"It's good that Ye Tiancheng didn't seem to mind my ruthlessness. Hou Mingzhu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, she would have felt that Ye Tiancheng's dislike was the most tragic thing in the world.
'As long as you don't think I'm too cruel.'
'Of course, one should be full of compassion for others, but Ouyang Xinuo is definitely not an ordinary person. He looks like a formidable character, and he has harmed many people. Even if he is dealt with, even if he loses his life, he deserves it. Such a person is not worthy of pity. I am not a saint who thinks of saving an evil person. My first thought is to eliminate him, to make sure he never appears in this world again, which is the most reassuring.'
Her words grew more indignant. Ye Tiancheng felt the same way. Ouyang Xinuo seemed poised to make a comeback, so he had to be dealt with as soon as possible, otherwise, he would be very troublesome.
'Alright, but he has special abilities. I almost caught Ouyang Xinuo before, but he escaped from under my many powerful bodyguards. This shows that he is difficult to deal with. It seems that only a cultivator can deal with him. When I discover Ouyang Xinuo's movements, I might need to inform you and ask for your help to catch him.'
Ye Tiancheng was willing to help with this. The thought of Ouyang Xinuo made him grind his teeth with hatred. 'No problem. Although my abilities are not as good as before, and I am still plagued by a curse, it doesn't matter. I will never retreat in the face of evil forces.'
'Alas, I only hope that Ouyang Xinuo doesn't harm you. I've been entangled with that person for a long time, and there's been no result. I feel like I'll never escape his clutches in this lifetime.'
When Hou Mingzhu mentioned Ouyang Xinuo, she felt particularly powerless, constantly shrouded in his shadow. She felt her life was incomplete. Only after eliminating this scoundrel could she live a few days of peace.
'You won't. I'm confident in dealing with him.'
The two walked, one step deep, one step shallow. The journey was very difficult. Finally, they arrived. This place was different from anywhere else. It was full of collapsed ruins. If they were not careful, they could easily cut their feet or bodies. So, they tried to slow down their pace as much as possible. Only by being very careful could they ensure they were not harmed.
The two finally reached the small wooden house, only to find that it had changed greatly. Everything that was once quiet and peaceful seemed to have been disturbed and disfigured. Everything from the past was gone. Ye Tiancheng wanted to take some supplies and leave, but found it impossible because no supplies could be found.
'It seems we have to leave this place. The things I stored were in a cellar, but the entrance to the cellar is now blocked. I had some in the kitchen before, but all the other vegetables were contaminated with soil and are inedible. It seems nothing can be done. The only thing we can do is to live well, without relying on any supplies from here, and live tenaciously.'
Leaving Black Wind Mountain and driving would take about 40 minutes to reach a populated area. They would probably need half a day to walk. They would have no food supply during this half day.
So, they had to hurry. This was simply a race against time. If they couldn't find people after this period, Hou Mingzhu might become so weak from hunger that she couldn't move at all. This was quite cruel.
'Let's hurry. There's no time to lose.'
Ye Tiancheng held Hou Mingzhu's hand and hurried away. For him, as long as he could live with Hou Mingzhu, everything else was fine. He didn't care much about revenge anymore. What he cared about most now was Hou Mingzhu.
At this moment, Hou Mingzhu was no longer just the unattainable eldest daughter of the Hou family, but a remarkable woman. Hou Mingzhu had taken on more responsibility and was no longer the same as before, muddled and only thinking about how to act out, unwilling to regulate her emotions at all.
'Okay, let's hurry.'
The two supported each other and walked forward, but after walking for a short while, it suddenly started to rain again. This rain was a bit strange. Ye Tiancheng probed it with his true energy and found that there was no dark energy mixed in the rain. However, even so, this rain was still unusual. It was thick with all sorts of terrifying auras that could make one suffocate.
'So disgusting. Did a septic tank explode somewhere? What a strange smell of feces. I've never smelled such strange feces. If you say it's smelly, it's not particularly smelly, but it's definitely an unpleasant smell.'
'Yes, I smell it too. Don't breathe too deeply, or you'll easily vomit. The smell is indeed unpleasant. Just bear with it.'
Ye Tiancheng could only pull Hou Mingzhu and speed up their pace. This was the only thing he could do.
The two were already walking very fast, but the unpleasant smell still lingered, making them want to die. They could vomit at any moment.
'I really wish I could damage my sense of smell. This is too unbearable, gag...'
Hou Mingzhu felt like she was about to vomit and started to retch. Fortunately, her stomach was empty. If there had been even a little something, she would have thrown it up directly.
'This is really strange. Why is this place so weird? It's getting more and more like death.'
Thinking about it made one's body tremble. The situation inside was becoming more and more terrifying, and even Ye Tiancheng couldn't resist it with his true energy. This was the most chilling thing.
Ye Tiancheng unleashed a wave of true energy, but instead of stopping the bad situation, it worsened. The strange smell became more pervasive. The true energy not only failed to suppress the heaven-defying stench but instead amplified it infinitely.
Hou Mingzhu suddenly swayed and was about to fall. Ye Tiancheng quickly ran over and caught her. However, even though he caught her, it still felt a bit too late. He almost dropped Hou Mingzhu, but fortunately, he caught her steadily. Ye Tiancheng's heart pounded wildly. At that moment, he realized that when he caught Hou Mingzhu, it was as if he had caught his entire world from the gods. His heart finally settled.
'You scared me to death. I'm glad you're okay. I feel like you've scared me to death.'
The more Ye Tiancheng thought about it, the more terrified he became. He felt goosebumps all over his body. Who was behind this?
They couldn't go any further. The rain was getting heavier, and the dark energy in the rain was becoming thicker. This smell was not just unpleasant; it would gradually muddle their minds. Especially Hou Mingzhu, who had not cultivated, had no strong willpower and could be completely destroyed by what was happening. Therefore, Ye Tiancheng had to find a way to change the unfavorable circumstances.
Seeing everything about to collapse, Ye Tiancheng felt very distressed. Hou Mingzhu had fallen into a semi-conscious state. They were trapped here by this strange rain. Ye Tiancheng quickly helped her into the woods, but even so, he still felt very uncomfortable, feeling that everything had entered a very bad state.
'Ye Tiancheng, my head hurts so much, it feels like it's being torn apart. What should I do?'
Hou Mingzhu's silent cry was even more heart-wrenching for Ye Tiancheng. Seeing Hou Mingzhu in pain, Ye Tiancheng's guilt resurfaced. If it weren't for him, Hou Mingzhu wouldn't have ended up in such a tragic situation.
'I'm sorry! It's all my fault. I should have known better than to let you come. I never thought that the curse wouldn't harm you, but now it's made up for it. Is all this fate?' Ye Tiancheng's voice grew softer and softer because he was too distressed. 'Heaven is too unfair to me. Why does it always make me hurt the people who are important to me?'
Ye Tiancheng became more and more panicked. Hou Mingzhu seemed to have a fever all over her body, her skin showing an unhealthy reddish-purple hue, and she complained of a splitting headache. Ye Tiancheng was truly worried that Hou Mingzhu's blood vessels might burst and she might die at any moment. The thought made Ye Tiancheng feel even worse.
Ye Tiancheng tried his best to protect Hou Mingzhu with his true energy, but it was useless. Hou Mingzhu's body was still contorted with pain. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
'I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me so much. I'm not as fragile as you think. I can definitely do it. No one can stop me. Ye Tiancheng, actually, I only have one wish, and that is to stay by your side and get through difficulties with you.'
These words would never have been heard from Hou Mingzhu's mouth before. The reason Hou Mingzhu chose to say them now was that she felt like she was not going to make it, like the saying that a person's words are good when they are about to die. If she didn't say them now, she didn't know if she would have another chance later. That's why she spoke her true feelings at this moment; everything before was just a pretense.
'Alright, Hou Mingzhu, stop talking. I know, I've always known. Although you don't tell me the truth, I see all the help you've given me. You've helped me through difficulties with your actions. But promise me you won't have any trouble. If anything happens to you, I won't be able to live in peace for the rest of my life.'
This was true. Ye Tiancheng couldn't just live happily alone and let Hou Mingzhu die.
'I'm fine, I'm really fine. You're so capable. As long as you're by my side, everything will be fine.'
As soon as Hou Mingzhu finished speaking, several bolts of lightning suddenly struck from the sky, hitting Hou Mingzhu steadily. Even Ye Tiancheng blocking Hou Mingzhu's body was useless. Later, Ye Tiancheng used his true energy to protect both of them, but he was counterattacked by the lightning and knocked unconscious. Hou Mingzhu also fell beside Ye Tiancheng, and they both fainted.
Thus, the black rain continued for several hours. By the time Ye Tiancheng woke up, it was already getting dark, and the rain had stopped, but the ground was still wet. Ye Tiancheng found that Hou Mingzhu was not by his side. He quickly got up and looked for Hou Mingzhu while calling her name.
'Hou Mingzhu, are you there?'
Without Hou Mingzhu, he felt insecure. Ye Tiancheng was anxious to find the woman who was willing to sacrifice so much for him, and then thank her properly. But now Ye Tiancheng seriously suspected that Hou Mingzhu's disappearance was because something had happened to her, which was why his voice became more and more urgent.
'Hou Mingzhu, come out. Don't scare me, okay? I feel like I'm really timid. I don't want to lose you.'
Ye Tiancheng's footsteps became more chaotic, and his breathing was rapid. He found that Hou Mingzhu had disappeared into thin air. He seriously suspected that Hou Mingzhu had died. This thought repeatedly tormented him, driving Ye Tiancheng to the brink of mental collapse.
However, soon after, Ye Tiancheng saw a familiar figure leaning against a tree. Hou Mingzhu was finally found a few hundred meters away from him."