Her fiery red attire, identical to Bai Shengyi's, was complemented by thin lips pressed tightly together and narrow, phoenix-like eyes as sharp as ice and snow. Her face, sculpted with handsome features, was etched with an aura of thunderous rage. Yet, this fury did not detract from her grace; instead, it amplified her extraordinary presence and exuded an air of steadfast reliability.
For a fleeting moment, Rong Xuelan found herself mesmerized. However, the intensity in her eyes swiftly returned, accompanied by a sharp, searing pain. Her vision blurred, and she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, her face contorting in agony. She hastily popped two healing spiritual pills into her mouth, but they were utterly useless. Her eyes continued to burn with an agonizing sting.
She felt as though her eyes were bleeding and cried out uncontrollably, "What did you do to me?"
Qin Si withdrew the ice crystal from his hand, offering no reply. His indifferent gaze swept past her, landing on the woman in red not far away. Warmth instantly bloomed in his phoenix eyes.
"Ayi!"
Seeing Bai Shengyi's injured shoulder, Qin Si's gaze grew colder. He gently drew her into his embrace, his wandering heart finally finding solace. Who knew how much torment he had endured during this period!
Three years within the Sanghai Secret Realm, and three months in the Divine Revelation World – for ordinary cultivators, these were but fleeting moments. Yet, for him, every second had been an agonizing ordeal. He had repeatedly wished he hadn't agreed to let Ayi venture into the Sanghai Secret Realm, or that he wasn't the Dean of the Divine Revelation Academy.
But they were no longer children. Despite the emotional torment he had endured, Qin Si rationally understood that Bai Shengyi would not wish for him to abandon everything in pursuit of her. Both he and Bai Shengyi had their own responsibilities to bear.
"Qin Si, are you crying?" Bai Shengyi noticed the redness around Qin Si's eyes, which seemed to glisten. Her hand paused as she gently wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm fine, don't worry."
She had already learned from Auntie Mo that Qin Si had spent three years searching for her in the Sanghai Secret Realm. She also knew that, given Qin Si's personality, he would likely attribute a portion of her disappearance to himself.
Qin Si remained silent, channeling spiritual energy to mend Bai Shengyi's injuries.
Seeing his silence, Bai Shengyi asked, "Do you want me to comfort you?"
"I don't..."
A kiss, light as a falling feather, landed on his lips and touched the very core of his heart.
"Qin Si, A'si, darling~ Aren't you happy to see me?" Bai Shengyi beamed, her words flowing like a gifted pen, showering him with affectionate phrases. "I'm overjoyed, my heart aches with missing you..."
"Ugh..." The Samsara Brush couldn't take it. "Ah, ah, ah, where did she learn these corny phrases? Don't contaminate this pure brush!"
Within the sea of consciousness, a myriad of flowers bloomed, a gentle breeze blew, and pink bubbles seemed to emanate from everywhere. The Samsara Brush could no longer endure it. With a "whoosh," it escaped the sea of consciousness and, in a somewhat disheveled state, burrowed into Bai Shengyi's dantian.
"How wonderful. Master has finally reunited with little Si."
As soon as it entered the dantian, the Samsara Brush heard the suggestive voice of the Qingteng Vine, causing it to erupt once more. "Cunning vine! It's always you who cares about Master, isn't it?"
Bai Shengyi found the Samsara Brush too boisterous, so she shielded its sounds, focusing instead on comforting Qin Si. She smiled, her eyes crinkling, as she observed Qin Si's increasingly deep and contemplative gaze.
"Let's go. There are too many people here. We should leave first." She wasn't accustomed to displaying affection publicly, and even the affection she had shown moments ago was only because she was too worried about Qin Si's emotions. However, Bai Shengyi was genuinely happy.
Seeing her evident joy, Qin Si's emotions gradually stabilized. He tightly clasped Bai Shengyi's wrist with one hand and tore open space with the other.
"Stop! You injured me and Uncle Yu, and you think you can just leave?"
Uncle Yu, having recovered from the icy sword light, managed to gasp for breath. He saw his young lady screaming in pain, clutching her eye, and rushed forward to assist. Rong Xuelan had consumed two eighth-grade Revival Pills and one ninth-grade Life-Returning Pill to regain her sight. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw the very culprits of her miserable state preparing to depart! That male cultivator was dotingly protecting the female cultivator, completely ignoring her, and even attacking her. The young lady of the Xile Sect, accustomed to being pampered, had never experienced such neglect and differential treatment.
If Rong Xuelan had initially been driven by greed for the spiritual artifact and anger at being slighted, she was now consumed by resentment, jealousy, and fury.
"I am the daughter of the Xile Sect's Sect Master. I advise you two to be sensible. Kneel and apologize, and cripple your right arm as compensation, or this matter is not over!" Rong Xuelan glared venomously at the couple. She detested women who were prettier than herself and couldn't stand to see other women drawing more male attention than her. Since they were so affectionate, let them become a pair of doomed lovers in hell!
"Xile Sect?" Qin Si raised his eyes coldly. If Rong Xuelan hadn't spoken, he would have forgotten about these two.
"Yes! My father is Rong Bugui, just one step away from Mahayana. You..." Rong Xuelan exclaimed, but before she could finish, she was sent flying backward by a blow!
"Uncle Yu, save me!" Uncle Yu, who had been frantically concealing his aura nearby, hadn't expected his young lady to suddenly provoke the opponents. He hesitated, not daring to intervene immediately. However, even if he didn't act, Qin Si showed him no mercy.
"You were the one trying to kill Ayi just now, weren't you?" His gaze instantly turned chilling and ferocious, and before his words fell, his swordplay revealed deadly intent.
"Bang!" Qin Si's sword met Uncle Yu's, shattering his sword in two and completely overpowering him.
Rong Xuelan, helped up by her guards, saw that even the formidable Uncle Yu was no match for the couple. A flicker of retreat ignited within her.
"Let's leave first. Once we reach the Divine Revelation Grand Gathering and find my father, we'll have him deal with them," Rong Xuelan instructed her guards.
"But Lord Yu is still..."
"Uncle Yu will cover our retreat!" Rong Xuelan interrupted coldly. The guard swallowed his unsaid words, feeling a pang of sadness. Lord Yu was someone the young lady had specifically invited for help, and she was just abandoning him like this?
Rong Xuelan and her entourage fled the area rapidly. Bai Shengyi noticed and hooked her finger; a vine suddenly grew out, tripping Rong Xuelan severely.
"Damn it!" Rong Xuelan's face grew even uglier as she cursed incessantly, her pace quickening. As for Uncle Yu, whom she had abandoned, he was already being beaten half to death by Qin Si.
The man was utterly terrified and begged for his life with all his might, "My lords, I was blind and offended you and the immortal. This is my offering, please spare my life!"
"You are quite adaptable," Qin Si snorted coldly, not even glancing at the mid-grade Heaven-tier spiritual artifact Uncle Yu produced. With a swing of his sword, Uncle Yu fell straight to the ground. His Nascent Soul flew out of his body, attempting to escape, but the moment it appeared, it was ensnared by a giant net.
Qin Si tore through space and tossed the Nascent Soul into the spatial turbulence. In the cultivation world, mercy was unnecessary. This man had harbored murderous intent towards Ayi, and if he were not eliminated, he might return later.
"All right, now no one is disturbing us." Bai Shengyi clapped her hands, summoning the Lingxian Boat. As she reached for Qin Si's hand to board, a voice called out.
"Young friends, please wait a moment."