The next morning, Ye Tiancheng was released and picked up by Lin Xue.
She had been eagerly awaiting his arrival, and the moment she saw him, tears of joy streamed down her face.
"That's great, Brother Ye. I thought all my efforts would be in vain. I finally succeeded, though it took so much time. You must have suffered a lot during this process."
"I was fine, someone helped me manage things. But since it didn't work out, I know it must have been incredibly difficult. You must have spent a lot of time helping me with arrangements. Lin Xue, I apologize for everything I did to you before. I shouldn't have been so short-sighted."
To think that the person who extended a hand during his most difficult time was Lin Xue. Since he had accepted her help, Ye Tiancheng couldn't continue to hold onto their past betrayal.
Since it was in the past, there was no need to bring it up again. Lin Xue had done so much, it was as if she was atoning for his betrayal. The debt of gratitude had long been repaid, and there was no need to dwell on it.
"Brother Ye, I'm so glad you can forgive me. Then, taking advantage of this opportunity, I have another request. I know you might get angry when I say it, but if you don't agree, it's fine."
"Just tell me whatever you want."
"I still want to be your disciple, Brother Ye. Can I call you Master?"
Lin Xue must have endured considerable hardship for her own matters this time. Ye Tiancheng could visibly see that Lin Xue had lost a lot of weight. Given the circumstances, Ye Tiancheng found it difficult to refuse her again.
However, before agreeing, Ye Tiancheng had a condition.
"By the way, I need to make one thing clear. From now on, you are not allowed to meddle in my affairs without permission. If you hadn't told Su Muxian about my curse, the car accident wouldn't have happened, and I wouldn't have been locked up."
Ye Tiancheng had resented Lin Xue for this matter, but with her rescue this time, she had solved his urgent problem when he was in the greatest difficulty.
"I'm sorry. I didn't expect it to turn out this way, and I truly regret it. I won't do anything so impulsive again. At the time, I was solely focused on doing what I thought was best for you, but now it seems I've caused you a lot of trouble. That's why I'm trying to make amends. I won't be so presumptuous in the future."
Lin Xue's attitude in admitting her mistakes was very sincere. It was evident that she was truly remorseful, and her actions showed significant change.
Ye Tiancheng also believed that he shouldn't condemn her outright and should give her a chance to reform, especially since he himself had made many mistakes.
"Alright, as long as you promise, you don't need to say anything else. I believe you are intelligent and understand what I mean. You won't do anything that makes us both uncomfortable in the future."
The two had reached an understanding. Lin Xue drove Ye Tiancheng away from the detention center. On the way, Ye Tiancheng kept asking about Hou Mingzhu, and Lin Xue gave him a general account.
Hou Mingzhu was kidnapped early yesterday morning. It seemed she was on her way somewhere by car when she, along with the vehicle, was abducted.
The critical issue was that the surveillance cameras had not captured anything, and there were no eyewitnesses. Currently, the Hou family dared not report it to the police. Unfortunately, the kidnappers had released a message, and the police had become involved in the investigation of the kidnapping case, which is why it became widely known.
"It seems to be quite tricky."
Since there were no clues, Ye Tiancheng had to resort to using his divine artifact for finding people. However, using this artifact required true qi as a driving force. Ye Tiancheng's true qi had only recovered a little more than half, so it was likely insufficient.
"Lin Xue, you and I are both cultivators, and you've read many books about cultivation. Do you know how to rapidly increase a person's true qi in a short period? I need to use the finding artifact to search for Hou Mingzhu."
Lin Xue thought for a long time and then provided an answer, "I know. Where I cultivate, there is a fruit that can temporarily enhance a person's true qi. However, it is located on a very high cliff, and the fruit moves. When you try to pick it, it will run away, so it's still very difficult to obtain."
"Then let's go there immediately to get the fruit. I need to increase my true qi now to save Hou Mingzhu."
His mind, which had been a mess, now had a direction. Ye Tiancheng was very excited. No matter the cost, he had to obtain that fruit. Only by obtaining the fruit could he turn the current predicament around.
"Okay, Master. I will assist you. Let's work together to get that true qi-enhancing fruit."
Ye Tiancheng thought quite clearly. Having one more friend was better than having one more enemy. Now that Lin Xue had become his disciple again, she would likely help him a lot in the future.
Ye Tiancheng would also be a good master, cultivating his disciple to the best of his ability, not just to use her for help. That would be unfair.
Soon, the two drove to the roadside of a mountain path, beyond which they had to proceed on foot. Lin Xue led the way, guiding the direction, while Ye Tiancheng followed closely behind. They didn't speak, both in a state of extreme tension, wanting to obtain the true qi-enhancing fruit quickly.
"Master, be careful. There are many monsters in this mountain, and they are poisonous. If you're not careful, you could get poisoned. Even if you expel it with true qi, you'll be greatly weakened. Try to be cautious and avoid being injured by these terrifying monsters."
After Lin Xue's reminder, Ye Tiancheng became exceptionally cautious. He used the thin air to create a protective shield around himself and Lin Xue.
Even if venomous snakes or other creatures attacked them, Ye Tiancheng would have time to react. Those poisonous creatures would break through the true qi barrier first, giving Ye Tiancheng enough time to counterattack.
"Master, your foundation of true qi is too solid. Even after losing so much, you can still create a true qi barrier. Your disciple admires you."
Having a disciple by his side was good, especially one who admired him one hundred percent. This made Ye Tiancheng feel much more at ease.
"Alright, you have a sweet tongue. You don't need to flatter me specifically."
Fortunately, Lin Xue had reminded him. Using the true qi barrier, the two safely reached the bottom of the cliff.
Next, they had to climb the cliff to find the true qi-enhancing fruit. Just as they were contemplating how to climb the cliff, unusual sounds suddenly echoed from all directions.
Ye Tiancheng was experienced with such sounds. "Xiao Xue, be careful. This sound seems to indicate a group of something is approaching. My true qi barrier was just broken, and I'm afraid it won't hold for long. If we can run, let's run. Don't try to resist."
"I understand, Master."
As soon as Lin Xue finished speaking, a swarm of creatures, resembling cockroaches but far more terrifying, crawled back from all directions.
Their eyes seemed to be bulging out. Calling them cockroaches would be an insult to cockroaches; they were clearly monstrous hybrids.
Half a month ago, Lin Xue had successfully cultivated to the Golden Core stage and confirmed her magical artifact was an umbrella. Lin Xue gently opened the umbrella and tapped the handle with her fingertip. The umbrella's handle flew up, and countless hidden weapons shot out from the edge of the umbrella, instantly slitting the monsters.
This skill left Ye Tiancheng dumbfounded. It was not only beautiful but also highly lethal. It turned out that Lin Xue had developed her abilities without his knowledge. In Ye Tiancheng's memory, Lin Xue had always been diligent but unable to break through. It seemed that diligence truly compensated for lack of natural talent. Now that Lin Xue had become so powerful, it was truly remarkable.
"Xiao Xue, it seems you've progressed even faster than I imagined. I didn't realize you had such great potential."
"Last time, when I was helping Master search for the姻缘镜子 (Yīnyuán Jìngzi - Mirror of Marriage Destiny), I coincidentally improved my true qi, which led to a leapfrog breakthrough. Speaking of which, I should thank Master." Lin Xue grabbed Ye Tiancheng and leaped onto the cliff. "Master, hold your breath and protect yourself with true qi. We might be able to fly to the top of the cliff using stepping stones."
Even though he was the master, he was also a master in distress. To ensure everything went smoothly, Ye Tiancheng had no choice but to listen to his disciple.
Lin Xue's move proved to be effective. The two quickly reached the top of the cliff. Unlike the desolation at the bottom, the top was covered in lush green grass, appearing full of life.
"This is truly a new world."
"Master, this is my first time here too. I've only heard that the true qi-enhancing fruit is surrounded by numerous monsters. We must proceed with caution. If we get injured, even obtaining the fruit will be useless."
As soon as Lin Xue finished speaking, many monsters suddenly charged out, as if they wanted to tear them to shreds and make them their food.
The two fought back-to-back against these monsters. Although no monster could get close, they gradually began to run out of stamina. This situation was unsustainable.
"Let's actively attack the areas with more monsters. There must be a secret there. Those monsters will definitely try to protect the most important thing. The true qi-enhancing fruit must be in the center."
Ye Tiancheng's plan was quickly proven correct. They did the opposite, going to the most monster-infested areas to fight, and soon achieved a new breakthrough.
"Master, your idea is correct. Look at those glowing fruits. They are the fruits that can enhance true qi after consumption."
The two were already exhausted. If they didn't find them soon, they would likely collapse.
They quickly obtained the true qi-enhancing fruits and then fled, pursued by the strangely shaped monsters. The master and disciple were being chased to the point of spitting blood.
Finally, Lin Xue spotted a cave and quickly led Ye Tiancheng inside, then sealed the cave entrance with rocks. However, the monsters continued to ram the rocks, trying to get in.
The two could only use their true qi from within to hold back the rocks, preventing the monsters from entering.
"Master, quickly eat the fruit. After you eat it, you will enter a dormant state, and your true qi will greatly increase. Then you can eliminate all these monsters, and we won't have to keep fighting a protracted battle."
"Xiao Xue, if I go into dormancy, you probably won't be able to resist these monsters alone. It's difficult for both of us. For you alone, it's probably very difficult."
"Don't worry, Master. The rocks are holding them back for now, and those monsters can't break in easily. Hurry up and eat the fruit. This is our only way out. If we keep resisting like this, we'll get exhausted, and then those monsters will rush in and eat us like food."
Lin Xue's reasoning was sound. Ye Tiancheng wasted no more time and quickly ate the fruit. After consuming it, he felt a warm current in his dantian, and then he lay on the ground and fell unconscious. Only Lin Xue remained, holding back the rocks and resisting the monsters' attacks. Many times she felt like collapsing, but she kept telling herself to persevere; they just had to get through it.