"Little phoenix, you should have given the fruit to me directly as well. Even if there were problems with the fruit, I could have borne the risk."
Li Xue was chattering away when Ye Tiancheng suddenly felt his entire body's true qi become abundant. He felt as if he were soaring through the clouds, though in reality, his feet had lifted off the ground.
"Master, if you feel unwell anywhere, tell me quickly. I'll transfer my true qi to you right away."
"No need, disciple. I appreciate your kind intentions. I'm truly fine. In fact, I feel my true qi surging like a bouncing ball, becoming more and more potent. I feel great."
"Master, does this mean that fruits of this color are the correct choice among all the fruits?"
Soon, Ye Tiancheng confirmed his disciple's guess. Everything unfolded naturally as they began searching for these strangely colored fruits.
Clearly, these fruits were rare. Following the phoenix's guidance, they only saw fruits of other colors. After searching for about an hour, they found another one.
"It's on that cliff. If it weren't for the little phoenix, we wouldn't have been able to reach it from this distance."
This was Lin Xue's honest feeling. The distance was too great. She could fly up, but it would consume a lot of energy. However, the little phoenix, being small, soared up with a flap of its wings, quickly spotted the fruit, picked it up in its mouth, and delivered it to its owner, Lin Xue.
"Master, you're weaker than me. You eat it. This fruit should have a great benefit for people. Just eating a few more will significantly increase your true qi. I don't know if the effect is long-lasting or temporary, but it doesn't matter. As long as it improves, it's better than not improving."
"You eat it, Xue'er. You've already eaten one. This one should be for you too."
Ye Tiancheng, as a master, felt embarrassed to keep all the good things for himself. His disciple had also gone through hardship. At the very least, they should have something comparable. A little fairness was necessary.
Moreover, Lin Xue had been injured protecting him. As a master, it was Ye Tiancheng's duty to protect his disciple. If he couldn't even protect his disciple, what was the point of living? He felt it would be better to die.
"I'm truly fine, Master. You've been protecting me all along, and you'll continue to protect me. So, eat the fruit first. As a disciple, I still rely on my master for protection."
They were engaged in such polite back-and-forth that the fruit was almost ruined before it even reached their mouths. Neither of them felt comfortable eating it, as they both knew they didn't know if they could find another one. They had both realized this, so neither was willing to consume the precious fruit.
As they were arguing, and the little phoenix hadn't found the next fruit yet, they suddenly heard voices. At that moment, both of them were stunned. Logically, there shouldn't be anyone speaking here, and it was eerily quiet. The only thing nearby was an uninhabited village. The villagers in that village seemed to be deliberately avoiding them, and even calling out to them yielded no response. Now, someone had appeared on their own. Everything felt inexplicably eerie.
"Master, what should we do?"
Even though Lin Xue was now stronger than Ye Tiancheng, at critical moments, as a disciple, she still respected her master and was very dependent on him. No matter what happened, she prioritized seeking her master's opinion.
"It's alright. I have a plan. Let's hide first. I hear the sound of torches. These people probably don't belong here, otherwise, they wouldn't be out in the middle of the night."
Ye Tiancheng's reasoning was sound, but the master and disciple had no time to think further. They quickly hid behind a large tree as thick as two people.
They quietly observed from behind the tree and saw that the people soon arrived. There seemed to be over twenty of them, and each person was holding a torch. These were not the invaders Ye Tiancheng had previously treated. Instead, they were the first people who had arrived at this village.
"That guy is here. Let's search everywhere. We must find him!"
The person they were referring to was undoubtedly Ye Tiancheng. These people were clearly more aggressive than the invaders. Ye Tiancheng and Lin Xue had opened up a new path from that cave, and these people had followed them along.
"These people are from a village. I know them. Let's ignore them and find a place to hide."
"Why are there so many fruits here? These fruits look good. Maybe eating them will grant immortality."
Upon hearing them say this, Ye Tiancheng quickly peeked. He discovered that the person was holding the pink fruit. Ye Tiancheng had cultivation. Otherwise, even with his disciple's help, eating the poisonous fruit would have surely killed him. How could ordinary people withstand the harm of these poisonous fruits?
Seeing that the person was about to put it in his mouth, Ye Tiancheng quickly shouted from behind the tree.
"Don't eat it. That fruit is poisonous."
"Who!"
The people holding torches were startled. While Ye Tiancheng was distracted, Li Xue quickly shoved the fruit she had just obtained into Ye Tiancheng's mouth. Before Ye Tiancheng could react, he had already swallowed it.
"Stop playing tricks. Come out quickly."
"Believe it or not, these fruits are poisonous. I almost died after eating the porridge earlier. If you know what's good for you, stay away from those fruits. They are not for you to eat."
Ye Tiancheng had said as much as he could, yet those people not only didn't listen but became suspicious.
"It seems this is truly something good, otherwise, you wouldn't stop me. Then I must taste this fruit. It's probably very delicious."
After saying that, the person, fearing others would snatch it, directly put it in his mouth. He swallowed it after just a few chews. Ye Tiancheng's heart trembled. There were many fruits of various colors in this area, but it was highly likely that this was a protective mechanism of the rainforest. Once a gluttonous person ate the fruit, it could be a punishment from the rainforest for intruders.
"Master, never mind. That person brought it upon himself. Let's not meddle in this."
Just as Lin Xue finished speaking, she saw that person collapse in pain, clutching his throat and writhing helplessly.
Ye Tiancheng was not someone who would refuse to help, but saving him would deplete his own resources too much. Moreover, such a greedy person was there to capture him. Ye Tiancheng was not a saint who only did good deeds without his own judgment.
"Hurry and save him! What are you all standing there for?"
Clearly, the villagers were also anxious. Some even threw their torches on the ground, intending to save that person. However, that person suddenly lunged up, jumping as high as a monkey and onto another person, biting his neck. That person let out a tragic scream.
At the same moment, the person who had bitten him exploded, his flesh and blood splattering everywhere. The scene was horrifying.
"Someone's dead! Help! Someone's dead!"
Amidst the shouts from the crowd, the bitten person also fell to the ground, his neck askew, and died. Two people died instantly, causing great commotion among the group. Everyone was stunned. Some dropped their torches and fled.
Of course, they fled back the way they came. They knew how terrifying this place was.
Therefore, they dared not linger. If they wanted to run, they had to do it quickly, otherwise, if they were caught or suffered the same fate as their companions, the problem would be very serious.
"That person we're looking for knows sorcery. He wants to kill us. Let's run quickly."
Those people wanted to run, but it was too late. The trees in the rainforest seemed to come alive. The tree trunks wildly pierced the bodies of the villagers. Blood quickly flowed into rivers and was then absorbed by the tree roots.
"Xue'er, should we save them?"
"We can't save them, Master. Look closely. The trees have grown much taller in an instant, and the fruits on the trees are even more vibrant. This is why we get poisoned when we eat the fruits. Because these trees are evil. They feed on human blood after killing people, thus making themselves stronger, and the fruits they bear are filled with sin."
Everything happened too quickly. In the less than ten seconds of Ye Tiancheng's brief contemplation, the last of the villagers fell. The villagers who had come with torches to search for Ye Tiancheng were all wiped out.
"Save me, please save me..."
Those who had intended to leave heard a faint cry and quickly went to take a look. The person looked familiar. Ye Tiancheng remembered that this was the village chief.
"Hurry and return my daughter-in-law to me. Where did you take her? My son still needs to get married. Return my daughter-in-law to me."
The chief was on the brink of death but still showed no fear. He fiercely grabbed Ye Tiancheng's wrist, his eyes bulging so wide they seemed about to fall out, demanding his daughter-in-law from Ye Tiancheng.
"You're about to die yourself, and you still want your daughter-in-law? I suspect your son is among these dead people. You are truly stubborn."
Ye Tiancheng was helpless. This village chief was too remarkable. He couldn't sort out his own affairs and was obsessed with his son's marriage. Now, with his life at stake, he was still speaking arrogantly. It was truly shocking.
However, before Ye Tiancheng could be more shocked, the chief quickly passed away, taking his last breath. Ye Tiancheng sighed. This person was probably beyond saving. His obsession had reached this point, and his death was his own fault.
"Master, don't bother with these people. Let's go quickly. These people are beyond saving. We should hurry and find more fruits to improve your strength. Wasting time here is useless."
Lin Xue had made it very clear.
Ye Tiancheng no longer wanted to waste time and quickly followed the little phoenix to search for more fruits that could enhance his true qi. Through the efforts of Ye Tiancheng and Lin Xue, they found three more fruits. After eating them, they felt refreshed, as if they had eaten immortal fruit, and their true qi had greatly improved.
After eating the fruits, Ye Tiancheng returned to the uninhabited village with the land to rest. As a result, Ye Tiancheng's entire body emitted a surprisingly high red temperature. Perhaps it was because he needed to digest the fruits, and digestion itself consumed energy.
"Master, let me help you. You'll definitely digest it quickly."
Lin Xue used her spiritual energy to help Ye Tiancheng digest. Throughout this process, both of them found it extremely difficult. The blood flowing in Ye Tiancheng's veins was now hotter than lava.
Visibly, Ye Tiancheng's physique became more robust, and a layer of black energy was being forced out of his body.
As for Ye Tiancheng's expression, it changed unpredictably, alternating between madness and calmness, giving a sense of being unfathomable.
Lin Xue continued to strive to help her master. Regardless of Ye Tiancheng's unstable condition, Lin Xue was protecting the master who had shown her kindness with her own life.