"Boom!"
A sound of bursting flames echoed from deep within the space, followed immediately by an intensely scorching heatwave that surged in!
It instantly awakened the two people who were immersed in their intimate atmosphere.
Yao Qianci panted softly, pulled Yuan Shu into his arms, and stood up while holding her.
His sharp gaze swept around, keenly noticing the changes in the fire element within the Divine Fire Space.
"Such a dense fire element, what is going on?"
Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow and reached out to recall the Red Lotus Purifying Fire that was twisting together with the Chiyang Fire nearby.
Without the presence of the Red Lotus Purifying Fire's spirit fire power, the Chiyang Fire panicked a little.
It immediately wrapped around Yuan Shu's ankle, darted up, and snuggled up beside the Red Lotus Purifying Fire.
"Spirit fires rely on each other. I'm afraid something has happened to the Chiyang Fire of Yaoyun Peak," Yuan Shu said slowly.
Yao Qianci's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. He did not doubt Yuan Shu's words at all.
Because it was also recorded in the ancient texts of Yaoyun Peak that there is a connection between spirit fires.
For the Chiyang Fire to be so dependent on Yuan Shu's spirit fire, it was highly likely that something had happened to its main body, prompting it to seek some flame spiritual energy from the Red Lotus Purifying Fire.
The romantic atmosphere from just moments ago completely dissipated due to this sudden fluctuation of the fire element.
Yao Qianci looked down at Yuan Shu's beautiful and stunning little face, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"Guest Elder Yuan, can I call you Shu Shu?"
Yuan Shu looked up at him and nodded.
In the next moment, Yao Qianci pulled her into his embrace, paused, and said.
"Shu Shu, with your help just now, I have temporarily suppressed the fire poison."
"However, there's no telling when it might flare up again. So, after we get out, if the fire poison acts up, could I ask for your help once more?"
Yuan Shu buried her face in his broad, firm chest. Hearing this, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
This guy was really getting into character!
No, perhaps it wasn't about getting into character, but rather finding an excuse for his overstepping!
Yuan Shu's playful mood flared up again. She pulled back from Yao Qianci's embrace, a troubled look appearing on her face.
"Peak Master Yao, this is inappropriate. After we get out, you can find someone else..."
"No, it can only be you! If I so much as touch any other female cultivator, my whole body will feel miserable and I won't be able to breathe!"
"Only you, Shu Shu. You helped me today, please help me again. Just consider it a great act of kindness, alright?"
As Yao Qianci spoke, his arm around Yuan Shu's waist tightened. He lowered his head and gently brushed his lips against her cheek, his expression pleading.
Yuan Shu bit her lip and hesitated for a good while before letting out a breath. "Then, then Peak Master Yao, come find me when your fire poison acts up."
Yao Qianci's eyes instantly lit up.
He pulled Yuan Shu tightly into his arms, hugging her fiercely, his low and hoarse voice carrying a gentle magnetism. "Thank you, Shu Shu."
Yuan Shu lowered her eyes slightly, her small hands wrapping around his waist, feeling the lean and strong muscles twice.
She keenly sensed Yao Qianci's divine sense tensing up.
"Peak Master Yao, what's wrong?"
She looked up innocently, gazing at him unblinkingly with pure eyes.
A flash of panic crossed the depths of Yao Qianci's eyes. "N-nothing..."
Shu Shu... she wasn't doing that on purpose, right?
...
In the deep mountains and wild forests behind the Luoxian Sect, there was a temporarily built thatched cottage, currently guarded by people on all sides.
A man dressed in dark brocade clothes, wearing a black cloak over his head, sat quietly on a simple bench inside the room, waiting.
His overly tall stature gave him an incredibly oppressive presence!
A moment later, a noise came from under the floorboards in front of him. Then, the floorboards shifted, and a short-statured person climbed out.
"Your Highness, the underground passage has been cleared. We can enter the Chiyang Cave at any time!"
"There's no rush. The Chiyang Fire is a heaven-and-earth spirit fire, possessing immense power of its own. It won't be easy to subdue."
"Right now, the fire element in the Chiyang Cave is surging wildly, which will directly threaten the millions of medicinal plants on Yaoyun Peak. The Luoxian Sect won't just sit back and watch."
"Let them go and wear down the Chiyang Fire first!"
Black Cloak chuckled softly. Suddenly thinking of something, his eyes flickered. "That core disciple from Qingyun Peak, Zhai Shuo, has he been in the experiential trial realm lately?"
"Yes, the Peak Master of Qingyun Peak personally drove several of his disciples into the trial realm, and Zhai Shuo is among them."
Black Cloak narrowed his eyes slightly. "What about the news on the other person I asked you to look into?"
"To answer Your Highness, the Qingyun Peak disciple Yuan Shu was kicked out of Qingyun Peak during the sect competition, but the Peak Master of Yaoyun Peak stepped forward and gave her a Guest Elder token. She is now a Guest Elder of Yaoyun Peak!"
"Oh?" The eyes beneath Black Cloak shifted. "How interesting?"
...
After leaving the Divine Fire Space, Yao Qianci took people to the Chiyang Cave to investigate the situation.
Yuan Shu handed over the three lost-recipe pills she had refined to the elder in charge of records at the Chiyang Hall, successfully earning three chances to select items from Yaoyun Peak's medicinal plant treasury.
However, since Yao Qianci was busy at the moment, Yuan Shu wasn't in too much of a hurry.
Leaving the Chiyang Hall, Yuan Shu returned to her own small courtyard.
Pushing open the door, she saw Zhai Shuo sitting in the courtyard, casually sipping tea.
The moment he heard the door open, his crimson eyes lifted and landed on her.
It seemed he had been waiting for a while, as half the pot of tea on the table was already empty.
"Senior Brother Zhai?" Yuan Shu was a bit surprised. She had heard that Zhai Shuo and the others were recently in the trial realm. He actually had time to come find her?
"Is Junior Sister Yuan unhappy to see me?" Zhai Shuo set down his teacup, stood up from the stone stool, and walked toward Yuan Shu.
Yuan Shu's eyes flickered, and a smile appeared on her face.
"How could that be? Naturally, I am happy that Senior Brother Zhai came over. I just didn't expect you to have the time to visit me while training in the secret realm."
"Training in the secret realm isn't something accomplished overnight. I came over since I had some free time," Zhai Shuo explained simply.
He followed Yuan Shu from the courtyard into the inner room.
"Senior Brother Zhai, wait for me here a moment. I need to change my clothes."
Zhai Shuo twitched his nose, keenly catching a scent that did not belong to Yuan Shu herself.
A flash of icy coldness swept through the depths of his crimson eyes, but he quickly concealed it and said gently, "Do you need to bathe? I'll boil some water for you."
"Is that okay? Won't it be too much trouble for you?"
"It's no trouble."
Zhai Shuo replied, glanced down at her, and then headed to the small kitchen next door.
Yuan Shu stood in the inner room, watching that overly tall figure, her gaze deepening.
She remembered that Zhai Shuo had stopped calling her Junior Sister Yuan.
He now... called her Shu Shu.
Did he forget? Or... is there a hidden reason?
Zhai Shuo boiled the water quickly. Yuan Shu sat down, ate two pieces of pastry, and had just taken a sip of water when she heard his voice.
"Junior Sister Yuan, it's ready."
Yuan Shu brushed the pastry crumbs off her hands, stood up, and walked toward the washroom.
Entering the washroom, she indeed saw the prepared bath barrel, filled with bathwater, and thoughtfully sprinkled with flower petals.
Yuan Shu reached out to test the water; the temperature was perfect.
Just as Yuan Shu reached to untie her sash, a hand reached over from the side and rested on her shoulder.
"Junior Sister Yuan, let me help you..."
