Whew!!
Dark crimson flames churned and danced at the edge of Zheng Qing's vision. He could smell the faint fragrance left behind by that light pat, the thin smoke released when the Fire Repelling Talisman activated, and the charred stench given off by those "ropes" as they burned—a mixture of roasted meat and burning aralia.
A moment later, the talisman paper burned away.
Zheng Qing saw the twin suns in the sky again, while the "ropes" binding his hands and feet vanished completely. Then that faint fragrance drew close once more, grabbing his arm and helping him up from the ground.
The young wizard turned around and saw the witch's sparkling eyes. A few steps away stood an enormous black cat, its back arched as it warily stared into the distance, its tail sweeping restlessly behind it.
"Why did you come down?"
He looked at the witch with some irritation, yet lacked the courage to meet her eyes. Settling for a compromise, he glanced at her chin before shifting his gaze away to inspect the slightly blurred figures on the distant cliff walls. "Didn't I tell you to stay put up there? This place is crawling with demons... People can die down here!"
"That's true." The witch's voice held lingering fear. "You almost died."
That answer left Zheng Qing speechless for a moment.
"Thanks."
He muttered as he beckoned his spellbook over from where it had fallen into the dust. Looking around in every direction, several thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind.
In truth, when he saw Jiang Yu, his first reaction had been worry, followed immediately by anger. Then he considered sending her back up to the city wall.
But he instantly realized that notion was a little too extravagant—her making it safely from the city wall to his