"Damn it! Who is it?!" Wang Hao was both shocked and furious in his heart, quickly summoning his flying sword, and cautiously looking around.
However, no matter how his flying sword slashed, the thick mist remained undisturbed.
Not only that, but as time went on, the mist actually grew denser!
Wang Hao gradually felt a little dizzy, even the hand holding the flying sword started to tremble slightly.
Just as he was about to be driven mad by this endless thick fog.
"Crack—"
An extremely tiny cracking sound suddenly came from in front of him.
Then, the originally impregnable thick fog parted to the sides, revealing a gap just large enough for one person to pass through!
"Heaven helps me too!"
Seeing this, Wang Hao was overjoyed!
He thought it was his random attack that coincidentally destroyed the eye of this illusion array.
Without time to think, he quickly put away his flying sword and dashed out through that gap, rolling and crawling!
However, when he burst out of the fog and saw the scene before him, he couldn’t help but gasp.
The herb fields that were supposed to be full of vitality were now even more desolate than when they had left!
A large number of spirit plants had completely withered, turning into yellowed, decayed wood.
The soil was dry and compacted, even tinged with a layer of deathly gray-white.
"This... this..."
Looking at the devastated scene before him, the fear Wang Hao felt from being trapped was instantly replaced by immense joy!
He did it!
He had bet right!
This Chen fellow was indeed an incompetent fool!
Without them, this Lisong Valley would really be destroyed in his hands!
Suppressing his excitement, he carefully scouted the valley to ensure there were no other ambushes, then left quietly with great excitement through the gap he assumed was a "flaw."
On a mountain peak within the inner valley.
Chen Ye sat cross-legged, the green jade token in his hand emitting a soft glow.
He watched the distant silhouette of Wang Hao disappearing into the night, deep in thought:
"I wonder... if I have successfully deceived this Wang Hao."
What Wang Hao saw earlier was a mirage Chen Ye prepared on a whim for him.
Rather than killing Wang Hao here directly,
it was better to let Wang Hao misunderstand the state of Lisong Valley to prevent Wei Cheng from making any further moves.
He stood up, walked to the edge of the mountain peak, and looked down at the entire Lisong Valley.
In the outer valley, the thirty or more households of newly arrived spirit plant cultivators had long extinguished their lights and fallen asleep.
Their residences were tidy and peaceful, adding a much-needed sense of life to the vast Lisong Valley.
And the vast herb field was being bathed in moonlight, radiating a thriving vitality.
"Not bad... It’s just that I’m afraid Wei Cheng will act desperately." Chen Ye nodded.
...
The next day, at dawn.
Chen Ye no longer concerned himself with the trivial matters of Lisong Valley, but quietly left the valley again, heading to Peach Mountain District.
These days, whenever he had time, he would come to inquire about the news of the Three Thousand Great Mountains.
Chen Ye had been somewhat secretly following Bai Susu.
After all, she had been supporting him, even giving him Qingzhi’s puppet core.
Chen Ye paid close attention to the proud golden-furred ball.
Unfortunately,
more than ten days had passed, and there was still no news of Bai Susu.
Within the Three Thousand Great Mountains, conflicts were intensifying.
According to rumors, the cultivators’ magical battle in the Three Thousand Great Mountains had even triggered a beast tide, awakening a Golden Core demon beast within, which slaughtered four or five Foundation Establishment cultivators!
Fortunately, the Refining God Sect had sequentially dispatched three Golden Core True Men, who worked together to slay the demon beast.
As for the demon cultivators of the Emotion Crossing Sect, they retreated to Qi Kingdom after the arrival of the Refining God Sect.
"I hope... everything is safe."
Chen Ye sighed lightly.
He did not intend to delve into the Three Thousand Great Mountains to search for Bai Susu.
It’s not that Chen Ye was ungrateful,
but Bai Susu’s status was distinguished, and Lingyin Sect had already sent many experts to rescue her.
As for himself?
He was just a small cultivator at the Qi cultivation stage, going there would be useless.
Moreover, he still had Wei Cheng watching him like a hawk, so Chen Ye had to prioritize ensuring his disciple’s safety.
After gathering the news,
Chen Ye wandered in the market, purchasing some auxiliary materials needed for alchemy and snacks favored by his two disciples.
"This is..."
Chen Ye’s gaze fixed on a small doll.
The doll was a long-eared rabbit, fluffy and quite adorable.
"Hmm, Lin Jin will probably like it... This child is always so lonely."
These days, Chen Ye hadn’t deliberately tried to approach Lin Jin.
The reason being,
in their past interactions, he had noticed that this girl had a strong sense of vigilance towards him.
If he acted too eager and rushed things, it would likely trigger Lin Jin’s alertness instead.
Therefore, he kept his guidance with Lin Jin simple, letting her adapt to his presence.
Now, however, it seemed appropriate to deepen their relationship a bit.
With the items bought, Chen Ye turned and returned to Lisong Valley.
Before he had even arrived, he heard a series of suppressed coughing from inside the house.
Chen Ye’s brow furrowed slightly.
He pushed the door open, seeing Lin Qiongyu gently patting her younger sister on the back, with a heartbroken look on her face.
The girl’s pale, sickly cheeks were devoid of any trace of blood.
Her frail body was trembling uncontrollably from the violent coughing, as if she might wither away at any moment.
"Master!"
Lin Qiongyu quickly rose and greeted Chen Ye when she saw him.
Chen Ye nodded. He walked over to the wheelchair, placing the fluffy long-eared rabbit doll into the girl’s arms.
"It’s for you," he said softly.
The girl remained expressionless, continuing to cough on her own.
Chen Ye was already used to Lin Jin’s attitude, and gently asked:
"Has the cough been frequent these days?"
"Yes... yes, and, Jin’er’s legs, seem... seem to be immobile again."
Saying this, Lin Qiongyu knelt down and began to untie her younger sister’s skirt with both hands.
"..."
The girl’s eyelashes trembled slightly, but she could only let her sister remove her skirt.
Contrary to his usual manner, Chen Ye turned his body and avoided looking at the girl’s white legs, his gaze focused on the distance:
"This moment is different from that moment... Lin Jin is, after all, a girl."
"But..." Lin Qiongyu was suddenly flustered.
Although she was a girl, curing her legs was more urgent!
This was not the time to worry about propriety!
Chen Ye shook his head: "At that time, it was unavoidable to take off Lin Jin’s skirt, but now, the situation is different."
Lin Qiongyu’s eyes glimmered: "Master means?"
"Your sister’s cold ailment has worsened because she has already reached the first layer of Qi cultivation!"