If Yuan Shu resisted now, Helan Zhao would definitely make a sound.
Yuan Shu had no choice but to tilt her head back and respond to him.
Helan Zhao was exhilarated.
They had not seen each other for several days, yet Yuan Shu still missed him.
Just look at her—she had barely seen him, and she was already unable to wait before kissing him!
The faint, alluring fragrance of pear blossoms lingered between their lips and teeth, making it impossible to stop once one had tasted it.
Helan Zhao leaned closer to Yuan Shu, his tall figure enveloping half of her body.
Pinned against the stone wall behind her, Yuan Shu could only let him take whatever he wanted.
It was not until footsteps approached from within the passage that Helan Zhao finally realized something was wrong. The movement of his lips abruptly stopped.
Yuan Shu looked up and met his astonished gaze, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
This fellow had finally realized something was amiss!
If it were not for someone approaching, why would she have suddenly pulled him into the cave beside them?
“There’s been an abnormal disturbance in the formation imprisoning the prisoners. Guard this passage carefully. I’ll take some people down to investigate!”
A familiar voice rang out from outside the passage.
Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow, suddenly remembering.
Lu Huai!
He was the elder from the Beast-Taming Garden who had pursued the earth demon fiend aura at Xiao Li’s residence last time!
He was here too?
Then was he also a member of the earth demon fiends?
Yuan Shu’s eyes widened slightly.
There was no denying that Mo Yi had spent all these years infiltrating the Falling Immortal Sect and had secretly planted quite a number of earth demon fiends among its ranks.
Yuan Shu clicked her tongue inwardly, but her tongue remained tightly entwined with Helan Zhao’s, preventing him from moving even an inch.
Lu Huai was quite powerful. If he noticed the slightest disturbance, all of them would be finished!
Helan Zhao knew the situation was urgent as well. Although the fragrance of pear blossoms between their lips and teeth made him want to swallow it all, he could only keep his body rigid and perfectly still.
Only after the footsteps outside the passage gradually faded did they both relax.
Their lips parted.
“These are the alien races hiding within the Falling Immortal Sect. Be careful,” Yuan Shu reminded him in a lowered voice.
Helan Zhao rolled the tip of his tongue around his mouth. But the instant Yuan Shu finished speaking, he suddenly lowered his head and kissed her again.
His precise and domineering assault devoured every trace of pear-blossom fragrance from between Yuan Shu’s lips and teeth.
Only after five breaths did he finally release her.
“Helan Zhao, what are you doing at a time like this?”
Yuan Shu glared angrily at him, only to be met with Helan Zhao’s aggrieved blinking.
“Shushu, you have no idea how hard it was for me to hold back just now. Without that kiss, I wouldn’t even have felt at ease running away!”
His handsome brows and long lashes drooped slightly as he gazed at Yuan Shu with an expression of utter grievance, as though he were about to cry.
His beautiful, ink-dark eyes reflected her face, clear and innocent.
The reproach Yuan Shu was about to deliver caught in her throat, and for a moment, she could not bring herself to say it.
After a long while, she finally took a deep breath and spoke in warning. “There won’t be a next time!”
“Mm-hmm!”
Helan Zhao hurriedly nodded in agreement and released the arm encircling Yuan Shu.
Before leaving, he even cast a provocative glance at Helan Ying, who was being supported beside them by Yuan Shu’s spiritual power.
I kissed Yuan Shu right in front of you. That’ll teach you!
Hmph!
…
By the time they emerged from the cave, the sky was already bright.
Yuan Shu did not dare rest. She led the two Helan brothers onward.
“Shushu, why did you cover his eyes?”
Helan Zhao was quite puzzled as he watched Yuan Shu blindfold Helan Ying.
“Ahem. We had a bit of a conflict in the cave earlier, didn’t we? I don’t want him to see me,” Yuan Shu explained.
“When he wakes up later, just tell him that you were the one who saved him. Don’t mention me.”
Helan Zhao’s eyes lit up at her words.
Shushu did not want Helan Ying to see her?
That was wonderful!
He did not want Helan Ying to see Shushu either!
With that thought, he readily agreed. “All right!”
After trekking through the mountains for most of the day, Helan Ying, who had been transferred into Helan Zhao’s arms, slowly regained consciousness.
He moved his sore, aching body and opened his eyes. His vision was somewhat blurry, and a layer of black cloth covered them as well.
He froze for a moment, realizing that someone was carrying him forward. His expression immediately darkened, and he asked warily, “Who is it?”
“It’s me!”
Helan Zhao swept aside the branches blocking the path and answered with a cold snort.
Helan Ying paused. Realizing that he no longer seemed to be in the cave, he asked in return, “Helan Zhao? Did you save me?”
“Mm-hmm. Who else could it be? You’re my brother, after all. Leaving you to die isn’t my style.”
Helan Ying fell silent for a moment. Perhaps recalling something, he lowered his voice and said, “I’m not your brother. The owner of this body—your brother—is already dead.”
This time, it was Helan Zhao who fell silent.
Yuan Shu had already told him that Helan Ying was not truly Helan Ying, but an earth demon fiend that had emerged into the world.
So the one controlling Helan Ying’s body now was an earth demon fiend, not his brother.
In that case, he indeed could not be considered his brother.
But…
“This body is ultimately still my brother’s. Without you, it would have rotted away long ago. As for everything else, we’ll discuss it after we see our parents.”
Helan Zhao’s voice also turned low and solemn, carrying a hint of sorrow.
“Our parents miss their eldest son very much.”
The forest soon fell silent, leaving only the sound of their footsteps crunching over dead branches and fallen leaves.
Helan Ying keenly heard the footsteps of someone other than Helan Zhao. He furrowed his brows.
“Who is beside you?”
Helan Zhao turned his head and glanced at Yuan Shu. He covered his mouth and coughed before answering, “A guard our parents sent to find me.”
Yuan Shu promptly altered her voice and bowed toward Helan Ying.
“Eldest Young Master.”
Her voice had been changed into that of an unfamiliar man. Only then did Helan Ying relax completely.
Because of their blood relationship, Helan Zhao would not harm him. To hurt him would be to harm the body that had originally belonged to Helan Ying. For the moment, he could rest easy.
“What happened to my eyes? Why is everything white? And why have they been covered with silk?”
Helan Ying asked the question, and Helan Zhao exchanged a glance with Yuan Shu before explaining according to the story they had agreed upon beforehand.
“Oh, that? When I carried you out of the cave, your eyes were injured by the forbidden-spell formation that had trapped you. I’ve applied medicine to them, but they can’t be exposed to light for now, so I covered them.”
Helan Ying frowned. “Where are we going now?”
“Let’s follow the mountain path behind the sect. Everyone outside is looking for you right now,” Helan Zhao casually explained.
“We’ve been walking for a long time. We should rest. Let’s sit here for a while.”
As he spoke, Helan Zhao exhaled and set Helan Ying down.
Seeing him sit directly on the ground, Yuan Shu curved her lips into a smile. She took out some snacks from the divine tree’s space and handed them to him.
Helan Zhao had rather enjoyed the snacks Yun Sheng made while they were at the guest courtyard.
Speaking of Yun Sheng, she found herself missing him a little.
Some time ago, he had said that he would follow Elder Mu into the deep mountains to cultivate. She had specially cultivated with him, using the second layer of the tree’s foundation to nourish him in return.
The next time they met, his strength would probably soar. He might even surpass her!
The power of bloodline energy was not to be underestimated!
The thought had barely arisen when an arm suddenly wrapped around her waist.
Yuan Shu turned her head and looked back, meeting Helan Zhao’s mischievous smile.
He glanced at Helan Ying beside them, then turned back and blinked at her.
Hmm?
Yuan Shu froze for a moment. The next instant, he wrapped an arm around her waist and swept her into his embrace.
