Suffering an emotional blow akin to a ten-thousand-point critical hit, Jian Xiaolou's mind was consumed by one phrase:
—Being single is unbearable!
The commotion was enormous. Zhan Tianxiang, barely having set up a protective barrier before beginning his cultivation, rushed out with his silver spear in hand. He was met with the sight of Chu Fengchen standing dumbfounded in the courtyard, holding Baili Xi. Across from them, an entire row of houses had collapsed, leaving Jian Xiaolou sprawled on the ground, covered in dust and with smoke rising from her hair.
Alarmed, Zhan Tianxiang hurried over to help her up. "What happened?"
Jian Xiaolou glared indignantly at Chu Fengchen.
"Why did you save me? I have Wuchang." Baili Xi furrowed her brows deeply and glanced at Chu Fengchen before continuing, "Put me down."
Chu Fengchen dazedly set her back on the ground.
"It's all my fault for being so naive, trusting people too easily." Jian Xiaolou's legs were still trembling as she lamented her misfortune. "Wuchang, you're so unfair! The clan leader saved you, but why didn't you save me?"
Wuchang's voice cried out in protest, "Xiaolou, I was just about to grab your shoulder, but Chu kicked you away! The heavenly lightning had already struck, and you know I'm a ghost cultivator—thunderfire is my bane..."
So it all came down to Chu Fengchen's fault. Jian Xiaolou shook off Zhan Tianxiang's support, hobbled over like an old lady, and kicked the back of Chu Fengchen's knee. "Great Hero Chu, you sure keep your promises! Truly loyal!"
Chu Fengchen didn't even flinch, though his eyes looked dazed. "I mistook you for someone else. Yes, I made a mistake!"
What kind of excuse was that?
He might as well admit outright that he prioritized romance over friendship!
Of course wives and children were more important. Jian Xiaolou understood that perfectly but still felt aggrieved. She kicked him again. "Mistook me for someone else, huh?"
"I really did. No, no, we need to do it again!"
"Do it again?" Jian Xiaolou couldn't believe her ears. Did he think her face wasn't charred enough or her hairstyle not trendy enough? "Are you insane? Go take your medicine!"
Chu Fengchen's expression turned icy, and he grabbed her by the collar. "Again! We must do it again!"
"Let go!"
"I'll go catch some mice; let Xiaohei do it again!"
"Get lost!"
"No! Again, again, again..." The mantra repeated endlessly.
Jian Xiaolou covered her ears and squatted on the ground. "Clan Leader, please control this lunatic!"
Meanwhile, Baili Xi, puzzled, asked, "Where's Xiaohei?"
"Here," Zhan Tianxiang said, moving a few broken beams aside. Xiaohei lay underneath, crackling with electricity, motionless. "It seems to have been knocked out by the thunderfire."
Just as he finished speaking, Xiaohei twitched and spasmed, its legs kicking weakly.
Jian Xiaolou quickly approached to check on Xiaohei. "What's going on? The power of that heavenly lightning wasn't even that strong."
Zhan Tianxiang ran his hand over Xiaohei, then exclaimed in surprise, "It seems to have absorbed the lightning into its spiritual core."
Baili Xi frowned. "Is it advancing?"
"It just advanced recently—this doesn't look like an advancement." Zhan Tianxiang, knowledgeable about spirit beasts, examined Xiaohei carefully, his expression turning peculiar. "It looks more like an evolution... But what could a myna bird evolve into? Could it have absorbed the essence of that roc? Perhaps the lightning stimulated its potential, purifying its bloodline and triggering its evolution into a roc?"
"Getting struck by lightning causes evolution?" Jian Xiaolou tentatively reached out to touch Xiaohei, only to withdraw her hand after being shocked.
"It's not the lightning alone—it's the lightning's power accelerating the process. Spirit beasts can evolve, but each species has a unique evolutionary path. Without extraordinary fortune, evolution is usually very slow."
Zhan Tianxiang hesitated before saying, "Let's monitor Xiaohei for now. If it's truly evolving, this might be a blessing in disguise—a shortcut of sorts. But evolving through lightning strikes? That's unheard of."
"Don't dismiss it; it might be possible," Jian Xiaolou mused, recalling how Xiaohei had turned from black to red after being thrown into a furnace.
Perhaps a phoenix's evolution required such peculiar circumstances.
Setting the evolution matter aside, Jian Xiaolou pondered another issue. There was no beast contract between her and Xiaohei, so why did Xiaohei's killings affect her?
The answer wasn't hard to grasp. The Soul Imprint Curse had originally been planted in the Red Lotus, which had since fused with her soul. However, the Red Lotus was Xiaohei's inner core. Their connection extended to her, creating a link.
Jian Xiaolou concluded, "Ying Zhizhen's death wasn't caused by Xiaohei. If so, how did he die?"
"At that time, there was no one else in the corridor," Zhan Tianxiang speculated. "Could it be that Ying Zhizhen was already gravely injured?"
"He had no visible injuries," Jian Xiaolou shook her head. She had fought Ying Zhizhen before, and he had been lively and agile, showing no signs of injury.
"Then perhaps he had an illness?" Zhan Tianxiang ventured.
"Could a Foundation Establishment cultivator die of illness?" Jian Xiaolou scratched her head.
Chu Fengchen interjected, "Maybe he died of fright."
"Why not say he died of heatstroke?"
"That's possible too."
"Or froze to death."
"Are you two idiots trying to be funny?"
As the three bantered back and forth, Baili Xi stood quietly at a distance, not participating. Eventually growing tired, she moved to a flowerbed to sit and sent a transmission. "Wuchang."
"At your service."
"Investigate Shanglu thoroughly. Leave no stone unturned."
"As you command."
Baili Xi absently rubbed her stomach, her gaze drifting toward Chu Fengchen.
Since revealing the truth to him, his attitude had been unpredictable, with endless childish antics aimed at annoying her.
She couldn't quite decipher the look of concern in his eyes earlier...