Xie Zhouxing was taken aback.
“No need, this young master can still—”
Cen Yao had already raised her hand. “Broom.”
The broom flew obediently beneath Xie Zhouxing.
Before Xie Zhouxing could even react, he was steadily supported by the broom.
He instinctively grabbed the broom handle. In the next instant, the night completely receded.
The black feathers scattered into countless points of dark light, and the Sorrowfeather Robe transformed back into his hospital gown.
His hip-length black hair shrank inch by inch, reverting to his golden curls.
Xie Zhouxing's vision was swallowed by darkness once more.
He fell silent, and Cen Yao didn't say anything either.
She simply spread her stunning wings and flew ahead of him.
“Hold on tight.”
“We're almost there.”
Xie Zhouxing gripped the broom handle tighter.
The wind rushed past his ears.
Though he couldn't see a thing, he could clearly hear the sound of Cen Yao's wings flapping as she flew.
It was very soft, like the wind rustling through leaves, yet also like a massive bird flapping its wings across the sky.
Xie Zhouxing suddenly felt that even if he had lost his sight again, it didn't seem so bad.
At least there was someone leading the way.
At least he knew Cen Yao was not far ahead.
They flew for a little longer.
On the team panel, the two glowing dots belonging to Pei Tinglan and Zhu Lingxi were finally close at hand.
As the first rays of morning light fully scaled the high-rises of the ruined city, Cen Yao led Xie Zhouxing down outside a collapsed shopping mall.
In front of the mall was originally a spacious plaza.
Now, the ground was cracked, the fountain pool had long dried up, most of the surrounding billboards had collapsed, and shattered glass littered the ground.
Pei Tinglan was waiting not far away.
His wheelchair was half-stuck in the rubble, indicating he had clearly just gone through a rather difficult journey.
Zhu Lingxi stood beside the wheelchair, the Nuo mask hanging from her waist lightly clinking with her movements, making a faint sound.
Upon seeing Cen Yao, Zhu Lingxi's eyes lit up instantly.
“Yao Yao.”
Cen Yao landed, retracted her wings, and quickly walked toward them.
“Are you two alright?”
“Nothing serious.”
Pei Tinglan raised his eyes to sweep over her.
“You, on the other hand, seem to have had quite an eventful time.”
Zhu Lingxi nodded beside him.
She first glanced at the clean, beautiful witch's robe Cen Yao was wearing, then looked at Xie Zhouxing, who was being carried by the broom with a completely soul-crushed expression.
Finally, her gaze fell upon the broom, which was still gently wagging its tail.
Zhu Lingxi's eyes grew brighter and brighter. “Yao Yao.”
“Is this broom of yours... alive?”
Cen Yao smiled. “More or less.”
Zhu Lingxi leaned a little closer.
Sensing the incense aura on her, the broom also seemed a bit curious and nudged its tail toward her.
Zhu Lingxi pursed her lips. She wanted to reach out and touch it, but worried it might be impolite, so her hand stopped in midair.
Cen Yao saw through her thoughts. “You can try touching it. If it doesn't like it, it'll dodge on its own.”
Only then did Zhu Lingxi carefully pat the broom handle.
The broom immediately wagged happily, making Zhu Lingxi's eyes shine even brighter.
Seeing her like this, Cen Yao couldn't resist reaching out to ruffle her hair.
Zhu Lingxi's hair was dark and soft, draping finely over her shoulders, feeling wonderful to the touch.
She squinted her eyes comfortably under the petting.
Sitting on the broom, Xie Zhouxing felt inexplicably annoyed upon hearing the commotion over there.
But that surge of annoyance came out of nowhere.
Xie Zhouxing furrowed his brows, his expression gradually souring.
After listening to Cen Yao's explanation, Pei Tinglan fell silent for a long time. Then, he stared at Cen Yao and Xie Zhouxing with an indescribable look for what felt like an eternity.
Only when Xie Zhouxing was about to blow a fuse did he finally speak up slowly. “Did you two ever stop to think about why you were chased and hunted by so many monsters the moment you stepped out of the research institute?”
Cen Yao's hand froze, and Xie Zhouxing turned his head as well.
“Especially you.” He looked directly at Xie Zhouxing with precision.
“You were practically kidnapped by a monster back to its nest to be its bandit chief's bride.”
Xie Zhouxing: “?”
Without changing his tone, Pei Tinglan slowly corrected himself, “Ah, wait, my bad.”
“To be its emergency rations. Didn't you find that odd at all?”
Xie Zhouxing: “???”
“Pei Tinglan!” Xie Zhouxing nearly jumped off the broom.
“Say that again! Who's a bandit chief's bride?!”
“This young master is a guy!”
“And I was absolutely not serving as some monster's bride!”
Pei Tinglan's expression remained calm. “That's why I corrected myself.”
“Emergency rations.”
Xie Zhouxing was so furious his golden curls almost stood on end. He turned his anger toward Cen Yao. “Cen Yao! This is all your fault! Why did you have to use such a weird term? My brilliant, heroic star image has been completely ruined by you!”
Cen Yao: “???”
Huh? Me?
Isn't it the truth, though?
If not for the fact that Pei Tinglan's next words actually seemed useful, Xie Zhouxing really would have wanted to start a fight right then and there.
One blind, one crippled.
It really was hard to say who would win.
At least during the day, Xie Zhouxing still had a bit of confidence in his martial arts skills.
“You too,”
Pei Tinglan turned to Cen Yao.
His beautiful yet gloomy eyes drifted over her.
“You rushed in so recklessly to fight the monsters. Didn't you think something was off?”
Cen Yao: “...”
She felt a bit guilty after being called out, but she quickly composed herself.
“Now that you mention it,”
Cen Yao withdrew her hand from Zhu Lingxi's head, rested her chin in her hand, and seriously recalled the scenes from yesterday.
“there did seem to be a problem.”
After leaving the research institute, monsters had emerged in a seemingly endless stream.
Flying in the sky, crawling on the ground, hiding beneath the ruins, and tunneling up from underground.
At first, she thought those things had simply picked up the scent of living humans.
But thinking about it now, their targets indeed seemed more focused on Xie Zhouxing.
Especially that vine monster.
It had completely ignored her, even though she was right in front of it, and insisted on snatching Xie Zhouxing off the broom from half a street away.
Cen Yao murmured thoughtfully, “Those monsters really did seem to be going after Xie Zhouxing.”
“No way, right?”
Xie Zhouxing felt goosebumps rising all over his skin at their words.
“Why do I feel like those monsters were actually going after you?”
Cen Yao looked at him, speechless.
“Do you think we have nothing better to do?”
“Why would we make up something like this just to scare you?”
Xie Zhouxing said as if it were obvious, “But you guys are that bored!”
“Otherwise, you wouldn't keep calling me a bandit chief's bride over and over again.”
Cen Yao and Pei Tinglan exchanged a glance, both touching their noses rather awkwardly.
Fair enough.
The whole 'bandit chief's bride' thing was indeed started by them.
Zhu Lingxi stood nearby, blinking innocently.
She felt Cen Yao and Pei Tinglan were right.
Xie Zhouxing was indeed good-looking—the kind of good-looking that was incredibly captivating. Even she couldn't help but want to keep her eyes on him.
By tacit agreement, everyone skipped past the previous topic.
Cen Yao's expression turned serious again. “It wasn't just outside the research institute.”
“It was the same inside the institute.”
“Ever since I met you, monsters started blocking our way in an endless stream. Thinking about it carefully now, they might not have been trying to block us—they were trying to block you.”
Xie Zhouxing looked utterly incredulous.
“Huh?”
“Why don't you say they were trying to block you?”
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