Yan Hui turned her head and shot him a glance: "Still alive?"
The moonlight swirled around her, revealing the clear outline of her face. Tian Yao gazed into her moonlit eyes. For a moment, he forgot to respond.
Yan Hui frowned. She swung the peach wood jian back and whacked Tian Yao on the forehead with it. He was startled and only heard Yan Hui dismissively say: "If you're dead, I'm not going to try to save you."
Tian Yao was stunned for a while. He foolishly held his slightly aching forehead. Suddenly, he emitted a deep and soft laugh.
Yan Hui knitted her eyebrows: "What are you laughing at? Did I hit you too hard and knocked the sense out of you?"
Tian Yao covered his forehead and chuckled softly for a long time: "This is the first time I've met someone like you."
She clearly left him, yet she returned with no regard for the danger. In the midst of his despair, in the midst of adversity, she saved him...
The most miraculous part was her actions had undoubtedly stunned him, but she didn't know it herself.
"What a bunch of nonsense." Yan Hui looked back in front of her. Her eyes focused on the ox-headed demon that she had swept back ten meters. Back then, she didn't hold back any her magic. That's why the ox-headed demon was still dizzily shaking its head.
In the dark forest behind the ox-headed demon, there were black shadows scurrying back and forth, seizing the two up. Because of Yan Hui's power when she knocked them back, they didn't dare to rashly advance. Further back in the forest, there were more rustling sounds in the vegetation. It was clear that there were more demons laying in wait for an opening.
All around Yan Hui and Tian Yao were the demons' murderous auras. Yan Hui tightly gripped her peach wood jian. Her expression was solemn.
These past few days were filled with action. Although her magic had recovered, she hadn't been able to keep much in reserve. It was enough to deal with one demon, but if they were to be attacked by a group of demons, her magic wouldn't be enough to last for long.
Today's plan would have to be tricking the group of demons into retreating.
Yan Hui focused her mind and concentrated magic in her dantian. She opened her mouth and said: "I'm from Chen Xing Mountain. You demons dare to enter the Central Plains and commit crimes. Are you tired of living?"
The name itself, Chen Xing Mountain, held some deterrence toward demons. For a moment, the rustling in the underbrush was ceaseless. It made the atmosphere in the forest even more tense and strange.
Yan Hui gathered magic into her legs. She took one step forward, and fire started to spread out from under her footstep. In an instant, it spread out to over 15 meters in distance. An enormous ring of fire formed over the demons' feet. The light of the blaze surpassed the moonlight, illuminating the eyes of many demons.
As far as the eye could see, Yan Hui counted at least twenty demons. There was a multitude of frightening faces and strange bodies.
The demons encircled in Yan Hui's magic panicked. They wanted to flee, but the fire array glued their feet to the ground. The demons couldn't move an inch.
Yan Hui's gaze swept over them, one by one. When she saw the demons start to tremble out of fear, Yan Hui's aura intensified. She deeply yelled: "Get out of my sight!"
At the same time, Yan Hui violently released her fire array. The explosion shot the demons away.
Now that the demons could escape, they rushed away in every direction. The forest filled with rustling sounds, but after a short while, the demonic presence went away.
The moonlight still peacefully shone down into the forest. However, the strange atmosphere was now gone.
Yan Hui stood there for a spell. She waited until the forest had quieted down again before relaxing. She let out a held breath and then heavily sat down on the ground without a care about her image.
Yan Hui rubbed her chest. She panted: "If this kind of scenario happens a few more times, I'm going to lose a few years off my life. I'd rather suffer under sleep paralysis. It's much easier." Yan Hui looked over at Tian Yao. He was still leaning against the tree with an alert expression. Yan Hui waved her hand: "It's alright. The demons fell for the bluff. They'll be gone temporarily. We should hurry up and leave before they realize something's not right and return."
Yan Hui finished and was just about to stand up.
But she heard Tian Yao suddenly say: "Don't move."
Yan Hui froze. She suddenly heard a "swish" splitting the air from afar. An arrow flew right past Yan Hui's ear.
Yan Hui stared. When the arrow sliced past her, it seemed to leave behind a xian aura. However it wasn't as pure as what she usually felt in Chen Xing Mountain. This was more like....
"Heretical cultivation," Tian Yao coldly said. Hearing those two words, Yan Hui wanted to look up and sigh.
While cultivating, some people may misguidedly focus incorrectly while mediating or originally have bad intentions. These people will start on a crooked path. The cultivation world called those people heretical cultivators. Their nature was unbalanced; they liked to slaughter. Compared to regular cultivators, heretical cultivators were more inclined to steal others' cultivation.
Compared to orthodox cultivators, heretical cultivator methods were more like demonic methods. Sometimes, even worse than demons.
"There's no end to this," Yan Hui sighed. She used all her magic to trick the pack of demons. Now they chanced upon a heretical cultivator, and it was one who was good at hiding his aura. The enemy hid in the dark while she was exposed in the light. This really was a disadvantageous situation...
"Yan Hui," Tian Yao softy called from behind Yan Hui. "Come here."
Yan Hui turned her head. She saw his pale lips still had a drop of blood in the corner that he didn't manage to wipe away. She frowned: "Are you saying your final words?" Saying that, she obediently retreated and crouched down by him.
She was still a small distance away from him. Tian Yao was silent for a moment. He spoke: "Bring your ear closer."
Yan Hui complied and got closer, but her eyes were still fixed on the forest in front of her. The arrow came from that direction. The attacker had to be in that direction. It was a pity she had no more magic to enhance her senses. She couldn't detect where the attacker was...
Tian Yao saw Yan Hui was still a half-body's length away. He could only lean forward to get closer to her ear. His lips were practically touching her ear before he very quietly said: "He's repressing his aura."
Yan Hui had been lost in her thoughts thinking over this situation. She didn't realize Tian Yao was that close to her. He was so close that she could feel his warm breath tickle her ear. Yan Hui had a physical reaction to it. Her heart tightened, and she felt her face get warm. In a split second, it was like Tian Yao's breath exposed all of her goosebumps.
She immediate retreated back a little and dazedly looked at Tian Yao.
But his eyes were bright, and his face was solemn. That look made Yan Hui unable to say, 'How could you take advantage of me?!'
In this case, Tian Yao was being serious. Yan Hui could only scold herself for having too many secular thoughts.
------Who let this boy, aside from his identity, have the type of looks and voice that she liked...
Yan Hui cleared her throat and focused back to the matter at hand: "I realized that."
Seeing Yan Hui retreat back again, Tian Yao frowned: "Bring your ear back."
In truth, she should be closer. If the heretical cultivator happened to hear what they were saying, they would be in a bad situation...
Thus, Yan Hui once again put aside her discomfort and brought her ear closer to Tian Yao's lips.
Tian Yao grimly asked: "How much inner breath do you have left to use?"
Yan Hui continued to clear her throat: "Practically nothing. If I do, it's only enough to light a fire."
Tian Yao slightly muttered to himself. Then he said: "Listen to what I have to say. He's staying hidden and doesn't dare make a move. Even now, he only dares to do a sneak attack. It's clear this person's power isn't high. As long as you see him, with your power, perhaps you can subdue him with your martial arts."
Those words finally caught Yan Hui's fluttering heart. She stared into the distant forest and frowned: "But I don't have enough inner power right now. I can't sharpen my senses to perceive him."
"I'll teach you a Heart Technique. Circulate it around your entire body."
Yan Hui froze. She heard Tian Yao's voice already chanting in her ear. She ignored everything around her and only focused on what he was saying. Then following Tian Yao's Heart Technique, Yan Hui slowly started to circulate her inner breath.
At that moment, the hiding heretical cultivator seemed to sense that something wasn't right. He shot another arrow.
Tian Yao finished reciting the technique just in time. He grabbed a stone from the ground and threw it in the direction of the arrow. The arrow was immediately deflected. It hit the tree behind Tian Yao with a "thunk".
Tian Yao looked at the direction the arrow's tail was pointing in. He told Yan Hui, who had finished regulating her inner breath: "Look and focus in the southwest area."
Yan Hui fixed her eyes in that direction and was immediately stunned by what she saw. It was like what she would see if it were daylight. The trees and undergrowth were crystal clear. The person crouching under a tree had nowhere to hide: "He's hiding under a tree."
Yan Hui lightly said: "The distance is a little far...wait."
Yan Hui looked into the distance. She frowned: "The demons are already coming back."
Tian Yao's brows knitted: "How many?"
"Not many. Four or five." Yan Hui turned her head and looked at Tian Yao's clothes. Then with no hesitation, she yanked off his outerwear and his innerwear. "The scent on your body is too strong."
Tian Yao was originally startled when Yan Hui yanked off his clothes. However after hearing her words, he could only coldly let her pull them off. Then she tossed her jacket that she had draped over herself onto Tian Yao.
"About 1500 meters from this place is a river that flows toward civilization. We'll run in that direction." Yan Hui looked back over to the forest. "The heretic also noticed the demons are returning. He ran off to the west, so we don't have to worry about dealing with him. His movements will attract the demons. Let's take this chance and run."
Tian Yao nodded and allowed Yan Hui to assist him up. Then the pair limped toward where the river lay.
The moonlight was still bleak. Their hobbling figures cut a very sorry sight.
Yan Hui's hoarse pants in the night seemed panicked, but when Tian Yao turned to look, he saw Yan Hui's face was filled with resolution. There was no despair even though they were running for their lives. It seemed like even in bleakest of circumstances, she would still stand strong. She would face the difficulties and say they troubled her not...
Leaning against Yan Hui, Tian Yao felt only warmth.
Warmth directly from the heart...
"Jump down!" Yan Hui shouted and pulled Tian Yao along with her leap into the river. Under the force of the current, Yan Hui still did not let go of his hand. She pulled and tugged at him and spared no effort to swim along with the water's current.
So much effort...
Tian Yao gazed at Yan Hui's face as he was being battered by the waves. He felt like his head was getting heavier and heavier. Then, he passed out.
Yan Hui was putting in her all to swim. Suddenly, she felt the person she was holding start to sink. She was startled and flusteredly pulled Tian Yao up, but she saw that he had closed his eyes and fainted. She was so mad that she yanked Tian Yao's head: "Great timing! You just had to faint now of all times to cause trouble for me!"