Chapter Seventy Ye Chi: Master, you don't love me anymore (tears)
"Master, will it hurt?"
"No," came Ya Feiyu's restrained voice, but before he could finish speaking, a short, urgent breath interrupted him. His already pale face was now bloodless, and he bit his lower lip, trying to conceal it, his silver eyes misting over. "Don't..."
"I'm sorry, Master. Did I hit you too hard just now?" Ye Chi looked up, his dark eyes clearly reflecting Ya Feiyu's slightly pale face. Ya Feiyu instinctively wanted to avoid his gaze, but the genuine concern in those eyes made him unsure of what to do. He didn't know whether to look or not, and he just felt uncomfortable all over. He subconsciously gripped the grass beside him, gritted his teeth, and said, "Don't get so close."
They were so close that Ya Feiyu was worried Ye Chi might hear his heartbeat. This would be too embarrassing, he thought, desperately suppressing the sweet feeling welling up inside him. His eyes flashed, and he lowered his eyelids, his long eyelashes casting dappled shadows, as if this could hide all the forbidden, unspeakable emotions.
Ye Chi released his grip. Ya Feiyu's leg injury was actually quite serious; the wound was deep, and it wouldn't stop bleeding for a while, with demonic energy swirling around it. Ye Chi had never studied medicine during his time in the cultivation world, so to avoid making things worse, he didn't attempt to treat it too much. He simply disinfected Ya Feiyu's wound and wrapped it with a clean bandage. To be on the safe side, it would be best to find Xu Miaomiao first… His thoughts drifted.
"Hmm..." Just then, Tantai Wushuang, who had been unconscious for a long time, stirred. Her fingertips trembled slightly as she opened her eyes. "Immortal Venerable Tianxue...?"
Ya Feiyu's gaze fell on him, and she nodded politely but distantly: "Are you alright?"
Tantai Wushuang seemed to linger in those silvery eyes for a moment before slowly blinking, dazed, "Ah, um, I feel very relaxed. Is it Immortal Venerable Tianxue helping me? Thank you, Immortal Venerable."
An innocent young man. Ya Feiyu quickly drew his conclusion with a cursory glance. In his past life, he had almost no interaction with Tantai Wushuang. In his memory, Qing Shen Pavilion was a sect he had utterly destroyed; though famous, he knew nothing about it. This was the first time they had truly gotten to know each other. Tantai Wushuang might be a promising talent. Ya Feiyu thought.
Ye Chi seemed to sense his thoughts, and during their conversation, he kept staring at Ya Feiyu with a resentful look until Ya Feiyu had to turn his attention back to his disciple. Seeing Ye Chi's strange expression, Ya Feiyu paused slightly, puzzled, but he didn't take it to heart. After all, Ye Chi's strange behavior wasn't a one-off occurrence; he was already used to it. He said expressionlessly, "What are you doing?"
Ye Chi pursed his lips, said nothing, but said sourly, "Disciple is also injured, why doesn't Master take a look at disciple?"
Upon hearing this, Ya Feiyu's brow twitched, and his gaze swept over Ye Chi. This kid Ye Chi showed absolutely no sign of the weakness one would expect from an injured person. His complexion even looked healthier than Ya Feiyu's; this tall, strong man was standing there, clearly not seriously injured, yet he was acting like a spoiled child, without a shred of shame. Ya Feiyu stretched out his hand, beckoning Ye Chi, "Come here."
Ye Chi, unsuspecting, leaned his upper body closer. The next second, a dull pain shot through his forehead as Ya Feiyu flicked him on the head with pinpoint accuracy.
Ye Chi cried out in pain, "Master!"
Ya Feiyu said, "Why are you arguing with someone who is seriously injured?"
Ye Chi fell silent. Ye Chi felt wronged. Ye Chi wanted to cry. Why could his master be so cold and ruthless? He beat his chest and stamped his feet in anguish, saying, "Master."
"What are you doing now?"
"I was injured too," Ye Chi said aggrievedly. "I was bitten by that insect too. Master doesn't care about me at all. I'm so disappointed."
Upholding the spirit of not neglecting his disciple, and seeing his truly pitiful state, Ya Feiyu felt a slight pang of compassion. He knew his disciple was always impulsive, and whether injured or not, he always looked the same. If this time he had truly suffered a fundamental injury, it would be a dereliction of duty on his part as the master. Thinking this, he reached out and grasped Ye Chi's wrist, gathering spiritual energy at his fingertips to probe his pulse.
Ye Chi looked at him quietly. He didn't even realize that when he looked at Ya Feiyu, his eyes were as bright as if they were filled with morning stars.
After a long while, Ya Feiyu released his hand.
"How are you, Master? Are you hurt?" Ye Chi asked as he leaned closer.
Ya Feiyu glanced at him, her eyes blatantly showing disdain, giving him no face at all: "You're very healthy. The spiritual energy was completely absorbed by you as soon as it entered. You're more indestructible than steel."
Ye Chi's face fell: "That's not right, Master. But I clearly feel tightness in my chest, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, and tinnitus..."
Ya Feiyu said expressionlessly, "If he's not dead, then it's fine. If he is, just bury him."
Ye Chi was heartbroken: "Master, how could you say such cold words with your 37-degree mouth?"
Ya Feiyu: "...Do you want to get beaten up?"
Ye Chi quickly and obediently sat down: "It's nothing, Master is the best."
Ya Feiyu sighed softly and slowly stood up. The wound on her leg throbbed faintly, but it didn't significantly hinder her movement. Just then, Mo Huanchen, who had been hidden in the darkness, emerged. Skillfully ignoring Ye Chi's wary gaze, Mo Huanchen looked at Ya Feiyu and said, "This area is safe; there's no one around for now, but..."
"But what?"
“The fog is still very thick,” Mo Huanchen said. “It will probably be difficult to get out for a while.”
The thick fog trapped all four of them. Ya Feiyu turned her gaze to Ye Chi and asked, "When did the fog start here?"
Ye Chi blinked, about to answer, but was interrupted by Tantai Wushuang: "Immortal Venerable, I think it might be because of me."
Ya Feiyu's eyes narrowed: "You?"
“Yes, during my exploration of the hunting grounds, I found many unnatural corpses by a waterfall. After observing them, I realized that they were not injured by any spirit beasts, but were killed by someone who ambushed them.” He said this with a somewhat solemn expression. “After I came out from there, the forest was filled with thick fog. By chance, I met Brother Ye.”
"Later, Brother Ye and I went there again to check the situation, and sure enough, we encountered a group of demonic cultivators. It was only under their pursuit that we arrived here."
His gaze shifted slightly, landing on the corpses of the demonic cultivators on the ground: "These are the people."
After listening, Ya Feiyu nodded thoughtfully. He already had a general idea in mind, but the evidence was still insufficient.
He snapped out of his daze, habitually surveyed the area, and said, "There are also demonic cultivators lying in ambush at the venue, and the only exit of this hunting ground is near the venue. It's obviously not realistic to leave here through the exit."
"First, go find Xu Miaomiao, Shi Bai, and Shen Rong." A subtle anxiety seemed to linger between Ya Feiyu's brows. He always spoke with a nonchalant air, as if he didn't care about anything. Only he knew in his heart that his heart was always involuntarily concerned about countless people, but he didn't actually dislike this feeling.
Only when he had something to care about did he feel like he was truly living his life.
"I hope they're all alright," Tantai Wushuang prayed softly.
Traveling through the thick fog was inconvenient, and visibility became a major obstacle. Fortunately, most of the spirit beasts appearing in the hunting grounds were still of mortal quality, and their attacks were nothing more than minor skirmishes for high-level cultivators, easily dealt with, thus eliminating a major potential danger. They heard no more fireworks along the way, indicating that the dense fog in the mountains affected not only them, but all the cultivators in the hunting grounds.
The hunting grounds were vast, and the cultivators were scattered about; the thick fog made it even more difficult to discern their location. Searching for someone in such a place was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
They wandered through the mountains for a full hour, without seeing a single familiar face, not even a glimpse of their clothing. They did see other sect cultivators along the way—but they were all corpses, mostly mangled beyond recognition. If they weren't still wearing their sect disciples' robes, they might not have been able to recognize them at all. The sights along the way were horrifying, and Ye Chi's heart grew cold. With demonic cultivators so rampant in these mountains, then… were Shi Bai and the others still safe?
Everything was uncertain, but he thought the odds were against him.
They came to a densely wooded area, where not a ray of sunlight could penetrate. The surroundings were gloomy and eerie, and a chilling wind, seemingly from nowhere, swept across their backs, sending shivers down their spines. Ye Chi couldn't help but look back frequently. Even though he couldn't see anything, he had a feeling that some evil spirit was watching him from the shadows. Thinking of this, he shivered and instinctively moved even closer to Ya Feiyu—
But they came up empty-handed.
Ye Chi snapped back to his senses and turned to look, only to find that there was no one beside him.
"...Master?" he called out blankly, his voice echoing through the empty, dense forest, disappearing into the darkness, then leaving a melodious echo. He took a step forward, and he could vaguely hear the sound of dripping water, the source of which was unknown, yet it sent a chill down his spine. Ye Chi quickened his pace involuntarily; his mind was in turmoil, and he had no time to pay attention to his surroundings—when he came to his senses, he was surrounded by darkness.
But at the end of this darkness, a glimmer of light faintly appeared.
Although the light was blood-red and unsettling.
But he still ran forward, recklessly. His reason clearly told him he shouldn't go that way, but his confused mind prevented him from thinking. His body moved forward uncontrollably, and he reached out, trying to grasp that glimmer of light—
Then, he passed through the darkness and arrived in a world covered by a blood-red sky.
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