Soulbound Destiny

Chapter 9: Lingyue’s Identity

The young female cultivator’s eyes were sharp and guarded, a wary storm beneath her calm exterior. But as Gene hurriedly explained the events—leaving out the awkward details of her involuntary tumble and slap, emphasizing instead the terror of the giant python and the bravery of the white crane—her murderous glare slowly softened. She glanced at the flickering fire and the rough bandages Gene had applied to her wounds, and the rage in her eyes gradually gave way to exhaustion and sorrow.

“My white crane… Xiao Bai… where is it?” she asked, her voice hoarse and trembling.

Gene’s own voice was low, heavy with regret. “It… it died. But it was brave—it struck the python with all its might before passing. It saved us.”

Hearing this, she turned her face away, shoulders quivering with silent sobs. For a moment, she seemed on the verge of fainting, and then slipped into unconsciousness once more.

Gene let out a long sigh and continued keeping watch through the night. By the next day, her condition had stabilized slightly, and he learned her name: Ling Yue. Carefully, he inquired whether she was a cultivator of the Soul-Sealing Alliance. Ling Yue’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “There are countless cultivators in the world,” she countered sharply, “Why do you assume I belong to the Soul-Sealing Alliance?”

Gene shrugged, helpless. “You said ‘return to the Soul-Sealing Alliance’ just now. It was only natural to guess.”

Ling Yue gave a slight, embarrassed nod, neither confirming nor denying. Gene pressed further, asking if she had been attacked by the Reverse-Blood Guards. Ling Yue said nothing, instead watching him warily.

Sighing, Gene decided to lay his cards on the table. “If I wanted to harm you, I would have done so already. I still have to find my uncle Haolan and the others at the Soul-Sealing Alliance.”

The mention of Haolan caused her gaze to flicker. Gene then produced the water-damaged, barely legible travel pass. Ling Yue examined it carefully and confirmed its authenticity.

“This is indeed the pass,” she said, her tone softening. “No harm done. I, too, must return to the Soul-Sealing Alliance. You should accompany me.”

So, the two of them—Gene and Ling Yue—set off again, sharing the donkey. Gene, bearing the weight of an injured Ling Yue, struggled over the rough terrain. Along the way, Ling Yue insisted on burying her fallen white crane. Gene, despite knowing the danger, persevered. Using the iron pot as a makeshift shovel, he labored for hours to dig a grave, fulfilling her wish.

After laying the crane to rest, the tension between them eased somewhat. Ling Yue revealed that her attackers had indeed been members of the Reverse-Blood Guards. Yet shortly after resuming their journey, they encountered a pack of wolves. To protect the unconscious Ling Yue, Gene had no choice but to release the injured donkey, using it to distract the wolves. He watched helplessly as the animal’s cries were torn apart by the pack, his heart breaking.

With no other means of transportation, Gene carried Ling Yue on foot. Both were injured, their progress agonizingly slow. Eventually, they discovered a mountain-side inn, only to find the place littered with the bodies of traveling merchants.

“This place is unsafe,” Ling Yue warned, eyes scanning the room for threats. But night had fallen, and there was nowhere else to go. They were forced to enter. Gene moved the corpses to a separate room and built a small fire to keep warm.

In the dead of night, an eerie “scraping” sound emerged from the adjacent room, as if the dead were walking. Gene’s heart leapt into his throat. Summoning all his courage, he rushed outside—and discovered a wolf dragging one of the corpses! With a surge of anger, he drove it away, the immediate danger dispelled.

But the true threat arrived soon after: six burly bandits returned to the inn. Their eyes fell upon Ling Yue, and lust filled their gaze.

Despite her injuries, Ling Yue seized the moment. With deadly precision, she blinded the bandit leader and seized his sword, killing him instantly. Gene, taking advantage of the chaos, wielded his kitchen knife in a desperate fight for survival. With sheer reckless determination, the two of them fought as one, cutting down the remaining bandits. Yet Gene himself was stabbed in the back, blood pouring freely.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Gene used ash and cloth to staunch the wound, binding it tightly. Supporting each other, they continued their perilous journey, battered and exhausted, yet alive.