Chapter 76: Gardenia Jasminoides
"Too noisy."
Li Luoning stretched out his hand in the direction of the crow and clenched his fist abruptly. With a puff, the crow on the tree exploded and died.
Mi Xingzhe stared at the scene that had just unfolded, standing in place, dazed for a long time,
"Master... Master just... just did..."
A chill surged up Mi Xingzhe's spine, causing his hairs to stand on end.
Whether it was the night wind that was too cold or the scene that had just scared him, Mi Xingzhe felt his heart pounding, his breath quickening, and his hands trembling slightly as he accidentally knocked loose a stone from the wall.
"Who!" Li Luoning turned around sharply at the sound.
As their eyes met, Mi Xingzhe felt a shiver down his spine. A strong killing intent surged in Li Luoning's eyes.
Thinking he was still trapped in a dream, Mi Xingzhe saw Li Luoning looking at him and quickly turned to run deeper into the cave.
"That person just now wasn't Master. Master's eyes wouldn't have that icy coldness and undisguised murderous intent. I must still be in a dream, still in a dream. Hide, hide quickly. I don't want to hear those words anymore, I don't want to."
Hearing the noise, Li Luoning turned his head and saw Mi Xingzhe's stumbling figure running into the cave.
"Xingzhe?"
By the faint moonlight, Li Luoning wasn't sure if he had just seen Mi Xingzhe.
According to his expectations, Mi Xingzhe should still take a few more days to wake up. Feeling uneasy, Li Luoning hurriedly followed. As soon as he entered the cave, he saw Mi Xingzhe frantically searching for a hiding place in the spacious cave.
"Xingzhe?"
Hearing the call, Mi Xingzhe stopped abruptly, his eyes filled with fear, his body stiff and trembling slightly, even forgetting to breathe for a moment.
He didn't know what kind of situation he was facing this time, but he knew he couldn't escape. He could only slowly turn to face Li Luoning.
Seeing Mi Xingzhe's stiff and terrified look, Li Luoning thought it was because the poison in his body hadn't been cured and that this was just another state of his nightmares. He reached out his hand, intending to pull him back to lie down.
"Don't come any closer!" Mi Xingzhe shouted in fear, backing away quickly.
Li Luoning was stunned. Although Mi Xingzhe would speak in his nightmares before, this reaction clearly indicated he could see him now.
Li Luoning took a few tentative steps in front of Mi Xingzhe and then a few steps in another direction, noticing that Mi Xingzhe kept staring at him.
"Xingzhe, it's me, your Master." Li Luoning confirmed that Mi Xingzhe was not in a nightmare and took another step forward, trying to grab his hand.
"No~ Don't come closer~" Mi Xingzhe waved his hands wildly in front of him, retreating step by step until he accidentally stepped on a small stone and fell to the ground.
Li Luoning was startled by Mi Xingzhe's reaction. Seeing him fall, he instinctively wanted to help him up, but Mi Xingzhe's reaction became even more intense.
"Let go, let go of me. Don't, Master, don't. I know I was wrong. Please don't say those words again..." Mi Xingzhe pleaded, waving his arms desperately to protect himself.
**What did he see in his nightmares to make him so terrified of seeing me?** Li Luoning's hand, which was about to help, stopped in mid-air, his deep eyes full of confusion and pain.
"Xingzhe, it's me." Li Luoning withdrew his hand, calling out softly.
Mi Xingzhe seemed to not hear at all, continuously crawling backward, looking for a place to hide like a frightened bird.
Seeing Mi Xingzhe like this, Li Luoning's eyes couldn't help but well up with tears. He unconsciously took a step forward.
"Master, please, don't. I know I was wrong. Please stop saying those things, stop..." As Li Luoning approached step by step, Mi Xingzhe whimpered, begging.
"Xingzhe, what happened to you?" Li Luoning watched Mi Xingzhe's world seemingly collapsing before his eyes. Every word of pleading was like a long sword, piercing Li Luoning's heart again and again.
The intense struggle and his still-unhealed body made Mi Xingzhe's lips pale, his forehead covered in fine sweat, and the cold sweat trickling down his temples wetting the strands of hair beside his cheeks. His back was soaked in sweat.
Even though he was already weak, his trembling arms still tried to move backward bit by bit.
Thud~
Failing to support himself, Mi Xingzhe's elbow gave way, and his cheek hit the ground with a thud. When he tried to get up again, the sharp stones on the ground had cut a few wounds on his cheek, and blood mixed with the dirt seeped out bit by bit.
"Enough! Look at me! See clearly who I am and where you are!" Li Luoning lost his patience, grabbing Mi Xingzhe's face and forcing him to look at him.
"Let go, let go of me, Master. Don't, don't do this, please~" Li Luoning's extreme reaction scared Mi Xingzhe into complete loss of control, his body trembling uncontrollably with cold fear.
Choking sobs, tightly closed eyes, and tears streaming from the corners of his eyes.
"You—" Li Luoning seemed to lose control for a moment, raising his hand as if to strike.
"Quiet down! It's the middle of the night, don't you let people sleep?" Their argument had awakened Jiagu Qing, who yawned and descended from above, looking at the pair with a sleepy expression.
"What's all this shouting about in the middle of the night?" Jiagu Qing kicked Mi Xingzhe lightly, demanding an explanation.
"Jiagu... Senior Jiagu..." Mi Xingzhe stammered, suddenly sobering up, his long, wet eyelashes fluttering as he looked at Jiagu Qing.
Jiagu Qing rubbed his eyes, then took a closer look at the two before him. Not believing his eyes, he moved closer, rubbing them again.
"Little Golden Core? You're awake?"
Mi Xingzhe finally realized he was not dreaming. Everything happening was real: his master had indeed saved him, and he was no longer trapped in the nightmare set by Nan Zhe. After all, Senior Jiagu would never appear in a nightmare.
"So... I'm not dreaming." Mi Xingzhe murmured in disbelief.
Before Li Luoning could respond, Jiagu Qing grabbed Mi Xingzhe's ear, lifting him off the ground.
"Brat! Just woke up and you're already disturbing my sleep! You know how much effort your master and I spent dragging you back from the gates of hell? And you repay us with noise? I haven't even started punishing you yet! Sent you to get medicine in the Flatland, and you nearly got yourself killed. Seems you need a good beating to remember!"
Jiagu Qing picked up a branch from the firewood pile and began to smack Mi Xingzhe's behind with it.
Li Luoning stood stunned for a moment, then stepped back to watch, hands clasped, as Jiagu Qing chased Mi Xingzhe around, occasionally dodging.
"Ouch! Senior, stop! I was wrong! Ouch, it hurts!" Mi Xingzhe tried to dodge, but with his ear held tight by Jiagu Qing, he could only circle around him, trying to escape the hits.
In the Liao Yin Immortal Realm, SiTu Fanzhi was in seclusion, trying to absorb the power of the Blaze Pill, unaware of the toad creeping up beside him.
The Black-eyed Toad hopped closer, releasing black energy that mixed with the Blaze Pill's red-gold energy, slowly integrating into SiTu Fanzhi's body.
SiTu Fanzhi, eyes closed, felt a fleeting discomfort but dismissed it, though his body showed signs of strain: sweat on his forehead, trembling fingers, and his lips turning purple.
The black energy from the toad increased, and SiTu Fanzhi's condition worsened as he absorbed more of it, while the toad began to absorb the Blaze Pill's energy.
O Shinan, watching through the toad's eyes, smiled evilly, holding the Crystal Cold Ice Core.
"I intended to wait, but since those master and disciple rushed to their deaths, I'll oblige them. At this rate, when will the Immortal Sovereign finish his training? I'll help speed things up." He crushed the Crystal Cold Ice Core and sprinkled the powder into a nearby cup of tea.
Back in Jiuling Cave, Li Luoning and Jiagu Qing sat by the fire while Mi Xingzhe stood nearby, hands behind his back, looking dejected.
Li Luoning glanced at Mi Xingzhe, then smiled and said, "Senior, Xingzhe is still injured. Perhaps he should sit and rest."
Hearing his master intercede, Mi Xingzhe brightened, looking hopefully at Jiagu Qing.
"Sit? I just helped clear his meridians with those hits. His body will recover in an hour with a bit of spirit energy. You worry too much over a few smacks," Jiagu Qing said, glaring at Mi Xingzhe and then at Li Luoning.
"Senior's right," Mi Xingzhe quickly knelt before Li Luoning. "Master, I couldn't distinguish reality from a dream and was disrespectful. It's my fault."
"You were poisoned and trapped in a nightmare; there's no fault in that," Li Luoning reassured him.
"Exactly, there's no fault. But you, Little Medicine Obsessive!" Jiagu Qing suddenly turned to Li Luoning. "This brat can't control the Golden Mark in him. You need to train him better. Focus less on your potions and more on him."
"It's not Master's fault—" Mi Xingzhe tried to defend Li Luoning but was stopped by his master's hand.
"Senior's right. I have been neglectful," Li Luoning acknowledged.
"This Golden Mark can protect the Three Realms. If one of you ever tries to destroy it, only this mark can save us. Everyone knows he's the bearer. If you don't train him, more kidnappings will happen," Jiagu Qing admonished.
"Senior, can't you wish me some good luck?" Mi Xingzhe muttered.
"Good luck? Like stealing brides and getting beaten by their families? I had to fight some perfumed dandy because of you," Jiagu Qing grumbled.
"A dandy?" Master and disciple looked at each other in confusion.
"Aye, at Mirror Cloud Residence, a man reeking of white gardenia. Disgusting," Jiagu Qing sneered.
"Are you sure it was white gardenia?" Li Luoning's heart sank.
If it was, Jiagu Qing had encountered Nan Zhe's true form in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm. If Nan Zhe was O Shinan, all Li Luoning's suspicions were confirmed.
"Of course! I grew that flower myself. You took one for medicine. I'd never forget its scent," Jiagu Qing confirmed.
"Do you remember his appearance?" Li Luoning asked.
"A handsome man in white, like any other of you young immortals. Except for the scent and a faint herbal smell," Jiagu Qing recalled.
"Herbal smell?" Li Luoning's suspicions grew. In the Liao Yin Immortal Realm, only those from Mirror Cloud Residence or the Alchemy Hall would have such a scent.
"Any other distinctive features?" Li Luoning pressed.
"He had a purple silk headband," Jiagu Qing added.
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