Chapter 14
After happily putting away the dark golden withered vine carefully, Lin Yibai looked around at the nest that he had almost cleared out, patted the bulging storage bag at his waist, and listened to the sounds of bottles and jars colliding and jade stones jingling inside, his mouth almost grinning from ear to ear.
However, when her gaze involuntarily fell back on the young man who was still closing his eyes and regulating his breathing not far away, the excitement of "getting rich" just now was like a balloon punctured by a needle, and it puffed and gradually lost its air.
An unprecedented feeling of helplessness quietly emerged, quickly replacing the previous ecstasy.
What should I do next?
The fragile bond between them, born from their shared struggle against the enemy, had dissipated with the death of Patriarch Tengyan. Would they continue to fight each other, or... go their separate ways? But her cultivation was limited, and she didn't know where this place was. Could she make it out on her own?
Abandon him? It doesn't seem appropriate...
She hesitated for a long time, her fingertips unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes. In the end, the little bit of her remaining feeling, what might be called "conscience," prevailed. She took a deep breath, as if ready to die, and slowly moved back to Yan Bujian.
The young man seemed to be keenly aware of her approach, and his thick eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly, but he did not open his eyes immediately, still maintaining the posture of regulating his breathing. It was just that the originally extremely weak aura around him seemed to condense for a moment.
"That..." Lin Yibai's voice was as small as a mosquito's hum. "It's not advisable to stay here for long. Although the old devil is dead, who knows if there are other dangers here. Shall we... go out together?"
After she finished speaking, her heart couldn't help but rise, and she held her breath waiting for his reaction. Would it be a cold rejection, or a mocking sneer?
Yan Bujian slowly opened his eyes, his dark pupils deep and bottomless, and stared at her for a moment. Just when Lin Yibai thought he would not answer or would make a sarcastic remark, he simply nodded lightly and replied with a concise word:
"Um."
There is no extra emotion, but no hostility either.
Lin Yibai breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from him. He quickly stepped forward to support his weak and shaky body: "Your injury hasn't healed yet, I'll support you."
Yan Bujian's body seemed to stiffen for a moment, but he didn't push her away. The two of them clung to each other, following the intermittent light and the faint currents of air, struggling forward through the intricate maze of giant root passages.
The two of them didn't feel anything when they were kidnapped, but only at this moment did they realize how long and deep this road was.
All around them was silent, with only the sound of each other's slightly rapid breathing and footsteps echoing in the empty maze. Lin Yibai could clearly feel the warmth from the young man's arm and the lines of muscle that seemed thin but was actually tough.
Her cheeks couldn't help but feel hot, and her heartbeat inexplicably quickened.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, a light-filled exit finally appeared in front of them. The two of them perked up, quickened their pace, and with all their might, pushed aside the drooping vines and roots, and suddenly rushed out.
The dazzling light from the sky instantly blinded them, and fresh, moist air rushed into their lungs, carrying the fragrance of grass, trees, and soil, completely replacing the decay in the maze.
They are out!
However, the road ahead was anything but smooth. They were in a completely unfamiliar, deep, dense forest, where towering ancient trees blocked out the sun and vines tangled all around, making it impossible to tell the direction.
"Where is this?" After a brief moment of joy, Lin Yibai came back to his senses and looked around blankly. Looking at the completely unfamiliar environment, he couldn't help feeling worried.
Yan Bujian didn't answer immediately.
He gently broke free from Lin Yibai's support, and after barely standing firmly, he reached out and wiped the rough tree trunk beside him. He looked down at the thickness and direction of the moss on his palm, and then looked up to observe the density of the tree canopy.
After a moment, he pointed in a direction, his voice soft but with an unquestionable certainty:
"This way."
Although Lin Yibai didn't understand the reason, he thought that the other party was a future immortal master and had grown up alone since childhood, so his skill points in distinguishing directions must be maxed out, so he decided to trust him.
She held him again, and the two of them walked forward in the direction Yan Bujian pointed, one step deep and one step shallow.
The forest path was rugged and difficult to navigate. Yan Bujian's injuries hadn't healed yet, and he struggled to walk, but he remained silent. Lin Yibai looked at his pale face and tightly pursed lips, and couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration for him. He thought to himself, "If I were in this kind of pain, I'd probably be crying out loud, unable to move. But he managed to remain silent... No wonder he was chosen by Heaven. His character is truly beyond the reach of ordinary people."
She subconsciously steadied her steps, trying to make herself a more reliable support for him at the moment.
......
I don't know how long I walked, but a salty smell gradually mixed into the air, and I began to hear faint dull and rhythmic rumbling sounds in my ears.
It's the sound of waves!
The two exchanged glances, each seeing a glimmer of hope in the other's eyes, and simultaneously quickened their pace. Pushing aside the last dense bush, the view suddenly opened up—
The next moment, a vast expanse of dark blue sea suddenly crashed into view, its waves surging and pounding the black rocks on the shore, splashing white foam all over the sky. The sky was low and the sea breeze was howling, bringing with it a heart-pounding sense of overwhelming power and bottomless oppression.
"Why does the sea...look like this?" Lin Yibai murmured.
Unexpectedly, the next moment——
[Ding! Detected that the host has arrived at the mission location. Please immediately execute the mission: throw Yan Bujian into the Forbidden Demon Sea.]
The system's prompt sound exploded coldly and abruptly in her mind!
Lin Yibai's body stiffened suddenly, and the hand supporting Yan Bujian subconsciously tightened. She slowly turned her head and looked at the young man beside her: he was staring at the deep and dangerous sea. The lines of his face seemed even colder in the dim sky, and his eyes were as deep as the night, as if he was silently confronting this demonic sea that had swallowed countless lives.
Throw him... overboard? Throw him into this terrifying sea that could tear a person to pieces?
The demonic sea before him roared endlessly, its inky waves surging and surging. The black reefs groaned in agony as the raging waves crashed against them. The air was filled with a salty, yet dangerous, odor. Beneath that bottomless, inky blue water lurked countless terrifying beings, thirsting for flesh and blood.
After experiencing life and death together in the maze, looking at his wounded and weak appearance, Lin Yibai found that his hands were as heavy as if filled with lead, and he could not bear to be cruel no matter what.
......etc!
The system only said "throw it into the sea", but there was no requirement to throw it into the deep sea! In the original novel, the original body threw Yan Bujian off the boat and let him sink and float in the sea, being eaten by demonic fish for three days, but now...
Her eyes suddenly turned to his feet - there was a shallow rocky beach there, the sea water just covered his ankles, clear to the bottom, and apart from being a little slippery, there was no danger at all!
An idea that she thought was brilliant instantly occupied her mind!
It happened in a flash. While Yan Bujian was concentrating on observing the sea conditions ahead and was completely defenseless, Lin Yibai made up his mind, suddenly stretched out his hand, and pushed him on the back lightly!
"......?!" Yan Bujian had never expected her to suddenly attack. There were slippery reefs under his feet, and his center of gravity was unstable. With a "splash", one of his feet stepped firmly into the cold sea water, splashing quite a bit of water.
——Just when Yan Bujian stepped into the water, a "ding" sound suddenly rang in Lin Yibai's mind!
The announcement of mission completion echoed in her mind, and to her, it sounded like the sweet music of a fairy.
Success! She had actually found a loophole in the system, neither violating the damn, fatal plot requirements nor actually killing Yan Bujian!
This exquisite victory, which walked on the edge of the rules, brought her a sense of accomplishment that even surpassed the lavish plundering of the treasure house of the Tengyan ancestor.
It was a kind of ecstasy of carving out a ray of hope for oneself, or perhaps... indirectly for him, in a desperate situation!
Then, a smile of relief could no longer be suppressed, like a bright moon freed from the clouds, suddenly blooming on her face. Her eyebrows curved, and the corners of her lips lifted, revealing a few fine white teeth. Her smile was filled with a hint of sly pride, a hint of lingering relief, and even a hint of pure brightness and vitality that she herself had not yet noticed.
Although it was just a shallow beach, Lin Yibai's sudden action was enough to make Yan Bujian look back in surprise.
He subconsciously frowned, his eyes tinged with a hint of offended anger, and looked at Lin Yibai behind him. However, before he could say anything reprimanding, he was met with the girl's bright smile, which was tinged with a hint of pride.
That smile was without any haze, pure and vivid, even with a bit of cunning cuteness, which was completely different from any malicious mockery or hypocritical smile in his memory. It was like a ray of bright sunshine suddenly shining through the thick haze, catching him off guard and rushing straight into his eyes.
Yan Bujian's heart skipped a beat for unknown reason. The rebuke on his lips froze for a moment, and in the end, it only turned into a low rebuke that sounded helpless yet tolerant. There was even a hint of indulgence in his tone that he himself hadn't noticed: "...What nonsense are you doing?"
He quickly turned his head and looked at the vast sea in a disguised manner, but his ears couldn't help but feel slightly hot, and somewhere in his heart, a very secret throbbing quietly grew, which even he himself didn't understand.
Lin Yibai was secretly delighted that she had exploited a loophole in the system and successfully completed the task. Just as she was about to say something to "comfort" Yan Bujian, suddenly, the communication jade talisman specially made by the Boyeng Sect in her arms suddenly became hot without any warning, and then suddenly lit up!
——The sect members are nearby! And very close!
Her expression suddenly changed and she looked at Yan Bujian fiercely.
Oh no!
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