A few minutes ago, inside Zhu Wei's pocket dimension
Under Yin's constant badgering, the female disciple Li'er finally could no longer bear it. She was an alchemist in the first place and she was well-known for her soft heart. With the Patriarch giving her a subtle signal of approval, she gritted her teeth and handed Yin several ripe fruits from the nearest tree for her to snack on.
"What a good, tasty pear!" Yin exclaimed as each bite caused juice to run down her chin. "So good! I feel like I should be eating this as dessert every after meal."
Seeing her enjoyment, both Shangguan Ke and Li'er nearly puked blood.
This is a Red-Veined Holy Golden Fruit, okay?! What were you expecting? Every after meal? Could you afford it? Could your Grandpa Shangguan afford it? F*ck, even this whole branch of Ming Yue Sect could not afford such luxurious treatment!
Save for wild grass, these fruits might be the cheapest ones in the vicinity, but it was still a heavenly treasure used to strengthen a cultivator's fleshly body! A Holy Golden Tree would only produce a handful fruits every ten years; that's how precious they are!
In the entire Leaf City, the annual stock of high-quality Red-Veined Holy Fruit would not surpass fifty!
Without Shangguan Ke helping to dissolve the fruit's medicinal strength, do you believe that your little mortal body would not explode?! And you even want it for dessert?!
"Sister farmer, can I borrow your pouch?" Then, without ceremony, she grabbed some more 'pears' and pushed them inside her newly-acquired ordinary string pouch. Amused by their gaping faces, Yin chuckled. "So that I can eat them later."
"Why are you asking permission?" Li'er laughed dryly, giving the Patriarch a sideways glance. "You are already holding it."
"Hee hee."
Yin's large, black eyes naughtily scanned the trees around them. A bashful smile slowly spread over her pudgy face. "Hmm...? I'm full for now. How about we play while we wait? Sister farmer, what's in there? The plants there smell especially good."
Li'er smoothened her expression as she awkwardly checked the place she's pointing at. "Uh, that's the west side, where all the dark- and yin-attributed plants are gathered. Maybe the qi in your body is resonating to them."
"Can we go there?"
Shangguan Ke had black lines on his face. Even with him around, she was already quite a headache. Would he dare let her leave his sight? Would he let her roam around? Would that not be asking for death?!
He picked her up and held her in his arms again. "Where do you think you are going? Nobody leaves until the Great Elders return!"
"But Grandpa..."
"No buts!"
"All right... wu wu... just put me down, pretty please? I'm gonna stay and behave."
Shangguan Ke raised a skeptical brow. "Uh-huh."
"Really—" Suddenly, Yin froze, her face horrified. "Oh, no! Grandpa! Look! Sister Farmer collapsed!"
Why is it so many people are collapsing today...
Shangguan Ke put her down and with a serious face, he carefully checked the woman with his divine consciousness. He checked her pulse, letting his qi scan her meridians. "It seemed similar to what happened to that maid... could it be Yingyue's qi causing this?"
He then turned around. His face then flashed in between red and white.
"Yingyue?"
"Yingyue!"
"Where are you?"
How could this be? How could she suddenly disappear? He let his divine sense spread around, but not a trace of her could be found. He did this twice and thrice, even trying to spread it for several more mu until his consciousness wavered in instability. Only an incense' stick of time had passed since Li'er fainted.
'Drats! She's a mortal! How could this happen?! Is... there someone else in here?'
Quickly, Shangguan Ke pulled out a communication talisman and informed the Grand Elders that the little brat was missing.
"Great Elder, Yingyue, she's—"
KA-BOOM!!!
The entire pocket dimension blasted with cold air, and ice particles and white mist darted out, injuring and destroying and freezing everything they passed through.