"Sister Phoenix, should we go find Cun Ying first or rescue Divine Blacksmith Zhen Hua?" After leaving the Holy Spirit Hall, Nanali respectfully asked Leng Yulai.
Leng Yulai stopped and turned to look at Xia Yi.
Xia Yi pondered for a moment and said, "Let's go see this Cun Ying first."
"Alright, follow me." Nanali nodded, and under her guidance, Xia Yi and Leng Yulai soon arrived at an ice castle.
The castle wasn't big, nor was it particularly ornate—it was only two stories tall, but entirely carved from ten-thousand-year-old eternal ice, making it appear crystal clear and translucent.
What Xia Yi didn't expect was that in the backyard of this ice castle—situated in the frigid far north—there was actually a hot spring.
When the three of them arrived, Cun Ying was leisurely soaking in the hot spring.
Well… not exactly leisurely. Above the hot spring was a platform with a soul tool computer placed on it.
Although Cun Ying was soaking in the spring, his hands were flying over the keyboard at such a speed that they created afterimages.
What surprised Xia Yi even more was that the once-dashing and elegant Cun Ying, known from the internet, now had graying temples and a face full of wrinkles—he looked like a man in his fifties.
"What happened to him?" Not just Xia Yi, even Leng Yulai was stunned. Her beautiful eyes stared at the hot spring—this wasn't just any spring; it had restorative effects on the body.
Yet Cun Ying, despite such beneficial conditions, had aged so rapidly.
"Don't look at me—I had nothing to do with it. Because of the leader's orders, we've done everything possible to meet his needs. He even eats heavenly treasures three times a day, but he still ended up like this. There's nothing more we could do," Nanali shrugged, her eyes filled with a hint of regret. Anyone would feel pity seeing a once-super-handsome guy turn out like this.
They had tried everything—even this hot spring was constructed at great cost by the Holy Spirit Cult.
"Yo! It's little Bell. What wind blew you here, huh—?" Cun Ying teased upon seeing Nanali, but the moment he noticed Xia Yi and Leng Yulai behind her, he jumped in shock.
"Xia Yi! Dark Phoenix Douluo!" As the author of The Tale of the Free-Roaming Heavenly Fox, Cun Ying naturally recognized Xia Yi and Leng Yulai.
"The Holy Spirit Cult has been destroyed by Her Majesty Sky Phoenix and Dark Phoenix. The cult is no more—you're free now. No one will force you to write anymore," Nanali said casually, her gaze flickering as she recalled the murderous look in Leng Yaozhu's eyes. She added thoughtfully, "That is, if Her Majesty Sky Phoenix is willing to spare your life."
"Really?" Cun Ying's eyes lit up. He immediately kicked his soul tool computer into the water like an excited child. "Damn it, I'm finally free from writing!"
"So much work… just destroyed like that? Don't you feel any regret?" Xia Yi asked with a pained look. He had just glimpsed several folders on Cun Ying's desktop: Tang Sect Heroes v3.0, The Tale of the Free-Roaming Heavenly Fox v2.0 finale, and others.
None of those had been published yet.
"Pah!" Cun Ying spat fiercely. "If I ever get out of here, I'm going to find the bastard who persuaded me to start writing. It's all his fault I ended up like this. That grudge? It's to the death!"
Hmph!
Cun Ying's eyes burned with rage.
Convincing someone to become a writer? May lightning strike them from the heavens.
Now, Cun Ying only wanted to tear apart the one who led him into the writing pit.
"Alright then." Xia Yi's expression twitched. He looked at Cun Ying's graying hair and asked curiously, "How old are you now?"
"I'm twenty-three!" Cun Ying replied.
"Twenty-three?!" Xia Yi's eyelid twitched violently. He turned to Leng Yulai and said seriously, "Draft a clan rule for me. First rule: from this day forward, no descendant of the Xia clan may enter the writing profession. Anyone who disobeys will be removed from the clan registry."
"Makes sense." Leng Yulai nodded in firm agreement.
"Have someone take Cun Ying to see Zhu'er. Let's go rescue Divine Blacksmith Zhen Hua," Xia Yi said to Nanali.
"Alright!" Nanali waved, summoning two Holy Spirit Cult disciples to escort Cun Ying to the Holy Spirit Hall.
Xia Yi and Leng Yulai then followed Nanali to where Zhen Hua was being held.
Upon seeing Zhen Hua, Xia Yi and Leng Yulai were once again stunned.
Compared to Cun Ying—who lived in a castle, soaked in hot springs, and feasted on rare treasures—Zhen Hua had been treated on the opposite extreme.
He was imprisoned in a forging room. Because he had refused to forge for the Holy Spirit Cult, his soul power had been sealed, and he was given only meager rations to sustain basic life.
Compared to his time in Heaven Dou City, he looked infinitely more emaciated and aged. His hair had turned completely white, his eyes cloudy, his back hunched, and his gait unsteady—as if a gust of wind could topple him.
"Xia Yi, you've fallen into the hands of the Holy Spirit Cult too?" Seeing Xia Yi appear behind Nanali and Leng Yulai, Zhen Hua's cloudy eyes sharpened instantly as they locked onto Leng Yulai. "I knew it—you're the evil soul master who attacked Xia Yi and Xi'er outside Heaven Dou City!"
"That's right, it was me," Leng Yulai admitted openly, without denying it. She looked at Zhen Hua and asked, "What do you want to say?"
"You really think that capturing Xia Yi will force me to give in? You can forget it. I, Zhen Hua, would rather die than help you vile soul masters forge anything!" Zhen Hua's voice was cold as he glared at Leng Yulai and Nanali, his gaze finally resting on Xia Yi.
"So you care quite a bit about Xia Yi, huh? Divine Blacksmith, you wouldn't want a forging genius like him to perish in the Holy Spirit Cult, would you?" Leng Yulai asked with interest, her lips curling in a half-smile.
"Does your sister know you're doing this?" Zhen Hua gritted his teeth.
"That's none of your concern. If you don't cooperate today, I'll have Muxi accompany you tomorrow," Leng Yulai giggled.
"You wouldn't dare…" Zhen Hua glared at Leng Yulai. "Your sister will never forgive you."
"Heh…" Leng Yulai chuckled, but before she could continue, she felt Xia Yi's chilling stare from behind.
"No games," Xia Yi said coldly, glaring at her.
"Okay, okay… no need to get mad." Leng Yulai pouted and retreated behind Xia Yi.
"Shut it," Xia Yi snapped, then turned to Nanali.
Nanali nodded and quickly tapped a few acupoints on Zhen Hua's body, instantly lifting the seal on his soul power.
"Senior, I'm sorry you've suffered," Xia Yi approached and said to Zhen Hua, who looked at him in confusion.
"Don't worry, senior. I wasn't captured by the Holy Spirit Cult. The cult has already been destroyed by Zhu'er and Yulai—we're here to rescue you."
(End of Chapter)