Chapter 319: Hold My Little Hand

“Old Jin, there’s nothing between me and Xiao Feng-feng.”

“Senior Sister Qing’er, does Xiao Feng-feng look like she’s willing to acknowledge me?”

As Ye Wenxin spoke, Fairy Fengya scooted closer to her, seemingly unconcerned about any physical contact. Ye Wenxin felt even more baffled. For a moment, she even suspected that Fairy Fengya was deliberately following Great-Grandma’s bad advice to get back at her.

However, Fairy Fengya had been keeping Ye Wenxin safe along the way. Seeing this familiar pattern, Ye Wenxin finally understood that Fairy Fengya was imitating Jin Xiaoqin.

Ye Wenxin, slowing her pace, turned to give Fairy Fengya a warning. “Even if you’re suddenly so nice to me, I won’t betray my master!”

Fairy Fengya’s expression remained unchanged; she merely touched her lips again. It seemed she had given up on the normal method of recruiting a disciple and decided to continue using her beauty as a lure. Ye Wenxin found it hard to keep her composure; this action by Fairy Fengya brought back memories from the previous day.

After what happened with Ling Jue, Ye Wenxin’s resistance to wrestling had grown increasingly weak. Despite her conscious efforts to resist, her body was still too compliant. If Fairy Fengya hadn’t stopped her in time yesterday, Long Qing’er might have witnessed Ye Wenxin’s complete loss of control.

Fortunately, that hadn’t happened, and Ye Wenxin maintained an ambiguous relationship with Fairy Fengya. She glanced at Fairy Fengya, who still looked indifferent, and finally retreated to Jin Xiaoqin’s side, seeking the comfort that an ordinary person provided her.

“Hmph.” Jin Xiaoqin was still somewhat displeased, but seeing Ye Wenxin’s good attitude, she didn’t say anything further. Despite some lingering emotions, they were no longer in the Azure Wings Sect, but a secret realm…

The sky was overcast, with a blood-red sun hanging above. The red light that shone down didn’t bring any warmth; instead, it felt cold, piercing to the bone and causing a dull ache.

Their numbers had grown to twenty. Although moving together was the safest option, it was also too time-consuming. After some discussion, Jin Xiaoqin divided the group into two based on everyone’s strengths.

Jin Xiaoqin, Ye Wenxin, Xuan Luofei, and seven others formed one team. Fairy Fengya and Long Qing’er led the other eight, relatively weaker members.

Since it was daytime, the Yin Fetuses weren’t as rampant, so they could avoid many battles. The third day’s goal was to search for survivors, scout the area, then regroup at the ruined temple before nightfall.

Even though Jin Xiaoqin wanted to explore further, the level of this secret realm far exceeded the average level of the immortal sect disciples. The only thing Jin Xiaoqin could ensure was to find more survivors, and minimize the casualties for the immortal sects.

Seeing Jin Xiaoqin’s enthusiastic command, Ye Wenxin genuinely felt the hardships of being a leader. She wanted to help, but Jin Xiaoqin always pushed her to Xuan Luofei’s side.

“You just hold Xuan Luofei’s little hand.” Jin Xiaoqin glared at her with obvious scorn, making Ye Wenxin feel even more awkward.

“Don’t get discouraged, Zhu-zhu. Once you become stronger, you can hold Old Jin’s little hand.” Xuan Luofei, the sweet but naive girl, encouraged Ye Wenxin, though her words somehow lacked any convincing power.

Considering their current situation, Ye Wenxin decided to obediently follow Jin Xiaoqin’s instructions. Holding Xuan Luofei’s hand, she walked in the middle of the group, looking even more out of place among the tense and vigilant disciples.

In Ye Wenxin’s team, there were also two demon cultivators trying to blend in. However, given the severity of the current situation, everyone, including the demon cultivators, understood the importance of cooperation and had no intention of risking their lives recklessly.

The group continued to move forward, with Xuan Luofei occasionally plucking a few notes of her Demon Subduing Qin to ensure there were no Yin Fetuses nearby. Fortunately, the third day went more smoothly compared to the previous two, and Jin Xiaoqin’s team quickly found more survivors.

This time, they finally found a few survivors from the Azure Wings Sect and the Beast Taming Garden.

“Senior Sister, are you alright?” Xi Mengxuan, accompanied by her spirit beast Luo Hong, was among them. She expressed her concern for Xuan Luofei, fussing over her well-being. Luo Hong, seeing Xi Mengxuan’s interaction with Xuan Luofei, eagerly slithered over to Ye Wenxin and nuzzled against her, seemingly expressing friendliness.

Ye Wenxin smiled and patted Luo Hong’s little head, noticing how the spirit beast seemed increasingly human-like. As she continued to observe, she noticed that a strong purple-gold aura surrounded Luo Hong, whereas Xi Mengxuan’s aura had notably diminished.

The rise of one often signified the fall of another; the rise of a snake likely represented the decline of its master. Ye Wenxin scrutinized Xi Mengxuan, noticing that since their last meeting, Luo Hong’s cultivation had advanced significantly, while Xi Mengxuan remained stuck at fifth-stage Foundation Establishment, showing no real progress.

In this world of the strong preying on the weak, Ye Wenxin found this quite natural. Seeing Luo Hong’s eagerness, she knew the snake was looking for more pills. Just as she reached into her bag of holding and took out a bottle of eighth-grade pills, intending to feed them to Luo Hong, Xi Mengxuan stopped her.

“Don’t give Luo Hong snacks anymore. She’s big enough,” Xi Mengxuan said helplessly, feeling the pinch of poverty more acutely since raising Luo Hong. If she weren’t the Garden Master’s daughter, she might have been reduced to begging by now. (TL: Garden Master’s daughter!?)

Watching Ye Wenxin feed Luo Hong again, Xi Mengxuan worried that the snake would become spoiled.

“Ah, these aren’t snacks, but pills,” Ye Wenxin explained with a smile, gently patting Luo Hong’s head. Luo Hong obediently opened her mouth, and Ye Wenxin poured the whole bottle of eighth-grade pills straight in.

“This wastrel! That’s a whole bottle of eighth-grade pills!”

“Heavens, I don’t want to be human anymore.”

Everyone’s expressions grew more complex, but for Ye Wenxin, the alchemist, this was no big deal. Luo Hong savored the pills, then bowed slightly to Ye Wenxin before heading back to Xi Mengxuan, signaling she wanted to return to her spirit beast ring.

Xi Mengxuan understood Luo Hong’s intention, yet she looked even more conflicted. “Could she be about to break through again?”

Ye Wenxin chuckled, sensing that this snake wouldn’t take long to evolve into a flood dragon.

Unfortunately, Xi Mengxuan seemed unaware of Luo Hong’s potential, so she looked quite disheartened. Worried that Luo Hong might turn against Xi Mengxuan once she became powerful, Ye Wenxin thought for a moment and handed Xi Mengxuan a bottle of eighth-grade pills as well.