Feeling that the black booklet must be something of great importance, Li Fei carefully tucked it into her bosom. She respectfully bowed to Immortal Qingcheng’s body and was about to straighten his slumped form when Lei Xiuyuan suddenly strode over, pulled her aside, and whispered, “We need to leave.”
White clouds instantly gathered beneath his feet. Before she could ask anything, he grabbed her and flew out of the Yimin Tomb. With a gentle wave of his hand outside the hall, he gathered the few remaining traces of spiritual energy from inside into his palm.
Li Fei had never seen this technique before, let alone performed by Lei Xiuyuan. She couldn’t help but stare at him wide-eyed. A flash of dark gold passed through his eyes so quickly it seemed like an illusion. Noticing her gaze, he gave her a slight smile and said softly, “Keep this a secret for me.”
“Uh… sure, okay.” Li Fei nodded in bewilderment. “But you…”
“Just cleaning up,” Lei Xiuyuan said as he pulled her down to land on the upright mountain peak below. A hint of hesitation crossed his face before he quietly added, “I’m still trying to figure things out. When I understand everything, I’ll explain it to you properly.”
Li Fei smiled, unbothered. She took out the black booklet from her bosom and told him about Immortal Qingcheng’s final moments. As she slowly flipped through the booklet, she sighed, “There’s not a single word in it. I wonder what this booklet is all about.”
Why would Immortal Qingcheng give her this booklet? And why did he pass away right after giving it to her? Could it be that he had been holding on just to protect this booklet? His appearance was so pitiful; no wonder Riyan was so shocked. The fox must have had a very deep connection with Immortal Qingcheng, even if he refused to say so.
Lei Xiuyuan took the booklet and flipped through it, raising an eyebrow. It was full of ink, how could she say there were no words? Moreover, the handwriting slanted slightly to the right, indicating the writer was right-handed. Each stroke was exceptionally sharp and powerful, truly “iron bones and silver hooks.” The style was unforgettable at a glance. He had seen this handwriting before in the small courtyard in Qingqiu, in some annotations on books under Li Fei’s master’s bed.
He quickly skimmed through it, finding the contents to be incredibly shocking. His brow furrowed as he closed the booklet and placed it back in Li Fei’s arms, saying gently, “Since it’s a relic of a famous immortal, you’d better keep it safe. Don’t let others see it, lest it brings trouble.”
Li Fei tucked the booklet deeper into her clothes and nodded solemnly. Unexpectedly, Lei Xiuyuan pulled her back into the Yimin Tomb, leading her to Immortal Qingcheng’s body. He pressed her head lightly, saying, “Pay your respects to him properly.”
He then faced Immortal Qingcheng’s body and bowed deeply three times with utmost respect. Li Fei was surprised to see Lei Xiuyuan being so reverent towards teachers and elders, and she couldn’t help but feel a new respect for him. She followed his lead and bowed. He then crouched down, straightened Immortal Qingcheng’s body, and after a long gaze, said softly, “Thank you. If I have the chance in the future, I’ll make sure to properly lay your remains to rest.”
“What were you whispering to Immortal Qingcheng just now?” Li Fei couldn’t help but ask curiously after they left.
Lei Xiuyuan fell back, sprawling out on the peak, and said casually, “Guess.”
Guess what, you big-headed ghost?! When would he ever change that annoying catchphrase?! Li Fei sat beside him, gazing silently at the inverted mountain peak for a while. Even now, the Yimin Tomb still held a strong attraction for her, but the previous unease and fear were gone, replaced by a sense of sadness and familiarity.
She truly was from overseas, and that fragrant arm bone must belong to one of her kind. She knew this instinctively.
Her kind was sealed as a taboo in Wuyue Yan’s Yimin Tomb, preserved with the utmost caution, while she was cultivating as a disciple in Wuyue Yan. She could only gaze at that arm bone through a crystal coffin, imagining whether it was ironic or tragic.
“Xiuyuan,” Li Fei looked down at him, “Did you smell the fragrance from that bone?”
Lei Xiuyuan closed his eyes, his voice very calm: “It’s completely different from your scent.”
Is that so? Li Fei instinctively brought her sleeve to her nose and sniffed hard. She still couldn’t smell the so-called fragrance on herself.
A gentle force tugged at her sleeve. Li Fei looked down to see Lei Xiuyuan gazing at her quietly. He held her sleeve between his fingers, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, he said softly, “When we return from this trip, become my Dao companion.”
Li Fei froze for a moment, then suddenly seemed to realize something. All the blood in her body rushed to her face in an instant. Flustered and with nowhere to hide, she could only bury her burning face in her sleeves, covering it tightly.
“Will you agree?” Lei Xiuyuan gently tugged at her sleeve, his touch light, almost with a hint of pleading and coyness.
Li Fei could only nod vigorously. Her face couldn’t be seen right now; she needed time to calm down…
Perhaps the timing wasn’t right. So many things had just happened: Riyan had flown off in great distress, and she was still worried about him. Immortal Qingcheng’s situation was heartbreaking, and the Yimin Tomb left her unsettled. It wasn’t the best time for romance. But she couldn’t suppress this joy. His sudden words caught her off guard, filling her with both surprise and delight. She had no way to contain her happiness.
She heard him chuckle softly and tap the back of her hand. His voice was gentle: “Scaredy-cat, thin-skinned.”
Li Fei glared at him through her fingers: “You’re the thick-skinned one!”
Lei Xiuyuan turned over, bringing her long sleeve to his nose and sniffing lightly. His long lashes lowered as he said softly, “I’m very nervous.”
Li Fei couldn’t help but laugh. She lowered her hands and looked at him with a smile: “Afraid I wouldn’t agree?”
His thick lashes lifted again, and his clear black and white eyes, seemingly filled with mist, gazed at her: “Yes, afraid you wouldn’t agree.”
Li Fei quietly gazed back into his eyes. Her feelings had never been successfully expressed to him. Sometimes, like him, she would just bury herself in work, not knowing how to say a reassuring word. She was also used to Lei Xiuyuan doing things for her, making many efforts, but too shy to tell him what was in her heart.
“Xiuyuan, only you can,” she smiled at him, revealing her heart for the first time. “I only like you, you’re the only one I want.”
She had said it, and… it wasn’t as awkward or embarrassing as she had imagined. Li Fei calmly gazed back at him, watching his clear eyes change from shock to wild joy, and finally, for some reason, to shyness. He looked away, muttering, “Thick-skinned.”
Li Fei burst out laughing, her finger brushing his face: “Turns out you’re the thin-skinned one.”
Lei Xiuyuan caught her hand and pressed it to his face. Her palm was soft and fragrant, cool against his burning cheek.
“I will take good care of you in place of your master.”
Li Fei’s hand trembled slightly. She stared at him for a long time before finally curling her lips into a smile and nodding slightly: “Okay.”
“I’ll take good care of you too.” Her fingers traced his eyebrows, her voice never so gentle yet firm before. “We’ll be together forever.”
Lei Xiuyuan gently pulled her into his arms. Li Fei rested quietly on his chest, their heartbeats seemingly in perfect sync.
After an unknown amount of time, a sudden, tremendous ripping sound came from the sky. A crack appeared in this small world, and Immortal Cuixuan’s voice echoed across the heavens: “Come out now, I’ll show you something eye-opening.”
They sat up. Li Fei noticed dust on Lei Xiuyuan’s clothes and immediately brushed it off for him, smiling, “Let’s go.”
Lei Xiuyuan once again adjusted her collar, pulling it up, and arranged her long hair over her chest to cover her neck. Only then did he take her hand, and they walked hand in hand out of the small world’s rift.
As soon as they exited, their vision blurred. They saw that outside, the sky had already darkened, and layers of spiritual energy nets covered the sky densely. Dozens of elders from Wuyue Yan and other sects floated in the air, forming a circle. In the center, Immortals Shouzhong and Cuixuan had their arms spread wide, continuously pouring spiritual energy from their palms into the nets.
Immortal Chongyi hovered in the center of the circle, immense spiritual energy pouring out from his body. His forehead was covered in sweat, clearly showing that the Spiritual Light Net technique consumed a great deal of energy. Elders Dongyang and Qingle stood on either side of him, continuously infusing him with wood element spiritual energy. Suddenly, his fingertip extended, and a thin, sharp beam of spiritual energy shot out, hitting something invisible. The other elders immediately unleashed their attacking techniques in the direction of the beam. Amid an earth-shattering roar, under the barrage of piercing immortal techniques, a mouth the size of a washbasin suddenly appeared in mid-air. Two crimson lips with rows of white teeth, eerily similar to a human mouth.
This mouth was instantly shattered into black ash and dispersed. Following this, the air seemed to rupture, and dozens of unconscious people suddenly fell. Immortal Dongyang lightly tapped his gourd, and pale green sand enveloped these people, gently setting them aside. Only then did Li Fei notice that a nearby clearing was already full of sleeping people, roughly a hundred in total. Were these all the disciples and elders who had been swallowed by Taotie?
These people were all emaciated and haggard, clearly having been trapped in Taotie’s stomach for a long time. Li Fei quickly recognized the disciples she had met in the city earlier, as well as the female disciples from the Fire Lotus Pavilion and even the Wuyue Yan elder who had been drinking non-stop. She wondered if he would feel ashamed when he woke up.
After shattering several of Taotie’s mouths, Immortal Chongyi continued to release spiritual energy in search of more. Could this Taotie be covered in mouths all over its body?
Lei Xiuyuan had already been called away by Immortal Guangwei to help kill Taotie. Li Fei carefully examined the unconscious people and suddenly noticed a beautiful young woman with furrowed brows lying in a corner. It was Princess Lanya. Had she also been sucked into Taotie’s stomach?
Li Fei hurried towards her but suddenly felt a gust of wind above her head. Ji Tongzhou landed beside Lanya first, bent down to pick her up, and carefully examined her. When did he come out? Li Fei instinctively looked back at the circle of elders in the air and indeed saw Wuzhengzi among them. His master must have rescued him.
At this moment, saying anything to him would be meaningless. Li Fei immediately turned to leave. Ji Tongzhou didn’t seem to want to say anything to her either. He carried Lanya to one side and began infusing her with wood element spiritual energy.
Just then, Taotie’s last mouth was completely shattered. Fierce winds suddenly arose in the sky, accompanied by sounds of lament and wailing. Then, countless streams of black, foul-smelling blood suddenly gushed from the air. Immortal Dongyang, quick-witted, had already thrown out his pale green sand, enveloping the entire mountaintop. The black Taotie blood fell like a waterfall along the sand walls onto the mountain below. Wherever it touched, trees and flowers instantly withered. Beasts in the mountain fled in droves, and birds took flight en masse.
The black blood gushed for the time it took to burn an incense stick before stopping. Everything fell silent, with no more sounds. Taotie’s body was still nowhere to be seen. Even now, its true form remains a mystery.