Liu Lanying was now lying in the intensive care unit. Normally, no one could leave her side, and someone had to stay there to attend to her condition.
In case of any sudden events, there would be someone to make decisions. After all, sometimes emergency surgery required a family member to sign. Without their signature, the hospital would find it difficult to proceed, as they had their own rules and procedures.
So, Ye Tiancheng quickly decided, "I'll go take a look in that grove of trees. Fatty, you stay here and watch Miss Liu."
"Brother Ye, let me go with you. I've already hired a caregiver, who is my elementary school classmate. We've been good friends all these years and I trust her completely. She can make decisions in critical moments. Right now, the doctors are the ones keeping Liu Lanying alive, and others don't have much of a role. Let me go with you to the grove, maybe I can help." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Fatty's reasoning was sound, so Ye Tiancheng let Fatty accompany him. The two of them cooperated well. Although Lin Xue had been the vanguard before, she was now troubled by love and had fallen into a coma. However, one of them acted as a tank, and the other as an assassin. Even without Lin Xue, the ADC, they could handle many sudden dangers. Even with reduced combat power, they posed a significant threat to some minor monsters.
"Brother Ye, I feel like the aura of this grove has changed. Don't you feel it? There's a strong demonic energy here. Could there be some demons or monsters?"
Hearing Fatty say this, Ye Tiancheng drew out a wisp of true qi with his fingertip and sent it into the grove to test it. Indeed, he found a problem.
When they had come to this grove before, the atmosphere wasn't great, but it was still normal, like a typical place where people died by accident, with a bit too much yin energy. However, for people with strong eight characters or those with cultivation, it had little effect.
It was just a chilling gust of wind that would give you goosebumps. But now, the situation was vastly different and much more serious. It wasn't just a little more yin energy; a powerful black energy enveloped the surroundings of the grove, even forming a layer of black mist.
"The black energy is too intense. Before, even if there was black energy, only cultivators could sense it. But now, ordinary people can see it with their naked eyes. You can imagine how dangerous it is inside the grove."
"Brother Ye, let's go directly to find Ouyang Xinuo. Something must have happened to Ouyang Xinuo, otherwise, there wouldn't be such a strong black energy."
Both of them knew that under the shroud of the immense black energy, all living things in the entire grove would be affected. What might have been a small ant could suddenly grow many times its size and become aggressive.
These aggressive creatures were the most difficult to deal with, mainly because there were often too many of them. Even crows circling overhead might suddenly mutate and grow a multitude of eyes. It wasn't just about strong attack power; they were also very disgusting.
"Brother Ye, let's go directly to find Ouyang Xinuo. You follow behind me. I'll lead the way today."
Fatty had prior experience, so he knew that those monsters were quite troublesome. He wore a bracelet on his hand and held a shovel, constantly vigilant, and his entire demeanor was one of readiness to fight, poised to strike at any moment.
Suddenly, there were slight tremors on the ground, and some strangely shaped insects crawled out. These insects were originally harmless, only moving in the soil. After being infected by the black energy, they suddenly erupted with immense power.
It wasn't just the insects crawling on the ground that was frightening. The key was that they suddenly grew wings. As they flapped their wings and charged forward, it instilled a sense of fear in people. With a swoosh, they all flew over, making one's scalp tingle.
Ye Tiancheng found it inconvenient to act at the moment because his true qi was not sufficiently abundant, and acting would cause him significant damage. At this time, he had to let Fatty engage in physical combat, directly using the shovel to strike.
Since they were being attacked from all directions, Fatty was somewhat overwhelmed. At this point, Ye Tiancheng had to intervene, forming a protective layer as much as possible, so that the attacks from the front, back, left, and right all fell into emptiness. This prevented him and Fatty from being surrounded and unable to move.
"Brother Ye, that bug bit my calf just now, and it felt quite painful. These bugs are simply too cruel, wanting to eat Fatty! It hurts so much!"
Ye Tiancheng sent a burst of true qi towards Fatty. The spot on Fatty's calf that had been bitten, which was red and swollen, instantly returned to normal. Fatty's discomfort also vanished instantly.
"Thanks, Brother Ye. I'm just a bit confused. Every time it seems like you're completely drained, you can still unleash true qi. What kind of miraculous power is this?"
Previously, Ye Tiancheng's face was pale, and even his lips were deathly white. It was hard to imagine that he could still possess such power, like an inexhaustible treasure chest, always able to produce more.
"Because I'm constantly recovering, and doing small things doesn't require much true qi. I'm very confident about this. Please rest assured. However, if we encounter any formidable opponents, I won't be able to protect you, let alone myself. At that time, Fatty, you'll have to shield me."
Ye Tiancheng said this deliberately to tease Fatty. Fatty, with a shovel, pinned a monster tightly to the ground, turning it into a poster that couldn't be scraped off without a shovel. He was confident in this, but when facing Ye Tiancheng, he was always timid.
"Brother Ye, don't say that. You're humbling me too much."
As soon as Fatty finished speaking, a small flying insect was about to land on his ear and bite him fiercely. Fatty dodged the attack with a swift movement and then used his shovel to strike the flying insect in mid-air, sending it flying more than five meters away. The insect's wings were smashed, and after its abdomen vibrated rapidly, it was split in half from the middle, with its intestines flying out. It looked terrifying.
"Brother Ye, don't look! Be careful not to hurt your eyes. I feel like my eyes are going blind. How can these monsters be so disgusting? It seems the black energy is really not a good thing, turning perfectly normal insects so disgusting and giving them such large wings. Honestly, I'm already developing megalophobia."
How could Ye Tiancheng not look? When fighting, one must observe the opponent. One cannot fight with closed eyes; that would be playing around.
"It's alright. Being disgusted a bit can improve your psychological resilience. Don't panic."
While Fatty attacked fiercely, Ye Tiancheng continuously provided support. Strong offensive power doesn't guarantee personal safety; one must have good defense, otherwise, one might be defeated without even realizing it.
With their combined efforts, it took about half an hour to finally quiet down the surrounding terrifying creatures. The attacks became fewer and fewer, and the combat power of these monsters gradually declined. This was a great piece of news, otherwise, they wouldn't know when the fighting would stop. Prolonged fighting would exhaust them, no matter how good their physical condition.
Ye Tiancheng and Fatty were indeed exhausted. As soon as they pinned the last four-winged monster to the ground, Fatty chose a rock to sit on and rest.
Fatty discovered a problem: his sweat was falling like rain. He felt a bit weak, and his whole body felt drenched in sweat.
"Brother Ye, look at my head full of sweat. It makes me, Fatty, look quite weak. Actually, I'm fine. My body is still quite robust, not so weak."
"It's normal. These monsters are affected by the black energy and carry some negative energy that is detrimental to the human body. So, even if you feel any discomfort now, it's normal. Don't worry too much. Once my true qi recovers more, I just need to make a small move, and you'll be back to normal."
Ye Tiancheng had this confidence. These small monsters were only so rampant due to the enhancement of the black energy. However, these were caused by external influences and would dissipate soon. They were useless, so there was no need to panic. They could definitely handle it.
"Okay, but the most important thing now is to see what Ouyang Xinuo is up to. Miss Liu's physical condition is what we should be most concerned about. After I rest for a while and recover a bit, we'll go see him immediately. We can't waste any more time on these minor soldiers and generals."
Ye Tiancheng nodded and said nothing more, because he sensed that a layer of miasma had suddenly appeared in the grove, a very terrifying miasma. If one stayed in such an environment for too long, their consciousness would gradually become unclear. This was a sign of poisoning, and everyone would be affected. It was a matter of how much they were affected.
"Fatty, don't you have a gas mask in your bag? Hurry and take it out. This grove is very abnormal. Besides the black energy, there's also miasma. I'm really afraid that you and I, brothers, will die here. This is truly a dangerous place, full of traps, always trying to kill us, our poor brothers."
"Yes, that's what I was worried about. I encountered miasma before, and even with your true qi protecting me, Brother Ye, it made me feel dizzy and groggy for a long time. So, I secretly made a gas mask. It uses various materials, and it's very effective."
Fatty quickly took out the gas mask from his bag and had Ye Tiancheng put it on. After putting it on, the air instantly felt much fresher, and the dizzy and groggy sensation they had felt earlier disappeared significantly.
They passed the test of the miasma and then continued on their way to the next destination. Soon, they arrived at the large pit where Ouyang Xinuo was imprisoned.
The black energy was most concentrated around the pit. Something must have happened to Ouyang Xinuo. Indeed, after descending into the pit, they found that Ouyang Xinuo, though still breathing, was in a deep comatose state.
Ye Tiancheng and Fatty worked together to lift him out of the pit, but it took a great deal of effort. Ouyang Xinuo didn't seem too heavy, but for some reason, they couldn't lift him no matter how hard they tried, feeling as if they were about to be exhausted to death.
"Brother Ye, what sin have we committed to have to clean up after this scoundrel? I'm so angry! This guy shouldn't be alive in this world. It would be best if he were far away. Don't bother me here. Just looking at his face annoys me to death."