The voice sounded again, almost scaring the life out of them. Xiao Pang wanted to try something, but Hou Mingzhu stopped him.
"Haven't we already agreed? We're not allowed to touch any living things here. The little fruits have spirits too, don't eat them. I'm worried we'll bring trouble upon ourselves if we do."
"Alright, Sister-in-law, I'll listen to you. Everything here is pure, and we shouldn't pollute it with our presence."
In fact, all four of them were good people. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to enter this place. Everyone who entered the pure land had to pass a test.
Someone like Ouyang Xinnuo, filled with demonic energy, would likely be kept out directly, unable to even get close to the pure land.
"I'm sorry, little fruit, for scaring you. Please don't be angry. We're just curious since we just arrived, and we didn't mean to eat you."
After Hou Mingzhu finished speaking, she bowed and apologized. Xiao Pang was a bit confused.
"Sister-in-law, you weren't this kind before. Why have you changed so much? I find it quite strange."
"Some memories have entered my mind, and it feels like I'm slowly being changed."
Xiao Pang understood. Hou Mingzhu had lost her memory before, and the kind version of her was gradually taking over, making Hou Mingzhu more and more amiable.
Xiao Pang mused that he should tell Ye Tiancheng when they got back. Hou Mingzhu's change was a joyous occasion. He wouldn't have to face the fierce sister-in-law anymore. Xiao Pang felt he should have a barbecue and some beer with Ye Tiancheng to celebrate.
"Xiao Pang, did you hear anything?"
"No, what sound?"
Xiao Pang was too focused on his happiness to notice any sound. Hou Mingzhu, on the other hand, was particularly sensitive.
"I heard it. It sounded like a little bird. Could there be some divine bird in this forest?"
"Sister-in-law, you must have misheard. There are many spiritual creatures in this pure land, but I haven't seen a single little bird. I find that strange too."
Hou Mingzhu didn't listen to Xiao Pang. She continued to persistently search for the bird. Following the source of the sound, she soon found a bird's nest on a rock next to a tree and happily picked up a little bird from it.
The little bird was fluffy and yellow, looking like a chick. Hou Mingzhu held it in her hand, utterly delighted.
"This little bird is so cute."
"Sister-in-law, this bird is too small. We probably won't be able to raise it."
"But we can't just leave this poor little bird here. If it has nothing to eat, it won't last long." Hou Mingzhu was already making plans. "We have millet at home, we can feed this little bird millet."
"I thought birds ate meat. Do they eat rice?"
While Xiao Pang was scratching his head, Hou Mingzhu had already cradled the bird in her arms.
"Great! We found a little bird. We can raise it at home, and it should recover its health quickly."
Hou Mingzhu muttered to herself. Xiao Pang couldn't bear to interrupt her. The kind Hou Mingzhu was glowing all over. Xiao Pang shouldn't stop this behavior.
"Alright, this little chick is quite cute anyway. I think Brother Ye will like it."
The two of them took the chick back. When Hou Mingzhu presented the chick to Ye Tiancheng with both hands, Ye Tiancheng glanced at it and was a little surprised.
"This little bird is no ordinary creature; it seems quite spiritual."
"It seems to be a chick, not a little bird. But it doesn't matter. This chick is very pitiful. I don't know where its parents went, leaving it all alone. I was afraid it would starve, so I brought it back to feed it."
In fact, Ye Tiancheng also felt that since Hou Mingzhu came to the pure land, even before arriving, as they approached, she had been slowly changing, becoming the kindest version of Hou Mingzhu from that time.
"Alright, I'm almost done making the bed. You go feed the chick first."
With Ye Tiancheng's approval, Hou Mingzhu happily went to feed the chick. However, no matter how she tried to feed it millet, the chick refused to eat.
"Okay, it seems you're not hungry enough. You can wait until tomorrow morning to eat. You'll have breakfast with us, and I'll introduce you to someone."
Hou Mingzhu was now full of childlike innocence. She could chat happily even with a little chick, treating it like an old friend she had known for years.
"The person I'm bringing you to meet is a beautiful woman who looks like a fairy. Her name is Lin Xue. She's my husband's disciple, and also, in a way, mine. However, she's been in a coma because her body was damaged by dark energy, which is very pitiful."
Hou Mingzhu placed the chick next to Lin Xue, and the chick naturally moved towards her.
"Hey, don't disturb my disciple while she's recuperating. My disciple is very weak right now. You stinky chicken, why are you leaning into the embrace of a beauty? Aren't you a male?"
"But it doesn't matter if a chicken is male or female; I'm not that concerned..."
After arriving in the pure land, Hou Mingzhu instantly became full of childlike innocence and particularly enjoyed chattering.
The chick fell asleep next to Lin Xue. Hou Mingzhu didn't disturb it and went to check on Ye Tiancheng. Ye Tiancheng had already finished building the new bed.
"You'll sleep here tonight. Xiao Pang and I will go to that room. This is a princess bed specially made for you. Lin Xue is still sleeping, so we won't disturb her. We'll build her a bigger bed tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll sleep here tonight. I'm already sleepy. Brother Ye, you should stay with me. I'm a little scared to sleep alone."
Ye Tiancheng almost forgot that Hou Mingzhu had now turned into that delicate little girl who needed protection and company. Ye Tiancheng immediately agreed.
"Alright, I'll stay with you tonight."
They had agreed to sleep, but after lying down, Hou Mingzhu had a lot to say, asking many trivial questions. However, Ye Tiancheng patiently answered them.
Finally, being extremely tired, they fell asleep. Hou Mingzhu also obediently slept with him.
The next morning, Hou Mingzhu's voice echoed throughout the pure land. She was very surprised, which is why she shouted.
"Heavens! Lin Xue is awake!"
Everyone quickly gathered around and found that Lin Xue had indeed woken up and was full of energy, with a little chick beside her.
"How is there a spiritual bird?"
Lin Xue suddenly remembered that in a semiconscious state last night, she seemed to feel a spiritual bird channeling true qi to her.
"This bird was picked up from the forest by your師母 (shīmǔ - teacher's wife). Seeing how spiritual this bird is, it stayed by your side. Xiao Xue, if you feel disturbed, I'll take it away immediately."
Thinking of the efforts Lin Xue had made to protect everyone, Ye Tiancheng felt he had to guard her well and not let her be harmed again.
"Master, that's not what I meant. I feel like this bird saved me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have woken up so quickly. I would have been in a deep sleep for at least ten days to half a month, not waking up so smoothly like now."
"Such a miraculous thing! It seems the birds in this pure land are truly spiritual. This spiritual bird can even transfer true qi to others. It's truly amazing. It seems you have a strong affinity with this bird, Xiao Xue. Why don't you take this spiritual bird in? Let it accompany you."
"Okay, I see this bird seems quite weak from saving me. These spiritual birds don't eat ordinary food. I'll use my true qi to help it cultivate slowly. I believe this spiritual bird will get better gradually."
By a twist of fate, Lin Xue gained a spiritual bird. Hou Mingzhu was also happy, as she didn't know how to handle the little bird since it wouldn't eat. Now that Lin Xue could help, it was a great blessing.
"Xiao Xue, this spiritual bird is so spiritual, shouldn't we give it a name? This bird saved your life, so calling it just 'bird' from now on would be disrespectful. It's better to give it a solemn name."
"Then let's call it Linglong. I feel it's exquisite and transparent, full of spiritual energy. This name is perfect."
Hou Mingzhu immediately clapped her hands in agreement. "This name is wonderful."
Lin Xue's awakening was a good thing, and being in the pure land, they would no longer be attacked. Their lives would likely become more comfortable.
However, at noon on the day Lin Xue woke up, the earth experienced significant tremors, and everyone felt unsteady.
The pure land had a barrier. The group quickly ran to the barrier to take a look and were surprised to find that the barrier had already developed a slight crack. This meant that if they didn't find a way to maintain it, the pure land would not be absolutely safe. It was possible it could be breached by demonic energy, leading to the pure land's destruction.
"Brother Ye, what should we do? It must be that bastard Ouyang Xinnuo, who doesn't want us to live good lives, that's why he's chasing after us."
Xiao Pang knew this, and how could Ye Tiancheng not? The key was that he didn't know how to repair the pure land.
"Master, I remember that this pure land was originally formed from a fallen divine artifact. When the artifact fell, a fragment landed here, which then gave rise to this region full of spiritual energy, and demonic energy cannot penetrate it."
"Then the divine artifact should have some effect on repairing this place."
Ye Tiancheng suddenly thought of the fragment of the Fuxi Qin that had been with him all along. Because it was just a fragment, it had no effect, and he had never taken it out to use.
Since Lin Xue had given him such a hint, Ye Tiancheng decided to take out the unformed Fuxi Qin fragment and use it to repair the damaged pure land.
The crack did indeed become smaller, but unfortunately, the Fuxi Qin fragment was not complete, so it couldn't make the pure land completely impregnable.
"Xiao Xue, you've read more books. Are there any other ways?"
"Master, your true qi is insufficient, and you haven't been able to obtain the other fragment of the Fuxi Qin yet. However, not far from this pure land is an Evil Valley, where there are many wild monsters. You can snatch their divine artifacts from the wild monsters. It doesn't have to be a divine artifact, just a treasure. Once you get the treasure, you can use it to repair the pure land."
At this point, this was still a good idea. However, Ye Tiancheng hadn't lived in the pure land for long, and his gathered true qi was limited. He wasn't very confident.
"Master, I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, I'll go with you. But I just woke up. Let's set off tomorrow morning. Today, I will diligently cultivate and strive to strengthen my body so as not to hold you back."
"Alright, let's cultivate together. I shouldn't be too lazy either. The spiritual spring in the pure land is the most suitable place for cultivation. We must become strong enough before Ouyang Xinnuo's demonic energy breaks through the pure land's defenses, and then we'll go to the Evil Valley."