A pained yelp echoed across the lakeside.
Lu Xingzhou clutched his hand, bent over, his face contorted in pain.
Ye Tinglan nonchalantly clapped her hands, as if brushing something dirty off them. "Your performance was so good just now because I pinched you," she said. "By your logic, shouldn't that be one of the conditions as well?"
"I..." Lu Xingzhou was both exasperated and amused. "When you should be a little foolish, you're surprisingly sharp."
"Oh no, I can't compare to Lord Judge's flawless strategy," Ye Tinglan said. Then she suddenly grabbed his collar. "If you try to take advantage of me again, I'll throw you in!"
"I did it openly," he retorted.
Ye Tinglan's phoenix eyes gleamed with menace, and she tightened her grip, attempting to toss him into the lake.
His clothes, already badly damaged from being caught in the spatial turbulence, ripped with a 'tear' as she tugged, revealing a large portion of his muscular upper body.
Ye Tinglan instinctively looked away.
Lu Xingzhou closed his eyes. "I know I can't escape your clutches. Go on, then."
Ye Tinglan turned back exasperatedly, looking Lu Xingzhou up and down with the same disdainful gaze Long Qinghuang had.
Lu Xingzhou: "...Are you also a dragon?"
Ye Tinglan, not understanding him, said exasperatedly, "You! I just thought you were reliable, and now you're not again. What time and place is this? Don't you have any sense of urgency?"
Lu Xingzhou almost blurted out, 'Does that mean I can tease you in a different setting then...?' But he swallowed the words back.
This 'Mister' was actually a monastic, a pure cultivator known by the Daoist name True Person Tinglan. Although deeply involved in worldly affairs, his serious and rigid nature was still very evident, making it unwise to tease him too much and cause him to lose face. Their relationship wasn't at that stage yet either. Even though they had just embraced and rolled around, and her chest was much warmer than Guamei's had been, he hadn't felt any of the romantic flutter he experienced when rolling with Guamei back then.
So, he composed himself and got to the point: "If Mister doesn't throw me into the lake, there usually won't be any danger. If I'm thrown in, it's hard to say."
Ye Tinglan was silent.
"Mister, your worldly experience is richer than mine. Have you encountered spatial rifts before?"
"I encountered one during my early travels. It led into an unknown secret realm, somewhat similar to this one. However, that time, as soon as I entered, strange beasts were rampant, making it very dangerous, unlike the peacefulness of this place."
"How strongly was the entered secret realm later confirmed to be correlated with the entry point?"
"Highly correlated."
"Then I guess I'm right," Lu Xingzhou said. "This is still the bottom of a glacier, an ancient land buried under layers of ice. The good news is, if we can't find a way out, we can blast our way straight up, and eventually, we'll open a path."
Ye Tinglan folded her arms. "And the bad news?"
"The bad news is that secret realms are usually formed when the energy of a treasure isolates space. If such a treasure were emitting energy, even if I, being weaker, couldn't sense it, someone as strong as Mister would definitely be able to. But judging by your reaction, you haven't detected anything either."
Ye Tinglan nodded.
If a treasure had isolated this secret place, she would have sensed such a clear emission of energy the moment she arrived. Even if much time had passed and the energy had decayed, she would still clearly detect its remnants. But there was nothing.
Precisely because she didn't immediately detect any energy, the old Ye Tinglan would have likely dived to the bottom of the lake to explore. But now, her first reaction was to let Lu Xingzhou analyze the situation and consider his perspective.
"A treasure must have formed the spatial isolation, but its energy has disappeared. There's only one possibility: someone took it." Lu Xingzhou paced a few steps, pondering as he looked at the flowers and grass on the ground. "Mister, in the secret realms you visited before, were there strange beasts present?"
"Yes."
"This place has plants and flowers, so theoretically, animals should also be able to exist here, but none have been found... I suspect there are animals hibernating underwater, and we haven't detected their presence due to their dormant state. The treasure was very likely buried by it underwater, or perhaps even swallowed. It's best not to venture into the water rashly and disturb it."
Ye Tinglan turned her head, looking at Lu Xingzhou's profile.
She had to admit, his mind was indeed reliable; his analysis was very likely the truth.
There was no need to go into the water to investigate, no need to disturb the 'local inhabitant.' He could find the most rational way to avoid or solve the problem.
"So, the so-called danger here won't materialize for now, as long as we don't trigger it ourselves," Lu Xingzhou continued. "The problem now is how we can leave without disturbing the creatures here. I genuinely have no experience with spatial rifts or anything similar, so I can't analyze them. I'll have to rely on you."
Ye Tinglan was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "You... haven't had any thought of entering this secret realm to search for treasure? You know there must be a treasure, and you know I have the strength."
"...I don't freeload."
"Haven't you benefited enough already?"
"Hey, whether it was at Yama's Palace or the Tianxing Sword Sect, I always earned my keep with my wits, alright?"
"You can use your wits to leverage my strength now too."
Lu Xingzhou shook his head. "I don't like fighting battles where I don't know my opponent. Besides, you're still injured, and I don't want you to take risks."
Ye Tinglan's expression was a little strange.
He clearly knew there was a powerful treasure right in front of them, yet he showed no greed at all. Instead, he was concerned about her safety...
Although she stubbornly refused to admit she was the Heavenly Yao Saint Lord to save face, she probably couldn't hide it from him. Nominally, she, Ye Tinglan, was the strongest in the world. Normally, people would have an excessive and unwarranted confidence in the world's strongest, believing them omnipotent and immune to danger.
But in reality, she knew that wasn't the case.
Firstly, the so-called 'strongest in the world' only applied to Daqian; the world was vast, with many other places. Secondly, within the Heavenly Yao Holy Land itself, there were reclusive elders whom she might not necessarily defeat. Thirdly, in other realms, there were countless powerful individuals of unknown depth, perhaps even true immortals. The strange beasts in ancient secret realms would correspond to such levels of cultivation. She truly had no absolute confidence.
Among all the people she had met over the years, it seemed only he had never placed her in an absolutely dominant position. Instead, he always gave the impression that she needed to be cherished and cared for. This hadn't started recently; it had been evident all along, and even now that he knew her identity, his attitude remained unchanged.
That was how a man looked at a woman.
'You scoundrel! I am your teacher! What kind of education did Yama's Palace give him from childhood? Is it acceptable to view one's own master from such a perspective?'
Lu Xingzhou pulled a new set of clothes from his storage ring and put them on. After a moment's hesitation, he pulled out an outer robe and draped it over Ye Tinglan's shoulders.
Ye Tinglan froze. "What are you doing?"
"There are quite a few torn spots on your back."
"I have clothes!"
Lu Xingzhou smiled. "Then change."
Only then did Ye Tinglan realize that all she had were women's Daoist robes and dresses, which she couldn't simply drape over herself like that; she'd have to take off her torn clothes to change. But there was nowhere here for her to hide and change.
On the other hand, Lu Xingzhou's wide male outer robe could be unceremoniously draped over her, covering everything.
Ye Tinglan said nothing more, tightening the outer robe around her. Lu Xingzhou's strong scent was so pervasive it flustered her for a moment. She wanted to throw it off, but should she continue to expose herself? Yet, keeping it on felt even more intimate than being exposed.
Seeing his large clothes enveloping her, the usually aloof and dignified Mister looked increasingly adorable in that posture. Lu Xingzhou couldn't help but smile.
Ye Tinglan said with a stern face, "What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing. Any ideas on detecting the spatial rift to get out?"
"What, are you in a hurry?"
Lu Xingzhou paused.
'What does that mean? Do you want to have a baby here? I wouldn't mind.'
Ye Tinglan, realizing her question was oddly phrased, turned her head and said, "I need to make some calculations, and it might take a while. Don't rush; go sit down and rest for a bit."
Lu Xingzhou walked to one side, bent down to examine the surrounding flowers and grass on the ground, and pulled out one to sniff lightly.
Ye Tinglan sat cross-legged to the side, performing calculations with her fingers, but her gaze unconsciously followed him. She casually asked, "What are you doing?"
Lu Xingzhou still smiled, his expression tinged with a helpless, 'I can't do anything with you' sort of amusement. "Mister," he said, "I'm here with you for the alchemy master trial. Shouldn't we be studying the medicinal uses of the plants here?"
Ye Tinglan opened her mouth, then closed it again.
'Oh, so we're here for an alchemy master trial? If you hadn't mentioned it, we would have forgotten.'
'I thought he wanted to gather information about the strange beasts here and the secret to getting out from the plants and flowers... I just feel like my mind has been in a muddle ever since I fell into this dark lakeside with him, and even my calculations are less efficient than usual.'
Theoretically, gathering information about strange beasts from the local flora would be meaningful, at least for inferring their attributes. For instance, if most plants here were poisonous, the strange beast would likely have a poison attribute. However, this wouldn't be very useful for estimating its strength.
Lu Xingzhou examined several types of flowers and grasses, his expression a little strange. "Ever since my leg healed," he remarked, "things for treating legs just keep coming my way."
Ye Tinglan glanced at him.
"This one's for removing dead tissue and regenerating flesh. Pounding it into a paste and applying it directly works wonders," Lu Xingzhou said. "Would Mister like me to put some on your back, to prevent scarring?"
"No, I don't need it," Ye Tinglan retorted.
"But its effect is truly potent, stronger than any similar medicine I've seen. If properly combined with auxiliary ingredients and refined into a pill, I dare say it could regrow flesh even if only bones remained."
Ye Tinglan's heart stirred slightly. "Then I'll test you. Based on this, what attribute do you think the strange beast in the lake has?"
Lu Xingzhou hesitated. "I'd guess it's a type of snake whose bodily secretions, like mucus and saliva, possess extremely strong corrosive properties."
"Hmm... it should be a subspecies, half-snake, half-flood dragon." Ye Tinglan sighed. "After you digested the Mahā notes, your knowledge has become so complete that I'm temporarily at a loss as to what else I can teach you."
"No problem," he replied. "When you can't think of anything to teach me, then teach me practical alchemy – preferably the hands-on kind."
"Is that all you ever think about?" Ye Tinglan was now immune to such petty teasing, knowing that if she just ignored him, he wouldn't push his luck. "Did Yuan Muyu also teach you things hands-on? Your hands are so idle, you could go fishing."
Lu Xingzhou casually replied, "How did you know?"
"I assu—" Ye Tinglan started, then suddenly raised her voice. "What did you say?"
Lu Xingzhou jumped. "Quiet down, don't wake the strange beast at the bottom of the lake."
Ye Tinglan wanted to speak but stopped herself.
'How old were you when you were with Yuan Muyu, and you were already slacking off?'
'No, what exactly is your relationship with her?'
During their conversation, Ye Tinglan's slender fingers had been performing calculations, and at that moment, the results emerged. Her mind momentarily engrossed by the findings, she no longer had the inclination for such banter. "Perhaps I have some unfortunate news to tell you."
An ominous premonition stirred in Lu Xingzhou's heart. "You're not going to say the path out is at the bottom of the lake, are you?"
Ye Tinglan gave a faint smile. "You guessed right. Even if you don't want to provoke it, you must. Are you afraid?"
[3 minutes ago] Chapter 2061: Seizing Time
[17 minutes ago] Chapter 312: Returning to Yunzhou, Iron Head Missing
[21 minutes ago] Chapter 4926
[30 minutes ago] Chapter 4925: The Power of the Five Spirit Orbs
[30 minutes ago] Chapter 2912: Dragon City in Danger
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