Yuan Shu: “……”
The young man’s face was undeniably handsome, and waking up to see it would normally put anyone in a good mood.
But being startled awake by another person could scare someone half to death, all right?
“Sister, is there… something dirty on my face?”
Seeing that Yuan Shu had been staring at him without moving, the young man blinked his deep green eyes and reached up to rub his cheeks.
“Ahem, no.” Yuan Shu waved her hand. She stood up and stretched, then turned back to look at the young man again.
For some reason, she felt that he seemed somewhat different from yesterday.
“You call me Sister?”
“‘Sister’? Is that not the right way to address you?” the young man asked, puzzled.
Yuan Shu paused. “It’s nothing. You can call me Sister.”
It was just that the young man yesterday had apparently not addressed her that way.
“Are you hungry?” Yuan Shu looked up at him. As she spoke, she took out some food from the divine tree space and heated it with the Red Lotus Purifying Flame.
The young man smiled. “I can eat a little less today.”
“Oh?” Yuan Shu was rather surprised. Yesterday, he had eaten a full two tables’ worth of food—thirteen chickens and ducks in total.
She had thought he was only joking, but today he really did eat a normal amount.
Moreover, unlike yesterday, when he had devoured the food with his hands without the slightest regard for appearances, he now picked up the chopsticks and began eating like her.
His every gesture carried an indescribable air of nobility. Paired with that beautiful, handsome face, he looked like someone in a painting.
Yuan Shu rested a hand against her chin, her gaze studying him carefully.
“You really do seem different from yesterday.”
“Sister.” The young man scratched his head bashfully and gave her a shy smile.
His smile was warm and gentle, like a spring breeze, yet he did not refute Yuan Shu’s words.
He was indeed different today.
Because today was the second day since his birth!
After recovering his spiritual power and inherited memories, his mind had developed and his thoughts had matured. Naturally, he was no longer the same.
He had searched through his memories and found the form of address “Sister.” Supposedly, women were delighted to hear it.
Looking at the pleased expression on Yuan Shu’s face, he felt that he had indeed chosen the right word.
“Sister, can you tell me your name?”
“My name is Yuan Shu. What about you?”
The young man tilted his head. “Ying. My name is Ying.”
“Oh.” Yuan Shu glanced at the young man’s deep, beautiful green eyes and felt that the name suited him quite well.
Ying—glimmering light, firefly glow. It was a perfect match for those eyes.
Yuan Shu smiled at him and bade him farewell before leaving the cave. She intended to explore the eastern side.
When she had passed by there yesterday, she had noticed that the cave on that side was larger and that quite a lot of vegetation grew inside.
However, it had been getting late, so she had not explored it in depth.
Since she had found no way out elsewhere, she could only go back and take another look.
“Sister, be careful on your way!”
The young man’s concerned reminder came from behind her. Yuan Shu turned around and saw him looking gentle and composed as he dragged his chains along, raising a hand to wave at her.
Yuan Shu waved back and answered, “All right.”
She silently wondered if, once she left this place, she should ask Ying why he had been imprisoned here.
After all, they had met by fate. If she had the opportunity, she might as well save him.
After Yuan Shu left, Ying lowered his head and looked at the chains around his wrists and ankles.
The chains had been forged from meteoric iron and reinforced with special formations.
The previous Ying definitely would not have been able to break free, but now…
It might be worth trying!
A glimmer of light flashed through his deep green eyes.
…
Just as Yuan Shu had expected, the eastern cave had fewer stones and more soil. With no sunlight, many plants that did not require sunlight had grown there.
Yuan Shu parted the plants blocking her path and slowly made her way deeper inside.
After walking for roughly half an hour, the passage suddenly opened up before her, revealing a fairly spacious cavern.
Plants flourished all around the cave, covering the ground in a thick layer of green moss. Near the moss grew waist-high grasses and trees, lush and verdant.
Looking farther toward the center, she saw a pool of frigid water shrouded in mist.
Strands of spiritual power drifted out from the pool, enveloping the entire cavern in a hazy aura.
The moment Yuan Shu stepped into the cave, her spirits lifted. Even her mind became noticeably clearer.
“What incredibly dense spiritual power. No wonder the plants nearby are growing so luxuriantly. There are even several rare medicinal plants.”
Yuan Shu sighed in admiration. She casually plucked two medicinal plants by her feet and placed them in the jade box she carried with her. Then her gaze shifted to the stone wall in the center of the frigid pool.
Growing there was a snow-white medicinal plant that radiated a faint glow.
“This is… an Ice-Silk Six-Petal Flower!”
Yuan Shu was astonished. The Ice-Silk Six-Petal Flower was an immortal-grade spirit plant that grew only in places where spiritual power was exceptionally pure.
Its flowers were fragile and extremely difficult to grow to maturity. This was the first time she had ever seen an Ice-Silk Six-Petal Flower growing so luxuriantly!
This particular flower had clearly reached maturity. All six petals had opened, their light flowing softly as they gave off an aura of holiness and elegance.
Without hesitation, Yuan Shu leaped into the air and flew straight toward the stone wall above the frigid pool.
She landed steadily against the wall, carefully took out a jade pair of shears, and cut the Ice-Silk Six-Petal Flower. Then she used jade tweezers to place it inside a jade box.
Focused on harvesting the spirit plant, Yuan Shu failed to notice the disturbance in the water below the pool. Slowly, a massive light-blue figure emerged.
By the time she realized that something was wrong, a pair of thick pincers had already clamped toward her back without the slightest hesitation!
Yuan Shu’s expression shifted. Zhuohua appeared in her hand, and with a clang, it barely managed to block the creature’s attack.
Only then did she get a clear look at it.
It was a gigantic poisonous scorpion with a light-blue shell that was slightly translucent!
The scorpion was ice-blue from head to tail, its shell thin and transparent as ice. Its body was as large as a millstone, and the fluctuations of spiritual power within it clearly showed that it was no ordinary scorpion.
Its tail stinger gleamed brightly, while its venom sac radiated a chilling blue light. A faint layer of pale-blue poison surrounded its entire body.
It had been hiding in a stone cavern beside the frigid pool all along. Only after sensing Yuan Shu’s approach had it suddenly launched its attack.
Now that its pincers had been blocked, the poisonous scorpion immediately raised its stinger and thrust it toward Yuan Shu’s face!
The stinger contained a deadly poison. If it pierced her even once, she would be lucky to survive with nothing worse than a severe injury!
Yuan Shu’s expression changed slightly. She was just about to call on the Hehuan Divine Tree for help when a tall, slender figure swept over ahead of her.
The instant one arm wrapped around her waist, the other swung out with a black staff. With a loud bang, it smashed the poisonous scorpion’s stinger into two.
The black staff spun through the air with great force. Several crisp cracks rang out in rapid succession.
The poisonous scorpion, which had just been showing off before Yuan Shu, was swept away by the staff and sent crashing to the edge of the frigid pool. It landed on its back, its tiny legs flailing as it made its final struggle.
Very soon, it stopped moving.
Yuan Shu abruptly turned her head and met the young man Ying’s beautiful, deep green eyes.
“Sister.”
His voice was soft and clear, carrying the clean, pure tone unique to a young man. It was pleasant and soothing to hear.
But his strength…
If she had not sensed incorrectly, that poisonous scorpion should have been a spirit beast at the perfected Nascent Soul realm.
Even Yuan Shu would have found it extremely troublesome to deal with.
Yet just now, Ying had broken through its defenses with only a few strikes of his staff, shattered its stinger, and sent it flying. It had lost its life on the spot!
