Li Mohan's face darkened instantly. "Are you lecturing me?"
His expression had already been cold, but now he was like a blade about to be unsheathed, radiating a palpable killing intent, as if he were about to charge out of its scabbard and end a life.
Zuo Qingya was unaware of Li Mohan's power, but Ye Huohuo knew. She understood that the person occupying Li Mohan's body was his past life. Although she hadn't interacted with that individual much, the few encounters she'd had were enough to make her feel that he was someone who never held back his blows.
Ye Huohuo's newly settled heart leaped into her throat again.
Zuo Qingya's words had clearly provoked Li Mohan. Ye Huohuo, being the closest to him, felt the intense killing intent pierce her skin. If she could move, she would have fled as far as her legs could carry her. In her heart, she also worried intensely for Zuo Qingya.
The way Li Mohan had eliminated Miao Feng moments ago was still vivid in her mind; with a mere raise of his hand, the person was gone. If he now harbored murderous intent towards Zuo Qingya, even Ye Huohuo's master and the sect leader of Maoshan would be unable to stop him. Not to mention Ye Huohuo's cultivation, which wasn't even enough to tickle someone's teeth.
She wanted to speak up and persuade him, but she could only anxiously watch, unable to move an inch.
Ye Huohuo looked up and saw Lu Yao standing beside Zuo Qingya. Although she couldn't move or speak, her eyes could still convey information. She repeatedly signaled to Lu Yao with her eyes, blinking. Just as she felt her eyes were about to cramp, Lu Yao finally understood her intent.
"No, absolutely no such intention," Lu Yao blurted out. After saying this, she paused, unable to recall what she should say next. She glanced at Ye Huohuo, seeing her still signaling to her, and clenched her fists, as if encouraging herself.
"We were merely worried about Huohuo's safety. The situation was so urgent at the time; she was injured to this extent saving us. If it were possible, we would have preferred to be the ones injured. Can you understand this feeling?" Lu Yao had no idea what she was saying. Li Mohan's oppressive presence was too immense, making her brain feel like it had short-circuited. Being able to speak at all was the greatest effort.
Fortunately, though her words were somewhat disjointed, the meaning was conveyed clearly. Li Mohan's expression softened slightly, and the pervasive killing aura receded significantly.
Li Mohan raised his free left hand and looked at the faint red thread on his wrist. His emotions seemed to stir. "I had no intention of acting, but..."
He didn't finish his sentence, furrowing his brow slightly. The right hand pressing on Ye Huohuo's head exerted more force. The layer of purple smoke surrounding her intensified, visibly drilling into Ye Huohuo's body.
"Time is limited, and this is all I can do for you. Whether you can survive afterward depends on your destiny. However, remember this: never break the seal again, or I won't be able to save you either." Li Mohan's tone was as frigid as ice-cold water.
As he spoke, his right hand gradually clenched into a fist. The purple energy quickened its pace into Ye Huohuo's body. By the time Li Mohan's hand was fully clenched, the purple smoke that had surrounded Ye Huohuo had completely entered her body, vanishing without a trace.
"This is..." Zuo Qingya uttered two words. Li Mohan abruptly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and seemed to fall into a deep slumber, motionless.
With the purple energy fully absorbed, the force supporting Ye Huohuo in mid-air disappeared. She plummeted from the air and landed on the ground. Unable to move freely, she couldn't cushion her fall, resulting in a solid impact.
The scabs on her wounds, which had just formed, split open again from the fall. The pain caused her to finally cry out, "Ah!" Her voice was hoarse, like the sound of sandpaper friction.
Zuo Qingya reached her before Lu Yao, helping Ye Huohuo up from the ground. "How are you?" he asked with concern. Ye Huohuo's face was frighteningly pale, devoid of any color. Her lips were cracked and bleeding, and her entire body looked as if all its blood and moisture had been drained, so dry that a spark could set her ablaze.
Ye Huohuo's fingertips moved first, then her head could turn slightly. Her body was gradually recovering. The first thing Ye Huohuo did was turn her head to look at Li Mohan, who was standing beside her.
Seeing him standing nearby like a puppet, his eyes tightly closed, the shadow of his hair obscuring half his face, and his expression blank, as if he were asleep, Ye Huohuo parted her lips. She still couldn't make a sound. As a second option, she trembled and raised her hand, attempting to tug at his pant leg.
"Don't move erratically! He's fine; tend to yourself first!" Lu Yao restrained her raised hand. "You're barely clinging to life yourself, yet you're worried about him. He's so powerful; he's probably just tired and will be fine in a moment. But you, look at you, you're on your last breath.
But why didn't you mention your husband was this formidable before? I've never heard of him in the Xuanmen sect. His cultivation, even my master can't match. How did he achieve it?!" Lu Yao began chattering again.
"Enough of that. Can she answer your questions right now?" Zuo Qingya cut Lu Yao off.
Lu Yao pouted and fell silent.
Ye Huohuo's lips moved slightly. After adjusting her breathing for a long time, managing to force out a few words in a whisper without vibrating her vocal cords, "Help, help him!"
"Help who?" Zuo Qingya didn't understand Ye Huohuo's meaning at first, but after a moment's thought, he realized who she was referring to.
In the entire room, besides the deceased Miao Feng, there were only the four of them. Lu Yao and he himself were unharmed. The "him" Ye Huohuo spoke of could only be Li Mohan, standing nearby as if asleep.
"Help him? He's so powerful; he killed Miao Feng with one move. Why would we need to help him?" Lu Yao couldn't help but interject again.
This time, Zuo Qingya didn't stop Lu Yao and looked at Ye Huohuo with the same puzzled expression.
"Help—him—!" Ye Huohuo couldn't say anything else, so she repeated herself, her expression even more anxious.
Others didn't know what was happening with Li Mohan, but Ye Huohuo sensed something was wrong. The red line on her wrist burned intensely, a feeling she had never experienced before, but she instinctively knew that Li Mohan was not well.
Seeing her condition, Zuo Qingya, though not understanding the situation, knew that Ye Huohuo, speaking with all her might under these circumstances, would not be joking.
"Take care of her. I'll go check!" Zuo Qingya told Lu Yao to look after Ye Huohuo, and he stood up, approaching Li Mohan. It was only upon getting closer that he felt something was amiss. He frowned slightly and raised his hand to Li Mohan's nose, checking his breathing.
It was better not to check, but after doing so, Zuo Qingya's expression changed drastically.