The crescent moon hung like a hook, its pale light making the sound of the chains seem to come from hell.
Fu Mingxu's Adam's apple bobbed, and he instinctively gripped Han Tao's wrists tightly with both hands to relieve his inner tension.
Soon, a figure slowly appeared in front of the two.
The man exuded a mottled aura, holding a jet-black chain in his hand, walking unhurriedly. The curve of his lips was a mixture of laughter and tears, eerily resembling a soul-reaping messenger emerging from the underworld.
Fu Mingxu was stiff with shock at the sight of this situation for the first time. His eyes darted around before finally settling on the person behind him.
He hadn't seen clearly because of the shadows of the trees, but now he realized that the end of the chain seemed to be dragging a person.
Therefore, the sound of heavy objects being dragged on the ground earlier was not an illusion.
The man walked step by step, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, dragging the chain forward with a purpose.
Only when you get closer can the human figure at the end of the chain be revealed.
Fu Mingxu held his breath and looked over, only to discover that the person being dragged away was an "acquaintance".
To his utter surprise, Le Chao, who had been thrown out of the city lord's mansion by Han Tao, was somehow found here, bound to the ground and being dragged along by chains, his fate unknown.
Her once beautiful clothes were now tattered and worn, and her pretty face was covered in dust. Where was the spirited and dashing figure she once was, holding the phoenix mirror?
The person holding the chain walked at a constant speed, and even when encountering stones, the sound of the chain dragging was only slightly louder.
Fu Mingxu watched helplessly as the chain dragged past him, pulling Le Chao's head against a rock, instantly turning him bloody.
The man holding the chain turned around at the sound, his pupils appearing bluish-white in the moonlight. His eyes moved like a puppet on strings, then he continued to drag the music along.
It's truly a wave of joy, but what about the joy of love? A question flashed through Fu Mingxu's mind, but he refrained from making a move.
Since even Han Tao had to avoid his sharp edge, it meant that this person was more dangerous than he had imagined.
The man seemed unaware of their presence and continued dragging the chain forward.
As Le Chao was dragged past the two men, his eyes suddenly opened, his lips moved but no sound came out, and he looked terrified, as if he had experienced something terrible.
The slightly warm breath of Hantao fell beside his ear, and in this strange darkness, Fu Mingxu felt inexplicably at ease.
The situation is still unclear, and both of them are still bound by the restrictions of the forbidden area. He has no intention of helping Le Chao, and he probably feels the same way about Han Tao.
As the sound of the chains gradually faded into the distance, the simple concealment array set up by Han Tao finally became ineffective.
A cold wind swept in, and Fu Mingxu shivered until he was wrapped up in a blanket.
He turned around and saw Han Tao looking at him in only his undershirt.
And what else could it be but the other person's black coat that I was wearing?
A warm breath enveloped him, and Fu Mingxu could even smell his unique scent. He pulled open his outer robe to return it to him.
"That's not appropriate," he said awkwardly.
But Han Tao stopped him, pursing her lips and saying, "I'm not afraid of the cold."
Fu Mingxu was about to say that he wasn't afraid either, but a mountain breeze blew in and slipped into his torn outer garment, causing him to sneeze without any regard for his image.
His body's natural reaction was much more honest than his words. He awkwardly scratched his head, resisting the urge to hold onto the warmth, and tentatively reached out to Han Tao.
Han Tao's eyes flashed, and she let his hand fall on her body.
Chapter 25
Fu Mingxu placed his hand very cautiously, barely touching his arm.
The moment he touched it, he could feel the continuous warmth under the shirt, as if he were warming himself by a fire in winter.
Is this what they call youthful vigor and vitality? He had to admit, he was incredibly envious.
“Dragons are inherently strong, and when they transform into human form, they are impervious to heat and cold.” Han Tao noticed the envy on his face and actually comforted him, “When you cultivate to the Golden Core stage, you can be like that too.”
Fu Mingxu assessed his cultivation conditions and fell silent.
He then assessed his tolerance for heat and cold, and decided not to refuse any longer, silently tightening the belt of his black coat.
However, Han Tao was already taller than him, so when he wore the outer robe, it looked like a child wearing adult clothes.
Fu Mingxu silently rolled up the hem of his outer robe, leaving only his feet exposed for walking.
The scent emanating from his black coat made him feel somewhat awkward, but as he listened to the increasingly turbulent mountain wind, he tried his best to ignore this strange feeling in his heart.
“After we go down the mountain, you can change into a robe to protect yourself from the heat and cold,” Han Tao added. His eyesight was excellent; even in the dim moonlight, he could see the tattered hem of Fu Mingxu’s robe.
She draped her outer garment over him, and their scents mingled and intertwined, leaving much to the imagination.
What just happened seems like a minor incident; the mountain wind raged, and the shadows of the trees swayed in the calm valley.
Fu Mingxu always felt that things were not so simple, especially since Zhang Hengbo and his senior brother and sister had not returned for a long time, which made him feel that Tianxuan Mountain was not as peaceful as it seemed on the surface.
He pulled his outer robe tighter, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Since the emergence of the Heavenly Mystic Beast is so important, why haven't we encountered anyone else here after a whole day?"
“There are indeed no traces of anyone else here.” Han Tao looked in the direction of the valley exit, “but there are still traces of human presence.”
At first, he thought it was left behind by other disciples after they had searched everywhere without success, but now it seems that this is not entirely the case.
The mountain wind howled, and Fu Mingxu's black hair fluttered wildly. He couldn't help but look towards the dense shadows of the trees, feeling as if something was about to happen.
The flesh and blood in his chest throbbed, and the sense of foreboding grew stronger.
He was casually tidying his disheveled black hair when a sudden change occurred as he looked down.
A chain suddenly flew out of the darkness with lightning speed. Fu Mingxu felt a tightening around his waist, and was pulled out like a leaf in the wind.
In the face of the sudden turn of events, Han Tao had no time to mobilize the spiritual energy from the outside world and could only watch helplessly as he was swept into the depths of darkness.
"Fu Mingxu!" In a fit of shock and anger, he leaped to grab him, but another chain came at him. He didn't even try to dodge, and was met head-on. He felt a sharp pain in his ankle, followed by a dragging sensation in the opposite direction.
In the blink of an eye, golden eyes appeared, and he actually managed to break free from the restrictions placed on him by the Dragon Clan's forbidden area.
After a series of wailing sounds, the chain snapped.
But it was all too late; only a blue ribbon fluttered in the wind in his outstretched palm.
Han Tao wasted almost no time running into the darkness where he was being dragged, but there was nothing there except the shadows of trees under the pale moonlight.
In the darkness, Fu Mingxu seemed to have vanished without a trace.
In an instant, the feeling of the other person leaving him surged back, just as intensely as before.
Demonic flame patterns appeared on his forehead, and black mist swirled around his golden eyes, appearing and disappearing intermittently.
Han Tao could barely control the frenzied, murderous urge within him. He clenched his fists, the unique texture of the fabric in his palms feeling like a refreshing spring.
He subconsciously lowered his eyes, and Fu Mingxu's hairband came into view.
In the midst of his mental confusion, the voice that belonged to him in his mind became increasingly clear.
"Don't become possessed by evil," he said.
These words were like a thunderclap, jolting Han Tao awake. He slapped his chest expressionlessly. The repaired Dragon Soul was almost half shattered, but the pain from his soul was nothing compared to the pain of losing Fu Mingxu.
Han Tao nearly succumbed to demonic possession, but he managed to hold back despite having half of his dragon soul shattered.
The spiritual energy returned, and the power belonging to the dragon race returned to his hands once more. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, cut open his palm, and watched the blood flow out without changing his expression. Under the complex and profound incantations he uttered, the blood transformed into a red thread that extended into the darkness.
Fu Mingxu had drunk his blood, and a connection had long been formed between them that no one else could know about.
Today, however, he is increasingly dissatisfied with the weak connection between the two.
He finished all this in just a few breaths. After the crimson threads stabilized, he tied the hairband to his hand and headed in the direction the crimson threads extended without the slightest hesitation.
A crescent moon hung high in the sky, its pale light almost completely bathing the earth as time passed. Birds had long since returned to their nests, huddled together, afraid to open their eyes. The chirping of insects had ceased, and the entire world was utterly silent.
Fu Mingxu was shaken awake. He had a terrible headache, but his mind cleared up in an instant.
"Are you alright?" Zhang Yanran frowned as she looked at him, asking worriedly, "How did you get arrested too?"
"Junior sister, if you keep shaking her like that, she'll get dizzy," Zhang Hengbo kindly reminded her.
Fu Mingxu slowly opened his eyes, feeling as if he didn't know what year it was.
He felt a sharp pain in his waist, like it had been tightly bound by ropes and then loosened, leaving an itchy, aching sensation. The moment he moved, the friction of his skin against the fabric and the itchy, aching feeling instantly snapped him awake.
He was greeted by a simple house with a dim candlelight. By the light, he could barely make out the two people across from him who were looking at him with concern.
"Where is this?" Fu Mingxu asked in confusion, the memory of being pulled away by the chain resurfacing. He quickly glanced around and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw no trace of Han Tao.
Zhang Yanran took in his every move and said, "Don't bother looking, your lover isn't here."
lover?
Fu Mingxu pursed his lips, then shook his head: "He is not my lover."
Zhang Hengbo and his fellow apprentices exchanged a glance, surprise flashing in their eyes.
"Could it be that he abandoned you when you encountered danger?" Zhang Yanran felt that she was right about the relationship between the two. Han Tao's gaze, which occasionally fell on him, was full of possessiveness.
Therefore, there is only one truth, and it must be as she said. After all, it's not uncommon for people to abandon each other when disaster strikes.
Fu Mingxu thought her thought process was a bit strange, but he didn't want to explain it to the two of them in detail. He just shook his head and said, "He didn't abandon me. The chain suddenly appeared because it was meant for me."
Zhang Yanran glanced at him and suddenly realized, "I know, it thinks you're easier to bully."
Fu Mingxu remained silent; he couldn't refute those words.
"Alright." Zhang Hengbo interrupted his junior sister, who was trying to continue her rambling thoughts. He glanced at the wide-open door, a hint of apprehension in his eyes. "Don't worry, there's no danger here. It will let us go after the wedding."
wedding?
Seeing his confusion, Zhang Yanran lowered her voice and continued to explain, "That thing is preparing for its wedding with its lover, and we are just guests it captured."
Fu Mingxu asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
Zhang Yanran shrugged: "I heard it from them, and it really didn't do anything to harm us."
"Them?" He was even more puzzled.
Zhang Hengbo looked embarrassed: "They are other disciples of immortal sects and rogue cultivators who were captured."
To their shame, none of them could break free from the chain's pull. For now, all they could do was quietly wait for the wedding to end and fulfill their roles as guests.
Fu Mingxu felt that the matter was too unbelievable and illogical, and he didn't know whether he should believe what they were saying.
But there's no better way, so we can only take it one step at a time.