"Are you sure?"
Ye Tiancheng, not entirely certain himself, still held a degree of trust in Long Miaomiao. She had lived longer and knew more, making her worthy of that trust.
Thus, Ye Tiancheng, feeling a bit conflicted, asked Long Miaomiao again.
Seeing Ye Tiancheng's hesitation, Long Miaomiao decided to demonstrate. Fortunately, her task of completing the new seal didn't require her to free up both hands.
She switched from holding the ball of light to cupping it, and Ye Tiancheng focused his gaze.
He watched as Long Miaomiao's hands, which had been cupping the light, suddenly changed to a grasping motion. Then, her hands slowly moved apart, stretching the object.
The ball of light, held within Long Miaomiao's hands, elongated in Ye Tiancheng's sight, transforming into a long, thin strip. This strip, initially thick, gradually thinned. It was clear that if stretched to sufficient length, it could eventually become suitable for making a qin string.
Ye Tiancheng asked, "So, it's malleable?"
He then inquired, "Can I try my hand?"
There was no reason why not. Long Miaomiao released her hold, and the ball of light reverted to its spherical shape. She then passed it to Ye Tiancheng.
Ye Tiancheng took the ball of light, weighing it in his palm. It felt weightless, as if he were holding a mere wisp of light, with no discernible texture.
He then attempted to mimic Long Miaomiao's earlier movements, trying to reshape the ball of light by pinching and kneading it.
Strangely,
At this moment, the ball of light began to yield a tangible sensation.
Ye Tiancheng found the ball of light to be elastic and resilient, highly malleable. However, to stretch it to its limit as Long Miaomiao had done would require more than just physical strength; he would need to infuse his cultivation into his hands to shape it.
After fiddling with it for a while, he said to Long Miaomiao, "It's truly peculiar. I wonder what material this is."
"I can't say for sure, but you'll know it when you see it," Long Miaomiao replied. She added, "In any case, it will be very useful for you. The qin strings will save you a lot of trouble and effort. This time, breaking the old seal was not in vain."
"You should put this away."
Ye Tiancheng nodded and took the ball of light.
Since all the fragments of the Fuxi Qin were in Ye Tiancheng's possession, it was only fitting that he kept the qin strings as well.
After securing the ball of light, Ye Tiancheng said to Long Miaomiao, "You've worked very hard this time. You've helped us immensely."
Long Miaomiao replied, "It's good that I could help. It wasn't hard at all."
Her expression was serene, and her demeanor conveyed that her words were sincere. Long Miaomiao truly felt that way.
However, even so, those who received benefits and favors could not simply accept them with a clear conscience.
That would be too heartless and selfish.
Ye Tiancheng said, "I owe you more and more. My debts of gratitude are snowballing. I truly don't know how I can ever repay you."
Long Miaomiao looked at Ye Tiancheng with a peculiar gaze.
"I just want to help you. Being able to help is enough. I don't need your gratitude, and I don't care much about anything else. I don't lack anything anyway."
This was almost too noble.
Ye Tiancheng certainly couldn't accept it so readily. After hearing Long Miaomiao's words, he was stunned for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words on his lips turned, paused, and he remained silent.
He savored her words internally, feeling that something was slightly off.
Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but wonder if he was overthinking things, perhaps mistaken.
With this thought, he couldn't help but look at Long Miaomiao several more times.
What Long Miaomiao had said were her genuine feelings. As she spoke, she didn't think much of it. However, Ye Tiancheng's persistent gaze and subsequent silence made her feel increasingly uncomfortable. Her cheeks, for reasons unknown, grew warm, burning intensely.
Ye Tiancheng watched as Long Miaomiao's cheeks grew redder, the blush spreading from her face to the back of her ears and down her neck.
Long Miaomiao glared at Ye Tiancheng, "Why are you always looking at me like that?"
But her words, coupled with her current appearance, her eyes slightly moist with redness, lacked any genuine anger. Despite a hint of petulance, her demeanor held no deterrent power.
Ye Tiancheng clicked his tongue slightly but dared not say more.
He averted his gaze and could only explain to Long Miaomiao, "It's just that you're so kind. Even if you're willing, it's difficult for family and friends not to acknowledge such kindness. I will definitely want to repay you, so I was just thinking about what I should do for you."
Ye Tiancheng deliberately omitted certain details, unwilling to make them explicit.
For Ye Tiancheng, this was not a good situation. Not breaking the silence was best. After all, despite her long life, Long Miaomiao was indeed overly naive and innocent in some aspects. She truly didn't understand. As long as nothing was said to provoke her, Long Miaomiao might not realize.
Long Miaomiao did not doubt Ye Tiancheng's words. After Ye Tiancheng stopped looking at her, the heat on her face gradually subsided.
Once she returned to normal, Long Miaomiao almost felt as if her earlier inexplicable feelings were just an illusion.
Long Miaomiao shook her head again and stopped thinking about it.
"Just let me follow you. I just want to have fun outside. As long as I'm happy, I don't want anything else. You don't need to do anything special."
Ye Tiancheng nodded. "How is the situation now? Are there any insurmountable problems, or have any accidents occurred? Has the situation stabilized?"
Long Miaomiao reassured Ye Tiancheng, "Don't worry, everything is going smoothly. There haven't been any accidents. Once I complete the seal, this matter will essentially be resolved. From now on, as long as the seal is regularly inspected and reinforced, unless someone maliciously interferes, it's unlikely to cause problems again."
Ye Tiancheng was relieved.
This time, things had gone surprisingly smoothly, yet Ye Tiancheng still felt that something was amiss, that a hidden crisis lingered, though he couldn't pinpoint its source. Now that Long Miaomiao said their current actions were proceeding without incident, where could the crisis he sensed be coming from?
Ye Tiancheng suppressed his worries.
He first went to brief Nie Chongyang and the little fox on the progress and situation, then began the subsequent refinement work.
This time, thanks to Long Miaomiao's excellent control, everything was perfect and had no external impact, making it easier for Nie Chongyang and the others to manage the situation and stabilize it. At the very least, this immediate crisis would soon be resolved.
He would need to supervise closely in the future to prevent any oversight that could increase the possibility of unexpected events.
Despite seeing everything proceeding in an orderly fashion, Ye Tiancheng remained uneasy and vigilant about all situations. However, until Long Miaomiao was finalizing the seal, and even after she finished, the crisis Ye Tiancheng had sensed did not materialize.
Everything was smooth, without any unforeseen events.
Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but feel perplexed.
Perhaps he had sensed it incorrectly?
Upon seeing the plan successfully completed, Nie Chongyang also breathed a sigh of relief. Given the significant impact of this matter, concluding it so peacefully was the best possible outcome. It couldn't have been better.
This was truly a perfect conclusion.
Nie Chongyang then went to find Long Miaomiao to understand the situation better, as there were still some follow-up matters that needed clarification before the aftermath could be handled.
He inquired with Long Miaomiao about the teachers and students who had been controlled. Now that the entity controlling them had been resealed, would these teachers and students be affected when they returned to classes?
This would determine how Nie Chongyang and his team should proceed with the follow-up work.
Long Miaomiao assured Nie Chongyang that he could largely relax. Although the entity had been unwilling to yield and had struggled under Long Miaomiao's control while she was setting up the new seal, Long Miaomiao's strength had caught it off guard, preventing it from retaliating. It had been thoroughly sealed.
Once sealed by Long Miaomiao, the entity would also fall into a dormant state, losing consciousness.
Under these circumstances, even though the teachers and students were still under control, the mastermind behind it, now dormant, could no longer do anything to them. Moreover, once these teachers and students were no longer associated with this place, even this residual control would be completely broken, and the entity would be entirely unable to manipulate them.
Essentially, with a change in student cohorts, most of the hidden dangers could be eliminated. New students and teachers would certainly not be affected again, meaning this manipulation would not continue. Once the teachers were replaced, the matter would be largely resolved.
Hearing this, Nie Chongyang finally felt completely at ease.
This was essentially equivalent to saying that there would be no further problems.
However, in the brief moment Nie Chongyang and Long Miaomiao were conversing, they suddenly heard someone exclaim, "What is this?"
This was followed by a commotion.
Nie Chongyang and Long Miaomiao immediately looked over. They saw that in the area closest to Ye Tiancheng and the little fox, a black, vortex-like region had appeared. This vortex seemed to possess a strange suction force towards Ye Tiancheng and the little fox.
The little fox, completely unprepared, was already being pulled into the vortex. If Ye Tiancheng hadn't been feeling uneasy and remained vigilant, sensing the suction the moment it appeared, he would have stabilized himself and managed to grab the little fox's leg, preventing the latter from being completely swallowed.
However, Ye Tiancheng couldn't pull the little fox back completely. In fact, he himself was struggling to avoid being sucked into the black vortex.
Those nearby were unsure whether to step forward and help. However, Ye Tiancheng, caught in the vortex, naturally understood the immense power of the suction. Even he was barely able to stand his ground and avoid being completely pulled in. If others approached, not only would they be unable to help him, but they would also be walking into a trap.
Therefore, before anyone could act, Ye Tiancheng shouted to those around him, "Don't come any closer! The suction is too strong; ordinary people can't withstand it!"
Seeing this, Long Miaomiao intended to rush over to help Ye Tiancheng.
Ye Tiancheng was struggling to maintain his position. Suddenly, a force appeared from behind him, pushing him. This force, appearing from nowhere, gave Ye Tiancheng, who was already struggling to avoid being sucked into the black vortex and holding onto the little fox, a shove. Now, he couldn't hold on.
Everyone watched as Ye Tiancheng and the little fox disappeared into the black vortex.
Long Miaomiao arrived a moment too late and couldn't reach Ye Tiancheng. She stood before the vortex, saying nothing, her brow furrowed. After a glance at the vortex, she, in full view of everyone, plunged headfirst into it.
Her figure also vanished within.