“How terrifying—there was a group of people behind me, acting like madmen, killing wildly. Many had already died up ahead, and I barely managed to escape.”
Ye Lanshan seemed to recall something horrifying, her entire body trembling.
“Come on, it’s okay. Get up first.” A warm hand reached out. Ye Lanshan timidly took it and stood up.
“What exactly happened?” The elder of the Spirit Sect looked at her sternly, not allowing her to lie.
But who was Ye Lanshan? The top genius of the cultivation world. She had seen plenty of imposing figures—why would she fear him?
“I heard there were Twin Fruit in the Sunset Mountains, so I came to try my luck. But I didn’t expect to get lost along the way. Luckily, I ran into Elder Hong from the Holy Land. He said the Twin Fruit had already been taken, and they were heading back. He offered to give me a ride, so I followed them.”
“But as soon as we entered the Misty Forest, we were attacked by a group of strangely behaving people. They went berserk, saying the Sunset Mountains had always been their territory, and everything here belonged to them. They wouldn’t allow anyone to come and take their things.”
“I never imagined there would be another force in the Sunset Mountains.” The man who had helped her up was equally surprised.
“Hmph, if it weren’t for you, how would those lunatics have gotten the Twin Fruit?” Feng Qing drifted down from the air, his tone dripping with disgust for that mad group.
“Oh, Divine Beast, it seems you know some inside information.” The Spirit Sect elder didn’t fully trust Ye Lanshan’s one-sided story, but if even a divine beast said the same, then there really might be such a force in the Sunset Mountains.
“Even if I know, what can you do? Those madmen are as strong as the Holy Land. Telling you won’t help.” Feng Qing glanced at him contemptuously, then vanished into the air before they could ask about the Five Mystic Fruit.
But at this point, they had no mind to demand the Five Mystic Fruit. If there really was a force in the Sunset Mountains as terrifying as Feng Qing described, they’d better descend the mountain quickly.
The group hurried into the Misty Forest, only to see limbs and broken bodies scattered everywhere. They couldn’t help but retch—it was too brutal, too bloody.
It seemed Feng Qing was telling the truth. They exchanged uneasy glances, all feeling this place was no longer safe.
“Can you still run now?”
The man who had helped her up asked with concern.
“Oh, I think so.”
Ye Lanshan looked at this blue-robed man, gentle and refined, with care in his eyes. He seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place him.
“Then let’s hurry. It wouldn’t be good if those people catch up.”
“…”
“Let’s rest here. The foot of the Sunset Mountains is desolate and empty. We’ll probably have to spend the night here. Hopefully, those people won’t come down.”
The man sighed, his worry deepening. Without the Twin Fruit, that kid Lan Youli would be heartbroken.
Indeed, this man had met Ye Lanshan before. He was Lan Youli’s brother, Lan Yexin.
At that moment, a flash of insight struck Ye Lanshan. So it was him? No wonder.
“Miss, after running so long, you must be hungry. I have some food here. Would you like some?”
“Ah, no, I’m not hungry.” Ye Lanshan was already thinking about how to shake them off, since she needed to return to the Sunset Mountains.
“Alright. If you get hungry, just let me know. I’ll save some for you.” Seeing she didn’t want to eat, Lan Yexin didn’t insist and began eating himself.
Xiao Nishang’s eyes flickered with jealousy. Why? Lan Yexin had never been this gentle with me. Why would he treat a woman with no background, ugly looks, and low cultivation so kindly?
This woman was truly strange—she wanted every man in the world to revolve around her. If one was cold to her, it made her deeply uncomfortable. Now, she had completely set her sights on hating Ye Lanshan.
And the reason was absurd: simply because Lan Yexin hadn’t been this gentle with her, but was so kind to Ye Lanshan.
“Even if you’re not hungry, you should eat a little. Otherwise, if those people suddenly come down and slaughter us like they did in the Holy Land, you’ll drag Brother Lan down.” Xiao Nishang grabbed his arm, smiling sweetly, but the force in her grip seemed intent on twisting Ye Lanshan’s arm off.
“I think I’ve rested enough. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going. Sir, I’ll remember your life-saving grace. If you ever need me, I’ll repay it a hundredfold.”
Ye Lanshan shook off Xiao Nishang’s hand and bid Lan Yexin farewell. She had already achieved her goal. Even if she stopped pretending, what did it matter? They didn’t recognize her current appearance anyway.
She disappeared from their sight, and Lan Yexin didn’t stop her. After all, they were just passing acquaintances—there was no deeper bond to make him want to keep her.
“Why isn’t the clan leader back yet?” Ling Chunian paced anxiously in the cave. Yue Shu had already coughed up blood twice, his mind foggy, as if he might fall asleep at any moment.
How careless—who knew this person could spit poison like a snake?
“Yue Shu, don’t fall asleep, do you hear me? Whatever you do, don’t sleep!” Mu Xinlian shook him incessantly.
Ye Yutian watched helplessly. He wasn’t an alchemist, so he couldn’t prescribe the right remedy.
“Forget it, I’ll try anything. Here’s a first-grade detox pill. Give it to him and see if it works.” Ling Chunian stamped her foot, gritted her teeth, and pulled out a first-grade detox pill.
“Cough, thanks.” Yue Shu struggled to put the pill in his mouth, a bitter taste spreading. After getting used to the candy-like pills Ye Lanshan gave him, swallowing this bitter one was hard.
Though still uncomfortable, it was slightly better than before. But the next second, he spat out a mouthful of black blood, reeking of rot.
Ling Chunian’s face changed. Reluctantly, she took out another first-grade detox pill, crushed it, and covered the blood with it.
Mu Xinlian looked at her in confusion, not understanding why she would waste the pill.
“The smell from this blood is poisonous gas. If you inhale too much, you’ll get poisoned too.” Ling Chunian explained at her puzzled look.
“I see.” Mu Xinlian nodded in understanding. Since she wasn’t human, even though she was closest to the blood, she was completely unaffected.
“Who are you? Why are you here?” Yun Di seemed to regain some clarity. He stared at the strangers, tense and wary, never forgetting the day they were captured.