While Zou Wu was greedy, he wasn’t a fool. If he were to directly give her precious spirit plants, she might just run away with the treasure without a word. He had nowhere to cry.

The scene in front of him alleviated half of his doubts, and after pondering for a moment, he took out a few Fireburning Sunflowers from his pocket and said, “My things are at the camp. I only have these on me.”

Spirit plants are categorized into ordinary, Earth, Heaven, Precious, and Sacred grades. The Sky Heart herb belongs to the rare Sacred grade, while the Blazing Sunflower is of the Heaven grade, a middle-grade that’s neither good nor bad and suitable for testing.

“Refining the heaven level takes time, Senior Brother; please be patient.”

Ning Ning took it from him: “I also need to take care of these two friends with me. How about you return here in an hour? What do you think?”

This was a clear hint for him to leave. Though Zou Wu was skeptical, even if he got swindled, losing a few Heaven Spirit plants wouldn’t be a massive loss.

If this was indeed true…

Then he would make a big profit.

“I know! This is an investment scam!”

Seeing the young man’s breath disappear without a trace, He Zhizhou couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s that kind of scheme, right? Lure him in with a small profit, then, when he’s fully convinced, increase the investment, and then vanish with both the person and the money, isn’t it?”

“Didn’t you get manipulated by Zou Wu and robbed of some heaven-grade spirit plants?” Ning Ning held the Blazing sunflower in her hand, gently rotating it.

“Once he delivers the precious grade spirit plants himself, we’ll say goodbye to him.”

He Zhizhou scratched his head and seemed to regain some sanity.

“But how did you create another sunflower earlier? And how can you guarantee you’ll find his given spiritual plants in the Xiaochongshan later?”

“That flower was already in the furnace. I thought it looked nice, so I put it in. As for Zou Wu’s spirit plants, he’s placed most of his things in the camp. What he’s carrying on his person must be something he collected in the vicinity recently. Are we going to have trouble finding it?”

She explained patiently, “And then there’s this furnace. We’re going to stay in the secret realm for two days and nights, right? I specifically brought it to cook food.”

“I have a question too!”

Xu Ye had finished crying but was still a bit disoriented. “What if he keeps giving Heaven-grade spirit plants here instead of the Precious ones, taking advantage continuously?”

“Mmm.”

Ning Ning smiled and nodded her head. “There are many ways to make him voluntarily deliver the precious ones.”

=====

Ning Ning never expected to see a familiar face on the slope where the Blazing Sunflowers were in full bloom.

Blazing Sunflowers resembled sunflowers and had a very unique characteristic.

If there was complete darkness without any light around, the petals would gradually turn white. When exposed to light, they would become vividly red, like flames.

These spirit plants weren’t particularly rare, and their bright colors made them easy to find. She didn’t have to exert much effort to locate a patch of Blazing Sunflowers.

Under the noonday sun, the brilliant red petals seemed like they had been dipped in blood, creating a scene more beautiful than the earthly landscapes. Ning Ning was in the process of picking one when—

She caught a whiff of a faint, metallic scent in the fragrant flower bed.

The young man lay amidst the radiant red flowers, clad in red clothing. It appeared that he had been attacked, with his pale face creased in a frown. His slender, attractive eyes were tightly shut, showing no signs of waking up.

His red attire blended into the sea of flowers, and there were bite marks on his arms and chest, revealing the pristine, marbled skin beneath, marked with splotches of blood.

However, his bewitching face was more captivating than the blossoms.

It was Rong Ci from Niguang Island.

“…Rong Ci?”

Ning Ning cautiously took a step closer to him. The scent of blossoms and blood coalesced around his body, lending an inexplicable allure to his slightly decayed beauty.

Seeing no response from him, she approached slowly, crouched beside him, and gently extended her hand to check for signs of his breath.

Her fingertip hovered just beneath his straight, delicate nose, and then a gentle breeze brushed past.

The flame-like flower petals swayed in the wind, carrying an enchanting floral scent. Ning Ning was momentarily entranced by the breeze, and she squinted her eyes slightly. When she looked back at him, she was met with a pair of obsidian eyes.

Rong Ci, true to his reputation as a genius among the younger generation of charm cultivators, not only possessed a naturally enchanting face but also a captivating demeanor when looking at people.

His eyes were the most captivating feature among his facial features. There was always a hint of a smile and seductiveness in the curve of his arched gaze. His pupils seemed to contain a hint of watery color, creating a rippling, luminous effect in the sunlight.

Ning Ning felt somewhat embarrassed under his unabashed gaze and shifted her focus to the wounds on Rong Ci’s body. “Your injuries seem quite severe.”

“I encountered a Shadow Bear and had a scuffle with it, but it’s not a big deal.”

Rong Ci nonchalantly raised the corner of his lips, as if intending to force himself to sit up. However, as he began to rise, the suddenly throbbing wound made his complexion pale, and he took a sharp intake of breath.

…His body then unceremoniously slumped forward and fell into Ning Ning’s embrace.

No, it wasn’t that it was “uncontrollable.”

This guy was definitely doing it on purpose.

“It seems like I can’t leave.”

Rong Ci was still smiling, his voice languid, like a piece of candy waiting to be unwrapped. His breath fell on her neck, carrying fragrance, and a soft hand slowly climbed up her spine.  “Miss Ning Ning, as a righteous cultivator, will not ignore me,right?.”

Ning Ning had never had such intimate contact with a boy of her age, and she was taken aback, holding her breath as her ears turned hot.

“I have medicine in the cave where I live. If you put your hand down, I’ll take you there.”

Her voice faltered. “Even if you’re injured, you can’t do this.”

After a pause, she added without confidence, “Men and women shouldn’t get too close.”

She heard Rong Ci’s unrestrained laughter near her ear.

The little voice in her heart was screaming, asking for help. What was this cliché dialogue that only existed between enchantresses and righteous heroes?

In any case, she brought Rong Ci into the cave where He Zhizhou, Xu Ye, and others were temporarily staying.

If they couldn’t get the antidote for poisonous mushrooms, the symptoms could last for several days. He Zhizhou, who was still dazed, widened his eyes in surprise when he saw Rong Ci. “Wow, Ning Ning, how did you pick up a Blazing Sunflower bigger than yourself?”

Xu Ye, who was a bit more awake, was calming his right-arm daughter, who was sleeping. He furrowed his brows when he saw Rong Ci. “Why is someone from Niguang Island here?”

Niguang Island, like the Haoran Sect, didn’t have a particularly good reputation.

“Rong Ci was injured and had nowhere to go, so I brought him here to take shelter for a while.”

Ning Ning seemed to have no concerns in that regard at all and settled the young man in a corner of the cave. She took out some medicine from her bag and handed it to him.

“He has nowhere to go? He’s the most favored disciple of Niguang Island!”

Xu Ye snorted. “Now that you have the Sky Heart Herb, do you know how many people are secretly eyeing it? There’s no need to bring someone with an unclear background back here—do you think he’s dying too slowly?”

“Sky Heart Herb?”

Rong Ci laughed mockingly, his vivid features dripping with derision and coldness. He probably strained his wound when he laughed, and he winced and gritted his teeth. “What, does the Wanjian Sect think that Niguang Island must be involved in something fishy?”

For a moment, it was a standoff, with no one saying a word.

In the end, the one who broke the silence was another familiar male voice: “Is this… the right time for me to come?”

Xu Ye turned around in anger and saw Zou Wu, who had a forced smile on his face.

“I came to pick up the Blazing Sunflower.”

He looked around the cave and cleared his throat. “I wonder if Ning Ning’s Golden Jade furnace…”

“No problem.”

Ning Ning smiled and picked up the palm-sized stove. After a moment of hesitation, she led Zou Wu out of the cave.

No one noticed the self-satisfied smile that flashed in the man’s dark pupils. He wasn’t a fool. To determine if the stove was real or fake, he had long been lurking around the Blazing Sunflower. Sure enough, not long after, he saw Ning Ning coming to pick flowers.

The little girl with little experience in the world really thought she could deceive him with such a trick. She was probably fishing for a big catch, waiting for him to voluntarily offer high-grade spiritual plants and then disappear with both the plants and the treasures.

But he just didn’t play along and continued to give her the little items of the Heaven Grade, enjoying the pleasure of multiplying the Heaven Grade spirit plants.

Little girl, do you still want to fight with me?

The little girl looked a little downcast when she received another batch of Heaven Grade items, but she still promised to return them to him shortly.

The two of them quickly bid farewell, and as Zou Wu was about to leave, he unexpectedly heard footsteps behind him.