Chapter 75
Not to be outdone, Lin Chen squeezed forward, his handsome face plastered with a fawning smile, completely abandoning any trace of his top-tier status: "Sister Zhuohua! From now on, you're my own sister! If you tell me to go east, I'll never go west! Do you think I have the aptitude for cultivation? I learn things incredibly fast! I can sing, dance, and act a little! I'd even be a servant of the gods!"
Zhuohua: "..."
She was getting a headache from the noise of these suddenly changed "mystical fans." Especially the assistant director who was clinging to her leg (but couldn't quite manage it) and wailing that he was offering up his entire fortune, his face covered in snot and tears, which was quite an eyesore. She twitched her fingertips slightly, and a gentle breeze swept by, softly pushing the people who had gathered too close a few steps back.
"Quiet," she said softly, her voice not loud, but clearly drowning out all the cries and pleas.
The room fell silent instantly. Everyone stared at her expectantly, like believers awaiting a divine decree.
Zhuohua rubbed her temples, her gaze sweeping over the frozen sea and the core of the still stubbornly writhing vortex of filth beneath the ice—the Profound Yin Gathering Evil Talisman. The evil formation was not broken, only temporarily suppressed by ice.
“The evil formation hasn’t been eliminated, and the root cause remains.” She looked at the director, her tone leaving no room for doubt. “The treasure hunt is canceled. Everyone, pack your things immediately and retreat at least fifty kilometers inland. Before dawn, no one is allowed to approach the sea.”
"Yes! Yes! We will obey the Immortal's decree!" The director nodded vigorously, immediately picked up the walkie-talkie, his voice trembling but exceptionally firm, "Everyone! Did you hear me! Immediately! Pack your things! Retreat! Retreat to fifty kilometers away! Quickly! Anyone who disobeys will be fired!"
At the command, the entire production crew sprang into action, working with astonishing efficiency! Luggage? Forget about it!
Equipment? We'll carry it around!
The actress who fainted? Take her away!
The little flower was scared to death? Take her away!
Everyone scrambled and scrambled towards the production team's bus, fearing that if they were even a step too slow, they would be dragged back into the sea by that terrifying thing under the ice.
In the chaos, Lu Xiao quietly walked to Zhuo Hua's side and naturally took her slightly cool hand in his. His hand was warm and strong. He looked at the terrifying, frozen scene before him, then at his lover beside him, who was as cold as the moon yet wielded the power to overturn everything. There was no fear in his eyes, only deep love and a knowing smile.
"My lady is mighty," he whispered in her ear, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe.
Zhuohua turned her head and met his smiling eyes. The icy coldness in her eyes finally melted away completely, replaced by a helpless smile: "Troublesome." She complained, but then gripped his hand even tighter.
Frostfeather shrank in size and transformed back into that inconspicuous little fluffy bird doll, landing steadily on Zhuohua's other shoulder.
It disdainfully fanned away the lingering stench of decay in the air with its tiny wings, its beady green eyes filled with contempt: "Chirp chirp chirp!" (A bunch of ignorant mortals! You're scared already? Back in the day, this divine beast could freeze a whole bunch of demon cubs to death with a single breath in the realm of gods!)
Lu Xiao looked at the chubby little bird with its head held high and a "I'm the best in the world" expression, then looked at his girlfriend beside him with a "so annoying but I have to clean up the mess" expression, and chuckled softly.
He put his arm around Zhuohua's shoulder and led her to the fastest SUV that the production team had specially reserved for them.
"Let's go, Madam." Lu Xiao's voice carried a calming power. "We can deal with the aftermath after we've settled those 'die-hard fans'."
Zhuohua nodded, letting him lead her away. Before getting into the car, she turned back for one last look at the desolate ice field and the still stubbornly pulsating vortex of filth deep within it, a flash of golden light disappearing from her eyes.
Xuan Yin Sect... she'll remember this debt.
The beach under the cover of night has long lost the clarity and vitality it possessed during the daytime sun, leaving only a deathly silence and chilling desolation after being ravaged by immense fear. The crashing of the waves on the sand now sounds like the slow, heavy breathing of some ominous creature in the darkness, carrying a salty, chilling scent, repeatedly washing over the messy footprints on the beach—the disheveled marks left by people fleeing in panic.
Fifty kilometers away, a hastily requisitioned seaside guesthouse became the only refuge. Doors and windows were tightly shut, the stark white light illuminating the bloodless faces of those inside, still shaken. The air was stagnant, as if filled with lead, each breath carrying the trembling of someone who had survived a catastrophe. Some clutched their phones tightly, the dim light from the screens reflecting their empty eyes; others nervously rubbed the cheap amulets hanging around their necks, obtained from some unknown temple, as if they were their last straw.
Director Chen slumped into a creaking old wooden chair, his vest soaked with cold sweat, clinging tightly to his bulky waist. In his hand, he clutched the expensive camera, its lens splattered with seawater. The last image frozen on the screen was a fleeting glimpse of Zhuohua standing in mid-air, her long, icy blue hair whipping wildly in the raging air currents, followed closely by a divine ice phoenix, its tail feathers gleaming with a chilling light. The scene was breathtakingly beautiful, yet devastatingly powerful. He abruptly threw the camera away, the sharp clang shattering the silence, as if flipping a switch that had brought him to his breaking point.
"Master Zhuohua! Has Master Zhuohua returned? Huh? Has anyone seen him?" He jumped up from his chair as if he had been burned, his bloodshot eyes frantically scanning the impenetrable darkness outside the window, his voice hoarse like a broken gong.
Just then, the thin wooden door of the guesthouse was gently pushed open by an invisible force without making a sound.
Moonlight poured in like quicksilver, outlining two slender figures in the doorway. Zhuohua was dressed in simple casual clothes, her expression indifferent, as if she had just returned from a short walk on the beach. On her shoulder perched a small bird, shrunk to the size of a parrot, its entire body covered in frost-like feathers, its icy blue eyes darting around, curiously observing the group of frightened birds inside.
The deathly silence was instantly ignited!
"Teacher Zhuohua!"
"Master! Are you alright?"
"That ice bird... the ice bird is back too!"
A cacophony of exclamations and tearful greetings erupted instantly. The crowd, as if finding a pillar of support, surged forward, only to halt abruptly three steps away from Zhuohua, their gazes filled with an almost reverent awe, daring not to approach even an inch further. Fear still lingered in their eyes, but even more so was an indescribable, fervent worship born from witnessing a miracle.
Director Chen practically scrambled through the crowd to the front. Completely disregarding any semblance of decorum, he knelt down at Zhuohua's feet with a thud, tears streaming down his face, and clung to Zhuohua's legs like a drowning man desperately grasping at the last piece of driftwood.
"Master Zhuohua! Teacher Zhuohua! Ancestor! Living Bodhisattva!" Old Chen stammered, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "Please! Please! Give me a talisman! Something to ward off evil spirits, protect the house, bring peace, exorcise evil... anything will do! I'll pay any price! We... we're scared! That thing... that thing in the icy sea..."
Zhuohua frowned slightly, looking down at the greasy, unrefined middle-aged man hanging on her lap, a clear hint of impatience flashing in her eyes. Without making a sound, she lifted her leg, gently pushing the director away.
“No talisman.” Her voice was clear and cold, like a mountain stream, instantly extinguishing the glimmer of hope that had just ignited in Old Chen’s eyes. “Drawing one on the spot is too exhausting.”
Old Chen's face instantly fell, despair and fear gripping him once more. He jerked his head up, as if grasping at the last straw, and spoke at a machine-gun-like pace: "Then! Draw a circle! Draw a circle like Sun Wukong! Encircle us to protect you! Yes, yes, yes! Master! You have boundless power, just draw a circle! Please! Draw a circle!" He waved his arms, gesturing urgently, as if a huge golden protective circle had already appeared in his mind.
Zhuohua: "..."
Looking at the director's chubby face, practically screaming "I want a circle!", and the equally hopeful, expectant eyes of the other guests, she felt a tiny, throbbing pain in her temple. What on earth was going on? The Monkey King drawing a circle to protect Tang Sanzang? These mortals, driven mad by fear, certainly had incredibly "rich" imaginations.
The little ice phoenix Frost Feather on her shoulder tilted its head, its icy blue eyes full of confusion: "Chirp chirp?" (What are they talking about? Is it fun?)
Zhuohua was too lazy to explain further. She looked up, her gaze accurately catching Lu Xiao in the crowd. He had been standing quietly in the shadows on the outer edge, his posture upright like a pine tree. Unlike the others, he hadn't rushed forward in a panic, but his deep eyes were fixed on her, filled with unspoken worry and concern, like a calm, deep sea, silently enveloping her. Seeing that she was safe and sound, his tense jawline relaxed slightly.
"Go in." Zhuohua uttered two words succinctly in Lu Xiao's direction, gesturing towards the guesthouse. The meaning couldn't be clearer—go in, stay with this group of frightened birds, stay in the safe zone.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Xiao immediately stepped forward, parted the crowd, and was the first to enter the guesthouse. His movements were swift and decisive, without questioning or delay, only displaying complete trust. This silent understanding melted away the slight impatience deep in Zhuo Hua's eyes for a moment.
She ignored the director's incessant pleading and walked a few steps forward, stopping in the open space in front of the guesthouse's main entrance. Moonlight shone on her, as if gilding her with a cool, silvery glow.
She raised her right hand, her index and middle fingers together, and with her fingertips as a brush and her divine power as ink, she began to draw in the air!
The movements were fluid and graceful, so fast that they left only faint golden streaks of light in the air, almost imperceptible to the naked eye. These streaks were not simple circles, but were formed by countless complex and profound runes, containing the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, linked and superimposed in an instant! Each rune that lit up seemed to trigger an invisible energy tide in the air, emitting a deep hum.
"Buzz—Buzz—"
Golden rune chains rapidly spread and intertwined from her fingertips, instantly forming a huge, semi-transparent golden light shield, like an inverted giant glass bowl, firmly enveloping the entire guesthouse! On the surface of the light shield, countless tiny runes flickered and flowed like stars, exuding an ancient, majestic, and indestructible aura.
The final stroke is completed!
The buzzing suddenly rose in pitch, then fell silent.
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