When the Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Meets the Unbeatable Protagonist | Chapter 55

Lu Xiaobai felt his mind swirling in chaos, as if he had already separated from his body. It was a feeling of floating without a point of reference. As he drifted, he sensed that he had floated back to the still-intact Yu Qiong Island.

By the sea, he saw a pair of familiar men collapse together. Lu Xiaobai felt he knew them, but he couldn't recall who they were. He watched as the man in black with demonic patterns fell to the ground, dead, and his body gradually began to dissipate.

A pang of pain struck Lu Xiaobai as he thought of something, but before he could ponder it further, he noticed a dark blue-black mark on the back of the man's neck. It was hard to tell what it was, but it certainly had a distinct shape. Once the man's body completely vanished, a pool of black mist remained at the spot, crawling in all directions as if it had legs, branching out like tree roots, complex and densely packed, looking quite terrifying.

This black mist could also speak, clamoring noisily with countless voices echoing in his ears, including those of men, women, and children. Suddenly, it seemed to notice him and surged rapidly in his direction, rushing into his body.

A strong sense of weightlessness and falling hit him, and Lu Xiaobai abruptly opened his eyes, waking up. The sound of waves filled his ears, and when he looked around, he saw the stones and cliffs by the sea—he was still on the island.

After a long while, Lu Xiaobai slowly gathered his thoughts and struggled to move, observing his surroundings. He found himself lying flat on the ground, covered snugly from his feet to his neck, with soft bedding beneath him, not a hint of discomfort at all. He remembered that this was something he had suggested during his last journey with A Ji in the mortal realm when they had to sleep outdoors without finding anyone.

"You said we have storage artifacts that can hold everything, so why not pack blankets, pillows, and quilts? In the future, when we encounter situations like this, we can just lay down comfortably on the ground," he had said. "We can gaze at the Big Dipper, enjoy the scenery around us, listen to the cicadas, and chat with each other until we fall asleep."

"Others say that bitter cultivation can temper one's will, but you really don't want to suffer at all," A Ji had replied.

Lu Xiaobai had confidently said it would definitely come in handy, and now it had! But he hadn't expected A Ji to actually prepare it.

He propped himself up on his arms, twisting his neck to look around, but there was no one in sight.

"…"

When Lin Ji returned with firewood, the makeshift bedding was already empty. He quickly set down the wood and searched around, finally spotting Lu Xiaobai sitting on the rocks by the sea, and his heart finally relaxed.

Lin Ji walked over, "What are you doing? Running around right after waking up!"

Lu Xiaobai enjoyed the sea breeze and turned to look at him, "I just wanted to clear my head."

Lin Ji looked up at him with concern, "You’ve been unconscious for two days and nights; it’s normal for your head to feel foggy. Don’t stay in the wind; what if you catch a cold again?"

Lu Xiaobai smiled and patted the flat rock beside him. Lin Ji paused for a moment, then slowly walked over to sit beside him. Lu Xiaobai shifted slightly, and they leaned back against each other.

Lu Xiaobai rested his head on Lin Ji's shoulder and turned his face to say, "I just wanted to see the sea." And honestly, he didn't have much strength left and wanted to lean on him a bit.

Lin Ji also looked at the sea. Previously, they had been preoccupied with worries and hadn’t carefully appreciated the scenery along the way. Now that the crisis had passed, he gazed at the sea without any burdens and realized how vast and magnificent it truly was.

Not long ago, the two of them had been trapped at sea, and when the waves had thrown them into the water, Lin Ji had drifted with Lu Xiaobai, filled with fear and despair. At that time, his only thought was, what kind of hellish place is this?

Now, sitting together on the shore watching the sea, Lin Ji turned his head to glance at Lu Xiaobai and felt that everything was just fine at this moment. Even if the whole world was fake, as long as the important person was by his side, tangible and visible, that was real. The distinction between reality and illusion didn’t matter so much.

Lin Ji saw clearly, and with a thought, he noticed Lu Xiaobai's hand resting next to his. After some contemplation, his hand slowly moved, gently covering Lu Xiaobai's hand.

Just like that, Lin Ji's heart began to race.

But unexpectedly, Lu Xiaobai seemed to have been scalded and quickly withdrew his hand, hurriedly asking, "I still don’t quite understand what happened on Yu Qiong Island. Can you tell me about it?"

Lin Ji was momentarily taken aback as he looked at his palm. Even if Lu Xiaobai thought it was an accidental touch, there was no need to react like that. They had always been accustomed to not making a big deal out of such things, hadn’t they?

Lin Ji steadied his mind and, following Lu Xiaobai's request, recounted the events of Yu Qiong Island in detail. He lowered his gaze, a hint of harsh regret flashing in his eyes, "It's my fault for not killing them directly, which allowed Mu Yun to release demonic energy, almost causing a major disaster."

At that time, he had been so worried about Lu Xiaobai that he had lost his composure and failed to handle things properly. While healing Lu Xiaobai, he had also seen the palm print on his back, which must have been left by Cang Wuqi—how convenient for him to bury Lu Xiaobai along with the island!

If he had killed those two back then, perhaps some fellow cultivators wouldn’t have been killed by the demonic beasts, and Lu Xiaobai wouldn’t have had to injure himself so severely to turn the tide.

Hearing this, Lu Xiaobai quickly turned around and looked Lin Ji in the eye, "A Ji, this has nothing to do with you. Don’t blame yourself."

"Even if Mu Yun is dead, the demonic energy might still spread."

Lin Ji forced a smile, "How do you know?"

Lu Xiaobai fell silent; he couldn’t exactly say that he seemed to have dreamt about it. After a pause, he changed to comforting words, "Hindsight is 20/20. For things we didn’t know, we’ve done well to get to this point."

"If we’re talking about mistakes, I’ve made mistakes too." After a moment, Lu Xiaobai lowered his gaze, "I always thought the one sealed was a great demon beast that could destroy the island, but it turned out to be the Sea Suppressing Divine Beast."

"Before the Qilin broke the seal, it should have never committed any killings; its blood is what we were looking for. But because of my misunderstanding, when it broke the seal, it had no choice but to kill."

Lu Xiaobai sighed, "My master’s illness has been delayed again; I don’t know when his demonic poison will be resolved."

"Don’t think like that!" Lin Ji quickly countered, "All our speculations are within reason. We’re not immortals; who can predict the unexpected?"

"The poison on my master can always be resolved; we’ll find another opportunity."

At this point, both of them paused, recalling the truths they had exposed to each other.

Lu Xiaobai looked out at the sea and exclaimed, "Hey, isn’t it getting bright? We should hurry back to the sect."

Lin Ji replied, "…It’s getting dark." Didn’t he notice that the sky was gradually darkening?

Lu Xiaobai: "…"

After a moment, Lin Ji suggested they avoid the cliff bottom where the wind was strong and rest for the night, returning to the sect tomorrow. The sea breeze was getting stronger; they shouldn’t risk getting headaches later.

Lin Ji noticed that Lu Xiaobai seemed to have been somewhat resistant to letting him know that he was also a reincarnated person. Even though they had interacted without any issues before, once that barrier was broken, Lu Xiaobai became a bit distant.

Just like at this moment, Lu Xiaobai lowered his head and searched for a while before finding a stick. He propped it on the ground as a cane, intending to use it to support himself as he walked.

Lin Ji felt a pang of worry and simply stepped forward, throwing the stick far away, and wrapped his arms around Lu Xiaobai to help him up, "You’re this weak; weren’t you just leaning on me? Just tell me what you want to do; I’m not dead!"

Lu Xiaobai looked at him for a long time, then chuckled softly, "I just don’t want to look like a useless person. Since you’re helping me, please help me all the way."

Lin Ji almost wanted to cover Lu Xiaobai's mouth. Why did he have to say such ridiculous things, making him feel even more heartbroken?

Not to mention helping him, he had carried him for a long time when he was unconscious before finding a place to shelter from the wind!

Thinking of this, Lin Ji’s ears turned red, and he secretly glanced at Lu Xiaobai—thankfully, he didn’t know; otherwise, with Lu Xiaobai’s strong-willed nature, he might not be so willing.

Lin Ji helped Lu Xiaobai slowly walk back to the cliff, letting him lean back against the original bedding.

Lu Xiaobai casually tidied up a bit and comfortably sat up, "A Ji, you’re quite thoughtful; you even brought a pillow. You’ve watched over me for two days; where are you going to sleep?"

Lin Ji was busy arranging the firewood and paused at this.

After a moment, he looked up, peering through his long eyelashes at Lu Xiaobai, but his tone was quite different from usual, "What do you think?"

Lu Xiaobai: "…"

Lin Ji lowered his head to continue picking up firewood, but a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips, "You understand comfort and enjoyment; do you think I don’t? I can lay down on the bedding I brought; why would I settle for a hard place?" He used to be a rich young master, after all.

Lu Xiaobai was stunned for a moment, then thought of something and suspiciously asked, "But since you’re willing to carry bedding for sleeping on the ground, why did you only bring one set? Can’t we set up two sleeping areas?"

Lin Ji mumbled, "Isn’t it because you soaked in seawater and said you were cold? I had to keep an eye on you, afraid you’d catch a fever?"

Even if… he had some intentional elements in it, so what? After all, Lu Xiaobai was really cold! By the sea, besides the bonfire, he was the only one who could warm him. So, Lin Ji held Lu Xiaobai until his body warmed up.

The two stared at each other, unwilling to back down, and suddenly burst into laughter together.

Lu Xiaobai realized he had been overthinking. Even though they had reached a point where they had to be honest, A Ji seemed to treat him no differently because of his past life. The confrontation he had imagined, even to the point of drawing swords against each other, had not happened at all.

Lin Ji asked, "Are you cold? Do you want to warm up by the fire?"

Lu Xiaobai was lying a bit far from the bonfire, and he smiled, "Sure."

Lin Ji then walked over and helped him up. When their eyes met, it seemed they could hear each other’s heartbeats quickening in sync.

Lin Ji moved Lu Xiaobai a bit closer, still finding him a support point to lean against, so he wouldn’t have to exert himself.

Suddenly, he thought of something he had never considered before and curiously asked while supporting Lu Xiaobai's shoulders, "When did you realize I had returned?"

Lu Xiaobai had to push himself to the limit from time to time, while Lin Ji had always been naturally cultivating and had never revealed any secrets about his past life.

Lu Xiaobai tilted his head and chuckled, "Do you even need to ask? I suspected you the moment we met in this life."

Lin Ji had attacked the people blocking their way with a killing formation, and although Lu Xiaobai had been caught in the middle trying to grab herbs, he had seen it. Thankfully, Lin Ji hadn’t activated the killing formation.

"If I had to say when I was sure, it was when you first entered the sect and tried to strangle me. Tsk, you were so full of killing intent; it was quite intimidating."

Lu Xiaobai now looked at Lin Ji with a smile, but at that time, he had his eyes closed, feeling vigilant and tense, waiting for Lin Ji to strike so he could counter him. Thankfully, he had given up halfway through his murderous intent.

Having never seen his junior brother before, why would he show such deep hatred? The answer was obvious.

Lin Ji: "…"

Uh, so he had exposed himself so early, and those little actions hadn’t escaped Lu Xiaobai’s eyes.

When he had just been reborn, he had indeed been quite extreme, but in this life, after experiencing so much with Lu Xiaobai, his thoughts had completely changed.

At first, he wanted to kill him to replace him, to surpass him and become the supreme righteous path. Now, even ascending had become an illusion. When facing Lu Xiaobai, although his will to compete with him in the future hadn’t diminished, it didn’t hinder their ambition for cultivation.

From now on, there was still something about Lu Xiaobai that Lin Ji wanted to take from him… but it had nothing to do with cultivation strength.

In any case, in both lives, they would be entangled together.

Seeing Lin Ji fall silent, Lu Xiaobai thought he might have hit a nerve and tilted his head to look at him, "You asked me, and if I say it, you can’t get angry, okay?"

"I’m not." Lin Ji replied, "I have another question."

"What do you think of Cang Wuqi and Mu Yun?"

Hearing this, Lu Xiaobai felt a bit disheartened and waved his hand, clicking his tongue, "Why bring them up? What opinion could I have about those two?"

"Aren’t they just selfish people who disregard the lives of others? One still has a conscience, while the other has none."

Lin Ji lowered his gaze, and the most anxious thought in his heart surfaced. After hesitating for a long time, he decided to ask directly, "Since you can’t stand them, then why are you so good to someone like me…?"

Someone like him, who had a notorious past and had done many bad things, how could he catch the eye of Ling Yun Immortal?

"Lin Ji."

Lu Xiaobai’s suddenly serious voice made Lin Ji look up.

Lu Xiaobai stared at him with a serious expression, enunciating each word, "Sometimes, you don’t have to compare yourself to others. What do you mean by someone like you? What’s wrong with you? You’re not like them."

"It’s not just how I see it; it’s a fact."

Lu Xiaobai felt he wasn’t a good person either, but if Lin Ji truly craved blood and slaughter, indiscriminately killing innocents for his revenge, committing cruel acts, and having a notorious past, then even with reincarnation, those facts couldn’t be erased.

In that case, he wouldn’t teach him to turn back, wouldn’t let him enter the Peifeng Sect, and it would be impossible for them to spend time together, or even for him to…

Was he belittling himself or questioning Lin Ji’s judgment?

Lu Xiaobai said firmly, "Lin Ji, you’ve never been that kind of person. Don’t say such demoralizing things to irritate me."

After saying that, he really coughed twice, and Lin Ji quickly helped him ease his breath, but he found it hard to regain his composure.

It turned out that in Lu Xiaobai’s heart, he had never looked down on him.

Lu Xiaobai patted Lin Ji’s shoulder and emphasized again, "You’re not allowed to say such things in the future."

Lin Ji smiled in relief. With Lu Xiaobai’s words, he would have no regrets even if he died.

"Since you require me, I also have to require you; you’re not allowed to recklessly save people anymore."

"They say you can’t feed others until you’re full; I see you’d rather starve yourself to help others!"

Lu Xiaobai propped his chin up, "Where’s the evidence?" He added softly, "I think it’s still within my capabilities."

Sparks from the fire crackled, interrupting their back-and-forth complaints.

The two paused. They suddenly realized that they had said everything that needed to be said.

The atmosphere became slightly stagnant, but it didn’t turn cold; instead, the air seemed to carry a hint of warmth, like the feeling brought by the firelight.

In addition, there was an indescribable ambiguous aura between them.

As they listened to the crackling of the fire, occasionally exchanging glances before looking away, a warm feeling began to rise in their hearts.

Lu Xiaobai casually remarked, "It’s a bit boring."

Lin Ji replied, "What can we do to not be bored?"

"…" Lu Xiaobai looked at him and suddenly had an idea, "The sword is a gentleman's tool; besides fighting, it can also be used for music and dance. I’ve heard that those who can dance with swords, in long sleeves and light robes, move gracefully like flowing clouds, and their movements are particularly beautiful."

Lu Xiaobai raised his hand and shook the wide sleeves of his robe, "Although Yu Qiong Palace is quite ordinary, their clothes are exquisite, especially on you."

"A Ji, you’re good at using a sword, but you might not be good at dancing with one. Are you brave enough to give it a try?"

Although Lu Xiaobai said this, he felt that Lin Ji took sword practice too seriously and might not be willing to use the sword for entertainment. He said it to tease him a bit.

But Lin Ji looked at him with bright eyes, "Sure, why not?"

Lu Xiaobai: "…"

Dancing with a sword, like practicing with one, involved many techniques; it had to be graceful yet powerful, and it needed to look good enough.

Lin Ji recalled Meng Wanqiu’s words and moves, trying to make himself softer and not exude killing intent while dancing.

This was truly his first time dancing with a sword, and he was somewhat at a loss about how to wield the sword and position his hands and feet.

But this awkwardness and clumsiness, in Lu Xiaobai’s eyes, was incredibly charming.

Such a beautiful person, with such a pure heart… anyone who saw it would find it irresistible.

Lu Xiaobai rummaged through his storage bag for a while and found a short flute. He had picked it up from Mu Yun to see if there was anything unusual about it, but it turned out to be just a short flute.

His internal injuries hadn’t healed, so when he blew into it, the sound was a bit intermittent, lacking strength.

It seemed imperfect, but at this moment, in this situation, it couldn’t be better.

After finishing the dance, Lin Ji felt a bit embarrassed, and just as Lu Xiaobai was about to say something, he suddenly clutched his stomach, "Is there anything to eat? I’m hungry."

Lin Ji: "…"

After rummaging for a long time, the supplies they had brought were already scarce, and the seawater had soaked them. When Lu Xiaobai took a bite, he nearly spat it out.

Lin Ji frowned and took it away, "How can you let a patient eat this kind of thing?"

He stood up, "Wait for me."

Lu Xiaobai grabbed him, "You’re not going to catch fish for me at this late hour, are you? Better not."

Lin Ji glanced back at him, "What am I afraid of with spiritual power? Can’t I take care of a patient?"

"Don’t keep calling me a patient." Lu Xiaobai couldn’t persuade him, so he had to let go, "Just be careful."

Lin Ji’s figure gradually disappeared, and Lu Xiaobai leaned back, laughing softly for a long time.

A long-lost female voice suddenly rang in his ear, "What are you laughing about so happily?"

"…"

Oh no, he didn’t know if Lin Ji was in danger; what if he got into trouble!

Lu Xiaobai turned around in shock, "Ah, you remember me? May I ask for your name, miss?"

The beautiful face of the Snake Demon leaned close to him, "How could I forget? Just call me Xuan Hua, dear."

Lu Xiaobai: "…" How did "Xuan" and "Hua" make up a name?

The Snake Demon had regained her spirit. When Lin Ji explained, he had shown her to others and then let her go.

At that time, a day’s deadline was enough for her to escape.

He hadn’t expected her to come back and find them.

Lu Xiaobai leaned against the stone and stood up, retreating while casually saying, "What brings you here, dear?"

Xuan Hua directly dismissed his little action with a cold laugh, "What do you think? You actually reversed the control on me and made me do so many things for you!"

Unfortunately, after the Mind-Disrupting Technique failed, she couldn’t remember what Lu Xiaobai had made her do; she only knew she was injured, her stomach felt full, and she was weak all over! It felt like she had been beaten up!

If Xuan Hua remembered, her anger would only intensify.

But that wasn’t the main point! She couldn’t believe that after years of specializing in charm techniques, she could be instantly countered by someone!

Xuan Hua stepped closer, "It’s been a day; how did you become so weak?"

"Dear, how did you manage to reverse charm me? No, I must charm you again!"

… He had said it was the Mind-Disrupting Technique, not charm!

Upon realizing her intentions, Lu Xiaobai quickly shouted, "You can’t compare to me because your charm technique isn’t well-practiced!"

Xuan Hua’s anger flared even more, "What did you say?!"

Lu Xiaobai replied, "Techniques are just shortcuts; if you haven’t even mastered the basic skills, you can’t walk the shortcut well. Do you want me to teach you?"

Xuan Hua: "…"

Lu Xiaobai had never wished for Lin Ji to return sooner.

He earnestly taught Xuan Hua how to dance and twist seductively, all the while thinking to himself, "Help!"

Xuan Hua danced for a while, looking back expectantly, her eyes nearly spitting fire, "You’re not even looking at me!"

When Lin Ji returned with a stick of fish, what he saw was Xuan Hua forcibly turning Lu Xiaobai’s face to cast her charm technique.

Lu Xiaobai looked at him as if he had been granted a reprieve, "Junior Brother, save me!"

"…"

Lin Ji threw away the stick and coldly smiled at the Snake Demon, "If you want to die, just come to me directly."

Xuan Hua, lacking self-awareness, tried to fight Lin Ji but couldn’t win.

Seeing that the other party was truly angry and wanted to stab her with a sword, Xuan Hua quickly used an illusion technique, transforming into a colorful cloud of smoke and escaping.

Lu Xiaobai let out a huge sigh of relief. He had no strength left and was so shocked that he sat down on the spot.

Lin Ji walked over with a dark expression, helping him up and wrapping his arm around his waist to take him back to the bedding.

Lu Xiaobai saw Lin Ji’s face as grim as a stone and quickly held his face, smiling, "It’s not my fault; you have to believe me."

Lin Ji turned his head, gritting his teeth, "I don’t not believe you."

But he hated the trope of the Dragon Ao Tian!

Lu Xiaobai sighed, knowing he was asking for trouble, "You’re not happy? What should we do?"

After a long while, Lin Ji reluctantly spoke, "You should sleep first."

What else could he do? Just digest it himself.

Lu Xiaobai looked at his smooth profile, the high bridge of his nose, and the drooping brows, his long eyelashes fluttering rapidly as if he were trying to calm his emotions.

Lu Xiaobai suddenly remembered the scene where Lin Ji had danced with a sword for him earlier, and his heart stirred again, giving rise to an impulse.

Lu Xiaobai once again held Lin Ji’s face, "No, you can’t go to bed angry; it’s not good for your health."

"Do you believe I can make you happy in an instant?"

"But you have to obey me."

At the moment Lin Ji’s gaze turned to him, Lu Xiaobai tilted his head, and his lips gently brushed against Lin Ji’s cheek.

He closed his eyes, his heart filled with sincerity.