161: Chapter 161 I can follow you

This woman's brain is definitely not normal... Is Ke Yun here?!

There's a patient here in urgent need of treatment! The condition is very serious! Her logic has completely collapsed!

He stood there stiffly, not knowing what to do with his hands.

Xia Ran suddenly realized a terrifying fact.

She seemed to have... actually lost the bet?

Qi Yun really didn't fall in love with Yun Lin?!

Then that heroic, self-sacrificing test she just performed, along with the shameful experience of being "touched" back... wasn't it all for nothing?!

And she even became the "assist" for Li to win the bet?!

The indignation of trying to be clever only to end up worse off surged into Xia Ran's heart. Her face turned even redder, this time from anger.

Li walked with elegant steps, slowly approaching Xia Ran.

She leaned over slightly, leaned into Xia Ran's flushed ear, and whispered in that cold, melodious voice:

"Then..."

"My little maid."

"What should I have you do?"

Xia Ran's body stiffened, and she suddenly raised her head, meeting Li's purple eyes.

"I..." She wanted to argue, wanted to deny it, but all her words were stuck in her throat.

It's over.

She really has to be a maid.

And Li's maid at that.

Everything went black before Xia Ran's eyes; she felt that life was bleak.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Yun Lin was still holding Qi Yun tightly.

Qi Yun was still standing stiffly, looking as if life had no meaning.

Xia Ran shook her head, trying to shift her attention away from her miserable future as a maid.

She looked at the emotional Yun Lin and asked:

"Yun Lin, why are you here? What happened?"

This question also caused Qi Yun and Li to turn their gaze toward Yun Lin.

Upon hearing this, Yun Lin paused slightly.

She let go of her arms around Qi Yun and took a half-step back.

She was silent for a moment, then slowly began to speak:

"Because I triggered the Third War of the Land of Beginning."

"What?! The Third?" Xia Ran exclaimed. She knew that several factions were planning to besiege Yun Lin at that time, but she hadn't expected it to trigger a great war.

The factions in the Land of Beginning were complex and intertwined, with constant friction, but the term "great war" meant a full-scale conflict with an extremely wide scope.

"Yes." Yun Lin nodded.

"At first, it was just the leaders of a few top factions, and they all had their own ideas about me."

"Some wanted to possess me, wanted to imprison me."

"Some wanted to kill me, believing that I was disrupting the order of the Land of Beginning and must be eliminated."

"The conflict arose because of this."

She paused, her eyes growing even dimmer.

"Later, a few factions began to openly protect me, confronting the factions that wanted to harm me."

"Other factions that had been watching from the sidelines saw that the warring parties were bogged down and unable to attend to other matters, so they took the opportunity to attack and loot."

"Thus, the conflict snowballed, growing larger and larger."

"Then... what about your Tribe?" Xia Ran pressed.

Mentioning the Tribe, Yun Lin's body trembled, and her voice became choked with sobs:

"My Tribe was ambushed by the Black Tide Alliance. To protect me, everyone fell one after another."

"In the end, only Xiao Wang and I were left..."

"Xiao Wang had signed an Evil Spirit Contract. In the end, he said he knew that he only 'loved' me under the influence of his profession and external forces; this love might not be pure, it was part of the curse."

"However, he said that being able to love someone, even if forced, was already very lucky."

"He said to me at the very end... 'Sister Lin, run, don't look back. I don't regret it.'"

"Then I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was already near Quan Island, and they gave me a place to stay."

Xia Ran was already in tears.

That Xiao Wang, knowing his love stemmed from a curse, still chose to use his life to open a path of survival for her; it was deeply moving.

After a brief silence, Li suddenly raised her head and looked at Yun Lin:

"Wait, Yun Lin, are you saying that Xiao Wang sent you out of the Land of Beginning?"

Yun Lin nodded, tears in her eyes.

"And you have maintained your status as a player the whole time?" Li pressed.

"Yes." Yun Lin nodded again.

Li suddenly turned her head and looked at Qi Yun:

"Qi Yun! There's a way! We can find the road to the Land of Beginning!"

Yun Lin looked at the two who had suddenly become excited, and seemed to understand something.

Yun Lin suddenly remembered something, looked up at Qi Yun, and asked with a hint of pleading:

"Qi Yun, can you promise me one thing?"

"What is it?"

"Can you stop slaughtering the monsters on this island? When I was at my most helpless, they took me in and gave me this place in the shadows to stay..."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yun didn't even frown and shook his head without hesitation:

"No."

"Before reaching the Land of Beginning, I and my people must raise our levels and strength as much as possible. The monsters on this island provide rich experience and are an excellent leveling ground. This priority will not change."

He looked at Yun Lin with calm eyes, his tone direct and even somewhat cold:

"As for them giving you a place to stay, that is a matter between you and them. What does it have to do with me?"

A ruthless, straightforward, almost cruel rejection.

After being rejected so directly and almost heartlessly, instead of showing disappointment, a smile bloomed on Yun Lin's face once again.

He really doesn't care about me.

He won't change his principles and plans just because of my request or my circumstances.

"I understand. Since increasing strength is your primary goal, perhaps we can make a deal."

Yun Lin nodded, the smile on her face fading slightly, but her eyes remained bright.

"A deal?" Qi Yun raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. I can have them hand over the most precious, most core reward on this Quan Island to you."

She looked at Qi Yun and added: "That reward is something you could never obtain just by killing monsters and exploring the island. It is hidden in a place that only Granny knows."

Qi Yun's gaze flickered. The most precious reward? Something that can never be obtained by killing monsters? This piqued his interest.

"I need to judge the value of that reward." Qi Yun didn't agree immediately, saying cautiously.

Yun Lin nodded, indicating she understood.

She stood on tiptoe, leaned into Qi Yun's ear, and quickly whispered a few words.

As she spoke, Qi Yun's eyes suddenly lit up!

He even subconsciously clenched his fists, his breathing quickening slightly.

"Is what you said true?" Qi Yun's eyes were burning.

"True." Yun Lin nodded affirmatively.

Qi Yun pondered for about three seconds, then nodded decisively:

"Fine. If the reward you mentioned is true, and it can be handed to us immediately..."

"I can stop the slaughter of the monsters on the island."

A look of relief appeared on Yun Lin's face.

But her deal wasn't finished yet.

"In addition," she looked at Qi Yun, a flash of determination and some kind of complex expectation in her amber eyes, "I can also follow you."