"In such a hurry, little brother? Did something happen?" Pei Miaoyin asked, looking at Lin Yun with a playful smile.
Lin Yun frowned. "I fear my enemies have found this place."
Pei Miaoyin gave a charming smile. "No matter. With the wards of Soul-Hooking Valley in place, ordinary people can't possibly get in." She seemed completely unconcerned, even a little disdainful.
Enemies? It wasn't that people hadn't tried to cause trouble in Soul-Hooking Valley before, but how many of them had ever left alive?
"They are a group of sanctimonious hypocrites," Lin Yun warned. "They call themselves a famous and righteous sect, but their actions are worse than those of pigs and dogs."
"And you are only one person…"
Pei Miaoyin cut him off. "Alright, alright, don't worry so much. If someone truly wants to cause trouble in Soul-Hooking Valley, just let them come."
Seeing her nonchalant attitude, Lin Yun could only nod helplessly. "Since you have no fear, then I have nothing more to say. However, for that person to dare to force their way into Soul-Hooking Valley, they must have a foolproof plan."
Xiao Pingtian was a bad person, but he wasn't stupid. Since he knew this was Soul-Hooking Valley and still dared to come, it could only mean he had a way to deal with Pei Miaoyin.
This is bad. Judging by her attitude, she probably doesn't believe me. But I can't let my guard down.
Lin Yun's brow furrowed. His panel hadn't changed yet, so he couldn't be certain what threat Xiao Pingtian posed. Before that happened, all he could do was increase his own strength as much as possible.
After giving Pei Miaoyin a heads-up, Lin Yun turned, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate again.
Pei Miaoyin glanced at him coolly. She had known for a while that there was something strange about this boy. At first, she had even considered killing him. But seeing that he hadn't done anything wrong these past few days, she had dismissed the thought. He was just filled with some resentful energy, that's all. What she never expected, however, was that this boy could actually refine the resentful energy of this place.
"BOOM—"
A massive fireball descended from the sky, smashing directly into the air above Soul-Hooking Valley. But the moment it exploded, it was instantly devoured by a dense, oily green mist.
"Fire! Keep firing!" Xiao Pingtian roared, glaring viciously at the distant valley.
Behind him, a large group of cultivators had gathered. Each of them had a look of righteous indignation on their face. They were the ones who had been captured by Lin Yun and robbed of their treasures and spirit stones. The humiliation was unbearable.
But as they watched the flustered and exasperated Xiao Pingtian, the disciples exchanged uncertain glances. Was this really going to work? This was Soul-Hooking Valley, a notoriously famous location in the Spirit Realm. Anyone with half a brain knew not to come here lightly.
"Senior Brother Xiao, I heard that Soul-Hooking Valley only opens once every half a month. By my calculations, it should be a few more days before it opens!"
Xiao Pingtian clenched his fists, grinding his teeth as he stared at the valley.
Ye Qian looked at him with sympathy. She had also been trailing behind for days as Xiao Pingtian was led on a wild goose chase. That Lin Yun was infuriating, toying with them like this. It was simply intolerable.
"Besides, this is Soul-Hooking Valley. Senior Brother Xiao, are you sure you want to go in?" Ye Qian had heard of how terrifying this place was, and to be honest, she was feeling a bit of dread.
Xiao Pingtian sneered. "It doesn't matter. Soul-Hooking Valley was my destination from the start."
For others, this was not a good place. But for him, it was a land of opportunity.
"When the valley opens, I will let Lin Yun know the price for toying with me!" Xiao Pingtian's fists were clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms.
The days passed one by one.
Lin Yun didn't know what the future held, but his cultivation over the past few days had made his killing intent even stronger. He could now sense killing intent from much farther away.
Pei Miaoyin remained the same as before. The woman seemed completely oblivious to her own danger each day.
In the blink of an eye, it was the day before Soul-Hooking Valley was set to open. Lin Yun brought up the old matter again, hoping Pei Miaoyin would be a little more cautious. After all, their opponent was not to be underestimated. But her attitude was unchanged.
Cautious? In this world, Pei Miaoyin didn't believe there was anyone worthy of her fear. They were just a bunch of trash. Here, in Soul-Hooking Valley, she was invincible.
"You don't need to worry about me so much. The wards inside the valley will open tomorrow. You can just take the opportunity to leave."
After all these days, Pei Miaoyin's attitude and opinion of Lin Yun had changed drastically. At first, she thought he was just putting on an act. But his behavior had been truly surprising; he really was as much of an upright gentleman as he claimed to be. It made her a little incredulous. In all the time she had existed in Soul-Hooking Valley, she had never met a man like him.
Before she transformed into a malevolent ghost, she had sworn to kill every man in the world. But at this moment, she discovered that perhaps not all men were as she had imagined. A man like Lin Yun… he was actually quite interesting.
Lin Yun fell silent and sat to the side, continuing to refine the resentful energy.
When evening fell, Lin Yun looked at Pei Miaoyin. The woman was lying on her bed, propping up her chin and staring at him. When she saw him suddenly open his eyes, a faint blush crept onto her cheeks, and she quickly averted her gaze.
Over the past few days, she no longer presented the same seductive image to Lin Yun. Instead, she had become more like a cute, bashful young woman.
"What are you looking at?" she asked with a playful pout.
Lin Yun sighed. "You know who I am. And just as well, I know that you… are not human."
Pei Miaoyin's smile vanished. "So?"
"Are you going to be like the others and try to exterminate me, an evil spirit?" she asked, her gaze complicated. If she had a choice, she didn't want to fight Lin Yun. But so often in this world, there was no choice.
Lin Yun shook his head. "No. It's just that tomorrow's battle will not be simple. I know Xiao Pingtian's personality. He would never put himself in danger unless he was absolutely certain of victory." He knew better than anyone that while Xiao Pingtian was talented, he was also extremely cautious. For him to dare to force his way into Soul-Hooking Valley, he must have a solution.
"You've said that before," Pei Miaoyin replied, her tone as placid as ever. "This matter has nothing to do with you. What are you worried about?" She shook her head with a smile.
Just then, Lin Yun said something astonishing.
"I know you are a malevolent ghost. I've heard that you have a method of draining Yang energy to supplement your Yin. I… wouldn't be against it. As long as it can help you defeat that guy, I have no problem."
He paused, then added, "Just leave me with my life."
Pei Miaoyin stared in utter shock at the awkward man before her.
After a moment, her laughter, like the tinkling of silver bells, filled the room.