As the two were bickering, the carriage jolted, causing Ye Ziling to almost lose her balance.
"Mu Heng, what's going on? Are you trying to rebel?"
The carriage stopped abruptly. Ye Ziling lifted the curtain to look outside, only to find Mu Heng frowning as he stared at the road ahead.
"Damn it! There's something dirty up ahead." Mu Heng flipped out of the carriage and looked up towards the front.
The carriage was stopped in the middle of a forest road. The surroundings were quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Ye Ziling followed him out of the carriage. What kind of demons or monsters had she not seen? Why was he making such a fuss?
On the endless road in the distance, a thick black mist enveloped everything. Hundreds of crows flew out in a line, heading in their direction.
Ye Ziling drew the long sword from her sleeve, then saw something dart out from the black mist.
It had a head as large as a pot and eyes like lightning. Its scales reflected a cold glint – it was a large python.
Ye Ziling drew the long sword from her sleeve and attacked the python.
With light footsteps, she arrived with the wind, and in no time, she was in front of the great python.
The python opened its massive mouth and spat out an ice blade.
Ye Ziling quickly used her immortal power to block the cold blade and retreated.
At the same time, she flicked her wrist, and the bee stingers from her sleeve immediately flew towards the python, knocking it to the ground.
Mu Heng leaped lightly, silver sword in hand, gathering his strength and thrusting it towards the python's crown!
With a "poof," blood gushed out. The python let out a pained roar, struggled, and finally slumped to the ground.
Ye Ziling chuckled lightly, glanced at Mu Heng, and said with a smile, "Well, Commander Mu's martial arts have improved quite a bit."
"Of course, who am I to...?"
Before he could finish, a wisp of black mist spread from the python's corpse. Immediately after, a giant grey crane flew forward, its white hooked beak and claws aimed directly at the two of them.
"Mu Heng, be careful, that's a Rakshasa Bird!" Ye Ziling quickly pulled Mu Heng away to dodge.
"What... is that a Rakshasa Bird?" Mu Heng quickly asked.
"It's a type of bird monster that likes to eat human eyes. It's said to be formed from the corpse qi of places with abundant Yin energy," Ye Ziling said, looking at the foul-smelling snake corpse on the ground. She looked at Mu Heng and said helplessly, "I told you to memorize the Hundred Demons Compendium, but you clearly haven't."
With that, she leaped into the air, her feet landing on the treetops, her movements graceful like a fairy descending to earth.
She waved her sleeves, and sword qi was about to strike the Rakshasa Bird. Unexpectedly, the snake corpse on the ground twitched and spat a cloud of toxic mist at her.
Ye Ziling's eyes stung, and her vision went black. She quickly retreated a few steps, her body slamming into a tree stump.
"Crazy girl!" Seeing this, Mu Heng leaped with his Qinggong and severed the not-quite-dead python with a single move. However, the Rakshasa Bird blocked his path.
Ye Ziling fell backward. Just as she was about to hit her head and become disoriented, a warm sensation brushed past her waist, and a strong arm supported her body.
Wait – this feeling was a bit familiar?
Since her eyes couldn't see, she wasn't sure if that person was him.
"Luoyao, you support her. I'll be right back." Ling Xi.
With that, he let go of her waist and walked forward.
"Alright, be careful." Luoyao nodded and supported the unsteady Ye Ziling.
After Ye Ziling was steadied, she tried to get a clear look at that person again, but her eyelids felt as heavy as lead, and she couldn't lift them at all.
Her arm was suddenly supported by a warm hand. Before Ye Ziling could recover from Ling Xi's voice, a gentle and pleasant female voice reached her ears.
"Miss, don't touch. You can't open your eyes for now. I'll give you some medicine later, so don't rush to open them."
Ye Ziling nodded gently and allowed herself to be supported.
"Was that person just...?"
She was sure she hadn't misheard. It sounded like Jun Lan's voice.
Not far away, Ling Xi drew his sword and killed the Rakshasa Bird with one strike. He then walked towards the two as if nothing had happened.
Before Ye Ziling could hear Luoyao's reply, Ling Xi approached her, his tone neither warm nor cold, "My surname is Ling, not Jun Lan."
Ling Xi looked into her eyes, his gaze deep, as if containing a thousand shimmering waves.
Luoyao smiled leisurely and stepped forward, asking, "Ling Xi, are you alright? That Rakshasa Bird specialized in eating people's eyeballs; it's quite powerful. Are you injured?"
Ye Ziling's brow furrowed. She suddenly remembered Ling Xi calling out the girl's name and thought to herself.
Luoyao?
She had heard the Queen Mother of the West mention her at the Peach Banquet. She had a niece named Luoyao, whom the Heavenly Emperor had once betrothed to Jun Lan. However, due to the heavenly cataclysm at the time and Jun Lan's disappearance, this marriage was not discussed further.
Seeing that the Rakshasa Bird was dead, Mu Heng quickly came to Ye Ziling's side and waved his fingers in front of her eyes, "Crazy girl, are you really blind?"
"What are you staring at? Give me a hand." Ye Ziling rubbed her eyes, finding that her vision was still completely dark. She instructed, "There's some medicine in the carriage, go get it."
"Okay."
Mu Heng turned and went to the carriage.
The remaining three stood in place.
"Ling Xi." Ye Ziling groped around randomly, trying to grab his arm, but couldn't.
"Hmm?" Ling Xi raised an eyebrow, his tone slightly cold, "What is it?"
"Are you really Ling Xi?" Ye Ziling asked uncertainly. As she touched his sleeve, he dodged, and she missed.
"I am on a mission from the Heavenly Emperor to go to the Divine Spring with Luoyao, and I am merely passing by now." Ling Xi's gaze was indifferent, and he no longer looked at her.
The atmosphere became somewhat stiff.
Ye Ziling knew that after rejecting him so coldly before, it was only fitting that he treated her with the same attitude now.
However much Ling Xi had hurt before, she hurt just as much now.
Luoyao thought the two had a feud and quickly tried to break the awkward atmosphere. She stared at Ye Ziling's face and suddenly exclaimed, "The last time I saw such a peerless beauty was at the Peach Banquet ten years ago. Miss, what is your name?"
"My surname is Ye." If not for Luoyao's interruption, Ye Ziling would have forgotten that someone was still beside her.
Ye Ziling composed her thoughts, her demeanor returning to natural, and she smiled faintly, "Miss Luoyao, is it?"
Luoyao exclaimed in surprise, happily grasping her wrist, "You know me?"
Just as Ye Ziling was about to speak, Ling Xi interrupted her, "Luoyao, do not be rude. This is Goddess Tuyao."