NCCnovel Chapter 156 At stake
Chapter 156 At stake
Xu Xiaoli groggily got out of bed. As soon as she opened the door, the bright sunlight shone on her, warm and comforting.
Xu Xiaoli heard the chickens in Baiyao Valley clucking loudly, and her stomach also rumbled twice.
After breakfast, Xu Xiaoli went to the pharmacy to start grinding herbs, preparing to make some ointments to heal skin injuries.
Until someone called him.
"Junior Brother." Qiao Qingzi was dressed in all white, her face was covered by a veil, and she wore a white veiled hat, making it impossible for anyone to see her appearance.
Xu Xiaoli heard Qiao Qingzi's voice clearly and naturally recognized who she was.
"Senior Sister, how are you? Are you feeling better?" Xu Xiaoli asked with concern.
"I'm much better now. I still want to thank Junior Brother for saving me. Here are some high-grade herbs. I hope you'll accept them." Qiao Qingzi's tone was very grateful. The herbs in her hand were top-quality eighth-grade herbs, which would be treasures that could be featured as the final item at an auction house.
Xu Xiaoli accepted it calmly, bowed respectfully, and thanked Qiao Qingzi for her kindness.
He understood that Qiao Qingzi gave him high-grade herbs not only to thank him for his actions, but also to show the disciples that Qiao Qingzi, as the senior sister of the sect, valued her junior brother highly, and that anyone who bullied her junior brother was going against Qiao Qingzi.
At this moment, a small figure peeked out from behind Qiao Qingzi, curiously looking at Xu Xiaoli. She was Lin Xi, the second disciple of Baiyao Valley.
"Second Senior Sister, I'm Xu Xiaoli, your junior brother. Do you remember me? We met during the sect competition." Xu Xiaoli waved enthusiastically.
However, Lin Xi didn't speak. She looked at Xu Xiaoli, a hint of joy flashing in her eyes. She recognized Xu Xiaoli.
Xu Xiaoli stood there awkwardly, scratching his head.
Qiao Qingzi crouched down slightly, patted Lin Xi's head, and gestured rapidly with her hands. Lin Xi nodded, looked at Xu Xiaoli, and gave him a friendly smile.
“Junior brother, don’t blame your second junior sister. She can’t hear or speak, so she doesn’t know what you just said. I’ve already told her what you said in sign language, and she’s very happy to have another junior brother.” Qiao Qingzi’s tone was somewhat ashamed and regretful.
Xu Xiaoli looked at Lin Xi, who was gesturing rapidly in front of him. He knew that his second senior sister welcomed his arrival, but she just couldn't say it.
Xu Xiaoli stepped forward and hugged Lin Xi. He didn't know sign language, but he could convey his friendliness to Lin Xi through the hug.
Lin Xi still had a smile on her face. She gently patted Xu Xiaoli's back because she could feel that the little boy was trembling slightly. Although it was very weak, she knew that her junior brother was sad for her.
Xu Xiaoli released Lin Xi and took out a delicate little bell from his storage bag. The silver bell swayed in the wind, making a melodious sound. Xu Xiaoli placed the bell in Lin Xi's palm. He wanted to express that he wanted to give her the bell, but he didn't know how, so he could only wave his hand helplessly.
He turned to Qiao Qingzi for help: "Senior Sister, I want to give this silver bell hair ornament to Senior Sister Lin. Could you please 'tell' her for me?"
“Of course.” Qiao Qingzi’s tone was cheerful as she naturally and fluently conveyed Xu Xiaoli’s meaning to Lin Xi.
Lin Xi happily hung the silver bell hair ornament on her hair bun, and at the same time smiled at Xu Xiaoli and handed her a fresh flower.
Xu Xiaoli took a sniff; the fragrance of the flowers was refreshing and invigorating. A smile unconsciously crept onto Xu Xiaoli's face.
Lin Xi entered the alchemy room, and the silver bell on her head made a clear sound. Some disciples who were in a hurry made way for her after hearing the bell, and no one accidentally bumped into Lin Xi anymore.
"Junior brother, I didn't expect you to have hair accessories. That's really unusual. Aren't you a boy?" Qiao Qingzi asked curiously.
Xu Xiaoli scratched his head and laughed, "Because I have an older sister, and I sometimes bring her gifts."
"That hair ornament was given to Second Junior Sister, a gift from your older sister..."
"It's alright, I'll buy another gift for my sister." Xu Xiaoli's gaze fell on Lin Xi, and she chuckled, "Besides, this gift has served its greater purpose."
"Junior brother, would you like to come with me to the Nine Cauldrons Division?" Qiao Qingzi suddenly invited, her words filled with a smile.
Lava mountain.
Half an hour has passed, and Wan Ning still hasn't come out.
Qin Muyang looked worried, and the fan he was using to fan himself almost slipped out of his hand and fell into the lava.
Wan Ning, you must be alright!
In magma.
Xie Wanning struggled to maintain the ice barrier, using her spiritual power to propel the ice ball downwards at high speed.
Even inside the ice barrier, the scorching heat of the lava still made her sweat profusely, her entire clothing soaked through. Xie Wanning had no choice but to take off her outer garment, leaving only her undershirt to cool down.
Sweat streamed down Xie Wanning's face, and the salty sweat got into her eyes, making her rub them involuntarily, but the pain in her eyes did not lessen at all.
To make matters worse, the high temperature gave Xie Wanning a headache. She felt like her head was a baked egg, and the pain was so intense it felt like it was going to explode.
Xie Wanning continued downwards for another two miles and finally saw a fiery red lava heart, as big as an orange.
She used her spiritual power to envelop the Lava Heart and brought it into the ice barrier.
At the same time, the surrounding lava erupted like a flood bursting its banks. It churned and surged, like a rebellious army, ready to rise.
The surrounding temperature rose rapidly, and the ice barrier melted at a visible rate.
Xie Wanning hurriedly took out a ninth-grade teleportation talisman, but she crushed it in her hand. Unexpectedly, the Heart of Lava suddenly became scorching hot, emitting a fiery red light. The teleportation talisman in Xie Wanning's hand had failed. She took out other teleportation talismans and found that all of them were ineffective.
This lava heart is hindering the effect of the talisman.
Xie Wanning gritted her teeth, glared fiercely at the Heart of Lava, and pulled on the iron chain around her waist. Instantly, a force pulled her upwards.
She carefully picked up the Heart of Lava, which was enveloped in spiritual energy, escaping any harm to Xie Wanning. She struggled to maintain the ice barrier, waiting for the moment she could return to the exit.
Qin Muyang pulled on the iron chain, and the magical artifact behind him retracted the chain, pulling it up at an extremely fast speed.
Xie Wanning felt a little relieved. She hugged the Lava Heart tightly and patiently waited for Qin Muyang to pull her out.
The lava churned and bubbled, making a "bubbling" sound, like an angry lion roaring.
The iron chain rapidly retracted, and Xie Wanning was only a mile away from the exit.
Suddenly, the iron chain was enveloped by a stream of scorching lava. Even the ancient black iron could not withstand such a high temperature.
With a snap, the chain broke.
Qin Muyang felt a lightness in his hand as the broken iron chain was pulled up.
"Wan Ning!" Qin Muyang shouted in alarm towards the exit of the lava mountain, but received no response. He tried to use a communication talisman, but found that he couldn't send a message at all.
Xie Wanning felt the pull around her waist disappear, and she and the ice barrier plummeted downwards.
She tugged at the iron chain around her waist and found it unusually light.
Xie Wanning's face turned deathly pale. She struggled to maintain the ice barrier with her spiritual power, attempting to move upwards. However, she discovered that the magma was constantly surging and pressing down on her ice barrier, making it impossible for her and the ice barrier to move forward.
Xie Wanning's spiritual power gradually ran out, and the ice barrier carried her down heavily.
She was getting further and further away from the exit...