Xu Zirong frowned so deeply that his brows nearly knotted together. He could not explain why hearing his brother say he wanted to save the person below made him so furious.
He had never met the figure lying there, yet he felt an instinctive loathing at the mere sight of him, and even a desire to kill.
Realizing what he was thinking startled Xu Zirong. He knew his brother’s character better than anyone. Xu Ziyan would never hesitate to defend himself against an aggressor, but he would not permit murder merely because someone seemed unpleasant.
In other words, Xu Ziyan did not oppose killing outright, but there had to be a legitimate reason. Otherwise he would fly into a rage, and Xu Zirong dared not imagine the consequences.
“Hey, are you all right?” Xu Ziyan called without immediately lifting the unconscious stranger. The earlier mermaid incident had taught him a lasting lesson in caution.
“Mm…” The person on the ground gave a barely audible groan, shifted slightly, then fell still again.
Xu Ziyan considered the situation and called Xu Zirong down as well.
Xu Zirong landed beside him with obvious reluctance. “Big Brother, why bother with him? We don’t even know him.”
“We’re all cultivators. If we can help, let’s help. Maybe someday he’ll return the favor.” Xu Ziyan paused. “And if there’s no saving him, at least we shouldn’t waste the things in our storage bag for nothing.”
Xu Zirong silently rubbed his forehead. His brother’s thinking was terribly straightforward. He himself had once thought the same way, but it had been a very long time since the Blood Demon had done anything like this.
As a precaution, Xu Ziyan cast a spell on the stranger to make sure he was in no condition to resist. Only then did he approach for a closer examination.
Xu Zirong frowned again. Merely seeing his brother go near the man made him despise the stranger even more. He had not seen the man’s face, yet the murderous urge inside him was becoming overwhelming.
“Hm? He’s still alive?” Xu Ziyan turned the man over. The faint rise and fall of his chest showed that he was still breathing.
A quick inspection revealed no obvious wounds. His spiritual power was unstable, however, making it look as though his cultivation had suffered a deviation.
After hesitating, Xu Ziyan took a white porcelain bottle from his storage bag and placed a medicinal pill in the man’s mouth. It dissolved immediately. Soon the unconscious man groaned and woke.
“How do you feel?” Xu Ziyan supported the stranger in a half-seated position. Though his words expressed concern, the hand hidden behind his back was already flickering with azure lightning.
It never hurt to be cautious around a stranger.
Xu Ziyan’s wariness of the stranger improved Xu Zirong’s mood slightly, but only slightly.
“You…” The young man’s eyes were confused at first. Then he came to his senses and looked around in alarm. “Where am I?”
Xu Ziyan raised his brows. Had he guessed wrong? Was this man not a disciple from one of the sects that entered alongside them?
“This is the Azure Spirit Secret Realm. If you don’t know where you are, how did you get in?” Xu Ziyan asked.
The young man blinked in bewilderment. “I… don’t know. I was in a forest and ate a fruit, then passed out. When I woke up, I was here.”
“My name is Bai Muhua. May I ask what to call you, Fellow Daoist?” Bai Hua was no fool. He quickly guessed this must be the effect of the Azure Spirit Guide. Since he knew nothing about the people before him, however, he chose to give a false name.
“My surname is Xu,” Xu Ziyan replied evenly.
“Fellow Daoist Xu.” Bai Hua accepted that answer without pressing for more.
“However you entered, Fellow Daoist Bai, coming here is an opportunity. You might as well look around. Perhaps you’ll find something valuable,” Xu Ziyan said politely but without much warmth.
Xu Ziyan felt something he could not explain about this man. The stranger was exceptionally handsome, so it would not have been unusual to feel well disposed toward him. But mixed with that spontaneous goodwill was an equally inexplicable aversion.
Two completely opposite impressions struggled within him, leaving Xu Ziyan deeply conflicted.
It was as if two little figures were arguing in his head. One, dressed in white, insisted that this refined and handsome person might make a good friend. The other, dressed in black, warned that such sudden goodwill was suspicious and that something must be wrong.
The two sides argued so furiously that his head hurt. Distracted, Xu Ziyan failed to notice that he was still half holding the stranger upright.
“Big Brother, I think this… fellow cultivator no longer needs you to hold him up.” Xu Zirong’s face darkened as he pulled his brother’s arm.
“Ah!”
“Ah!”
Both men exclaimed. Xu Ziyan looked embarrassed, while Bai Hua blushed.
Xu Ziyan was handsome. Though only sixteen, his features were already taking on the contours of a grown man. His frank smile made it easy for others to like him.
Bai Hua had grown up in a pleasure district, where his upbringing had long distorted his view of relationships. A handsome young man like Xu Ziyan naturally caught his attention. After the changes he had experienced only two days earlier, finding himself half supported in the young man’s arms stirred feelings that were still new to him.
Bai Hua also remembered his master mentioning that the realm opened by an Azure Spirit Guide was normally accessible only to elite disciples of major sects. Anyone who could enter it probably had a powerful background.
If he could secure the support of someone with such connections… Bai Hua felt a flicker of excitement. He had not expected to encounter an opportunity like this so soon after entering the realm.
But then he glanced at the exquisitely pretty child standing beside Xu Ziyan and frowned. Growing up in difficult circumstances had sharpened his ability to read people, and Xu Zirong’s hostility was impossible to miss.
The child had called the young man ‘Big Brother.’ That meant he was Fellow Daoist Xu’s younger brother.
Bai Hua was troubled. A few polite words would never be enough to secure Fellow Daoist Xu’s backing. Becoming closer to him seemed the best approach, but with that younger brother constantly at his side, there would be little opportunity for the sort of privacy Bai Hua had in mind.
After weighing his options, Bai Hua decided to follow Xu Ziyan for the time being. If there was an opportunity to win him over, surely a whole month in the secret realm would give him a chance.
“How much longer are you going to cling to my brother?” Xu Zirong glared fiercely at Bai Hua. Looking at that handsome face made him want to scratch it to pieces.
Oddly enough, Xu Zirong had always been bloodthirsty, but he had never particularly wanted to ruin someone’s face before. This was a first.
“Ah, I’m sorry.” Bai Hua blushed more deeply and hurriedly pulled himself upright.
Xu Ziyan straightened up too, thoroughly embarrassed. He had merely helped an injured person sit up. Why did Xu Zirong’s tone make it sound like something else entirely?
Worse, he actually felt guilty because of that tone. What did he have to feel guilty about? He was a perfectly straight man, and helping another man sit up was nothing unusual!
Xu Ziyan decided to ignore those inexplicable feelings. His brother’s displeasure mattered more. Even if he felt some goodwill toward Bai Muhua, it was only a passing impression, and Zirong plainly disliked him far more than he disliked Wei Qing or Le Hu.
“Well, since Fellow Daoist Bai seems to be all right, we’ll take our leave.” Xu Ziyan brushed himself off, preparing to depart. He had not expected a reward for helping the man and saw no reason to linger.
“Uh…” Bai Hua was stunned. He considered his own appearance exceptional and had behaved politely. Even if this stranger was cautious, why abandon him immediately?
More importantly, he could not afford to let Xu Ziyan leave. He had reached Foundation Establishment with the help of the Azure Spirit Guide and the dragon-shaped jade pendant, but he knew almost no techniques suitable for that level. His storage bag contained only a dozen or so low-grade spirit stones, and he did not even have a flying sword.
Looking out over the boundless grassland, he feared he could spend the entire month walking without ever reaching its edge.
“Fellow Daoist Xu…” Bai Hua smiled bitterly. “I was dragged here without understanding how. I brought almost nothing, and I’ve only just reached Foundation Establishment. I haven’t even obtained a flying sword yet…”
Xu Ziyan frowned. If the man’s story was true, this was a real predicament. His newly established cultivation was not yet stable, and without a flying sword, leaving him here might be tantamount to letting him die.
Xu Ziyan could not bring himself to abandon someone in mortal danger, so he reluctantly agreed to bring him along.
The moment Xu Ziyan agreed, Xu Zirong’s expression grew so dark that his brother scarcely dared look at him.
Xu Ziyan could not understand such extreme dislike. Bai Muhua was courteous and handsome. Why did Zirong hate him so much?
Bai Hua sat quietly behind Xu Ziyan on the flying sword. Whenever their eyes met, he offered only a shy smile.