The appearance of Prince Zhu Yan was exactly the same as Xia Xian Ning’s. Ming Lang saw him and, instead of panicking, said casually: “Your Highness, I want to go deal with that Xuan Wen under your command with our seventh prince. Which side are you on?”
Prince Zhu Yan replied: “Don’t go, I’ve already tied him up in your Immortal Pavilion.”
The Seventh Prince made a “tsk” sound, and Ming Lang laughed. Before he could speak, several armored guards hurriedly came and reported: “Your Highnesses, Ming Lang Yuan Jun, something terrible has happened! There’s a riot in the Blood Prison of the Underworld, all fifty Yin Demons have escaped, and the Heavenly Emperor is on tour with no one to quell the rebellion!”
Ming Lang Yuan Jun’s eyes sharpened, the previous playful mood vanishing instantly. He immediately said: “I’ll go!”
Prince Zhu Yan grabbed his wrist: “Senior brother, together.”
“You’ve just passed your heavenly tribulation and are seriously injured, so wait here for me,” Ming Lang Yuan Jun broke free, joking, “It won’t take much effort. I’ll be back soon. I heard the Blood Prison Demon Women are exceptionally beautiful.”
Seeing this, Xia Xianning felt a surge of blood, a sharp pain in his chest.
When he opened his eyes, he found wounds on Luo Yingbai’s body in his arms, immediately realizing something serious had happened, and hurried over.
Luo Yingbai said, “So our bodies… were you going to leave them there to be fed to dogs?”
Xia Xianning replied, “I’ve already sent a message to my teacher. He’ll arrive within half an hour. The protective charm will hold.”
Luo Yingbai’s strength had slightly recovered. He sat up with difficulty, saying, “Xianning, if you don’t want to go, that’s fine. But my mother is my obsession. Only I can take her away. Don’t interfere.”
He glanced at the stairs above and said, “It’s almost time. Just hold on a bit longer.”
Xia Xianning said calmly, “Don’t worry. I won’t waste time arguing about things I can’t help with.”
He carried Jiang Yugai over. Luo Yingbai stood unsteadily, bending down. Xia Xianning placed her on his back, then added, “But at times like these, I’d rather hear you complain about being tired… Hey, go slow.”
The suction on the ground hadn’t lessened much. Luo Yingbai was already struggling to stand, and with the additional weight, he swayed and fell down again.
Xia Xianning crouched beside him, touching Luo Yingbai’s forehead. Luo Yingbai said, “It’s fine. Continuing to climb like this is good. Lying down saves energy.”
Xia Xianning hummed in agreement and lay down beside him, supporting himself with his elbow, climbing up a step with Luo Yingbai.
Luo Yingbai then noticed the rope he had tied to both their wrists was still not untied. Xia Xianning’s pull had saved him some strength.
“Xianning, you—”
Xia Xianning said, “You have your obsession, I have mine. Neither can let go. Let’s go, senior brother. I’ll accompany you for the rest of the way.”
Luo Yingbai was intent on taking Jiang Yugai out, and Xia Xianning was determined to take Luo Yingbai out. They were inseparable from the start.
Luo Zhao shook his head. Jiang Yugai looked at Xia Xianning and Luo Yingbai behind them and said, “Let’s take the two children home first.”
The source of demonic transformation was no small matter. It required extraordinary composure and willpower. Since its inception, no one had ever thought of rescuing someone from inside and coming out unscathed. After being brought out of the underworld by Luo Zhao, Xia Xianning and Luo Yingbai were almost in a semi-unconscious state.
Xia Xianning arrived late and had always been more resilient than Luo Yingbai. Before long, he woke up, opened his eyes, and saw a junior brother sitting next to him reading a book.
Xia Xianning said, “Little Yang?”
Yang Hao turned his head, quickly put down the book, and said excitedly, “Senior Brother Xia, you’re awake? How do you feel? Would you like some water?”
As he spoke, he tried to help Xia Xianning up. Xia Xianning waved his hand and sat up on the bed by himself.
When he looked down, he saw that the wounds he had gotten on the stairs had been carefully bandaged, and his body was clean, with new clothes.
Xia Xianning took the water Yang Hao offered and drank a sip, then asked, “Where is Senior Brother Luo?”
Yang Hao replied, “He’s in his room and hasn’t woken up yet.”
Knowing their close relationship, he added, “The teacher has checked, and he’s not seriously injured, so don’t worry.”
Xia Xianning now recognized the surroundings and realized that Luo Zhao had not sent him home but let him rest at the Luo family.
Yang Hao said beside him, “After the teacher brought you up, he went back to negotiate with the underworld people. The teacher’s wife has also awakened and just checked on you and Senior Brother Luo. Senior Brother Xia, if you need anything, just tell me.”
Xia Xianning got out of bed, stretched a bit, and said, “No need, just stay there. I’ll go check on my senior brother.”
Someone was also watching over Luo Yingbai’s room. He was still lying in bed, unconscious, with a deathly pale face. Xia Xianning looked at him with heartache but didn’t want to disturb him. After asking a few questions about Luo Yingbai’s condition, he quietly left.
He walked to Luo Zhao’s bedroom, knocked on the door, and entered after hearing “Come in.”
Here is the edited version of the article:
Jiang Yugai was leaning against the bedhead, talking to the housekeeper Aunt Sun, seemingly asking her to prepare some soup for Xia Xianning and Luo Yingbai. Her demeanor was exactly the same as the scene Xia Xianning remembered.
She was surprised to see Xia Xianning enter and quickly said, “Why are you up already? You’ve rested too short a time. Go back and lie down again!”
Xia Xianning said, “It’s fine. I’ve recovered. Aunt Sun, please excuse us. I’d like to speak with the teacher’s wife for a moment.”
After Aunt Sun left, Jiang Yugai asked caringly, “Are there any other discomforts? Don’t push yourself. If you feel unwell, you must tell me.”
Xia Xianning replied, “No, I’m fine. I’m just glad you’re awake.”
Jiang Yugai smiled and patted his hand, “Thank you.”
Xia Xianning said, “You don’t need to thank me. If it weren’t for Senior Brother’s method of rescuing you and carrying you up those stairs without putting you down, no one else could have done it.”
Jiang Yugai thought about the scene of him climbing the stairs and his current state. She felt distressed but didn’t want to show it in front of Xia Xianning, forcing a smile, “That… he’s been through so much.”
Xia Xianning carefully said, “Actually, you know he’s not silly at all. From childhood to now, he’s the smartest person I’ve ever known.
In all these years, I’ve rarely seen him do something so… reckless.”
Jiang Yugai sensed that Xia Xianning seemed to have come specifically to say something and looked at him.
Xia Xianning spoke softly, “I’ve known him for twenty years, since I was four. When we were young, we were competitive children always wanting to compare ourselves. I was often dissatisfied with his laziness and noisiness. But as we grew older, I realized that although he didn’t like to practice diligently, he never neglected what he should do. He never cared about others’ attitudes toward him and never let negative things control his emotions.”
He sighed, “But this time, to save you, he infiltrated the underworld, broke open the gates of the King of Hell, almost fighting the Ten Judges of Hell, just to enter the South Jambudvipa where he could lose his life at any moment.”
Jiang Yugai said, “Regarding our matters, you…”
