Outside the room, Adam rolled his eyes as Xie Lian hugged him. He felt her rapid heartbeat and trembling arms around his back.
"Let go, senior."
"I was so scared when the illusions appeared, then... then..." She took a deep breath to recover her bearings.
But he cut her off and pulled back. "Don’t worry so much about . I won’t risk my life if I’m not sure I’ll succeed."
She shook her head, throwing him a doubtful glance. Many arrogant disciples—her the first—suffered dearly after reality gave them a cruel slap. She wasn’t underestimating Adam, though. What worried her, however, was his overconfidence.
"You still should take longer to consider your options," she said, still believing that focusing on alchemy was the safest option.
However, when she raised her head, only the sunlight reflected by the polished wooden planks t her gaze and her arms were empty.
Had he just abandoned her in this dangerous palace because of her worries? She paled as the idea reverberated in her mind, and her legs buckled.
"Idiot, idiot, I’m an idiot." She covered her quivering lips, holding back the tear threatening to roll down her blurring violet eyes.
It was always the sa. She rembered how her parents left her on the roadside with a bag full of food. At first, she thought they had beco too sick to care for her, but later learned the truth.
Her special physique slowly poisoned anything she cared for. That was why she disguised herself and said whatever passed through her mind: to keep others away. The heavens had decided that relationships weren’t ant for her. Yet, she couldn’t help but long for them.
"Sorry, Adam." Her tears gushed down her cheeks as she felt her chest constrict her heart, and her breath beco short. "I-I just care too much for people I consider friends. It’s my fault."
She held her forehead, sniffing on the ground, distraught and blaming herself for her playful comnts and all the tis she ignored his clear warnings.
As she mourned, Adam sighed. Now she made him feel horrible when he had just wanted to frighten her so that she understood he wouldn’t entertain her constant opposition to his actions.
With a click of his tongue, he lifted the veil of illusion shrouding him and patted her shoulder.
"Don’t cry. If it can reassure you, I consider you a friend, too."
She lunged at him, trembling like a leaf against his chest as she teared up.
"I promise I won’t tease or question you any more, so please, don’t leave behind."
"Sorry, I shouldn’t have made you panic so much. Take a deep breath and calm down." His voice softened. "I’m not going anywhere."
Xie Lian followed his advice, her breathing and drumming heart stabilising before her eyes widened, and she jumped back.
"I can’t stay close too long." Her eyes darted left and right, a hesitant frown creasing her brows for a second. But he had to know.
She bit her lips, sharing her secret since she knew his. "My body is poisonous."
However, Adam shrugged, a playful chuckle escaping his lips. "I drank poisons for seven years. They don’t work on ."
"What?" She blinked, her shoulders trembling as the disgusted gaze she had dreaded to see didn’t register.
Adam winked and pointed to the palace’s next section, searching for an open room as he talked. "In short, neither Misha nor I can suffer from poison. So smile! You can have two friends."
Xie Lian’s eyes brightened as she wiped her tears and followed him. "Two friends," she whispered under her breath, a smile blossoming. "I’m not isolated anymore... who’s Misha, though?"
Adam almost stumbled at the question. How did she not know when they were together all day?
’Ah... They never interacted since Xie Lian mostly ca to sell materials or speak about alchemy.’
He scratched his head. "You’ll et her later. She’s the nicest girl. I bet you’ll like her as much as I do. But for now, try to focus on finding the next room."
Before the echo of his words faded, his eyes narrowed as he gestured at her.
CLANG
The second the mana barrier he had conjured ford, a lightning-enveloped blade crashed onto it, the impact and crackles reverberating through the corridor.
’What a nasty bastard.’ He snickered at the crimson fla palace’s robes draping the woman who had ambushed them before a yell drew his attention back.
"We found the mage: an eight-year-old boy with sky-blue hair and eyes. He wears the Jin Long sect robes, and a woman around twenty accompanies him."
He frowned as he saw the communication jade slip in her hand and the victorious smirk she gave him. Did she believe she had resolved so kind of mystery?
"Want to play with information? Fine." He shrugged and waved his hand.
He lunged at them and gently touched their swords. Then, he stepped back as if he had done nothing.
The two won’s eyes widened as they raised their blades defensively. They had just seen a white and blue blur yet felt no pain. What had happened?
"Your blades." Adam returned their smirk. "They’re not yours anymore."
With a snap of his fingers, he transmuted them into long stripes before the reinforcing enchantnts he had engraved onto their surfaces using his hands’ innate abilities pulsed with mana.
Like snakes, they coiled around the two won’s arms and legs, sealing their movent.
"My sword?!" they questioned, straining their muscles to free themselves. Their faces reddened, and their veins throbbed, yet the tal didn’t budge a milliter.
As they reeled in shock and horror, Adam crouched before them and tapped on their heads as if they were ducklings.
"How many clues did your sect gather?" His face darkened, his voice growing solemn. "Where is Ye Feng?"
"I-I don’t know." The first woman answered.
"You’re useless then." He snapped his fingers.
PSHH
Blood drizzled as the blade tying her grew sharp again and cleaved her head off.
Then he turned to the second disciple, uncaring about her trembling limbs and the despair swirling in her dull eyes.
"Sa question. Perhaps a different outco."
She burst into tears. "We... we split up after we felt soone use mana two hours ago. Ye Feng took the first trial at that ti."
She saw Adam raise his fingers, her face turning pale white. "Wait! I can ask them with the slip. I’ll tell them we killed you!"
"I can do that myself." He snapped his fingers, ending her life before she could plead again, shocking Xie Lian.
"What?" He shrugged, his barrier dissolving. "You’d be dead had I not reacted in ti. Why would I let them live? Gender? Honor?" His lips curled into a disgusted smirk. "I’m not a hero."
He gripped the jade slip and infused his Qi inside.
A manly voice imdiately answered.
"We felt another surge of mana. Did you kill him, or do you need backups?"
"You can send a cleaning team to retrieve their corpses, Ye Feng."
The voice cracked in suppressed anger. "You bastard. The crimson fla palace will engage its full force to hunt you down. You won’t leave this blessed land alive!"
He snickered, ignoring the empty threat. "I didn’t like you taking the tower’s first place, you know? Even if you don’t seek , I’ll co to teach you your place."
"You’re from Earth?!"
Before Ye Feng could continue, he crushed the slip and turned, his face dripping ink.
"Only one can be the best. And it’s not you."
Reviews
All reviews (0)