The two of them spent the entire day searching for Lin Yun; unfortunately, they never found her.
By the time it was almost night, Lin Wan grabbed Yang Ze before heading to her house. Since the young lady didn't want to be found, there was nothing they could do. She, for once, understood what Lin Yue was going through.
Walking back home, her head was filled with innumerable ideas on how to punish this little bastard. From the innumerable books and stories that she had read and heard since her childhood, she already had a rough idea.
By the time the two of them reached their destination, it was already night.
Looking at the quiet pavilion in front of him that was located far away from the masses, Yang Ze finally breathed in relief. Only he knew what kind of torture it was to keep wearing this thick cloth the entire day under that scorching hot sun. Now that he was finally back, he could take off this damn thing.
And just when he was about to remove it and breathe in some fresh air, Lin Wan stopped him.
"Huh!?" Looking at the woman beside him with an annoyed face, Yang Ze was about to say something when he too followed her gaze, only to see the figure of Lin Yun sitting there quietly.
"Young Lady?" Leaving behind Yang Ze, Lin Wan stepped forward and finally stood in front of Lin Yue. "Are you okay?"
"...." Lin Yue didn't give an immediate reply, but her eyes were in a daze as she looked at the starry sky above her.
"Young lady..." Lin Wan called out again, but this time, a bit worried. She was afraid that this loss was a huge blow to Lin Yue's pride.
"....." Lin Yue finally came out of her trance as she looked at Lin Wan first, then at the boy standing there with his face covered.
Sensing her mood, Lin Wan signalled Yang Ze to go into his room.
Yang Ze just nodded in response before heading inside his room and locking the door.
It wasn't until a few more minutes had passed that Lin Yue finally spoke.
"What? Are you worried about me?" There was a hint of self-mockery in her voice as if laughing at her own state.
"Yes." Lin Wan nodded in response. Lin Yue was the closest to a family member she had. In her heart, she was like a younger sister whom she had lost a long time ago.
"Don't be..." Lin Yue spoke softly as her eyes gazed deeply at the stars above her.
Lin Wan stood there in silence for a few seconds before walking near Lin Yue and sitting behind her, facing the opposite direction. With her back touching hers, the two of their bodies supported each other as they just sat there in silence.
One minute passed...
Five minutes passed...
Thirty minutes passed...
It wasn't until almost an hour had passed that Lin Wan spoke, breaking the silence between them.
"How are you feeling?"
"Heh." Lin Yue just let out a hollow laugh, "If by feeling, you mean losing to that wench in front of everyone, then I am doing absolutely fine."
"Victory and defeat are the sides of the same coin. Today, it was you who lost; tomorrow, it will be her. There is no such thing as absolute." Lin Wan spoke in a soft voice, gently consoling Lin Yue.
"Easy for you to say." Lin Yue let out a sneer, "You weren't the one who got humiliated in front of an entire crowd."
"Is that why you asked me to take your place in the competition?"
The moment Lin Wan asked this question, Lin Yue shut her eyes.
"Is that what you think?" She asked in a soft voice. Even though she appeared calm on the surface, if one were to look carefully, they would see her eyelashes trembling.
"I don't." Lin Wan shook her head in response. "But why did you participate in the grand competition when I agreed to your request?"
This was what she couldn't understand. Lin Yue came with such an elaborate plan and even ambushed her at such an embarrassing moment, and yet... when the competition actually started, she went by herself. If she wanted to participate in the competition, why go through so much trouble?
"....." Even though there were a million words that she wanted to speak, Lin Yue stayed quiet.
"Forget it." How could Lin Wan not understand that she didn't want to talk about those matters? Thinking about it, her mind couldn't help but flash the memories of their meeting with her mother. It didn't take a genius to guess that she did it all out of spite, and upon seeing the indifference of her mother, she decided to participate in anger.
The two of them sat like that in silence for a long time.
Inside the room, Yang Ze, who was still dreading his upcoming fate, couldn't help but yawn when Lin Wan didn't arrive. And after waiting for her for a few hours, he just gave up and went to sleep. As for what the two of them were talking about... he had no interest in it.
Outside, while Lin Yue and Lin Wan were sitting in silence, they heard the footsteps of another person, slowly coming towards them.
"Huh!?" Both of them simultaneously raised their heads to look at the newcomer, only to see an old woman in her late seventies.
"Third Elder?" Both of them stood up in response before giving her a polite bow.
"No need." The old woman just shook her head before gazing deeply at Lin Wan.
Unlike before, when she would feel pressure from their gaze, Lin Wan didn't feel anything. She just stood there in silence, observing the old woman.
"Marvellous." It wasn't until a few moments passed that the old woman broke out in a smile. "To think that there was someone else who managed to step into the Vein Expansion realm before the age of fifty and that too without any external resources..."
The more she looked at Lin Wan, the more satisfied she became. Now their family have two youngsters below the age of fifty who have managed to step into Vein Expansion.
One has to understand that even the rest of the three major families have only one of their Young Ladies in this realm. After all, the resources required to step into the Vein Expansion realm were no joke. Not to mention the resources required to progress further. Even in large cities that were a thousand times larger than this Yuyang town and large sects, it wasn't so easy to get resources to step into the Vein Expansion realm.
"First, accept my congratulations." With a smile, she took off a few bottles of pills before handing them to Lin Wan, who gracefully accepted them.
"Thank you." After thanking her, Lin Wan asked, "What brings you here?"
She wasn't naive enough to think that an elder of the Lin family would show up this late just to congratulate her.
And sure enough, the old woman's next words confirmed it.
"Since you have stepped into the Vein Expansion realm, there is something that needs your help."
"What is it?" This time, it was Lin Yue who stepped in front of Lin Wan before asking this question.
"...." The third elder first deeply gazed at the young lady before shaking her head with a smile. "Nothing too serious. Usually, it is the duty of the fourth elder, but because she was injured, it fell upon you."
Without waiting for them to respond, she continued, "You just need to escort the Lin family's caravans to Feiyang city."
The moment she finished speaking, Lin Yue almost flew into a rage. "Have you lost your goddamn mind?"
"There are reports of bandit kings and beast kings roaming the area. Do you seriously think that someone who just stepped into the Vein Expansion realm could take them on?"
"Old fart, have you truly gone insane?"
Listening to her unstoppable insults, the third elder's eyes twitched as she tried her best to control her anger. But the pulsing vein on her temple betrayed her.
"Absolutely not." Lin Yue immediately refused on behalf of Lin Wan. What a joke... This was a death sentence. Wanting her to escort the caravan was no less than a suicide mission. How could she allow it? Especially when the person in danger is her dear sister?
"We don't need your opinion, Young Miss." Gritting her teeth, the third elder forced a smile upon her face before speaking further, "The decision has already been made. I am just here to inform."
"The caravan will leave tomorrow. Please be ready." She didn't even ask Lin Wan's opinion before ordering her.
Turning around, she began to walk away, completely ignoring the troubled face of Lin Wan as well as the angry Lin Yue, who would have jumped to fight her if not for Lin Wan holding her back.
"Oh! I almost forgot." The old woman stopped halfway before speaking again. "It is the order of the Matriarch, and if you managed to complete this task, she will tell you about the people who attacked your family."
*BOOOOOM
The moment she finished speaking, Lin Wan felt an explosion in her mind. For a moment, her entire body went stiff. It was such shocking news that she even forgot to breathe. She couldn't even process this information as her mind stopped working.
It took a moment for her to come back to her senses, and when she did, she immediately looked in the direction of the third elder only to see her gone.
"This... this..." No matter how she tried, she couldn't stay calm. She had been desperately trying to find the clue about the people who murdered her entire family to no avail. And now she suddenly had a clue... How could she stay calm?
"Wait. Calm down, Wan'er." Lin Yue held her hand while speaking further, "There is no need to put yourself in danger for such a thing. I will talk to my mother. You don't need to embark on such a stupid mission."
But the more she tried, the harder it was for Lin Wan to calm down. After two decades, there was finally a chance to get her revenge... How could she give it up?
Shaking her head, she immediately turned around and headed to her room to make some preparations before departure. After packing a few essential items, she licked her lips.
"What did I forget?" Just when she was wondering what she had forgotten, the image of Yang Ze flashed past her eyes as she almost flew in range.
"That's right... that bastard." Thinking about how he pressed her head and forced her to swallow that thing, she gritted her teeth in anger.
She wouldn't have been so angry if swallowing that damned thing had increased her cultivation. But no... Swallowing it did no good.
"Good... good... good." With a sneer, she directly walked into Yang Ze's room. Looking at his sleeping figure, who had a satisfied smile on, she took a deep breath and gave him a kick in the buttocks.
"WHAT THE FUCK?" Yang Ze, who was kicked out of bed, immediately flew into rage and even wanted to throw a punch, but upon seeing the smiling face of the devil in front of him, he swallowed all his anger before letting out a smile that was uglier than crying.
"This... What... what's going on?"
Looking at the forceful smile that was out of place on his otherworldly face, Lin Wan let out a sneer before speaking in a cold voice.
"Pack up, you are coming with me on an escort mission."
Without waiting for him to reply, she just turned around and left the room, leaving behind the figure of a young boy who was still trying to understand what had just happened...