Twenty-one: Thinking of you constantly - Part One
"And then?" Mingjin asked curiously after hearing Boss Jiang's story.
"After that, Dangen felt guilty and wanted to apologize to Shanliu. She didn't know where Shanliu was, so she went to find Wengyu. Although Wengyu was unwilling to talk to her, he still took Dangen to find Shanliu's original body. Unexpectedly, Shanliu had moved the original body away. When they arrived, all that was left for them was a fresh black hole. I saw Shanliu at the Qunlin Conference a few years ago and heard him talk about the inside and outside of things. I haven't seen him since then."
“I was reckless,” Mingjin said. “If we had captured Dangen back then, we might have been able to get some other information out of him.”
“This is something you couldn’t have foreseen,” Boss Jiang advised. “Besides, if you had delayed any longer, your master’s life would have been in grave danger.”
While they were talking, Ji Zhen coughed lightly a few times, but even though his complexion had improved after the conversation, he was still not fully awake.
Ming Jin took Ji Zhen's pulse again, and the pulse was fine: "Why hasn't Master woken up yet?"
"Was she feeling unwell before?" Boss Jiang also checked her pulse and guessed.
This reminder made Mingjin realize that Jizhen had been busy refining elixirs lately: "Indeed, it seems that Master hasn't had a good night's sleep for several days."
"She's probably just too tired. Since her pulse is normal, it's good for her to rest a bit more."
As they were speaking, a pillar of fire suddenly shot into the sky from the direction directly in front of the three of them, its roar shaking the earth. Then, flames erupted for miles around, enveloping the mountains and forests in a faint red glow. As the flames subsided, sparks drifted far away, even reaching right in front of Mingjin.
"A wildfire?" Mingjin stood up anxiously, looking at the direction from which the flames were rising. "How could this be? Something's not right!"
“It’s not fire,” said Boss Jiang, “it’s the fire magic of a demon.”
"Judging from the direction, that's where my master just went. I have to go check it out."
Mingjin instinctively turned to leave, then remembered Jizhen, who was still unconscious. As she turned around, she met Boss Jiang's gaze. Seeing this, Boss Jiang, unwilling to put her in danger, said, "Help her to the end. Go quickly, I'll look after her."
Thank you.
After speaking, Ming Jinfeng leaped into the air, surveying the fire magic spreading among the evil spirits.
The fire spell was spreading out in a circle, unlike ordinary flames, with two or three pillars of fire faintly visible within, trembling from side to side. Ming Jin felt quite pressured and worried, because by the time she got closer, the number of fire pillars had already increased to five.
There was no burning smell.
Ming used his wind magic to search the surroundings. There was no movement outside, but from within the fire, amidst the crackling flames, he detected three voices of varying depths. One was a woman's voice, perhaps a ghost, as Dugwen's voice was growling, though Ming couldn't discern the exact words. The third voice was Dugwen's panicked cry of "Squad Leader!"
The squad leader?!
As Duguwen's voice faded away, Mingjin noticed the sound of someone falling to the ground.
Grasping his spear, Mingjin first sent Yazi out to deliver a message, then stepped forward to rush in and rescue the people. However, just as he got a little closer to the fire, a burst of intense flames erupted, forcing Mingjin to cover his face with his arms and stagger back several steps.
Her heart skipped a beat.
The arrogance just now was a warning; the evil spirit was accusing everyone who tried to approach, and anyone who went any further would surely die.
The heat emanated from the ring of fire, making Mingjin's exposed skin feel like it was burning.
Although this didn't cause any real harm to Mingjin, it suddenly reminded her of the days after her last injury, when she lay in bed recovering, tormented by nightmares. During that time, she couldn't move freely and often woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, staring at the dark beams and listening to her own heart pounding like a drum.
My heart started pounding.
Fine beads of sweat began to form on her hand gripping the spear. Before even entering the ring of fire, her mind was already being scorched by the intense heat, and she began to feel dizzy.
"From today onwards, if you encounter a situation where you must risk your life, do it boldly, and I will guarantee your safety."
The words he hadn't taken to heart that day suddenly welled up in his mind. Coupled with witnessing the Black and White Ones carrying away the souls of Dan Gen, the sweetness given by the Dao Heart spread through Ming Jin's anxious mouth.
Do you believe in faith?
Is what she said really believable? What if she really dies?
The wind, which was moving through the fire, found the source of the sound that hit the ground.
Banri was injured. Much of his hair was burned off, and he emitted a pungent odor. The burns on his face, which had already been there, were now covered in new ones.
The wind brushed past his nose, and he could feel its faint breath.
There's no time to waste.
Mingjin switched hands and gripped the gun barrel, wiping the sweat from his hands onto his chest.
Even without Dao Xin's joking promise, he might not die if he went in. Besides, Ya Zai had already gone to look for someone, and compared to that unreliable minor official, the elder from the same age group beside him was more trustworthy.
A wandering pillar of fire spotted Mingjin at the edge and slowly approached her while she hesitated. When Mingjin set up the mountain magic barrier and took a big step forward, the pillar of fire also sped up and pounced on her before her eyes could adjust to the strange light inside the fire circle.
Amidst the gray and red hues, the pillar of fire, which should have been clearly visible, was now shielded, only becoming noticeable when it was just two steps away. Mingjin first reinforced the mountain magic barrier, but the pillar of fire remained firmly pressed down on her, preventing her from advancing. In the ensuing struggle, Mingjin added another spell to her mountain magic.
"Gazing into the secluded rocks, chanting verses over the long river."
As soon as he finished speaking, a large torrent of water cascaded down from the sky, crashing into the pillar of fire that seemed oblivious to its surroundings. The fire weakened, but it only retreated, not completely dissipating. White steam spread outwards from the fire pillar, the suffocating vapors adding to the burning heat of the flames, forcing Ming Jin to evade the area.
Ming Jin didn't have time to fight it; he was just thinking that this thing could move freely in the fire circle, and he had to find the fallen Ban Rui as soon as possible.
She ran deeper into the circle of fire.
At this moment, the sounds of their confrontation could be heard without the aid of external forces. There was no sharp sound of weapons clashing; each side used their own cultivation to intimidate the other, attempting to gain the upper hand in this purely attritional battle.
The ring of fire reduced the chances for both sides to determine the identity of the new intruder. Mingjin's goal was to pull Banrui out first, and then find a way to support Dugwen. So she followed Fengliu, and amidst the desolate ashes and vegetation, her eyes, blurred by the dim light and smoke, dodged the pillars of fire, and finally found Banrui, who was half-buried by the drifting embers.
"Squad leader!"
Mingjin ran over and crouched down, expanding the area covered by the mountain magic to protect Banrui. She removed the dust covering Banrui and checked his breathing; it was weak but not entirely hopeless.
This placed a considerable psychological burden on Mingjin.
"The heavens shine brightly upon the earth below."
The gentle flow of water slowly washed over Banrui's burned face. At the same time, Mingjin hoisted his unconscious body onto his shoulder, preparing to find the nearest source.
Before she could find a way to escape, a fresh pillar of fire attacked her from behind, breaking through the swirling dust and rushing straight toward Mingjin.
Having already used mountain magic, wind magic, and water magic simultaneously, and carrying the wounded on his shoulder, Ming Jin simply couldn't muster any more strength to fight back. He had to reinforce his mountain magic and grit his teeth to try and block the attack head-on.
Before any direct confrontation, the power emanating from the fire pillar was already constantly squeezing the mountain's protective barrier. Ming Jin released his cultivation to support the mountain's magic, and slowly began to notice the metallic taste in his mouth.
The suffocating feeling of being squeezed lasted only a moment before the pillar of fire suddenly disappeared, its embers scattering in all directions, causing Mingjin's legs to tremble and making him lose his balance. Unable to support Banrui for a moment, he slid a few steps to the side of Banrui's body. Mingjin's gaze fell on Banrui, wanting to steady him first, but his attention was suddenly interrupted.
A flash of red light suddenly appeared in the distance.
Although small, its penetrating power was extremely strong. Even though Ming Jin wasn't facing it directly, the light hitting her eyelids forced her to close her eyes. As the red light faded, the red circle disappeared, leaving a somewhat dim but bearable darkness. Unconsciously, Ming Jin turned her head to look for the truth. In the blink of an eye, she saw a woman dressed in black and red rushing towards her, brandishing a knife.
The woman held a knife with a blade that gleamed with fire in her hand. Her black-and-red robes fluttered in the air, as if flames were growing from her body. Two pearl hairpins adorned her hair, and as she approached, the soft tinkling of the hairpins reached Mingjin's ears, intensifying the stinging pain in her ears.
The knife was sharp and arrived in front of Ming Jin in an instant.
In her panic, she dragged Banrui back two steps, the knife striking the rocky barrier with a crisp sound that carried far. The woman frowned, raising her knife to prepare for her next strike. But before she could swing it, a long spear shot out from the side, forcing her to grit her teeth and retreat, barely managing to dodge the spearhead that was about to strike her chest.
After landing, Du Gewen faced the woman and stood in front of Ming Jin and Ban Rui, asking, "Tian Guang, are you alright?"
"Master, I'm fine."
Mingjin coughed involuntarily.
"That's good. You take the class elder and leave quickly, leave the rest to me."
"yes."
Dugowen seemed unharmed; after saying a few words, he swung his gun and continued forward.
He and Banrui had come straight for the evil spirit, but they hadn't expected that in their last encounter, the spirit hadn't revealed even a fraction of its true power. More importantly, Banrui was determined to use his magic, making no attempt to conceal it. The magic did work, but the spirit realized it had been hit by some unknown attack. Out of caution, and displeasure at being affected, the spirit instantly unleashed several pillars of fire, striking the still-recovering Banrui directly.
"I thought it would just be the two of you again this time." The demon and Duguwen were fighting, and the knife in her hand transformed into a long-handled sword at her side, its entire body radiating a sharp luster.
“Now it’s just you and me,” Dugwen silently adjusted the position of his spear, carefully watching all the movements around the evil spirit, “Let’s settle this once and for all.”
Hearing the sounds of arguing and fighting behind them, Mingjin quickly led Banrui back. Mingjin struggled to determine their surroundings when suddenly he heard a clear bird call, followed by Yazai flapping its wings and flying over.
"Ya Zai!" Ming Jin looked at Ya Zai's figure, somewhat surprised that she had returned in such a short time.
Although Ya Zai was created through magic, she differs slightly from other magically generated beasts in that she is also a magical artifact. Ming Jin imbued the artifact with magic, granting Ya Zai an extraordinary level of autonomy. However, when the artifact was created, Ming Jin was merely a junior disciple at the academy and didn't possess any particularly valuable items; he simply found a piece of ancient wood at home to give Ya Zai her form. Normally, she's fine, but now, inside the fire, Ya Zai chatters and screams, desperately trying to avoid all flames and prevent herself from getting burned.
Toothfly took flight and led the way with its calls.
Ming Jin withdrew his wind technique and quickened his pace to run outside.
The fire chased after Mingjin from behind. The barrier, which had just blocked the sword, was now trying to block the fire. Its originally smooth luster gradually weakened, becoming dry, and it was about to break apart.
Mingjin felt she was just feeling unwell from the fire, so she focused her mountain magic on Banrui, using only the remaining water magic to shield herself from the flames. She concentrated on Yazi's cries, and after taking several steps, her fragile hearing finally picked up sounds other than Yazi's.
At first, she hesitated whether they were reinforcements sent by Ya Zai, because Ming Jin was unfamiliar with the three indistinct voices. One of the louder voices was particularly familiar to Ming Jin, and after walking a few more steps, Ming Jin could see the outside environment clearly and also identify the voice.
"But my master must be in bad shape, I've already received a message from him!"
Outside, Heng Buwei was arguing loudly with someone, extremely anxious.
The two people opposite them didn't know how to react, but as soon as Heng Buwei finished speaking, the three of them heard heavy footsteps coming from not far away.
Although the rescue was unexpected, it was fortunate that it was someone they knew. When Mingjin carried the person out of the ring of fire, the difference between the inside and outside environments was too great. Mingjin couldn't breathe and lost his footing, and the two of them fell to the ground together.
Three people standing not far away ran over.
Upon seeing someone fall to the ground, one person stood there, unsure how to react, their legs trembling, mumbling incoherently. Another quickly helped Banrui up by the upper body, while the other hurriedly supported Mingjin's arm, trying to lift her up.
"Senior Sister Ming, are you alright?"
Heng Buwei called out to Ban Rui, only to find him completely unconscious, and felt extremely anxious. Ming Jin's eyes were glazed over, and he coughed weakly, trying to get up by pressing his hand to the ground, but he couldn't support his body. Heng Buwei hadn't initially expected that Ming Jin, who had saved people, was so badly injured, and seeing the two wounded people in front of him, he was momentarily at a loss.
"I'm fine..."
However, before they could finish speaking, a loud bang reached their ears, drawing the attention of all four of them.
She had barely finished speaking when Mingjin coughed a few more times, her vision blurred. She stared at the movement of the ring of fire, holding on until it flashed briefly before losing consciousness and collapsing to the ground.
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