Looking Cool (Continued)

The Kui Drum Thunder Sound!

With a loud shout, the extremely yang and intense thunderous sound spread out, completely drowning out the enemy's voice. Si Huaruo also felt a pain in her eardrums, and at the same time, her body felt light, as the invading soul poison was completely dispelled.

Thunder is inherently a force that wards off evil. Those weaker, malevolent spirits and ghosts are sometimes terrified just by hearing thunder from the sky, let alone now that it is mixed with the power of Blazing Sun True Qi.

Centered on Si Ming, an invisible shockwave rolled outwards, pushing everything away. The dark demonic face vanished into thin air, and the surging mud melted away like snow.

In the blink of an eye, the illusion shattered, and Si Ming and the others returned to the real old campus. He also exhausted all his True Qi because of this roar and withdrew from the state of Solar Prominence Eruption.

"It seems we've returned."

Si Ming found himself back in the classroom. The floor was no longer smeared with blood and gore; the blackboard, desks, and chairs were all intact and undamaged. He turned to Si Huaruo and asked, "Was that ghost destroyed?"

"I think so. The other missing people have all returned."

There were more than ten extra people in the classroom, including the guards who had disappeared with Zhu Xuanhuai. However, apart from Zhu Xuanhuai and her guards, who were still breathing, everyone else was completely dead, their bodies shriveled up like firewood, clearly drained of their life force.

Just then, footsteps could be heard outside.

"There's a lot of noise on campus. Has someone broken in?"

"Has anyone gone in? Please come out immediately, it's very dangerous inside!"

"Let's go in too. Everyone be careful. Just peek inside after opening the classroom door, but don't go inside. Once you find someone, take them away immediately."

Si Ming sighed, "It seems these people are kind-hearted. Ordinary people wouldn't risk saving a stranger who's courting death... Let's leave the credit to them and get out of here quickly."

Si Huaruo agreed, "Yes, we did break the school rules after all, and if we get caught, we'll probably be in a lot of trouble."

She poured all her remaining True Qi into Zhu Xuanhuai's body. After confirming that his injuries would not worsen, she was about to get up and leave, but she sat back down halfway through her stand.

"Hey, what's wrong? I feel like I can't muster any strength..."

She tried several times, but failed each time.

Seeing this, Si Ming suggested, "Do you need me to carry you?"

"No need, I can handle this."

Si Huaruo refused outright, then leaned against the wall and shakily stood up.

Si Ming said helplessly, "At this time, don't be stubborn, otherwise you'll only drag each other down... Judging from your expression, you don't seem like you'll listen to advice, so we'll have to do it this way."

He stepped forward, and before Si Huaruo could react, he grabbed her thighs and back, picked her up, and jumped out of the window.

"Huh?"

As the night breeze blew, Si Huaruo's hair swayed incessantly. She blinked in surprise, her long eyelashes fluttering, seemingly not quite understanding the situation or what had happened. She stared blankly up at Si Ming's face.

"Hurry up, we need to find a place to stay."

Si Ming felt the soft touch on his arm; the other person was lighter than he had imagined. Just before landing, he used his lightness skill, "Free Carefree Wandering," to offset some of the gravity, and then used gentle force to dissipate the recoil, landing silently. He then strode away.

"Um... I..."

After a while, Si Huaruo finally noticed the situation. Her cheeks flushed red, and she hurriedly said, "Put me down, I can manage on my own."

"You can barely walk steadily, so don't try to be brave. Otherwise, you won't be able to get home by dawn. It's faster to travel like this."

Si Ming increased his speed and tried to maintain balance with both arms, being careful not to shake the other person.

Feeling the wind intensify, Si Huaruo instinctively gripped Si Ming's arm. Having exhausted her strength and with her soul being eroded by the soul poison, she was now utterly exhausted and weaker than ever before.

"While it might sound presumptuous to say this, I can tell you're always putting on a brave face. Don't you get tired of wearing a mask all the time?"

Si Ming didn't look down at Si Huaruo, trying his best not to make her feel awkward.

"I'm so tired, but what can I do? No matter how tired I am, I have to grit my teeth and persevere. This world won't become a better place just because you cry a few times. The weaker you appear, the easier it is for others to bully you. I can only, and must, become strong!"

Perhaps feeling that the other party had seen enough, Si Huaruo simply gave up on herself and revealed her inner bitterness.

Since the passing of Uncle Gu, the only person who loved her when she was a child, this was the first time she had confided in someone outside the family. But for some reason, she felt a strange sense of peace in her heart, and her intuition told her that the other person was trustworthy.

"Then don't always try to face problems alone. How about trying to rely on others?"

"There was someone I could rely on, but he's gone, and I haven't met anyone like him since..."

"So you have it now."

"Huh?" Si Huaruo suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.

"I will protect you. As long as I remain your guard, no one can harm you."

Si Ming thought to himself, "Finally, Laozi got to act cool in front of a girl."

"..."

Si Huaruo didn't respond further, only staring at the face above her, her face flushed, her heart pounding wildly.

A moment later, the two returned to the Water Mirror Manor, Si Ming put the person down.

"Alright, you're home safely."

"Have we arrived yet?"

Noticing a hint of disappointment in her tone, Si Huaruo quickly composed herself, calmed her racing heart, and asked casually, "You actually grew up outside, didn't you, instead of hiding in the clan as Si Jingyu said?"

"Hmm, how did you guess?" Si Ming felt there was no need to hide this question.