Chapter 604 520: "Brother Pei, why do you want to leave this place... Is it because Jin'Er did something wrong?

"Brother Pei, look what I found!"

"A Spirit Fruit, untainted by Demonic Qi! Here, you eat it!"

Pei Yuhang pulled his gaze from the heavy black clouds in the distance and offered Nangong Jin a gentle smile.

"You should have some too, Jin'Er. I won't eat it if you don't. We'll share it, half and half."

"Mmm, alright then... But we have to share it like *this*."

As Nangong Jin spoke, she held the small Spirit Fruit between her pearly teeth, her beautiful eyes shimmering with anticipation as she gestured for Pei Yuhang to take a bite from the other side.

Seeing this, Pei Yuhang immediately felt a little embarrassed.

But then he thought about how much courage it must have taken for Jin'Er to do something so bashful. If he didn't respond, wouldn't he break her heart?

So, Pei Yuhang closed his eyes and leaned in...

One half for him, one half for her.

The sweet and sour juice of the Spirit Fruit flowed between their lips and teeth, down their throats.

After eating the Spirit Fruit, Pei Yuhang and Nangong Jin sat facing each other, refining the Spiritual Object within their bodies into precious Spiritual Qi.

A moment later, Nangong Jin opened her eyes. Looking at Pei Yuhang, who was still cultivating with his eyes closed, she suddenly noticed a drop of the Spirit Fruit's juice lingering at the corner of his mouth.

'Can't let that go to waste.'

So, Nangong Jin knelt on the ground, leaned over, and licked it off like a puppy.

Pei Yuhang suddenly felt a tickle and woke up.

Seeing Nangong Jin smiling at him so gleefully, Pei Yuhang rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked out of the cave at the gloomy sky. "Jin'Er... it's been getting colder recently."

"I have a very familiar feeling... It's going to snow."

As Pei Yuhang spoke, he lowered his gaze, his heart filling with a sense of reminiscence.

He could feel that snow was not something unfamiliar to him.

It seemed as if the place where he used to live often had snow.

Out of curiosity, he had asked Jin'Er about this before, but Nangong Jin had only given a vague reply: "The place we used to live did get a lot of snow..."

"Is Brother Pei worried that the heavy snow will seal off the mountain?"

Nangong Jin chuckled softly. She shifted her body gracefully, the rustle of her clothes the only sound as her rounded hips subtly pressed against Pei Yuhang's side.

"Don't worry. I recently found a Demon Bear's den. I'll take its hide and make a thick leather coat for both of us.

"As Cultivators, we can survive for years through Fasting. As long as we can handle the icy cold and dampness of the Endless Sea, the snow sealing the mountain won't affect us much."

Nangong Jin said softly, hoping to dispel Pei Yuhang's doubts.

Pei Yuhang's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He slowly turned his head. The flickering light from the bonfire cast shadows of varying depths across his chiseled profile.

"Jin'Er, that's not what I meant..."

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice grew deeper. "I mean..."

"Don't you want to go back to living in the city with me?"

Pei Yuhang suddenly looked directly into Nangong Jin's eyes, his gaze burning with a mix of anticipation and excitement.

"I'm feeling much better now, I can move around... If we don't get ready to leave before the snow blocks the mountain, it will be even harder to get out later!

"Come back to the city with me, Jin'Er!"

Nangong Jin, who had been snuggled up against Pei Yuhang, her body relaxed, suddenly went rigid at his words.

'Bro... Brother Pei, he wants to leave the mountain?!'

She subconsciously bit her lip, her pearly teeth leaving faint marks on the crimson flesh.

A moment later, she forced a smile, but couldn't stop the slight tremor in her voice.

"Brother Pei."

Nangong Jin's throat bobbed, and she chuckled lightly. "Why the sudden thought of leaving the mountain, out of nowhere?"

She reached up to tuck a stray strand of black hair behind her ear, her fingertips trembling slightly.

"Aren't you happy here with Jin'Er, surrounded by this scenery, with no one to disturb us?"

"Is there something lacking in the way Jin'Er has been taking care of you...?"

Nangong Jin lowered her eyelids, hiding the swirling emotions in her eyes.

Pei Yuhang pursed his lips. He reached out and gently took Nangong Jin's cold hand, but the warmth from his palm made her fingers flinch.

"Jin'Er, I am very happy being with you, and I'm so grateful for how you've cared for me..."

Pei Yuhang gently caressed the back of her smooth hand, his voice growing softer.

"But, I just feel like I'm not supposed to stay hidden away in these mountains forever."

As he finished, his gaze once again drifted outside the cave. His eyes grew resolute and distant, as if they could pierce through the layers of mountains to see some vague yet important place.

"I just feel like there are things out there that I need to accomplish."

Hearing this, Nangong Jin didn't reply for a long time.

She had long expected that Pei Yuhang would eventually want to leave.

And the day Brother Pei left would be the day her ugly lie was exposed.

That's why she had always tried her best to prevent that day from coming.

Her current plan was to slowly deepen her relationship with Brother Pei. Then, when their feelings were at their peak, she would make things irreversible. By the time they returned to the city, everything would already be set in stone...

Brother Pei was a gentle person. Even if he learned the truth from Yueqiu, he wouldn't just abandon her.

Although it was disgusting, even Nangong Jin herself looked down on herself for it.

But she longed to be accepted by Brother Pei so badly that she couldn't think of any other way.

Unless she could whisk Pei Yuhang away to a place where Qing Yueqiu and Ye Liyuan would never find them... but there was still that woman, Ji Shenyun.

Having signed a Soul Contract, Nangong Jin could not escape Ji Shenyun's grasp.

Once Ji Shenyun found her, Pei Yuhang would inevitably learn the whole truth from her.

When you tell one lie, you have to tell countless more to cover it up.

This bitterness and terror woke Nangong Jin up in a fright every night.

She could only hope that after their bond deepened, Brother Pei wouldn't despise his despicable, lying junior sister so much when he learned the truth...

But now, she hadn't expected Brother Pei to get the idea of leaving the mountain so much earlier than she had anticipated.

Nangong Jin was silent for a moment, and a selfish thought took root.

'I have to delay him, stall until the heavy snow seals the mountain... Then Brother Pei won't be able to leave, and he'll have to stay with me!'

...

...

"Yueqiu, are you really going to Ghost-Back Mountain alone?"

In Lan City, a recovered Bei Lingyin looked at the silver-haired girl who was packing her bags, her voice filled with anxiety.

"It's too dangerous for you to go to Ghost-Back Mountain alone. The Scouts from Lan City have already investigated. In the area where Pei Yuhang, Nangong Jin, and the Ox Demon Venerable fought their great battle, a large river was blasted open. That river flows deep into the Ghost Back Mountain Range, into the territory of the Demon Race...

"Pei Yuhang and Nangong Jin probably fell into the river and were swept away. How are you going to search for them along that endless river all by yourself?

"Not to mention, after we took the Demon Race's Holy Grail, they've gone on full alert. It's too dangerous for you to go now!"

Qing Yueqiu silently packed her belongings into her Brocade Jiezhi Storage Ring.

She picked up her Luminous Shadow Sword, gently stroking the blade as she spoke flatly, "So?"

"Just because it's difficult and dangerous, I shouldn't go look for my Master and Martial Uncle?"

Bei Lingyin's red lips trembled, and she was about to say more, but Qing Yueqiu raised a hand and said softly,

"Sister Lingyin, there's no need to persuade me further. You have the Blood Skull Chalice now. It's not safe for you to be in Lan City with such a treasure. You should hurry back to the mainland via the Teleportation Array in the next two days and deliver it to Yama Hall."

"As for me... even if I have to search every inch of Ghost-Back Mountain, I will find my Master!"

After speaking, Qing Yueqiu strode out of the courtyard.

She looked up at the gloomy sky in the distance and murmured to herself,

'Master, you promised you would never be separated from your disciple again. It was just a mere Demon Venerable; there's no way he could have caused you any real harm... You must have run into some kind of trouble and are trapped somewhere.

'Alright, then your disciple is coming to find you... Master, wait for me!'