Chapter 1259: Afraid of Being Left Behind
No wonder the Southern Barbarian Fort had remained so mysterious all these years—looking down at the vast stretch of stone forest below, Feng Jiu’er had only watched for a moment before feeling a touch of headache.
“Not good!” Suddenly, Zhao Yusheng exclaimed under his breath.
The instant he closed his eyes, he turned to the side.
“Jiu’er.” Opening his eyes, Zhao Yusheng grasped Feng Jiu’er’s arms and shook her gently.
“What’s wrong?” Feng Jiu’er came back to herself and looked at him, brows knitting. “What’s wrong, Zhao Yusheng? What’s the problem?”
Once Zhao Yusheng confirmed Feng Jiu’er was fine, he let her go and looked at Jian Yi.
At that moment, Jian Yi had also withdrawn his gaze.
“The stone forest formation can confuse the mind, can’t it?” Jian Yi’s internal energy was considerable—he had only felt a slight dizziness himself.
Zhao Yusheng, in his hurry, had forgotten that Feng Jiu’er now had a divine technique protecting her, which was why he’d grown so anxious.
“Right.” Zhao Yusheng looked at Jian Yi and nodded. “The formation confuses the mind—I only just discovered this myself, so we absolutely must not stare directly at it.”
“Then what should we do?” Feng Jiu’er asked softly.
No wonder she’d felt dizzy—it turned out she’d been affected by the formation.
Zhao Yusheng met her gaze and let out a soft sigh. “It seems there’s no other way but to force our way through.”
“If we charge in now, how confident are we?” Feng Jiu’er glanced at the stone forest and then looked away.
“Fairly confident, but I can’t guarantee we’ll get through smoothly.” Zhao Yusheng nodded slightly. “Perhaps you and Jian Yi should go back first, and I’ll try to push through alone.”
“No.” Feng Jiu’er frowned and shook her head. “If we go in, we go in together. If we go back, we go back together.”
“Let’s push through. Before dawn, we should definitely be able to get in.” Jian Yi said, staring at the stone forest formation.
“No.” Zhao Yusheng turned and looked at the stone forest again.
“You two should go back first. If I really do get trapped in the formation, at least we won’t all three be stuck at once.”
Zhao Yusheng had met some people from the Southern Barbarian Fort before, and his impression of them wasn’t good.
When it came to Feng Jiu’er’s safety, he didn’t dare take any risks, and had decided he wouldn’t gamble with it.
“Zhao Yusheng, stop being so fussy. Let’s go.” Feng Jiu’er patted Zhao Yusheng’s shoulder lightly.
“You’re mostly confident already, and with me and Jian Yi added in, there’s no need to worry so much.”
“Besides, my mother, Xue Gu, and Qiaomu are all still out there. If the three of us really can’t get out, they’ll definitely force their way in.”
“Worrying too much—how can anyone accomplish great things that way? Let’s go.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Feng Jiu’er took Zhao Yusheng’s hand in one of her own and Jian Yi’s hand in the other.
The three of them leapt up together, and in an instant, vanished from the mountainside.
Since it was Jiu’er’s decision, Zhao Yusheng could no longer object.
Under his lead, the three of them entered the stone forest.
“I’ll lead the way up front. Jian Yi, you watch our backs, in case we trigger some mechanism or someone suddenly attacks from behind.”
“Jian Yi, if you fall behind, say so immediately. We absolutely cannot get separated.” With every step, Zhao Yusheng moved with great caution.
“I can take care of myself. You two really don’t need to worry about me.” Feng Jiu’er, walking in the middle, said quietly.
She wasn’t the Feng Jiu’er she used to be, and they both knew that perfectly well, didn’t they?
Still, having people care about her, having people protect her—it wasn’t a bad feeling at all!
Feng Jiu’er turned back to glance at Jian Yi and continued, “Jian Yi, remember to stay close behind me. We must not get separated.”
“Mm.” Jian Yi nodded and stepped forward directly, taking Feng Jiu’er’s hand.
“Jian Yi.” Feng Jiu’er turned to look at him.
“I’m afraid of getting lost.” Jian Yi gave Feng Jiu’er this answer with complete confidence, pulling her along as they moved forward together.
Zhao Yusheng glanced back but said nothing, turning to continue walking forward.
When he reached a certain spot, he stopped, his brow furrowing slightly.
“To the left.” Suddenly, Jian Yi, following behind, whispered a warning.
Feng Jiu’er looked up, gazing at Jian Yi with some disbelief. “You understand this?”
“I remember—there’s a key point to the left.” Jian Yi dropped this line and withdrew his gaze, looking at the woman he’d practically taken captive with his grip.
“My future wife told me to learn, so why wouldn’t I?”
Feng Jiu’er yanked her hand hard, but failed to shake Jian Yi’s grip loose.
She raised her eyes again to look up at the sky.
“Heavens, did this fellow knock his head badly when he fell off that cliff?”
Zhao Yusheng smiled faintly, turning and heading left.
Feng Jiu’er shook her head and, with no other choice, followed Zhao Yusheng’s footsteps.
Jian Yi looked at the small girl before him and also curved his lips slightly.
Even though it was a stone forest formation known to strike fear into people’s hearts, the few who had entered showed no trace of dread at all.
In fact, aside from Zhao Yusheng, who carried a touch of seriousness due to his caution, the other two looked as though they were strolling through a garden.
Especially that great hero Jian Yi, dismissed as someone who’d knocked his head silly, who always wore that relaxed, easygoing expression.
But no one knew just how hard Jian Yi was working to memorize every single step of the route beneath his feet.
After winding their way around for roughly a quarter of an hour, Zhao Yusheng stopped before a cluster of oddly shaped stones resembling mythical beasts.
He looked at the stones and let out a quiet breath of relief. “So it really is here.”
“How does it look?” Feng Jiu’er, practically pulling Jian Yi along, stepped forward.
But in truth, it was Jian Yi who had been holding her hand the entire time, using his fear of being left behind as an excuse to take her hand and never let go.
Zhao Yusheng turned to look at Jian Yi and said softly, “Jian Yi, if this really is your first time encountering a stone forest formation, I have to admit I’m impressed by your insight.”
Jian Yi glanced at the strange cluster of stones and looked away. “Unfortunately, I only managed to spot one key point. I didn’t have time to see the next one.”
“No matter.” With a ringing sound, Zhao Yusheng drew his long sword. “As long as we find the first one, I have confidence we can keep going.”
“The first key point is the crux of the entire stone forest.”
“I’d love to hear more.” Jian Yi said quietly.
“Alright.” Zhao Yusheng nodded and leapt lightly into the air, his sword sweeping through midair.
The pile of stones, which had seemed utterly without pattern yet eerily ominous, was thrown into disarray by the force of Zhao Yusheng’s blade.
The moment Zhao Yusheng landed, the stones came crashing down as well.
“Find the key point and disrupt it—that’s all it takes.”
Zhao Yusheng glanced back, his gaze sweeping briefly over the two joined hands, then turned and stepped forward.
“Mm.” Jian Yi nodded slightly, taking Feng Jiu’er’s hand and stepping forward to follow.
Feng Jiu’er would never have guessed that Jian Yi would actually be able to help—this fellow had genuinely seemed clueless before, yet he’d even earned Zhao Yusheng’s praise.
In her good mood, she forgot that she was once again being led along by the hand like a child.
Or perhaps it wasn’t that she’d forgotten—perhaps she’d simply grown used to it.
“Jian Yi, have you really never been through a formation like this before?” After walking a few more steps, Feng Jiu’er asked softly.
“I haven’t.” Jian Yi, walking ahead of her, replied softly.
At that moment, he looked even more focused than before.
Zhao Yusheng said nothing either, glancing back from time to time to make sure the other two were still keeping up before continuing on.No wonder the Southern Barbarian Fort had remained so mysterious all these years—looking down at the vast stretch of stone forest below, Feng Jiu’er had only watched for a moment before feeling a touch of headache.
“Not good!” Suddenly, Zhao Yusheng exclaimed under his breath.
The instant he closed his eyes, he turned to the side.
“Jiu’er.” Opening his eyes, Zhao Yusheng grasped Feng Jiu’er’s arms and shook her gently.
“What’s wrong?” Feng Jiu’er came back to herself and looked at him, brows knitting. “What’s wrong, Zhao Yusheng? What’s the problem?”
Once Zhao Yusheng confirmed Feng Jiu’er was fine, he let her go and looked at Jian Yi.
At that moment, Jian Yi had also withdrawn his gaze.
“The stone forest formation can confuse the mind, can’t it?” Jian Yi’s internal energy was considerable—he had only felt a slight dizziness himself.
Zhao Yusheng, in his hurry, had forgotten that Feng Jiu’er now had a divine technique protecting her, which was why he’d grown so anxious.
“Right.” Zhao Yusheng looked at Jian Yi and nodded. “The formation confuses the mind—I only just discovered this myself, so we absolutely must not stare directly at it.”
“Then what should we do?” Feng Jiu’er asked softly.
No wonder she’d felt dizzy—it turned out she’d been affected by the formation.
Zhao Yusheng met her gaze and let out a soft sigh. “It seems there’s no other way but to force our way through.”
“If we charge in now, how confident are we?” Feng Jiu’er glanced at the stone forest and then looked away.
“Fairly confident, but I can’t guarantee we’ll get through smoothly.” Zhao Yusheng nodded slightly. “Perhaps you and Jian Yi should go back first, and I’ll try to push through alone.”
“No.” Feng Jiu’er frowned and shook her head. “If we go in, we go in together. If we go back, we go back together.”
“Let’s push through. Before dawn, we should definitely be able to get in.” Jian Yi said, staring at the stone forest formation.
“No.” Zhao Yusheng turned and looked at the stone forest again.
“You two should go back first. If I really do get trapped in the formation, at least we won’t all three be stuck at once.”
Zhao Yusheng had met some people from the Southern Barbarian Fort before, and his impression of them wasn’t good.
When it came to Feng Jiu’er’s safety, he didn’t dare take any risks, and had decided he wouldn’t gamble with it.
“Zhao Yusheng, stop being so fussy. Let’s go.” Feng Jiu’er patted Zhao Yusheng’s shoulder lightly.
“You’re mostly confident already, and with me and Jian Yi added in, there’s no need to worry so much.”
“Besides, my mother, Xue Gu, and Qiaomu are all still out there. If the three of us really can’t get out, they’ll definitely force their way in.”
“Worrying too much—how can anyone accomplish great things that way? Let’s go.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Feng Jiu’er took Zhao Yusheng’s hand in one of her own and Jian Yi’s hand in the other.
The three of them leapt up together, and in an instant, vanished from the mountainside.
Since it was Jiu’er’s decision, Zhao Yusheng could no longer object.
Under his lead, the three of them entered the stone forest.
“I’ll lead the way up front. Jian Yi, you watch our backs, in case we trigger some mechanism or someone suddenly attacks from behind.”
“Jian Yi, if you fall behind, say so immediately. We absolutely cannot get separated.” With every step, Zhao Yusheng moved with great caution.
“I can take care of myself. You two really don’t need to worry about me.” Feng Jiu’er, walking in the middle, said quietly.
She wasn’t the Feng Jiu’er she used to be, and they both knew that perfectly well, didn’t they?
Still, having people care about her, having people protect her—it wasn’t a bad feeling at all!
Feng Jiu’er turned back to glance at Jian Yi and continued, “Jian Yi, remember to stay close behind me. We must not get separated.”
“Mm.” Jian Yi nodded and stepped forward directly, taking Feng Jiu’er’s hand.
“Jian Yi.” Feng Jiu’er turned to look at him.
“I’m afraid of getting lost.” Jian Yi gave Feng Jiu’er this answer with complete confidence, pulling her along as they moved forward together.
Zhao Yusheng glanced back but said nothing, turning to continue walking forward.
When he reached a certain spot, he stopped, his brow furrowing slightly.
“To the left.” Suddenly, Jian Yi, following behind, whispered a warning.
Feng Jiu’er looked up, gazing at Jian Yi with some disbelief. “You understand this?”
“I remember—there’s a key point to the left.” Jian Yi dropped this line and withdrew his gaze, looking at the woman he’d practically taken captive with his grip.
“My future wife told me to learn, so why wouldn’t I?”
Feng Jiu’er yanked her hand hard, but failed to shake Jian Yi’s grip loose.
She raised her eyes again to look up at the sky.
“Heavens, did this fellow knock his head badly when he fell off that cliff?”
Zhao Yusheng smiled faintly, turning and heading left.
Feng Jiu’er shook her head and, with no other choice, followed Zhao Yusheng’s footsteps.
Jian Yi looked at the small girl before him and also curved his lips slightly.
Even though it was a stone forest formation known to strike fear into people’s hearts, the few who had entered showed no trace of dread at all.
In fact, aside from Zhao Yusheng, who carried a touch of seriousness due to his caution, the other two looked as though they were strolling through a garden.
Especially that great hero Jian Yi, dismissed as someone who’d knocked his head silly, who always wore that relaxed, easygoing expression.
But no one knew just how hard Jian Yi was working to memorize every single step of the route beneath his feet.
After winding their way around for roughly a quarter of an hour, Zhao Yusheng stopped before a cluster of oddly shaped stones resembling mythical beasts.
He looked at the stones and let out a quiet breath of relief. “So it really is here.”
“How does it look?” Feng Jiu’er, practically pulling Jian Yi along, stepped forward.
But in truth, it was Jian Yi who had been holding her hand the entire time, using his fear of being left behind as an excuse to take her hand and never let go.
Zhao Yusheng turned to look at Jian Yi and said softly, “Jian Yi, if this really is your first time encountering a stone forest formation, I have to admit I’m impressed by your insight.”
Jian Yi glanced at the strange cluster of stones and looked away. “Unfortunately, I only managed to spot one key point. I didn’t have time to see the next one.”
“No matter.” With a ringing sound, Zhao Yusheng drew his long sword. “As long as we find the first one, I have confidence we can keep going.”
“The first key point is the crux of the entire stone forest.”
“I’d love to hear more.” Jian Yi said quietly.
“Alright.” Zhao Yusheng nodded and leapt lightly into the air, his sword sweeping through midair.
The pile of stones, which had seemed utterly without pattern yet eerily ominous, was thrown into disarray by the force of Zhao Yusheng’s blade.
The moment Zhao Yusheng landed, the stones came crashing down as well.
“Find the key point and disrupt it—that’s all it takes.”
Zhao Yusheng glanced back, his gaze sweeping briefly over the two joined hands, then turned and stepped forward.
“Mm.” Jian Yi nodded slightly, taking Feng Jiu’er’s hand and stepping forward to follow.
Feng Jiu’er would never have guessed that Jian Yi would actually be able to help—this fellow had genuinely seemed clueless before, yet he’d even earned Zhao Yusheng’s praise.
In her good mood, she forgot that she was once again being led along by the hand like a child.
Or perhaps it wasn’t that she’d forgotten—perhaps she’d simply grown used to it.
“Jian Yi, have you really never been through a formation like this before?” After walking a few more steps, Feng Jiu’er asked softly.
“I haven’t.” Jian Yi, walking ahead of her, replied softly.
At that moment, he looked even more focused than before.
Zhao Yusheng said nothing either, glancing back from time to time to make sure the other two were still keeping up before continuing on.