Chapter 28 The discipline officer thought the two of you were flirting.
After shouting, Bai, without waiting for the cultivators to react, shoved the heavy sword into Zhong Jiuli's hand. He then used his free hands to grab Zhong Jiuli and Liu Xianyue's arms, one in each hand, and used a void escape technique, causing mysterious spatial ripples to appear around the three of them.
"Go on."
With a soft shout, the three figures vanished from their spot. This was a new Void Clan divine ability she had acquired; although she hadn't fully mastered it, it was enough for escaping.
Bai also used her escape technique several times in succession. Each time she escaped into the void, a large portion of the spiritual energy in her dantian was consumed. She was somewhat astonished; her ultimate moves really did consume a lot of mana.
After flashing for nearly a thousand miles, Bai Ye's dantian was completely empty. She landed in a secluded valley with the two of them, panting as she let go and said, "I can't go on anymore, I can't run anymore."
After she finished speaking, she took out a dragon scale fruit, put it to her mouth and took a bite. After eating the fruit, her parched dantian was once again filled with spiritual energy.
"Phew... I'm exhausted." Bai let out a long sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing.
"Giggle..." Liu Xianyue's clear, sweet laughter echoed in the quiet valley. She put her hands on her hips, her beautiful eyebrows curving into crescent shapes with laughter.
"You little rascal, how come you're so clever?"
Bai grinned, revealing her white teeth, and replied, "With your temper, if you really wanted to fight, would you still be standing there bluffing? You'd have rushed up and slapped them all across the face, leaving them crawling on the ground looking for their heads!"
"So clever, you understand your older sister so well. Do you want to come home with me? Come here, let me pinch your cheeks." As she spoke, her slender fingers, adorned with vermilion nail polish, reached out towards Bai Ye.
Bai Ye jolted awake and dodged behind Zhong Jiuli. But she forgot that she was no longer the little girl who was less than a meter tall.
At this moment, she was hiding behind Zhong Jiuli, with only half of her head peeking out, and she couldn't be blocked at all.
She had no choice but to half-squat down, rest her chin on Zhong Jiuli's shoulder, and lean out to say righteously, "Liu Xianyue, you must have some self-respect! Whether it's a man or a woman, they should not touch each other. You can't just touch other women's faces because you're a girl."
"You wanted to touch Zhong Jiuli's face last time, and now you want to touch mine. You know that's too casual of you."
Zhong Jiuli did not resist Bai Ye's approach. After hearing her words, she simply pursed her lips, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes.
Liu Xianyue pouted her red lips and was about to step forward to argue, but after taking two steps forward, she saw the doting look in Zhong Jiuli's eyes and sighed helplessly, "Forget it, I'm too lazy to argue with a little brat like you."
Seeing that she was no longer chasing him, Bai finally had time to look around at his surroundings.
This valley is extremely tranquil, with mist rising from it, exotic flowers and rare herbs blooming in profusion, and the air filled with a refreshing fragrance.
Not far from where the three landed, a waterfall cascaded down, leaving a deep pool below that gurgled and tinkled. In the center of the pool, a pure white lotus with a hint of primordial purple bloomed in full glory, and at its heart, several jade-like lotus seeds released a delicate fragrance.
Every now and then, you could see several golden carp with dragon whiskers leaping out of the water, swallowing and exhaling the primordial mist surrounding the white lotus.
The number of spiritual herbs by the pool is countless. There are three or four rare orchids growing here, each of which is over ten thousand years old and can be called an extremely rare and precious medicine.
There was also a small, emerald-green tree with dozens of small, crimson fruits on it, which Bai recognized as the legendary Heavenly Spirit Fruit.
Several blue phoenixes paced along the water's edge, guarding the shore. Whenever a golden carp leaped out of the water, the phoenixes would swoop down to try and catch it, but each time they failed.
Bai was also somewhat dumbfounded, and couldn't help but sigh softly, "Are we really that lucky? We even managed to run into such a blessed place while on the run?"
The scene in the secluded valley truly astonished the three of them. Even Zhong Jiuli and Liu Xianyue, who had seen many rare and precious materials, were surprised to see so many precious medicines and spiritual objects gathered together.
"Want to pull off a heist?" Bai Ye looked at Liu Xianyue and asked in a low voice, as if he were a thief.
Their eyes met in mid-air, and they understood the glint of desire in each other's eyes.
"Let me scout ahead first." Liu Xianyue released a wisp of her divine sense, but as soon as it touched the pool, it was as if it had hit an invisible barrier and was blocked.
She raised an eyebrow and smiled sweetly, "Interesting, it can actually block the detection of divine sense."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Jiuli also released a wisp of her divine sense and found that she indeed could not discern the truth of that place.
Bai Ye stared at the white lotus that was constantly absorbing and exhaling primordial energy, touched his smooth chin, and whispered in Liu Xianyue's ear, "Sister, do you want to make a bet with me? I can pick the spiritual fruit by the water without releasing my divine sense, and there will definitely be no demonic beasts attacking me."
She was secretly calculating in her mind. This place was a gathering place of spiritual energy and a treasure trove of rare and precious materials. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like a blessed place arranged by the author for the protagonist.
Isn't that as simple as picking up money? Just walk over, bend down, reach out and pick the peach, stuff it in your pocket, and it's done in one smooth motion!
"What are we betting on?" Liu Xianyue raised an eyebrow and asked.
When Bai saw her respond, he chuckled like a little mouse that had stolen some oil: "I bet 101,000 mid-grade spirit stones."
She made sure to include the exact numbers, even factoring in the travel expenses she owed from the last time she took the spirit boat.
*Smack!*
"Ouch!" Bai Ye cried out, rubbing his forehead, and looked at Zhong Jiuli, who was casually playing with his fingertips as if nothing had happened. "Did you flick my forehead?"
Zhong Jiuli hummed in response.
"Why did you flick my forehead?" Bai persisted, his amber eyes filled with anger, like a cat with its fur standing on end.
This woman has some nerve, daring to flick a tiger's head. Doesn't she know you can't touch a tiger's head?
She not only touched him, she hit him; it was simply too much, and Bai was very angry.
“Not only will she punish you, I will punish you too. You’re so young and you’re already doing bad things, even daring to think about gambling. Do you have any spirit stones? Then you can gamble with me,” Liu Xianyue said.
Bai suddenly realized that Zhong Jiuli had flicked her forehead to teach her a lesson after hearing her say she wanted to make a bet. So she decided not to be angry for now.
She leaned close to Zhong Jiuli's ear and whispered, "I don't like gambling. I only made a bet with Liu Xianyue because I wanted to settle the debt I owed her. I never bet with anyone."
"Hey kid, you're being such a sycophant. Zhong Jiuli isn't even your wife yet, and you're already rushing to explain yourself," Xiao Wang complained.
Bai was also a little embarrassed. She realized that she shouldn't have bothered to explain!
Zhong Jiuli raised her hand and gently stroked Bai Ye's forehead with her fingertips.
Bai also resisted the urge to shrink back, letting Zhong Jiuli's hand rest on her head. Although being touched on the face like that was somewhat embarrassing for her current physique.
After all, it's not that fluffy little tiger anymore.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Zhong Jiuli's voice was soft at the end, like the first rain of spring, clear stream water flowing over the newly sprouting grass, carrying the gentleness of all things reviving.
"Actually, it doesn't hurt that much." Bai lowered her eyes shyly, not daring to look into Zhong Jiuli's bright eyes. Every time the other person looked at her so seriously, she felt her ears burning.
She awkwardly stretched her neck, glanced sideways at the spring in the distance, and muttered softly, "I got angry because I was flicked on the forehead. It was a bit embarrassing."
Zhong Jiuli moved her hand away, slightly raised her chin, and slowly moved her gaze from her tightly pursed lips to her bright eyes, and then to her smooth forehead.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the tiger cub's sharply defined face, making its vibrant energy even more pronounced.
"Since I brought you out, I should discipline you properly on behalf of your mother," Zhong Jiuli said calmly, withdrawing her gaze. Unseen by anyone, her fingers subtly curled up inside her sleeve, her fingertips lightly touching the area where the warmth of the little tiger's skin seemed to still linger.
Bai also looked up at her, a hint of resentment in his eyes. Why did she have to be disciplined? She wasn't really a child.
Zhong Jiuli looked up and met her gaze. "You are still young, you must not pick up bad habits."
Bai opened his mouth, but before he could speak, a disapproving "tsk tsk" sound came from the side, breaking the romantic atmosphere.
"You two, that's enough," Liu Xianyue drawled, teasingly adding, "In broad daylight, anyone who knows will think you're disciplining a child..."
"Anyone who didn't know better would think you two were flirting here."
Bai Ye's face flushed instantly, and she took several steps back, distancing herself from Zhong Jiuli. She stammered, "Liu Xianyue, what nonsense are you talking about? We have such a pure friendship..."
Unlike Bai Ye, Zhong Jiuli didn't react as strongly. She merely glanced at Liu Xianyue with a gaze as cold as snow falling into a deep pool, sending chills down one's spine.
She said, "Aren't we going to pick medicinal herbs?"
“Go, you guys wait here for me, I’ll go check the situation,” Bai said.
She had only taken two steps when she stopped in her tracks, and two hands reached out from the left and right at the same time, grabbing her arms.
"Don't be reckless."
"Little guy, have you forgotten how you almost got possessed when you drew your sword?"
The two spoke in different words, but both were simultaneously trying to stop Bai from going to the pool.
"Don't worry, I've maxed out my escape skills now," Bai said confidently.
She possesses the Void Escape Technique, and in this secret realm, unless someone deliberately seeks death, no one can catch her at the moment.
Even Zhong Jiuli and Liu Xianyue are no match for them. They are only at the Golden Core stage at the moment. If they were to fight, Bai would not only lose but also be able to escape.
Zhong Jiuli didn't want Bai to take any risks, so she shook her head and said, "You just obtained the Golden Lotus of the Great Dao and haven't comprehended it yet. You should comprehend it here first. Liu Xianyue and I will investigate the surrounding area and make a decision when we return."
Seeing that Bai Ye didn't respond for a long time, she couldn't help but sigh softly, took two steps forward, and stopped in front of Bai Ye.
"Be good, okay?" she coaxed softly.
Bai's breath hitched; the face so close to his was breathtakingly beautiful.
"This is too unfair..." Bai thought blankly. Who could resist such a great face used to coax someone?
Since she couldn't, she nodded almost instinctively. When she came to her senses, she was already sitting cross-legged on the grass, completely bewildered.
The golden lotus of the Great Dao that had merged into her body was slowly rotating before her eyes, its soft golden light bathing her entire body.
When Bai also fully comprehended the laws of heaven and earth contained within the golden lotus, her understanding of spatial power reached a new level.
Combining the Void Escape Technique with his understanding of the laws of space, Bai at this moment also wanted to sing: "I'm a little guy with a fiery temper, whoever messes with me... I'll run away!"
However, considering the previous times when Zhong Jiuli would catch her making any strange noises, Bai Ye suppressed her idea of singing a song. She patted her bottom, stood up, and stretched with her hands above her head.
Looking at the beautiful scenery before him, Bai was once again breathless with admiration. The setting sun cast a misty glow, and the ethereal atmosphere flowed in the afterglow. Every drop of water splashing from the distant waterfall was enveloped in the seven-colored light of the sunset, like a galaxy of stars falling into this pool of water.
Why is there a faint smell of barbecue in the air? Bai Ye's nose twitched slightly as he sniffed the aroma of barbecue in the air.
She looked around and saw Liu Xianyue, dressed in fiery red, squatting on the ground, her skirt hanging on the grass, her sleeves rolled up high, revealing half of her fair wrist, intently turning the grill in front of her.
Zhong Jiuli sat to one side, surrounded by many bright red spiritual fruits.
Bai swallowed hard and walked towards the two of them.
Hearing her footsteps, Zhong Jiuli turned around and saw her staring intently at the roasted meat. She chuckled and said, "The roasted meat isn't ready yet. If you're hungry, have some spiritual fruit first."
After saying that, she picked up a bright red spiritual fruit, carefully washed it, and handed it to Bai Ye.
Bai took the fruit, popped it into her mouth, and took a bite. Instantly, a rich spiritual energy rushed into her body, causing all the pores on her body to open up, and the vigorous spiritual energy burst out of her body. Then, the sweet taste of the fruit exploded in her mouth.
She quickly swallowed the fruit and exclaimed, "Wow, this fruit is so full of spiritual energy!"
Seeing that she liked to eat, Zhong Jiuli picked up another fruit, washed it, and handed it to her, saying, "Eat slowly, I picked a lot today."
"Yes, yes, I'll pick more tomorrow too, and bring them back for my mother, Aunt Wu, Aunt Pang, and the children in the tribe." Bai also called out the names of all the aunties in the tribe as if he were calling on his troops.
Zhong Jiuli chuckled, "Alright, we'll go pick some more tomorrow."
"Mm." Bai nodded in agreement. After finishing two fruits, she remembered the important matter and asked, "How did your investigation go today?"
Liu Xianyue laughed and scolded, "You little ingrate, only now you think to ask?"
She took the golden-brown, juicy roasted meat off the campfire, tore off a piece of leg meat, and handed it to Bai Ye. "Eat up, we'll talk after you finish. This is a five-colored deer that your sister Zhong hunted herself, just to bring back and roast for you."
Bai Ye never refused any food offered to her. She took the leg meat, which was much thicker than her thigh, and began to gnaw on it. She had not yet practiced fasting and had not eaten for several days. After many battles, her stomach was already rumbling with hunger, and two fruits were far from enough to fill her up.
The roasted venison has a golden-brown, glistening skin. One bite, and the crispy skin breaks open, releasing a burst of tender, juicy meat that's so enticing it makes the whole tiger swoon.
"Eat slowly, be careful not to burn your tongue," Zhong Jiuli said with concern.
“Zhong Jiuli, you really…” Liu Xianyue rolled her eyes speechlessly, “Look at this little guy, does he look like he could be burned by a little bit of barbecue?”
"And she's not an ordinary child. She's a Foundation Establishment stage tiger cub. No Foundation Establishment cultivator would get burned by roasted meat. Even if she went to bathe in a lava pool, she wouldn't get burned."
"Have some barbecue, Liu Xianyue." Zhong Jiuli reached out, tore off a piece of barbecue, and stuffed it into her mouth.
Liu Xianyue chewed on the roasted meat in her mouth, two blushes creeping onto her pretty face. She glanced shyly at Zhong Jiuli several times.
Her face clearly said, "Oh dear, how could you feed me barbecue in front of the child? I'm so embarrassed!"
"Pfft..." Bai couldn't help but spray the roasted meat in his mouth all over the ground.
She clutched her stomach and laughed so hard she almost fell over. "My goodness, Liu Xianyue, what kind of expression is that? You look so adorable, like a girl in love."
"Shut up." Liu Xianyue was annoyed by her laughter, so she picked up a spirit fruit and stuffed it into Bai Ye's mouth. The fruit was about the size of a fist, which directly blocked Bai Ye's mouth into a round ball.
"Mmm..." Bai's eyes widened as she frantically tried to pick the fruit out of her mouth. Her cheeks were bulging so high that she couldn't even chew.
Her embarrassed appearance made Liu Xianyue laugh non-stop.
Even the usually serious Zhong Jiuli had a smile in her eyes and brows.
Bai had finally managed to get the fruit out, and seeing the two women smiling so happily, he couldn't be bothered to get angry with Liu Xianyue. Between friends, why get so angry?
She held the imported fruit and looked at it. Since it was all her own saliva, there was no reason for her to be disgusted with it. She put it back in her mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it.
"Ugh..." Liu Xianyue leaned back with a look of disgust. "You stinky tiger, you're so dirty."
"We can't throw it away, can we? Wasting food is shameful, don't you know?" Bai shrugged indifferently, and as she spoke, she tore off a large piece of roasted meat and started eating it.
The five-colored deer contained extremely rich spiritual energy. With each bite, abundant spiritual energy transformed into radiant light that overflowed from her mouth and nose. Before long, her entire body was enveloped in a misty spiritual energy, resembling a glowing firefly, except that she was many times larger than a firefly.
Seeing her wolfing down her food, Zhong Jiuli shook her head helplessly, took out a handkerchief and handed it to her, "Wipe your mouth."
Bai saw that she was holding a clean white handkerchief in her fingertips, and then glanced at her own hands covered in grease. She raised her hands above her head and leaned closer to Zhong Jiuli.
Zhong Jiuli thought she wanted her to wipe her mouth, so she tightened her grip on the handkerchief, a hint of annoyance flashing in her eyes. Didn't this little tiger know that Liu Xianyue was watching over her?
Making such intimate gestures made her feel quite embarrassed and annoyed.
"What's wrong?" Bai asked, puzzled. "Zhong Jiuli, what are you spacing out for? You stuffed the handkerchief into my arms. My hands are all oily, and you'll get the handkerchief all dirty."
Zhong Jiuli, who had misunderstood, became even more annoyed. If she was more embarrassed before, she was now both annoyed and embarrassed.
She stuffed the handkerchief directly into Bai Ye's collar, and then quickly gathered up the remaining half of the roasted meat from the rack.
Bai stared blankly, forgetting to swallow the roasted meat in his mouth, his little head filled with question marks.
Why is Zhong Jiuli suddenly angry?
Wait a minute, she's not full yet? Why did she put all the meat away? Bai looked at Liu Xianyue with his intelligent eyes, trying to get an answer from her.
Liu Xianyue explained, "Little one, although this venison is delicious, it is very potent. One piece is enough for you. If you eat any more, your mental energy will be too strong, and you won't be able to sleep at night."
"Oh, I see." Bai nodded in realization, holding the roasted meat in his hands and continuing to chew, only now he was eating slowly instead of wolfing it down.
Even though she ate in small bites, she finished the piece of roasted meat quickly. Bai licked her lips, still somewhat unsatisfied, and a cloud of water mist condensed in her palm. The clear water flowed between her fingers, washing away the oil stains.
She shook the water droplets off her hands, as if that would make them clean.
In the end, she couldn't bear to use the handkerchief to wipe her hands and mouth; it looked so clean, she didn't want to get it dirty.
Zhong Jiuli watched her actions without saying much, but simply took out a small white jade bottle and handed it to Bai Ye, saying concisely, "Drink it."
Liu Xianyue immediately recognized that it was another good item taken from her Wanxiang Pavilion, and immediately revealed her true merchant nature again, "Zhong Jiuli, you take things from my Wanxiang Pavilion to raise children outside, and you do it right in front of me. Have you ever considered my feelings?"
Bai made a face at her, happily took the bottle, and slowly drank from it.
Liu Xianyue didn't really argue with Bai Ye. She took out a pot of fine wine and proudly waved it in front of Bai Ye, "It's even more fragrant than the Hundred Flowers Wine in your hand. I won't give you any!"
"How childish," Bai muttered softly, her voice low so that Liu Xianyue might hear.
As night deepened, the three sat around the campfire, their shadows cast on the grass by the firelight, swaying gently in the night breeze.
After finishing her drink, Zhong Jiuli began to recount her discoveries from earlier that day.
During the day, she and Liu Xianyue walked around the valley. The valley seemed small, but no matter which direction they flew, they could not touch the boundary.
The valley, which may appear small, is actually boundless.
Even though the waterfall and deep pool looked only a few miles away from them, today the two of them flew thousands of miles forward, and the distance between them did not change at all. It seemed that the pool was still a few miles away from them.
The closer they got, the more they felt an inexplicable pressure. Neither of them dared to force their way closer, so they retreated.
Bai thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that the pool water is fake, actually an illusion?"
Zhong Jiuli said, "Perhaps it's a spatial array set up by an ancient powerful being that we haven't noticed yet. However, the spiritual energy here is extremely rich, making it suitable for you to consolidate your cultivation here. There's no need to rush to leave."
Bai nodded in agreement: "Okay, I'm going to practice now, I feel like I'm about to burst."
Looking at her glowing appearance, Liu Xianyue teased, "Now you know why your sister Zhong didn't let you eat too much, right?"
"I know, I know." Bai said, standing up and leaving the campfire. He leaped onto an ancient tree, sat cross-legged on its thick branches, closed his eyes, and circulated the Great Creation Scripture to absorb the excess spiritual energy within his body.
The main reason is that Little Green fell into a deep sleep after eating the Spirit-Eating Demon. Otherwise, even the venison that Bai Ye ate wouldn't have been enough for it to absorb.
The night passed quietly.
Bai also woke up from his cultivation. The moment he opened his eyes, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.
A morning breeze swept through the mountains, carrying the delicate fragrance of sacred herbs and flowers. Taking a deep breath, one felt as if the spiritual energy permeated every part of their being, bringing clarity to the mind and a sense of complete comfort.
Looking up, the valley is shrouded in mist and ethereal energy, with distant mountains appearing like dark eyebrows and nearby springs gurgling, like a paradise on earth.
"No wonder people in ancient times liked to live in seclusion. If I were in a place like this, I would also be willing to live in seclusion for a lifetime..." Bai muttered to himself.
Suddenly, the look of ecstasy on her face froze, and she slapped her forehead. "Oh no!"
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Author's Note: Bai Ye: Flirting today! Kissing tomorrow! [Dog head with rose in its mouth][Dog head with rose in its mouth]
Zhong Jiuli: [Waves hand] If I slap you like this, you might die!
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