After hesitating for a while, I didn't hug Ye Pianpian, nor did I say anything to comfort her.
I just let her hug me, sobbing in my chest.
Han Wennan heard the commotion and came over. When he saw Ye Pianpian hugging me tightly, he nodded at me expressionlessly. Then, he stood next to me, waiting for Ye Pianpian to vent her emotions.
After a long while, Ye Pianpian finally calmed down and slowly let go of me.
She seemed to have realized that she had lost her composure. She retreated to the side and silently wiped the tears off her face. However, she didn't apologize.
Her behavior reminded me of the cold Ye Pianpian we had met for the first time.
After she calmed down, she invited us into the room to talk.
The decorations in the room weren't much different from the ones we had seen before, but it had a little more fragrance.
After we sat down, she asked us how we had found this place.
I didn't hurry to answer and looked at Han Wennan next to me.
Ye Pianpian seemed to have sensed something from my gaze as she also looked at Han Wennan.
Han Wennan and Ye Pianpian looked at each other for a few seconds. He immediately retracted his gaze and looked elsewhere, his face blushing.
His reaction made me feel helpless. It seemed that it would be difficult to make Han Wennan tell me the truth.
Then, I told Ye Pianpian the whole story.
She didn't change her expression and looked at Han Wennan. Then, she cupped her fists and said, "I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."
Han Wennan was delighted and waved his hand to indicate that it was alright.
He didn't look like he would be able to recover in a short time.
I asked Ye Pianpian what had happened in the past year and emphasized on why she and Ye Maolan had behaved that way when I was in the Glorious State of Consciousness.
Ye Pianpian was straightforward and told me the whole story.
I learned from her that when she had met Ye Maolan at Mount Huang Guanshan, she had learned of Nangong's plan.
Nangong had predicted that I would advance to the Glorious State of Consciousness after the strange phenomenon in the sky.
It was also at that time that the people from the Metaphysics Association would attack me to eliminate me, the so-called remnant of the witch race.
After learning of this, Nangong made a plan to have Ye Pianpian and Ye Maolan put aside their differences and work together to save my life.
As I listened to her narration, I couldn't help but recall what had happened that day. Ye Pianpian and Ye Maolan had clasped their hands in front of me. Then, they had transformed into a half-red, half-white bird. Then, the 'Life' Bright Stone that the old president had given me had suddenly transformed and sucked me in.
Thinking about this, I couldn't help but ask her about the flying bird and the shining stone.
Ye Pianpian shook her head and said that she didn't know about the flying bird. As for the bright stone, Old President Li had never mentioned it to her.
Her words made me think. Back then, the Bright Stone that the old president had given me with the word 'Life' engraved on it suddenly changed at such a crucial moment. It was obvious that the old president had predicted this.
However, I didn't understand why he would save me time and time again when he clearly knew that I had shaman qi in my body. What exactly was his objective?
Ye Pianpian saw that I didn't react, so she continued.
She and Ye Paolan had lost consciousness after transforming into birds.
When she woke up, I was nowhere to be seen. Even Nangong and Ye Maolan were gone.
Only the people from the Metaphysics Association were left to search for me.
After Ye Pianpian woke up, she didn't hurry to find me.
She knew that Nangong must have saved me, so she returned home alone.
After returning home, the old president brought her to the Peng Lai Immortal Region.
At that time, the old president didn't say anything and only sealed her Veins of the Heavens. Ye Pianpian vaguely knew what had happened, so she didn't ask about it.
After listening to her, I didn't understand.
The old president had given me the bright stone and didn't stop Ye Pianpian's actions. This showed his stance.
Perhaps he didn't show up because of his status in the Metaphysics world. I could understand that.
However, why did he bring Ye Pianpian to the Peng Lai Immortal Region?
I pondered over this for a long time. Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.
I understood the old president's intentions.
Back then, Ye Pianpian had ignored the Metaphysics Association's opposition and insisted on saving me.
She was already standing on the opposite side of the Metaphysics Association.
In the eyes of the Metaphysics Association, it was an unforgivable crime to save a survivor of the Witch Tribe.
After this, the Metaphysics Association wouldn't let Ye Pianpian off.
However, Ye Pianpian was President Li's disciple. If the Metaphysics Association wanted to punish her, they had to consider President Li.
However, the old president was also a member of the Metaphysics Association. Although he supported Ye Pianpian's actions, he couldn't do it openly.
However, Ye Pianpian couldn't be handed over to the Metaphysics Association. Left with no choice, the old president brought Ye Pianpian to the Peng Lai Immortal Region.
The Peng Lai Immortal Region was hard to find. Moreover, the barrier outside couldn't be broken by external forces.
Ye Pianpian was indeed very safe here.
Thinking about this, I suddenly understood.
I originally thought that the old president locked Ye Pianpian here to punish her. I didn't expect there to be such a deeper meaning.
Now that I knew the old president's intentions, if I brought Ye Pianpian out, not only would I waste the old man's efforts, but the Metaphysics Association would also notice.
Fortunately, I had an expert like the sacrificial evil spirit with me. In the Metaphysics Association, President Li was probably the only one who could fight against him.
I didn't have to worry about other small fries.
Thinking about this, I told Ye Pianpian to pack up and leave the Peng Lai Immortal Region with us before the white-haired old man noticed.
After hearing my words, Han Wennan immediately stood up and was about to urge Ye Pianpian to leave.
However, to my surprise, Ye Pianpian shook her head and refused us.
Han Wennan and I were shocked to see her like that.
I didn't expect her to make such a decision. Could it be that there was some hidden reason?
Thinking about this, I anxiously asked her if she had any difficulties.
Ye Pianpian didn't respond immediately. After a long silence, she sighed and said, "I know my current situation. If I go out with you, I'll be a burden to you.
Moreover, my master has already warned me that I can't leave the Peng Lai Immortal Region before he returns.
Otherwise, the consequences will be unpredictable. "
Her words made me calm down instantly. It wasn't because I was afraid of being implicated by her.
This matter started because of me, and it was my duty to protect Ye Pianpian.
However, she mentioned that the consequences would be unpredictable. This reminded me of the woman who looked exactly like Ye Pianpian in the Yinxu Royal Mausoleum.
The old president wasn't someone who spoke without thinking. The consequences he mentioned were probably related to this matter.
Understanding this, I gave up on the idea of taking Ye Pianpian with me.
Since she didn't want to leave with us, it was useless to persuade her.
At this time, I didn't need to worry about the old man anymore. It wouldn't hurt to stay here for a while longer.
I didn't mention this matter again. Instead, I told Ye Pianpian about my experiences in the past year.
However, I didn't tell her some key things.
Ye Pianpian didn't interrupt me. She just sat there and listened quietly.
Things would eventually come to an end, so I didn't want to stay any longer. I stood up to bid farewell to Ye Pianpian.
Hearing that I was leaving, Ye Pianpian's throat moved as if she wanted to say something to persuade me to stay. However, she didn't say anything in the end.
She probably knew that I still had a lot of things to do and couldn't stay in the Peng Lai Immortal Region forever.
She walked toward me and moved her hands as if she wanted to hug me.
However, she seemed to realize something and her hands stopped in mid-air. She paused and said, "Take care of yourself."
I nodded and prepared to leave with Han Wennan. Unexpectedly, he shook his head, indicating that he wanted to stay here for a few more days.
He told me that he had instructed the pilot to wait for us at the same place that night, and that he would take us back after we had gotten out of here.
Looking at his appearance, he really didn't want to leave just like that.
Since I couldn't take Ye Pianpian away, it wouldn't hurt to let him stay here for a few more days.
Since he insisted, I didn't try to persuade him.
After today's matter, Ye Pianpian's attitude toward Han Wennan had changed. She didn't want to drive him away.
After thanking Han Wennan, I left the village with the evil sacrificial spirit. However, I didn't plan on leaving the Peng Lai Immortal Region.
Firstly, I wanted to take this opportunity to thoroughly investigate the connection between the Peng Lai Immortal Region and Billowing Waves Mountain.
Secondly, the qilin's whereabouts were still unknown. If I didn't find it, I wouldn't be able to rest easy.
Unexpectedly, we met the white-haired old man again when we left the village.
He had his back to us and was standing not far away with his hands behind his back. It seemed that he was waiting for us.
I was suspicious, but I didn't dare to be negligent. I hurriedly ran to his back and cupped my hands in greeting. "Senior, what can I do for you?"
After hearing my words, the white-haired old man slowly turned around and asked softly, "Did you see your old friend?"
I didn't know why he was doing this. Could it be that he was waiting for me here just to ask about this?
I couldn't figure out the reason, so I told him the truth.
The old man nodded, stroked his beard, and continued to ask, "Are you looking for that beast?"
His words stunned me, but I immediately understood.
The old man should be referring to the qilin. From what he said, did he know where the qilin was?
Or did he capture the qilin?
I pondered. Since he didn't look angry, the qilin probably didn't offend him.
In that case, the old man probably wanted to tell me where the qilin was.
Thinking about this, I hurriedly nodded and asked about the qilin's whereabouts.
Unexpectedly, the old man's face lit up. He waved at me and told me not to look for the qilin as it couldn't leave with me.
After hearing this, I couldn't help but feel puzzled.
I didn't know what the old man's intentions were. Why did he say that the qilin couldn't leave with me? Could it be that he knew the qilin's purpose and wanted to take it for himself?
However, on second thought, the old man was the master of the Peng Lai Immortal Region. If he really wanted to keep the qilin, he didn't have to tell me.
He only needed to hide the qilin. When I felt that there was no hope of finding it, I would leave.