Watching Bibi Dong gradually settle down after absorbing his blood, Ning Chengyi breathed a sigh of relief. He did a little work to conceal the cave entrance, ensuring they would not be discovered, then scattered medicinal powder to ward off soul beasts.
Time passed, and night enveloped the cave. A faint fire flickered inside, casting the two figures alternately into light and shadow.
Bibi Dong lay on the mat, her body trembling from time to time as she let out muffled groans of pain. Her face alternated between crimson and deathly pale.
"Damn it, why is it happening again!"
Night had only just fallen. Ning Chengyi frowned and searched through the secret manuscript, but none of the symptoms listed matched hers. This was far too bizarre.
And he simply could not imagine what poison Bibi Dong had been afflicted with.
Unless...
"Is this madwoman undergoing... a divine trial?!"
At that thought, Ning Chengyi was momentarily speechless. If that really was the case, there was nothing he could do with his current strength.
"Hot!"
"It hurts, it hurts!" Suddenly, Bibi Dong's complexion kept changing, and groans poured from her lips.
Bibi Dong abruptly curled up, arching her body. Cold sweat streamed down her forehead, and her skin turned purplish-black. Her agonized groans and gasps echoed through the cave.
"Cold..."
Watching Bibi Dong swing between hot and cold, Ning Chengyi released the Phantom Butterfly Spirit Tide, which circled continuously around them.
Layer upon layer of butterfly dust drifted down. He cut his hand again, letting blood slowly flow out, then held it to Bibi Dong's lips for her to suck. Only then did her complexion gradually improve.
"Damn it, is this going to last all night?" Ning Chengyi held her, feeling weak himself after Bibi Dong drank his blood.
And as Bibi Dong's poison flared up, alternating between heat and cold, she actually began to act up.
When she was hot, the cave filled with the sight of bare flesh; when she was cold, she coiled around him like a snake around a pillar. Ning Chengyi gritted his teeth and endured, keeping himself clearheaded and letting her drink his blood from time to time to suppress the poison inside her.
After a night of torment, Bibi Dong finally fell asleep, and Ning Chengyi could hold out no longer. His face was pale, with dark circles beneath his eyes, as though he had been drained dry. In the end, he fell into a deep sleep in Bibi Dong's embrace.
Sunlight shone in through the gaps between the vines.
As the light fell across her eyelids, the sleeping Bibi Dong slowly woke, her mind still somewhat muddled.
She instinctively felt around, then realized she was nestled in a warm embrace. Confusion appeared in her eyes.
When she opened them, she was immediately startled, her gaze filling with anger and murderous intent.
At that moment, she did not have a stitch on. Her skin pressed tightly against someone else's body, and her fruits were flattened like squashed figs. The mortifying sight made her reason snap in an instant.
A fierce hostility churned in her eyes, but when she saw who was in her arms, a sense of helplessness rose within her instead.
She lowered her eyes, not daring to look up at Ning Chengyi before her. Her delicate fingers clenched tightly, her knuckles turning white.
Sensing the change in the woman in his arms, Ning Chengyi's gaze instantly shifted, and he stiffened like a cat with its fur standing on end.
He had been so focused on saving her last night that he had forgotten the woman in his arms was a Titled Douluo-and one with psychological problems at that.
He was practically courting death like this. Still, he mustered his courage and asked, his exhaustion impossible to conceal, "What poison were you afflicted with? Are you better now?!"
"The Twin Spider Nether Flower!"
"...Counting it up, it's been plaguing me for over a month. You only suppressed it temporarily last night. This poison is vicious beyond measure and difficult to eradicate completely."
After a moment of silence, Bibi Dong continued speaking. Just as her words ended, her gaze happened to fall on Ning Chengyi's arm.
A savage cut came into view. The wound had not fully healed, and traces of blood still lingered on it.
In an instant, Bibi Dong shuddered. Whatever embarrassment and anger remained vanished completely, leaving only guilt welling up in her heart.
Images surfaced in her mind of her frenzied, uncontrollable behavior after the poison flared up. It was the young man before her who had used his own body as a conduit, forcibly helping her bring the poison under control and stabilize her essence.
It had been the same before, and now it had happened again.
She was the head of a hall, a Titled Douluo who looked down upon all living beings, yet now she needed a mere soul master's protection and had even caused him to suffer wound after wound. Pride and guilt collided fiercely within her, weighing her heart down further.
Her breathing grew increasingly heavy.
While the two sat in silence, a clamor of voices came from nearby, instantly shattering the stillness.
Bibi Dong and Ning Chengyi exchanged a look and reined in their emotions, each understanding the other's meaning. Ning Chengyi released Bibi Dong, then quietly crawled to the cave entrance and peered out through a gap.
In the gorge, more than a dozen burly men with the words "Fierce Wolf" embroidered on their clothing had spread out, searching for something. Every one of them wore a vicious expression, their eyes dark and sinister.
At that moment, several men at the front were talking.
"We still haven't found any trace of the soul bone."
"Search thoroughly. Don't miss a single spot, or the leader will erupt in thunderous fury. And make sure you search for the young master too."
"Where exactly did Third go? Did he take the young master somewhere to escape the beast tide?"
"Forget that for now. Find the soul bone first. With it, our Fierce Wolf Group can rise another step."
The fragmented conversation reached Ning Chengyi's ears, and a flash of delighted surprise crossed his face.
A soul bone!
Could that soul bone be somewhere nearby?
And there was another piece of good news: Li Qiuping was missing.
His fate was surely uncertain too. After all, he had gone up against Bibi Dong.
Lowering his voice, Ning Chengyi glanced at Bibi Dong, delight on his face. "They found a soul bone. It seems to be somewhere near us."
A flash of delighted surprise appeared in Bibi Dong's eyes as well. To think there was actually a soul bone here-it was simply unbelievable.
"Wait!" Ning Chengyi looked at Bibi Dong's expression, then glanced at her snow-white skin as he spoke.
"When do you intend to give me my clothes?" Bibi Dong asked, a blush of embarrassment crossing her face.
"Oh, right, right. Sorry, I didn't mean to."
As he spoke, he handed her the clothes beside him.
Naturally, they were Ning Chengyi's clothes. Bibi Dong's own clothes had already been torn to shreds.
A long while later, the members of the Fierce Wolf Group left, cursing and grumbling as they disappeared into the forest.
Once they were certain the Fierce Wolf Group had completely departed, Bibi Dong said, "There's something strange about the vines here. These are Gold-Growing Vines. As their name suggests, they need something valuable nearby to grow well. But they also have a weakness: once a treasure exceeds what they can absorb, they wither and die."
"You mean you want me to look for withered vines and old trees?"
"Yes."
"Same rules as before. Wait for me to come back."
With that, Ning Chengyi quietly slipped outside.
Avoiding the areas the Fierce Wolf Group had searched, he followed routes they had not thought of. As night fell, he finally found an unusual spot.
"This should be it."
Ning Chengyi stepped forward and gently parted the dried vines with his hand.
Behind the vines was a small, concealed stone doorway, ancient and imposing, hidden without the slightest telltale sign.
"I'll go back first and wait for her." After considering it, he chose the safest approach.
Before you continue