Moon up in the skies, six girls could be seen bathing in a medicinal-filled hot bath. Their flushed skin was like porcelain glowing under the veil of moonlight, giving them an otherworldly radiance that could only be seen in a man's dreams.
These six beautiful maidens were none other than Chen Linlin, Xiao Ning'er, Ye Ziyun, Jing Ya, Mei Lin, and Yue Ling.
After talking with Moi Bailu and discovering that there were people in the world who had skipped the entire Age of Darkness fiasco, they were guided to a secluded bath by Moi Ca to freshen up.
To their surprise, the bath was filled with medicinal herbs that not only cleansed their bodies but also exuded a soothing fragrance that relaxed their muscles.
Which was greatly appreciated after a week full of training and traveling.
"Ahh! This is life! Just sitting here in a warm bath under the moonlight while drinking this... some kind of tea, relaxing. I'm starting to like this place." Mei Lin said with a satisfied voice.
"If you want, you can stay here. It would be my honor to break the news to Auntie that you eloped and settled down in this place."
Jing Ya was quick to dodge the small fruit that Mei Lin hurled at her. In return, she grabbed a floating leaf by her side and threw it in Mei Lin's direction. This resulted in a crisp smacking sound as the wet leaf hit Mei Lin's forehead and stuck to it.
The sight made the other girls giggle, their laughter filling the bath with a heartwarming feels.
As they laughed, Xiao Ning'er caught a glimpse of Ye Ziyun laughing from the corner of her eye, which reminded her that she had been wanting to talk to her.
And she thought that the current atmosphere was just right to do so.
But she hesitated. Her mouth kept opening and closing as if she were trying to find the right words to begin with.
Her hand clenched beneath the water, and she bit her moist lips as she heard the loud beating of her own heart.
Xiao Ning'er knew this was awkward not just for her but for both of them, but she also knew that she couldn't continue pretending there wasn't a massive wall between them, one that she had single-handedly built herself.
She closed her eyes to calm her breathing, ignored the loud thumping of her heart, and looked in Ye Ziyun's direction with a determined expression.
"S-so, Ziyun, how has the journey been so far? Have you been enjoying it?"
Xiao Ning'er's voice cracked. She was cringing both body and soul. She couldn't even hide her awkwardness since it was written all over her face.
On the other hand, Ye Ziyun's beautiful eyes widened, her mouth agape as she looked at Xiao Ning'er as though she had just seen a ghost.
How long had it been since the two of them spoke? More importantly, how long had it been since Xiao Ning'er had said her name?
Ye Ziyun didn't hate Xiao Ning'er. On the contrary, she had been thinking of ways to become close to her again, but she had never imagined that Xiao Ning'er herself would go out of her way to talk to her. So it was no surprise that she also felt awkward about it.
"I-it was great. Thank you for asking."
Now, the feeling of cringe became a shared emotion, not only between the two of them but even among Chen Linlin and the trio of girls. This made everyone exchange awkward looks.
Everyone knew there was something between the two of them but chose not to ask and simply ignored it.
But now that Xiao Ning'er was seemingly trying to reach out to Ye Ziyun, Chen Linlin and the trio felt like they were barging into something personal, and they all felt awkward about it.
A deathly silence enveloped the bath.
Chen Linlin and the trio all bit their lips as none of them dared make a sound, afraid that they might ruin whatever was going on.
Xiao Ning'er and Ye Ziyun looked at each other. They felt like looking away, but somehow knew that if they did, they would miss a chance to reconcile.
Unable to stand the unbearable silence, a light bulb seemed to appear above Chen Linlin's head as an idea came to her.
"Let's play a game! Not you two! Let's see who can hold their breath the longest. Not you two! Once I count to three, let's all submerge in the water. Not you two! One! Two! Not you two! THREE!"
Blop!
Both Xiao Ning'er and Ye Ziyun's bodies jerked in surprise as Chen Linlin and the others all dove into the water.
Leaving them alone in awkward silence.
Then suddenly, Xiao Ning'er heard Ye Ziyun let out a soft laugh. At first, she looked at her in confusion before her lips curved upward and she herself broke into laughter.
It took a moment before the two of them got a hold of themselves. They bit their lips to stifle their laughter.
"I'm sorry. I made things awkward for all of us. I should have chosen a better time and place to talk to you," Xiao Ning'er said apologetically.
In response to her words, Ye Ziyun simply shook her head, her delicate fingers wiping the corners of her eyes.
"No, it's quite alright. Since we're already here, we might as well go through with it."
The two let out shaky breaths, the cold of the night and the warmth of the bath bringing forth a thin veil of mist that enveloped their jade-like figures.
Xiao Ning'er bit the inside of her cheek. She tried to find the proper words to start, but her thoughts were filled with memories of the past.
She sighed, bowed her head, and let the words come out naturally.
"Ziyun, I'm sorry for being a bad friend to you."
Seeing Xiao Ning'er bow her head made Ye Ziyun panic. She was about to tell her to lift her head, but stopped when Xiao Ning'er continued.
"I found myself in a situation where I had zero control, unwilling to accept everything, I went and changed all the things I still had a little control over, like being friends with you."
Ye Ziyun's face showed sadness. She knew what her friend had been through and had never blamed her for anything.
"I chose to be bitter. I kept comparing myself to you, and that made me resent you. You are my friend, the very first one I ever had, and yet I chose to hate you. For that, I'm truly sorry."
A stream of hot tears flowed down Xiao Ning'er's rosy cheeks. Her shoulders trembled. She wanted to say more, but she felt a lump stuck in her throat.
She couldn't lift her head. She was afraid to see disgust on Ye Ziyun's face.
But then she felt two delicate arms wrap around her shoulders. An entire weight pressed against her body, and she felt hot tears trickling down onto her shoulder.
Her body moved instinctively, her own arms snaking around Ye Ziyun's smooth body.
Both of them tightened their embrace by pulling each other closer. One whispered apologies, while the other kept repeating that it was okay and that she had never hated her.
Not far from the two, four pairs of eyes floated above the water. They watched as the two crumbled the towering wall between them.
Under the moonlight, two souls had found their way back to each other and found the courage to reconnected.
Meanwhile...
Xue Hui flew beneath the veil of night. The place he was in was the very center of the toxic forest. Standing before him was a giant tree, its size large enough to contain an entire small mountain within its canopy.
"So it's really here, huh? I knew it would be big, but I never imagined it would be this massive."
Xue Hui took out a green pill from his interspatial ring and popped it into his mouth. The extreme yin energy was so dense that the effects of the detoxifying pill he had taken earlier had already worn off.
"This will be an issue. I need to find a way to counteract the extreme yin energy first before we enter this place."
Then suddenly, a ball of fire shot out from his robe and floated above him before transforming into a small woman with a voluptuous figure, her crystal like eyes scanned the ominous looking tree, uneasiness enveloped her heart.
"Xue Hui, this thing is dangerous. Even with my Law of Fire, I can't see through it. No matter how I look at it, I can't understand what it is. Do you know what it is?" Yu Yan asked in a low voice, her gorgeous face showing a trace of fear.
"I'll tell you when we return. It's not safe to stay here much longer."
As soon as he said that, the entire ground shook violently. Huge vines as thick as buckets shot out in every direction, entangling all the nearby demon beasts. Their howls echoed through the surroundings, followed by skull-numbing sounds of bones cracking and flesh tearing.
Yu Yan watched in horror as the huge tree feasted on the life around it.
Then she felt imminent danger rushing toward them. Before she could react, she felt a hand gently grab her before the space around her rippled.
Gone!
The huge vines that had been approaching them paused midair, seemingly confused about where their prey had gone.
The vines retracted before pouncing in another direction toward an escaping Black Gold Rank two-headed great tiger. They coiled around its body before yanking it back at blinding speed.
All the two-headed great tiger could do was roar in despair as its body was crushed and devoured by the tree.
End of Chapter 84.
.
.
.
.
If you like my story, and want to support me, you can read advance chapter to my patreon.com/AxelDeAxist