Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 601 - Three Hundred and Eighty-One: Arrival

Chapter 601: Chapter Three Hundred and Eighty-One: Arrival

In the midst of the midsummer, rain.

The mountain range stretched and undulated, the azure firmament shrouded by dark clouds, the pitter-patter of raindrops falling like a bead curtain, enveloping the world in a misty veil of rain.

This boundless expanse of mountains was all within the territory of Sword Casting Valley.

Raindrops struck the banana leaves, crackling with each impact.

Underneath the lushly foliaged giant forest, a black-furred, hanging-eyed tiger more than twelve meters long deftly maneuvered through the trees that soared a hundred meters high.

Despite its large size, its landing was silent; the thick pads beneath its ferocious claws nearly absorbed all the sounds it made while running, although its presence still drew the watchful eyes of many Demonic Beasts.

The entry-level Demonic Beasts within the Wanxing Mountain Range all had a strong territorial consciousness, but as the tiger’s gaze swept over them, regardless of whether the newcomers were stronger than it, all kinds of Demonic Beasts would retreat in terror.

For atop the broad back of the black tiger reclined a nobleman in brocade robes, eyes closed as he refreshed his spirit.

Even more so because ahead in the air, there was a girl in a white, simple dress, barefoot and sprinting through the sky.

After an indeterminable time,

"Tianyan, how long have I slept?"

A warm and smooth male voice suddenly rose amidst the falling rain in the forest.

Hearing this voice, the colossal black tiger involuntarily shivered and then promptly lowered its head, silently hastening along the path.

The girl up front, however, appeared not to hear, nor did she show any intention of replying.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan chuckled and shook his head, propping up his body to stroke the smooth fur at the back of the black tiger’s head.

This tiger was simply a means of conveyance he had found.

Because of that Saintess named Tian Ye, he couldn’t use Origin Qi for the time being, and it would be too mentally exhausting to do it with his body alone, so he simply caught a Demonic Beast to serve as his mount.

And of course, the method to tame the black tiger naturally came from his initial encounters with Big Ice Lump.

Big Ice Lump...

At the thought of this name, Xu Yuan’s eyes flickered, unintentionally revealing a hint of reminiscence.

Observing the swiftly retreating scenery of the forest around him, he remembered he and she had also been like this.

The two of them, along with a tiger, speeding through the forest.

The only difference was that the white tiger had now become a black tiger, and she from back then had now become the she of the present.

With this thought, Xu Yuan gently shook his head, a wry smile on his face.

Indeed, the rainy season always brought a surge of wistfulness.

She... must still be waiting for him outside, but he didn’t know how much time had passed out there, and he didn’t know if, by the time they met again, he would have completely forgotten her...

Gathering his scattered thoughts, Xu Yuan turned his gaze towards Tianyan in the sky.

In the past seven days, Tianyan’s condition had deteriorated further.

Not the Charm Poison, but her honest rejection belying her verbal complaints.

During the previous month, although Tianyan was angry, she would occasionally speak a word or two to him.

Since the hotpot conversation one evening, the woman hadn’t spoken a word to him.

No matter what he said, she ignored him.

It was as though she had become the little Big Ice Lump he had first met.

Even yesterday, when they were routinely extracting the Charm Poison, Tianyan just kept a cold face, eyes shut, passively accepting his actions.

Even when he took the opportunity to tease her, after Tianyan noticed his unseemly behavior, she only opened her eyes to give him a cold glance.

As for this change in Tianyan, Xu Yuan did not inquire or try to win her back.

His behavior was all the same as before.

Teasing, chatting, cooking, accompanying her on the journey.

Gazing at the delicate figure swaying in the wind and rain, Xu Yuan’s gaze was calm and quiet.

Her cultivation was profound, but on the path of emotions, she was still an innocent fledgling.

Her all-out pretense was seen through his eyes as nothing but adorably frantic concealment.

Xu Yuan had always been able to discern Tianyan’s feelings for him, and he knew why she had been avoiding the inevitable confrontation between them.

And that day, he directly pierced through that thin layer separating them.

Success would mean a step forward.

Failure would mean cutting one’s losses.

This approach of retreating in order to advance was almost like placing the burden of everything Tianyan had been avoiding for years onto her delicate shoulders in an instant.

Tianyan was a very rational woman.

It left her unsure of what choice to make, even more uncertain about how to face him.

"....."

Raindrops ticked away, the water flowing off to either side of the rain shield formed by the Will-spirit.

Xu Yuan lifted his hand to rub at his temple, feeling a slight sting in his heart.

He suddenly thought this was rather cruel to Tianyan.

This approach was essentially his own decision to give up, then transferring all the pressure onto Tianyan.

His own emotions versus the interests of the Sects.

The reality of the Illusionary Realm against the possibility of returning to the actual world.

Amidst these thoughts, Xu Yuan’s emotions gradually calmed again.

Although he felt pity, he harbored no regret or guilt for his actions.

On the contrary,

If he didn’t do so, it was he who would regret it.

If one had no feelings, just let nature take its course.

But once feelings were involved, he would stop at nothing.

He certainly didn’t want to stand still in the present for a future that he didn’t know when he could return to.

During the brief span of life, if one always looks before and after, only regrets will be left behind. Wouldn’t it be a wasted journey through this world?

Even if he were to fail in the end, at least he would have tried.

...

...

...

The next early morning,

As dawn broke, golden warm sunshine sprinkled across the land, droplets of dew hung between the leaves in the forest, and the sounds of cicadas and birds that had vanished with the curtains of rain returned as life vigorously revived.

In this post-rain vitality, Xu Yuan suddenly opened his eyes from the back of the black tiger.

Before him, a few sparrows took flight in alarm, circling each other as they disappeared into the forest from between the branches.

Stunned for an instant, Xu Yuan lifted his hand to rub his slightly swollen brow.

As a wielder of Primordial strength, he had actually fallen asleep last night while pondering those matters...

Thinking this, Xu Yuan raised his gaze to look around.

Before him appeared to be a cliff in the midst of a mountain forest.

In front was a clearing, and Tianyan was standing quietly at the edge of that clearing on the cliffside.

Sunlight poured down,

a gentle breeze fluttered the plain robe on her body, and her three thousand strands of black hair, soft and smooth as if coated in grease, bathed in the sunlight...

"...."

After staring at her for several moments, Xu Yuan stood up, bounded forth with a leap, and in the blink of an eye arrived beside her from the back of the black tiger.

And in the moment he approached her, Xu Yuan’s pupils slightly contracted.

Earlier in the woods, he had not noticed, but upon reaching the edge of this cliff, he realized just how towering and terrifying the Sword Casting Valley really was.

There was silence all around, the abyss at the edge of the cliff stretched endlessly, with the rolling white mist inside it resembling an infinite sea of clouds.

After a few breaths of silence, Xu Yuan hesitated slightly:

"This place... is this Sword Casting Valley?"

Tianyan didn’t turn around, gazing down into the unfathomable abyss:

"Hmm."

Having not heard her familiar voice for a long time, Xu Yuan chuckled softly:

"Heh, I thought you had gone mute."

Tianyan didn’t respond to his remark, but instead softly warned:

"This ancient battlefield is somewhat beyond my expectations. There might be more than one Saint-level Demonic Ghost down there, don’t stray too far from me."

Ancient battlefield...

Saint Demonic Ghost...

Xu Yuan’s gaze became slightly more solemn:

"Hmm, I know."

Tianyan, with her eyelids lowered, spoke in a low voice:

"Let’s go."

"Wait," Xu Yuan suddenly called out to her.

Tianyan stopped walking but still didn’t turn around to look at him.

Xu Yuan said in a low voice:

"Although I’m at the Primordial Realm, I don’t have Yantian Art. In the ghostly mist, I might not be able to keep up with you."

"The ghostly mist isn’t as terrifying as you think it is."

"What if, by chance?"

"..."

Tianyan fell silent for a few breaths, her eyelids still lowered, then slowly raised the sleeve of her robe:

"Hold on."

"...."

Xu Yuan stared for a moment and then reached directly into the wide sleeve to grasp her slender wrist.

Tianyan’s form slightly trembled, wanting to shake free, but he held on tightly.

She turned to glare at him, only to meet his eyes brimming with laughter in the sunlight.

Their eyes met,

and Tianyan looked away, biting her lip, her voice as fine as a mosquito’s whisper:

"Always like this... bastard."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Let’s go."

"Alright, just make sure to hold on tight to me."