Seeing so many Shaolin disciples surrounding Ye Ziling, Mu Heng frowned, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He strode towards her, "Crazy girl, why are you here? The palace has been looking for you for two days."
Upon seeing Ling Xi covered in blood, Mu Heng instantly understood what had happened. He frowned, "So this brat kidnapped you?!"
He had searched the entire Jiuling Palace with his disciples for the past two days without finding her, only to discover she had been brought here by Ling Xi.
Realizing there were others present, Mu Heng cleared his throat and straightened up, "Oh, it's Sect Leader Shen, and..."
Mu Heng walked over to Lu Yi, raising an eyebrow. He had wondered why the person looked so familiar; it turned out to be the disciple from the major sects who had illegally released the divine beast at the Red Sleeve Inn that day!
Lu Yi recognized Ye Ziling as the young woman who had flirted with him unsuccessfully at the Red Sleeve Inn. Seeing Mu Heng's commander token on his waist, he chuckled, "Heh heh, Commander, you've been troubled late at night."
"I recall it was you who illegally released the divine beast last time, wasn't it? And now you've caused this commotion again. It seems you don't want to take the exam?"
"You..." Lu Yi was not one to be trifled with, his sword itching for action.
Mu Heng smirked wantonly, stepped forward two paces, and kicked him down. He dusted off his hands, "What? Not convinced? Let alone illegally releasing divine beasts, your attitude towards this commander alone is enough to sentence you with hundreds of crimes."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yi knew he couldn't win a confrontation. He had no choice but to get up from the ground, cup his hands, and say with a smile, "Yes... Commander, your reprimand is correct."
-
In the room, Ye Ziling sat on the edge of the bed.
She glanced at her wrist and found that the vines seemed much looser. If it continued like this, she estimated that in another day, once the vines loosened a bit more, they should be able to be untied.
After observing for a few days, Ye Ziling came to a conclusion: as long as the other party didn't harbor killing intent, the vines would slowly loosen. As long as she didn't have killing intent towards Ling Xi within these days, she would be free once the vines slackened.
However, she would have to endure some misfortune for these few days, having to rest by his bedside.
First, it was the immortal ganoderma that only grew one stalk every ten years, and now it was the thousand-year snow lotus. This brat was truly lucky.
However, if Ling Xi hadn't blocked a blow for her, she would likely be the one lying there now. It was only natural for her to give him the Thousand Mountain Snow Lotus.
Seeing Ling Xi's complexion gradually recover, Ye Ziling, exhausted, rested her head on her arm and dozed off for a while. Just as she closed her eyes, a commotion erupted outside the door. She frowned, listening to Shen Yueru's loud shouts, and felt a wave of annoyance.
Truly a persistent nuisance.
Several Shaolin disciples blocked the door, trying to persuade her with earnest words but failing. They could only say politely, "Junior Sister, you cannot go in..."
Second Senior Brother Ling and Junior Sister had grown up together since childhood. Everyone in Shaolin Sect knew the relationship between the two!
Now that there was another woman in the room, given Junior Sister's personality, she would likely teach the newcomer a lesson and turn the place upside down.
Shen Yueru couldn't be bothered with such considerations. She forcefully pushed aside the two blocking the door, put her hands on her hips, and rushed into the room in a fury.
She had heard that Senior Brother Ling was seriously injured. She didn't care about propriety. Besides, if her Senior Brother was injured, why couldn't she come to visit? There must be something unspeakable being hidden from her!
Ye Ziling pressed her temples, picked up her face helplessly, and watched as the young girl's worried little face instantly turned into anger. She glared and pointed at her, "You actually..." The girl raised her eyebrows, swallowed, and her expression was far from friendly, "Miss Ye, isn't it inappropriate for you to be here? Don't you know that men and women should not touch each other?"
Ye Ziling cupped her forehead, took a sip of tea to moisten her throat, and smiled calmly at her flushed, angry face, "What if I know? What if I don't?"
Her gaze was distant, her expression always placid, lacking even the most basic human reactions, making her unfathomable.
Ye Ziling continued to sit by the bedside drinking tea, unannoyed. Such a tantrum indicated that the pills she had given her last time were effective.
Shen Yueru's face darkened, her little face turning red with anger, clutching the rope whip in her hand.
Who had dared to treat her so rudely since childhood? Jiuling Palace was Jiuling Palace, what was so great about it!
Ye Ziling flickered her figure, firmly grabbing the whip flying towards her with one hand. "Miss Shen, instead of caring about your Senior Brother, you're lecturing me first?" 138 Reading Network
Shen Yueru had no time for her nonsense. She yanked the whip back, intending to whip her again, but the whip wouldn't budge no matter how hard she pulled, as Ye Ziling held it tightly.
Seeing that she had no intention of stopping, Ye Ziling's gaze turned cold. She clenched her palm, and the girl, staggering a few steps with the rope whip, lost her grip. The entire whip was suddenly snatched by Ye Ziling and thrown to the ground.
Her palm felt a burning pain. She lowered her head and looked at her palm overflowing with blood. The girl's little face instantly turned ashen. "You... you just wait!"
The girl flung up her sleeve and had taken two steps when she saw several senior brothers standing there in a daze watching her. She shoved their shoulders and ran off to report without looking back.
"Watch where you're going, almost ran into someone, you know?" Mu Heng brushed the dust off his shoulder and cursed in disgust.
Damn it, to run into this clueless idiot, what bad luck.
Hearing Mu Heng's voice, Ye Ziling slightly raised her head.
Seeing Ling Xi sleeping beside her, Mu Heng breathed a sigh of relief, his vigilant gaze softening. He handed her a bag and whispered, "The shattered glaze has been crafted. Take a look, how well did they imitate it?"
Ye Ziling took the bag, peeked inside, and smiled in satisfaction, "It's very good."
The night breeze blew, tree shadows swayed, and occasional bird chirps made the scene even more desolate.
Outside, crows flew across branches, cawing a few times, then hopping onto treetops, waiting for their next prey.
At the martial arts examination grounds, out of the original thousands of immortal examinees, less than five hundred remained.
Demonic beasts roamed freely, devouring the corpses of disciples in the wilderness, leaving behind only tattered clothes and weapons.
Every alleyway passed revealed bodies lying in pools of blood, some already rotten, others not fully consumed.
"I'll trade you demon cores for it. Give me the Sun-Moon Divine Lamp, or don't blame me for being impolite!" Lu Yi held a saber in one hand and a shriveled corpse in the other, his face contorted with ferocity. "I'll say it again, don't force me to act!"
"Demon cores?! Look around, who cares about demon cores now? If I have this Heaven-Suppressing artifact, do I need these demon cores?" the eldest disciple of the Seven Immortal Pavilion said with disdain and contempt. "If you have the ability, come and get it. If not, stop blabbering. I want to see how capable your Cuiling Pavilion is!"
The Sun-Moon Divine Lamp could destroy the heavens above and the earth below. If one could gather all four pieces, forget the mortal realm; the entire Heavenly Realm would belong to the Seven Immortal Pavilion. Why bother participating in the immortal examination!
...
Listening to the sounds outside the window, Ye Ziling felt a surge of pleasure. She enjoyed watching such chaos. Perhaps these sects would slaughter each other over the Heaven-Suppressing artifact before she even made a move, which would be even more exciting.
Like a sudden spring breeze, the ground was covered with Sun-Moon Divine Lamps!
She held her teacup, slowly sipping her tea, her lips stained with a hint of tea fragrance, her eyes fixed on the outside.
Alas, she couldn't take a single step away from the bedside now. It was a pity she couldn't witness this dog-eat-dog spectacle.
Mu Heng flew in through the window and leaned against it, his gaze dark as he looked at the figure leisurely sitting by the bedside in the room. He smiled, "These gentlemen are just as you said, not very capable but quite ambitious."
After he spread the Sun-Moon Divine Lamps, the entire martial arts examination grounds had descended into chaos. Disciples were desperately fighting for immortality. The once united three other sects were now killing each other over a few broken pieces of glaze. The number of immortal examinees had dwindled to very few.
"Gentlemen?" Ye Ziling chuckled. These people had no regard for the common people; they were all lustful beasts with absurd ambitions. How could such people become immortals?
There was probably nothing funnier in the world.
Although she wasn't a good person either, a life for a life, a debt for a debt, it was only natural.
Mu Heng strode towards her, tossed a large bag of demon cores, and said cheerfully, "I traded a few pieces of broken glaze for these."
Ye Ziling took the bag, weighed it, and smiled in satisfaction, looking up, "You're quite generous."
"When have I ever been so stingy? Besides, these demon cores are useless to me." Mu Heng knew that even if he obtained the demon cores, he wouldn't pass the written exam. Moreover, he had no interest in the immortal examination now; being admired in Jiuling Palace was more appealing.
After a few casual remarks, a knock came from the door. Shen Qingfeng, leading a few disciples, rushed in. Seeing Mu Heng there, he immediately relaxed, "Commander Mu, I've been looking for you."