Meanwhile, the Spirit Artifact Hall Master and the Second Elder brought Yuan Shuo to the outskirts of Spirit Moon Peak.
With their special tokens, they soon passed through Spirit Moon Peak's Protective Array and began looking around for Lan Yue.
The Spirit Artifact Hall Master had actually arrived at the same conclusion as the Sect Master. He was terribly busy now, working to atone for his mistakes and searching for Spirit Herbs to heal his young nephew.
Yet now that Yuan Shuo had awakened, he needed someone by his side more than ever.
The Spirit Artifact Hall Master was also deeply worried that the Demon Abyss Rift would appear again and that strange demonic hand would snatch his nephew away.
After all, Lan Yue had already said that in that so-called original novel, the one taken by the demonic hand had been his young nephew, not Yuan Bao.
Now that the plot had changed, rather than live with his heart in his throat every day, he might as well bring his nephew to Lan Yue.
After all, she possessed an Immortal Artifact! Besides, the Silver Snow Ancient Sword's power was not to be underestimated.
So he trusted Lan Yue's place more than the sect's grand Protective Array.
"Little Shuo, stay at Spirit Moon Peak for a while. Once Uncle finishes his work, I'll come get you." Yuan Su looked at the boy beside him, reluctant to leave.
But however reluctant he was, there was nothing he could do. He had things he absolutely had to attend to, and besides...
The Spirit Artifact Hall Master looked at his persistently silent nephew and sighed inwardly.
Besides, Yuan Shuo might have suffered a terrible shock. Apart from saying last time that he wanted to give Lan Yue the ten-thousand-year cold jade, he had not spoken a single word since.
The boy's face was painfully thin, smaller than his uncle's palm, with dark, gloomy eyes above it. He looked deeply worrying.
Those eyes looked so much like Xiaxia's. How had he never noticed before?
Whenever Yuan Su thought of this, his heart ached terribly.
Burdened with worries, he and the Second Elder behind him found the two sleeping girls on a patch of grass.
A group of dark green Spirit Tortoises surrounded the girls, sprawling lazily there as though guarding something.
Seeing the three approach, all the Spirit Tortoises grew wary. They stretched their green necks as far as they could and flicked their long tails back and forth, looking anxious.
Only after Er Dan recognized the two elders and gave a low rumble did the other Spirit Tortoises settle down.
"These two fell asleep?" The Second Elder did not know whether to laugh or cry at the sight.
He remembered that the Sect Master had sent Yun Xi here to cultivate diligently, yet the moment she met Lan Yue, the whole picture had changed.
Oh, well. These children only had a few more years to live without a care.
The Demon Abyss Rift had appeared again, and there were fresh stirrings in the Demon Domain.
Judging from Lan Yue's inner thoughts, their South Spirit only had these few years of peace left.
"Yuan Shuo, you'll stay with Lan Yue for now. You gave her something last time, remember?" The Second Elder crouched down to meet the silent boy's eyes.
Sure enough, at the sound of Lan Yue's name, a little light returned to Yuan Shuo's eyes. He pressed his lips together and looked toward the distant patch of grass.
Behind him, the Spirit Artifact Hall Master rejoiced inwardly. Bringing the boy here had indeed been the right choice!
The two slowly approached with Yuan Shuo, finally noticing what the Spirit Tortoises held in their mouths.
The Second Elder, in particular, eyed that familiar fish tail suspiciously, then looked at the fire built nearby. His ominous feeling grew stronger and stronger.
When the Spirit Tortoise before him turned over the fish in its claws, revealing its entire body, the Second Elder's eyes went completely red.
"No wonder the fish I raised kept disappearing! You've been eating them all!" the Second Elder cried in grief and outrage.
That furious roar jolted Lan Yue awake. She stretched on the grass, but before she could work out what had happened, Er Dan wrapped a tail around her and fled at lightning speed.
Realizing things had gone wrong, the Spirit Tortoises had already scattered in every direction. Even Yun Xi was swept up and carried away, staring blankly at the rapidly receding Second Elder.
"Trying to run? I should have known it was you lot! Spirit Moon Peak is the only place nearby!" The Second Elder chased them in grief and outrage, frightening the Spirit Tortoises into speeding up.
And so, with one side fleeing and the other pursuing, a fierce chase began.
Lan Yue finally realized what had happened. Wracked with guilt, she hurriedly clung tightly to Er Dan.
Caught up in the atmosphere, the Silver Snow Sword Spirit manifested behind her and jumped into her arms, looking around nervously.
"We've been caught! Quick, go faster!"
"All tortoise troops, heed my command! Split up and run! Every one who escapes counts! If two get away, we've come out ahead!"
And so Spirit Moon Peak once again witnessed a flock of Spirit Tortoises scattering through the sky for their lives.
On the ground, the Spirit Artifact Hall Master's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
At that moment, he had exactly the same thought as Yun Chong. Lan Yue looked so unreliable...
Amid the chaos, the Spirit Artifact Hall Master suddenly heard laughter.
He turned to find that his silent nephew had somehow broken into a smile and was curiously watching the Spirit Tortoises flying through the sky.
The Spirit Artifact Hall Master nearly wept with joy!
What did they call this? Finding what you sought without lifting a finger!
By then, the Second Elder had already cooled down and was planning to let the little ones off.
Unexpectedly, the Spirit Artifact Hall Master excitedly sent him a voice transmission. "Second Elder, my nephew smiled! As long as he's willing to smile, it means he'll soon be able to untangle the knot in his heart! Sorry for the trouble, but please chase Lan Yue a little longer. Afterward, you can take whichever Spirit Artifact you want from my portable cave abode!"
As one of the Southern Region's few grandmasters of Artifact Refining, Yuan Su could afford to be that extravagant!
Once that transmission reached him, the Second Elder immediately raised his Spirit Sword and resumed the chase, even though he had been about to stop.
Who needed dignity? He had coveted a certain Spirit Artifact in the Spirit Artifact Hall for ages. Only a fool would stop now!
And so Lan Yue discovered that the Second Elder had sped up again!
She instantly let out a miserable howl and had Silver Snow secretly help her pick up speed.
As the chase went back and forth, she watched the Second Elder draw ever closer and felt that this could not go on. Reckless courage welled up in her, and she simply had Silver Snow seize Yuan Shuo as a hostage.
Yuan Shuo's sudden disappearance caused another uproar, and the Spirit Artifact Hall Master came chasing after them too.
"Are we running for our lives?" the boy asked quietly.
"Yes, of course we're running for our lives! And now you're our hostage. If you know what's good for you, hand over everything valuable!" Lan Yue huffed twice.
The "hostage," Yuan Shuo, froze for a moment, then decisively handed over his Storage Ring.
This time, Lan Yue was the one left stunned. She stared at Yuan Shuo as though he were a fool.
"Never mind. Keep it yourself. From now on, we're allies! Whatever you see in the future, don't ever tell anyone!" Lan Yue shoved the Storage Ring back at him irritably.
Hearing this, Yuan Shuo nodded obediently.
Looking at such an obedient Yuan Shuo, Lan Yue suddenly felt a little guilty.
[Lan Yue: Ah, he's such a good child. I can't bear to crush this tender flower with a ruthless hand.]
Behind her, the Spirit Artifact Hall Master nearly fainted with anger when he heard that thought.
What had Lan Yue just done? What did she mean by crushing a tender flower with a ruthless hand?
Don't ask. The Spirit Artifact Hall Master regretted it now. He regretted it terribly!
[Lan Yue: Er Dan and the others have been eating fish for so long, and they were all raised by the Second Elder himself. I really feel bad. How about I check what's been happening with him lately and give him a discreet warning?]
The Second Elder, who had been pursuing her all this time, stiffened and nearly gave up on the spot.
But remembering the Spirit Artifact he had coveted for so long, he gritted his teeth and kept chasing.
[Lan Yue: Huh? The Second Elder actually has such a bizarre hobby. He likes listening to other people fart!]
"Lan Yue, your life is mine!" The Second Elder was nearly out of his mind with rage. What did she mean, he liked listening to people fart?
He just-he just...
[Lan Yue: Holy shit, the Second Elder is serious! He's really furious this time!]
Lan Yue hurriedly climbed onto Silver Snow, then hauled Yuan Shuo and Yun Xi up from behind her.
"Quick, quick, quick! Let's run! Once the Second Elder comes back to his senses, I'll apologize in person!"
[Lan Yue: Who would have thought such an imposing Second Elder would have such a bizarre hobby in private? You really can't judge a person by their appearance!]
Behind them, even Yuan Su was looking at the Second Elder suspiciously, his gaze wavering with doubt and alarm.
His eyes seemed to say, Second Elder, so this is what you're really like. I had you all wrong!
The Second Elder nearly spat blood. At that moment, he understood his fifth brother's urge to cry without having any tears.
That mouth of Lan Yue's-she really dared to say absolutely anything in her head!
Before you continue