Like a Ray in My Night (Part 4)

654 Passing Along News to the Li Ren Sect

While Zhi Guan was worried about his three juniors, one of them arrived at the camp of the Li Ren Sect with his fiance. Originally, the two of them had intended to go to the Jian Chu Sect's camp since it was closer to that of the Zhen Yan Sect but seeing as the Jian Chu Sect was that of blue butterfly, they finally figured it might be better to leave it for later and pretend they had simply traveled up there the normal way. The risk of exposing Luo Lin's ability simply seemed too high.

Even when it came to the Li Ren Sect's camp, the two of them stepped out of the dreamscape a little earlier and traveled the rest of the way on foot. If they were seen, they could bring up the same excuse they had given Elder Fa and it should be somewhat believable.

The camp was located at a large pit that might have been a pond or lake once upon a time. Now, with almost the whole border region devoid of life, none of the water was left, making the area look somewhat eerie. The few houses placed around the edge of the pit deepened the impression as they didn't seem like anyone was living in them at all. Cultivators didn't need many things after all, leaving the houses empty husks.

Exchanging another glance, Luo Lin and Shen Lei finally walked up to a disciple who sat on top of a house at the very edge. It was hard to say whether he was supposed to be a guard of sorts for the camp or if he was simply up there to meditate and further his own cultivation but they had to talk to somebody so grabbing the nearest disciple would also work.

"Excuse me!" Luo Lin called out to the disciple while holding onto Shen Lei's arm.

The disciple opened his eyes and leaned forward, taking a closer look at them. Even though they didn't know, he was indeed the one guarding the camp. He had noticed them coming closer but since they weren't traveling very fast and also seemed to be approaching his direction deliberately, he didn't react before they called out.

Now seeing them and the robe Shen Lei was wearing, he naturally recognized them as disciples of the Teng Yong Sect. Well, the same couldn't be said for Luo Lin who once again hadn't bothered wearing their sect robes but with how they were standing, it was obvious they were a couple.

"News from the Teng Yong Sect?" The disciple jumped down from the roof and nodded at them before motioning inside. "Come on in then. I'll take you to see Elder Diao."

The two of them nodded and followed him quietly.

The disciple glanced behind him as they walked but didn't say anything else. He didn't even bother to check their identities.

Luo Lin who hadn't left the Teng Yong Sect all that much felt a little odd. Usually, shouldn't you take more precautions here in the border region? The Zhen Yan Sect had had disciples guarding the gates around the hill so nobody could sneak inside and he knew that there were regular patrols around the town where their own sect had set up camp. Not knowing if he was missing something, he glanced at his fiance.

Shen Lei smiled and leaned closer, pressing a kiss on Luo Lin's temple. "The Li Ren Sect is well-versed in formations. Chances are there is one below this place that would have alarmed them if we weren't who we pretended to be or would react if we tried to attack somebody."

Luo Lin raised his brows and nodded. He had picked up quite a few skills over the years but they should be better described as odds and ends. When it came to formations, you needed systematic knowledge which he simply didn't have. At most, he could set up a few beginner-level formations and could recognize a few advanced ones but that was about it. He hadn't even known that an array like this would be possible to set up here. He would have figured that with such a big area and so many different people coming and going, it would be impossible to do.

The disciple heard them even though Shen Lei had slightly lowered his voice but he didn't say anything. Formations were something most disciples only picked up in passing in the hope that it could help them every now and then. Just like with refinement, there were only a few who would bother dedicating all their time to it. So really, it wasn't strange that one of them wasn't knowledgeable enough to consider this point.

They soon arrived in front of a house that stood facing the pit.

The disciple stopped in front of it and knocked on the door. "Elder Diao, there are two disciples of the Teng Yong Sect here who'd like to see you."

"Send them in."

The disciple inclined his head and opened the door, motioning for the two of them to walk inside before closing the door behind them and standing to the side, waiting for further instructions from the Elder.

Inside, Diao Huan looked at the two of them and faintly raised his brows when he saw Luo Lin. This person ... he felt like he had seen him before. At the moment, he couldn't put his finger on where though.

Not wanting to bother with the question, he motioned for the two of them to sit down. "Have a seat. I suppose something happened for the Teng Yong Sect to contact us?"

Luo Lin nodded and pulled out Elder Fa's letter. "Yes. It's not just us though. The Zhen Yan Sect also asked us to pass along some news." He didn't mention that they had contacted the Zhen Yan Sect first and simply let it seem like the others had contacted them first and now they were doing them a favor by coming here.

Meanwhile, Elder Diao ... couldn't help but give him a second look. He might not have been able to fully recall the face but he remembered the voice. At that, his lips couldn't help but twitch.