Chapter 549: Giving Up
Pharmacist Feng clearly knew that many people were aware of his dwelling, yet he had always been unwilling to change his place of residence. This made Yang Haoran suspect if there were other secrets hidden in this valley.
However, Feng Xiao's reply left him somewhat perplexed. If this valley truly concealed a secret, Feng Xiao, having lived with her master for fifteen years, couldn't have failed to discover anything at all. Even if Pharmacist Feng hadn't said anything, she would have noticed something amiss over these past fifteen years.
Was Pharmacist Feng too good at hiding things? Or was Feng Xiao simply too oblivious? Or was there genuinely no secret here at all?
Yang Haoran wasn't certain in his heart. Since Feng Xiao was still resting, he decided to continue asking: "You've been in this valley for fifteen years. Have you found anything strange about it?"
"Strange places? " Feng Xiao thought carefully, then shook her head and said, "Our valley is very ordinary, there's nothing special or strange about it."
"Then did your master have any particular places he loved to go? " Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged as he asked again.
"No, my master spent most of his time tending to the medicinal garden. We often went up the mountain to gather herbs, but each time, my master would bring me along so I could learn."
As her words fell, a puzzled expression appeared on Feng Xiao's face. She asked, "What's wrong, Big Brother? Is there something amiss?"
After a slight pause, Yang Haoran chuckled, "Don't call me Big Brother anymore. It sounds a bit awkward. I'm quite a bit older than you. If you don't mind, just call me Brother Yang from now on."
Speaking of age, Yang Haoran was now well past thirty, but because his physical body had undergone a transformation when he became an Emissary of Death, he still looked like he was thirty years old.
"Alright, Brother Yang. I'll call you Brother Yang from now on. I'm almost rested, but before we leave, I want to pay my respects to master one last time," Feng Xiao said.
"Go on, you should indeed do that. " Yang Haoran did not refuse and nodded in agreement.
Feng Xiao stood up and walked towards Pharmacist Feng's grave, then knelt on both knees, softly murmuring something.
Yang Haoran didn't deliberately eavesdrop, so he wasn't sure what Feng Xiao was saying, but he estimated that she was likely speaking words of farewell.
During this time, Yang Haoran also remained busy. He closed his eyes and carefully sensed everything in the area, paying particular attention to the medicinal garden, hoping to find something.
He always felt that Pharmacist Feng staying in the valley wasn't as simple as it seemed on the surface. His words to Feng Xiao just now were only to prevent her from overthinking, not his true inner thoughts. Now that he had the time, he prepared to confirm it again.
However, even as Feng Xiao finished her farewells and walked towards him, he hadn't sensed anything useful.
Helplessly, he opened his eyes and withdrew his sensing ability.
"Could I really be overthinking it? Was Pharmacist Feng's reason for staying here and not leaving truly just his emotional attachment to this place?"
Yang Haoran thought this to himself, then simply stopped dwelling on the matter.
Although he very much wanted to understand if there were other secrets hidden here, he hadn't discovered anything so far. He couldn't possibly turn the entire valley upside down, could he?
Putting aside Pharmacist Feng for a moment, he had no emotional ties to Pharmacist Feng anyway, but in the future, he would still be living with Feng Xiao. Feng Xiao had lived here for fifteen years and was undoubtedly filled with affection for every blade of grass and every tree. If he were to turn the place upside down because of his uncertainty, what would Feng Xiao think?
Of course, he could find an excuse to deceive Feng Xiao, and with Feng Xiao's naivety, she would undoubtedly be completely taken in by him. However, he didn't want to deceive Feng Xiao; after all, Feng Xiao was now considered one of his own.
Whether Pharmacist Feng remained here due to emotional attachment or because of other secrets, Yang Haoran no longer wished to investigate the matter thoroughly at this moment.
It wasn't that he couldn't figure it out, but because he had to consider Feng Xiao's feelings, he chose not to.
Moreover, with Pharmacist Feng's eccentric personality, who could say for sure why he chose to remain here?
Watching Feng Xiao walk towards him with a sorrowful expression and undried tear stains on her face, Yang Haoran stood up.
"From now on, whenever you want to come back and visit your master, you can do so," Yang Haoran said.
"Really? " Feng Xiao asked.
"Of course, it's true. I wouldn't joke about something like this. Let's go, we should leave this place first. If we delay any longer, I'm afraid it will affect the various medicinal herbs inside the independent space," Yang Haoran said.
At the mention of the medicinal herbs inside the independent space, Feng Xiao's expression subtly changed. Medicinal herbs were living things, and prolonged confinement in an independent space would greatly affect them, possibly even causing them to wither and die.
These herbs were not only precious but also her master's life's work. If they were truly damaged inside the independent space, she would undoubtedly regret it terribly, so she quickly nodded at Yang Haoran.
Having made their decision, neither of them delayed. They walked towards the light curtain formed by the barrier, though as they did, Feng Xiao repeatedly looked back, her face filled with sorrow and reluctance.
Reaching the edge of the barrier, Feng Xiao opened it, and the two of them, one after another, walked out through the light curtain formed by the barrier.
Outside the barrier, the great fire continued to burn, though its intensity had diminished considerably compared to before.
Watching the smoke-filled valley, where everything once familiar had been consumed by the sea of flames, Feng Xiao could no longer control her emotions and burst into tears.
Yang Haoran saw all of this, and after a moment of hesitation, he decided to expend his internal Spirit Power to forcibly extinguish the great fire.
Before entering the barrier, to conserve his Spirit Power, he had only used means to isolate the fire, never considering expending Spirit Power to forcibly extinguish it.
However, seeing Feng Xiao so heartbroken now, he understood her feelings and decided to act again, expending Spirit Power to put out this great fire.
Yang Haoran was no benevolent person. If it weren't for Feng Xiao's sake, he would absolutely not have made such a decision. In his opinion, merely isolating the fire with his methods earlier was already the utmost he could do.
"Wait here for me. I'll see if I can extinguish this great fire," Yang Haoran said humbly.
Hearing this, Feng Xiao's expression brightened, and she quickly thanked Yang Haoran, "Thank you, Brother Yang!"
"It's alright. From now on, we're all family. Helping and caring for each other is only natural," Yang Haoran said.
As his words fell, Yang Haoran ascended into the air, facing the heatwave, his body suspended aloft. He immediately mobilized the Spirit Power within him.
Within the valley, a fierce Yin wind suddenly swept through. The appearance of this wind caused the valley's temperature to plummet sharply, instantly feeling as if one had fallen into an ice cellar.
Upon encountering this Yin wind, the blazing flames, far from intensifying due to the wind, instead extinguished at a visible rate, as if sprayed with ice water.
This bone-chilling Yin wind lasted for less than a minute, but in that brief minute, the great fire in the valley was completely extinguished, leaving not a single flicker of flame.
Yang Haoran's body descended, returning to Feng Xiao's side. At this moment, Feng Xiao was trembling all over from the cold. The Yin wind that had just appeared gave her an indescribable chill, a feeling as if her very soul had been frozen.
Yang Haoran saw Feng Xiao's condition and knew what was happening. He simply waved his hand gently towards Feng Xiao, and all the chill on her body vanished.
"Thank you, Brother Yang! " Feng Xiao quickly expressed her gratitude, while Yang Haoran waved his hand, signaling her not to worry about it.
With the absence of the raging fire, the light curtain of the barrier behind them vanished on its own. The area enveloped by the barrier then merged with the surrounding regions, turning into a stretch of scorched earth.
"With this set of formation flags here, I believe master will be very safe inside the barrier. " Feng Xiao looked at the scorched earth that had appeared where the barrier once stood, identical to the surrounding environment, and couldn't help but say.
In Yang Haoran's opinion, Feng Xiao's thought was incredibly naive, but he didn't want to dampen her spirits, so he said nothing.
It was rather a pity that such a powerful set of formation flags had to remain here, in his opinion.
However, he had no designs on this set of formation flags, because in Feng Xiao's eyes, this set of formation flags was the only means to protect her master's remains, so he would not scheme to take it.
Comments