Hearing Hou Mingzhu say that, Ye Tiancheng felt even more heartbroken. If it weren't for him, how could these twists and turns have happened? In the end, it was all because he had implicated her, which led to her current miserable state.
Ye Tiancheng felt it was necessary to take responsibility for all of Hou Mingzhu's current misfortunes. "You're not ugly. Whoever says you're ugly, I'll hit them. In my heart, you're always the most beautiful. And I will definitely find a way to restore you to your original appearance, so you won't have to be like this forever."
This was the most he could promise. In fact, Ye Tiancheng wasn't very confident, but he thought, "When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally straighten out." There would surely be a way.
"I'm too tired. I can't get out of here. If I really die, bury me here on Black Wind Mountain. The scenery is beautiful, and it would be a decent burial place. I don't want to go into the Hou family's ancestral hall anymore. I don't think I'm worthy. The Hou family must hate me to death."
When Hou Mingzhu said this, Ye Tiancheng realized a problem. It was indeed true. Their biggest challenge now was getting out of here. Other problems were not so significant. Hou Mingzhu wouldn't die immediately, but if she lay here indefinitely, she would starve to death, let alone anything else.
Ye Tiancheng remembered and quickly put the chocolate into Hou Mingzhu's mouth. "Wait a moment, eat something first. I'll be right back."
Ye Tiancheng needed to find some food, some water, and then figure out a way to take Hou Mingzhu, who was too weak to move.
The most infuriating thing was that Ye Tiancheng's phone had completely lost signal since being drenched by the black rain. This was also a major problem. Ye Tiancheng had no way to seek external help and could only rely on himself now.
Ye Tiancheng went out for a walk and found that although Black Wind Mountain looked prosperous, there was actually nothing edible, only some strange-looking mushrooms.
Ye Tiancheng had prior experience. These colorful mushrooms were most likely poisonous. Eating them would bring no good. Even if he starved to death, he couldn't touch these mushrooms. Ye Tiancheng knew this small piece of common sense.
"I'm so hungry. Why are there only poisonous mushrooms? Even a normal mushroom would be fine, as long as it could fill my stomach."
Even a strong man has to bow to the demand for food. Food is paramount to the people. Not eating for a single meal is unbearable. His eyes were seeing stars from hunger, which was indeed uncomfortable.
Perhaps heaven heard Ye Tiancheng's words. He found some trampled fruits on the ground in the forest. They looked tattered, like fruits and like jam, and were a kind of jam-red color. Ye Tiancheng picked one up and tasted it.
It was sweet with a hint of sourness. If it were any other time, it would have been hard to swallow, but now that he was starving, it tasted quite flavorful and was actually quite delicious.
"That's great! I knew heaven wouldn't watch me die."
Ye Tiancheng quickly searched the area where he found the jam-red fruits. He finally found about ten fruits, and a handful of mushrooms in his hand.
These were not colorful mushrooms, but normal ones. Perhaps they had grown because of the recent rain. Ye Tiancheng had probed them with his true qi and confirmed they were not poisonous before daring to take them.
Ye Tiancheng found a piece of tile and got some water from a small stream. He used his true qi to ignite the damp branches and then placed the mushrooms inside. Ye Tiancheng planned to make a simple mushroom soup. As for seasonings, he had to improvise. There were some medicinal herbs in Black Wind Mountain that had flavor, and adding them to the mushroom soup would increase its nutrition and taste.
"It smells so good. You actually made soup with these things, Ye Tiancheng. You are truly a qualified wilderness survival expert."
"There's no choice. I've been unlucky for a long time, and I always encounter disasters inexplicably. I'm at my wit's end, so I have to learn how to survive. Although I've fallen into despair countless times, thankfully, I've come through. From now on, we'll go through it together."
Hou Mingzhu's emotions had stabilized a lot, but she kept holding her phone screen, looking at her reflection. She felt that her current appearance was too hideous to face anyone. As a woman, she cared about her appearance and kept looking in the mirror, having many negative thoughts. However, she didn't intend to keep talking endlessly, as that would make her seem like a nag, constantly complaining about her misfortunes as if she had a mental problem.
"Stop looking. I'm afraid you'll get more upset the more you look, and it won't be good for your health."
"Mm, when I first saw it, I really couldn't accept it, but after a while, I felt it didn't matter much. It's just appearance, after all. I've been called beautiful for so many years, and I've already become numb to it. Being an ugly woman isn't so bad either."
Seeing the expression on Hou Mingzhu's face finally relax a bit, Ye Tiancheng was no longer as anxious. Otherwise, he would have felt that Hou Mingzhu had suffered too much and would have felt unbearable.
"It's good that you can think a bit more optimistically. I don't want to see you looking sad all the time. You should have a little more strength after eating something. Once we recover our strength, we'll keep moving."
In any case, Ye Tiancheng felt that the future was full of hope. Even though Hou Mingzhu was in a predicament, as long as they worked together, there was no difficulty they couldn't overcome.
"Okay, I'm too tired. Let me lean against this tree and sleep for a while, or I really won't have the energy to go on. The road ahead might become a burden for you."
Ye Tiancheng certainly didn't want to force Hou Mingzhu. At this moment, he had to consider her feelings.
"Alright, then rest for a while. It's just a bit cold outside, and it just rained. Many places are too damp."
"It's okay, I'm really sleepy. I have no other requests, I just want to sleep soundly, and I don't want to be disturbed by anyone..."
As soon as she finished speaking, Hou Mingzhu fell fast asleep. For her, sleep was the most precious thing right now; nothing else mattered.
Ye Tiancheng's jacket was already wet. Otherwise, he could have used it to shield Hou Mingzhu from the cold. Covering her with his jacket now would only make her colder.
Seeing Hou Mingzhu lying there, still looking uncomfortable and shivering from the cold, Ye Tiancheng felt unbearable. He leaned over and hugged Hou Mingzhu, transferring his body heat to her while also making the poor woman feel more at ease.
"It's so warm. I'm really sleepy. We can talk about anything later; I need to sleep first."
For Hou Mingzhu, a sound sleep was the most important thing. Ye Tiancheng didn't even dare to speak in response, for fear of disturbing her sleep. He then used his true qi to form a protective layer, enveloping them both.
With this protective layer, not only could it block out the cold, but it would also automatically generate heat, giving Hou Mingzhu a warm feeling as if she were in her mother's womb.
Hou Mingzhu slept for quite a long time. Ye Tiancheng had also fallen asleep, but because the true qi layer had weakened, Ye Tiancheng woke up quickly and replenished his true qi. In this way, he managed to ensure that Hou Mingzhu could have a comfortable environment to sleep in and not be woken up by the cold.
He persisted like this all night. Ye Tiancheng woke up early the next morning, feeling hungry. His stomach rumbled, and he felt like his chest was sticking to his back.
"I'm hungry."
As soon as Ye Tiancheng woke up, he saw Hou Mingzhu looking up at him, her big eyes watery, looking incredibly cute and adorable. He remembered that Hou Mingzhu was a few years younger than him; she was just a little girl.
"There's no food yet. The mushroom soup is also gone. I'll go find some more fruit."
Ye Tiancheng was about to get up when Hou Mingzhu pulled him back. "No need. You don't need to find anything for me to eat. Just stay by my side. I suddenly feel a little scared."
"Don't be afraid. I'm here for everything. No one will harm you."
Hou Mingzhu tightly hugged Ye Tiancheng's neck and refused to let go. "I just want you to stay with me longer. I don't need you to find food for me. Just stay by my side."
Hou Mingzhu's spoiled behavior was quite amusing. By Ye Tiancheng's side, she clearly seemed to be getting younger, like a naive little girl.
"Okay, then I won't go anywhere. But I'm worried you'll starve. Your stomach isn't good to begin with. If you don't eat properly, I'm afraid your stomach will get worse and worse."
"It won't. I'm still a bit sleepy. I'll sleep a little longer."
Ye Tiancheng didn't notice anything amiss at first. Later, he noticed that Hou Mingzhu's complexion was excessively pale. He quickly reached out and touched her forehead. He found that despite his meticulous protection, Hou Mingzhu had developed a fever. It seemed that Hou Mingzhu's fever was unavoidable. It was all fate.
"You have a fever?"
"Perhaps. That's why I feel I have no appetite. I said I was hungry, but in reality, even if you brought me something, I probably couldn't eat it."
Ye Tiancheng tried to use his true qi to treat Hou Mingzhu again, but he failed. His true qi hovered around Hou Mingzhu for a long time before suddenly dissipating. In any case, he couldn't successfully inject it into Hou Mingzhu's body.
"This is too difficult!"
Ye Tiancheng was extremely angry and complained. Then, he continued to try. Finally, he managed to inject a little true qi into Hou Mingzhu's body, which reduced her fever.
However, Ye Tiancheng had used too much force. Everything he had done was somewhat against the natural order. As soon as Hou Mingzhu's fever subsided, Ye Tiancheng directly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Hou Mingzhu saw everything and looked worried. Although Ye Tiancheng's chest was in pain, he could only pretend to be strong, giving Hou Mingzhu a faint smile and shaking his head.
"It's nothing. For us cultivators, spitting blood is also a form of detoxification. It's all very normal. Don't think I'm weak; I'm not that weak."
"I want to leave this place. I have too many unpleasant memories here. I don't want to stay here any longer. I have a premonition that I might die here, which is why I'm so scared. Take me away quickly."
Perhaps because Hou Mingzhu had experienced too many bad things, her spirit was somewhat scattered. At this moment, when she looked at Ye Tiancheng, her eyes had no focus. Instead, there was a lot of sorrow in them.
That thick, unresolvable sorrow made Ye Tiancheng's heart ache. Hou Mingzhu was once such a proud and carefree young lady, with countless people surrounding her every day, like a moon surrounded by stars, always someone to help her solve all her difficulties. But Hou Mingzhu flew back from abroad for him, was then sent back by the fat man, endured much hardship in between, and now she had become like this.
"I'll carry you. No matter what, we have to leave this cursed place today."