Chapter 96: What’s Wrong with Boss Bai?

After gathering everything from the treasure vault, Bai Feiyu bent over, gasping for breath as the injuries throughout his body finally erupted all at once.

In the battle against the sect master of the Cloudridge Sect, he had not suffered any fatal wounds, but in truth he was practically as good as crippled.

Once the fighting was over, Bai Feiyu began to reflect on life, and to weigh the gains and losses of this battle.

Truth be told, if not for the system within him, he would likely have had no chance at all of turning the situation around. He would have been crushed to death by the Cloudridge Sect master without the slightest room to resist.

Though he had won in the end, a lingering fear remained in his heart.

After all, this had been a narrow victory.

Even now, having defeated the Cloudridge Sect master, Bai Feiyu found himself forced to look back on everything once more.

For the first time in his life, he had been driven into a peril so desperate it seemed nearly impossible to resolve. Though he had won by a hair’s breadth, he had also nearly been buried here forever. Had he not prevailed, then everything would have been rewritten.

He thought of many things. At last, he felt that although he had indeed won, he had also lost.

Then Bai Feiyu rose to his feet and began walking toward the Voidfall Sect.

.........

Several dozen days later.

Within the vast grounds of the Voidfall Sect, everything seemed no different from any ordinary day. On this day, three disciples of the Voidfall Sect supported one another as they made their way back into the sect.

They were Yang Fan, Qian Shuang, and Shi Yuan.

After fleeing Cloudridge City, the three of them had followed the mountain paths all the way, running for their lives and exhausting nearly every last bit of strength they had.

And they were not only afraid of being overtaken by the Cloudridge Sect master; they were even more worried for Bai Feiyu’s life and safety.

During the earlier battle, the communication jade slips they carried had already been shattered by the Cloudridge Sect master. His aim had been to prevent them from contacting the sect. So, in order to let the sect learn the news as soon as possible and rush to rescue Bai Feiyu, the three of them had practically crossed mountains and forded rivers the whole way, ceaselessly pushing themselves to the limit, with no time at all to recover their strength or their injuries.

After reaching the sect, Qian Shuang was the first to run out of strength. She staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground, her vision going black as her whole body began to spin.

Yang Fan and Shi Yuan were no better off.

Along the way, Qian Shuang had been the weakest among them. Every time the two of them recalled the tragic scene of Bai Feiyu from before, their hearts ached terribly, and they were determined to bring her back safely no matter what.

By now, a conviction had taken shape within them: if they failed to bring Qian Shuang back, they would never forgive themselves. Even if they had to give everything, they would still deliver the woman Bai Feiyu loved back in safety.

"Senior Brother Yang Fan? Senior Brother Shi Yuan? Senior Sister Qian Shuang?"

Just as the three of them stepped into the inner sect, several disciples nearby looked over at them in surprise.

These disciples were none other than the brothers from Bai Feiyu’s dormitory.

After rising into the inner sect, these men had basically reached the end of their cultivation path, so most of the time they had little to do. Still, they had listened to Bai Feiyu’s words and no longer behaved as they once had. Instead, they had truly begun contributing to the sect. Wherever help was needed, wherever tasks required inner sect disciples of their cultivation level, they would rush forward without asking for reward.

They did it to prove they could truly provide value, and not merely occupy the place of inner sect disciples.

Because of that, these brothers had a fairly good reputation in the inner sect. After all, they had once been ruffians, quick-witted and capable, and most importantly, they were sincere now, truly wanting to contribute. This had greatly improved the opinions of those who had once been displeased with them, wondering why these fellows, by sheer luck, had managed to become inner sect disciples alongside themselves.

So when those people saw Yang Fan, Shi Yuan, and Qian Shuang, they immediately rushed over to help.

After all, these three were all members of the Heaven Ranking, each one a famed figure in his own right. Everyone knew Qian Shuang; rumors said she had some connection with their Boss Bai. It seemed that Bai Feiyu had first risen because of her support. As for Yang Fan, he was even more familiar—Bai Feiyu’s newly accepted younger brother, though no one had yet had the chance to meet him personally, they at least knew who he was.

Shi Yuan was less familiar by comparison, but he was still a powerhouse on the Heaven Ranking. How could they possibly not know him?

Their own people!

Seeing their own people injured, the brothers from the dormitory immediately rushed forward to support Yang Fan and the others, asking anxiously:

"Senior Brother Yang Fan, I heard our Boss Bai went out with you to carry out a mission."

"How did the mission go? Why didn’t our Boss Bai come back with you? And why are you injured?"

The brothers in the dormitory were extremely concerned, and upon seeing them, Yang Fan was also stunned.

He was not especially familiar with Bai Feiyu. They had only just met before being sent out together on a mission, so he knew very little about Bai Feiyu’s friends.

"You are...?"

"They’re Bai Feiyu’s brothers. They used to share a dormitory with him back when they were in the outer sect. The reason they were able to rise into the inner sect was entirely because of Bai Feiyu," Qian Shuang said breathlessly. Compared with Yang Fan, she knew more about Bai Feiyu’s brothers.

"You’re Bai Feiyu’s brothers?"

Yang Fan was shocked when he heard this. The moment Bai Feiyu’s name was mentioned, pain filled his face.

His mind was full of the tragic moment from before, and even now, recalling it made his chest ache.

At that moment, Yang Fan looked at the brothers in the dormitory. Their cultivation levels were not high, and one could tell from their age that they were the sort of disciples with truly poor aptitude, the kind who would normally have no chance of entering the inner sect.

And yet, because they were Bai Feiyu’s brothers, after Bai Feiyu himself became an inner sect disciple, he had gone to every possible length to ensure that these old brothers, not a single one left behind, all rose into the inner sect as well.

In an instant, Bai Feiyu’s image rose even higher in Yang Fan’s heart. His eyes reddened.

Such a good person—how could he be so unlucky as to encounter the Cloudridge Sect master?

He was such a peerless genius. How could heaven bear to let him be cut down?

Soon, even Shi Yuan’s eyes had turned red, and all that remained on his face was grief.

"What happened? What happened to our Boss Bai? Yang Fan, say something!"

Sensing that something was wrong, the brothers all felt a bad premonition rise in their hearts. At once, they asked anxiously:

.........