In the dim moonlight of the bamboo forest, a gentle breeze was blowing.
Tiny snowflakes were falling from the sky.
The weather in this secret realm was completely in sync with the outside world.
It must be the dead of winter outside, with snow falling.
Therefore, snowflakes were also falling within the secret realm.
Li Muyang sat beside a fire, roasting bamboo shoot skewers, waiting for tonight’s dinner to be ready.
Across from him, a woman wrapped in a brand-new robe sat curled up in her new clothes, silently staring blankly at the burning bonfire.
It wasn’t that she was cold. It was just an awkward atmosphere.
After witnessing the woman burying herself in the ground, Li Muyang hesitated but eventually went over and dug her out.
The Yan Xiaoru who was unearthed had become the person she was now.She was dragged into the bamboo forest by Li Muyang like a puppet, offering no resistance, but also remaining silent.
It wasn’t until snow began to fall from the sky that the woman took out a set of new robes from her Qiankun Ring and wrapped herself in them.
Li Muyang didn’t speak, and neither did she.
This silence continued until Li Muyang finished roasting the bamboo shoots and began to eat them heartily.
Only then did the woman’s eyes flicker.
“…Why did you save me?”
The first words spoken by Yan Xiaoru after a long silence were nonsense.
Li Muyang, who was eating bamboo shoots, looked up at her and sighed, “If the sect leader and the others break into the secret realm and find that only I am alive and you, Elder Yan, are dead… how would I explain that?”
“If they suspect that I harmed you, wouldn’t they grind my bones to dust?”
Li Muyang’s reasoning made sense.
However, Yan Xiaoru frowned at him, “Do you still think there’s hope of getting out at this point?”
She looked at Li Muyang as if he were a naive fool.
The two of them had been trapped in the secret realm for three months.
If the people of the Demonic Sect had found the secret realm and could save them, they would have broken in and rescued them by now.
But so far, there had been no movement in the secret realm.
Clearly, the Demonic Sect must have assumed that both Li Muyang and Yan Xiaoru had died underground, their bones turned to dust.
It was an obvious conclusion.
After Yan Xiaoru pointed this out, Li Muyang nonchalantly shook his head, “Even so, one should not die so easily… Even ants cling to life. Elder Yan, you’ve worked hard to reach the Divine Travel Realm, a powerful figure capable of dominating a region. Wouldn’t it be a pity to die here in the secret realm?”
Yan Xiaoru, who was in the Divine Travel realm, was almost at the pinnacle of cultivation in this world.
Above that was the Purple Mansion Realm. But the powerful beings of the Purple Mansion realm were all regional overlords and masters of the current age.
Yan Xiaoru, in the Divine Travel realm, was already considered a powerful figure in the eyes of most cultivators.
It would indeed be a pity if someone with such cultivation were to perish here.
However, Yan Xiaoru looked indifferent and did not react to Li Muyang’s words.
“Being too obsessed with life and death and fearing death only makes one look ugly.”
“Rather than dying in a pitiful and pathetic way, it’s better to leave with dignity while there’s still breath in me.”
After saying this coldly, a strand of black blood spilled from the corner of Yan Xiaoru’s mouth.
Her complexion suddenly turned a mix of purple and blue.
Although this strange color quickly returned to normal, it still startled Li Muyang.
“Elder Yan, you…”
“I’ve been poisoned with a demonic poison,” Yan Xiaoru said indifferently.
“The centipede from Centipede Ridge poisoned me. The toxin has penetrated my bones, and my life will not last long.”
“If it were normal times, I could force out the poison and slowly recuperate. But in this secret realm, with my cultivation reduced, I can only rely on the spiritual medicine in my Qiankun Ring to prolong my life.”
“The spiritual medicine can only delay the spread of the poison, but it cannot cure it. My death is irreversible.”
After speaking coldly, Yan Xiaoru looked at Li Muyang, “So do you understand why I sought to end my life?”
“Uh… I somehow get it,” Li Muyang nodded.
Yan Xiaoru, poisoned by the centipede, did not want anyone to witness her in a state of agony before her death as the poison deeply invaded her marrow.
It is said that after being infected with demonic poison, one would go insane and the body would grotesquely mutate into an ugly, monstrous form before dying a hideous and miserable death.
It was somewhat like the zombie poison in the zombie movies from his previous life, where one would turn into a monster after being infected.
Understanding the horror of the demonic poison, Yan Xiaoru decided to give herself a dignified death, choosing to bury herself before the toxin spread throughout her body.
This was indeed a thought process that most people could understand.
But Li Muyang still shook his head.
“But Elder Yan, you can’t die yet. Aren’t you still holding on?”
“Hold on a little longer.”
“If you really can’t hold on anymore, I’ll give you a swift end, so you can leave with dignity.”
“But until then, let’s keep waiting. Who knows, maybe the secret realm will be broken open by the sect leader and the others tomorrow?”
Li Muyang spoke with a very optimistic demeanor, his eyes filled with sincerity.
If someone who didn’t know better saw his face, they might mistake him for the kind of optimistic and positive sunny boy.
Yan Xiaoru silently watched him for a long while, then her gaze turned cold.
“Nonsense.”
“If you dare to stop me again, I will kill you!”
Yan Xiaoru, an elder of the Demonic Sect, made such a harsh statement.
Clearly, Li Muyang’s persuasion was ineffective.
In such a situation, the woman’s dry threat carried little lethal power.
Li Muyang looked at her helplessly, spreading his hands: “If the sect leader and the others break through the secret realm and find out that I didn’t save Elder Yan… they will kill me too.”
Yan Xiaoru: “…”
“So Elder Yan, let’s hold on for a few more days. If you really can’t hold on, I promise I’ll give you a quick end and won’t let you suffer.”
Li Muyang was very sincere.
His Startling Swan Sword Mantra was almost perfected, and he had to keep Yan Xiaoru alive at all costs.
He couldn’t let her die here.
This time, faced with Li Muyang’s sincere persuasion, Yan Xiaoru did not respond.
She curled up, wrapped tightly in her robe, and fell into a silent expressionless state.
It seemed like a silent agreement.
After all, Li Muyang’s reasoning was strong, and at this point, it was difficult for her to ignore his opinion.
Seeing Yan Xiaoru quiet down, Li Muyang also breathed a sigh of relief and then passed her the roasted bamboo shoots he had prepared.
The fragrant bamboo shoots were brought to her face, and Yan Xiaoru paused for a moment, frowning at Li Muyang.
But she saw Li Muyang’s face beaming with a smile: “I’ve calculated the days, and tonight is New Year’s Eve… Elder Yan, would you like to try some?”
“The bamboo shoots in this secret realm also contain spiritual energy, and they taste very good. Let’s consider it a New Year’s Eve dinner.”
It was the first New Year he would spend in this world, and it was in the midst of a secret realm.
Li Muyang handed over the bamboo shoots as a gesture of goodwill.
He remembered that Elder Yan was a foodie, with her Qiankun Ring filled with all sorts of snacks.
And indeed, the bamboo shoots from this secret realm were delicious, even simply roasted without any seasoning, they smells good.
As expected, upon smelling the scent of the bamboo shoots, Yan Xiaoru’s nose twitched.
After a brief silence, she quietly reached out and took the roasted bamboo shoots.
By the fire, the sound of the woman nibbling bit by bit could be heard.
After a while, her voice finally broke the silence.
“Give me two more…”
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