Chapter 240

Chapter 240

Wu Yu asked, "Why did Bai He Zi exhibit symptoms first this time?"

Tan Fan Yi replied, "Probably because she was injured."

Xuan Ting, ranked third among the surviving participants in terms of cultivation, had attacked Bai He Zi, who was second. He didn't kill her but inflicted serious injury. Moreover, Bai He Zi was preoccupied trying to block Xie Yin Xue's descending blade, leaving her vulnerable to Xuan Ting's ambush. This resulted in her coughing blood. So when the abdominal pain resurfaced, not only was she the first to be affected, but her symptoms were also the most severe.

Perhaps she even lacked the strength to swallow her healing pill. If not for Bo Lang's timely assistance, she might've already been a lifeless body, without even a chance to breathe.

"This isn't a wound caused by Shan Zha Jun's self-destruction."

Tan Fan Yi looked up to find the only young man still standing. Rising from Liu Bu Hua's side, he stood erect, detached and aloof.

Stray hair strands hung over his forehead, fluttering in the gentle breeze entering from the window, shading his eyes and obscuring his emotions. All one could hear was his soft voice saying, "It's the doing of a fierce beast."

Upon hearing this, Tan Fan Yi turned his gaze to Bo Lang.

Just moments ago, Xie Yin Xue had claimed Bo Lang was a fierce beast and wanted to kill him. Could it be that their intermittent abdominal pain and vomiting of blood were Bo Lang's doing?

"Not him."

However, Xie Yin Xue refuted this.

As he spoke, he sheathed his silver sword. Only then did he lift his gaze, his expression cold and demeanor distant.

It was then that everyone realized how fitting the attire of the Ten Thousand Swords Palace was on the young man. With sleeves as white as snow representing his spirit and the aqua tint accentuating it, he stood there like a formidable sword that had its murderous intent completely sheathed, leaving behind only its silent and peaceful presence.

“Two hundred miles east lies Mount Tai, abundant in gold, jade, and fine timber. There exists a creature resembling a cow with a white head, one eye, and a snake-like tail, named Fei. When it crosses water, the water dries up; when it crosses grass, it dies. Its appearance heralds a great plague across the land.”

Xie Yin Xue's gaze gently swept over Bo Lang, who was held by Bai He Zi, then shifted elsewhere: "Our blood spitting is due to the plague, a disease brought forth by the monstrous creature: Fei."

"When it crosses water, it dries; when it crosses grass, they die..." Chu Yi Yang murmured, repeating the ancient words. "Exactly, it corresponds with what Qin He told us this morning. His pond dried up, the fish inside died, and the plants in his garden withered away completely."

Yu Jia Yi propped herself up on her arms, staring intently at Xie Yin Xue, "So you're saying that the cause of this drought isn't the Bo Yu, but the Fei?"

Xie Yin Xue responded cryptically, not confirming or denying: "Kill the Fei, and all will become clear."

"We must kill Fei first; there's only one healing pill left." He then took out another pill from his storage ring. This was a Spirit Gathering Pill, which could significantly boost one's spiritual energy in a short time. "At most, we can withstand the effects of the plague one more time."

The remaining participants followed suit, consuming the Spirit Gathering Pill. As soon as the pill entered their system, their feelings of fatigue and weakness vanished, replaced by a seemingly boundless surge of energy.

Tan Fan Yi felt a mix of awe and a chilling realization: The Healing Pill that counters the plague, the Spirit Gathering Pill that enhances cultivation... Everything in this scenario felt pre-arranged, as if it were all predestined.

At this moment, Xuan Ting spoke anxiously, "Brother Yang... I, I don't have any healing pills left."

Indeed, Chu Yi Yang remembered that Xuan Ting had consumed his first healing pill on the very first day to treat a wound inflicted by the Scarlet Bird Demon. Hence, if the plague struck again, Xuan Ting, without a healing pill, would undoubtedly perish.

"Don't worry, we'll kill Fei now," Chu Yi Yang consoled him. "The plague seems to strike once a day. Since it has already happened today, if we kill Fei now, you'll be safe."

Still, Xuan Ting remained unsettled. For some reason, their emotions now seemed exaggerated, and he looked accusingly at Bo Lang, who was slouched against a wall, bloodied and weak, "Isn't he Fei?"

"Fei is described as a creature resembling a cow with a white head, one eye, and a snake-like tail. Apart from having one eye like Fei, how does Bo Lang fit the description?" Bai He Zi, now revitalized after consuming the Spirit Gathering Pill, defended Bo Lang vehemently, "Even if Bo Lang is a monster, he's Bo Yu, not Fei."

After rebuking Xuan Ting, Bai He Zi turned her attention to Xie Yin Xue, only to realize that he was also gazing at her.

Xie Yin Xue was undeniably handsome, something Bai He Zi had recognized at first sight. But this close encounter made her feel a distant otherworldliness about him.

He exuded an ethereal fragility, as if he were clouds and snow crystallized by winter's frost—floating high above, untouched. Should he descend and touch the mortal realm, he would dissolve, as if any connection to the world would end him.

So, when Bai He Zi looked into those deep, dark eyes, she wasn't afraid. Her intuition told her that Xie Yin Xue's intent to kill had subsided, that he was having second thoughts, that he might not harm Bo Lang for the time being.

Regardless of how long this compassion lasted, it was a perfect opportunity for Bo Lang to escape.

Bai He Zi wanted to give Bo Lang the last healing pill, but he stopped her, shaking his head, "Master Bai He Zi, I won't die from these wounds. You need it more than I do."

Xuan Ting looked on enviously, almost blurting out "If Bo Lang doesn't want it, give it to me." He couldn't understand why Bai He Zi and Yu Jia Yi showed compassion towards the creatures of this scenario, the very monsters they were tasked to kill, yet seemed indifferent to the fates of their own kind. Didn't Qin He say just yesterday that Yu Jia Yi was glad when Gan died?

Clenching his back teeth, he coldly asked Lily, "If Bo Lang isn't Fei, then where is Fei?"

Lily could answer this one. She snorted coldly, mocking him, "Fei was among the demon visitors who went to the backyard yesterday. How did you not know?"

Wherever Fei goes, water depletes and grass withers. The anomalies in the Demon Inn's garden today only confirm that Fei, lured by demon energy, was one of the visitors who sought to feast on the Tuo Ji corpse in the backyard yesterday.

"Alright, alright, you're impressive, you know everything," Xuan Ting sneered. "Then which of those demon visitors was Fei?"

Xuan Ting was sure that Lily wouldn't know the answer. After all, she wasn't Xie Yin Xue, with an eidetic memory. How could she remember which demon visitor was which from so many in the inn's backyard yesterday?

But to his surprise, Lily did remember. More than that, she pinpointed a specific demon visitor, "Fei is the white-haired man who bit off Tuo Ji's head."

Everyone remembered this man because he was exceptionally tall. Beside him was an equally tall and slender white-haired woman he called "Madam." Their appearance was unforgettable, so when Lily mentioned them, the image sprang immediately to mind for everyone.

"When that man appeared, half of his face was obscured by his hair," Lily noted, "I suspect he was hiding that side of his face because he has only one eye. Think about it, of all the demon visitors in the backyard yesterday, who else had just one eye?"

After reflecting for a moment, Tan Fan Yi exclaimed, "Indeed, there were none!"

While there were many demon visitors in the Demon Inn, only a few had just one eye or only showed one eye, especially among those who had visited the backyard the day before.

Lily called over a few fungi servants to take care of Bo Lang and Xin Tian Hao. She then led the group, saying, "Let's go and pull aside his hair. If he indeed has only one eye, he must be the monstrous Fei."

Instead of following the group, Xuan Ting lagged behind, dawdling. Once everyone was out of sight, he squatted beside Xin Tian Hao, trying to remove the boy's storage ring and steal the healing pills inside.

But the moment he touched the ring, Liu Bu Hua's voice rang out behind him, "Brother Xuan, what are you doing?"

Startled, Xuan Ting spun around to find Xie Yin Xue and Liu Bu Hua standing behind him. His face turned to one of shock, "Didn't you go with Lily?"

Liu Bu Hua replied, "We thought it'd be better to bring Xin Tian Hao with us, in case there was any 'accident' if we left him here."

He emphasized the word "accident", making sure Xuan Ting caught his underlying meaning.

And Xuan Ting did. Flushing a shade of red then pale, he finally retorted, "What accident could happen to him? Since entering this instance, apart from fainting, what else has he done? Without our protection, he'd be dead already. Isn't giving him the healing pills a waste?"

Xie Yin Xue laughed as if she had just heard a joke, "The storage ring is soul-bound. Unless he willingly gives it, you can't take anything from inside."

Xuan Ting quickly denied, "Who said I wanted to take it? I didn't! I was just lamenting."

Liu Bu Hua replied with a noncommittal "Hmm" and raised an eyebrow, "So are you staying here to help me carry him?"

"I have no interest in dealing with this waste!"

As Liubuhua's words trailed off, Xuanting immediately lifted his leg to depart.

"It's been a long time since I've seen such a speechless participant," Liubuhua remarked, hoisting Xintianhao onto his back and sharing his thoughts with Xieyinxue, "Godfather, do they all not make it to the latter stages of Suo Changsheng?"

However, Xieyinxue remained silent. He stood by the window, reaching out with his hand. His fingers swayed gently, as if caressing the drifting breeze.

"The wind isn't warm anymore; it's cold."

"It's a wind blowing from the direction of Changxuezhou."

Liubuhua heard the young man ask, "Buhua, is it snowing in Changxuezhou?"

Carrying Xintianhao, he walked to the window and gazed into the vast land opposite the Yaojing Inn in Bowuzhou, shaking his head afterwards, "Godfather, I can't see clearly."

"Bujizhao told me that it snows there all year round, but there's no snow there now."

"Will it snow in Bowuzhou? Probably not."

The young man pondered aloud, his lips curling up into a slight smile, a hint of bitterness evident, "In this world without fierce beasts, when seen, it snows everywhere."

Liubuhua asked him, "Godfather, do you wish to witness a snowfall?"

Xieyinxue's eyelashes drooped, his gaze resting momentarily on the sheathed blade in his hand. Finally, he whispered with a hoarse voice, "I only wish to see my own heart."

Without snow to reflect upon, Yinxue can't introspect on his own heart.

Author's note:

① Two hundred miles east, there is a mountain called Taishan, abundant with gold, jade, and zhen wood. There's a beast, resembling a bull with a white head, a single eye, and a snake tail, named Fei. If it enters the water, it drains; if it steps on grass, it dies. If seen, a great plague befalls the land. — "Shan Hai Jing · Volume 4, Eastern Mountain, Fourth Record."