The soil around the Dragon Blood Tree began to shake violently, as if something had trembled beneath it. Something flickered in and out of sight, about to burst through the earth—
With a thunderous crash, a tree root as thick as three people hugging suddenly shot up from underground, lunging straight at Ning Ning!
So that was it.
The Dragon Blood Tree's roots couldn't stretch at will. It had lured them closer so it could wait for them to walk right into its trap and become the nourishment it needed to survive.
Ning Ning's heart clenched. She was about to swing her sword to meet the attack when a streak of Sword Qi flashed from behind her, slicing the root in half before she could act.
She had thought it was Su Qinghan, but then she caught a sharp, overwhelming scent of blood.
The smell drew closer and closer, accompanied by searing heat and a faint, clean scent of soap. It came so near that its owner was almost within arm's reach.
Ning Ning was about to turn around when someone covered her eyes.
The young man's hand seemed to have been carefully wiped clean just moments ago. Unlike the rest of his body, it wasn't smeared with blood. In a daze, she heard a voice by her ear.
It was Pei Ji's voice, cold and detached. He seemed to be forcibly suppressing some unbearable pain, yet beneath it lay a trace of gentleness so faint that even he might not have noticed it.
He said, "Close your eyes. Don't look."
Ning Ning froze.
It had all happened in an instant, and Pei Ji quickly let go. But even after he did, Ning Ning still couldn't make out the scene around her. A dim haze seemed to veil her eyes,