Chapter Eighty: Delight

In the afterglow of the setting sun, Yang Yan finally let out a long breath as he gazed at the distant, motionless figure. The elegant silhouette seemed tinged with loneliness.

After a while, Sun Zhixin at last turned around, slowly retracing her steps to where she’d started. She crouched on the ground in silence.

Yang Yan felt awkward at the sight, casting a desperate glance into the distance for help, but he saw no sign of Liu Zhenqing and the others. He couldn’t help but curse inwardly, “That guy is unreliable enough on a normal day, and now, at a critical moment, he’s nowhere to be found…”

Yang Yan fidgeted anxiously, neither standing nor sitting, like an ant on a hot pan. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as if he’d grasped a lifeline, and he shot a meaningful glance toward the edge of the forest.

Finally, Liu Zhenqing and his companions emerged, each carrying the carcasses of magical beasts—obviously their spoils from a recent hunt.

Seeing Yang Yan’s predicament, Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. “Who would’ve thought this fearless fellow would lose his nerve before Sun Zhixin? Truly, there’s always someone who can put you in your place…”

Though amused, Liu Zhenqing didn’t ignore Yang Yan’s silent plea for help this time. Carrying two “Phantom Snow Rabbits,” he approached Yang Yan and Sun Zhixin with a bright grin. “You’re in luck today! You’ll have the honor of tasting my culinary skills!”

With that, he and Zhang Lin and Zhang Fei busied themselves, gathering dry branches and flat, smooth stones for a campfire.

Watching the others at work, Sun Zhixin seemed inclined to help. She prepared to ignite the wood with her fire spiritual power.

“Wait, don’t! If we’re going to do this, let’s do it naturally. Food roasted with spiritual power loses its authentic flavor,” Liu Zhenqing interjected before she could act. Under everyone’s gaze, he cheerfully fished two firestones from his pouch and struck them together with a crisp, rhythmic sound.

The campfire flickered in the darkness. With Liu Zhenqing’s group joining in, Yang Yan’s embarrassment and discomfort gradually faded. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a delicate face, alternately illuminated and shadowed by the firelight, and an unprecedented tranquility settled in his heart.

What followed was Liu Zhenqing’s one-man show. With practiced skill, he skinned and cleaned the “Phantom Snow Rabbits,” threaded them onto straight branches, and suspended them over the fire, turning them steadily.

Yang Yan stole a glance; such seemingly ruthless actions didn’t elicit the slightest change in Sun Zhixin’s expression. If it were Ziling, she’d probably be wailing, “How could you eat such a cute rabbit?”

The group sat around the fire, chatting and laughing. Sun Zhixin, too, seemed affected by the atmosphere. Though she spoke little, the icy aloofness that usually masked her face had largely melted away.

Juicy droplets of golden oil fell onto the fire with a sizzle, making the flames dance. The once pale, tender rabbit meat was now a rich, golden brown. Liu Zhenqing, experienced and unhurried, rotated the spit, ensuring the meat was evenly cooked. Waves of delicious aroma wafted through the air, and Yang Yan, Zhang Lin, and Zhang Fei couldn’t help but swallow hungrily.

“Is it done yet?” Yang Yan urged, smacking his lips.

Though their cultivation allowed them to go days without eating, Liu Zhenqing’s barbecue was simply irresistible.

“What’s the rush? Ladies first—don’t you know the rules?” Liu Zhenqing shot Yang Yan a glance, then broke off a rabbit leg and sprinkled it with pale yellow powder from a small jade bottle before handing it to Sun Zhixin.

“Thank you,” she replied, accepting the meat gracefully. She tore off a slender strip and ate with refined composure.

Compared to her elegance, Yang Yan and the Zhang brothers’ eating manners were far less restrained. Under their ravenous assault, a Phantom Snow Rabbit vanished quickly.

Liu Zhenqing could only sigh helplessly and set about preparing the next rabbit.

As laughter and conversation flowed, the group’s camaraderie grew. Yang Yan distributed their recently acquired Soul Hunt points, but Sun Zhixin refused her share. Her points had only been preserved thanks to Yang Yan, and she saw no reason to accept what she hadn’t earned. To her, it would be like accepting charity.

Yang Yan didn’t insist; he understood that this girl had her own pride.

Once the points were divided, the rankings of Yang Yan, Liu Zhenqing, and Sun Zhixin remained unchanged. The pleasant surprise was that Zhang Lin and Zhang Fei had broken into the top hundred. Though at the bottom, it was the first glimmer of hope that Yang Yan could bring them into the Azure Profound Sect.

The two brothers were overjoyed. They’d never dared dream of entering the sect and had thought themselves little more than cannon fodder. They hadn’t expected Yang Yan to take such care of them, helping them into the top hundred with ease. Their respect and gratitude for him only deepened.

“Do you… know where Xu Shaoguang is?” Yang Yan hesitated, finally voicing the question that had been stuck in his throat. He’d noticed the unusual relationship between the Zhang and Xu families earlier, but now, nothing else mattered—Xu Shaoguang had to die!

At his words, Liu Zhenqing and the Zhang brothers paused, a trace of killing intent flashing across their faces. Clearly, they still despised the Xu family’s earlier attempt to assassinate Yang Yan and frame the Liu family.

“I don’t know,” came Sun Zhixin’s calm reply, though her tone lacked its former coldness.

Sensing their suspicion, she explained further, “Before entering the arena, my mother wanted to ally with the Xu family and gave Xu Shaoguang and me each a jade token that could sense the other’s location. But once inside the Hundred Hunt Grounds, I threw mine away…”

She’d heard fragments about the conflict between the Xu and Zhang families—lacking details, but her instincts told her Zhang could be trusted. She’d never understood why her mother chose to cooperate with the Xu family.

“You threw it away…” Yang Yan sighed with regret, but then his gaze sharpened. “After the top hundred rankings appeared, did Xu Shaoguang ever come looking for you?”

“No,” Sun Zhixin replied.

“That’s odd. Even if you’d discarded the token, after the rankings were posted, Xu Shaoguang should have tried to find you—he should’ve arrived long before now. Why hasn’t he shown up?”

“Could it be that the Xu family is plotting something even more sinister?”

A chill ran through Yang Yan’s heart.