Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lu Yuanyin clutched the longsword in her hand, her eyes flashing with killing intent as she looked at the sky-darkening swarm of Spirit Insects behind her. In her heart, she cursed Lu Sisi and the others through eighteen generations of their ancestors over and over.

She knew Lu Sisi was bad news, and she had tried her best to avoid her, trying not to cross her. But she never expected that Lu Sisi would directly chase after her with the others, tagging along right behind her.

Lu Yuanyin felt like she'd swallowed a fly—nauseating and just plain gross. These people, who prided themselves on being righteous and upright from prestigious sects, had sneakily drugged her with that low-life Thousand Night Powder. Now they had smeared honey on her clothes, using her to lure away the swarm. It was obvious they were dead set on killing her.

Lu Yuanyin gritted her teeth, anger flared up inside her. She hadn't wanted to clash with Lu Sisi so early, but these people left her no way out. If that was the case... even if she died, she'd take them with her.

As the barrier shattered, Lu Sisi and the others looked in surprise at the sight before them. The dense swarm of insects followed Lu Yuanyin straight into the forest, and the moonlight that had been totally blocked moments ago spilled onto the ground once more...

Only when the area fell completely silent did the group feel a sense of relief like they'd just cheated death. They thought they were gonna die miserably under the swarm today, but after the barrier dissolved, those Spirit Insects totally ignored them and instead went nuts chasing after Lu Yuanyin, leaving only a few dozen lingering around them.

Those few bugs were no big deal. Lu Sisi let out a sigh of relief and blinked, suddenly realizing that her legs were trembling.

They teamed up and killed off the stragglers, nearly sobbing with relief.

But when they looked up and saw the swarm right on Yuanyin's tail, Lu Sisi furrowed her brows, a worried look on her face. "What about A Yin..."

Tong Lanyi watched Lu Yuanyin desperately dodging and said gleefully, "Serves her right! Someone who's always up to no good finally got what's coming to her! Even the gods are sick of her and want her dead!"

She straightened her messy skirt, thinking that Lu Yuanyin might already be dead under the swarm, turned into a skeleton, no longer around to annoy her. A glint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes, and she nearly laughed out loud.

Lu Sisi bit her lip, her eyes darting, and nervously twisted the tassels on her waist. "Don't talk about A Yin like that. Let's go save her..."

The others had mixed feelings. They disliked Lu Yuanyin, but they didn't hate her enough to want her dead. Yet listening to the grating buzz in the distance, they fell silent for a moment, then said coldly, "Forget about her. Who knows what she did to get those beasts to chase only her. Let's get out of here quickly."

"Those Spirit Insects are too hard to deal with. You already saved her once. No need to risk your neck for her now."

Seeing Lu Sisi still hesitating, they grabbed her arm and started dragging her away. But the next moment, their faces twisted with horror!

The swarm had turned around and was heading back to the cliff in a dark cloud!

They widened their eyes in disbelief, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads!

Lu Yuanyin took a deep breath, feeling like her lungs were about to burst. The spiritual energy in her body was nearly depleted. She quickly stuffed a large handful of spiritual pills into her mouth. The pills dissolved instantly, and the rich spiritual energy flowed through her meridians, replenishing her drained energy.

She saw the varied expressions of those people—some gloating, others watching coldly—then suddenly leaped onto a giant tree. With a swift motion, she cut off the back of her skirt and, under the horrified gazes of the others, flew back to the cliff's edge and threw the honey-coated garment towards Lu Sisi and her group with a deft flick of her wrist.

Afraid it wouldn't attract enough attention, she also tossed several bottles of spiritual pills, filling the air with rich spiritual energy.

Sharp screams erupted from the crowd!

Lu Sisi quickly retreated, no longer talking about saving her. Her face twisted for a moment, and her voice lost its usual sweet charm, becoming harsh and piercing. "Lu Yuanyin, what are you doing?! Are you crazy?!"

Tong Lanyi shouted angrily, her face twisted in fury. "What the hell do you think you're doing, you bitch?! I'll kill you!"

"Are you insane?! How can you be so nasty! You want to die, but you drag us along with you! I'm not letting you get away with this!"

"Help! Where are the senior brothers?!"

Most of the swarm followed the honey-soaked skirt towards the cliff, and all hell broke loose on the cliff!

Lu Yuanyin could feel her spiritual energy nearly running out, her meridians aching with dryness. But she dared not pause for a moment. She lightly stepped on the branches and leaped nimbly towards the treetop. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the swarm just a step behind her. One wrong move and those insects would devour her in an instant!

She heard some strange sounds.

Lu Yuanyin instinctively dodged, and a long sword grazed her arm, embedding deeply into the giant tree. Her sleeve tore with a snap, revealing a trace of blood.

At the sight of blood, the Spirit Insects' compound eyes glowed red, and they became even more frenzied.

Lu Yuanyin's expression changed slightly. She caught a glimpse of a blue hem in the corner of her eye. In that moment of hesitation, the swarm had already closed in, only half a step away. She could smell the unique stench of the insects mixed with a strong odor of blood, nauseating and indescribably gross.

She didn't hesitate any longer. She chucked her spiritual treasures behind her like they were nothing.

Suddenly, Lu Yuanyin's eyes lit up. An idea hit her, and her fingers rapidly formed a hand seal. A dark light flashed in her palm, and a massive cauldron suddenly materialized behind her.

Lu Yuanyin moved swiftly, overturning the cauldron and diving inside it. The swarm of insects crashed furiously against the cauldron, creating a series of deafening booms around her like thunderclaps.

The noise made her head throb, and blood trickled from her mouth and nose.

She casually wiped the blood from her lips and quickly took out several more cauldrons from her storage pouch, stacking them like nesting dolls over herself. These cauldrons, tempered by heavenly fire, were sturdier than ordinary barriers...

She didn't expect these cauldrons to hold out until the sect's reinforcements arrived. She only hoped they would buy her enough time to recover some strength.

Lu Yuanyin glanced outside and saw Lu Sisi and the others struggling with the Spirit Insects. A few of them were too slow to dodge and had chunks of flesh torn off by the insects, their bodies drenched in blood.

Lu Sisi gripped her longsword in a fury, slashing wildly at the surrounding insects, tears streaming down her face.

Lu Yuanyin watched coldly as they struggled. With each dull thud, the outermost cauldron finally couldn't bear it anymore and shattered into pieces under Lu Yuanyin's heavy gaze.

Lu Yuanyin's heart ached as if bleeding. In the next moment, the swarm crashed into the next cauldron.

For the first time, Lu Yuanyin was glad she had a habit of hoarding supplies—spiritual herbs, pills, food, and even cauldrons, she always kept a few extras...

She forced herself to calm down, swallowed a few spiritual pills, took out talismans from her storage pouch, and carefully checked her back and hair for any remaining honey, cleaning it all off.

Cauldron after cauldron shattered with a sound, and Lu Yuanyin clutched the talismans nervously.

With each cauldron that broke, her heart trembled. When only the last rusty old cauldron remained, Lu Yuanyin tensed up, ready to flee at any moment.

With each dull thud, the cauldron shook violently. Lu Yuanyin's heart nearly leaped out of her throat, and she held her breath.

But the expected shattering sound never came. Dazed, Lu Yuanyin looked outside and saw that the shabby cauldron, which looked more fragile than a pickle jar, remained steadfastly above her, unaffected by the insects' assaults!

Lu Yuanyin's eyes lit up!

She could hardly believe it. She had bought this cauldron just a few days ago when she saw an old lady who looked pitiful. She spent five low-grade spirit stones on it, intending to use it as a trash container!

Good deeds really do have good rewards! She never thought that after being so unlucky so many times, she would actually stumble upon a treasure!

Lu Yuanyin was ecstatic, almost moved to tears. She affectionately touched the rusty inner wall of the cauldron, which felt rough to the touch. "I owe you this time. When I get back, I'll definitely give you a thorough medicinal bath!"

She would never again call it a useless pickle jar!!!

Seeing that the swarm couldn't break the cauldron for now, she hesitated for a moment, then carefully crawled forward slowly, still under the protection of the cauldron, moving towards the forest.

Behind her came the desperate screams of the other disciples.

Lu Sisi, trapped by the insect swarm, swung her longsword in despair. She never expected that just because she had saved two people out of kindness and casually taken one of their eggs, these insects would retaliate so viciously!

She hadn't meant any harm...

She couldn't help but feel resentful. Since Lu Yuanyin had already lured the insects away, why did she have to bring them back to harm them? How could she be so vicious!

First, she had her parents humiliated in public, and now she wanted to take her life... Lu Sisi bit her lip hard, tears streaming down her cheeks, causing a slight sting. The grievance in her heart threatened to drown her. But she dared not slack off even a little. The insect bites were extremely painful, and her whole body was burning with pain. She almost broke down.

However, no matter how conflicted she felt, she could only grit her teeth and desperately kill the Spirit Insects. From beside her came Tong Lanyi's agonized screams and her incessant curses at Lu Yuanyin. As Lu Sisi looked on helplessly, another male cultivator was overwhelmed by the swarm and reduced to bones on the ground.

With his fall, the pressure on Lu Sisi suddenly increased dramatically.

The group was forced to retreat steadily. Seeing that they were about to be driven off the cliff by the insect swarm, Lu Sisi could almost feel the biting cold wind of the mountains. The Spirit Insects took the chance to tear a chunk of flesh from her leg, and she couldn't help but sob in despair.

The overwhelming number of Spirit Insects fearlessly pounced on her. Their densely packed compound eyes and bristles shimmered with eerie cold light under the moonlight. Lu Sisi's breath caught. Just as she was certain she would die, her eyes widened.

Crimson flames shot out from the jungle. The Spirit Insects let out a miserable shriek and were instantly swallowed by the flames.

Several figures swiftly flew out from the forest on their swords. The leading male cultivator formed hand seals, and an immense spiritual force swept over instantly. A large number of Spirit Insects were immediately crushed to powder by the surging spiritual power, and the dense swarm was scattered for a moment.

The remaining disciples immediately rushed forward. They smashed the spirit talismans in their hands, and scorching flames engulfed those Spirit Insects instantly. The remaining swarm seemed to sense danger; they hesitated only for a moment, then quickly retreated into the forest, protecting the insect eggs.

Lu Sisi looked at the group with tears in her eyes. When she recognized who had come, her eyes lit up. She immediately hitched up her skirt and hurried over, biting her red lip, her voice choked with sobs: "Brother Gu..."

The buzzing outside gradually quieted. Sensing the swarm had dispersed, Lu Yuanyin carefully lifted the lid of the alchemy furnace. She saw that the giant trees around had fallen, the ground was covered with the corpses of Spirit Insects and still-wet bloodstains, and the surroundings were in chaos, with no trace of the swarm.

Lu Yuanyin then emerged from the alchemy furnace. She immediately carefully inspected it, only to find that the swarm had left no trace on the furnace, not even a speck of rust was scratched off.

Lu Yuanyin's eyes lit up. The more she looked, the more satisfied she became. She carefully put the furnace into her storage pouch, then looked towards the cliff.

Her gaze froze, and her thoughts went blank for a moment.

She saw Gu Lingqiu in a black robe embroidered with gold thread. His jet-black hair was tied high with a jade band. His eyes and brows were captivating, his demeanor wild and untamed, and his appearance extremely outstanding.

Lu Yuanyin's gaze paused, and she saw Lu Sisi leaning against his side with a face full of tears. Her tender face had been bitten by insects, with blood and tears smeared all over, looking especially pitiful.

The two were intimately close. Anyone could see there was something unusual between them.

Tong Lanyi wiped the blood off her face with a ferocious expression. She charged forward as if she wanted to tear Lu Yuanyin limb from limb: "You could have let us all hide in there just now. Why did you hide by yourself? How could you be so selfish! And you led that swarm of Spirit Insects to our side! Are you trying to kill us?!"

Lu Sisi also wept in grievance. She clung tightly to Gu Lingqiu's sleeve: "A Yin, why would you treat us like that? If you have an issue with me, just tell me, and I'll change. Why did you have to go this far..."

Those disciples also looked at her with hatred, their expressions full of disgust.

Upon hearing this, Gu Lingqiu lifted his eyelids and glanced coldly at Lu Yuanyin. "What happened?"

Lu Yuanyin was silent for a moment. Although she had known from the book that the relationship between Gu Lingqiu and Lu Sisi was ambiguous, this was the first time she had witnessed them in such an intimate situation.

She had never imagined that after being apart for months, their reunion would be like this.

She had nearly died in the insect swarm just now, yet her fiancé paid no attention to her and instead questioned her for another woman.

She looked at Gu Lingqiu's handsome face, at the furrow between his brows. The turmoil in her heart grew fainter and fainter. She could feel that the obsession in her heart, like bubbles, was slowly dissipating with the night breeze.

Author's note:

Here I am～

Good morning early _(:з」∠)_