With Wen Zixing recovering, Yan Zihui’s expression improved significantly. He realized it was partly their own carelessness and couldn’t entirely blame the Tianyan Sect. Earlier, their concern for Wen Zixing had left no room for conversation, but seeing their nervousness now, Yan Zihui softened his tone—
“This wasn’t something any of us expected to happen, and I trust that your sect didn’t intentionally harm those who came to help. This matter is something you were likely unaware of. Fortunately, it didn’t result in a major disaster, but we must all keep it in mind and not be careless again.”
“We were also careless just now, and I apologize for alarming you.”
“Thankfully, no harm was done.” Seeing that Yan Zihui wasn’t angry with them, Bu Yang and his two fellow disciples felt somewhat relieved.
Given what happened, it wasn’t safe to stay here any longer. They couldn’t act recklessly and also needed a foolproof plan to fully understand the situation, so Yan Zihui suggested, “It’s getting late. Let’s head back and rest, and we’ll come back tomorrow.”
“Agreed.”
No one objected; though they had safely made it out, lingering here didn’t feel safe, and it was best to leave quickly.
Du Qianshan and Lin Zao supported Wen Zixing, and the group swiftly descended the mountain. They returned not to Yanhuo Town, but to the temporary dwelling at the stone house.
Wen Zixing had mostly recovered by now, but Lu Yaoyao and Chao Muxue still treated him like fragile glass, taking attentive care of his every need:
“Xingxing, have some water.” Lu Yaoyao offered a jade cup filled with spiritual spring water to Wen Zixing.
Wen Zixing lay on the mat. Initially, he was about to say he was already fine, but seeing Lu Yaoyao and Chao Muxue fussing over him…
His eyes darted around, and he weakly clutched his chest. “Ah—I’m feeling sick…”
“My hand feels weak…” He stared at the cup in Lu Yaoyao’s hand.
Lu Yaoyao quickly moved the cup to Wen Zixing’s mouth, carefully feeding him water. Water was scarce here in Yanhuo Mountain, so Lu Yaoyao had packed plenty of spiritual spring water, as well as juicy spiritual fruits.
“My shoulders feel so sore and weak. I hope I’m not permanently disabled…” Wen Zixing sighed gloomily, holding his arm.
Chao Muxue hurriedly gave his shoulders a gentle massage. “How could you be permanently disabled? You weren’t even injured. Are you feeling better now?”
Wen Zixing closed his eyes in enjoyment. “Much better. If you press a little harder, it would be even better.” Then he glanced at Lu Yaoyao. “Suddenly, I feel like eating some fruit…” Lu Yaoyao quickly took out some Linglong fruit, which were sweet, juicy, and just the right size for a single bite.
Wen Zixing opened his mouth, waiting to be fed. He closed his eyes in satisfaction, thinking: surrounded by beauties who understand my needs, life is complete—except one of the beauties is just a little dumpling…
Du Qianshan and Yan Zihui who watched the entire scene: “…”
Du Qianshan’s mouth twitched several times, eventually swallowing back countless words he was about to say. But Yan Zihui wasn’t as polite; he walked over and stepped on Wen Zixing’s foot, grinding it with force.
“Ow!” Wen Zixing jumped up, letting out a scream like a pig being slaughtered.
Yan Zihui smiled coldly, “Feeling better now?”
“Better, better, I’m all better!” Wen Zixing responded, hopping around energetically.
Lu Yaoyao and Chao Muxue: “…”
Lu Yaoyao put down the peeled fruit and shouted, “Wen Zixing!”
Chao Muxue, not much of a talker but definitely a doer, went over, pinched Wen Zixing’s arm, and twisted it hard, causing him to scream again.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“Forgive me, my lady!”
“Your Majesty, please spare me!”
“Owwww…”
Bu Yang and other Tianyan disciples were dumbfounded. For a moment, they were questioning their sanity as they watched the chaos unfold before them.
Is… is this how disciples from major sects behave? Really?!
After a while, Lu Yaoyao and Chao Muxue sat grandly on the mat like two queens while Wen Zixing eagerly massaged Chao Muxue’s shoulders from behind, his mouth didn’t stop flattering—
“Is this pressure okay?”
“Yes, a bit harder, a little to the left, softer…”
“Harder.”
Lu Yaoyao finished eating the fruit Wen Zixing had just peeled and cut into small pieces. “Little Xingxing—”
“Coming, coming!” Wen Zixing quickly ran over, holding a dagger and swiftly peeling fruit for Lu Yaoyao.
Having just enjoyed the treatment of royalty, Wen Zixing had now reduced to a servant in the blink of an eye. The role change was so swift it caught everyone off guard.
Bu Yang and his fellow disciples eventually went from being dumbfounded to numb.
So this is the style of the number one sect?
Quite… well, quite unique… indeed.
“Alright, let’s get serious.” Yan Zihui cleared his throat after a while.
“Zixing, tell us in detail about what happened before and after we approach the core.”
Wen Zixing’s expression became a little tense, but after having some time to divert and calm himself, he was now able to recall the events calmly.
He assumed a serious posture and began, “I had no idea. I didn’t encounter anything, and I don’t know why I suddenly lost my mind…” He only remembered that his mind went blank, and his feet moved forward on their own. If Lu Yaoyao hadn’t pulled him back, he might have jumped into the blazing magma.
Lu Yaoyao put down her bowl and looked at Wen Zixing with concern. “The way you looked at that time scared me to death. I was pulling you back with all my strength, and you just wanted to keep moving forward.”
“Luckily, you didn’t go mad and dash forward recklessly,” Du Qianshan said, relieved. Otherwise, who knows if they could have reacted quickly enough to pull him back in such a sudden situation?
Lu Yaoyao nodded in agreement. Fortunately, Xingxing hadn’t immediately rushed ahead.
“There must be something abnormal that we didn’t notice.”
They went in as a large group, but only Wen Zixing was affected, while the rest of them experienced nothing unusual. There had to be a reason for this.
Yan Zihui also carefully recalled the situation at that time. Their attention was focused on the Hehe Spark Blossoms, and they hadn’t sensed any danger; otherwise, they wouldn’t have failed to react in time.
Wen Zixing shook his head. “I don’t know. I just thought the magma looked pretty terrifying, so I backed away quite far. I didn’t notice anything dangerous…”
Lu Yaoyao caught onto a key point. “Terrifying, you said? Xingxing, did you find the magma terrifying? Or, are you afraid of fire?”
Wen Zixing pondered for a moment and shook his head. “I’m not afraid of fire.” If he were afraid of fire, he wouldn’t be able to enjoy roasting meat!
Lu Yaoyao speculated, “Maybe you’re not afraid of small fires, but are you afraid of the magma?”
Wen Zixing considered this, then nodded. At that time, he did feel that the bubbling magma pool was terrifying, almost like he was seeing hell.
Du Qianshan interjected, “So, was it because Xingxing felt fear that his mind was bewitched?”
“But nothing like this has happened before,” Bu Yang said. If fear alone could cause someone to be bewitched, it should have been noticed long ago, as their sect had been living alongside the core for centuries.
Yan Zihui pondered, “Could it be an ability of the thing beneath the core?”
Bu Yang thought of this possibility as well, and his expression grew even more serious. If that’s the case, they must take more precautions when entering the area.
“Should we consult my master?” This matter was no small concern, and Bu Yang felt they should discuss it with the sect leader and elders.
“This matter is indeed significant and should be reported to the sect.”
Bu Yang breathed a sigh of relief. There were now more things to be cautious of, but he was glad that the Guiyuan group didn’t insist on investigating further. If another incident happened, they might not be as lucky.
Wen Zixing’s incident had left them all with lingering fears.
However, the next day, Bu Yang realized they had relaxed too soon—
“Senior Brother Yan, you’re going to the core again?!”
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