C527 The Two of Us Are Still Fine

After six months, Lee Yu was visibly more gaunt.

His cultivation had reached the middle period of the Veil Breaking Stage, surpassing Yu Yuan.

But...

He was the sole practitioner at the Veil Breaking middle period when he first set foot in the Moonfall Sanctuary.

Back then, Yu Yuan, venturing out of Asvetaesi for the first time to train in the forbidden area, hadn't even attained the Golden Sanctum!

Within the sanctuary, Lee Yu shone as the brightest new star among the Silvermoon Empire's youth, the most luminous of the "Five Moons."

Yet, in just over two years, he had advanced only a minor realm, from the early to the middle period.

Meanwhile, Yu Yuan, Yan Lu, Zhan Tianxiang, Zhao Yafu, and others had undergone transformative breakthroughs, with their statuses undergoing dramatic changes.

Life's fortunes are indeed unpredictable.

The once radiant figure now appeared so forlorn on Celestial Isle.

When Yu Yuan, beaming, stood before him, Lee Yu hesitated, seemingly wanting to sidestep the encounter, to leave it all behind.

"Lee Yu!"

Yu Yuan approached him proactively, quickly closing the distance, and with brotherly affection, slung an arm over his shoulder, pulling him toward the hall where various pills were sold. "What's the matter? Have you hit a bottleneck in your cultivation? Need help from a pill? What grade?"

Without further ado, he led Lee Yu away.

Lee Yu seemed out of his element, his steps faltering.

Even in their harmonious days at the Moonfall Sanctuary, Yu Yuan had never been this cordial.

Especially not now.

Since the empire's renaming and his family's downfall, Lee Yu had weathered many storms on his journey from Asvetaesi to the Sundering Isles, witnessing the fickleness of the world and the true nature of people...

Those who once fawned over him with deference had turned into strangers overnight.

These strangers... they had heaped much humiliation upon him.

Accustomed to pride and detachment, he had gradually become used to rejection, mockery, and even to being targeted and attacked by unknown assailants.

Those who once pleaded for his favor now shunned him like venomous snakes and scorpions. Those who had been allies of the Lee family were the most ruthless in kicking him while he was down.

Yu Yuan, however, did not shy away or distance himself from them. Instead, he sought them out, more warmly and cordially than ever before.

Not a single one remained!

"Who are you?"

Chou Jihai, with his silver hair cascading over his shoulders, locked eyes with Yu Yuan. His sword, previously resting on his shoulder, was now slung across, its hilt angled toward Yu Yuan, emitting a subtle yet unreleased sword's will.

The presence of the sword's will was like a persistent, icy drizzle, piercing to the bone, as if it could infiltrate one's very spirit.

Yu Yuan halted, his steps ceasing as he turned to face the newcomer. "And who might you be?"

"Chou Jihai, of the Silvermoon Empire," the man with silver hair replied, a slight smile on his lips as his dark eyes brimmed with loathing. "The Chou family was once a prominent clan within the empire! At our zenith, we had two Lunar Spirit elders presiding."

His teeth clenched audibly as he spoke.

"In a single night, the Chou family was wiped out! The Silvermoon Queen, with the aid of three sinister specters, eradicated my clan, sparing not even women and children!"

Chou Jihai's eyes blazed with a bloodthirsty light. "As a child, I was fortunate to be overseas, training with my master, and thus I escaped the massacre."

Yu Yuan's expression remained unchanged as he glanced at Lee Yu.

Lee Yu simply stated, "The Chou family had secret dealings with the Crimson Sun Empire."

Yu Yuan nodded, indicating he understood, then with a smile said, "Such occurrences are annual events on the Aetherius Continent. I won't judge whether they're right or wrong. Now that the Lee family has fallen, I can understand your desire for revenge."

Chou Jihai snorted in response, "I've already slain many members of the Lee family!"

Lee Yu spoke up once more, "Many of our kin, foreseeing disaster, fled toward the Boundless Sea. This man intercepted several groups, killing dozens."

"It appears you haven't struck down any key figures," Yu Yuan remarked with a click of his tongue.

"As long as there are members of the Lee family out there, and I know where they are, I won't let them off the hook," Chou Jihai said with a chilling smile. "I've been tracking that female butcher from the Lee family, along with Lee Yu, for quite some time. You were fortunate enough to make it into Celestial Isle last time, but I refuse to believe you'll never leave!"

"What about her?" Yu Yuan asked, surprised.

Lee Yu's gaze darkened, and he remained silent.

"She must still be searching for medicine, right?" Chou Jihai burst into laughter. "That woman was already injured before she encountered me! I compounded her wounds. It was only by risking further damage to her Lunar Spirit that she managed to flee to Celestial Isle! Her injuries aren't the kind that can be healed by ordinary pills!"

Yu Yuan instantly grasped the situation.

He pieced together the likely hardships Lee Yuchan and Lee Yu faced while entering the Sundering Isles, surmising that their journey hadn't been as smooth as his own. Upon arriving at the Sundering Isles, they were probably recognized and, with the downfall of the Lee family known, they faced attacks from many sides.

Lee Yuchan, who had achieved the Lunar Spirit state earlier than Yuan Lianyao, might have been a prominent figure in the empire back in the day. However, in the treacherous waters of the Sundering Isles, near the Land of Quiescence, her Lunar Spirit cultivation level was likely insufficient. Pursued and injured by others, then further wounded by Chou Jihai, their condition upon reaching Celestial Isle must have been dire.

"Alright, alright," Yu Yuan said, giving Lee Yu a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry too much. When I was cultivating in Moonfall Sanctuary and before I returned to the empire, I knew that you and your aunt were looking out for the Yu family in secret."

Lee Yu's lips twitched as if he wanted to speak, but he restrained himself. He wanted to question why Yu Yuan, knowing that he and his aunt had repeatedly aided the Yu family and kept the Su and Lin families at bay, would choose to harm a member of the Lee family in the Forgotten Ruins.

"If you dare to assist them, don't expect to leave Celestial Isle unscathed," Chou Jihai declared coldly.

Yu Yuan flashed a grin and shook his head. "If you knew how I got onto Celestial Isle, you wouldn't be so sure of yourself."

With that, he firmly pulled Lee Yu with him into the hall that sold pills.

Chou Jihai, looking rather displeased, was intent on barging in to stir up trouble.

A deacon, who had been observing from the sidelines for quite some time after gnawing on a large chunk of beef and picking his teeth with a slender bone, noticed Chou Jihai's attempt to intrude and called out languidly, "Chou Jihai, enough is enough. Give it a rest."

Chou Jihai looked bewildered. "Brother Gao?"

He had known this deacon for some time. Whenever he visited Celestial Isle, he would seek him out for a chat and discreetly slip him some soulstones in exchange for insider information.

He believed they had a good rapport, especially since the deacon hadn't intervened when he was previously bothering Lee Yuchan and harassing Lee Yu.

So why the change of heart now?

"Don't put me in a tough spot," the tooth-picking deacon huffed. "Quit your pestering; it's getting you nowhere. That kid, Lee Yu, seems to be on good terms with that guy. You're just embarrassing yourself at this point."

"What do you mean?" Chou Jihai demanded.

"Can't you understand plain English?" The deacon named Gao's face turned frosty, and he dropped all pretenses of politeness. "Chou Jihai, you're out of your league trying to provoke him! Got it now?"

Chou Jihai felt a jolt of alarm and blurted out, "He, he is who?"

"Reflect on what he just said," Deacon Gao grunted, no longer paying him any attention and following Yu Yuan into the pill-selling hall. "If it weren't for the bit of goodwill you've shown in the past, I wouldn't have even bothered to warn you."

Chou Jihai was left dumbfounded.

It was only after the man had been in the hall for quite some time, and Chou Jihai had mulled over Yu Yuan's every word, that he suddenly came to a startling realization, his face draining of color as he gasped, "No way! It couldn't be him, could it?!"

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