Chapter 45: “Does it still hurt here, Nian Nian?”

Jiang Nian Nian saw him trembling like a wounded little beast, his whole body shaking.

Her heart ached, as if a dagger had fiercely stabbed her.

She hurriedly embraced him, “It’s okay, Buqi, I don’t blame you… This wound isn’t deep, it’ll heal soon.”

In her mind, she thought, “When we get back, I must ask Shen Yu and see if something’s wrong with Buqi.”

Yin Buqi held her for a long time.

When he lifted his eyes, the bite mark on Jiang Niannian’s fair skin had already scabbed over, surrounded by redness.

“Does it still hurt here, Nian Nian?”

He gently kissed the wound with his lips, a mistiness forming in his eyes.

His pale skin appeared almost transparent, and his voice was so soft, it seemed like it could melt water.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Jiang Niannian rubbed his head.

“Be good, let’s go eat.”

“Okay.”

As soon as they stepped out, the door next to them was slammed open.

Yin Ci, clearly irritated, rubbed his messy hair and threw out a small black ball fiercely.

“Miss Jiang, control your beast!”

Yin Ci slammed the door shut, causing it to bounce back with a loud bang.

Coal Ball, with tear-filled eyes, whimpered at Jiang Niannian, “Awoo~” The little beast had fallen and needed its “mama” to pick it up.

Jiang Niannian sighed, “…Failing to teach is the father’s fault.”

Yin Buqi immediately echoed, “Nian Nian is right; it’s my fault for not teaching it well.”

At this moment, at the Rimuli sect.

Thousands of disciples waited outside the main hall of Erzhu Peak, while inside, the peak masters sat in solemn rows, with the lead disciples respectfully standing by their sides.

One seat remained empty.

Yin Ruoxu, seated in the main position, looked anxious. “Where is Lord Fuhua?”

“The sect master is confused. Every month at this time, Lord Fuhua goes down the mountain to treat people.”

Yin Ruoxu turned to Shi Jing and asked, “The formation leading to the Secret Realm was tampered with. Lord of Fate, do you know who did it?”

Shi Jing stepped forward, bowed slightly, and calmly said, “Since foreseeing the appearance of the Nether Evil Resentment Seed and the Nine-Tailed Fox sixteen years ago, my spiritual alignment has been unstable, and I am temporarily unable to glimpse the heavens.”

At that moment, another person stepped forward, saying, “Reporting to the sect master, several disciples who went through the teleportation array to search for everyone are still missing. Therefore, I speculate that the destination is likely protected by a powerful barrier, cutting off communication with the outside.”

“Could there be a demon spy within our sect?”

“Not likely. I checked the formation yesterday and found no demonic energy on the other side, though there is a heavy presence of resentment.”

Yin Ruoxu’s face darkened further.

A sense of unease slowly crept into his heart.

Could it be… that place? Impossible.

Everyone who knew about it back then is dead; no one would know.

The hall fell into silence.

After a long time, Yin Ruoxu finally spoke, “For now, the peak masters should not act rashly. Continue sending disciples to gather information, and if any news arises, report to each other immediately.”

“Understood, sect master.”

…

On the other side, the cultivators sat down to have breakfast.

Tang Murou chatted cheerfully with a few male cultivators, her radiant smile causing many hearts to stir.

The servants began to gossip again.

“The dozens of cultivators who were shouting about leaving yesterday are all dead.”

“Really?!”

“Yes, their skinless corpses were found floating in the river, and they were fished out this morning.”

Yin Buqi heard this and furrowed his brow slightly.

Jiang Niannian was also stunned.

She swallowed the egg in her mouth and began to sort out the plot.

First, out of the seven men originally meant to belong to the female protagonist, one was dead, one was taken by her, one didn’t fall in love with the protagonist at first sight at the Immortal Alliance Conference, and the male lead still seemed clueless, showing no interest in the protagonist…

Even more absurd was that the original R-rated Secret Realm plot had suddenly been altered, and they had inexplicably ended up in this strange place.

As she was thinking, she caught sight of someone from the corner of her eye.

Song Shi sat lazily by the window, shaking his leg and eating slowly.

When he noticed her looking over, he smiled and walked toward her.

Yin Buqi noticed the movement and immediately pulled Jiang Niannian onto his lap, glaring coldly at Song Shi like a protective puppy.

“What do you want?”

“Why so tense? I’m not trying to take her.”

Song Shi scoffed and continued, “Last night, I was lying in bed, unable to sleep.”

Yin Buqi glanced at him, his red eyes cold and distant, giving off a “why the hell should I care if you can’t sleep?” vibe.

Song Shi clicked his tongue and said, “Then, I suddenly remembered an old book I read. It recorded an ancient race called the ‘Wei’. The Wei people loved the cold and were adept at swimming. Wherever they lived, the rivers were filled with Jinling Green Blossom. Unfortunately, this race went extinct a hundred years ago.”

“Oh? How did they go extinct?” Yin Ci, who stood behind him, asked.

Song Shi straightened his sleeve and continued, “The skin of the Wei was a precious treasure. It could be eaten to nourish the meridians and increase cultivation. It could also be used for disguise and to conceal one’s aura. But the Wei had a fatal weakness—they feared spiritual fire. Based on yesterday’s observations, I deduced that a hundred years ago, the Wei lived here. Later, someone coveted their skin and used fire to kill them, skinning them for food or clothing.”

“Ugh!”

Many cultivators present were so disgusted by the thought of eating human skin that they vomited up their breakfast.

Though the Wei were an ancient race, they were still in human form.

The image of eating their skin was too horrifying!

Jiang Ziyou, however, continued eating, finishing his portion before eyeing Yin Ci’s untouched food.

“Junior Brother, are you not going to eat your porridge and buns? If not, I’ll take them. Then I’ll help you finish them. It’s shameful to waste them.”

Yin Ci waved his hand, “You can have them.”

He didn’t want to touch such simple food, especially after hearing what Song Shi had just said.

Just as Jiang Ziyou picked up Yin Ci’s bowl, Coal Ball suddenly leapt onto the table, growling fiercely at Jiang Ziyou, “Awoo awoo!”

Its tiny paws waved furiously, and when Jiang Ziyou showed no signs of putting the bowl down, it seized the moment and swallowed the entire bowl in one gulp, leaving Jiang Ziyou flabbergasted.

His hand jerked, and suddenly, a loud crashing sound echoed as half the table collapsed and dishes shattered everywhere.

Everyone froze.

The air seemed to still for a moment.

Jiang Niannian: “…” mdzz.

She grabbed Coal Ball by the tail, lifted it upside down, and shook it forcefully.

“Spit it out! You were supposed to drink the porridge; why did you swallow the bowl?!”

But Coal Ball clamped its mouth shut stubbornly, refusing to open up no matter how hard Jiang Niannian shook it.

Frustrated, Jiang Niannian slapped Coal Ball’s bottom.

“Shame on you!”

Coal Ball trembled, its round black eyes looking at her pitifully before wriggling away.

“Awoo awoo awoo awoo!” It just wanted to eat the leftover from its mate’s bowl—what was wrong with that? Nian Nian was a bad person!

Yin Buqi gently cradled Jiang Niannian back in his arms, smiling as he brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

His cheek softly brushed against her skin as he whispered, “Don’t be angry, Nian Nian. It’s not worth hurting yourself over.”

Jiang Niannian’s face warmed, and she nodded, “Mm.”