Chapter 30
Yuan Liu walked forward, bent down, and picked up the blade. He smirked and said, "Alright, you can come with us."
And so, everything was settled.
"Any objections?" Ma Huaizhen raised an eyebrow. "No objections. Now, listen to me for what comes next."
"All of you, split up once we're inside and search for her. Whether she's alive or dead, make sure to bring her back. Once you find her, don't waste time, come out immediately. Got it?"
Ma Huaizhen gave a few more instructions and told Qiao Wan and the others to prepare separately. After half an hour, they would meet in front of the Mudstone Secret Realm.
Qiao Wan often helps Ma Huaizhen with errands. She is very skilled at doing these things and doesn't need much preparation. After returning to the cave, she applied some medicine to her hands and grabbed the pre-packed bag before getting ready to leave.
Unexpectedly, just before leaving, she ran into Xiao He.
It was Xiao He who discovered Mu Xiaoxiao's disappearance, and now they were going to the Mudstone Secret Realm to find her. Naturally, they couldn't hide it from Qiao Wan.
Xiao He was a young boy with a neat appearance. His black hair was neatly tied up, and when Qiao Wan looked at him, he seemed to have something to say but hesitated.
"Elder martial sister, are you really going to the Mudstone Secret Realm?"
Qiao Wan replied, "Yes."
After thinking for a moment, Xiao He took out a small copper bell from his pocket and handed it to her.
"Then I will lend you this Tiangang Bell. When you encounter something, just shake it to disrupt their mind. Then you can throw it into the sky to protect yourselves."
Qiao Wan was surprised by Xiao He's generosity. She took the Tiangang Bell seriously and thanked him.
As soon as Xiao He lent it to her, he seemed to regret it a bit. He touched his mouth and couldn't bring himself to take it back. He could only give numerous reminders to Qiao Wan, asking her to take good care of his bell.
As Qiao Wan walked away, Xiao He sighed and lowered his head.
It was already dusk, and the setting sun cast a red light that reflected in the eyes of the young boy. Slowly, it faded away as the distant peaks were engulfed by clouds.
When Qiao Wan arrived, Pei Chunzheng and the others were already there.
The young boy stood under the setting sun, his fair face glowing with a faint radiance, adding a touch of beauty to his already beautiful features.
Yuan Liu led one team, splitting the group into two.
Yuan Liu led his team of undercover brothers. Qiao Wan's team consisted of Pei Chunzheng, Xiao Boyang, a disciple named Cheng Li, as well as several other undercover disciples like Wang Wu and Dong Shier.
The entrance to the Mudstone Secret Realm was a cave, with a complex layout inside. Small caves were nested within big caves, and if they didn't split up to search, they simply wouldn't have enough time.
They carried communication jade slips from Kunshan and Sound Passing Talismans to stay connected once inside.
Upon Yuan Liu's command, the secret realm opened, and the two teams quickly rushed in.
After entering and taking only a few steps, they reached a fork in the path.
Yuan Liu said, "We'll take the right side, and you go left."
The Mudstone Secret Realm was dark and damp. The entrance still had a dim light, but as they went further, the darkness gradually swallowed up the light.
Xiao Boyang took out a spirit stone from his pocket to use as a light source.
Beside him, Wang Wu and the other disciples from the outer sect couldn't help but be amazed.
Indeed, he was the young master of the Xiao family. Even though he was from a branch, he was still quite wealthy.
The group continued forward without encountering any major dangers, mostly just small monsters and creatures.
However, the terrain in the secret realm was too complex, and the air was filled with poisonous miasma and demonic energy. They couldn't stay for long.
But just looking at the scenery inside the cave, there are also some good things. The cave walls are covered with a layer of white crystals, sparkling like frost. In the corners, there are clusters of deep blue and emerald green mineral flowers. There are no plants inside the cave, only spiders as big as a palm, making chirping sounds as they scurry around.
Before entering the cave, Qiao Wan specifically sprinkled some fine powder. It was a special product from Kunshan called Jade Essence Powder. It doesn't dissolve in water, doesn't melt in fire, and doesn't scatter in the wind. With a tap on the cave wall, it can last for two to three days and is often used as a marker.
There were more than ten people in their group, all strong men, and Qiao Wan was the only girl. Logically speaking, they had to protect the only female in the team.
Cheng Li clearly thought the same way.
"Martial Sister Qiao, come over here and walk behind me," he said.
Qiao Wan glanced at him and walked to his side, carrying a sword.
"Younger martial sister, don't be afraid. With senior brother here, we will definitely protect you," Cheng Li said, patting his chest.
Xiao Boyang laughed mockingly.
Pei Chunzheng showed no expression. Mu Xiaoxiao was missing, and he didn't have the leisure to care about their matters.
Qiao Wan took the script and wasn't particularly worried about Mu Xiaoxiao's safety. To be honest, the only one who could really affect Mu Xiaoxiao's life and death was her.
As long as she, the supporting character, didn't go after Mu Xiaoxiao, she should be safe.
So, Qiao Wan felt at ease treating this place as a dungeon.
She was here to fight monsters.
Cheng Li turned his head and looked at the girl beside him, taking a step forward to scout ahead for her.
But soon, Cheng Li realized he was wrong. Very wrong.
"Younger martial sister, be careful!"
A spider dropped from the cave ceiling, but Cheng Li quickly reached out and turned to look at Qiao Wan's safety.
He saw a pink figure swiftly darting away from him, swinging a sword and slashing mercilessly.
Cheng Li: ...
Although she might not necessarily win in a fight against them, when it came to exorcising and eliminating demons, Qiao Wan could guarantee that she had more experience than any of them.
After running errands for so many years, she had encountered thousands, if not tens of thousands, of demons that she had defeated.
Not to mention, she was currently filled with high spirits, and the Mudstone Secret Realm was like a dungeon to her.
Qiao Wan looked at the spiders, her eyes shining bright.
For them, these were disgusting little creatures, but for Qiao Wan, each of these bugs had an experience bar on their heads, and it seemed they had skill levels like LV1, LV2.
These spiders were small in size, perfect for practicing her control over spiritual power.
Cheng Li felt a twitch in the corner of his eye, watching Qiao Wan shoot out a thread of spiritual power from her fingertips, slicing one spider in half. She then twisted the thread and plucked a leg off the spider.
And then another leg, and another...
Or she would use the thread to entangle the spider, swing it against the wall, and squash it.
Cheng Li felt a slight pain on his face and couldn't help but feel sympathy for the spiders.
He was wrong.
He really hadn't expected this younger martial sister, with a butterfly hairpin on her head, to be so ruthless.
Qiao Wan continued forward, shooting out bursts of spiritual power along the way.
Poke, poke, poke.
All those that were leaning on the walls, on the ceilings above, without exception, all fell down.
They fell right onto Xiao Boyang's shoulders, making him so angry that his face twisted.
"Qiao Wan, can you please stop bothering me?!"
At that moment, Qiao Wan was fully immersed in the exhilaration of battling monsters and couldn't pull herself away. It seemed like the sound effects of her skills were ringing in her ears.
Xiao Boyang was so preoccupied with Qiao Wan that he didn't pay attention to where he was stepping. He ended up stepping on a spider, and instantly, dark green goo burst out. Xiao Boyang's face turned green as well.
The goo was smelly and sticky, splattering onto his shoes and turning into dark green spider silk. It tightly wrapped around his ankles, and no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't remove it.
Qiao Wan put away her sword and approached. "Can't get it off?"
Even Pei Chunzheng took a glance in their direction.
Xiao Boyang didn't answer, he tried to yank it forcefully.
But his left leg was still stuck in the spider silk, unmoving.
"... "
Xiao Boyang had a dark face and tried to pull harder, but no matter how much he tried, the spider silk didn't budge.
"You shouldn't interfere." Xiao Boyang gnashed his teeth in frustration.
"What are you doing?"
When he saw the girl in front of him bending down and reaching for the spider silk on his ankle, Xiao Boyang was startled.
Qiao Wan didn't even look at him, she lowered her head and helped untangle the spider silk from his foot.
Watching the girl crouching beside his foot, Xiao Boyang's expression changed and changed again. It felt like something had hit his heart suddenly.
What's this feeling?
The young master of the Xiao family couldn't help but tremble, feeling a mix of fear and horror.
When did Qiao Wan start being so kind to him?
He...
Xiao Boyang's face kept changing, and his mind wandered again.
From doubting whether he liked Qiao Wan or not, to wondering if Qiao Wan liked him, to reflecting on whether he had been too harsh to her in the past.
"Don't find this spider silk disgusting." Qiao Wan carefully pulled the spider silk off Xiao Boyang's ankle and stuffed it into her sleeve. "This can be used to weave a strong web, it's very useful in battle."
Qiao Wan had a poker face, passionately recommending it.
Xiao Boyang: ... Damn, he shouldn't have had any expectations for her.
"Oh, and there's this."
As if she remembered something, the girl bent down again. "Lift your foot."
Xiao Boyang instinctively took a step to the side.
Qiao Wan picked up the squashed spider from the ground and brought it in front of him.
"And this one, I remember it's called a Venom Rock Spider, it's a good material for alchemy."
The girl's fair fingertips held the flattened spider, soaked in green and white goo.
Xiao Boyang, who came from a prestigious branch of the Xiao family and had been sheltered since childhood, a young master who was afraid of both ghosts and bugs, went from looking green to actually turning green. He leaned against the wall and vomited.
"Ugh—"
Xiao Boyang weakly cursed, "Qiao Wan, fuck your mother."
Just finished throwing up, it felt like something soft and fluffy landed on Xiao Boyang's hand. His finger trembled and he instinctively looked up.
In the darkness, he met a pair of green-glowing eyes.
It was a spider as big as a person, crawling on the ceiling.
Xiao Boyang's face changed, and in an instant, a shiver ran through his body, giving him goosebumps.
He was not afraid of monsters or demons, but he had always been afraid of two things: ghosts and bugs.
The spider opened its mouth and spat out a silk thread, which wrapped around the young man's waist, lifting him up.
When Qiao Wan saw that Xiao Boyang was frozen, she immediately sensed that something was wrong.
Following his stiff gaze, she looked up and instantly understood what was happening. She took a deep breath, took a few steps forward, kicked her feet against the wall, and shot out like a cannonball. She thrust her sword into the spider's belly in one swift motion.
The spider was defeated.
Qiao Wan leaped and caught Xiao Boyang as he fell.
Princess carry.
As they landed, they looked into each other's eyes for a moment.
Xiao Boyang's face turned red. "Qiao Wan... you, you, you can put me down."
Qiao Wan nodded and politely released her hands. "Senior Brother, please."
Smack!
The young man ended up squatting on his buttocks.
He had landed on a protruding sharp stone.
Xiao Boyang widened his eyes, took a sharp breath, and his face contorted in a way that was difficult to describe.
But the education he had received told him that he couldn't rub his buttocks in front of others.
Qiao Wan let go of Xiao Boyang and moved forward, unexpectedly meeting Pei Chunzheng's cold gaze. He had seen her and Xiao Boyang's princess carry.
The young man's black eyes were like a frosty night, with soft, pure white snow falling.
He raised his tender eyelashes and his gaze fell on the dragon scale at the corner of her eye.
Qiao Wan was momentarily stunned. A sudden thought struck her, and Pei Chunzheng had already casually looked away.
For some reason, when she met his eyes, Qiao Wan suddenly remembered the time she and Pei Chunzheng had gone to the northern lands.
Back then, when they went to the northern lands to exterminate demons, they accidentally got lost. The ice and snow in the northern lands were too harsh, even for cultivators. They nearly froze to death.
Pei Chunzheng took off his outer robe, held her tightly, and covered both of them with the clothes. They huddled together, like two balls, trembling and breathing, as if their breaths froze in the air.
She lifted her eyes and saw the snow that had fallen on his long eyelashes had turned into ice.
The young man clenched his jaw, pressed his thin lips together, and when he lowered his head, he almost brushed against her lips.
At that time, she truly liked him, and his protection towards her was also genuine.
She was very grateful for his numerous acts of support, but later, when he held the rabbit lantern, his eyes turned bloodshot, and he seemed mad and crazy, it was also real.
Qiao Wan touched the bow on top of her head.
She didn't want to get involved in complicated and confusing romantic relationships anymore, and she didn't want to argue about the rights and wrongs of her and Pei Chunzheng's feelings.
Qiao Wan quickly pulled Xiao Boyang, and everyone continued forward.
Pei Chunzheng slowed down a bit and followed.
Suddenly, the pointer on Cheng Li's compass moved slightly.
"Hey hey hey! It moved!"
This compass is specially used to detect fluctuations in spiritual power. Since it moved, it means there are people ahead.
The further they went, the more intense the movement of the compass became. Several people quickened their pace and ran towards the depths of the cave.
The pointer on the compass became more and more frantic, and then it stopped.
Qiao Wan took her gaze away from the compass and looked up.
Sure enough, she saw Mu Xiaoxiao.
The girl was wearing a blue dress, with her eyes closed and leaning against the cave wall, holding a fluffy little fox in her arms.
Xiao Boyang immediately rushed up excitedly, "Martial Sister Mu?!"
Qiao Wan, Wang Wu, and Cheng Li followed suit.
The girl had her eyes closed, and her long eyelashes gently rested on her eyelids.
Seeing that Mu Xiaoxiao didn't respond, Xiao Boyang became even more anxious, "Martial Sister Mu?!"
Qiao Wan pulled him back, only to be glared at by Xiao Boyang.
"She's asleep," Qiao Wan pointed at Mu Xiaoxiao.
Xiao Boyang took a closer look. The girl's face was rosy, her breathing steady, and she looked peaceful as if she was sleeping soundly. A strand of hair fell on her shoulder.
In her arms, the pure white fox stared at the four people in front of it, ready to bite if they dared to approach.
Even Xiao Boyang, at this moment, was a bit confused.
To be honest, in his imagination, the girl would be disheveled, pitiful, and teary-eyed. He would come to her rescue. But it was completely different from what he had imagined.
Xiao Boyang didn't know that Qiao Wan had read the script and had a clear understanding of it.
"Immortal Ascending Road" was originally a sweet and heartwarming story, with the belief of not causing trouble to readers. The female lead, Mu Xiaoxiao, didn't suffer much. Even if she did, she would quickly fight back and wouldn't be seriously injured.
As for the little fox in Mu Xiaoxiao's arms.
Qiao Wan glanced at it.
If she remembered correctly, this was the Snow Rock Fox.
Seemingly disturbed by the commotion, the girl opened her eyes sleepily, rubbed her eyes, and glanced at Qiao Wan, Pei Chunzheng, and the others.
Mu Xiaoxiao widened her almond-shaped eyes, and her drowsiness dissipated, "Pei Chunzheng... Martial Sister Qiao Wan, what are you doing here?"
Seeing Mu Xiaoxiao's disoriented expression, the group of people exchanged glances.
Cheng Li stepped forward and explained the situation.
"We came to find you, Elder Martial Sister Mu."
"Find me?"
Cheng Li briefly explained the situation.
"Oh," Mu Xiaoxiao exclaimed, her face turning red, "I... I didn't expect this."
The young girl knew she had caused trouble when she saw the situation before her, and she immediately felt ashamed and lowered her head.
She couldn't help but burst into tears when she became anxious, her eyes filled with tears as she stared at the people, "I... I..."
Seeing the girl's distress, Elder Martial Brother Mu's heart softened, and a cough escaped him, "It's not a big deal, Martial Sister Qiao Wan, as long as you're alright."
"I..." The girl lowered her head in shame, "I'm sorry... Did I cause you trouble..."
"Xiaoxiao."
Pei Chunzheng approached and looked at Mu Xiaoxiao, as if he had let out a sigh of relief, but then his brows furrowed.
Mu Xiaoxiao lifted her head, her teary eyes meeting the cold and clear face of the young man.
Seeing the person she relied on, Mu Xiaoxiao's nose tingled uncomfortably as she nervously twisted her clothes, her voice hoarse and soft, "Did I cause trouble for you..."
The girl wept as she looked at Pei Chunzheng.
Xiao Boyang, who was standing beside them, felt the urge to scratch his teeth in annoyance.
Qiao Wan glanced at him and silently lit a candle for Xiao Boyang, patting his shoulder to offer comfort.
As a cannon fodder character without even a name in the original story, it was best for him not to meddle in the relationship between the male and female leads.
Xiao Boyang turned his head and could only see her calm and unaffected profile.
Wasn't she feeling uncomfortable?
Xiao Boyang was a little surprised.
As the saying goes, knowing oneself and knowing one's enemy, a hundred battles won't be in vain. He knew Qiao Wan's feelings for Pei Chunzheng inside and out.
No matter how short a time it had been, he didn't believe Qiao Wan could truly move on.
Seeing Mu Xiaoxiao feeling embarrassed and anxious again, Cheng Li took a handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to her.
Taking Cheng Li's handkerchief, the girl wiped away her tears and sniffed, her eyes red as she put on a smile, "Sorry, I've embarrassed you again."
On the other side, Wang Wu and Dong Shier from the undercover team were growing impatient, holding their swords.
After drying her tears, Mu Xiaoxiao finally explained the situation on her end.
She looked at Qiao Wan, her cheeks slightly flushed and her gaze avoiding direct eye contact.
"I heard that the Soul Crystal Flower grows exceptionally well here. Last time when Martial Sister Qiao Wan and Ciji had a fight, she got injured, so I thought of coming here to collect some. In case something happens again, our master, Elder Martial Brother, and Martial Sister Qiao Wan can also make use of it."
Qiao Wan was taken aback.
There were indeed many Soul Crystal Flowers growing in the Mudstone Secret Realm. The fragrance of these flowers helped with sleep and calming the mind, and when ground into powder, it had pain-relieving properties.
Ma Huaizhen had lost half of his arm and leg and still experienced occasional pain, making it difficult for him to sleep at night.
Mu Xiaoxiao most likely entered the Mudstone Secret Realm this time for Ma Huaizhen.
Mu Xiaoxiao whispered, "I followed the trail of the Soul Crystal Flowers all the way here without realizing it."
Throughout the journey, she hadn't encountered any dangers, though she was a bit confused.
"Elder Martial Sister Mu, what's the meaning of this fox-like behavior of yours?"
"It... Seeing Cheng Li asking about the little fox in her arms, Mu Xiaoxiao smiled again and lifted the little fox. "I encountered it when I was collecting crystal flowers, and I don't know why, but it has been following me ever since."
The little fox's ears trembled, and it looked a bit wary of the gazes of the people in front of it. It turned its face and stuck out its tongue, gently licking the girl's cheek, displaying its trust in her.
Just as the words fell, Pei Chunzheng's face turned a bit ugly, and he coldly said, "Since you can transform, stop pretending to be mysterious here."
Mu Xiaoxiao was stunned, "Pei Chunzheng?"
She hurriedly clutched the little fox to her chest.
Pei Chunzheng pursed his lips and insisted, "Come out."
"Pei Chunzheng?"
"Come out."
At that moment, the little fox seemed to move.
Mu Xiaoxiao exclaimed, her hands unconsciously loosening, and the Snow Rock Fox fell to the ground. A flash of white light passed by, transforming into the appearance of a little boy.
"You...you..." Mu Xiaoxiao looked at the little boy in front of her, stunned for a moment. After a while, she finally regained her composure, and her face turned red.
The little boy had a fair and white face, with big black eyes, as delicate as porcelain. His hair hid a pair of white fox ears.
As soon as the little boy transformed, he immediately pounced into Mu Xiaoxiao's arms, affectionately calling out, "Big sister Mu."
Mu Xiaoxiao blushed like a sunset, not knowing where to put her hands. She looked into his watery eyes and said, "You...you aren't?"
The little boy guiltily said, "Sister, I lied to you. Snow Rock Fox is my true form, and this is my transformation."
Mu Xiaoxiao finally breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to touch the top of the little boy's head. She didn't hold it against him and said, "Oh, so that's how it is."
Qiao Wan:...
Looking at Pei Chunzheng, Xiao Boyang, and Snow Rock Fox, she felt as if she, Wang Wu, Cheng Li, and the other undercover disciples were passing by the back of Mu Xiaoxiao's harem, with a toilet plunger in hand.
Now that they had found Mu Xiaoxiao, there was no need to stay here anymore.
Unexpectedly, the journey had gone so smoothly. Wang Wu whistled and took out a Sound Passing Talisman from his pocket.
"Boss, we've found Mu Xiaoxiao."
Yuan Liu replied quickly, "How is she? Is she alive? If she's injured, how severe is it? If she's dead, remember to bring back the body."
If she was dead, they could still exchange the body for spirit stones.
Wang Wu sneered, feeling a bit sour in his heart. "It's going well. It seems like they even encountered some kind of spirit beast and made a blood contract. Why don't I have such good luck?"
After arranging a meeting point with Yuan Liu, the group turned back.
Xiao Boyang, Pei Chunzheng, and Cheng Li led the way, Mu Xiaoxiao holding Snow Rock Fox in the middle, with Qiao Wan and Wang Wu guarding from the rear.
"I say," Wang Wu smacked his lips, eyeing Snow Rock Fox in Mu Xiaoxiao's arms, and quietly approached Qiao Wan, asking in a low voice, "Can we roast this fox to eat?"
Among these people, this person named Xiao seems like a spoiled son who behaves arrogantly, while this person named Pei has a cold expression, as if someone owes him money. That person named Cheng seems like a fool, while Mu Xiaoxiao is so charming that it gives him a headache. Only Qiao Wan can be talked to.
To be honest, after watching her match with Yuan, Wang Wu quite appreciates this girl. They seem to get along for no reason.
Before Qiao Wan could speak, the Snow Rock Fox seemed to sense something, maybe it felt the evil aura of a villainess from her, and turned its head to look at them with a cold and disdainful gaze.
"If you dare to catch it," Qiao Wan thought for a moment and answered expressionlessly, "I dare to roast it."
What a mischievous little thing.
This cave twists and turns, Wang Wu asked skeptically, "Is this the right way? We're not getting lost, right?"
Qiao Wan reached out and wiped the wall, her fingertips stained with a faint blue jade powder. "This is the right way."
Although Mudstone Secret Realm has a complex terrain, following the guidance of the jade powder should be right, as long as nothing unexpected happens.
Wang Wu said, "Luckily, this cave is dead. I've been in a similar cave before. The caves there are alive. If you go a few steps forward, the path behind you changes. That time, I lost three or five brothers because of it."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a dull sound from the front.
Everyone immediately entered a state of alertness and stopped in their tracks, surrounding Mu Xiaoxiao.
"What's that noise ahead?" Xiao Boyang frowned and asked.
It didn't sound like the sound of rocks rolling down or any kind of monster.
This sound... sounded more like the sound of a person landing on the ground.
Qiao Wan furrowed her brows.
Pei Chunzheng spoke in a low voice, "I'll go and take a look."
"I'll go too."
The young man glanced at her.
Qiao Wan showed no extra expression and remained calm. She was more accustomed to seeing things with her own eyes than listening to others. It had nothing to do with Pei Chunzheng.
The others didn't notice anything wrong, but Mu Xiaoxiao was slightly stunned. Her gaze swept across Pei Chunzheng's face and then fell on Qiao Wan, biting her lip gently.
So, they went ahead to take a look while the others stayed behind.
On the way, Qiao Wan and Pei Chunzheng didn't say much. They walked silently, turned a corner, and finally saw what had caused the noise earlier.
There was a bloody and mangled body lying not far away.
Qiao Wan's heart skipped a beat as she quickly walked closer to take a look.
Their group of people was behind, so this should be from Yuan Liu's team.
But this person in front of her couldn't be considered human anymore. It seemed like someone or something had chopped him in half, with his upper and lower body still connected by a bit of flesh and blood. Intestines were scattered on the floor.
This couldn't have been done by a human. Excluding that possibility, the only answer left was a monster.
This is impossible.
Qiao Wan widened her eyes in surprise.
They hadn't encountered any powerful monsters along the way, and the original story didn't mention any either.
Could there be unknown monsters lurking in this cave?
Qiao Wan gripped her sword tightly.
If there really were monsters, and this man was left behind, it meant that the monsters must be close by.
Qiao Wan squatted down and carefully avoided the intestines on the ground. She wanted to take a closer look, hoping to find some clues on the corpse.
Don't be fooled by Qiao Wan's tough appearance. She had no choice, as the world of cultivation was cruel. If she had all her memories when she first crossed over, she would have been shocked and possibly traumatized. But Qiao Wan was born in this world and had spent many years running errands in Kunshan. She had seen monsters even more fierce than this one, and witnessed various bizarre deaths.
"Excuse me, sir, but you've offended someone."
The man's eyes were full of anger, his face twisted in agony before dying.
As Qiao Wan turned around to ask Pei Chunzheng if he noticed anything, she was stunned.
There was no one behind her.
Pei Chunzheng was gone.
Qiao Wan stood up quickly, calling out softly, "Pei Chunzheng?"
She took a few cautious steps forward, but still couldn't spot the young man.
Qiao Wan's expression turned grim as she hurriedly retraced her steps.
Gone.
The cave was empty.
Pei Chunzheng, as well as Mu Xiaoxiao, Xiao Boyang, Cheng Li, and Wang Wu, were all gone.
Was it an illusion or some kind of trick?
Thinking about Wang Wu's words, Qiao Wan hurried to the corner of the rock wall, tapping it with her hand, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
Everything seemed normal, except for the sudden disappearance of people.
Qiao Wan furrowed her brows, deep in thought.
This shouldn't be happening.
There was no other choice now but to hurry back, as there was only one clue remaining.
The disciple's body lay still, with wide-open eyes, in a miserable state of death.
Having encountered more dangerous situations and stranger events when she went down the mountain to eliminate monsters, Qiao Wan wasn't too nervous. Since she couldn't find Pei Chunzheng and the others, she crouched down and reached into the man's sleeve, pulling out a jade pendant with "Tian Maotong" engraved on it.
She continued searching and found a storage bag.
"I'll bring back the jade pendant and the storage bag for you," Qiao Wan said, gently closing the man's eyelids and slipping the jade pendant into her sleeve.
Leaving the body behind would eventually attract monsters and spiders to devour it completely. Qiao Wan took out a bottle of corrosive liquid from her own storage bag, poured it on the corpse, and in no time, it dissolved completely.
After completing this task, Qiao Wan put away the jade bottle and jade pendant, then continued forward, sprinkling some jade powder along the way as a mark.
Finally, when she was near the edge of the cave entrance, she thought she saw a faint figure.
A young man with black hair tied up, wearing black boots, and a slender waist.
He stood there, appearing lost in thought.
When Qiao Wan saw Pei Chunzheng , she hesitated for a moment and didn't dare to approach him immediately. She stopped in her tracks, stood at a distance of over two zhang, and called out to him. Meanwhile, she tensed her muscles all over her body, making sure that if anything unexpected happened, she would be ready to strike with her sword.
The young man heard her movement and turned his face, revealing a fair and sparkling complexion with crimson between his eyebrows.
He saw her and seemed a little confused.
"Qiao Wan ?" The young man's voice was clear. "What are you doing here?"
Why was she here?
Right...
Qiao Wan was momentarily startled, her mind unable to comprehend the situation, feeling a bit perplexed as well.
Why was she here...
She...
Pei Chunzheng quickly walked up to her and naturally took her hand. "Let's go."
"Go... go where?" Qiao Wan asked, stumbling over her words.
A rare hint of amusement appeared on Pei Chunzheng's cold face.
When he smiled, it was like a budding willow catkin on a branch, his ponytail behind his head gently swaying. He looked like a graceful young man walking in the spring sunlight.
Pei Chunzheng extended his slightly cold fingers, firmly holding her hand. "To become husband and wife."
