Wen Zixing, being the first to encounter the danger, was the first to speak: “I was chasing a spiritual mink with Yaoyao, but they both were too fast for me to keep up. Then, I saw another mink and went after it when it suddenly started raining. I slipped while trying to find shelter and fell into the ravine. That devil appeared out of nowhere and immediately attacked me…”
Chao Muxue continued, “Qianshan and I were searching for the spiritual mink but couldn’t find a trace, so we decided to split up after making sure to stay within shouting distance. When it started raining, I looked for shelter and then heard Xingxing’s voice. I came over to find him…”
“I searched around for a while and heard sounds from the ravine. When I saw the devil attacking Xingxing, I rushed down in a panic…”
And, as known, she ended up injured too.
Lu Yaoyao, feeling guilty, said, “It’s my fault. If I hadn’t gotten separated from Xingxing, this wouldn’t have happened.” She had been so focused on catching the mink that she hadn’t noticed when Xingxing fell behind. If they hadn’t split up, he wouldn’t have gotten hurt.
Wen Zixing waved his hand, “I ran off on my own.”
Du Qianshan, holding his sword, frowned. “Cold Mountain Forest isn’t safe anymore. We should return to the sect as soon as possible.”
If it weren’t for the ongoing rain and snow and the fact that Chao Muxue and Wen Zixing were injured, Du Qianshan would have suggested returning immediately. Encountering one devil meant there could be more. The strongest among them was Yaoyao, but she was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. The devil they encountered was a cultivator equivalent to the late Golden Core stage. If they encountered each other again, the four of them combined would be no match for one enemy.
Wen Zixing quickly nodded. “Let’s go back tomorrow. We caught the spiritual mink, after all.”
The spiritual mink that Lu Yaoyao had caught was now in Wen Zixing’s arms. At first, they had intentions of further exploring the area and enjoying themselves, but those plans had to regretfully be scrapped now. Lu Yaoyao wanted to find the devil who injured her friends and figure out what was going on, but they wouldn’t let her act alone. Since her devil army wasn’t with her, she also couldn’t find anyone to handle this matter immediately.
“Why are the devils becoming more brazen lately? This place is so close to the sect, yet they dare to cause trouble. Do they want to break the peace treaty?” Chao Muxue was concerned.
Lu Yaoyao wanted to say that with her and her Daddy around, devils wouldn’t cause trouble. But recently, there had been several incidents of devils injuring people all over, and sometimes Yaqing and his subordinates couldn’t intervene in time. Only when the troublemakers were careless enough to leave traces behind could they be captured.
Thinking of this, Lu Yaoyao felt extremely guilty.
“It might not necessarily be the devils.” Wen Zixing said.
Lu Yaoyao looked up at Wen Zixing. “Xingxing, do you know something?”
Wen Zixing spoke confidently, “This is definitely a plot by the demon race.”
Chao Muxue frowned. “What does this have to do with the demon race? That was clearly a devil.”
Du Qianshan was also puzzled. “What’s going on?”
Wen Zixing insisted, “The attacker was a devil, but the mastermind might not necessarily so.”
Chao Muxue gasped. “You mean, the demon race and the devil race are colluding against the Cultivation Realm?”
Wen Zixing shook his head. “If the Cultivation Realm and the Devil Realm are at odds, the demons will reap the ultimate benefits.”
Lu Yaoyao hesitated. “But if the demon race is behind this, why is there no trace of them?”
Wen Zixing was frustrated, “I don’t have proof, but trust me.” In the original plot, the ultimate villain was a master schemer who played the three realms against each other. The spies placed in the Cultivation Realm and the Devil Realm were so well-hidden that even the two Venerables couldn’t uncover them.
Wen Zixing didn’t know how to explain. Unless the spies were caught red-handed in their deeds, he had no way to identify them.
Chao Muxue carefully pondered, “If we consider the ultimate beneficiaries, the demon race does seem suspicious. But why would the Demon Emperor do such a thing?”
Lu Yaoyao trusted Wen Zixing, but she also felt there might be a misunderstanding. Although she had never met the Demon Emperor, she kept in touch with Xiao Si and believed that a Demon Emperor admired by Xiao Si wouldn’t be involved in such underhanded schemes.
No matter how she thought about it, Lu Yaoyao couldn’t figure it out.
Du Qianshan suggested, “When we return to the sect, we should report all of this to the Sect Leader.”
Chao Muxue nodded in agreement, “We’ve only just started cultivating a few years ago, and it is not our turn to worry about these major issues. Let the sect investigate. If it indeed involves the other two races, Sect Leader and other elders will handle it.”
Lu Yaoyao couldn’t find the words to explain. Whether it was the demon race or the devil race, she didn’t want this to happen. She would rather be the one injured than see her friends hurt.
If it weren’t for the life-saving items Xingxing and Muxue had, they might not have lasted until her arrival… The thought made Lu Yaoyao shiver with fear. She took out a bunch of artifacts, pills, and talismans from her small pouch and distributed them to her three friends. “Our lives are important. Carry more life-saving items with you.”
Wen Zixing, Chao Muxue, and Du Qianshan didn’t refuse Lu Yaoyao’s caring gesture, but they didn’t have storage bags like hers and couldn’t carry much. In the end, they took a few portable items except for Chao Muxue, who didn’t take anything.
“I already have life-saving artifacts. My master and senior brother gave me quite a few. I just blanked out and rushed in without thinking about using them.” Chao Muxue explained. If she had remembered to use her artifacts, she might not have gotten injured.
Wen Zixing consoled, “We just lack combat experience. It’ll get better over time.” In the sect, they spent most of their time training individually and rarely sparred with others, which left them flustered when suddenly thrust into an actual combat.
“If it weren’t for Yaoyao teaching me to use talismans and sword techniques together yesterday, I wouldn’t have lasted until you arrived.” His combat experience was barely better than Muxue’s. Even after Yaoyao’s guidance yesterday, he panicked and used up his talismans too quickly.
“Once we return to the sect, we need to make sparring a regular part of our training. Otherwise, it will be too embarrassing if we fail to obtain a good ranking in the upcoming tournament.” Lu Yaoyao said sternly.
Everyone agreed. Their lack of combat experience was indeed a disadvantage, especially with the inner tournament looming in.
Lu Yaoyao said with concern: “You guys should rest now. Qianshan and I will keep watch.” She reached over and took the spiritual mink from Wen Zixing, cradling it in her arms. Although the mink had been mischievous at first, it had been quiet and well-behaved since Lu Yaoyao caught it.
Wen Zixing lay down, “I’ll take a rest.” He was the most injured, having sustained external injuries from falling into the ravine and severe internal injuries from the fight, getting very close to death’s door, and had only started to recover after taking two pills from Lu Yaoyao. Thankfully, he was getting better, but he was still in pain.
Chao Muxue also lay down to rest.
The beast-skin blanket Lu Yaoyao spread out was large enough for both of them to lie down comfortably. It was a blanket she used to crawl and play on when she was little.
Du Qianshan stood guard at the cave entrance, holding his sword and watching the outside. As the cave fell silent, Lu Yaoyao sat by the fire, watching the flames, waiting for morning to come.
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