Chapter 166: A Fluttering Heart

A flash of insight crossed Qin Qingxuan’s eyes when she saw Lin Zhan, but she quickly returned to normal. "Oh? Do you know me?"

"Uh..." Lin Zhan scratched his head. That was a close call. At this moment, he was disguised as a disciple of the Green Bamboo Hall. Just now, he had eagerly greeted them using his original identity. Fang Dagang and Lian Ming were fine because they had seen him like that before, but this Qin Qingxuan clearly had not.

"Ah, I heard Brother Fang and Brother Lian mention Senior Sister Qin before, so I recognized you at first glance by intuition," Lin Zhan gave a vague reply.

"Yes, we used to chat with Brother Lin Zhan quite often," Fang Dagang said, unaware of the situation, naturally speaking the truth.

"Oh, is that so? But you come from Blaming Flame Peak. I wonder if you happen to know a junior brother with the same name as you? He is in the Task Hall." Qin Qingxuan parted her rosy lips, her breath as sweet as orchids, her eyes carrying a soft glow as she spoke.

The Lin Zhan before her was not the one she knew originally, yet he felt so familiar and dear.

"Oh, someone with the same name as me? I haven't noticed, because in the Task Hall, we all use code names; we rarely mention our real names. If I go back this time, I'll go and ask around," Lin Zhan answered awkwardly.

Only then did Shui Xinxin pop her head out from behind him, though one hand was still clutching Lin Zhan's robe. She asked, "Do you know all these people?"

Of course he knew them. She knew that well enough, because the very reason Lin Zhan had risked his life to cross the river just now was to rush over and help. It would be a ghost story if he didn't know them.

Shui Xinxin was wise beyond her years. There were two female disciples among the other group, and one of them had even flashed a very pretty smile at Lin Zhan. As the younger sister-in-law, she naturally had to keep a close eye on Lin Zhan on behalf of her sister Yunyin, so she asked deliberately to find out who these people were.

"Hello, little sister. Lin Zhan is a good brother. During the preliminary trials, he saved me and Lian Ming, and Senior Sister Qin Qingxuan here from Floating Shadow Peak was originally our young lady's..." Fang Dagang was the most enthusiastic, naturally stepping forward first to make the introductions.

There were six people left in their team: Qin Qingxuan, along with her senior sister named Zhihui. Besides Fang Dagang and Lian Ming, the other two male disciples were Liu Lang and Fang Tao from Gazing West Peak.

Hearing this, Shui Xinxin put away a bit of her hostility and squeezed out a smile, saying that she and Lin Zhan both came from Blaming Flame Peak. Of course, she wouldn't mention that she was Lin Zhan's sister-in-law, as that would only make a fool of herself.

As for Qin Qingxuan being able to form an alliance with people from Gazing West Peak, Lin Zhan understood it somewhat in his heart. In her situation, she inevitably needed to find people to rely on for mutual assistance; otherwise, a group of female disciples alone would find it hard to survive anywhere. Besides, only those from Gazing West Peak were barely cooperative. As for those from Burying Sword Peak and Heavenly Dipper Peak, they could only be treated as rivals.

Aside from Gu Yuanzhou and Teng Sheng earlier, no other disciples from Blaming Flame Peak had been spotted yet.

At this moment, it was still not the time for reminiscing. Not far away, another group of rivals was watching them like tigers eyeing their prey, and now there was also a strange deep pit, as well as that stone door.

Was this an ordinary tomb chamber or the entrance to a secret realm?

Whichever it was, it would likely attract swarms of people, because danger is inevitably accompanied by countless opportunities and fortune. Any bold person would want to enter such a secret realm entrance.

In this world, those without opportunity die young, closely followed by those who have opportunity but bad luck. Only those with both good luck and opportunity can climb all the way to the top, leaving a legacy that either outlasts them in infamy or echoes through history in glory.

As for the question of entering the stone door, there was clearly a disagreement.

Should the two groups fight a battle before entering? Or enter first and fight after coming out?

"Lin Zhan, what do you think?" Qin Qingxuan looked up at Lin Zhan and asked.

The dark-faced youth before her gave Qin Qingxuan a sense of confidence and tenacity that she had never seen in any disciple of Blaming Flame Peak she had ever met.

Her heart fluttered! Yes, this gave Qin Qingxuan an involuntary flutter of the heart.

Just think, Qin Qingxuan must have grown up in a privileged environment as the clan leader's daughter. Yet, in order for someone in the clan to enter the Blaming Flame Mountain Range, embark on the path of cultivation, and secure generational protection, the entire clan had paid a heavy price. Qin Qingxuan had entered Floating Shadow Peak, but her family members had vanished like smoke.

Aside from Lian Ming and Fang Dagang, the people she knew around her were limited, and of course, there was the original Lin Zhan.

However, towards that original Lin Zhan, feelings of familial and friendly affection predominated. Passing on the Blaming Flame Fist technique was also hoping that someone from her clan could avoid being bullied and make a name for themselves early on, so that she would have an extra source of support in the future.

This current Lin Zhan was not just unfamiliar yet familiar; his gaze, his expression, and the temperament formed by his physical posture instantly overwhelmed her into a daze. It made her, who was usually resourceful and calm in command, think without hesitation that questions like what her next step should be should be discussed with him.

At this moment, she didn't know what was wrong with her or why she had become somewhat flustered. She only felt that she could temporarily heave a sigh of relief, because Lin Zhan was here—this man was here, and everything could be entrusted to him!

That was precisely what Lin Zhan had in mind. When he was watching the battle across the river earlier, he had been eager to rush over sooner. Now that they were safe and sound, the next thing to do was naturally for him to stand at the front.

Thinking of the past, when he would avoid conflict whenever possible out of fear of death, that was because his strength was insufficient. But now, whoever dared to bully Qin Qingxuan again, or bully Fang Dagang and Lian Ming, would first have to get past him.

"Senior Sister Qin, you all take a short rest first. I'll go check out the situation."

Lin Zhan now had every confidence. Whether the opponents were a single person or a whole team, what did it matter if he went in single-handedly? He had lost count of how many times he had wiped out enemy groups entirely.

As soon as Lin Zhan stepped forward, Shui Xinxin naturally followed. Fang Dagang, paying no heed to his previous injuries, also wanted to follow along, but was stopped by Qin Qingxuan.

"Lin Zhan of Blaming Flame Peak. May I ask your names?" Lin Zhan stood at a distance, cupped his fists, and asked in a ringing voice.

"Oh, not bad, so it's Lin Zhan. A pleasure to meet you. Nameless of Heavenly Dipper Peak!" One of the opponents stepped forward, square-faced with thick eyebrows and large eyes, looking honest and straightforward.

Several others also stated their names one after another:

"Xu Mao of Burying Sword Peak!"

"Tuoba Hong of Burying Sword Peak!"

"Cheng Chong of Heavenly Dipper Peak!"

"..."

Lin Zhan secretly admired the opponent's imposing manner. These few people left until the end were obviously very different from the previous lot from Burying Sword Peak; at least they were not so sneaky or secretive.

Perhaps this would allow Lin Zhan, who had constantly been besieged by a pack of wolves, to experience what a proper, upright duel between cultivators was really like. (To be continued.)