"Brother Ye, what's wrong? You seem very weak," said Fatty.
Fatty was Ye Tiancheng's good friend, so he could tell if Ye Tiancheng was not feeling well. He was naturally suspicious of Ye Tiancheng's weakened state.
"I'm fine, it's all over. Look at these pure snowflakes, they've washed away all the sins of the world. I'll keep you by my side from now on and won't let you face such pain alone."
A young girl who had stayed by his side for a while, pure and innocent, was stabbed to death right in front of him by those villains. Ye Tiancheng could imagine how desperate Fatty must have felt.
"Brother Ye, sob sob sob, I'm too weak. Even working out is useless, I can't do anything. When facing so many enemies, I could only choose to surrender and be at their mercy."
Ye Tiancheng didn't want to dwell on what had happened the day he was away. It was all in the past. Let it be in the past. Why recall old memories? When a wound is reopened, it is oneself who truly suffers.
"Alright, let's not talk about the past. Let's hurry. I've already obtained the latest Fuxi fragment, and we're going to the Pure Land."
"Yes, yes, Brother Ye. Fortunately, I sent Liu Lanying away the day before the incident. Now Liu Lanying is safe, and we can go to the Pure Land without any burden."
"Good, I miss that place too."
The group spent their last night in the village. There were many legends about these people, especially about Ye Tiancheng, who was portrayed as almost divine. No one dared to provoke him anymore. Instead, they brought him their freshest vegetables and freshly slaughtered chickens, all offered to Ye Tiancheng.
"I heard you are an immortal. We common folk cannot afford to offend an immortal. We will worship you properly and hope you can bless us."
The person who brought the offerings left them at the door and departed. Some even exaggeratedly wanted to bow, but no one dared to enter. They all spoke from behind closed doors, their demeanor appearing somewhat timid.
"You don't need to worship me. I am not an immortal. Let me rest quietly. I'm only staying here for one night and will leave tomorrow."
"It hasn't snowed this heavily in so long. This heavy snowfall must be the work of an immortal. All these abnormal phenomena are truly punishments from an angry immortal, so we dare not provoke you."
"I understand. If you don't want to provoke me, then leave quickly. I need to rest."
The person left soon after, apologizing profusely before departing. They treated Ye Tiancheng as a deity, fearing they might offend him, and acted as humbly as possible. This surprised Ye Tiancheng greatly.
"Brother Ye, the person is gone, but the vegetables and meat they sent are very fresh. The eggs I saw were also very large, probably double-yolked. I'll cook a few dishes for you to replenish your nutrition."
"Fatty, don't go to so much trouble for me. You've been through so much yourself, and you're already in pain. Don't let these things add to your burden."
"Brother Ye, at least I have something to do, and it can divert my attention. Otherwise, I'll keep thinking about one thing, and I'm afraid my nerves will snap. Brother Ye, don't worry about me, let me cook something. I'll feel a little better."
Fatty genuinely enjoyed cooking. When he was in the kitchen, it was as if he could truly find himself. Ye Tiancheng naturally did not stop him.
"Alright, then cook fewer dishes and rest well."
"I know, Brother Ye. I'll chop some meat and make some buns. You should eat more later."
Ye Tiancheng's body needed nutrition before to recover his true qi. Now that he had no true qi, Ye Tiancheng felt like a cripple. Even if he put on a brave face, it was just for show. He felt like eating was a waste, and living was no different from being dead.
"Master, have you seen Little Phoenix?"
Ye Tiancheng had fallen into reminiscing. Comparing his past glory with his current state, he felt utterly pathetic and was in a very bad mood. He had sunk into his memories when he heard his disciple's voice, which brought him back to reality.
"What's wrong? Little Phoenix has wings; it probably flew off somewhere."
"But Master, I find it very strange. Little Phoenix never runs around randomly. Could it have been captured by someone?"
"Who could capture Little Phoenix? Such a spiritual bird is not easily matched by ordinary people."
"I understand, but now Little Phoenix is missing, and I can't find it. I'm very anxious. I've used the tracking spell, but I can't find it at all. Little Phoenix's aura seems to have vanished."
Seeing Lin Xue's anxious expression, Ye Tiancheng, who had initially been detached from his emotions, didn't think much of it. But when he saw Lin Xue so unhappy, Ye Tiancheng suddenly realized that something might have truly happened.
Once he understood the seriousness of the situation, Ye Tiancheng's heart sank. He felt that if he didn't think of a solution, the situation might become even worse.
"Let's go look for Little Phoenix. Didn't Little Phoenix turn into a little yellow chicken when it lost its spiritual power? It's unlikely that it ran off to cultivate somewhere after helping us so much. Let's do this: Master will take you to search around the village first."
"I've already searched briefly, but this village isn't small, and the area from the front mountain to the back mountain is quite large. I'm worried that even if the two of us search, we won't be able to cover it all by nightfall."
Ye Tiancheng suddenly had an idea and ordered the remaining villagers to help search. They now respected Ye Tiancheng like a deity, but they also found him terrifying. If Ye Tiancheng so much as moved a finger, their families could be ruined. Therefore, they obeyed Ye Tiancheng completely. Each of them took a stick and searched inch by inch, with great seriousness and responsibility, fearing that if they missed anything and displeased Ye Tiancheng, they would be the ones to suffer.
They searched until nightfall but still couldn't find Little Phoenix. Some villagers, unable to see clearly, brought various little yellow chickens. However, Lin Xue immediately recognized that they were not Little Phoenix; they were just ordinary little yellow chickens. To Lin Xue, they were just food, incomparable to her Little Phoenix, not even by a single feather.
In an atmosphere of despair, Fatty finished cooking. Four dishes and one soup, simple yet impressive.
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, spicy diced chicken, stir-fried three vegetables, sweet and sour pork, and a bowl of light tofu and green vegetable soup. They looked very appetizing.
"Brother Ye, please eat. I know Little Phoenix is missing. I'll go look for it with you later, okay?"
"Okay, it's settled then. Let's eat first. Xue'er, people are iron, and food is steel. If you don't eat one meal, you'll feel hungry. We need to fill our stomachs before we can find Little Phoenix, otherwise, we'll have no strength. I'm ready. If we can't find it tonight, we'll search all night."
With Ye Tiancheng's promise, Lin Xue felt more motivated to eat. Otherwise, she felt it was awkward. Little Phoenix was lost, yet they were here eating and drinking as if at a banquet, and the atmosphere was too relaxed.
The few of them ate quickly, mostly in silence. Ye Tiancheng was probably lost in thought and didn't notice until he realized he had eaten until he was stuffed, to the point of burping continuously.
As soon as they finished eating, they were about to set off. Flashlights and torches were already prepared. They would use torches first, and then flashlights when the torches ran out. After all, they had to work all night, and if their light sources weren't sufficient, they wouldn't be able to last the entire night.
Just as they were preparing to leave, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.
It was Ouyang Xunuo's voice, transmitted through a ball of black energy. "Miss Su and I are getting married. The wedding is in ten days. By the way, don't try to stop me."
"What do you mean?"
Ye Tiancheng had previously asked Miss Su to distract Ouyang Xunuo, but it seemed he had gotten Miss Su involved.
"Ye Tiancheng, are you looking for that chicken?"
"Yes, why?"
"That chicken is with me. I've taken it. After Miss Su and I get married, if you don't interfere, don't worry. Others give out wedding candies when they get married. If I get married, I'll return that Little Phoenix to you."
"You're threatening me."
"You're right. I also want to remind you that you seem to have lost all your true qi and are now a cripple. Don't even think about resisting me. I'm afraid you'll be too severely injured, unable to live or die."
Lin Xue couldn't hold back anymore. She used her spiritual energy to disperse the ball of black energy. Now that Little Phoenix's whereabouts were known, there was no need to dwell on it further. Lin Xue slumped powerlessly onto the broken sofa in the house, which had a large hole in it.
"Master, they took Little Phoenix. Where could they have taken it? That phoenix is naturally noble and shouldn't suffer so much. What should we do?"
"Don't worry. That phoenix's body contains a lot of pure energy. If it weren't for Little Phoenix being weak, do you think someone as sinister as Ouyang Xunuo could do anything to a spiritual phoenix? It's just temporarily hidden. Let's go to the Pure Land first. Everything is a mess now, and perhaps only by going to the Pure Land can everything be resolved in the end."
Lin Xue was beside herself with worry. Besides Ye Tiancheng, the person she cared about most was Little Phoenix. Little Phoenix was Lin Xue's first and last divine beast. More accurately, Lin Xue was raising Little Phoenix. Perhaps one day Little Phoenix would spread its wings and fly away from her. Their relationship was more than just a simple master and divine beast.
"Don't worry. Go to sleep quickly. We have to travel tomorrow morning. If you don't sleep well tonight, I'm afraid we won't have the energy on the road and will doze off again."
Ye Tiancheng's words made sense. After his persuasion, Lin Xue and Fatty quickly tidied up and went to sleep.
Ye Tiancheng, Fatty, and Lin Xue spent a day and finally reached the Pure Land. As soon as Ye Tiancheng arrived, he placed the Fuxi Qin fragment into the gap. Soon, the Pure Land began to emit a faint halo.
"Master, soon all the fragments will be gathered. All the dark forces in the world will be devoured by the Pure Land, and Ouyang Xunuo will surely no longer be able to do evil."
Ye Tiancheng eagerly awaited that day. For him, whether he became an immortal was not the most important thing. The most important thing was to eliminate all the dark forces in the world. Otherwise, he would be too incompetent, living under the shadow of others, and what would be the point of that?