Zhu Yinxi opened his eyes and immediately saw Li Nanzhu's slightly pale face, and his expression changed at once.
"What's wrong, Little Junior Sister? Did that black shadow in the forbidden area appear again and hurt you?"
Thinking this, he couldn't help but feel self-reproach. He had clearly promised to protect her, yet while she ended up like this, he was still immersed in cultivation. His knuckles turned white as he gripped his jade flute.
"No," Li Nanzhu could tell by his reaction that he had misunderstood something, but the waves of weakness in her mind only allowed her to speak slowly. "I just drew too many talismans and nearly overextended my mental power."
Only then did Zhu Yinxi notice the stack of talismans in the box beside Li Nanzhu, about twelve or thirteen in total. There were also some ashes from failed attempts scattered around. He couldn't imagine how many she had actually drawn to end up in such a state.
Relieved to know she wasn't in danger, he pulled a bottle of pills from his storage bag and pressed it directly into her hand.
"Take this, you'll feel much better."
Li Nanzhu didn't hesitate. She opened the cap and popped a pill into her mouth. Instantly, a fishy smell rushed into her nose, making her instinctively want to vomit. However, the pill melted the moment it entered her mouth, and a refreshing coolness spread through her mind, significantly soothing her aching head.
Seeing Li Nanzhu's expression of combined pain and relief, Zhu Yinxi's face suddenly shifted. He quickly opened his storage bag as if checking something.
Her stomach churned from the pill's bizarre flavor, but once she finally managed to suppress the urge to gag, Li Nanzhu looked up at Zhu Yinxi.
Zhu Yinxi stiffly averted his gaze.
"Second Senior Brother, what did you give me..."
"...A spirit-nurturing pill. But I was in too much of a hurry just now and grabbed the wrong one. I took a pill refined by Third Senior Brother." Fearing she wouldn't understand, he added, "Third Senior Brother always likes to add... extra things to his pills. He says it's for innovation, so... the taste is always a bit strange."
Li Nanzhu held the medicine bottle in silence. Judging by the effect, this spirit-nurturing pill was at least a tier 3 mid-grade pill. It seemed her Third Senior Brother was indeed quite accomplished in the Dao of alchemy.
Suddenly, she recalled the description of her Third Senior Brother, Pei Jianchuan, from the original novel. Wherever the 'Pill Demon' went, fields of sorrow followed, and cultivators would tremble with fear at the mention of his name.
"...Second Senior Brother," she swallowed hard with difficulty, "does Third Senior Brother... particularly like giving people pills?"
Zhu Yinxi's fingertips twitched imperceptibly.
This subtle reaction allowed Li Nanzhu to understand instantly.
That mysterious Third Senior Brother, who was rarely seen, likely built his 'famous reputation' in the cultivation world through these 'unique' pills.
"Actually..." Zhu Yinxi chose his words carefully, a rare occurrence for him. "As you can feel, the medicinal effect is good."
Li Nanzhu looked at the eerie purple patterns on the pills in the bottle and finally understood why her Third Senior Brother was rumored to be an evil cultivator.
"...Does Third Senior Brother never eat the pills he refines himself?"
The mountain wind blew past, and Zhu Yinxi's silence was deafening.
Li Nanzhu silently put the medicine bottle away. The two of them shared a look, reaching an unprecedented understanding in that moment—some truths were better left unexamined.
Meanwhile, a white-clad cultivator currently grinding herbs in a cave dwelling suddenly sneezed. He 'accidentally' added an extra spirit plant into the alchemy furnace.
Back at the forbidden area, to avoid further embarrassment, Zhu Yinxi took out a small celadon bottle from his storage bag. "This is a normal spirit-nurturing pill."
Li Nanzhu paused before taking it, sniffing it carefully to confirm it had a normal medicinal fragrance before storing it away properly. After all, anything refined by Pei Jianchuan smelled abnormal just from a distance.
"Thank you, Second Senior Brother." She breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Be careful not to overextend your mental power like that next time you draw talismans."
Li Nanzhu agreed readily. Looking down at the neatly stacked talismans in the box, she realized her drawing technique had indeed improved. Every talismanic vein was smoother and more natural, and the distribution of spiritual energy was more even.
It seemed the forbidden area was indeed a good place. Just as she was about to say something, Zhu Yinxi spoke as if he knew what was on her mind.
"Rest tomorrow," Zhu Yinxi interrupted her in an unquestionable tone. "You overextended your mental power too much today. Even with the spirit-nurturing pill, you might not fully recover by tomorrow. It's better to take a break."
Li Nanzhu nodded in understanding, knowing her Second Senior Brother was subtly telling her to stay away from the forbidden area for a while. She didn't push it; the situation here was still unclear, and it was indeed unsuitable to return so soon.
As the two were about to leave, the ground beneath their feet suddenly vibrated strangely.
Li Nanzhu sensed trouble, but the aftereffects of her mental exhaustion slowed her reaction. She stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.
Fortunately, Zhu Yinxi reacted faster. He caught her by the back of her collar to keep her upright while his other hand gripped his jade flute tightly.
"Thank you, Second Senior Brother."
One dull roar after another echoed from deeper within. Li Nanzhu felt the hair on her arms stand up. Such a massive disturbance was likely caused by that black shadow from yesterday.
"Go!"
Seeing that things were wrong, Zhu Yinxi scooped up Li Nanzhu and carried her, racing toward the entrance of the forbidden area.
The spiritual energy, which had previously decreased in density, suddenly surged violently, forming visible spiritual energy cyclones that seemed intent on sucking the two of them in.
Li Nanzhu took a moment to look back, and her pupils shrank. The black shadow that had almost vanished was now reconsolidating in the depths of the forbidden area. It was even clearer than when she first saw it yesterday, and she could faintly make out a human silhouette.
The moment they left their spot, a pitch-black shadow lunged from the ground, landing exactly where they had just stood. The shadow was more solid than any she had seen before, with faintly discernible, savage facial features.
There was no time to think. She was being carried along by Zhu Yinxi. As the spiritual energy cyclones drew closer, Li Nanzhu pulled out the talismans she had recently drawn and threw every one with offensive capabilities.
Though their individual power wasn't great, the explosions of multicolored light managed to slow the cyclones somewhat, easing the pressure on Zhu Yinxi.
Zhu Yinxi maintained his expressionless face, but the fine beads of sweat on his forehead showed he was giving his all.
The forbidden area entrance, which usually seemed so close, now felt unreachable.
Zhu Yinxi felt a wave of regret. The changes in the forbidden area today were abnormal, yet he had brought his Little Junior Sister inside anyway. He had thought he could protect her, but now he could barely protect himself.
To avoid being caught in the spiritual energy cyclones, all he could do was keep running with her.
Li Nanzhu's supply of talismans was almost exhausted. She didn't have many to begin with, and she had even used the ones she had previously given to Zhu Yinxi.
Just as she was about to throw her last talisman, a figure suddenly landed behind them.
"Master!"
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