Yun Nian had practically plucked the green-budding tree bare, but she only smiled contentedly as she gazed at the abundance of spiritual fruit safely stored inside her qiankun bag afterall, these would be more than enough for Xie Qingli to eat for a very long time. With a light, effortless motion, she nimbly jumped down from the high branch. The young man had been waiting quietly for her beneath the canopy, and his eyes crinkled with a soft, gentle smile the exact moment he saw her land. “Thank you for your hard work, Senior Sister Yun.” Seeing the destined male lead was being so incredibly obedient that Yun Nian’s heart softened completely at the sight. “There is no need for such formality between us,” she said with a bright smile, waving her hand casually as she leaned in close to retie the silk cords of the qiankun bag securely around Xie Qingli’s waist.
As she worked, Xie Qingli’s dark gaze fell heavily upon her. Her long, ink-black hair was cascading loosely down her back, yet a few disheveled strands had parted to reveal a fleeting glimpse of her fair nape—so slender, white, and delicate that it looked as though he could snap it with a single, gentle touch of his fingers.
Yet, this very person kept moving closer and closer to him without a care in the world. She was truly fearless. While he was lost in these deep, dark thoughts, Yun Nian perfectly finished tightening the knot around his waist, and she stepped back to lightly brush the stray tree dust from her palms. “These are enough to last you a long time,” she explained cheerfully. “Just eat them like ordinary fruit, for they will definitely bring great benefit to your meridians . The young man nodded with perfect obedience. “Junior Brother understands. Thank you, Senior Sister Yun.”
Yun Nian smiled contentedly, than she immediately began scanning the surrounding greenery, her gaze searching for their companion’s figure. “Senior Brother Jiang is just over there. Come, Junior Brother, let us go and find him.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Zhao had not gone very far, and by the time Yun Nian and Xie Qingli caught up to him, he was crouched down low, looking intently at a dense patch of grass. Yun Nian suddenly peeked out from behind a thick stalk, her voice bright. “What are you looking at?” Her sudden voice startled the young man, but after recognizing Yun Nian, Jiang Zhao merely glared at her in annoyance. Rather than snapping at her, Jiang Zhao merely glared, then shifted his gaze back to the brush, gesturing silently for them to look.
“Look at what this is.” Yun Nian followed his gaze to look. He was pointing directly at a flower whose petals were entirely white, surrounded by a thin, floating shroud of natural mist. A faint, ethereal light shimmered softly around the blossom, adding a touch of hazy, celestial beauty to its form, but its most distinctive feature was undoubtedly its stem. It was a strikingly beautiful blue, as deep and brilliant as a precious gemstone.
A blue stem and a white flower—Yun Nian instantly recalled seeing an exact description of it within the hidden pavilion of the sect’s library.
This was the legendary Drunken Orchid. It was a priceless spiritual herb that nourished qi and blood, and its rare petals could be used in high-tier alchemy to detoxify all known poisons, regenerate ruined flesh, stabilize a fractured soul, and completely repair torn meridians. Yet, this miraculous flower had been considered completely extinct in the cultivation world for thousands of years.
Jiang Zhao’s breath caught in his throat, his voice trembled with a sudden, uncontrollable surge of excitement as he muttered, “But there are not only a few here… look, there are more than one.” Yun Nian looked out across the grass stretching before them, where countless white flowers were swaying gently in the breeze, lush, vibrant, and seemingly endless.
“The Drunken Orchid is a supreme medicine for repairing damaged meridians,” Jiang Zhao whispered, his chest heaving, “and A-Ying’s meridians have been broken and suffering for so many years.” Driven by hope, he stood up abruptly, and a powerful surge of his own spiritual energy began to penetrate deep into the soil, fully intending to uproot the entire patch of Drunken Orchids to sweep them into his pouch.
But before his power could tear into the earth, his wide sleeve was suddenly tugged back, and the girl’s usually clear, lively voice became unusually low and intensely suppressed. “Don’t move, Senior Brother.” Jiang Zhao also sensed the sudden, icy shift in the atmosphere, as he slowly, rigidly looked up. Not very far from where they stood, deep within the shadows of the thick bamboo forest, a pair of glowing, crimson eyes was staring directly at him. And behind that first pair, more and more eyes like that slowly began to appear.
Than a pack of Soul-Devouring Tigers emerged silently from the darkness. Their massive bodies resembled ordinary tigers, but they were many times larger, possessing a terrifying spiritual weight, and they were notorious for their love of devouring human souls. The distinct white fur lining their foreheads clearly symbolized their ancient lineage—but this ferocious breed of spirit beast was supposed to have vanished from the world millennia ago. To think that such ancient, terrifying beasts were actually thriving here! Jiang Zhao finally realized the horrific truth, and his face went entirely pale. “No… this is not the Ancient Tomb Sword Ruins.” This place… was the forbidden Cuizhu [Emerald Bamboo] Ferry!
He should have realized it from the very beginning. The endless stretches of ancient bamboo, the green-budding fruit trees, the extinct orchids—and the fact that they had walked for so long without encountering a single other disciple from the various sects.
“Quickly! Fly away on your sword!” Without waiting for the Soul-Devouring Tigers to spring forward, Yun Nian grabbed Xie Qingli’s arm and immediately summoned her spiritual sword, pulling him up into the sky in a desperate, hurried rush.
Yet, even as he leaped onto his own blade to follow, Jiang Zhao could not help but cast one final, agonizing glance back down at the white flowers in the grass. Those orchids… possessed the exact power needed to save his beloved Su Ying. He gritted his teeth, twisting his body mid-air to narrowly avoid a lethal swipe from a rushing Soul-Devouring Tiger, and with a fierce downward arc, he swept his longsword across the earth, felling a large cluster of the precious Drunken Orchids. But just as he reached out to sweep them into his qiankun bag, another massive Soul-Devouring Tiger charged directly at his blind spot. Even though Jiang Zhao reacted with impressive speed and dodged, the beast’s razor-sharp claws still managed to tear a bloody gash across his right arm.
“Senior Brother!” Yun Nian cried out in alarm. “I am fine!” he barked back, enduring the sting. Jiang Zhao quickly shoved the harvested Drunken Orchids safely into his qiankun bag and, under the protective cover of Yun Nian’s flashing sword light, he leaped onto his blade and flew into the air. Infront sensing the shifting winds, Xie Qingli pointed ahead and said, “This way.” Yun Nian did not have a single spare moment to think; in such a desperate situation, she instinctively pushed her spiritual power forward to shield Jiang Zhao, following closely behind the youth’s lead.
Below them, the pack of Soul-Devouring Tigers gave chase with terrifying speed, occasionally leaping high from the swaying stalks of bamboo in a savage attempt to bite them out of the sky. To make matters worse, several giant eagles were startled out from the canopy above, yet these winged beasts seemed strangely terrified of something hidden below, circling anxiously in the upper air but daring not enter the bamboo forest itself. Trapped between two perils, Yun Nian dared not fly too high, fearing a sudden ambush from the giant eagles, nor could she fly too low, lest they be dragged down and torn apart by the Soul-Devouring Tigers.
Meanwhile, the boy who had originally been flying at the very forefront of their escape began to gradually fall behind, his movements slowing after several rounds of dodging the chaotic terrain. Eventually, Xie Qingli stopped his sword completely, standing suspended in the air as he watched Yun Nian and Jiang Zhao’s figures gradually disappear into the distance. He quietly watched the last vibrant glimpse of the girl’s emerald-green dress vanish from his sight, and the very last trace of his practiced, gentle smile melted off his face, leaving behind a mask of chilling indifference.
Than turning his sword around, the youth silently departed in the exact opposite direction. Strangely, the ferocious Soul-Devouring Tigers hunting on the ground and the giant eagles patrolling the sky trembled slightly as he passed, deliberately parting ways to avoid Xie Qingli entirely. It was as though they were deeply afraid of his very presence, choosing instead to double their speed and chase after Yun Nian and Jiang Zhao.
Yun Nian on the other hand guided Jiang Zhao through a long, exhausting flight, finally managing to shake off the relentless pursuit of the tigers and eagles. Yet, the moment she finally slowed down and looked back, a cold dread seized her—Xie Qingli was completely gone from behind them. Yun Nian stared blankly at the empty space, her hands trembling with a sudden, overwhelming fear. “Xie… where is Xie Qingli?”
In her mind, she was frantically screaming to the system: [Where is the male lead?!] Jiang Zhao pressed a firm hand onto her shaking shoulder to ground her. “Do not panic, Junior Sister. Let us turn back and find him.” Yun Nian forced the frantic breath back into her lungs, trying to calm her racing heart. Xie Qingli had to be alright—if anything fatal had happened to him, the system bureau would have already blasted her mind with an emergency warning.
“Let’s go find him,” she whispered. Closing her eyes, she focused her mind entirely on sensing Xie Qingli’s spiritual signature. He was still wearing the spirit silk rope she had bound around his wrist; so no matter how far he wandered, or how deep he hid, she could always trace his location through the crimson bead. “Found him.” Her movements became incredibly swift as she felt his presence, and Jiang Zhao hurriedly flew right alongside her. Meanwhile, deep within another part of the forbidden ferry, the youth’s figure had transformed into a graceful white shadow, darting effortlessly through the dense bamboo forest.
Xie Qingli had quickly found exactly what he was looking for. The tall, elegant young man stood with his head bowed, gazing down at the shifting earth beneath his boots as if observing a fascinating spectacle. The once smooth, mossy ground was now cracking violently, the dark fissures spreading rapidly from tiny points to form deep, gaping abysses capable of swallowing everything, causing the towering bamboo grove to collapse inward. And from those treacherous depths, a dense, writhing mass of insect shadows began to pour out.
The collapsed earth had laid bare a massive, ancient insect nest.
Xie Qingli calmly opened his palm and drew a sharp edge across his skin, slicing it open without flinching. His fresh, spiritual blood began to drip steadily down into the dark abyss of the nest. Within mere moments, dozens of thick, pulsing vines covered in wicked, poisoned barbs erupted from the sunken ground, twisting through the air to attack him. It was not hard to imagine the gruesome fate of anyone caught in their grasp, yet Xie Qingli only watched their approach with absolute coldness. Just as the barbs came within inches of his face, his fingers twitched, ready to draw his hidden blade—but before he could, someone violently grabbed his arm from behind, pulling him upward with a sudden, desperate force.
His freezing wrist was gripped tightly, and a young girl’s arms wrapped securely around his waist, using her own momentum to quickly retreat into the air with him. His dark plan had been thwarted in an instant. Xie Qingli had never anticipated such an absurd intrusion, and for the very first time in his life, his usually flawless, calm expression stiffened in pure disbelief.
Jiang Zhao on the other hand immediately took the lead, throwing himself before them. “I’ll cover the rear, you two run!” His natal sword [Natal sword: A cultivator’s primary, soul-bound weapon that grows in power alongside them] was named Linxun, and at this critical moment, Linxun radiated a brilliant, blinding sword light that severed the thick, oncoming vines in a single strike. Yun Nian did not waste a single breath on words; channeling every ounce of her spiritual energy into her own blade, she swiftly dodged the thrashing, barbed vines, flying straight up toward the sky.
As she led the completely stunned Xie Qingli out of the collapsing abyss, navigating the deadly maze of plants, her heart pounded like a frantic drum against her ribs.
Only heaven knows, when she had arrived and saw Xie Qingli standing on that nearly collapsed patch of ground, with a gaping crater swarming with man-eating ants just a short distance before him, Yun Nian had almost screamed. Several thick, thorny vines had been lunging forward to drag him down into the depths, yet he had just stood there completely motionless, looking for all the world as though he were paralyzed with sheer terror. “What are you doing standing there, you big idiot!” she had roared in her mind.
Now that she had successfully lunged forward and grabbed him, her own terror only multiplied. Xie Qingli quietly looked down at the person who had thrown herself into his arms. She barely reached his shoulder, and from this position, her small frame seemed completely huddled against his chest. Didn’t she leave? Xie Qingli’s voice was remarkably soft as he murmured, “Senior Sister?” Yun Nian didn’t even dare look up, her focus entirely locked onto the sky above. “Don’t move, I am taking you out of here.”
His slender waist was held in a desperate, unyielding grip, and Xie Qingli continued to look down at her. Her usually bright, smiling face was now entirely tight with solemnity, and though her gaze appeared calm to the outside world, from his close angle, he could clearly see the frantic trembling of her long eyelashes. Even in the grip of such paralyzing fear, she had still turned back to save him?
As she flew, her lips seemed to be moving in tiny, rapid motions, a faint, rhythmic sound escaping her breath. Xie Qingli raised a dark brow, subtly leaning his ear closer to her lips.
He honestly thought she was crying.
but the strange, rhythmic chant he actually heard was… “Prosperity, democracy, civilization, harmony…” [Note: This is the modern Chinese Core Socialist Values mantra, often used humorously by transmigrators in web novels to ward off fear or ghosts.] Xie Qingli: “?” What on earth was she muttering? In reality, Yun Nian was screaming internally: Who could possibly understand the absolute horror of a person with extreme trypophobia! She repeatedly commanded herself not to look down at the ground, for her mind was completely flooded with vivid images of those countless man-eating ants crawling, surging, and piling on top of one another. Because her attention was so heavily divided, she failed to notice a jagged vine whipping through the blind spot behind her neck. Though she hurriedly pulled Xie Qingli out of the way, the sharp thorns still managed to viciously scratch her skin.
Resulting a thin stream of bright blood flowed down her fair, delicate neck, and the moment he saw it, Xie Qingli’s eyes darkened into an abyss. Yet, the person holding him continued to look straight ahead, stubborn and unblinking, leading him safely through the thrashing maze of vines.
Xie Qingli cast a fleeting glance over at Jiang Zhao. The senior brother was struggling fiercely to dodge the onslaught, his movements growing heavier as he clearly met with great difficulty. By now, every single person present—except for himself—had been slashed and bloodied by the plants.
He was the only one being steadily, flawlessly protected in the center of the storm. Even though the girl shielding him was so incredibly weak.
Xie Qingli’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and when he spoke, his voice was as smooth and gentle as a babbling brook. “Senior Sister, put me down. Carrying my weight will only distract you, and you will not be able to break free.”
Yun Nian, who had just barely dodged another swooping branch while maintaining her grip on him, glared up at him fiercely upon hearing those words. “Do not talk such absolute nonsense! I will never abandon you. You will definitely survive this!”
To her, there was no other choice. This was her very first official mission after finally passing her grueling internship to become a full-fledged employee of the system. If she failed this crucial assignment, it could mean being stripped of her status and starting the entire miserable process all over again. Yun Nian absolutely could not allow that to happen.
Xie Qingli remained silent for a long, heavy moment. Assuming the youth had finally given up his stubbornness and accepted her help, Yun Nian relaxed slightly, redirecting every ounce of her focus toward handling the incoming vines. They had to break through this botanical encirclement; only by forcing their way out to the open sky could they live.
Then, a soft, low chuckle seemed to echo from right above her head. The young man seemed to exhale a quiet sigh, his voice sounding entirely ethereal, floating away like mist in the wind. “But, Senior Sister… no one in this world has ever wanted me to live.” Before Yun Nian could even begin to process the chilling weight of his words, a cold, slender hand reached out and pulled her gripping arms away from his waist without a single shred of hesitation. Than to her utter horror, the young man took a deliberate step backward, falling gracefully away from the safety of the void. As he tumbled into the empty air, he simply looked up at the dazed girl standing on the wooden sword, a faint, beautiful smile lingering deep within his eyes.
He was willingly letting himself drop straight into the endless, writhing abyss below. “Thank you, Senior Sister,” he whispered.
“Junior Brother!” Yun Nian shrieked, her hand reaching out into nothingness.
🌸 Hey! Translating this story takes a LOT of time ⏰💦
If you liked it, leave a comment 📝💖 — it really makes my day!
Your support keeps the story alive and helps me deliver the next chapter faster! 🚀📖