After walking in the forest for about half an hour, it became completely dark. Moonlight filtered through the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
Seeing that continuing like this was not a solution, Lin Yu sensed that the nearest town was several hundred miles away.
So he suggested that he take everyone directly there by flying.
"No!" Huang Rong immediately waved her hand, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Su Xiaoxiao.
"We've finally managed to get out here, how about we go camping in the wild? Look how beautiful the moonlight is, with mountains and a breeze, it's so relaxing!"
Su Xiaoxiao had finally escaped that oppressive world, and after Huang Rong's suggestion, she nodded in agreement. "I think it's a good idea. Anyway, with you all here, I'm not afraid of any danger."
Xiao Yan, Shi Hao, and the others had no objections upon hearing this; they were used to camping as they spent most of their time training outdoors.
After passing through a grove of trees, we soon found a clearing by the stream.
The stream is paved with pebbles, and the moonlight reflects on its surface, creating a shimmering silver glow.
Lin Yu walked to the center of the open space, gently patted the ground with both hands, and his wood-attribute Spiritual Power surged into the earth.
The next second, countless emerald green vines sprouted from the soil, intertwining and entwining like living things. In no time, they built three simple yet sturdy vine houses, with even the doors and windows clearly visible.
Huang Rong leaned forward, patted the sturdy vine wall, and widened her eyes in surprise. "Lin Yu, your skills are amazing! If you were a carpenter, you could earn tens of thousands of taels of silver a year!"
Su Xiaoxiao poked her head helplessly. "All you care about is money. How can carpentry compare to this? This is a cultivation technique!"
Lin Yu ignored their teasing and took out the remaining Mystic Serpent from his storage space.
He had put away the snake meat that he hadn't finished eating earlier, and it still smelled fresh when he took it out now.
Upon seeing this, Shi Hao and Goku immediately came over; one started a fire, and the other processed the snake meat, their movements quite skilled.
Huang Rong touched her still-bulging belly and shook her head. "I'm not eating anymore."
The snake meat was so filling that she only ate a bite or two and felt like she could go a year without eating.
As she spoke, she ran to the stream and played in the water, stepping on the pebbles. Under the moonlight, the stream shimmered with a pure white light. She gently stomped her feet, and water splashed up, breaking into thousands of silver ripples.
But after taking only a few steps, my foot slipped.
With a "plop," he sat down in the stream, his trouser legs instantly soaked.
"Hahaha!" The people by the stream couldn't help but laugh when they saw this.
Huang Rong was both embarrassed and angry. She scooped up a handful of stream water and splashed it at Lin Yu and the others. "Stop laughing! If you laugh again, I'll throw away all your snake meat!"
Lin Yu laughed and dodged the stream, casually waving his hand to absorb the water droplets from Huang Rong's body with a burst of Spiritual Power: "Stop fooling around, be careful not to catch a cold."
Laughter echoed along the stream, but inside the Qingyun Sect of the Qingyun Sect, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed to drip water.
Biyao and You Ji have already been taken away and imprisoned with those Demonic Sect cultivators.
Several peak masters sat around in the center of the main hall, while Lu Xueqi, Zhang Xiaofan, and others stood to the side, quietly reporting on the course of their training.
"What? She's Biyao, the Ghost King's daughter?" Dragon Head Peak Master Daoist Cangsong slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, his eyes sharply fixed on Lu Xueqi and the others.
After much discussion, the group still couldn't decide how to deal with Biyao and You Ji.
Some people even suggested that the two should not be released, lest the Demonic Sect attack the mountain gate.
Master Shuiyue of Little Bamboo Peak slowly spoke, "Although Biyao is the daughter of the Ghost King, she is also a demon disciple we have captured. If we release her like this, wouldn't it make it seem like our Qingyun Sect is afraid of the Ghost King Sect?"
"But if we leave her here, the Ghost King Sect will definitely not let this go!" Shang Zhengliang, the peak master of Chaoyang Peak, frowned.
"The Demonic Sect is very active these days. If a war between the two factions is triggered by Biyao, it will be detrimental to our Qingyun Sect."
The hall immediately erupted into debate. Some advocated for severe punishment as a warning to others; others suggested temporary imprisonment to use Biyao to restrain the Ghost King Sect; still others worried about the Ghost King's retaliation and proposed releasing her.
Finally, Sect Leader Reverend Daoxuan interrupted the crowd, saying, "Imprison Biyao and You Ji in the Heaven-Piercing Peak dungeon, keep them under strict guard, and keep the news from the outside world under wraps. If the Ghost King Sect comes to demand them, say that we are currently interrogating them, buy time, and then make further plans."
Although the peak masters had some objections, they knew that this was the safest approach at present, and they all nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, after camping by the stream and relaxing for a few days in the Zhu Xian World, Lin Yu and the others decided to return to their respective worlds.
After some discussion, the group decided against attempting to obtain the other treasures in the world.
After all, the black snake had already been killed earlier.
They were also afraid that by causing too much damage to the world, they would create too many difficulties for Lu Xueqi in the future.
A flash of light, and when he opened his eyes again, he was back in the familiar bamboo forest of Southern Border.
The stone where he sat when he left is now surrounded by newly grown bamboo shoots, and the air is filled with the fresh scent of bamboo.
Seeing the bamboo, Lin Yu did some quick calculations. He had only been gone for a little over a day, and the bamboo was growing incredibly fast.
Then, Lin Yu arrived at Ayi's bamboo house and knocked on the door.
"You're finally back!" Ayi's face was full of joy when she saw Lin Yu.
I've been looking for you all day; I thought you'd left!
Lin Yu scratched his head, realizing that children seemed particularly popular with girls. "Something came up, sorry to have worried you. By the way, how's your Five Elements Ki Refining Technique coming along?"
Ayi immediately straightened her chest, extended her right index finger, and a faint green light slowly appeared at the tip of her finger.
Although the aura was faint, it remained stable and did not dissipate, which was a sign of the condensation of wood-attribute energy.
She proudly raised her chin. "Look! I've already managed to condense an attribute aura!"
A hint of approval flashed in Lin Yu's eyes, and he clapped his hands. "Not bad, you've improved quickly. Once you can control your breath skillfully, we'll try out the poisonous insects."
Ayi nodded vigorously, then put her arm around Lin Yu and walked into the bamboo house. "I also picked some new herbs. Can you help me test if these are effective against poisonous insects?"
Lin Yu was held by Ayi's arm, the faint herbal scent emanating from the girl filling his nostrils. Unable to refuse, he could only follow her into the bamboo house.
The bamboo house was simply furnished with a bamboo table, a few bamboo chairs, and dried herbs piled up in the corner. The air was filled with the fresh scent of herbs.
It's very simple, so simple it doesn't look like a girl's room.
As soon as Ayi entered the room, she let go of him, turned around and rummaged through the bamboo cabinet to find a small ceramic bowl containing a pale green ointment that emitted a strong herbal scent.
"This is a new medicine I brewed using Clerodendrum trichotomum and Clerodendrum trichotomum. Could you test its effects for me?"
As she spoke, she grabbed Lin Yu's right hand without saying a word, dipped her fingertip in some ointment, and gently applied it to the back of his hand.
The ointment was slightly cool and had a delicate texture. When Ayi's fingertips, carrying a warm temperature, touched his skin, Lin Yu was inexplicably stunned.
His gentle movements and focused expression were just like the way Ren Tingting fed him cake.
"What's wrong?" After applying the ointment, Ayi noticed Lin Yu's blank stare and waved her hand in front of his face.
"N-nothing." Lin Yu snapped back to reality, looked away, and gently shook his head.
He has been away from his master for almost two years now; I wonder how they are doing.