Those who knew Wen Zonglin's identity were somewhat surprised to hear Ling Luoyi say that. They had speculated, but found it unlikely. Now that their guess was confirmed, while unexpected, it brought them peace of mind.
Ling Huayu and the others didn't know Wen Zonglin's identity, but they were stunned upon hearing Ling Luoyi's words.
Wen Zonglin looked at the young girl, whose appearance was a scaled-up version of the girl in his memory, but whose aura was completely opposite. He was surprised, especially upon seeing Ling Luoyi's left eye was black. He was curious about what she had experienced, but he was discreet and knew such matters should not be discussed in public.
He had originally planned to put on airs as a master in front of this girl, but he no longer felt like it. Instead of putting on airs, he was more eager to know how this girl had become the person she was now.
Ling Luoyi, having roughly guessed Wen Zonglin's thoughts, turned to Ling Huayu and said, "Grandfather, Master, let's go inside and talk."
"Alright." Ling Huayu responded blankly.
Wen Zonglin had no objections; he also had matters to discuss.
Thus, the group entered the mansion. Seeing that there were other guests, Ling Luoyi said, "Grandfather, you have guests here. Please attend to them first. I can take care of my Master myself."
Ling Huayu looked at the situation. He couldn't abandon his guests, so he said, "Alright, then Luo'er, you entertain your Master well. You mentioned you haven't seen each other in a long time, so you must have a lot to talk about. Grandfather will chat with your Master tonight."
"Okay." After bowing, Ling Luoyi led Wen Zonglin towards Qingyin Pavilion. They didn't speak on the way.
Upon arriving at Qingyin Pavilion and seeing Ling Luoyi dismiss the maids, Wen Zonglin finally spoke, "Girl, what happened to you all these years that made you become like this? And what about your eye?"
Hearing this, Ling Luoyi instinctively raised her hand to her left eye, then smiled and shook her head, saying, "Master, isn't this good? Didn't you say before that I wasn't like other girls? Am I like them now?"
Ling Luoyi's left eye had turned black three years ago after she sealed 'her'. Before that, it had always been red. She had become Wen Zonglin's disciple only a few months after arriving in this world, so Wen Zonglin had seen her crimson left eye. Now that Ling Luoyi's left eye was black, Wen Zonglin had asked this question.
Wen Zonglin was not the first person Ling Luoyi had met in this world, but he was the kindest to her. Even after seeing her crimson eye, Wen Zonglin did not treat her as a monster; instead, he treated her very well. Even when she was bloodthirsty, heartless, and like a devil, Wen Zonglin had no intention of harming her.
Ling Luoyi didn't want to lie to him, but she couldn't tell him about her experiences over the years, as it would only cause him worry. Besides, it was all in the past and couldn't be changed by talking about it.
Seeing that Ling Luoyi was unwilling to speak, Wen Zonglin didn't force her. Based on his understanding of this girl, it was probably the same as when he first met her. So, he waved his hand and said, "Never mind, if you don't want to say it, then don't. You're fine like this, I'm just not used to it."
Hearing this, Ling Luoyi breathed a sigh of relief. She was really afraid this old man would pester her for details.
Wen Zonglin then changed the subject, "Girl, you said you would come to the academy to find me. I've been waiting for you at the academy all this time, why didn't you ever come? Also, didn't you go home at that time?"
Thinking of something, Wen Zonglin added, "I should have realized, with your talent and your cultivation back then, you probably already broke through the limitations of this plane. But since you've returned, why didn't you look for me?"
After listening to Wen Zonglin, Ling Luoyi slowly said, "Master, I did leave this continent, but it wasn't by breaking through the plane's limitations. I accidentally triggered a teleportation array in a secret realm and was teleported away. I've returned this time for revenge, which is why I didn't have time to see you. Besides, didn't I send out the news?"
"So, you exposed your identity as an exceptional alchemist back then to tell me you had returned and wanted me to find you?"
"Yes." Ling Luoyi nodded and said, "Otherwise, how could the return of a missing young lady from a fallen family spread so widely?"
"Heh." Hearing Ling Luoyi admit it directly, Wen Zonglin's eyebrows twitched fiercely, and he said resentfully, "Other people's disciples go to see their masters themselves, but with you, it's become the master having to travel thousands of miles to find the disciple. What kind of disciple acts like you?"
Wen Zonglin's resentment was so strong that Ling Luoyi couldn't ignore it. She said helplessly, "Master, saying 'thousands of miles' is a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it? Besides, didn't I send you a cloud boat? Not to mention that the cloud boat can travel a thousand miles a day, and it's fully equipped and very comfortable. Did it tire you out anywhere?"
Seeing that he had been seen through, Wen Zonglin didn't feel embarrassed and retorted righteously, "I am your master, so whatever I say goes. Have you forgotten?"
Ling Luoyi was helpless. Fine, you're the master, I won't argue.
Seeing that Ling Luoyi didn't retort, Wen Zonglin stopped joking. He looked at Ling Luoyi and said solemnly, "Girl, after so many years, your cultivation has improved a lot. You should be much higher than this old man, right?"
Seeing that Wen Zonglin had finally stopped being playful, Ling Luoyi smiled and said, "It's been so many years, I should have made some progress."
Wen Zonglin felt a stab in his heart because in the more than eight years they had been separated, he had only advanced two levels. Hearing Ling Luoyi's words, he felt as if she were mocking him.
However, Wen Zonglin didn't care about that. Instead, he said to her seriously, "Girl, your cultivation is very high now. There's something I don't know if you can do?"
Just as Ling Luoyi was about to ask what it was, she saw Wen Zonglin take out a talisman and say, "Follow me. Is this how your teleportation talisman is used?"
With that, the two of them disappeared.
Ling Luoyi only saw a blur before her eyes. When she could see clearly again, she realized she was no longer in the Ling mansion, and possibly not even in Tianwu Kingdom. The surrounding spiritual energy was chaotic, as if a spiritual energy riot had occurred.
Ling Luoyi immediately recognized what had happened here, but how had he discovered it?
Seeing Ling Luoyi looking at him with a questioning gaze about what was happening, Wen Zonglin slowly said, "This is Shuiyun Stream in Bailan Kingdom. I passed by here on my way to Tianwu Kingdom and suddenly saw several bolts of lightning appear out of nowhere. At that time, the wind was gentle, the sun was shining, and the sky was clear. It wasn't caused by a change in weather. I waited here for a day, but the lightning didn't reappear. I didn't know the reason, so I had to leave."
Shuiyun Stream in Bailan Kingdom!
Hearing this, Ling Luoyi's heart leaped. She remembered that Mei Ran and Tu Bai had their life force brutally drained in this very place.
"Girl, I don't know your current cultivation level, but can you tell what happened here? Will it affect this continent?"
Seeing that Wen Zonglin was genuinely worried, Ling Luoyi nodded at him, then closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they had turned golden.
Ling Luoyi scanned the surroundings. With the effect of her 'Divine Spirit Eye', nothing could escape her notice and all fell into her sight.
The more Ling Luoyi looked, the more shocked she became. It was exactly as she had guessed.
They are coming soon!