The outside world was in an uproar as they searched for Chong Ming's whereabouts.
In the Penglai Fairyland, spiritual mists curled, cranes flew, and the fragrance of immortal herbs wafted through the air.
The divine lord sat under a light purple flower tree, his eyebrows slightly knitted.
Yao Hua sat beside him. Following his gaze, she saw that his hands were filled with broken and charred fragments. "What are these?"
"All the magical artifacts have been shattered by lightning, and I can't contact the outside world." A hint of helplessness flashed across Chong Ming's cold eyes. "I originally planned to contact your elder brothers and explain the situation here."
Thinking of her elder brothers, a touch of yearning appeared in Yao Hua's eyes. "My injuries are almost fully healed. Let's set off tomorrow."
Chong Ming turned his head to look at her. Seeing the faint pink on her soft cheeks, he knew that her complexion was excellent, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but curl slightly.
His gaze slid from her autumn - water - like eyes to her soft and alluring red lips. Suddenly, he noticed that the collar of her clothes was slightly loose, revealing her snow - white neck. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his eyes grew deep.
Yao Hua was calculating how to return, but when she didn't hear a reply for a long time, she felt a bit strange. Looking up, she met his gaze directly. Her breath caught, and her heart skipped a beat.
The brown tree bark was gnarled and winding upwards, stretching out countless branches. The light purple flowers were tiny and delicate, and the petals fluttered down onto their hair and shoulders.
His black hair was casually tied up, revealing his fair neck. The blue strands in front of his forehead were scattered, setting off his peerlessly handsome face. There was an air of elegance and coldness, but also an unexpected touch of charm and nonchalance.
Yao Hua felt her heart pounding. Since she woke up, they hadn't even held hands. Now, being stared at by his deep eyes, her face burned hot, and she quickly averted her gaze.
"What are you hiding from?" Chong Ming couldn't help but smile. They were already an old married couple, yet his little disciple was still so shy and coy. Every time he touched her, she was as timid as a rabbit, as if she was afraid of desecrating a god.
Yao Hua gently bit her lip and blurted out, "I... I'm not hiding."
Even though she said so, she still felt guilty and blushed. Somehow, just a glance from him made her feel as if his burning gaze was about to penetrate her thin clothes and land on her skin.
Her legs felt weak, and she stood up. "I'll go back to my room to treat my injuries first."
But in her panic, she bumped into his hand.
The moment their hands touched, Chong Ming's eyebrows twitched slightly. He tightly grasped her hand and intertwined their fingers, his movements domineering and swift.
Then, with a gentle tug, she staggered into his arms.
Yao Hua was about to say something with a blushing face when she noticed something was wrong. Her complexion changed, and she directly pulled open his collar.
On the man's perfect torso, there was a hideous scar.
She touched the scar and exclaimed, "What happened?"
Chong Ming lowered his eyes and said indifferently, "It's nothing. I just encountered some filthy things blocking the way when I came to Penglai. It's already okay."
Looking at the wound, Yao Hua thought of him carrying her across the ocean while being seriously injured. Her heart was filled with both gratitude and guilt. Her eyes turned red, and tears fell.
The water droplets were slightly cool, landing on the scar and slowly rolling down. The man let out a muffled groan.
Yao Hua quickly took out the ointment. "Does it still hurt? You're really something. You didn't tell me about this and just endured it on your own!"
Her eyes were filled with tears, looking extremely pitiful, as if she would burst into tears the next second.
Chong Ming's eyebrows twitched. He didn't treat the scar because it was just a minor injury that would heal automatically in a couple of days.
But seeing Yao Hua concernedly applying the ointment for him, he somehow didn't tell her the truth. Instead, he frowned and said a few words, "It does hurt a bit."
Yao Hua felt extremely distressed. Chong Ming was always proud and aloof. If he wasn't in extreme pain, how could he easily admit to it?
Her slender fingers dipped in the ointment and landed on the scar, warm and soft. "If it hurts, just cry out. I'll rub it for you, and the pain will go away soon."
Chong Ming looked at her, a smile flashing across his eyes, and the corners of his lips lifted. "Okay."
Yao Hua gently pressed on his wound, once, twice...
She was afraid of hurting him. After applying the ointment, he squinted his eyes comfortably, while she was nervously sweating all over.
The next moment, the world spun. She was pressed under the tree and opened her eyes in surprise. "No, the wound will split open."
Chong Ming's cold eyes were now filled with tenderness. "It's okay."
Outside Penglai, a little phoenix was dodging lightning bolts in a sorry state.
Boom!
The sea was turbulent, the sky was overcast with dark clouds, and bolts of thunder crashed down from the sky, striking the little phoenix.
Yaoyao's eyes were filled with tears from the pain.
Damn it! Why was this sea area so dangerous?
Some time ago, it was surprised to find that it could gradually sense its mother's aura. So it secretly followed the auras of its father and mother all the way here, flying across the vast sea.
Who would have thought that the journey before was okay, but as soon as it got near Penglai Fairy Island, it encountered extremely terrifying island - guarding beasts, not to mention the lightning and thunder.
Its body was charred and covered in blood, on the verge of death. It felt desperate. Was it really the will of heaven that it couldn't find its father and mother?
No! A look of determination flashed in its black - bean - like eyes as it desperately flew and fled.
A huge bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky and struck it hard.
"Ah!"
It let out a shrill scream and plunged into the sea with a splash. Its body gradually sank in the water, and several dark shadows slowly swam over in the distance.
Was it really going to die here today?
Before losing consciousness, its heart was filled with despair.
Chong Ming came over with a plate of fish soup, a smile on his face. "Quickly taste this. I made it myself."
As their eyes met, affection flowed between them. They only hoped that time would stop at this moment and never pass.
Yao Hua took the fish soup, took a few mouthfuls, and said with a smile, "It's delicious!"
Chong Ming was very satisfied to see that she liked what he made. He sat down, picked up the wine pot on the table, poured himself a cup of wine, and took a sip. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a shocked and overjoyed cry not far away. "Father, Mother!"
They both turned their heads at the same time and saw that under the purple flower tree, the God of Fishing was leading a chubby little girl. The little girl was as beautiful as a pearl bathed in celestial dew, extremely soft and cute. Who else could it be but Yaoyao?
Seeing her father and mother, Yaoyao's tears fell one by one as she ran towards them.
Seeing her crying so hard, Yao Hua felt very sad, and her eyes also turned a bit red. "Yaoyao, how did you find this place?"
Yaoyao threw herself beside Chong Ming, hugging his neck and crying loudly. "Father, everyone thought you were dead!"
Then, sobbing, she threw herself into Yao Hua's arms. "Mother, it's so good. I finally see you again."