Chapter 205 (2) |
Qian Ziyan and Qian Yiling arrived a stick of incense earlier, just in time to witness Qian Wanyu releasing five-element spiritual power. The spiritual power was colorful but still recognizable. Qian Ziyan's face was calm, as if he had known all along.
Qian Yiling couldn't believe her eyes. Could it be because—
She staggered back a few steps, the branches under her feet creaking. If not for Qian Ziyan's timely support, she might have tripped over the roots.
"Big brother, you knew all along."
Qian Ziyan sighed, "I knew a little earlier than you."
Qian Yiling clutched his arm tightly, her face filled with helplessness, her eyes staring blankly at a certain spot. "It must be because the death aura on me hadn't dissipated, causing Yu'er to be affected by it."
Seeing her agitation, Qian Ziyan didn't know how to comfort her. "A five-element spiritual body is different from others. The early stages of cultivation are particularly slow. I think Wanyu must have suffered a lot, endured many hardships, which is why her temperament has changed. Lingling, do you still insist on your idea?"
Qian Yiling was at a loss, not knowing what to do.
"Maybe you should put aside your mother's pride and have a pleasant talk with her about what she really likes about that girl."
——
It wasn't until dawn that Qian Ziyan caught up with Qian Wanyu and her group.
That night was enough for many people to sort out a lot of things.
Qian Wanyu was the clearest-headed among them. At dawn, she proactively told Toothless, "Next, we'll continue heading south according to the map. Before the True Eye is completely destroyed, the entire map of the Dragon Clan's territory might appear."
After taking the pill, Toothless found that her wounds had miraculously healed. She held her breath and said eagerly, "I may have lost to you once, but don't think I'll lose again next time. I will definitely defeat you."
Qian Wanyu raised an eyebrow slightly and said calmly, "You're welcome to challenge me again once you're healed."
Toothless snorted.
Dongfang Minghui looked at them and was relieved to see that Toothless hadn't left in a huff. Seeing that Seventh Sister wasn't angry anymore, she said, "Seventh Sister is angry, and Toothless is angry too. I really don't know who to comfort."
"Don't comfort anyone. I think they're both doing just fine."
It's just a fight. Last time, it wasn't like Pig Fairy Grass and I didn't have an ‘earth-shattering' battle.
"Pig Fairy Grass asked me to tell you that Xiuqi is likely nearby. Make sure to seal the space tightly and don't let its aura leak out." Little Colour said seriously, "It's already trembling in fear inside the space ring."
"Who's trembling!!!" Pig Fairy Grass grabbed Little Colour and dragged it from the soul sea into the space, where the two had a fierce fight.
"Seventh Sister, how do you seal the space ring's aura?" Dongfang Minghui was reminded by Little Colour. Although she had never seen Xiuqi, she had read the author's brief description of him in the script, which was very mysterious. So, she had to take it seriously.
Qian Wanyu was genuinely puzzled by her question. "The aura inside the space won't leak out. If you're asking how to add an extra layer of protection outside the space, Seventh Sister can think of a way to help you."
"Really!"
"Yes."
Seeing Ninth Sister's joyful expression return, Qian Wanyu also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Yesterday, she had taken the opportunity to give Toothless a beating, mainly to teach this foolish dragon a lesson that there's always someone better out there. She hadn't expected to anger Ninth Sister.
Ninth Sister had always been easygoing, gentle, and kind to others, never really confronting her. Yesterday's cold shoulder was the first time since they had been together, almost making her forget that Ninth Sister also had a temper.
In the past, Ninth Sister would ignore people, and she could still force her to interact. But Qian Wanyu's intuition told her that if she used the same methods as before, it would definitely anger the other party. So, the group remained silent for the entire night, and it was a quiet night with everyone minding their own business.
Dongfang Minghui found herself pleasantly surprised. Thinking about how Seventh Sister had ruthlessly dealt with Toothless yesterday, she immediately put on a long face.
"Ninth Sister." Qian Wanyu quickly grabbed her hand, but when the other party struggled, she suddenly showed a pained expression and gasped, looking very distressed.
"Seventh Sister, what's wrong?"
Qian Wanyu frowned slightly and shook her head, "Ninth Sister, are you angry?"
Dongfang Minghui saw her frowning so tightly that she could almost kill a mosquito. She immediately rolled up her sleeve and saw a red mark on her fair arm. Without thinking, she knew it must have been caused by Toothless's flames yesterday.
"Why didn't you say you were hurt?" Dongfang Minghui was angry, but she couldn't bear to stay mad at her after she got hurt. Besides, after a night of reflection, most of her anger had dissipated.
"You wouldn't listen to me." Qian Wanyu said in an extremely aggrieved tone, "Yesterday, I tried to tell you three times, but each time you interrupted me before I could speak."
Dongfang Minghui thought about it and realized it was true. The atmosphere yesterday was really bad. Toothless had chosen a spot to sulk alone, and her fiery aura made everyone avoid her, including Xiao Miao and Little Fatty.
Little Fatty was snoring away, completely unaware of what had happened.
Dongfang Minghui was also upset and chose a place to be alone and calm down.
"Who told you to fight with Toothless yesterday? You know I raised her." Dongfang Minghui quickly took out a pill, wanting to remove the fire poison. Toothless's flames were indeed powerful.
"Ninth Sister, don't be mad at Seventh Sister." Qian Wanyu didn't care about the injury at all. Seeing the other party softening, she immediately hugged her tightly and wouldn't let go.
"Seventh Sister, let go. Your hand is still hurt."
"If you promise not to be mad at Seventh Sister, I'll let go."
When Qian Ziyan and Qian Yiling arrived, they saw Qian Wanyu acting shamelessly. Qian Ziyan looked calm, but Qian Yiling, who had spent the whole night preparing herself mentally, was surprised to see them, especially the woman who seemed unrecognizable.
"Seventh Sister."
"Ninth Sister, don't be mad at Seventh Sister. Seventh Sister will be sad."
Dongfang Minghui couldn't bear to make her sad. In this life, the last thing she wanted was to make Seventh Sister sad. She said helplessly, "I'm not mad anymore." She had long stopped being mad; she was just upset that she couldn't stop the two of them.
Qian Wanyu pressed her forehead against hers and chuckled softly, "Really?"
"Mm."
"Ahem."
Qian Wanyu almost kissed her, but the sound of two coughs made her face change instantly.
"What's wrong, Yu'er?"
"Uh—Seventh sister accidentally burned her arm with the flames. I'll treat her right away." Dongfang Minghui felt a bit uneasy facing Qian Yiling, mainly because the once gentle Qian mama had become cold towards her after learning about her and Seventh sister. She was quite heartbroken about it. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of those messy thoughts, and quickly applied the medicinal liquid, then the ointment, performing the series of actions both swiftly and gently.
Qian Wanyu looked at her deeply, her eyes filled with such tender affection that it seemed like it could overflow.
Qian Yiling stood up, taking in their expressions, and unconsciously took a few steps back, turning to instruct Zilan on something.
"Uncle, was there a big battle here yesterday?" Mu Sheng felt sad every time he saw the barren land where they stopped. But he had observed that the leaves here had been destroyed not long ago, just two or three hours.
"Mm." Qian Ziyan looked worriedly at Qian Yiling's back, his gaze lingering between Qian Wanyu and Toothless, "It's fine now."
"Oh." Mu Sheng scratched his head, belatedly asking, "Uncle, how do you know it's fine now?"
This time, they stayed a bit longer, resting for most of the day. In the afternoon, they started following the coordinates on the map again. For the next half month, everyone traveled leisurely, more like they were sightseeing than treasure hunting.
The closer they got to the marked location on the map, the fewer magical beasts they encountered.
Leen felt it the most because he hadn't been able to hunt any magical beasts for several days. He was used to satisfying his hunger while traveling. On the first day, he searched for a long time without finding a single magical beast. In the following days, not only did the number of magical beasts decrease, but the temperature also kept dropping.
Initially, the climate was scorching, and even the wind carried a bit of warmth. But recently, no one dared to sit on the ground for long to rest.
"Yu'er, are we near the ice mountain?" Qian Yiling pulled Qian Wanyu aside, frowning as she looked at everyone shivering with their arms wrapped around themselves. She whispered, "Where is the next destination? Are there any more markers on the map?"
Qian Wanyu knew the situation was dire. This was already the fourth map, and they had been traveling for over a month without finding anything. "Mother, tonight Toothless and I will combine the Dragon Pill and the Eye of Truth again. We'll choose a place far from you all."
"Is it to get the next map?"
"Mm."
But in reality, Qian Wanyu had hidden a crucial piece of information. After speaking, she turned and left.
"Yu'er." Qian Yiling had been observing their interactions for the past half month. What overturned her understanding was that Yu'er was the more proactive one. When facing Little Nine, Yu'er's face always showed emotions she had never seen before.
Qian Wanyu looked at the other person in confusion, "Mother, is there something else?"
Qian Yiling held her hand, hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "The other day, you told me you wanted to marry her. Was that just a joke?"
"Of course not." Qian Wanyu's expression was somewhat cold.
If it had been before, Qian Yiling wouldn't have understood what this emotion meant, but now she understood immediately, "Mother is not against you, it's just that I'm also quite confused about matters of the heart. I want to ask you, what do you like about her so much that you can't do without her?"
What do you like about her?
Qian Wanyu's lips curved slightly, "Mother, just like Ninth Sister said before, she is lazy about cultivation, but when medicinal plants fall ill, she takes care of them tirelessly day and night. Maybe she has a weak personality, often worries about irrelevant people, and is always soft-hearted towards those she shouldn't be, causing a lot of trouble…"
As Qian Yiling listened, she understood. No wonder her elder brother asked her to listen to what Yu'er had to say. The child's flaws could make Yu'er smile like this; she seemed to understand that Yu'er was deeply in love with that child.
"Your spiritual power levels are very different now. As you just said, she is lazy about cultivation. In the future, the gap between you will only grow larger, to the point where you love each other but can't be together. What will you do then?"
She had thought about this question countless times in her heart. Ninth Sister preferred to study potions, "I am willing to wait for her, wait for ten years, even a hundred years, until she catches up." Or, I am willing to create a peach orchard for her, and just accompany her until old age.
Qian Yiling clutched her chest, feeling a pang of pain from her words, "Are you really willing to pause your cultivation for her, for her—"
"Mother, are you trying to stop me and Ninth Sister?"
"I—"
Qian Wanyu's expression was indifferent, without much emotion. Perhaps she had already anticipated this, so she had no expectations and thus no disappointment, "If you can't accept Ninth Sister, I can take her and leave."