When the two reached the edge of the cliff, a smile spread across Lin Chen's lips. "What? Do you really think you can still escape?"
Gazing at the bottomless abyss behind him, a faint smile flickered across Lin Tian's face. "Do you truly believe that, once I fall into your hands, I would still have a chance to live?"
The man before him was ruthless enough to murder his own clansman. Now that Lin Tian had witnessed the act with his own eyes, how could the other possibly leave him alive? Some secrets, after all, are only safe with the dead.
"Rest assured—so long as you swear not to speak of today's events, I will not make things difficult for you," Lin Chen said hastily, his tone suddenly gentle. After all, he had yet to obtain what he desired from Lin Tian's hands; how could he simply watch him die?
"Your proposal is indeed tempting," Lin Tian replied calmly. "But do you honestly think I would still believe you?" With that, he leapt without hesitation.
"Lin Tian!" Lin Chen lunged forward, reaching out in panic. Yet the distance between them was far too great. Powerless, he could only watch as Lin Tian plummeted into the unfathomable depths below.
As he fell, Lin Tian gripped a metal rod tightly in his hand. Once he was certain Lin Chen could no longer see him, he pressed a button. In the next instant, the pack on his back burst open, a pair of gliding wings snapping wide. His rapid descent slowed at once. Riding the rushing air, Lin Tian drifted downward like a great falling leaf.
"You girls really look underdeveloped, every single one of you," Du Yuejiao declared proudly inside the women's bathhouse. Steam filled the air, and laughter echoed throughout the room.
"Yuejiao, what's there to be proud of?" another woman teased with a grin. "So what if you've got a good figure? It's not like any man fancies you."
"Hmph! Who says no man likes me?" Du Yuejiao lifted her chin arrogantly. "Maybe one day, the man who likes me will fall straight from the sky."
The moment her words fell, a thunderous crash shook the roof. An intact, fully clothed man suddenly slammed down from above—it was Lin Tian, who had escaped Lin Chen by gliding through the air.
He struck the roof heavily, smashing a gaping hole straight through it. The glider behind him shattered into pieces. Just as he was about to plunge into the bathhouse itself, the cords of the glider snagged him, leaving him dangling midair. By sheer coincidence, the woman standing directly before him was none other than Du Yuejiao.
At the sight of the man before her, Du Yuejiao froze in shock. With a shrill scream, she swung her arm and slapped him hard across the face. Already gravely injured, and further weakened by the violent fall, Lin Tian was in no condition to endure such a blow. The slap sent him straight into unconsciousness.
Only then did the women in the bathhouse react, erupting into piercing screams that nearly tore the roof apart. The earlier crash had already drawn people from all around, plunging the scene into utter chaos.
Du Yuejiao, however, calmly dressed herself and carefully examined the young man who had fallen before her. Though his manner of arrival had been nothing short of terrifying, his features were undeniably handsome. With a faint smile, she ordered someone to carry him back to her home.
"Yuejiao, what exactly is going on?" Du Tianheng, the patriarch of the Du clan, was beside himself with worry. "Why would you bring an unknown man back with you?" His daughter had always been willful and prone to trouble, but this time she had brought home a man of mysterious origin. If the elders found out, the consequences would be severe.
"Father, didn't you always teach me to be kind and help those in need?" Du Yuejiao said coquettishly, tugging at his sleeve. "This man is gravely injured. Am I supposed to just leave him to die?"
Hearing this, Du Tianheng's lips twitched involuntarily. Normally you never listen—yet now you remember my words?
"Fine," he said helplessly. "This time, I'll indulge you. Let him stay for a few days. But once he recovers, he must leave the Du clan immediately."
"Thank you, Father!" Du Yuejiao hugged him enthusiastically before rushing toward Lin Tian's room. "Third Grandfather, Third Grandfather—how is he?"
Before Lin Tian stood an elderly man with snow-white hair and beard, who slowly rose to his feet. His brow was deeply furrowed as he shook his head. "Little Yue'er, this time you've brought no small trouble upon our Du clan."
After examining Lin Tian, the old man discovered that although there was no trace of spiritual energy within him, his internal injuries were extraordinarily severe—injuries that could only have been caused by a force far exceeding his own cultivation. Coupled with the fact that he had fallen from the sky and carried strange equipment on his back, saving such a person was hardly a blessing for the Du clan.
"Third Grandfather, don't worry," Du Yuejiao said earnestly, raising a finger in solemn promise. "Once he recovers, I'll take him away myself."
"Very well," the old man replied with a sigh. "Since you insist, I'll say no more. But be extremely careful around this man." With that, he turned and left.
Not long after the old man departed, Lin Tian's eyes slowly opened. The slightest movement sent a tearing pain coursing through his entire body.
Though the glider had softened his descent, the impact with the bathhouse had only compounded his already serious injuries. If not for the spiritual energy within him constantly repairing his body, waking up at all would have been impossible.
"You're awake." Seeing him stir, Du Yuejiao hurried over, her eyes filled with genuine concern.
"Did you… save me?" Lin Tian asked weakly, looking at her.
At that moment, a rapid knocking suddenly sounded from outside the door.