Chapter 29
Suddenly, five or six meters away, a thud sounded beneath a plum tree. They turned toward it and saw a tiny figure wrapped in a warm yellow padded coat sprawled under the tree.
Ye Zhenzhen still could not walk steadily, but her hunger for gossip had driven her to toddle and crawl, inch by inch, to their side without anyone noticing. Then she lost her footing and pitched onto the ground, getting a faceful of snow.
Like a gust of wind, Ye Qinghui rushed to the plum tree. He helped Little Glutinous Rice Ball up—round and golden as a sweet rice dumpling—then gathered her into his arms as though she were a precious treasure.
He carefully brushed the snow off her, straightened the little topknot knocked askew by her fall, then gathered spiritual energy in his palm and clasped her icy little hands to warm them.
Against the snow and ice, Ye Zhenzhen's eyes shone clear and bright as a fawn's.
"Someone saved me when I had lost all hope. I want to spend my life repaying her." Looking at Little Glutinous Rice Ball, he spoke softly, his voice low and mellow, as though it brushed against the rim of her ear.
The faint sweetness of plum blossoms drifted through the air, mingling with the bitter cold wind.
Some felt the cold. Someone else was warmed by the heat in his palm.
Ye Zhenzhen: First Senior Brother, you really are destined to be alone forever.
Ye Qinghui: That's all right. I have you.
Divine Descent had originally been expected to appear three months after the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament. Instead, it was delayed a full two months before emerging near the ancient divine tree, the Fusang Tree.
The Fusang Tree was the gateway connecting the human, divine, and nether realms. It stood upon the sea like an immense tower, rising some three thousand miles high, its crown piercing the clouds as though it touched the sky.
Divine Descent was a Heavenly Stairway rising from the sea. Only cultivators below the Spirit Transformation Stage could climb it.
Rumor had it that Divine Descent held all manner of peerless treasures. Those who climbed the Heavenly Stairway to the entrance of the Divine Realm would also encounter the ancient Elder Divine Sword, the Heaven-Opening Sword. Defeat Qiongqi, the ferocious beast guarding it, and they could take the sword, then charge forward as if nothing could stop them.
Compared with the earlier events in the Illusory Forest, what awaited them in Divine Descent was on another level. All sorts of unexpected dangers would arise, and Shen Xingyan, the overpowered male lead, would grow into a final boss, gain a Treasure-Seeking Beast, win the Heaven-Opening Sword, and secretly pledge himself to Ye Qingyao for life.
But after losing his Inner Core, Ye Qinghui would be struck in the right arm by one of Jiang Kui's snake-venom Hidden Weapons. To keep the poison from spreading through his body, he would sever his own arm and be left to wield his sword with his left hand.
The genius sword cultivator would never recover from that blow.
Recalling the original book's plot made Ye Zhenzhen's heart clench. First Senior Brother, you must watch out for that snake Jiang Kui on this trip. Don't let his Hidden Weapons hit you, or you'll lose your right arm.
They had seen just how vicious and poisonous Jiang Kui's Hidden Weapons were at the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament. When she had read the book, Ye Zhenzhen had pitied the beautiful, powerful, tragic Ye Qinghui. But after spending more than half a year with him, she could no longer bear the thought of the First Senior Brother who cared for her so tenderly suffering such an injury.
We have to do everything we can to seize the Heaven-Opening Sword. We can't let Shen Xingyan get it!
In the original book, Shen Xingyan had gained the Heaven-Opening Sword and become a tiger with wings. Within a few years, despite being only at Spirit Transformation, he had defeated a Mahayana Stage expert like Ye Ruheng. Of Ye Zhenzhen's parents, he had ripped the core from one and stripped the bones from the other; the other's soul had been scattered to the winds. Then he had forcibly broken the Evil Drought Demon's seal and destroyed the entire Cloudsky Sect.
She could not let that happen! Thinking of how her parents doted on her, Ye Zhenzhen clenched her little fists.
As soon as they learned Divine Descent had opened, Ye Qinghui and the others boarded the Golden-Haired Lion King Flying Ship and flew to its entrance at top speed.
But others had heard the news sooner and beaten them there. Shen Xingyan and Jiang Kui had joined forces, leading a group from the Kongtong School and the Thousand Mechanisms Palace onto the Heavenly Stairway ahead of them.
"With just the few of you, you think you can brave Divine Descent and win the Heaven-Opening Sword? You must be dreaming." Jiang Kui jeered down at them. "Ye Qinghui, you only won the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament through luck. I hear Divine Descent has savage winds and all sorts of dangers, not to mention Qiongqi, a beast cruel beyond measure. You'll be lucky to get out alive. Better turn around and go home while you can."
"That's right, Junior Sister Ye. Divine Descent is dangerous. I suggest you go back at once rather than throw your lives away." Surrounded by followers, Shen Xingyan delivered his smug warning in grand style. He had people scouting ahead and others behind him to take the fall, leaving him plenty of time to react to any danger. He had no need to worry about coming to harm.
"Stupid." Little Glutinous Rice Ball tipped up her tiny head and called the word at them in her milky voice.
"Who are you calling stupid?" Shen Xingyan thought these people had no idea of their own limits. Bringing a little burden along to die in a place like this—they were ignorant and fearless.
"...Idiots." Ye Zhenzhen grinned, showing her two little pointed teeth. It had taken everything she had to force out another word. Learning to speak was far too hard for a baby!
"Stupid... idiots?" Shen Xingyan repeated the words several times before his face abruptly changed. "You little Bean! How dare you insult us?"
"Just wait and see. When a nine-headed snake and a three-eyed monster show up, you'll be crying for your daddy." He made no attempt to hide that he was frightening a child. As the young master of the Kongtong School, he could hardly let a Little Bean walk all over him.
"You..." Little Glutinous Rice Ball waved her little pink fist and pushed out another word.
"You what? Call me Daddy. Grandpa will do, too." A teasing smile curled Shen Xingyan's lips. Toying with a Little Bean was rather fun. It gave him the pleasant superiority of a clever man looking down on an idiot.
He gazed down at Ye Zhenzhen expectantly. What else could she possibly say?
Ye Zhenzhen tipped her head back even farther, swallowed a few times, and put everything she had into one more word: "...wish." Then she raised her middle finger at Shen Xingyan. What am I supposed to do? My mouth is so clumsy, and I can barely speak. I'm at a hopeless disadvantage in an argument!
"You... wish?" It took Shen Xingyan another moment to realize she was calling him stupid and wishing him dead. Humiliation flared into rage, and he fired a streak of Sword Qi at Ye Zhenzhen.