, arriving at a town.

Xiaowu felt very sleepy, extremely sleepy. Last night he didn’t sleep well, always in a half-dreaming, half-awake state. He was still somewhat groggy, just mechanically following He Kao.

In a daze, he entered a house. Inside, there seemed to be a heated brick bed, but He Kao didn’t let him sleep on it. Instead, he brought him to a side room, made him take off his outerwear, and dive into bed, lying on a mattress… it felt so warm.

The sleep he had was extraordinarily deep, and in the haze, it seemed like he even had a dream. The dream content was often absurd and fragmented, with various inexplicable scene transitions.

Initially, the scene seemed to still be within that tree hollow, talking with He Kao after being rescued. Later, the person in front of him became his master Zhang Yanfei, and the scene inexplicably turned into a detention center from before.

As they continued talking, the detention center turned into a room where he seemed to be undergoing questioning by the Magic Sect’s Hall of Sect Rules. During the questioning, the scene jumped to Taigu City, his usual residence, where Elder Ye Hui was talking to him.

After exchanging a few words with Elder, his junior sister came to see him… She seemed to be crying sadly, evidently worrying and fearing for him these days.

Wu Yanjun, with his arms crossed, said it was nothing and that the fault wasn’t his junior sister’s, but of those with malicious intent trying to frame him. Yet, with his skills, those people couldn’t get a hold of him…

Then, he suddenly woke up, drowsily hearing some commotion—

“Did you drug him?”

“Just some supplements and Calm the Spirit, to help him rest well and recuperate.”

“Hmm, he’s awake.”

At that moment, the light came on, revealing two people sitting by the bed… The old man next to He Kao was dressed fashionably, wearing a black satin jacket embroidered with gold threads, a modern take on ancient attire.

Only then did Wu Yanjun realize it was already dark. He quickly sat up from the bed, and with that movement, felt his whole body achy and weak.

He Kao took the initiative to introduce: “Xiaowu, this is Elder Li Xiuyuan from the Hall of Sect Rules, who came specifically for your matter.”

“Hello, Elder Li… uh, where are my shoes?” Wu Yanjun lifted the blanket and hurriedly got off the bed, only to find his shoes missing.

He Kao: “Those snowboard boots of yours? After taking them off, the heat inside made it unbearable to get near them! I threw them in the yard…”

Li Xiuyuan chuckled, “He Kao, fetch him a pair of cotton slippers.”

Elder Li, with a kind demeanor, inquired about Wu Yanjun’s experiences and assured him not to worry, as his Elder Ye Hui had already arrived in Acheng, and Ye Yuxuan was fine.

On assignment from the Hall of Sect Rules, Lingxi Sect Sorcerer Xiao Guangnian had already brought a team to control both conflicting parties, currently questioning them separately. Li Xiuyuan came to Xiaohe Town specifically to bring Wu Yanjun back to confrontations.

The so-called conflicting parties were Ye Yuxuan and Fu Xiaoci from the Xingshen Sect.

Fu Xiaoci was the woman who had the conflict with Ye Yuxuan in Ice and Snow Village. She was also a Tier Two Broker of the Xingshen Sect, but at the time, she didn’t reveal her cultivation nor her identity.

This was normal, as Wu Yanjun and Ye Yuxuan also didn’t state their identity as sorcerers. It was just a daily clash; who would have thought the other could be a disciple of the Magic Sect? Would they have spoken in Jianghu codes during an argument?

As for the specifics of the conflict, both still held their respective views, with the main issue being whether Fu Xiaoci cut in line. Regardless of who was at fault—even if Wu Yanjun might have said some harsh words—it couldn’t be forcibly claimed he violated the Joint Punishment Order.

The experts of the Magic Sect aren’t fools; the scenarios in which the Joint Punishment Order applies and its core purpose are well understood by all.

The crux was another accusation from Fu Xiaoci, one that could land Wu Yanjun in dire straits—

The morning after the conflict, when Wu Yanjun exited the restaurant after breakfast, he saw Fu Xiaoci again.

Fu Xiaoci, being a disciple of the Magic Sect, often practiced in the mornings. She went to the woods outside Ice and Snow Village, climbed a snow-covered hill to stretch her limbs and breathe in the morning aura.

Unexpectedly, Wu Yanjun followed her, and seeing no one around, he approached and demanded to know why her boyfriend accused him of being a rascal the previous day. Since he dared to say that, he really would show him… and then he advanced, intending to act inappropriately.

Fu Xiaoci tried to dodge but was forcibly grabbed by Wu Yanjun. She had to reveal her Magic Cultivation, only to find out Wu Yanjun was also a sorcerer.

The two engaged in a brief altercation. Fu Xiaoci revealed her identity and demanded Wu Yanjun identify which Magic Sect he belonged to and under whose tutelage.

Upon discovering his opponent was also a sorcerer and unable to succeed momentarily, Wu Yanjun withdrew, spitefully warning Fu Xiaoci to keep quiet and not tell anyone about the incident. Else, if he couldn’t eliminate her, he could still deal with her boyfriend.

However, Fu Xiaoci wasn’t the only one who came; besides bringing her boyfriend, her senior brother, Zeng Hongye, was also in Ice and Snow Village. Zeng Hongye had come out to practice in the morning and heard the commotion, so he rushed over and happened to witness the scene.

Zeng Hongye then reprimanded Wu Yanjun, asking if he knew about the latest Joint Punishment Order issued by the Magic Sect’s Hall of Sect Rules, and he wanted to apprehend him on the spot and hand him over to the Hall for punishment!

Wu Yanjun was no match for Zeng Hongye, but the kid was ruthless enough to turn around and jump off a cliff to escape. There was a steep snow slope below the cliff, and he slid down it, even causing a minor avalanche.

The above incident is Fu Xiaoci’s accusation against Wu Yanjun.

Zeng Hongye pursued Wu Yanjun but didn’t return for quite some time. Fu Xiaoci was worried and went back to Ice and Snow Village to find Ye Yuxuan, intending to inquire about her and Wu Yanjun’s background.

Ye Yuxuan was startled upon hearing about the event and revealed her identity with Wu Yanjun, and insisted that the accusations were slanderous and false!

Fu Xiaoci claimed that her senior brother had already gone to capture Wu Yanjun, and when he was brought back, that would be evidence.

Ye Yuxuan was also at a loss and quickly called her father, Ye Hui. Ye Hui then rushed to the nearest airport and arrived in Acheng the same day.

Seeing that her senior brother had not returned and Ye Yuxuan had called her elders, Fu Xiaoci also notified Ji Duqian, a Tier Three Sorcerer from the Heart Plate Sect, who was in Acheng.

Her boyfriend, also a Guest of Fate, gathered with the three to begin debating right and wrong with Ye Hui and his daughter.

Because their accusations against Wu Yanjun were too severe, Ye Hui didn’t want the situation to escalate and planned to first ascertain the truth before discussing anything else. After all, the truth couldn’t rely solely on Fu Xiaoci’s word.

The parties initially discussed the matter at Yimei Talk, and then moved to Acheng.

Fu Xiaoci was using delaying tactics on her side because Zeng Hongye had not yet returned with Wu Yanjun, so the two sides were in a stalemate.

Unbeknownst to Ye Hui and his daughter, Zeng Hongye indeed went to capture Wu Yanjun, but he had no intention of bringing him back. To others, it seemed as if Wu Yanjun ultimately fled in fear of guilt and vanished into the vast forest sea.

However, Fu Xiaoci and her group’s plan was interrupted by Xiao Guangnian.

Being cautious, Xiao Guangnian didn’t come alone; he gathered nearby Magic Sect disciples and obtained authorization from Li Xiuyuan.

As soon as Xiao Guangnian and his group appeared, they took control of both conflicting parties.

At this point, Fu Xiaoci still wouldn’t back down, insisting on her original story. In her view, as long as Wu Yanjun couldn’t return, there would be no evidence to prove the truth.

She even questioned Xiao Guangnian about whom he should trust—her, a Magic Sect disciple of clear background, or that Xiaowu, who once ended up in detention for brawling and whose background was unknown?

This statement was infuriating to Wu Yanjun but held considerable weight in the ears of others!

It was at this time that Li Xiuyuan arrived in Acheng, but before he had the chance to inquire personally, he received a message from He Kao and hastened to Xiaohe Town.

He Kao brought Wu Yanjun to Xiaohe Town and happened to be staying at Second Uncle Xiao Guangnian’s house.

Li Xiuyuan sat at the bedside, waiting for Wu Yanjun to wake up. What Xiaowu didn’t know was that Elder Li, as a Tier Six Illusion Master of the Spirit Awakening Skill, had used his technique to keep him in a semi-conscious state and had already “audited” him once.

After Xiaowu woke up, Elder Li asked him again.

Fu Xiaoci’s one-sided story was unreliable, but as long as Wu Yanjun couldn’t be found, the matter couldn’t be clarified. That was exactly their plan. But who would have thought that Zeng Hongye wouldn’t catch Wu Yanjun, and instead Elder Li was the first to find him.

After spending another night in Xiaohe Town, Wu Yanjun was taken by Elder Li, riding a sleigh pulled by horses. He had quarreled with someone over playing with the sleigh that day, but today he got to enjoy it fully.

Wu Yanjun was freed, but two people were still lost in the freezing wilderness.

Zeng Hongye and the foreign disciple Xiaosi discovered many new traces near the valley over the past two days; for instance, snow prints on a high slope beside their camp indicated that someone had been there.

It seemed that Wu Yanjun had been nearby, discovered them, and had secretly observed from a high place.

Zeng Hongye immediately tracked the marks left by him, confident that he could catch Wu Yanjun quickly. Yet he had searched for two consecutive days, finding traces of his movements but never the person.

This made Zeng Hongye extremely frustrated, swearing that once he caught him, he’d certainly make him suffer! Yet, by this point, the situation had far exceeded the initial expectations, and the orchestrator behind the scenes must be getting impatient.

Zeng Hongye was also in a dilemma; he couldn’t wander aimlessly in the icy wilderness forever, but he absolutely couldn’t let Wu Yanjun have a chance to go back.

At sunrise, he stepped out of the camp and suddenly spotted from afar a wisp of blue smoke rising from the valley ahead, suggesting that someone was making a fire. In such an eerie place, who else could it be but Wu Yanjun?

After circling around so much, they finally caught up! Zeng Hongye and Xiaosi were both tearfully excited, as their days had been extremely arduous.

**

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep