Chapter 308: A Lost Xiao Feng?

Ye Wenxin was at a loss for words, but seeing that Xuan Luofei genuinely didn’t intend to treat her like a pig, she came out from under the quilt and allowed Xuan Luofei to hold her hand.

Seeing Ye Wenxin initiate first, Xuan Luofei smiled happily and couldn’t help but caress her a few more times, asking, “Are you hurt anywhere?”

Ye Wenxin shook her head, then noticed Jin Xiaoqin’s playful gaze as she said, “Zhu-zhu, you’re really lucky to have such a good master.”

Ye Wenxin was no longer in a mood to talk, but Xuan Luofei was rather rational. She held Ye Wenxin’s small hand, and began to describe the situation of their fall earlier today.

It sounded quite similar to what Ye Wenxin and Long Qing’er had experienced. However, the place where Jin Xiaoqin fell was very close to where Ye Wenxin had fallen. Ye Wenxin couldn’t understand why, even though they both walked along the wall, it took so long for them to meet.

Hearing this, Long Qing’er showed a worried expression and thought of Fairy Fengya, whom they had yet to encounter.

“I’m a bit worried about Xiao Feng.” Long Qing’er initially intended to call her master, but remembering they had a Beast Taming Garden disciple with them, she rounded off the title and referred to Fairy Fengya as Xiao Feng instead.

“Xiao Feng… hahaha…” Jin Xiaoqin laughed out loud, but seeing Long Qing’er glare at her, she quickly assumed a more elder-like demeanor and continued, “Originally, everyone entering the secret realm should’ve stayed together; it’s impossible for us to be this scattered. It looks like this secret realm is quite strange.”

Ye Wenxin nodded, directly skipping the subject about Fairy Fengya. “It’s truly very strange, like it doesn’t want people to enter. Who said this secret realm will be as simple as cutting vegetables!”

Although Long Qing’er felt a little discontented as she watched the master-disciple pair banter, she also gave her opinion on this topic: “The Sect Master mentioned that, this secret realm didn’t have high difficulty—only around level three—so we were allowed to go in for training.”

Just like pills, or cultivation, secret realms also had levels. Originally, explorers had tested this realm, and determined it to be level three.

However, seeing the current situation, where they couldn’t even enter the main gate and it wasn’t just a mindless hack-and-slash, Long Qing’er felt that this secret realm was at least level six.

Ye Wenxin listened to these new terms, feeling her fundamental values refreshed once again.

Secret realms were treasures left behind by ascendants because they couldn’t take them along. Over time, these items developed sentience, resonating with the ascendants and thus forming independent dimensions.

These dimensions were reflections of the ascendants’ mindsets. If the ascendant’s heart was bright, the space would be filled with light, birds singing, and flowers blooming.

Judging from this particular secret realm, it was clear the ascendant it was linked to was a cautious and reclusive cultivator, with a strong aversion to others. Forcibly entering could provoke a backlash from the secret realm, possibly trapping one inside forever.

There were smaller secret realms that served as training grounds for sects and were a longstanding feature of the immortal sects. Given the current situation, however, it was clear that exploring this secret realm would be fraught with peril.

Ye Wenxin’s lips curled into a playful smile. Jin Xiaoqin shot her a scornful look. “Your smile is disgusting, Wenxin.”

“Qin’er,” Ye Wenxin responded, unwilling to back down after hearing Jin Xiaoqin’s dull nickname for her.

Long Qing’er raised her head, mistaking ‘Qin’er’ for herself.

Feeling awkward, Ye Wenxin forced a smile and decided to change her way of addressing Jin Xiaoqin. “Old Jin.”

“Ye Wenxin, do you believe I’ll kill you right now?” Jin Xiaoqin’s face darkened.

Ye Wenxin chuckled and continued with a mischievous grin, “Xiao Jin.”

“Maybe I should just sever all your limbs.” Jin Xiaoqin felt that Ye Wenxin was taking advantage of her, her own master, and her face grew even more unpleasant.

Ye Wenxin, baffled, had to call her by her full name, “Jin Xiaoqin.”

“……”

Jin Xiaoqin was even less inclined to speak. Xuan Luofei, listening to the two of them bicker like a comedy duo, giggled and said to Ye Wenxin, “Zhu-zhu, you two get along so well.”

This made Jin Xiaoqin laugh so hard she nearly choked, her eyes filled with taunting spite. Ye Wenxin, unable to vent her frustration, was just about to dive back under the down quilt and play dead when she noticed a firelight in the distance.

Ye Wenxin quickly signaled to the other three, and Jin Xiaoqin immediately extinguished their campfire. The three of them hid behind a tree, and when they looked again, they all saw that distant flame.

But unlike ordinary flames, this one had a dark green glow. Upon closer inspection, they saw a group of people walking behind the dense, eerie light.

All of them were in tattered clothes, emaciated, and pale-faced. Leading them was a half-beast creature, with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a horse. It was unclear whether this half-beast was a spirit beast that had failed to transform or a member of the demon race.

As she led the way, the bells tied to her four legs tinkled. Those people swayed to the sound of the bells, slowly moving towards the city walls ahead.

“Are these people alive or dead?”

Long Qing’er couldn’t help but shiver, while Ye Wenxin watched with her brows tightly knit. This vast world was full of wonders, but she hadn’t expected her rare visit to a secret realm would turn out to be a horror adventure.

While the others were concerned about whether those people were alive or dead, Ye Wenxin was contemplating something else. “Don’t you think their stomachs are all very big?” This statement prompted everyone except the blind Xuan Luofei to focus on the people’s stomachs.

Looking again, their bellies were indeed swollen, as if they were pregnant, though their robes somewhat concealed it. To verify this, Ye Wenxin picked up a nearby stone and threw it at a short, inconspicuous man.

Although the man didn’t seem to feel any pain, he was knocked to the ground and his legs continued making a walking motion.

Ye Wenxin’s boldness had Jin Xiaoqin and Long Qing’er drenched in cold sweat, but seeing that the centaur hadn’t noticed, they finally let out the breath they were holding.

Ye Wenxin didn’t stop her actions. She threw another stone, aiming at the man’s belly. The stone emitted a red aura, instantly disintegrating the man’s clothing around his stomach.

Jin Xiaoqin was about to ask what kind of technique Ye Wenxin practiced that could only destroy clothes, but when she noticed the man’s belly, she quickly covered her mouth.

Long Qing’er, the youngest, was so frightened that her legs went weak. Xuan Luofei, being blind, naturally couldn’t tell what had them so terrified.

Ye Wenxin, who had the best eyesight and highest cultivation among them, could clearly see the horrifying scene.

The shock she felt was indescribable.

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TL: And we get our second horror encounter after Long Qingyue’s Hongmen Feast. Hehehe.