Song Nanhe watched Feng Sili depart, thinking to himself, "This Senior Brother Feng is truly a man of integrity and upright character..."
Before long, the three talisman cultivators returned one after another.
After all, what Gu Chunxiao asked them to find wasn't some rare spiritual plant.
Gu Chunxiao mobilized her spiritual power, lifting the three spiritual plants into the air. She awkwardly kneaded them together, pressing them into a green juice. She then wrapped the juice in her spiritual power and brought it to Liu Jinghong's lips. The juice flowed into his slightly parted lips.
A young cultivator asked curiously, "Will eating this wake me up, Senior Brother?"
Gu Chunxiao nodded, "It will allow the body to absorb the pills faster. Once the effects of the medicine wear off, he will wake up."
Several more hours passed before Feng Sili returned.
Liu Youcai was following behind him.
Song Nanhe subconsciously stepped aside to block Gu Chunxiao, his fox-like eyes narrowing slightly, revealing a hint of barely perceptible vigilance.
"I searched the entire area within ten miles but couldn't find a place to stay. So I searched to the west and finally found a cave that had already been occupied. But coincidentally, the cave was occupied by disciples of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion."
With a fake smile on his face, Liu Youcai said, "Hearing that our senior brother is seriously injured and unconscious, we disciples of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion are all very worried, so we specially elected me as our representative to come and greet him."
When he first saw the leaderboard, he couldn't believe his eyes. Liu Jinghong, that good-for-nothing, actually held the top spot with an impressive score of 18,500 points!
If Liu Jinghong were to win the championship, all the prestige he had painstakingly built up in the sect over the past three years would be overturned!
Therefore, no matter what means he uses, he must eliminate Liu Jinghong and inherit his "legacy" and "will"...
Thinking this way, even the smile on his face seemed somewhat genuine.
"Laughing so happily. It seems that my serious injuries and unconsciousness have made Junior Brother Liu very happy."
That familiar, piercing tone made Liu Youcai's smile freeze. He'd come at the worst possible time; how did he happen to arrive just as Liu Jinghong woke up?
Just as Liu Youcai was about to say something in his defense, he saw three little talisman cultivators rushing over with tears in their eyes!
"Senior Brother! Waaaaaah, you're finally awake!"
We were so worried!
"We will definitely cultivate diligently from now on! We will never let our senior brother suffer again!"
Liu Jinghong propped herself up on the ground and leaned against a tree, her hand reaching for her fan.
"What are you crying for! The fact that the jade tablet didn't spread proves that this injury isn't enough to kill me! Crying for no reason is just bad luck!"
Song Nanhe watched from the sidelines, his lips twitching. He was scolded whether he laughed or cried. The rumors were true; Young Master Liu truly disliked everyone equally...
Liu Youcai, interrupted, could no longer defend himself. He simply looked up at the sky and said, "It's getting dark much faster than usual today; it's probably going to rain. Now that our senior brother is awake, why don't we take everyone back to the cave and reunite with our fellow disciples in the pavilion?"
Liu Jinghong glanced at him with a half-smile, but did not answer.
Liu Youcai felt like he was being stared at by thorns, and thought to himself: Why is he looking at me like that? Does he know something?
Just as she was feeling uneasy, Liu Jinghong finally spoke: "Okay."
Even though Feng Sili was slow to realize, she could tell that Liu Youcai and Liu Jinghong were not as harmonious as she thought, and she couldn't help but feel regretful.
He should have just seized the cave. He had originally planned to steal it, but changed his strategy after realizing it was someone from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.
Feng Sili sighed silently.
"I will not accompany the young master," Feng Sili said. "On the way to find the cave, I was fortunate enough to meet a fellow disciple. I have returned to say goodbye. I should reunite with the disciples of Penglai."
Liu Jinghong nodded, leaned on the tree to stand up, and performed a proper bow between peers. "All good things must come to an end. I wish Senior Brother Feng all the best and a bright future."
Feng Sili smiled and returned the greeting: "Young Master is the same."
After Feng Sili left, Liu Jinghong and his group followed Liu Youcai to the cave he had mentioned.
The disciples of Tianji Pavilion inside were all very happy to see Liu Jinghong arrive, and they chattered about everything, some expressing concern for his injuries and others marveling at his achievements.
But people's pessimism is not shared, and Liu Jinghong only felt it was noisy.
He rubbed his throbbing temples, a pang of regret rising in his heart.
I wish I hadn't come.
I shouldn't have wronged myself just because I was curious about what tricks Liu Youcai was up to.
"Silence!" Liu Jinghong shouted. "You're so noisy, you're making my injuries flare up again."
Everyone immediately quieted down and quickly made room for Liu Jinghong to rest.
Liu Jinghong sat down on the ground, somewhat disgusted, but she figured she had to put up with it.
At night, the rain pattered outside the cave, while inside, a group of disciples from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion gathered around a fire, roasting meat and chatting happily.
The three junior talisman cultivators who had been with Liu Jinghong earlier were passionately and vividly recounting to their fellow disciples how their senior brother had subdued countless beasts and slaughtered countless living beings in a single move! They also described how he had opened the void, broken through barriers, and single-handedly killed a peak Golden Core cultivator with four talismans!
The warm yellow firelight seemed to veil the entire cave in a light mist. The disciples were radiant, their laughter filled with the cheerful and bright spirit unique to young people.
Looking at Liu Jinghong again, he was staring blankly at the rain outside, seemingly lost in thought.
As for Song Nanhe, he blended in perfectly with the other disciples, happily helping to grill the meat. However, every piece of the best meat from the grilled beast was quietly given to Gu Chunxiao.
Even Liu Youcai was smiling. Only after the heated discussion subsided did he slowly and deliberately throw out the bait.
"I've heard that there's a Blazing Sun Flower in this secret realm, and its blooming season is approaching."
"hiss--"
"Really?! The legendary Blazing Sun Flower, which blooms only once every ten thousand years and can be used in alchemy to refine impurities in the spiritual palace and break through the limits of one's talent?!"
"Of course!" Liu Youcai noticed that Liu Jinghong was also looking this way, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up. "Before entering the secret realm, I shamelessly asked my father for a map!"
As he spoke, Liu Youcai pulled out the map he had been holding and pointed upwards: "Look! The Blazing Sun Flower is right here!"
Before everyone could rejoice, he poured cold water on their excitement, "However... rare treasures like the Blazing Sun Flower are usually guarded by high-level demonic beasts. And the one guarding this Blazing Sun Flower is a Nascent Soul Serpent."
"Therefore, this journey is fraught with danger. Is there anyone among you willing to accompany me?"
Liu Jinghong understood that it was time for him to take the bait.
"I'm going." The young man's eyes were sharp. "But Junior Brother Liu, have you thought about how to divide the spoils if we cooperate to obtain the Blazing Sun Flower?"
Liu Youcai smiled, as if he had expected this question, and replied, "If Senior Brother wants to go, we will not compete with him for the Blazing Sun Flower. We only need Senior Brother to spare some demon cores for us."
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