Ye Ziling stopped, her brows furrowed, and refused, "No, you go to the Divine Spring with Luo Yao first, I have other matters." Ye Ziling tidied her clothes, pulled his hand away, her eyes resolute, having already made her choice.
At the Divine Spring, one of them, either herself or Ling Xi, would suffice.
After speaking, she strode past Ling Xi, reminding him, "Take care on this journey."
Ling Xi thought she was angry and deliberately provoking him. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, meeting her gaze, his brows slightly raised, and with a sudden tug, he said, "Come back."
Ye Ziling's eyes darkened, she closed them, her heart filled with annoyance.
"Has Duke Ling forgotten the purpose of this descent into the mortal realm?"
"I am not a sage. I only wish to protect the people I care about, and then the greater good of the world. If you are set on serving the Heavenly Realm, you can go seal the Divine Spring first."
"If you are here solely to cultivate feelings with others, there's no need to drag me along."
She had once placed the Heavenly Realm and the well-being of the mortal world above all else, and in return, she received news of her parents' deaths and endless betrayals.
She had no sage's heart. Whether selfish or irresponsible, she did not care.
Her family and the countless souls of the world, only her family could be placed first.
Of her many words, Ling Xi only understood the last sentence, and instead of anger, he laughed.
"Take care." Ye Ziling had no time for further conversation with him and brushed past him, leaving.
Ling Xi's gaze shifted away from her. Several finger-thick vines hung down from the surrounding rocks, faintly visible in the white mist.
His eyes tightened, the curve of his lips deepened, and he followed with agile steps.
Ye Ziling ignored him, but in the next moment, Ling Xi unexpectedly walked beside her and, before she could react, yanked her wrist forcefully.
Then, she was wrapped tightly by the vines, finally bound with a sturdy knot.
"Ling Xi... what do you want? This? You think this can hold me?"
Could a mere vine really bind her?
Just as Ye Ziling prepared to break free from the restraints, a surge of brute force pushed her against the stone wall. A large palm cushioned the back of her head against the hard rock, and he enclosed her entire body.
"Hiss—"
Her head spun slightly. When she opened her eyes, her hands were held above her head, and a warmth enveloped her lips.
Their lips and teeth met, entwining fiercely.
The more she struggled, the more her lips were bitten.
After a long while, the storm gradually subsided.
She instinctively tilted her head back to catch her breath, looking dizzily at the triumphant man before her, who was staring at her with a teasing gaze.
He released her hands and gently wiped away the wound on her lips with his fingertips, his gaze filled with a flirtatious glint.
Ye Ziling bit her lip, a coppery sweetness spreading on her tongue. She met his gaze coldly, so angry she couldn't speak for a long time.
Was she not clear enough?
"Something has happened in Peach Blossom Valley, I must leave."
Ling Xi watched her impassively, ripples dancing in his pupils. He took out a spirit message from his waist, a slight smile on his lips, and said to her, "You mean this?"
"This spirit message is fake."
Ye Ziling stared at the spirit message in Ling Xi's hand, her brow furrowed, and repeated disbelievingly, "...fake?"
Ling Xi retracted the message, his expression suddenly stern, and continued, "Are you feeling unwell these past few days? Or do all people in your Peach Blossom Valley know how to send spirit messages?"
If he remembered correctly, no one in the Holy Doctor Clan could transmit spirit messages. Carrier pigeons were barely passable.
Then, he pulled out another sheet of paper and casually skimmed through it.
"The people in the capital have indeed contracted a strange illness, but not that many."
"If you go now, it's tantamount to seeking death."
"And this spirit message was forged by some demon beast along the way, intended to lure you back."
Ling Xi sneered, and the spirit message in his palm ignited, gradually burning to ashes.
After speaking, he brushed the dust off his hands and looked at the wound on her lips, his gaze slightly evasive.
He had been a bit too rough this time.
"What are you looking at? Hurry and untie me?" Ye Ziling saw him staring at her and shook her reddened wrists, urging him on.
This was truly suffering...
"You promised not to leave anymore?" Ling Xi said as he untied the vines for her, his breath catching as he saw the red marks on her wrists.
Indeed, he had been impulsive and a bit too rough just now.
He looked at her wrists with concern, wanting to reach out and massage them, but saw her coldly withdraw her hands.
With the restraints gone, Ye Ziling rubbed her wrists and turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, a gust of demonic wind suddenly swept through again, and a powerful sword energy lunged towards them.
Ling Xi's expression turned alert as he shielded her with his arm, pushing her behind him.
The sword energy condensed the surrounding power, forcing him back a few steps.
Ling Xi frowned, grabbed Ye Ziling's wrist, and pushed her away, confronting the sword energy alone.
Ye Ziling was pushed out by him, managing to steady herself.
The sword energy, like a rainbow and with the force of thunder, pushed Ling Xi back several steps.
Ye Ziling looked at Ling Xi, her heart skipping an involuntary beat, realizing this thing was difficult to deal with.
Ling Xi was forced towards the cliff by the sword energy, his robes fluttering, his figure precarious.
Ye Ziling's expression turned panicked, and she cried out, "Be careful!"
Without thinking, she immediately lunged forward, catching his wrist.
She herself was already at the edge of the cliff, desperately holding onto his wrist.
"Hold on... I'll use my sword." Ye Ziling said, trying to release one hand. To her surprise, she almost fell down with him, but she managed to regain her hold with both hands.
"It's not that high below... you won't die, let go." Ling Xi's body was almost falling off the cliff edge. He looked up, breathing heavily, and instructed her.
"...Shut up." Ye Ziling did not believe him. The cliff was bottomless; falling would likely turn her into dust. It might be survivable for her, but Ling Xi would surely perish.
A faint chuckle echoed from the cliff edge. Ling Xi looked up at her, his eyes seeming to burn with a cluster of flames, his voice hoarse, "If I hadn't made you fall off the cliff last time... would you have always believed me?"
He gave a self-deprecating smile, the light in his eyes gradually dimming.
Ye Ziling clutched his wrist tightly, leaving red marks on it, and gritted out, "Meeting you... I deserve this."
Ling Xi chuckled, no longer looking at her, "Since you can't bear to part with me either... why don't we die together?"
"Who wants to die with you? Come up..." Ye Ziling exerted all her strength, but could only drag Ling Xi forward, unable to pull him up no matter how hard she tried.
"...Ling Xi, you really are something."
Her life was truly being toyed with. What kind of karma had she incurred in her past life...
Suddenly, a violent force dragged Ye Ziling down the cliff. She cried out in surprise, holding his hand tightly and refusing to let go.
Their bodies plummeted downwards rapidly, the wind whistling past their ears.
When she woke up again, she felt that her body was not as uncomfortable, and she was not injured.
She was in a large cave, with several pieces of firewood burning in front of her.
The flames crackled, and several wet clothes were hanging above them.
At first glance, she noticed she was still covered by a cloak, but her outer clothes were being dried by the campfire.
She opened her palms, breathed into them, and stared blankly at the bright fire in front of her.
The cliff was not high; Ling Xi's judgment was correct. Those clouds were merely a cover, an illusion.
Outside the cave, a figure slowly emerged, gradually approaching her direction.
"Awake?" Ling Xi walked towards her with two crucian carp and placed them on the fire to roast.
Ye Ziling quickly noticed the significantly darker color of his black robes, her brow furrowed.
His gaze was deep, and he tucked her cloak around her, taking off an outer robe and hanging it aside.