A gust of wind blew, and a few emerald leaves fell into her palm. Ye Ziling looked around. Before her eyes lay a forest, with ancient trees and lush foliage, through which a few slivers of sunlight dimly filtered.
Wasn't this the martial arts examination venue she had set up? She was most familiar with this scenery.
She never imagined that after going in circles, she would end up back where she started.
After helping Ling Xi to sit down, Ye Ziling leaned against a tree trunk, lifted his sleeve, and felt his pulse.
Fortunately, he had only fainted, but his pulse was still unstable. If he were to die at any moment, she would have to die with him.
This contract vine was impossible to sever, and for now, all she could do was keep Ling Xi alive.
She had heard in the Heavenly Realm that there was a silver dragon in the mortal world that frequented icy lands, named the Thousand Mountain Snow Dragon. The only cure for a wound inflicted by this demonic beast was the Thousand Mountain Snow Lotus.
However, this snow lotus was much more precious than the Immortal Ginseng. The Immortal Ginseng grew one stalk every ten years, but the snow lotus only appeared once in tens of thousands of years. Moreover, ten years ago, the only snow lotus was stolen by a wolf demon and nurtured in the coldest cave in the mortal world, its whereabouts still unknown.
She did not know the whereabouts of the wolf demon, but she was aware of the extremely cold cave in the mortal world.
Ye Ziling looked at Ling Xi lying beside her, her gaze dark.
Did she have to carry such a grown man too?
She flicked her sleeve, glanced at him, and sighed helplessly. She then helped him up and carried him onto her shoulder.
After walking for a while, the person on her shoulder opened his eyes and gasped slightly, "Miss Ye... don't strain yourself."
Ling Xi's face was pale. At this moment, he felt the vine on his wrist tighten again, knowing that his death was not far off.
However, he seemed to recall having a resurrection card.
But he had heard the beast say that the resurrection card could only be used after he had completely drawn his last breath. Seeing how much trouble the supreme being was going to, he didn't know how to speak to her about it.
Tell her that he could come back from the dead?
He himself didn't believe it.
If he could be resurrected, she wouldn't die either. The two of them could then go to the Yellow Springs for a leisurely stroll before returning.
This—this sounded quite romantic.
Ling Xi curved his lips slightly.
Upon hearing this, Ye Ziling sneered, "What? You want to die?"
She didn't care when Ling Xi would die, but now her life was also tied to him. She wouldn't let him die so easily.
"You want to die? Have you asked me?"
Ye Ziling stopped in her tracks and looked at him, sprawled on her shoulder as if calmly accepting death. She was instantly amused.
Last time, when he was injured by the mountain demon, he had a strong will to survive. This time, with someone accompanying him to the Yellow Springs, he wanted to die?
She simply wouldn't allow it.
Ling Xi closed his eyes and gently curved his lips, "Didn't Miss Ye always wish for my death before? Now that your wish is about to come true, have you changed your mind?"
Ye Ziling smiled wryly at him, her tone laced with sarcasm, "Yes, when you wanted to live, I tried my best to make you die. When you want to die, I will make sure you live. I just want to see you in a state where you can neither live nor die."
Ling Xi chuckled and snorted, "Stubborn."
Seeing that he didn't believe her, Ye Ziling's eyes turned cold, a sinister smile playing on her lips. "If you die, I will have two more days to live. At that time, I will go to Shao Lin and slaughter your Sect Leader, your beloved junior sister, and all thousands of disciples in Shao Lin. I will hang their heads on the gate of our Jiu Ling Palace. What do you think?"
"..."
By the time she reached the cave entrance, it was already night. Ye Ziling finally set the person on her shoulder down.
She swore that she had never been so tired in her life.
Before she could catch her breath, hundreds of small white stones shot out from the cave. She dodged them, and the silver hairpin in her hand transformed into a soft sword.
The blade sparked, blocking all the stones.
The stones were harder than she had expected. She looked at the white stones on the ground with some curiosity, but the patterns on them made her feel nauseated.
These were not stones at all; they were human teeth.
Ye Ziling's brow furrowed, and her stomach churned. She leaped into the air and, with a cold expression, shot several bee stings into the cave, forcing the person inside to come out quickly.
He had the face of a wolf but the body of a human, a rather peculiar appearance.
"Who visits?" A sharp glint flashed in the wolf demon's eyes as he gritted his teeth and asked.
Seeing the wolf-human forced out, Ye Ziling's eyes curved into a sinister smile. She cut to the chase, "You must know why I'm here. I won't waste words; I just want to make a deal with you."
"Oh? What deal?" The wolf-human knew that anyone who came to him had only one purpose: his Thousand Mountain Snow Lotus. He sneered repeatedly, "What? Want my snow lotus? Dream on!"
Ye Ziling was not surprised by his reaction. The thousand-year snow lotus was indeed valuable, surpassing many treasures, but she had her own bargaining chip this time.
"I have something that I believe you will definitely like," she retracted her soft sword, unable to keep him in suspense any longer, and said leisurely, "Do you know about the Heaven-Suppressing Divine Artifact?"
The wolf demon froze for a moment, his gaze quickly shifting to her, his eyes widening. "The Sun and Moon Divine Lamp?"
The Heaven-Suppressing Divine Artifact, rumored to be able to refine the elixir of immortality and also aid in cultivation?
"I'll trade this with you, and you won't lose out," Ye Ziling's eyes curved slightly.
The Thousand Mountain Snow Lotus was a rare medicinal herb, but compared to the Sun and Moon Divine Lamp, it was but a drop in the ocean.
After obtaining the snow lotus and using it on Ling Xi, Ye Ziling carried him back down the mountain the way she came.
This man always fainted at critical moments.
She didn't know how long the Thousand Mountain Snow Lotus would take to take effect, so Ye Ziling had to carry Ling Xi back to the Red Sleeve Inn. Coincidentally, it was just in time for the show to begin.
In the darkness of the night, dozens of people surrounded the entrance of the inn.
On the ground, disciples from various immortal cultivation sects lay in pools of blood, their deaths varied.
Seeing her return carrying someone, a group of people's gazes all turned to her, and the clamor abruptly ceased.
Upon recognizing Ling Xi, Shen Qingfeng led a few Shao Lin disciples forward. Seeing the person covered in blood, they quickly helped to take him off her shoulder.
"Senior Brother!"
"Senior Brother, what's wrong?"
...
"Miss... why are my disciples injured like this?" Shen Qingfeng was greatly shocked, his tone filled with concern as he stared at Ye Ziling.
Hadn't she gone to Jiu Ling Palace to impart experience to the disciples of the next immortal examination? How did she end up at the martial arts examination venue again? Now that Ling Xi was the top scholar of the Heavenly Realm, how would she explain his injuries to the Heavenly Realm?
"Sect Leader Shen need not worry. He will wake up after a short rest." Although Ye Ziling had hidden her murderous intent well, Shen Qingfeng couldn't help but tremble when he saw her gaze.
The gaze was somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
"Sect Leader Shen! After you've dealt with your sect's affairs, let's talk about how you intend to account for the deaths of my disciples?"
Turning around, Lu Yi was calling out with a grim expression.
Shen Qingfeng flicked his sleeve, his eyes sharpening. He straightened his posture and said coldly, "The Sun and Moon Divine Lamp is a treasure of my sect. Taking back our sect's property is only natural!"
Lu Yi looked as if he had heard an outrageous joke. He tilted his head and sneered dismissively, "Yours? Which eye of yours saw this thing inscribed with your Shao Lin Sect?"
Lu Yi spat, continuing to mock, "We obtained this thing through our own abilities. What do you mean by killing my sect's disciples? If you don't give an explanation, I'll tell our Elder Chu, and when things escalate, the Heavenly Realm will come down to judge your crime!"
...
Ye Ziling knew what was going on without having to guess. It seemed Mu Heng had handled things quite well.
It was just a pity that she was a bit tired from carrying someone today, and she might not be able to enjoy this show.
The most important thing now wasn't to watch these hypocrites tear each other apart, but how to break this contract vine. She didn't want to be bound to Ling Xi for a lifetime.
Before she could witness the two sects clash, Ye Ziling saw Mu Heng leading a group of disciples to surround the inn and loudly declare, "Who dares to disrupt the order of the examination venue?"