Chapter 267 Developing Favorable Feelings
Upon hearing this, a long-lost silence fell over the mountains and forests.
"Huh?" Three big question marks appeared in Mu Jianjian's mind. "How is that possible?"
"Then why did Wan Xing disappear?"
Hearing the system's resentful voice, Mu Jianjian immediately headed towards the mountainside. "There's no sound of people around. Let's go up the mountain and see if she's left first."
system:……
Only you can do that.
——
The caravan camp was located halfway up the mountain.
"Young Master is awake!" A man exclaimed with delight as he looked at the man who had just opened his eyes.
Hearing the commotion, the woman in pink rushed to the man's side, her expression filled with urgency and worry. "Young Master...Young Master, are you alright?"
It took Xiong Guang a while to adjust to the flames. The overwhelming feeling of death was unforgettable. He gasped for breath and gripped the arm of the person next to him. Only when he touched the real person did he realize that he was still alive.
"Young Master, it was the spirit-restoring inscription carved on your head by the old master that saved you—" Before the man could finish speaking, Xiong Guangze glanced at him, and the annoyance in his eyes made him subconsciously stop talking.
"Do you need to tell me? Get out!" Xiong Guangze waved his hand, and the man was so frightened that he immediately turned around and left.
“Young Master, please calm down. They were just worried about your soul and body,” Xiao Fen lowered her eyes and glanced around. “As soon as they sensed the fluctuations in your soul, they stayed by your side in this new body.”
“Little Pink, thankfully you’re here with me,” Xiong Guangze said, his tone naturally becoming gentle as he saw the woman’s tenderness. “I’m sorry to have worried you. It’s my fault.”
He recalled the helpers Wan Xing had just found, and felt a surge of anger again.
No wonder the woman refused to come back with him; it's because she's seeing someone else!
"It's alright, young master. Even if the bracelet is lost, it's good that you're not seriously injured." Xiao Fen's voice was filled with gratitude and relief, but her tightly clenched sleeves betrayed her true emotions.
“Little Pink, I originally rushed there to catch the villain who plotted against the caravan, but then another person appeared, which is why I was at a disadvantage in the battle,” Xiong Guangze said guiltily. “It caused you to lose the bracelet your grandmother gave you. The bracelet must be very important to you.”
It really got lost!
Disgusting old man!
Xiao Fen raised the corners of her mouth, "It doesn't matter that the bracelet is lost, as long as the young master is alright. Just who is this vicious person?"
“Perhaps they are from Yingzhou,” Xiong Guangze said. Although he did not want to recall the scene of being killed in one move, he had the disgusting aura of Yingzhou etched into his bones. “Wearing a white veil, his face is probably not presentable to others.”
Little Pink kept her head down, memorizing the words the man was saying, quietly taking in every detail.
——
A large, gray-brown stone gate stands between the mountain peaks. Looking inside, the entire gate is pitch black, yet it exudes a solemn and awe-inspiring aura. Strange stone statues of monstrous beasts are carved on the gate, with eagle eyes and leopard bodies that are particularly eerie.
The stone gate was surrounded by an aura of decay, even tinged with the stench of blood, yet it blended perfectly with the surrounding mountains and forests.
Two people walked alone to this spot.
"If he doesn't arrive within a quarter of an hour, let's go in first." The woman in blue slowly took out a beast core from her sleeve. She lowered her gaze to the beast core, casually playing with it in her hand.
Before the red-robed man could speak, footsteps sounded behind the two of them.
The two turned around simultaneously, and saw the veiled youth slowly approaching, while a cultivator with an unstable aura could still be sensed not far away.
Linghu Zhuoyu glanced behind her and said, "Someone knows information about this place. She said she'll tell you once she gets here."
Wan Xing was already exhausted from the previous exertion, but she forced herself to keep up with the boy. This time, she finally reached their destination. She had no time to pay attention to the strange sight of the stone gate in the mountains and forests. Her chaotic mind was focused on how to deal with the situation.
If she had revealed the name so easily, they definitely wouldn't have let her come along...
She wanted to continue up the mountain to kill Xiong Guangze, so how could she stop here!
"I...I..." Wan Xing really wanted to faint right then and there, but he found that even though he was seriously injured, he still had a little bit of natural energy to regulate his body, so he couldn't faint naturally at all.
He raised his eyes to try and see the person in front of him clearly, but he was stunned when he saw the scene.
Leaving aside the wonders on the massive stone gate, the appearance and demeanor of the two people standing before them were enough to make one bow down in fear.
The woman in blue was dressed in simple clothes of the finest fabric, without any jewelry or hairpins. Her stunningly beautiful face was made even more vivid by the beauty mark at the corner of her eye, making her seem like a goddess under the moon, high above and untouchable.
The man in the red robe beside him had exquisite features, and his narrowed eyes resembled those of a cunning fox, yet they revealed a chilling aura. In contrast to the woman beside him, he seemed like a demon who had fallen into the mortal world, alluring yet dangerous.
Even Wan Xing, who had seen all sorts of people in the Xuan Tian Secret Realm, was stunned by the two people in front of him.
A sense of hope suddenly arose in her heart.
If we could use these people to kill Xiong Guangze...
No, let Jianjian avenge herself.
Wan Xing's mind cleared a bit. She leaned against a nearby tree branch to rest, her voice weak, "Could...could I go in with you?"
Sensing the silence around her, she bit her lip and continued, "I know all the information about the caravan that's coming, and I can identify the woman."
The voice grew softer and softer; even Wan Xing himself wasn't confident he could persuade the other side.
"Who is she?" Linghu Zhuoyu asked indifferently.
“Yes…” Wan Xing hesitated for a moment before continuing, “It was the woman next to that man you killed earlier. She was wearing pink, and everyone around her called her Little Pink.”
Feeling the gaze suddenly sharpen upon her, she trembled before regaining her composure and quickly added, "I didn't intend to use you for revenge or anything... I had absolutely no such intention; I was just stating the facts..."
Wan Xing waved his hand sincerely, finally making that piercing gaze disappear.
"We don't care whether you live or die."
As the woman's cold voice faded, hope rekindled in Wan Xing's eyes.
Great! As long as we can go in, we'll definitely have a chance to kill Xiong Guangze!
——
In the quiet and secluded woods, a slender girl slowly walks up a narrow stone path, humming a strange melody softly. Despite being in a mysterious environment, she feels exceptionally at ease.
"Two tigers, two tigers, how strange, how strange..."
Mu Jianjian sang a childhood nursery rhyme. She raised her right hand and looked at the illusory butterfly that was faintly visible on her palm. Her gaze was lost in thought.
Suddenly her singing stopped abruptly, "Don't you feel my illusory butterfly gradually becoming real?"
"Is there? Host," the system voice announced.
"It must be my imagination. How could I possibly master a secret technique that Senior Brother Qu couldn't learn in such a long time? It must be an illusion caused by fighting Xiong Guangze," Mu Jianjian comforted herself.
She was about to follow the flight path of the phantom butterfly up the mountain when a male voice suddenly appeared behind her.
"We meet again, young lady."
Mu Jianjian quickly composed herself, then turned around in a panic as if she had been startled. "Who, who's here?"
She didn't even notice someone appearing behind her!
The man who came towards us was leaning on a cane. He had a gentle face and friendly eyes.
“Young lady, there is no need to be afraid. It is I, Ouyang Wenjin.”
Mu Jianjian breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart remained tense. "I never thought... we would meet again..."
The sound of the chicks pecking at the rice was barely audible, and Ouyang Wenjin seemed not to notice it. He smiled and said, "I thought you had already died under the feet of the demon beast, but I was surprised to find that you were blessed enough to survive such a disaster."
“I never expected to meet you here, young master…” Mu Jianjian’s tears flowed freely as she clutched her chest. “It’s just a pity that my sister and I escaped from the monsters, only to face separation. I wonder if my sister is alright.”
Surprised?
She originally thought that no one would notice if she used the pupil-changing technique to move the two away, but now she has become suspicious.
Ouyang Wenjin's tone remained completely unchanged. Was this really a sign of surprise?
“In that case, would you be willing to continue traveling with our caravan, young lady? Now that it’s dark and deep in the mountains, we can also help you search for your sister.” Ouyang Wenjin’s eyes darkened, and the image of the girl in front of him was reflected in his deep black pupils.
Covered in blood and dust, yet his breathing was steady and powerful; his face showed panic and fear, but his eyes remained calm and composed.
As expected, this was the person he was looking for.
Seeing the girl gratefully agree, Ouyang Wenjin's smile widened. "Then come with me."
Since he wasn't dead, he wanted to see just how capable the person connected to that other was.
Mu Jianjian reluctantly agreed and followed Ouyang Wenjin back to the caravan where Team Leader Sun had originally been.
Seeing a large group of cultivators walking together in the distance, before she could even get a clear look at their numbers and status, a woman landed in front of her, shouting, "You woman, weren't you dead a long time ago? Why are you still haunting me here? Have you no shame? You keep clinging to my brother!"
Four words flashed through Mu Jianjian's mind: "Just as I thought."
"Don't be rude!" Ouyang Wenjin immediately scolded, which made Ouyang Wenni feel even more aggrieved.
"Brother! So that's what you were doing outside! You were looking for this woman!" She raised her arm, revealing the wound she had sustained while fighting the monster. "I got hurt for these people because you told me to, and you didn't offer me a single word of comfort, but instead you went to pick up other people?"
Team leader Sun and the other cultivators present frowned upon hearing Ouyang Wenni's words.
What does it mean to do it for them?
I didn't ask her for help, why am I acting so aggrieved?
Team Leader Sun wanted to offer some advice, but he knew that matters between siblings and relatives were beyond the reach of outsiders. He glanced at the disheveled girl who was trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, and then subtly probed her with his divine sense.
If he remembered correctly, this woman was clearly trampled to death by the monster during the battle earlier. How could she be here now?
"Brother Sun." Mu Jianjian noticed Team Leader Sun's gaze, and lowered her head tremblingly, looking like a helpless little white flower.
"Brother! Look at her like this!" Ouyang Wenni stomped her foot and pointed her finger directly at Mu Jianjian's head. "We've already been kind enough by taking her in once. It's even more dangerous to cross the 'Panmen' halfway up the mountain later. Why bring on this burden?"
Panmen?
Mu Jianjian quickly grasped the key information the other party was saying.
"Stop fooling around, one more person is one more person," Ouyang Wenjin's eyes sharpened, "Wen Ni, be good, okay?"
Ouyang Wenni was taken aback; this was a sign that her brother was angry!
Feeling both wronged and angry, she said, "Okay...brother."
In Ouyang Wenjin's blind spot, she glared at Mu Jianjian. It's all that bitch's fault. She can't do anything, but she still stole her brother's heart!
Mu Jianjian raised an eyebrow, naturally not going to indulge her, and directly made a face in response, which made the other person so angry that she was furious.
“Young Master Ouyang, do you know what ‘Panmen’ is?” Mu Jianjian ignored Ouyang Wenni’s gaze, which seemed to want to tear her apart, and asked directly to the man beside her, “And why are so many people coming to this old forest?”
Isn't he good at pretending?
She'd like to see who can really pull it off.
Ouyang Wenjin's smile faltered. He raised an eyebrow without making a sound and said, "I was ambushed while cultivating, which left me with a chronic illness. A few days ago, someone came to the family to report that there was a strange movement in the mountains, and that rare herbs might be born that could cure my illness. Therefore, my sister and I asked Brother Sun to come with us."
His eyes met Mu Jianjian's unyielding gaze, and he chuckled, "And that 'Panmen' is one of the phenomena of the strange changes in heaven and earth. The messenger said that if one enters the 'Panmen,' one can reach the realm of bliss and obtain supreme treasures."
“But Young Master Ouyang, your health is so poor. What if something happens to you on the way? With Miss Ouyang and Brother Sun there, they will definitely be able to bring the precious herb back.”
A realm of ultimate bliss, a supreme treasure?
Is this really just fooling children?
Mu Jianjian appeared gentle and caring on the surface, but in her heart she didn't believe Ouyang Wenjin's words at all.
Regardless of the scene inside the "Panmen" (a type of gate), the reason why Ouyang Wenjin brought his sister here is intriguing.
He claims he's coming to heal himself, yet he comes already ill; this contradiction makes him unreliable.
“It’s because I’m about to die,” Ouyang Wenjin said, as if sensing what she was thinking. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, the distance so close that he could almost feel the warmth of her voice. “If I hadn’t come with you, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have made it this far by the time they got the precious herbs for me.”
Mu Jianjian suddenly looked up to avoid his closeness and met the man's eyes.
The other person's dark eyes were completely calm, yet they concealed a deep indifference and calculation.
"Now, will you listen to me, young lady? After all, I have a great liking for you."
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