Chapter 40: The Trapped Young Girl
Upon hearing Ying Xuechen say this, the expressions of Lingxiao Sect’s sect master and the others became even more unpleasant.
They knew that what the other party said was true, so they couldn’t even muster a rebuttal.
Such families with a legacy of over a thousand years were the most detestable.
Other families, in order to continue their family glory or legacy, would cultivate their disciples in the same direction, which led to their strength but also left them with shortcomings.
For instance, Lingxiao Sect was the paradise that all alchemists dreamed of, but their combat capability was lacking.
In contrast, the Ying family was truly well-rounded in their development.
Just as Ying Tong and the others were preparing to leave, one elder suddenly thought of something and said, “I heard that a servant disciple has been taking care of the young master’s daily life these days; why not let her leave with you?”
The elder naturally referred to Lin Xian’er.
However, before Ying Tong could refuse, Ying Shaoan had already spoken up to decline, saying, “No need, she only takes care of the daily cleaning; she doesn’t look after my daily life.”
Ying Shaoan remembered Ying Xuechen’s previous words, that staying too long with fools would make one a fool as well, and he didn’t want to become a fool.
The rejected elder sighed deeply.
In the end, amidst the reluctant gazes of everyone, they watched as Ying Tong took Ying Shaoan away.
“In the future, when saving someone, be sure to confirm the person’s identity and talent before deciding how to handle it,” Lingxiao Sect’s sect master said to the peak masters and elders behind him.
Such matters, if they had happened before, would have had someone stand up to oppose.
But after witnessing Ying Shaoan, everyone fell into an eerie silence when faced with the sect master’s command.
*
On the other side, Ying Shaoan expressed his confusion, “It seems like they are really reluctant to part with me. Is my talent really that impressive?”
Ying Xuechen ruffled his hair, “Be more confident. Remove the ‘really,’ and you truly are that impressive.”
After saying this, he looked at Ying Tong and asked, “Venerable, should we send Shaoan back to the Ying family before setting off?”
“No need; take him with you,” Ying Tong replied indifferently.
Three days later.
“This is the passage to the lower realm?”
Looking at the dilapidated formation in front of them, doubt filled Ying Tong’s eyes.
Could this broken formation still be used?
Ying Xuechen scratched his nose, “This formation has been passed down since ancient times. No one has used it for so many years, so naturally, no one has maintained it.”
After all, under normal circumstances, people from below exerted all their strength to climb up, and there were really few who came down from above.
Of course, the main reason was that it was too dangerous.
Everyone knew that ascension was difficult, but little did they realize that descending to the lower realm was a hundred times, a thousand times more difficult.
“What does this teleportation really connect to?” Ying Tong asked.
Ying Xuechen thought for a moment and replied, “It seems to connect to the Longteng Continent. I heard that several hundred years ago, a branch of the Ying family committed a sin by practicing forbidden spells and was exiled to the Longteng Continent. I don’t know how things have developed there now.”
“Because their actions severely violated clan rules and even resulted in the deaths of several clan members, this branch’s members had cursed marks inflicted upon them and were sentenced to never return to the Cangqiong Realm, and their surname was stripped away.”
According to the information from Lu Yi, Ying Xuejian was on the Longteng Continent, which meant she should be a descendant of the exiled Ying family members.
As the formation gradually activated, Ying Xuechen warned the curious Ying Shaoan beside him, “Shaoan, the lower realm is wild and untamed, and your cultivation level is low. You must not stray from my side or the Venerable’s.”
Ying Shaoan nodded seriously, “I understand, Brother Chen. I will stick close to you both.”
At that moment, a circular, unfathomable opening slowly appeared.
Seeing this, Ying Tong stepped forward towards the black hole first, with the other two following closely behind.
In no time, the three figures vanished from sight, and as the black hole disappeared, the light from the formation gradually faded.
“Crack.”
A few faint sounds rang out, and several cracks appeared on the teleportation formation, signaling that this ancient teleportation array was one step closer to being completely rendered useless.
………
Longteng Continent.
Shifang City, Ying Family.
In recent years, the Ying family had been thriving, showing signs of becoming the foremost family in Shifang City.
Everyone found this quite perplexing, as just over a decade ago, the Ying family’s situation had been dire.
The family could only be described as living beyond their means, with their once impressive facade now merely a pretty shell.
However, just as several other families prepared to pounce and divide the Ying family among themselves, the Ying family’s fortunes underwent a dramatic transformation.
First, a genius girl with a heavenly spiritual root emerged, and she was soon taken as a disciple by an elder from the number one sect on the Longteng Continent. This propelled the Ying family to new heights, causing those who had planned to attack them to rethink their strategy.
After that initial breakthrough, the Ying family’s talents began to sprout like bamboo shoots after a rain, with one after another appearing in quick succession.
However, what everyone did not know was that the Ying family’s rise was built upon the suffering of a little girl.
In a dim underground room of the Ying family, a little girl with disheveled hair was locked away. Her clothes were tattered, barely enough to cover her body.
Her exposed skin was covered in various horrible scars, both new and old. The most terrifying of all was a gash that ran from her left forehead all the way down to her right chin, resembling a winding centipede crawling across her face.
In addition, her face was marked with black stripes that seemed to writhe as if alive, moving across the girl’s skin.
Her frail limbs were tightly bound by four thick chains, and her wrists and ankles, worn down over the years, were exposed with stark white bones.
The girl’s eyes were hollow, and although there was no one around her, a voice continually echoed in her ears.
“You helped these people bear the pain brought by the curse, yet they show you no gratitude. Accept me, and I will make them pay. Then, you will no longer have to stay in this cursed place.”
As she listened to the seductive voice, the girl recalled the disdainful looks her family had cast upon her, and for the first time, her heart wavered.
Clearly, she had helped her family endure the backlash of the curse, yet they were unwilling to treat her kindly. No, they didn’t even regard her as human; she was merely a vessel, an object.
“Don’t listen to her. If you really accept her, there will be no turning back.”
Startled, the girl looked up at the shadow approaching her in the dim light.
She thought this person was also coming to hurt her, and her body instinctively trembled slightly.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m here to take you away.”
A gentle voice reached her ears.
For the first time in her memory, she heard such a soft voice.
It was so beautiful.
For the first time, she felt that a person’s voice could be so pleasant to hear.
