"I’m leaving!"
On the hillside, Zhao Jiaqi waved at the villagers reluctantly.
During the months she had spent here, she had truly grown fond of this tranquil little mountain village.
These recluses, undisturbed by the outside world, still adhered to the traditional ways of n tilling the fields and won weaving.
There was just one thing she couldn’t accept—the terrifying Sky Lantern ritual from earlier today.
It involved coating soone in kerosene, hanging them upside down on a pole—the screams amidst the flas were etched into everyone’s genes.
The horrific deaths of Sun Yuying and her son also ensured that no one dared to violate the clan’s rules again.
She believed that for the next few years, no one would venture near the ancestral graves.
"Are you sure you don’t want them to escort you out? Last ti, Lin Fan and I were trapped for a long ti before we used that guy to find an exit!"
Xu Zhi Rou looked worriedly at the mountain peak before her, knowing only through experience that the seemingly indestructible rocks concealed an endless expanse of the universe inside.
If it weren’t for Zhou Tianxiong’s rotting corpse providing assurance, she might have been truly uncertain, as it was indeed impossible to distinguish from the outside.
"I am a descendent of the Banshan Taoist; little contrivances like this won’t trouble . Let show you in a bit," Jiaqi declared confidently, taking a step forward and disappearing into the cliff face.
"I’ve noticed that Jiaqi seems very different today,"
Xu Zhi Rou said with a smile, looking at Lin Fan. "And it’s been like that ever since she ca out of her room, as if she’s suddenly very happy. Could sothing have happened in there?"
"Not much of a story happened, certainly nothing as exciting as yours. Don’t worry, once things are settled, I will definitely take you with for so fun," Lin Fan said with a mischievous grin, pulling Xu Zhi Rou into his arms.
Although today had indeed been an opportunity to consummate their relationship, he always felt a lack of finality.
"I don’t want that. The third elder said that Jiaqi could bear a noble child, so you should just focus on having children with her," Xu Zhi Rou teased, sticking out her tongue, knowing full well this was Jiaqi’s weak spot.
"What, you’ve only enjoyed the process and not planning to try for the result?" Lin Fan said with a sly smile.
"The Nine Corpses are born of the world’s qi and thus can’t bear offspring. So like Ning ngyao, I can only join you in fun and gas. But Jiaqi’s child will also be mine—I’m all prepared to be the little mother, so go on and win the heart of the real mother," Xu Zhi Rou said with a laugh, knowing that in her previous life as a Nine Corpse, she had never borne life for Lin Fan, and in this life, that dream seed just as unlikely.
"That real mother is a bit troubleso," Lin Fan said, rubbing his nose, his longstanding push-and-pull with Zhao Jiaqi wasn’t anything new.
But eventually, that girl would be his anyway, and this back-and-forth was starting to get interesting.
"Well, you’ll have to put in more effort!"
Crimson-faced with laughter, Xu Zhi Rou said, and together they stepped into the stone wall.
"Hey, where did you two go?"
Zhao Jiaqi, standing in the void, looked at them puzzled. They were supposed to follow each other closely, but why had they been delayed? She had thought there might be other exits from the Array and that they’d taken the wrong one.
"Nothing serious, just discussing so details," Lin Fan said with a sly smile. "How’s it going, have you found the exit yet?"
"What’s the rush? This is the ancient Soul Stabilizing Array—it’s not that easy to break out of. But don’t worry, I’ve already released sixteen paper cranes to find the way, we’ll have news soon!"
Zhao Jiaqi said, her mouth quirked with pride.
This was the level of her master in his day, yet she had managed to achieve it in her early twenties.
"Alright then!"
Lin Fan sat cross-legged, while Xu Zhi Rou stood beside him, reaching out to massage his shoulders.
Ti ticked by second by second, and before they knew it, Lin Fan had fallen asleep. But upon waking, he found that nothing around them had changed in the slightest.
"Has your paper crane gotten lost?"
Lin Fan’s remark clearly struck a nerve in Zhao Jiaqi.
She had a sullen face; she had just refused the offer of help from the Third Elder.
"What’s the rush? I’ve already released another sixty-four paper cranes. Waiting a bit longer won’t kill us!"
Hearing Zhao Jiaqi’s firm tone, Lin Fan chuckled wryly and shook his head.
Xu Zhi Rou, on the other hand, covered her mouth and giggled on the side. It had to be said that the girl was really quite stubborn.
Again, ti passed without asure, until suddenly ripples began to spread.
The appearance of the Third Elder gave the atmosphere an eerie twist.
"It looks like this old man’s guess was correct; you’re still here."
"Not for much longer... it’s about ti!"
With her cheeks flushed with embarrassnt, Zhao Jiaqi really didn’t want to admit that she was unable to break the array.
"Let it go, let’s have the Third Elder lead us out. After all, we’re running out of ti. Once you’ve helped with Ni Chang’s rescue, you can co back and take your ti to study how to break the array."
Lin Fan’s words deeply wounded Zhao Jiaqi’s heart.
She fell silent, her thoughts unclear.
"This Soul Stabilizing Array has nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine bewitching intersections, modeled after the vast universe. If you were to test each path one by one, I’m afraid it would take a hundred years to succeed."
As the Third Elder explained, he led the three of them forward.
Because of the vastness of the void, walking felt as if they weren’t moving at all.
But in the next mont, the Third Elder waved his hand and a crack appeared before them.
He then stepped through it first, and after they all erged, they had left the forbidden area behind.
"This world is truly amazing; the ancient arrays are really quite extraordinary."
Looking at the surrounding hills, they had returned to the inner sect.
Turning back to gaze at the mountain range behind them, the amazing ancient array was indeed different.
"The three of you have been trapped in the array for so long, you must be hungry. The inner sect’s environnt is sowhat better. Why don’t we rest there for a while? Besides, we’re not in a rush anymore. We can set off early tomorrow morning."
With the death of the inner sect’s Sect Leader, the Third Elder naturally had to take charge, and Lin Fan’s fire had also burned half of the courtyard.
"Alright then, I shall humbly accept your offer."
Although Lin Fan felt a bit embarrassed, there was a reason for everything that had happened; and besides, the people of the inner sect probably still didn’t know where the Sect Leader had gone. So, he followed the Third Elder towards the damaged courtyard in the distance.
"Jiaqi, don’t dwell on what just happened. After all, it has existed for a thousand years. It isn’t sothing you can break through just by saying so. We just need to keep working hard in the future."
Xu Zhi Rou looked at Zhao Jiaqi, who was walking beside her, and sensed that sothing was off.
Perhaps it was because she felt humiliated for not having broken the Soul Stabilizing Array.
"I... What else can I do? ng Yao already has the power of Resplendent Corpse, and you’ll soon regain your Ice Corpse power. In other words, you both practically have your own cheats, but ? I have nothing!"
Zhao Jiaqi pouted, the pressure that Ning ng Yao had been under now seed to have been transferred to her.
"Hey, don’t say that, have you forgotten? You have abilities too."
Xu Zhi Rou gave a mischievous smile as she looked towards Zhao Jiaqi, who naturally understood the implication behind her words.
"Could it be that my only option left is to bear children? I refuse to accept this..."
Reviews
All reviews (0)