As cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.
---
"Such a young girl, with snow-white hair, yet she has a childlike face." Lin Hao was puzzled and sat down, his eyes sizing up the woman. Their faces were almost touching, and a faint, lingering fragrance filled the air.
Suddenly, the woman's phoenix eyes opened, and they met Lin Hao's gaze.
Time seemed to stop as they stared at each other, speechless. Moreover, the position of Lin Hao and the woman was quite intimate. If someone else were to see them, they would surely think they were deeply in love and about to do something...
Lin Hao was the first to regain his senses. Just as he was about to explain, a powerful spiritual pressure erupted from the woman!
With a loud boom, Lin Hao was sent flying like a broken kite, nearly collapsing the cave. Debris rained down from the cave walls, and Lin Hao left a deep indentation in the stone before crashing to the ground.
At this moment, Lin Hao's internal energy was surging, his face alternating between deathly pale and blood red. His true qi was almost scattered, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his body enduring immense pain.
If it weren't for the overwhelming power of the "Heavenly Gang Divine Technique" that greatly enhanced his physical strength, Lin Hao would have been torn to pieces.
Swish!
The woman stood up, a red figure flashing as she donned the luxurious red robe that had been lying on the ground. She stared at Lin Hao, her beautiful face expressionless, even her phoenix eyes were cold and unfeeling!
"This woman is so ruthless!" Lin Hao, without showing any emotion, used silver needles to seal several major acupoints, quickly stopping his injuries.
Although Lin Hao tried to explain, the woman in the red robe remained expressionless. She was extremely proud and cold, so cold that she didn't even have the desire to speak.
With Lin Hao's current level of insight, he couldn't gauge the woman's depth, but he was certain that she was very strong, perhaps even stronger than the top experts of the four major families in Flowing Cloud City.
How could such a powerful person appear in the Heavenly Swinging Mountains... and be seriously injured?
Lin Hao's medical skills were unparalleled, and his judgment was very sharp. He could tell that the woman was seriously injured. If he hadn't appeared suddenly, she might not have woken up so quickly, and her healing would have taken longer.
"Trouble..." Lin Hao's brows furrowed deeply. He clearly saw a glint of killing intent in the woman's phoenix eyes; she had decided to kill him!
Lin Hao knew that such a woman, incredibly proud and cold, would not even bother to speak, especially to a warrior who had only reached the second level of the Earth Gate. Normally, she might not even spare him a glance.
No matter how he tried to explain, he had seen her body, and there was no way to explain it. From the killing intent in her eyes, Lin Hao knew it was pointless to waste words.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Lin Hao unleashed all his strength, his feet stomping the ground, causing the entire cave to shake. Two deep grooves were left in the ground, forcefully created by Lin Hao's immense force.
The "Heavenly Gang Divine Technique" and the "Cloud Wind Step" were both pushed to their limits. At this moment, Lin Hao's movements lacked the graceful and ethereal elegance, instead exuding a boundless sense of power. It was as if an ancient giant was running through the mountains.
Rumble!
Wherever Lin Hao went, the ground crumbled, leaving deep footprints.
"Why must you be so ruthless? I only entered the cave to avoid the beast tide." Lin Hao felt the wind behind him, knowing the woman was chasing him, and shouted loudly.
The woman in the red robe said nothing, her speed being dozens of times faster than Lin Hao's. In the blink of an eye, she had blocked his path.
At this moment, a woman more beautiful and graceful than a fairy in a painting stood in front of a young boy carrying a three-tailed demon cat on his shoulder. The boy looked no more than thirteen or fourteen, with a youthful and innocent face.
The beast tide was still ongoing, but on a much smaller scale. The two high-level fierce beasts had disappeared, and the remaining beasts and fierce beasts seemed to be intimidated by the woman's terrifying aura, not daring to approach.
...
"Big sister, what do you mean? You already injured me, and now you're chasing me to kill me?" Lin Hao, with no way to retreat, had a sudden idea. He knew that confronting her directly would be suicide, so he decided to play it smart.
Lin Hao's calm and wise demeanor was gone, replaced by innocence and fear.
After all, he was only fourteen years old. With his youthful innocence, he could easily pass for twelve.
Seeing this, the woman in the red robe was slightly puzzled. She spoke for the first time, her voice like the song of a spiritual bird, incredibly beautiful: "How old are you?"
"Twelve!" Lin Hao replied without hesitation.
"Twelve years old, at this age..." The woman's ice-cold and proud face softened slightly.
Indeed, at twelve years old, what evil thoughts could one have? He was just a child.
Lin Hao pretended to wipe his nose, as if he had a runny nose. His face was full of innocence, his large eyes clear and pure, like a blank sheet of paper.
The woman's face turned slightly red. She hadn't thought much about it before. After being seriously injured, she had hidden in the cave to heal, afraid that the spiritual energy would not be able to dissipate through her clothes, so she had only worn a thin veil. She hadn't expected to open her eyes and see a man staring at her body.
Now, she carefully examined Lin Hao. He was dirty, with an innocent and guiltless face, and a fierce beast on his shoulder. Even in a life-or-death situation, he hadn't abandoned his prize. If it were an adult warrior, who would carry a fierce beast while fleeing? Only a naive child would do that.
"Really only twelve years old?" The woman was puzzled. She looked at the three-tailed demon cat on Lin Hao's shoulder, which seemed to be a common elite-level fierce beast. Could a twelve-year-old child have such great abilities?
"Yes." Lin Hao 'shyly' smiled, seeing the woman staring at the three-tailed demon cat. He took a few steps back: "This is mine!"
Seeing this, the last bit of doubt in the woman's heart disappeared.
At this point, the young boy still thought she was going to take his 'prey,' and he couldn't help but be speechless.
The woman in the red robe shook her head. She shouldn't have attacked a child.
"Little brother, what's your name?" The woman's icy face rarely showed a gentle smile.
This smile was so enchanting, it could make one's soul leave their body.
"My name is Lin Hao, the 'Lin' in 'a large forest where all kinds of birds live,' and the 'Hao' in 'upright and righteous spirit'!" Lin Hao wasn't captivated by her beauty, his eyes remaining pure.
"The 'Lin' in 'a large forest where all kinds of birds live'..." The woman couldn't help but laugh. This little rascal was quite cute.
"Why were you staring at me earlier?" The woman in the red robe was completely at ease with Lin Hao. She could confirm that he was just an innocent child, with no desires or understanding of such things, unlike adult men.
"The cave was dark, and I thought it was a ghost. When I got closer, I saw it was a person. Sister, you're so beautiful, I wanted to look at you more, but then you injured me." Lin Hao sounded 'wronged.'
The woman in the red robe thought Lin Hao was just a child's innocent words. She stepped forward to check his injuries, but Lin Hao quickly backed away: "This fierce beast is mine. If you need money, I can share some with you, but you can't take it. Otherwise, even if I can't beat you, I'll still fight. My father said a good man doesn't fight with women, so you shouldn't take it."
Hearing this, the woman in the red robe smiled lightly. At this point, the young boy still thought she was going to take his fierce beast.
"I don't want it. Come over and let me see your injuries." The woman's face was gentle, and she even waved at Lin Hao.
Lin Hao 'cautiously' walked toward the woman, seemingly believing her words.
The woman's jade hand held Lin Hao's dirty 'claw.' After a moment, her expression became strange. Even if she were seriously injured, her aura could kill third or fourth-level Earth Gate warriors, but a second-level Earth Gate warrior would certainly die.
However, this young boy's pulse, though damaged, was not seriously injured.
"Big sister is really beautiful." Lin Hao, almost hugging the woman, smiled foolishly.
The woman in the red robe also smiled lightly, not taking a child's words seriously.
"This is a gift from sister." A snow-white pill appeared in the woman's hand, which she gave to Lin Hao as compensation.
"Return True Pill..." Lin Hao recognized the pill at a glance. The 'Return True Pill' came from the sect world and was worth at least a million silver taels. It was extremely beneficial for enhancing and consolidating one's realm, especially for the second and third levels of the Earth Gate. For higher realms, it could only be used to consolidate cultivation.
"Thank you, big sister. What's your name?" Lin Hao didn't hesitate, putting the pill away. He was currently in dire need of such a treasure.
"Gu Qingyou." The woman in the red robe said.
"Gu Qingyou, what a cold name, not as good as my Lin Hao." Lin Hao said 'proudly.'
Gu Qingyou smiled, looking at the young boy who had seen her entire body. She felt no hatred, but rather a sense of affection. Such a young boy, innocent and pure like a blank sheet of paper.
"Qingyou sister, where do you live? I can take you home." Lin Hao said.
"I live far away." Gu Qingyou shook her head.
"I need to go home. I have to get up early tomorrow for a competition." Lin Hao adjusted the three-tailed demon cat on his shoulder, not wanting to stay any longer.
Before Gu Qingyou could speak, her expression suddenly changed, looking forward.
Even Lin Hao felt an extremely powerful pressure approaching quickly.
Whoosh!
A figure, like a phantom, appeared.
"Someone from the demon race?" Lin Hao looked at the newcomer, who resembled a mummy, as if all the life had been drained from him and he had been left to dry in the sun.
"Hehe... Fairy, we meet again." The mummy stared at Gu Qingyou for a long time, then laughed coldly after realizing she was still seriously injured.
"Remnant of the Heavenly Demon Hall, are you alone?" Gu Qingyou's beautiful phoenix eyes swept the surroundings.
"Hehehehe... Qingyou Fairy, you have been severely injured by the leader. Your current strength is enough for me to deal with you." The mummy was unconcerned, about to say more, but then noticed the young boy standing next to Qingyou.
"Good... very strong true blood. Sucking this young boy's blood can restore some of my power." The mummy licked his lips, his face twisted, looking at Lin Hao as if he were a delicious meal.