Yan Hui hadn't finished speaking when the snake demon struck with his tail. He wrapped Yan Hui and Zhenren Qi Yun up into the air. It seemed like he was mad with anger and didn't hear a single word.
It seemed like the tail that Yan Hui cleaved into two had become a new weapon for the snake demon. One fork wrapped around Yan Hui, the other around Zhenren Qi Yun.
The fork that held Yan Hui cast her away in mid-air.
Yan Hui was frightened, but without her inner breath, she was completely incapable of protecting herself. She was like a toy that a child forcefully threw toward the ground. Stunned, she couldn't regain her senses for a long time.
Yan Hui unsteadily lifted her head. Only then did she see Tian Yao sure-footedly standing there. He was calmly watching the snake demon. To Yan Hui who had just been thrown down, he seemed like a statue, detached from the world.
Yan Hui grabbed a fistful of his clothes and falteringly stood up: "You brat..." Yan Hui scolded: "You didn't catch me."
Only then did Tian Yao shoot Yan Hui a glance. Then he stepped aside, making Yan Hui unable to grab onto him: "Saving you is having high moral character. Not saving you is as it should be."
Screw you....
Hearing those familiar words, Yan Hui started in curse internally. The snake demon opened its mouth and started to charge at Yan Hui. It planned to directly swallow Yan Hui down into its stomach.
Yan Hui didn't hesitate in the slightest. She pushed Tian Yao. The two fell down on either side and simultaneously dodged the snake demon's attack.
"Listen to me!" Yan Hui sprawled on the ground and yelled at the snake demon, "I don't want the hidden treasure! I just want to find the antidote for your venom!"
"Do you think I'm that easy to trick? You're definitely waiting for the chance to take away Qi Yun. I do not permit you Chen Xing Mountain people to hurt her even the tiniest amount again!" The snake demon raged, "Today, I will make this place your grave!"
Done speaking, the snake demon once again lunged to bite Yan Hui. She didn't have any inner breath and could only frantically twist and turn in the field pit to escape: "I didn't plan on taking her again! And I'm no longer one of Chen Xing Mountain's people!" Yan Hui yelled, "Also, Zhenren Qi Yun definitely wasn't hurt by someone from Chen Xing Mountain!"
"Everyone knows that Qi Yun cultivated to the point that, aside from Daoist Priest Ling Xiao from Chen Xing Mountain, no one else could hurt her with the Hoarfrost Technique to this degree!"
"It wasn't my shifu!"
Yan Hui yelled and suddenly froze like someone had painfully stepped on her foot. She no longer ran away. She turned backwards to face the snake demon: "I demand you to cease your slander!"
It was up to this point, when Yan Hui said what she had been subconsciously thinking, did she suddenly realize something.
It turns out that even if she was driven away or if she walked directly away, even if she was broken-hearted and lost hope in Ling Xiao, as long as there is a day or moment, a remote corner on this world where she hears slanderous words aimed toward him, she would still recklessly step forward like she did before. To defend his honor, she was still willing to give up her life for it like she did before.
She watched the snake demon's fishy-smelling, red tongue directly probed toward her. Yan Hui didn't try to move or avoid it. It was to the point where she could practically smell the snake demon's fishy breath when Yan Hui realized: she really was stupid.
Why should she so easily throw away her own life for Ling Xiao?
But on second thought, there was nothing unworthy about handing over her life for him...
The two thoughts clashed in merely a blink of an eye. Yan Hui looked at the snake demon's tongue that was about to penetrate her chest. In a flash, darkness fell in front of Yan Hui's eyes. Her body was suddenly hugged.
The world spun. Yan Hui didn't know how many times she rolled in that person's embrace. After they stopped, Yan Hui could only blankly look up at the blue sky, slightly stunned.
The body pressing against her felt very heavy.
Yan Hui reached out. The person's back felt sticky.
It was blood.
"Br...brat?" Yan Hui all of a sudden felt like her brain stopped working. "Why...you shouldn't have! Didn't you say not saving me is as it should be?"
It was a long time before it seemed like Tian Yao could get off of Yan Hui. He propped himself up.
His pretty eyes stared at her; four eyes met. In his flat and still eyes, Yan Hui saw her shocked self.
He was like someone who hadn't been hurt, softly saying: "I have a high moral character." Although he tried hard to keep his voice steady, Yan Hui could still sense his voice was slightly shaking.
He was enduring the pain.
Despite knowing Tian Yao was extremely good at enduring, right now Yan Hui still couldn't help feeling fearful for him.
What kind of situation did this dragon demon encounter to develop this kind of character? What pain was he feeling the day before yesterday that he could no longer endure it?
Despite knowing his true form now, Yan Hui felt like he still had a lot of riddles about him.
He only told her what he wanted her to know.
"If you want to save her, then you will both die." The snake demon shouted and charged forward.
Yan Hui gritted her teeth: "You are despicable!"
Yan Hui hardened her heart. She pushed Tian Yao aside and dodged the snake demon's tongue. She rapidly ran forward two steps and leapt under its body, snatching a sickle laying in the field. With a flick, she lithely flipped onto the snake demon's body.
She took two staggering steps on the snake demon's twisting body. Seeing she was about to be thrown off, she didn't care much about it in spite of having to leap off. She brandished the sickle in mid-air and directly pierced through the snake demons scales. The blade sank in.
The snake demon hissed toward the sky in pain.
Yan Hui used this moment to climb onto the snake demon's tail. His tail was still wrapped around Zhenren Qi Yun. Yan Hui used all of her strength and stepped on the snake demon's tail.
In the chaos, she hugged the still-unconscious Zhenren Qi Yun , and they both rolled onto the ground.
In practically less time than it takes to draw a breath, Yan Hui gripped Zhenren Qi Yun's neck and hauled her up. She confronted the snake demon: "If you're still going to be bad, I'm going to break her neck!"
It was like the snake demon's heart stopped. In a split second, his vigorous body lost a lot of strength.
"Give Qi Yun back." His voice was deep.
Yan Hui apologized internally to Zhenren Qi Yun. Then with a cold and stiff face she said: "I told you I had no intention to hurt her. It was you who wouldn't listen."
The snake demon twisted its body. It seemed like its whole body was restraining itself. It was itching to strike and bite Yan Hui to death.
Yan Hui shot a glance at Tian Yao; he was still laying down on the ground. The blood from his back had already stained the earth red beneath him. His face was deathly pale. Yan Hui knew if no one helped him, this fragile human body wouldn't last much longer.
"Let's set this aside for now." Yan Hui gestered with her mouth toward Tian Yao and said: "First think of a way to help this guy's wound. Then we will talk...." Yan Hui tightened her grip on Zhenren Qi Yun's neck: "About releasing her."
The snake demon coiled its body and flicked out its tongue to taste the air for a while. Then its entire body turned into a white haze and transformed into a human.
He stared at Yan Hui. Then he gritted his teeth and walked to Tian Yao. Magic condensed around his hand, and it covered Tian Yao's back.
Even though Tian Yao's complexion wasn't much better, he was able to sit up after a short spell. She knew that even though demon magic couldn't completely heal Tian Yao's wound, it could replenish life. Yan Hui was very satisfied. "Tian Yao, " she called.
Tian Yao's expression slightly changed. He turned his head to look at her and saw her calling to him like a child: "If you can move, come to me." She waved her hand. "Tian Yao?"
He hadn't heard someone call his name in a long time. He dipped his eyes and silently walked to Yan Hui's side.
The snake demon looked at Yan Hui: "Give back Qi Yun."
Yan Hui only relaxed when she saw Tian Yao standing by her side. Then gripping Zhenren Qi Yun's neck, she calmly looked at the snake demon: "Wait. We need to talk about a misunderstanding first."
The snake demon's face darkened: "The facts are in front of you. Daoist Priest Ling Xiao was the one who hurt Qi Yun. There is no misunderstanding."
"You aren't being sincere," said Yan Hui. "Put away your prejudice first. Then you can calmly discuss with me. Start with apologizing to me for being rude just now."
The snake demon's face darkened like smoke had been blown onto it.
Yan Hui raised an eyebrow. One hand pulled at Zhenren Qi Yun's hair.
Almost immediately, the snake demon said: "I apologize....."
Yan Hui smirked: "Good, now let's have a frank discussion." Yan Hui tightly gripped Zhenren Qi Yun's neck in one hand, the other gestured to the trampled and ruined field. "Sit anywhere."
The snake demon gritted its teeth and sat.
Yan Hui was pleased with herself to the point of bursting.
Before, Ling Xiao would always say Yan Hui put in excessive effort and was headstrong. Sometimes the ways she eliminated demons was somewhat dishonorable. At Chen Xing Mountain, Yan Hui would often be lectured and occasionally punished. When she was punished and placed into detention, she would always wonder, was there really something bad about her?
Up to this point, Yan Hui felt like she didn't have that inflexible, nobleman character. And that is really good.
Manners? Brilliance? They both couldn't compare to practicality.