"Shouyi, all feasts must come to an end. People only grow by constantly gaining and losing."
Master Guanyun didn't cite Buddhist teachings, but offered a simple, comforting statement.
However, Yan Shouyi did not respond, his brow furrowed.
Master Guanyun mistook Yan Shouyi's silence for being consumed by grief and exclaimed, "Shouyi, snap out of it!"
One's state of mind is extremely important for cultivators, as their bodies wield extraordinary power. If their state of mind falters, they can easily lose control, a condition known as qi deviation.
Master Guanyun was anxious, fearing Yan Shouyi might not accept reality and fall into qi deviation.
Yan Shouyi came back to his senses and quickly explained, "I'm fine. I was just thinking about something."
"What is it?" Master Guanyun was puzzled. With your grandmother in this state, what else could you be thinking about?
"Perhaps the Glacial Lotus Seed can resolve the cold poison in grandmother's soul?" Yan Shouyi proposed his idea.
Master Guanyun was taken aback, then fell silent, seemingly contemplating the feasibility of this method.
Wen Yuxian also began to ponder.
After deliberation, all three felt that the Glacial Lotus Seed had a high probability of being effective!
Wen Yuxian declared boldly, "Since I'm already like this, and the Emei Lotus Array's destruction is far off, why not try this last resort? It might just work!"
If she didn't try, she would soon be utterly destroyed. It was better to take a gamble.
Yan Shouyi had already witnessed the potency of the Glacial Lotus Seed. If it proved effective, it would not only resolve Wen Yuxian's cold poison but also bring her other benefits.
Yan Shouyi took out the Glacial Lotus Seed from his satchel. This small seed contained a profound power.
Wen Yuxian took the seed and held it in her hand. Master Guanyun, to her surprise, noticed that the marks left by the cold poison on Wen Yuxian's arm were rapidly fading!
This meant the Glacial Lotus Seed was indeed effective!
"If I had known the Glacial Lotus Seed was effective, I wouldn't have suffered these past few days!" Wen Yuxian joked self-deprecatingly, seeing a glimmer of hope.
Yet, Yan Shouyi and Master Guanyun were not entirely at ease. At this critical juncture, it was they who hesitated.
...
While Wen Yuxian was undergoing detoxification, the others were searching for the lotus array's eye within Mount Emei.
Yan Nanfei and Ling Xiaoxiao were paired together, Long Feicheng and Ye Tianyuan were a pair, and Zhuge Ji was with Tian Jueer.
Over the past few days of interaction, Long Feicheng had noticed Zhuge Ji's affection for Tian Jueer. However, the simple-minded Tian Jueer, only concerned with food, hadn't perceived Zhuge Ji's special feelings for her.
To play matchmaker, Long Feicheng arranged for them to team up and search for the lotus array's eye, thus creating an opportunity for them to spend time alone together.
In this desolate wilderness, a man and a woman, with Zhuge Ji taking the initiative for a heartfelt confession, the success rate would be no less than 90%!
When Long Feicheng shared his idea with Zhuge Ji, Zhuge Ji panicked.
A 90% chance of success was no different from failure in his eyes!
To ease the awkwardness, Zhuge Ji brought along Lele, the bald brown-furred monkey.
A man, a woman, and a bald brown-furred monkey set off towards the back of Mount Emei in search.
Walking on the mountain path, the socially anxious Zhuge Ji felt uneasy. He didn't know what topic to bring up with Tian Jueer. Seeing that Tian Jueer's snacks were finished, he quickly handed her a new bag.
Tian Jueer was "touched" by Zhuge Ji's care and couldn't help but say, "Zhuge Ji, you're so kind!"
"I'm kind?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Ji felt as if an electric current coursed through him, sending a jolt of numbness.
Was this what love felt like?!
Unexpectedly, Tian Jueer continued, "You always give me the best food to eat. Before, Wu Tianfeng often made me eat glass shards and plates."
Zhuge Ji was stunned. "Glass shards? Plates? Can you eat that?"
"It doesn't taste good," Tian Jueer replied simply.
But Zhuge Ji fell silent. He could imagine how much suffering Tian Jueer had endured at Wu Tianfeng's hands.
Damn Wu Tianfeng!
Oh, Wu Tianfeng was already dead.
But Zhuge Ji became even angrier. The scumbag was dead, leaving him no chance for revenge.
The tongue-tied Zhuge Ji meekly swore:
"From now on, as long as I'm here, I will never let anyone… hurt you!"
As soon as he uttered the words, Zhuge Ji's face turned crimson, and he felt as if smoke was rising from his head.
Tian Jueer stopped and looked at Zhuge Ji with concern. "Are you sick? Why is your face so red?"
"I-I'm fine!" Zhuge Ji quickly waved his hands to explain.
Just then, Lele suddenly threw a wild fruit from a tree, hitting Tian Jueer squarely on the back of the head.
Tian Jueer cried out "Ouch!" and fell straight to the ground.
Zhuge Ji was shocked and quickly helped Tian Jueer up. A few minutes later, Tian Jueer woke up, and Zhuge Ji breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought you were dead!"
Tian Jueer said slowly, "I think I was smashed to death once, but the Origin Gu saved me again."
Zhuge Ji: "..."
Protected by the Origin Gu, although her fate after intimacy was dire, as long as she maintained her virginity, Tian Jueer was virtually immortal.
However, this girl seemed to have bad luck, frequently "dying" from various accidents, only to be revived by the Origin Gu.
How pathetic...
Zhuge Ji felt genuine pity for this unlucky girl from the bottom of his heart.
Moreover, he had just sworn that he would never let Tian Jueer be harmed in any way.
So, Zhuge Ji glared angrily at Lele in the tree and earnestly lectured, "Lele, who told you to throw wild fruit at someone's head? Come down here, I'm going to teach you a lesson!"
Lele cackled on the tree, seemingly unfazed by Zhuge Ji.
This monkey had a pure soul but was also somewhat carefree. It didn't seem to care at all that Qi Dongqiang and its brother Huanhuan had been missing for so many days.
Being looked down upon by Lele, Zhuge Ji not only felt his masculinity challenged but even his human dignity was at stake.
To avoid losing face, Zhuge Ji picked up a wild fruit from the ground and hurled it forcefully at Lele.
Lele was still mocking Zhuge Ji and didn't notice the incoming fruit. This direct hit knocked Lele down from the tree, sending it tumbling head over heels.
Lele, waking up from the pain, pulled its face out of the mud, baring its teeth at Zhuge Ji, as if accusing him of unfair play, while it attributed its defeat to carelessness and lack of precaution against Zhuge Ji's sneak attack.
Enraged, Lele lunged at Zhuge Ji. Zhuge Ji, also unsteady, rolled down the mountain path with the monkey!
Tian Jueer immediately grew anxious: It's fine if you two leave, but leave my snacks behind!
"Zhuge Ji! Zhuge Ji!" Tian Jueer anxiously called out Zhuge Ji's name.
A moment later, Zhuge Ji's moved voice echoed from the foot of the mountain: "Jueer! I'm okay! I'm still alive!"
"Boo hoo hoo," it felt so good to be cared about by a girl!
Zhuge Ji thought to himself, struggling to get up from the foot of the mountain, and as he was about to report his safety to Tian Jueer, he suddenly noticed several stark white bones laid out in the grass beside him!