The three of them flew higher and higher within the mist. Dao Lord Hua Yan waved his sleeve, blocking a wisp of immortal qi, and asked with a frown, "Shoujing, are you sure you're not mistaken? Why is it in the sky? Could she be in flight?"
"It shouldn't be wrong," Qin Xi said. "This disciple also finds it strange. The position isn't changing; it seems to be fixed in the sky..."
As he spoke, Dao Lord Jinghe's Divine Sense made a discovery. "There's a mountain over there."
Qin Xi and Dao Lord Hua Yan immediately understood. Qin Xi pressed, "Master, are there people on that mountain?"
Dao Lord Jinghe shook his head. "There are too many miscellaneous things on the mountain. In this mist, Divine Sense cannot probe in such detail."
Although Nascent Soul cultivators possessed far more powerful Divine Sense and wouldn't easily get lost in the mist, this mist was truly bizarre, preventing Divine Sense from functioning at its full capacity.
Qin Xi understood this point and didn't say more, only sighing. Then he reconsidered: they now had a direction for Tian Ge, so what was there to fear? He suppressed his anxiety and continued following the two Nascent Soul Dao Lords forward.
The lone peak finally appeared within the trio's line of sight. Due to the mist's obstruction, only its general outline was visible.
As they approached the lone peak, Dao Lord Jinghe and Dao Lord Hua Yan exchanged a glance, both frowning. Dao Lord Jinghe said in a low voice, "Xi'er, something's wrong. There are two people!"
Qin Xi didn't grasp his meaning at first, his heart leaping with joy. "Master, you sensed them?"
"Hmm..." Dao Lord Jinghe replied absentmindedly. "It's a bit strange..."
"What's strange?"
Dao Lord Jinghe didn't answer this question. With a flick of his sleeve, his flying artifact suddenly accelerated, flying toward the peak of the lone mountain. Dao Lord Hua Yan followed closely behind without a word.
The three of them quickly flew closer, circling above the mountain peak. They saw the entire mountaintop covered in spiritual grass bearing pink, ball-like flowers, swaying in the wind and emitting an intoxicating fragrance.
Qin Xi looked down and saw that beneath the spiritual grass, the ground was densely covered with bean-sized seeds, layered thickly upon each other, blanketing the entire mountaintop and obscuring any sight of the rocks beneath.
"Heavenly Fragrance Grass..." It was only then that a nameless panic rose from the depths of his heart, as if something had happened without his knowledge.
Seeing the mountain full of Heavenly Fragrance Grass, the expressions of Dao Lord Jinghe and Dao Lord Hua Yan both changed. But neither spoke. How could they voice such a thing before confirming it? Two people... If it truly was Venerable Songfeng who had brought Mo Tiange here, his intentions were truly despicable!
In silence, the three descended toward the mountaintop. The flat summit gradually became clear in their vision.
Amidst the sea of Heavenly Fragrance Grass, the sky full of pink flower balls and green vines, a blue and white color appeared. Looking closely, it was—robes!
Qin Xi unconsciously held his breath. In that instant, his heart was seized by a wave of panic.
Blue robe, white jacket, cloak... These were the garments of a female disciple of the Xuanqing Sect. Mixed among them was a man's green sword robe—the attire of the Ancient Sword Sect!
Finally, there were the two people submerged within the Heavenly Fragrance Grass.
Although they weren't embracing, although they were currently separated by a distance, the chaotic scene and their disheveled clothing were more than enough to indicate what had happened!
For a moment, Qin Xi felt as if his mind had gone completely blank. He had never imagined he would see such a scene. What had happened? Why was it like this?! He wanted to calm down, but he simply couldn't.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he stumbled forward.
"Xi'er!" Dao Lord Jinghe called from behind, but failed to stop him.
Finally, he reached her.
Beneath the covering of pink flower balls from the Heavenly Fragrance Grass was the face he knew so well, the one he had once longed for day and night. Now, her eyes were tightly shut, unconscious.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He suddenly began to hate himself. Why? Why hadn't he kept a closer watch on her back then, letting her get lost, letting her encounter such a terrible thing? If only he had been more careful, if only they had found her sooner... And now, all he could do was tremble as he reached out, picked her up, and held her tightly in his arms. But even this couldn't erase what had already happened!
"Xi'er!" Dao Lord Jinghe caught up and, seeing this scene, sighed. "Calm down a little!"
Qin Xi didn't reply, as if he hadn't heard anything.
Dao Lord Hua Yan approached, swept his gaze around the surroundings, and fixed his eyes on the other unconscious person. He snorted coldly. "Ancient Sword Sect! Who is this? What audacity!"
Dao Lord Jinghe was no benevolent man to begin with. Seeing this scene, he was already burning with rage, only suppressing it because of Qin Xi's unusual reaction. Hearing Dao Lord Hua Yan's words, he flicked his sleeve, sending a blast of Spiritual Qi that struck Jing Xingzhi squarely. The blow caused the unconscious Jing Xingzhi to groan, spit out a mouthful of blood, and fall unconscious again.
"Xi'er," Dao Lord Jinghe turned back and called.
Qin Xi didn't move, merely holding Mo Tiange motionlessly.
"Xi'er!" Seeing his state, Dao Lord Jinghe frowned, stepped forward, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Snap out of it!"
"..." After an unknown length of time, Qin Xi's gaze finally shifted. With that movement, he realized there were actually tears in his eyes.
He wiped them away, took a deep breath, and tried his utmost to suppress his emotions. "Master, I'm fine." Precisely because this had happened, he couldn't afford not to be fine.
Seeing him regain his composure, Dao Lord Jinghe breathed a sigh of relief and said gently, "It's good that you understand. Don't worry, Tian Ge is physically unharmed. She should just be affected by the herb's properties and will wake up after a while."
"Mm," Qin Xi responded softly, lowering his head. He carefully straightened Mo Tiange's clothing. Throughout this process, he never once glanced at the Jing Xingzhi beside them.
Dao Lord Jinghe paused, then asked with some hesitation, "What do you plan to do? If you want to kill this brat, your master will do it right now."
A flash of killing intent passed through Qin Xi's eyes, but he ultimately suppressed it. "No need. I still have questions for him. If he is to die, I will do it myself!"
"...Very well." Dao Lord Jinghe fell silent for a moment. His gaze circled Mo Tiange, a meaningful glint flashing in his eyes. He asked slowly, "After something like this happens... what are your thoughts?"
Qin Xi sat dazedly for a while, as if only just hearing what Dao Lord Jinghe had said. Holding the unconscious Mo Tiange, his tone was flat. "Which aspect does Master wish to hear about?"
"..." For a moment, Dao Lord Jinghe felt unable to voice it. After weighing his words, he rephrased. "You—don't you mind?"
Qin Xi clenched his fist, as if trying with all his might to restrain himself. But after a moment, he still failed to suppress it. Suddenly, he slammed his palm down. Spiritual Qi surged, shredding all the surrounding Heavenly Fragrance Grass!
"How—how could I possibly not mind!" he said through gritted teeth, his gaze ferociously glaring at Jing Xingzhi not far away. "I wish I could kill him, tear him to pieces, and grind Venerable Songfeng's bones to dust even more! But doing so would only vent my hatred! What's done is done. When Tian Ge wakes up, the one who will suffer the most is undoubtedly her..."
"So, you don't mind?"
Qin Xi didn't answer this question. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Master, please don't ask me. My mind is in chaos right now..."