Everyone is Secretly in Love with Me

Chapter 58: The World of a Face Enthusiast

The sky gradually darkened as heavy black clouds rolled in from the horizon, shrouding the blood-red sunset. Fierce winds swept through the trees, foreboding the impending storm and leaving a sense of unease in the hearts of those who witnessed it.

Slowly, raindrops started falling onto the roof, one by one. The rain grew stronger, tapping and splattering loudly on the roof before cascading down to the ground. The sound of the rain added a sense of warmth to the cozy interior of the house.

It was within this atmosphere that Lin Zhizhi regained consciousness.

His first sensation after regaining awareness was intense pain. This pain, unlike any he had felt from previous injuries, was accompanied by a profound sense of weakness, almost as if he had been reduced to a mortal.

The black-haired youth gasped for breath, biting his lip as he opened his eyes to take in his surroundings. He found himself in an unfamiliar small wooden house, lying on the ground. He attempted to prop himself up with his hand, trying to sit up, but his injuries forced him back down. His brows furrowed tightly, and an involuntary groan escaped his lips.

He was in a sorry state at the moment. His elegant clothing was covered in wounds, especially his abdomen, which was stained with blood. His hair was disheveled and flowed like an ink river. However, none of this detracted from his appearance; if anything, it accentuated his delicate features. Due to his injuries, his lips had turned pale, giving him an air of frailty that made one want to hold him close and offer comfort. He resembled a faint, mist-like night pearl, illuminating the dim room.

The soft groan was low, carrying the unique coldness of youth. It held a conflicting allure, shattering the silence of the small house amidst the rain. The youth seated near the fireplace turned to look at Lin Zhizhi on the ground, his expression devoid of any emotion as he remarked, "You're awake."

Lin Zhizhi's chest rose and fell as he lay on the ground. He laboriously turned his head to look at the owner of the house.

The owner appeared rather young, dressed in coarse clothes. However, his eyebrows were sharp, his eyes sparkling, and his features handsome. He was currently retrieving usable twigs from a pile of firewood, breaking them and adding them to the fireplace to maintain a controlled flame, neither too strong nor close to extinguishing.

"Did you save me?"

The youth neither confirmed nor denied it, choosing not to answer. He picked up a thick stick from the side, poking the twigs in the fireplace to make the flames burn more vigorously.

"I am grateful for your rescue. May I know your name, and could you kindly tell me where I am?" Lin Zhizhi asked slowly, making an effort not to disturb the wound on his abdomen as he tried to sit up. The coarse blanket covering him slipped off. He had attempted to mobilize his internal spiritual energy but made a distressing discovery: either due to the teleportation array or the extent of his injuries, he couldn't sense any spiritual energy within his body.

At this moment, he was as helpless as an injured mortal, completely devoid of strength. Both the Yao Ling and the system had suffered significant damage during the intense spatial transmission and had fallen into deep slumber.

This realization left him feeling somewhat panicked.

"Fushi Village."

The young man ignored his first question, briefly stating, then turned his head and continued to stare intently at the fireplace.

Lin Zhizhi searched through his mind but found no village with that name in his memory. He decided to broaden his inquiry, hesitatingly asking, "Are there any landmark... locations nearby?"

"Wild Mountain, Linghan City, Grass Feather Sect."

The other person listed three place names in quick succession, but Lin Zhizhi didn't recognize any of them. He attempted to expand his search, asking again, "On a larger scale...?"

The young man fell silent, cleanly and succinctly stating, "I don't know."

Lin Zhizhi was persistent and tried to extract more information from the young man. Despite the young man's reluctance to speak, he relented, perhaps due to Lin Zhizhi's attractiveness (or so he guessed), and briefly recounted how he found Lin Zhizhi lying on a mountainside. At the time, Lin Zhizhi was severely injured and covered in blood, on the brink of death. The young man had only taken a quick look and was prepared to avoid trouble by walking away.

However, Lin Zhizhi had reached out and grabbed his ankle like a last-ditch effort, startling him. When he leaned over to take a closer look, he fainted.

Living alone, the young man was naturally cautious, but being rather young, he couldn't just leave Lin Zhizhi to die there. He decided to bring him back, patch up his abdominal wound with some cloth, and care for him.

After listening to the account, Lin Zhizhi thanked the young man, who waved it off casually. Sensing the young man's impatience, and fearing that further questioning might lead to his expulsion, Lin Zhizhi followed the young man's lead and fell silent, contemplating his current situation.

The desperate teleportation attempt had an almost impossible chance of success, and encountering this young man's rescue could be considered a stroke of luck. The ancient teleportation array had a wide range of destinations; it could even span continents. Now, Lin Zhizhi's goal was to recover his cultivation, ascertain his location, and notify his sect. As for the demonic cultivator, the destination of the teleportation was never fixed, making it unlikely for them to track him down here.

As the firelight flickered in the room, warming and drying the air, Lin Zhizhi, a young master of the Lin family, felt a shiver run down his spine. He grew pale, his face reflecting the cold that had crept into his bones. He started to cough.

He had never felt so powerless before, severely wounded and reduced almost to a mortal. He lacked spiritual energy, unable even to open his storage ring. These external injuries brought forth a chain reaction of internal weakness. The cold that he would have easily endured was now amplified infinitely.

Lin Zhizhi hesitated before asking, "Can I go outside?"

The young man hesitated for a moment before finally nodding under Lin Zhizhi's expectant gaze.

The room was small, a typical wooden house in a mortal village, containing only a single bed. The distance between the fireplace and the window was just a few steps. However, given Lin Zhizhi's current condition, even standing up seemed like an immense effort.

The young man watched him, but he didn't offer assistance. His elongated, sharp black eyes fixed on Lin Zhizhi like an eagle's, as if evaluating whether Lin Zhizhi's injuries were genuine.

— For ordinary people, such severe injuries would have likely been fatal. Only those with exceptional endurance would have lasted until now, and individuals like the person before him, who could still move... plus the condition of his clothing—

"Are you a cultivator?" The young man walked over, gripping Lin Zhizhi's shoulder with a surprising amount of strength, helping him sit down on the grass pile beside the fireplace. He took a seat on a small stool nearby and looked at Lin Zhizhi.

Resting his head against the wall, the black-haired youth's fingers, already numb, felt a welcome warmth from the fireplace. After watching the flickering flames for a while, he let out a slow, "Mmm."

The young man didn't rush him for a response this time, waiting patiently. After a while, he spoke gently, "That's good."

There was no curiosity or fear in an ordinary person's reaction toward a cultivator, only envy.

The firelight danced in his pupils, casting a golden-red glow. Crossing his hands, he covered his chin and repeated, "That's really good."

— As if "cultivation" were a soft spot for him.

Ordinary people often felt a mix of curiosity and fear toward cultivators. From the young man's demeanor, it seemed he had encountered cultivators before. Under different circumstances, Lin Zhizhi might have been interested in learning more, but now he simply listened without bothering to show any reaction.

Fortunately, the young man didn't expect a response from him. In fact, a second later, he reined in his expression, a hint of regret flickering in his eyes. He stood up promptly.

The sudden movement startled Lin Zhizhi. His gaze shifted from the flames to the young man who had saved him. He watched as the young man walked to the side, removed his outer garment, and hung it on the chair. Wearing only an inner shirt, he lay down on the room's sole bed, which was covered in patched sheets. Turning away from Lin Zhizhi, he prepared to sleep.

Lin Zhizhi noticed that even while sleeping, the young man kept his body tense. He even placed a sharp knife by the pillow, ready to counter any sudden attacks.

Could this be... shyness?

The young master of the Lin family tilted his head, his gaze returning to the fireplace. He extended his fingers, closed his eyes beside the fire, and sleep quickly overtook him. The rain outside poured down heavily, yet inside the room, it was warm and tranquil.

In the span of a single night, time flowed swiftly.

In the early morning, Lin Zhizhi was awakened by the sounds of the owner getting up. He shifted his body and realized that he had slept seated for the entire night, feeling uncomfortable as if he had been gnawed on by a dog. He attempted to stand up, his expression contorted in pain as he stretched his body.

The young man who had saved him had already swiftly changed into clothes and completely ignored Lin Zhizhi. Holding a knife from the bedside, he prepared to leave. As he opened the door, he turned back and said, "There's a steamed bun on the table, and you can wear my clothes." Then he walked out.

Although he seemed aloof, he had a kind heart.

On the table, apart from the steamed bun and clothes, there was also a small bottle of worn-out medicinal ointment.

Taking advantage of the empty room, Lin Zhizhi decided to remove his clothes to carefully inspect the wounds all over his body. His physique was beautiful, not inferior to his appearance, and even surpassed it. His body wasn't excessively thin, and he had flexible abdominal muscles. However, the wounds marred the natural beauty of his physique.

His Academy of Swordsmanship uniform was stained with blood around the wounds. Lin Zhizhi thought for a moment, then went to the corner of the room and scooped some water into a basin. He tore his clothes open and used the water to cleanse the wounds before applying the ointment. The largest wound on his abdomen had been treated by the young man the previous day, so he left it untouched.

The young master of the Lin family had been born into a prestigious background and had experienced a smooth journey thus far. Except for this time, the greatest suffering he had experienced was during his time in the secret realm—back then, he still had cultivation to shield his wounds, and the pain wasn't as noticeable. This time, however, he had fallen completely into the realm of mortals, making him truly feel the discomfort of being bandaged this way.

His bandaging skills were rudimentary at best, merely wrapping a few layers, far less skilled than the young man's.

Lin Zhizhi washed his face with the clear water, put on the simple clothes from the table, tied up his long hair, and presented himself as a handsome youth. The cold from the previous night had left him longing for the sun. He placed a chair by the door, sat inside, covered his abdomen, basking lazily in the sunlight, and made an effort to sense the spiritual energy in the air.

The simple and patched coarse cloth outfit on him didn't seem cheap; the young man's features carried an ethereal air, like a fairy who had accidentally fallen into the mortal realm, exuding otherworldly charm.

After the heavy rain, the sky was washed blue, and the bright sun rose in the east. Wisps of cooking smoke wafted from the quiet village, carrying the sounds of conversations.

It was the unmistakable ambiance of the mundane world.

The cultivation world and the mundane world were two separate realms, with cultivators often maintaining a distance from ordinary people, distinguishing between immortals and mortals. Although Lin Zhizhi had enjoyed venturing into the mundane world during his childhood and still possessed a somewhat condescending attitude, he respected the normal flow of life and was curious about every individual. However, he preferred not to become entangled with them.

Yet, this unexpected turn of events forced him to integrate into this village in the guise of an ordinary person.

An utterly ordinary little village.

"Bang—"

Just as Lin Zhizhi felt the absence of spiritual energy, having been lulled by the gentle sunlight, a slicing sound from a corner caught his attention.

He shifted his body and focused his attention. He saw the young man in the courtyard, wielding the sharp knife to chop firewood.

Standing with proper posture, sweat dripped down his cheeks as he swung the blade, chopping forcefully, with a serious expression as if practicing some peerless martial art rather than chopping wood.

Lin Zhizhi had always believed that earnest individuals were deserving of respect. Rubbing his chin in thought, he contemplated whether he might have an opportunity to introduce this young man to a sect—considering that he had saved his life.

"The wild bastard is chopping wood again!"

"How can you stand staying here? You're so filthy!"

Suddenly, a group of children came running from a distance. They stopped near the fence, pointing and mocking the young man, who remained expressionless. Wiping his face with his sleeve, he continued chopping wood, seemingly accustomed to these insults, paying them no mind.

"They come to mock you every day, I'm exhausted!"

"The wild one has no shame!"

"Huh—look, is that person from the 'wild bastard' household?" Several children continued their verbal assault, and one chubby-faced kid with two highland red blotches on his face grabbed his companion's hand, pointing at Lin Zhizhi on the chair. He asked somewhat puzzledly.

The companion who was caught hesitated for a moment, apparently not understanding Lin Zhizhi's identity either. "Never seen him before, but he's at the wild bastard's doorstep, so he must be a bad person! Haven't you heard what our mothers say? Stay away from the wild bastards; anyone who's with them turns bad too! Let's insult him together!"

The chubby kid seemed conflicted. "But... but he's good-looking! Mom also said good-looking people aren't bad!"

[#PowerfulLooksLover#]

[#It'sAWorldJudgedByLooks!#]

"Well... there's some truth to that. My father always told me to find a good-looking wife..." The companion wiped his nose, his attention fully drawn to Lin Zhizhi, leaving no room for the young man.

Lin Zhizhi, who had been listening to their conversation all along, thought, "..."

—You guys know that I can hear you, right? Bunch of infuriating little brats!

He irritably rolled up his sleeves and waved his hand at the somewhat discerning chubby kid.

Looking left and right, the chubby kid exaggeratedly formed a mouth shape and pointed at himself. "Are you calling me?"

Lin Zhizhi nodded at him.

"He... he's calling me. Could he be a demon or a fox spirit? Like those seductive vixens?" The chubby kid felt his legs grow weak, nervously muttering to his companion.

"That shouldn't be the case. Misters say fox spirits usually can't come out during the day." The companion analyzed with a serious expression.

The chubby kid shrunk his neck, hesitating to approach. But based on his mother's words and the otherworldly appearance of the stranger, he might actually be a good person, right?

With cautious small steps, he approached Lin Zhizhi like a startled little rabbit.

"Why do you call him a 'wild bastard'?" Lin Zhizhi asked with some confusion.

"It's what my mother said! His mother is from our village, and the village chief's son liked her, but she kept refusing him. Then an outsider came, and she got together with that outsider! She even caused the death of the chief's son and her best friend, leaving only him and this house! From childhood to now, anyone who gets close to him mysteriously disappears—he's a jinx! You're so good-looking, absolutely cannot stay with him. Come to my house!" The chubby kid was fairly innocent, combined with his genuine affinity for handsome looks, and he spilled the entire story in one go, tugging at Lin Zhizhi's sleeve.

Lin Zhizhi fell silent. The sunlight made his skin translucent, not like that of an ordinary mortal. He reached out and pressed his hand against the chubby kid's body, giving his head a firm tap. "Stop insulting people."

The chubby kid shook his chubby body. "No, we're doing this for the greater good. Once he's gone, no one will disappear anymore!"

...

Damned if they aren't trying to be vigilantes for the greater good.

Lin Zhizhi glanced from afar at the young man. He probably heard their conversation, but still remained aloof, expressionlessly wiping sweat and chopping wood, repeating the same motion.

His indifference was different from Lin Zhizhi's usual detachment. He seemed like a lone wolf, proud and full of suppressed murderous intent, tinged with hatred. Day by day, he grew amidst insults.

Seeing his lifesaver bullied like this, Lin Zhizhi felt a sense of discomfort—

The young master of the Lin family made up his mind to help out.

[#See, This Is How You're Supposed to Be a Vigilante for the Greater Good#]