"No, no, don't agree to him! Please, I beg you, don't agree to him."
Xue Chenjing stared at the oath stone, but no matter how he struggled or pleaded, those outside could no longer hear his voice. His situation with Xue Mingyuan had completely reversed - Yu Yi could now only see and hear Xue Mingyuan.
She would be bewitched by Xue Mingyuan.
The Unmasked Tower had temporarily closed for business. The ordinary merchants outside didn't have the means to make shaved ice treats, unless one went to a prosperous big city. At any rate, there was no place selling ice cream in Fengsheng County.
Yu Yi possessed both thunder and fire spiritual roots, but had no aptitude for ice-based spells and couldn't replicate it, so Xue Mingyuan wouldn't be able to have any for now.
"What a pity. If you had mentioned it earlier, I could have collected all the ice crystals that fell from your body and crushed them to make you a portion," Yu Yi said.
Xue Mingyuan looked down at himself. As the cold qi was forced out of his body and warmth returned, the frost that had formed on his clothes melted away completely. He touched his sleeve hem and said with regret, "It really is a shame. There's truly nothing left."
Yu Yi was surprised that he had taken her seriously, giving him a puzzled glance. "I was just joking."
Xue Mingyuan blinked, but the expectation in his expression only grew stronger. Though his eyes were bloodshot and filled with wounds, somehow his gaze still gave off a clear, lake-water transparency. His pupils reflected her image as he asked, "But if you had some, you would give it to me, right?"
He spoke of such a trivial matter with such seriousness and devotion that Yu Yi also set aside her casual attitude and became solemn. She inexplicably felt that if she agreed, she wouldn't just be agreeing to a bowl of ice cream, but making a promise that required careful consideration.
Yu Yi didn't like making promises to others - it made her feel shackled.
But they were merely talking about a bowl of ice cream.
Yu Yi hesitated before saying, "They should sell it in Liangzhou Prefecture City. I'll take you there to buy some."
Xue Mingyuan lowered his eyes, concealing the fleeting disappointment in them, and replied docilely, "Alright, thank you for your trouble, Yi Yi."
After Yu Yi had completely expelled the cold qi from his body, she took out a handkerchief from her storage pouch, applied some anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving ointment to his eyes, wrapped them with the handkerchief, and told him to rest his eyes for a while.
She then immediately stood up and whistled upward, calling down Crane Senior Brother who had been circling above the forest keeping watch.
Yu Yi still had many questions that needed answers, but it wasn't appropriate to stay here any longer.
Not to mention the illusion formation that had been laid in the forest earlier - that formation had altered the surrounding mountain terrain and its power had reached the Yuan Ying stage. If Yu Yi hadn't possessed her heart sword, with sword intent already surpassing her own cultivation level, it would have been more than enough to stop her at the Golden Core stage.
This indicated that there must have been a cultivator of at least Yuan Ying level present in the forest earlier. Moreover, the two cultivators who had intercepted her outside the Du Family were still lurking nearby, making this place unsuitable for a prolonged stay.
Yu Yi helped Xue Mingyuan onto Crane Senior Brother's back, then mounted behind him. The crane bent its long legs slightly, sprung onto the treetops, and used them as a launching point to soar into the sky.
Moments later, the space by the pond rippled, and two figures reappeared there.
Yi Heng circled the spot where Xue Mingyuan and Yu Yi had been sitting, stroking his chin as he said, "Mother, it seems Little Uncle has found someone he likes, though... why do I feel that girl cares more about the little demon?"
Lady Lotus maintained a cold expression, glaring at him in displeasure as she commanded, "Follow them and keep watch. See what Mingyuan is planning."
Yi Heng nodded in agreement and was about to leave when Lady Lotus called him back, "Be wary of those three families' people. Don't let him get captured again. Although those three families aren't what they used to be, it would still be troublesome to confront them directly."
"I understand, Mother." Yi Heng cupped his hands in respect. After seeing his mother off, he thought for a moment, then pulled out a paper figure from his sleeve, dripped blood onto it, and drew a talisman.
The paper figure floated down from his fingertips, landing and transforming into an exact copy of himself. The duplicate emerged from the forest to catch He Yungeng and Wen Li, leading them back to the Suspended Moon Tower.
As an elder of the Carefree Sect, he needed to be present to supervise the four sects' autumn examination, and couldn't leave his post. However, such matters could be handled by his duplicate - his mother's instructions were more important and required his personal attention.
After the Yi Family suffered great misfortune, their numbers dwindled until only Lady Lotus remained. To continue the Yi Family bloodline, she gave birth to Yi Heng.
To this day, Yi Heng didn't know who his father was. He suspected his mother might have disposed of his father after conception. As the sole surviving descendant of the Yi Family, one can imagine the pressure he was under.
Now that they had finally found this reincarnated little uncle, resolving his mother's long-standing regret required the utmost caution - they absolutely couldn't let him disappear again.
It was nearly nightfall when Yu Yi and Xue Mingyuan reached the borders of Liangzhou Prefecture. The weather around Liangzhou Prefecture City wasn't good, with vast stretches of thunder clouds spanning the sky.
Snake-like pillars of light occasionally wandered through the thick clouds, and the air was filled with free-floating electricity. Even before they fully approached the area covered by thunder clouds, they could feel invisible currents on their bodies.
Yu Yi's hair that cascaded over her shoulders stood up like a hedgehog's spines. She looked back at Xue Mingyuan, who also sported hedgehog-like hair.
Though his eyes were covered with cloth, he could still sense the strange atmosphere. He lifted the handkerchief from his eyes to look. After the prolonged application of the spiritual medicine, the swelling around his eyes had subsided, leaving only some bloodshot traces within.
Seeing her raised hair, Xue Mingyuan reached out to smooth down the hair at her shoulder, but before his fingers could make contact, he was zapped back with a "pop."
Yu Yi told him to hold on tight, then reached back to pat Crane Senior Brother, shouting, "Senior Brother Crane, quick, descend!"
The crane folded its wings and dove downward, but the electricity accumulated in the clouds had already taken form. Dazzling golden light tore through the thick clouds, and a terrifying snake-like pillar of light struck down. The electrical light branching from the pillar spread out like tree branches, with the tips seeming to grow eyes as they reached toward them.
In the blink of an eye, the lightning was upon them.
Yu Yi leaped from Crane Senior Brother's back, formed hand seals, and shot her Green Bamboo Sword from her hands. The lightning was drawn to the Green Bamboo Sword, and all the electrical branches in the sky suddenly changed direction, pouring into the sword.
The blinding lightning swallowed both the Green Bamboo Sword and Yu Yi's figure.
Moments later, as the lightning dispersed, Yu Yi fell from the sky. Crane Senior Brother flapped over to catch her, but was shocked by the residual electricity coursing through her body. His feathers all stood on end, and he cried out in pain, dropping several feet and throwing Yu Yi off.
Yu Yi recalled her Green Bamboo Sword, and seeing Xue Mingyuan reach out to pull her, quickly said, "Don't touch me, you'll get shocked!"
Xue Mingyuan ignored her warning and grabbed her wrist, forcefully pulling her back onto the crane's back. Visible electricity transferred from Yu Yi's body, leaving winding red marks on the back of his hand.
Crane Senior Brother, shocked by the current, squawked and stumbled into the forest with them, immediately throwing off his two passengers and hopping around flapping his wings. All his feathers had been shocked into standing up, making the entire crane appear unusually fluffy and round.
Xue Mingyuan anxiously examined Yu Yi up and down, asking, "Are you alright?"
Yu Yi ran her fingers through her wild hair, with crackling electrical sounds still audible from her movements. She shook her head and said, "I'm fine. I have both thunder and fire spiritual roots. This was just ordinary lightning - for me, it's like having a meal."
Though this meal had been a bit too filling - her spiritual roots couldn't fully absorb it, and her meridians were overflowing with lightning energy, giving her a sense of spiritual power excess. Her whole body was leaking electricity, with arcs of lightning flowing into the ground with each step she took.
Crane Senior Brother had been frightened by her electricity and hopped far away, not daring to come near her.
Yu Yi was also dizzy from the electricity flowing around her body, as if drunk - people and scenery appeared to sway before her eyes. Seeing her unusual state, Xue Mingyuan approached worriedly and asked, "Are you really alright?"
Yu Yi stared at him for a while, her gaze dropping to his waist, and burst out laughing, "Stop wiggling around like that."
That waist really could wiggle - even more than Crane Senior Brother's.
Xue Mingyuan stood perfectly straight, observing her strange expression, which confirmed his suspicion that something was definitely off about her.
By now, darkness had completely fallen, with only occasional flashes of lightning illuminating the earth. Fortunately, they had reached the outskirts of Liangzhou Prefecture City, and this area wasn't particularly remote. Dim lights could be seen flickering in the distance, suggesting inhabited dwellings.
"Yu Yi, the city gates are locked at this hour. Let's follow this path forward. There are houses ahead where we can seek lodging for the night, and we'll enter the city tomorrow."
Yu Yi nodded and started walking, but she began drifting toward the side of the road, completely unaware of her meandering. Seeing that she was about to collide with a tree, Xue Mingyuan quickened his pace and grabbed her arm, pulling her toward him.
Bright electrical arcs leaped from her body, striking his hand with a stinging, burning sensation.
Yu Yi immediately exclaimed, "Oh no, let go of me! My body is coursing with electricity right now."
"It's fine, doesn't hurt," Xue Mingyuan obediently released her arm but held his hand open in front of her. Looking up at the sky, he said, "Let me hold your hand as we walk. It'll be faster this way, or we'll get caught in the thunderstorm."
Just as he finished speaking, another flash of lightning illuminated the earth, striking some tree with a tremendous boom.
Rolling thunder immediately followed overhead. Standing outside in this weather was extremely dangerous, especially surrounded by trees, with electricity still leaking from her body.
If she attracted another lightning bolt, her thunder spirit root wouldn't be able to handle it.
Yu Yi shook her head and reluctantly placed her hand in his palm.
The moment their fingers touched, small electrical arcs crackled between them. Before she could speak, Xue Mingyuan smiled and said, "It doesn't hurt, just feels a bit tingly. Actually quite pleasant."
Yu Yi understood completely, as she too felt her limbs growing numb from the wayward electrical currents, making her steps feel like she was walking on cotton.
The two hurried along the mountain path toward the lights, with Crane Senior Brother hopping along behind them. Whenever lightning flashed overhead, the two humans and the crane would tense up, afraid that a bolt might blindly strike them.
Xue Mingyuan felt the tingling sensation in his fingertips while his heartbeat was masked by the rolling thunder.
His heart was racing, all because of the hand he held in his.
He and Xue Chenjing shared the same body and the same heart, and every touch with Yu Yi made this body rejoice with excitement, thirsting for more contact with her. He hadn't felt this way the last time he had emerged.
Xue Mingyuan closed his eyes briefly, hearing angry screams from deep within his heart's ocean.
Xue Chenjing was cursing him, pleading with him.
His younger brother, it seemed, truly loved her deeply.
