“…” Li Che stood there in silence, staring at Meng Qi’s composed face. “Then what should we do?”
“Let’s first see what we can find around here.” Meng Qi smiled slightly and echoed Li Che’s earlier suggestion.
“But…” Li Che started to say something but then closed his mouth.
“Since we’re here, we’ll have to take it one step at a time.” Meng Qi crouched down to make a simple mark on the ground where the Netherworld Thorn grew so they could find their way back later, then stood up and gave the dumbfounded Li Che a pat, “Let’s go.”
“O-okay.” Li Che nodded, his body suddenly tensing up. “Meng Qiqi…” A moment later, he turned stiffly and stared at Meng Qi, gulping nervously, “I… I heard that person speak.”
“Hmm?” Meng Qi looked at him.
“A girl with a very pleasant voice just spoke to me. She said this is the first trial, and it’s for you and me to complete. If we pass, we’ll go to the next level. If we fail…” Li Che’s throat bobbed up and down, and his body stiffened further. “If we fail, all seven of us will be trapped here forever!”
“Is… is that true?” he looked at Meng Qi, trying to find an answer.
Meng Qi frowned slightly. She hadn’t mentioned that part earlier because she didn’t want Li Che to feel anxious.
“I see…” Li Che didn’t need Meng Qi to answer; her expression confirmed that she had heard the same thing. “And… and she also told me that if either one of us fails, it doesn’t count as passing the first trial. Meng Qiqi!” He became extremely nervous, “What exactly is this first trial about? How do we pass it?”
If the trial was about healing the sick and saving lives, no matter how gravely injured or terminally ill the person was, Li Che wouldn’t be nervous. But facing a trial, passing a test… these were never his strong suit. Especially if it involved combat, where he would definitely be a burden to Meng Qi.
“Meng Qiqi,” Li Che’s face turned pale. “I… I…” The delight of finding an abundance of rare spiritual plants had vanished, giving way to an even stronger sense of worry and fear. He wouldn’t be so scared if it was only him, but the possibility that the other six would be trapped here forever because of him, with their fates unknown, caused his anxiety and fear to grow out of control.
“Don’t think about that now,” Meng Qi said softly. “Maybe that person is just trying to scare us.”
“But the others really aren’t here,” Li Che murmured. “It’s just the two of us…” His face was pale, and his body seemed to grow heavier. His lips trembled slightly, as pale as his face. “If we have to fight, what are we going to do?” Both of them were medical cultivators; they might struggle even against opponents with lower cultivation. All thoughts of Stardust Stone, Netherworld Thorn, Hundred Spirit Grass… instantly vanished from Li Che’s mind.
He tried to open his mouth again but found he didn’t know what to say, and could only stare blankly at Meng Qi.
“That’s why we must pass the first trial,” Meng Qi’s voice remained calm and gentle.
“But…” Li Che began, but Meng Qi shook her hand firmly, “Before anything else, let’s explore our surroundings and assess the situation.”
“Alright,” Li Che nodded.
“Let’s go.” Meng Qi’s tone was resolute as she started walking along the creek.
Li Che followed with heavy steps. He had been too excited earlier to notice the absence of the others. Now, it was just him and Meng Qi… If they couldn’t pass the first trial, everyone would be trapped here because of him, with their fate uncertain…
What should he do?!
“Hee hee hee.” At that moment, Li Che heard the pleasant female voice again, “The first trial is the simplest among the seven.” Her voice was clear, with a hint of pride. “But even the simplest trial isn’t easy to pass. If it were that impressive and handsome sword cultivator from your group, he might be able to pass.”
Pei Mufeng…? Li Che thought to himself.
“Yes, him!” The voice seemed to hear his thoughts, commenting in the same cheerful tone, “That’s right, Pei Mufeng. If it were him and Meng Qi, a sword cultivator and a medical cultivator, they could certainly pass this trial.” She giggled.
“And… and what about me?” Li Che couldn’t help but ask in his mind.
“But if it’s you…” The woman’s voice elongated, as if in deep thought.
Li Che became nervous, “If it’s me, does that mean we can’t pass?”
“If it’s you… well, two medical cultivators have no combat abilities,” the woman said lightly as if stating an obvious fact.
Her words struck at the heart of Li Che’s fears. Yes, he and Meng Qi were both medical cultivators, and he was also far inferior to Xue Chengxuan! Xue Chengxuan, as the eldest son of the Feng Alliance’s Xue clan and future leader of Three Thousand World’s number one medical sect, might not match top sword cultivators like Pei Mufeng in combat, but he was much stronger than most medical cultivators!
“Right, if it were that Xue boy…” the woman continued, “there would still be hope.”
Li Che’s face grew even paler.
“Alas…” The woman seemed to be sighing on his behalf. “It’s a good thing you and that little girl didn’t touch the Netherworld Thorn just now. If either of you had picked it, whoever touched it would have died, and then… all of you would have failed the first trial immediately.”
“But then again,” the woman continued, “with your cultivation and combat abilities, whether you touch the Netherworld Thorn or not makes no difference, right? You won’t be able to pass anyway.”
Li Che pressed his lips tighter.
“This Seven Emotions Array has existed for tens of thousands of years. Only a small number of cultivators have passed all seven trials, but in those cases, only one among the seven was a medical cultivator.” Like someone who had been alone for a while, the woman kept talking without pause, “Alas, when more than one medical cultivator in the group, your current situation seems unavoidable.” She giggled, “You’re actually quite lucky you’re on the first trial. If it were one of the later trials, you might have failed the moment you opened your eyes.”
“…” Li Che’s forehead was covered in cold sweat.
At that moment, Meng Qi, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and turned around. “Li Che,” she called.
“Eh?” Li Che responded instinctively.
“Don’t listen to what that voice says,” Meng Qi said.
“What?”
“Is there someone whispering in your ear, constantly telling you that two medical cultivators can’t pass the first trial?” Meng Qi asked.
Li Che: “…”
“Ignore her,” Meng Qi repeated. “Don’t pay attention to what she says, and don’t believe her words.”
“B-but…” What if she tells the truth?
“This is the Seven Emotions Array,” Meng Qi reminded him. “I don’t know how this array works either, but think about the Seven Emotions Flower.”
“Seven Emotions Flower?” Li Che was puzzled.
“Yes,” Meng Qi nodded. “Seven Emotions Flower.”
Li Che looked at Meng Qi blankly, not quite understanding her point.
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