The group lightened their footsteps and slowed their breathing as they carefully retreated.
Three meters…
Five meters…
Just when all five of them thought they could leave without alerting it, a vine as thick as a bowl suddenly moved!
They had been discovered!
The vine lashed toward Ye Xihe.
In that instant, Ye Huizhou’s ability transformed into a lightning blade in his hand and slashed toward the vine.
The thick tendril was cleanly severed.
Although they had been traveling nonstop these past few days, the three offensive ability users had been constantly improving themselves. Not to mention that Ye Huizhou, as the original novel’s male lead, came with his own cultivation cheat. Their combat power had been steadily increasing.
Seeing that Ye Huizhou’s ability was effective, Xu Wen shouted in excitement. His sniper rifle immediately targeted the thickest section of the vine network’s central trunk.
Bang!
The metal bullet tore through the air.
The main trunk was simply too thick. The bullet only left a scorched mark on its surface.
Their attacks seemed to enrage the gigantic vine. In an instant, every stem and leaf came alive, surging toward them.
“Gu Zhuoye!” Ye Huizhou roared.
Flames immediately followed. Lightning and fire abilities swept forward together in a dazzling storm of sparks and thunder.
But there were simply too many vines.
They seemed endless. Every batch they cut down was instantly replaced by another.
Yet abilities could run out.
Standing back to back, the group formed a defensive circle. Gu Zhuoye spoke in a deep voice.
“If this continues, we’ll be worn down to death sooner or later. Ye Xihe, find its core!”
Ye Xihe had already been searching while they fought. Anxiously, she replied,
“The core is right in the center of the main trunk!”
“We’ll cover you.”
Ye Huizhou continued, “Xu Wen, stop using the sniper rifle. Use needles instead. As long as you can damage the vines. Gu Zhuoye, follow up with fire to burn the wounds, then I’ll cut them apart.”
The group advanced with difficulty. More and more cuts appeared across their bodies from the whipping vines.
Ye Xihe raised her hand, intending to heal them.
Seeing this, Su Nian hurriedly stopped her.
“Don’t heal us! Xihe! Save your ability for this thing!”
The monster was enormous. No one knew whether Xihe’s ability would be enough.
And if it wasn’t…
Clenching her fists, Ye Xihe advanced under the protection of her teammates until she reached the base of the trunk.
The main trunk was as thick as several people combined, its twisted mass of vines coiling together in a grotesque tangle. The core sat right in the center.
A normal healing orb produced almost no effect. Ye Xihe gathered every ounce of strength she possessed and poured her ability directly into the core.
Instantly, the giant vine seemed to go berserk.
Countless tendrils whipped wildly through the air. One slammed into Su Nian’s back, causing her to grunt as blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.
Ye Huizhou was ensnared and lifted into the air.
A vine pierced through Xu Wen’s calf.
Several vines wrapped around Gu Zhuoye’s legs, but he ignored them. Instead, the flames surrounding the main trunk suddenly intensified, buying Ye Xihe more time.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ye Xihe saw all of them and forced herself to draw even more power from her body.
The excessive drain made every organ ache.
Under her continuous healing output, the giant vine gradually weakened. Beginning from the farthest tips of each branch, it started to wither.
Ye Huizhou was the first to break free. He immediately moved to Ye Xihe’s side to protect her.
The vine seemed to realize that Ye Xihe posed the greatest threat to it. Abandoning its attacks on the other three, it recalled all its branches and directed every single vine toward the slender figure still struggling to hold on.
Ye Xihe watched as her brother stood before her like a knight.
Blurred images flashed through her mind.
When their parents died and greedy relatives tried to take advantage of them, Ye Huizhou stood in front of her.
When she was bullied at school by classmates with powerful backgrounds, Ye Huizhou stood in front of her.
Scene after scene surfaced in her memories.
Ye Huizhou had always protected her so well.
He cut apart three sharp vines stabbing toward him from the left.
But at the same time, on his right side, a vine as thick as a thigh came crashing toward him.
Gritting her teeth, Ye Xihe once again squeezed every remaining drop of strength from her body. The healing light in her hands flared brilliantly.
The vine on the right suddenly froze, losing all its momentum before landing limply against Ye Huizhou’s shoulder.
Almost there…
Just a little more and everything would be purified…
Cold sweat poured down her face as her body gradually lost the strength to remain standing.
Strong arms suddenly supported her.
It was Gu Zhuoye.
The girl’s face was pale as paper, yet her expression remained resolute. Her trembling hands stayed firmly pressed toward the core. Strands of hair clung to her cheeks, lending her a disheveled sort of beauty.
Gu Zhuoye lowered his gaze.
Ye Xihe forced herself to continue. Fireworks were exploding in her vision now, and her internal organs felt as though they had been crushed.
The vine’s attacks grew weaker and weaker. Its branches softened and withered, spreading from the outermost tips toward the center.
The black-red core at the center of the trunk flickered several times before finally going dark.
Ye Xihe let out a breath of relief as her body gave way beneath her.
She fell into a sturdy embrace.
Wrapping an arm around her, Gu Zhuoye lowered his head to look at her pale face and softly said,
“You worked hard.”
As he turned around carrying her, he met Ye Huizhou’s gaze.
Ye Huizhou extended his arms.
Gu Zhuoye: …
Ye Xihe slept for a very long time.
Her dreams were filled with bizarre and surreal images.
Most of them were memories belonging to the original owner of the body and Ye Huizhou.
When she finally opened her eyes, Ye Huizhou was sitting beside her.
It was nighttime. They seemed to have already left the place where they had fought the giant vine. A campfire crackled in front of them, with two roasted chickens cooking over the flames.
Su Nian was leaning against a thick tree trunk with her eyes closed in rest.
Xu Wen was helping Ye Huizhou roast the chickens.
Gu Zhuoye sat against another tree with one knee raised, gazing off into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.
The moment Ye Xihe woke up, Ye Huizhou tossed the chicken he was holding to Xu Wen and helped her sit up.
“How are you feeling? Is anything uncomfortable?”
Ye Xihe felt completely drained. Weakly, she shook her head.
“Then are you hungry? Big Brother roasted some chicken.”
Meanwhile, Xu Wen was just about to take a bite out of the drumstick in his hand.
Click! He bit nothing but air.
Looking down at his suddenly empty hand, he froze.
Where had his drumstick gone?
Looking closer, he found it already in Ye Huizhou’s hand, being held out in front of Ye Xihe.
Xu Wen’s expression immediately turned resentful.
“Pfft.”
Su Nian had already opened her eyes when Ye Huizhou spoke. Seeing Xu Wen’s expression, she burst out laughing.
Embarrassed and annoyed, Xu Wen snapped,
“What are you laughing at?!”
Then he looked at Ye Huizhou like a neglected little wife.
“Captain Ye~ You don’t just have a sister, you have a little brother too~”
Ye Huizhou’s response was a kick.
“Did you shove a slipper down your throat?”
Gu Zhuoye was sitting farther away. Silently, he watched the group, his gaze settling on the clearing with Ye Xihe at its center. His brows slowly furrowed.
“Brother Ye,” he called.
Ye Huizhou: ? Since when did you start calling me brother?
Gu Zhuoye jumped down from the tree and whispered a few words into his ear.
Ye Huizhou frowned, walked a short distance away, then returned.
Ye Xihe looked puzzled.
“Big Brother?”
“Xihe, how much of your ability has recovered? Can you use it now?”
Ye Xihe tried gathering her strength. After a moment, she shook her head.
“I have a suggestion,” Su Nian said cautiously. “In the future, unless our injuries are life-threatening, we shouldn’t waste Xihe’s healing energy.”