Chapter 154: Karma

Chapter 154: Chapter 154: Karma

Still sprawled on the ground, Sui Sui shook his head, trying to clear the dizziness from the sudden collision. He hurriedly lifted his head to see who he had run into, only to find himself staring into a familiar pair of dark eyes.

It was Yizhou.

"Ah? Senior Brother, what are you doing here?" Sui Sui asked, his voice carrying a hint of nervousness.

But the moment the question left his mouth, he paused. Wait a minute. Why was he nervous? It wasn’t as though he had done anything wrong! With that thought, he quickly settled down and looked at Yizhou again, no longer feeling quite so flustered.

"Why? Can’t I come here?" Yizhou asked, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.

"No, no! I didn’t mean that. I just thought you went the other way," Sui Sui quickly explained. He had clearly seen Yizhou heading in the opposite direction earlier, so he couldn’t help wondering how the man had ended up here.

"Hmm, perhaps I simply forgot the way." Yizhou shrugged as though it were nothing particularly unusual. His gaze then drifted past Sui Sui, settling on the approaching flames. "Anyway, aren’t you going to get up? That thing behind you is getting closer."

Only then did Sui Sui remember the fire. His eyes widened as he hurriedly pushed himself off the ground, there was no time to stand around chatting. If they didn’t leave soon, they might end up getting caught in the flames as well.

"Come on, Senior Brother! We should get out of here quickly!"

"Hmm, all right." Yizhou raised an eyebrow but didn’t question how Sui Sui knew about the fire or why he seemed so certain that they needed to leave immediately. He merely watched as the younger man hurried to his feet, his own expression remaining as calm as ever. Compared to Sui Sui’s anxious reaction, Yizhou seemed almost leisurely, as though the approaching flames were hardly worth his concern.

However, just as Sui Sui was about to take a step, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his leg, causing him to stop in his tracks.

"Ah?!"

He lowered his head and examined his calf, only to find that it had begun turning purple. It seemed he had twisted it when he fell earlier. Since his skin was exceptionally pale, the bruise stood out rather prominently, its darkening color looking particularly conspicuous against his fair complexion.

Sui Sui gingerly touched the injured area, his brows knitting together as he tried to figure out how badly he had hurt himself. Walking didn’t seem like a particularly good idea at the moment, but staying here wasn’t exactly an option either.

Just as he was wondering what to do, he suddenly felt someone move behind him. Before he could even turn around, Yizhou had already bent down and lifted him off the ground, carrying him effortlessly in his arms.

Caught by surprise, Sui Sui instinctively reached for Yizhou’s shoulders, holding on to them to steady himself. By the time he realized what was happening, he was already being carried in a princess carry.

"This, uhh..." Sui Sui hesitated, looking up at his senior brother. He had initially wanted to tell Yizhou that he could simply put him down, but after considering the state of his injured leg, he decided against it. It was clearly not in any condition to support his weight, and trying to walk on it would only make things worse. In the end, he swallowed his protest and accepted the help.

"Thank you, Senior Brother," he said softly before lowering his head and resting it against Yizhou’s chest.

Yizhou raised an eyebrow at the sight. He hadn’t expected the younger man to accept his help so readily, much less settle so comfortably in his arms. Still, he made no comment about it. The faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips, however, betrayed just how pleased he was with Sui Sui’s reaction.

The two continued making their way through the forest until they finally reached the starting point, where several elders were waiting.

The moment they emerged, a few disciples nearby turned to look at them, their attention lingering particularly on Sui Sui, who was being carried in Yizhou’s arms. However, before anyone could approach to ask what had happened, the elders who had been anxiously waiting for the returning teams hurried over to check on their condition.

By then, the entire gathering area was filled with restless whispers. The competition had been abruptly cancelled, and all participating disciples had been ordered to return immediately.

No one seemed to know exactly what had happened, but judging from the hurried movements of the elders and the unusual commotion, it was clear that something serious had occurred.

"Have you heard? A section of the forest was completely burned down!"

"Burned down? How is that possible? Wasn’t the trial area supposed to be safe?"

"That’s not even the worst part. I heard that the barrier surrounding the forest was broken!"

"What?! The barrier? Are you saying someone broke through it?"

"Who knows? The elders haven’t figured it out either. They’re still investigating what caused the damage. Some people are even saying that a few disciples might have accidentally crossed beyond the barrier."

"Then what happens if they haven’t returned yet?"

"That’s why the elders are gathering everyone! They’re trying to make sure no one is missing."

The conversations continued, with one rumor quickly giving way to another. Some disciples looked worried, while others couldn’t hide their excitement at having witnessed such an unusual incident. A few even began speculating about what kind of powerful beast could have caused so much destruction, though no one seemed to have a definite answer.

Sui Sui and Yizhou remained nearby, quietly listening to the discussions. From the scattered bits of information, they gradually pieced together what had happened.

Apparently, the back mountain had been thrown into complete chaos. One section of the forest had been reduced to charred trees and scorched earth, while another area had suffered damage to its protective barrier. The elders still hadn’t determined what had caused either incident, much less whether any disciples had managed to cross beyond the barrier while it was broken.

Fortunately, most of the participating disciples had already returned safely. Sui Sui and Yizhou were actually the second-to-last team to arrive. There was now only one group still unaccounted for.

"Wait, isn’t there still one team missing?" a disciple suddenly asked.

"That’s right. I heard they haven’t found them yet."

"Which team is it?"

"Chu Ran’s group."

"Chu Ran? They’re still missing?"

"Yes. I wonder where they went. Could they have encountered some trouble?"

Hearing this, Sui Sui couldn’t help but feel surprised. He hadn’t expected Chu Ran and her companions to be the ones still missing.

For a moment, he wasn’t sure whether he should feel relieved or concerned. After all, those people had deliberately left him in danger earlier. He certainly didn’t wish them any particular harm, but considering what they had done, he couldn’t help thinking that perhaps this was karma coming back to bite them.

Well, perhaps they shouldn’t have been so busy plotting against other people.

Sui Sui quietly entertained the thought, completely unaware that Yizhou, standing beside him, had briefly let his eyes glint red.

Since it was already getting late, the elders eventually instructed the disciples to return to their respective residences for the day. Those who had yet to return would be left to the search teams, while the elders and other experienced cultivators remained behind to investigate the disturbance and locate the missing disciples.

—

After returning to their courtyard, Sui Sui immediately went to take a bath. Fortunately, he had remembered to retrieve a fresh set of clothes from his old room before coming back, so he didn’t have to worry about having nothing to wear again. After a quick wash, he changed into clean clothes and finally felt a little more refreshed.

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten about the other matter waiting for him.

Once he was ready, Sui Sui went to attend to his usual duties for Yizhou. This time, however, he was determined to stick to their original arrangement. There was absolutely no way he was going to repeat whatever they had done yesterday!

"Really don’t want to?" Yizhou asked, watching Sui Sui’s reaction with an amused smile. "I can offer you a special service instead. We can even arrange it so that you only have to come once every three days."

His suggestion was clearly meant to tempt him, and for a moment, Sui Sui found himself wavering. Having to fulfill his duties less frequently certainly sounded appealing. However, after giving it some thought, he ultimately shook his head and insisted on sticking to their original arrangement.

He remembered the heat he felt during that time and deep down, he had a vague feeling that if he continued indulging Yizhou in that particular activity, he might become...not like his usual self, He couldn’t quite explain why, but his instincts were telling him that it was better not to go down that path.

After they finished the usual blood feeding and dual cultivation, Sui Sui finally had some time to himself. Having spent most of the day running around and getting caught up in one troublesome incident after another, he was more than ready to rest.

Sui Sui lay down on his bed and closed his eyes, ready to call it a night. However, just as he was beginning to drift off, a nagging feeling crept into his mind. It seemed as though he had forgotten something important, but no matter how hard he tried to recall it, nothing came to mind.

What was it again?

He frowned slightly, trying to retrace the events of the day, but eventually gave up. Perhaps it wasn’t anything particularly important. With that thought, he settled back against his pillow and closed his eyes once more.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, a faint tapping sound came from the window.

Huh? What’s that?

Sui Sui opened his eyes and glanced toward the window. The room was quiet, and nothing seemed out of place. Thinking he might have imagined it, he turned over and closed his eyes again.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

This time, the sound was considerably louder.

Sui Sui immediately sat up. All right, he definitely hadn’t imagined that! He stared at the window for a moment, waiting to see if the sound would come again.

Tap. Tap!

There it was again.

Now thoroughly awake, Sui Sui threw off his blanket and hurried toward the window. Through the glass, he could make out a familiar silhouette hovering outside. Recognizing the figure, he quickly pushed the window open.

The next instant, a rather familiar balding bird flapped its way into the room.