Chapter 208: Return

Ye Mo touched his nose. He hadn't expected Ning Qingxue to be so easily moved. She was a truly emotional girl. If he hadn't witnessed it himself, he wouldn't have believed it.

He, too, was touched by her words. He had simply done what he felt was right, but Ning Qingxue's reaction was overwhelming.

An awkward silence fell between them.

Just as Ye Mo was about to ask Ning Qingxue about the location of the Sky Ditch, she suddenly asked, "What's the use of this fruit? Why is it so valuable?"

Ye Mo smiled. "I'll tell you after you eat it."

"No, tell me first," Ning Qingxue insisted, displaying a spoiled side Ye Mo hadn't seen before, yet it felt perfectly natural.

Ye Mo sighed. "Fine. It's called a Face-Preserving Fruit. It can be made into a Face-Preserving Pill. Anyone who takes it will retain their current appearance, skin, and even internal organs forever. They won't live forever, but it can extend a mortal's life by ten years."

Though Ye Mo spoke casually, Ning Qingxue was shocked. Such a pill actually existed? If someone else had said it, she would have dismissed it as nonsense, but coming from Ye Mo, she knew it was true. The fruit's value far surpassed what he'd initially implied.

After a moment's hesitation, Ning Qingxue shakily returned the fruit. "I'm sorry, I took a bite. You didn't mention how precious it was. If we made it into pills, we could buy several large companies! Please put it away…"

Ye Mo smiled and pushed it back. "If you like it, eat it. I have eleven more. Eat them all if you want; it's just food."

Her parents had spoiled her growing up, but that was within reason, and they were her parents. If she suggested selling everything they owned to buy a single fruit, they would have stopped her. Ye Mo, however, didn't seem to care.

Ning Qingxue paused, her hand hovering over the fruit. She remembered Ye Mo's past, his near-poverty. She hadn't realized she meant this much to him, and tears welled in her eyes. She gently stroked his hair. "Why are you spoiling me so much? You'll ruin me."

Ye Mo fell silent for a moment before murmuring, "From the moment you encountered Shen Nong Jia, climbed down the cliff, and risked your life to save me, I decided to spoil you for the rest of your life. And I will only spoil you more in the future."

He paused. "If I find Luo Ying, and you're still willing to be with me, I'll spoil you even more. If I can't find Luo Ying in this lifetime, I'll spend my life with you."

"Mhm… I'm willing…" Ning Qingxue's voice trembled. She hesitated. "But will Luo Ying accept me? She…"

Her concern was evident. This was a monogamous society. She loved Ye Mo and knew he wasn't ordinary. Even though he had a wife, Luo Ying, as long as he accepted her, she was prepared to be with him, regardless of her family's objections. She was simply afraid Luo Ying wouldn't accept her.

When Ye Mo mentioned his late wife, Luo Ying, Ning Qingxue had been worried he would leave without warning upon finding her. Now, her fear was that Luo Ying wouldn't accept her. And another thought crossed her mind: she could only accept Luo Ying and Ye Mo together. She wouldn't be able to accept another woman like Chi Wanqing.

Would Luo Ying feel the same? She could leave with Ye Mo if her parents disapproved, but if Luo Ying refused… she didn't know what she would do.

Ye Mo's gaze turned thoughtful. After a while, he seemed to be talking to himself, "Master will."

He abruptly stopped and darted several meters away, staring coldly at a bush. "Come out."

Ning Qingxue, lost in Ye Mo's words, hadn't noticed.

A rustling sound followed, and a young man in tattered clothes emerged from the bush, looking shocked and confused.

"A savage?" Ning Qingxue exclaimed.

Ye Mo smiled. "He's not a savage. His clothes are simply torn; they're camouflage. He might be the rescue team member you mentioned."

"Who are you? How do you know I'm a rescue team member?" The youth noticed they were both ordinary people.

Ning Qingxue, realizing the situation, said, "You're really from the rescue team? You came to save Zhang Qiang?"

"You know Zhang Qiang? Who are you? How dare you come in here?" The young man's curiosity grew.

Seeing the young man's weakened state, Ye Mo tossed him a packet of biscuits. "Eat something and tell us what happened."

The young man calmed down, tearing open the biscuits and devouring them quickly. Ye Mo then offered him a bottle of water.

Afterward, the youth spoke, his voice filled with fright. "A few days ago, my team received orders to rescue a lost tourist. We were a team of eight, with two tourist groups leading the way. We even carried guns. We didn't expect any problems, even if we encountered savages, but when we neared the Sky Ditch…"

Terror flickered in his eyes. He looked at Ye Mo before continuing. "We saw a shoe. Someone said it belonged to Zhang Qiang. Another tourist went to pick it up, and then… a sharp scream came from the ditch."

He shuddered. Ye Mo produced a simple jade necklace. "Wear this, then talk. Which rescue team are you from? Are you the only one left?"

The young man accepted the necklace without hesitation. "Thank you for your magical artifact. I'll return it when we leave." He seemed to recognize it as magical.

Ye Mo waved his hand. "No need, keep it. I have many of these. Continue."

The young man continued, "I'm Wang Kailin. Our team is from the Shen Nong Jia area. That day, the scariest thing wasn't the Sky Ditch, but the sound from it. The tourist who picked up the shoe froze, turned toward the ditch, and then… jumped in…"

"Huh…" Ning Qingxue remembered seeing a shoe that day. If not for the Evil Repellent Charm, would she have jumped too? A wave of fear washed over her. She instinctively hugged Ye Mo's shoulders. His familiar scent calmed her.

Wang Kailin continued, "When we saw him jump, one of my teammates shone a light into the ditch. As soon as the light hit, he fell in too. We knew things were bad. Something was in the Sky Ditch, and we ran. Before I left, I saw two more of my teammates run toward the ditch and jump in."

Ye Mo remained silent for a moment. "Then why are you unharmed?"

Wang Kailin said, his voice shaking, "I was wearing a blessed artifact. I don't know if that's why I escaped. It's… metaphysical. I didn't dare to go back the way we came. I tried to find another way out, but I couldn't for days. I haven't seen any other rescue teams. You're the first people I've encountered."

Ning Qingxue, having experienced it firsthand, knew Wang Kailin wasn't lying. Worriedly, she said to Ye Mo, "Maybe we should take a different route."

Ye Mo smiled. "A different route? Didn't that thing scare you too?"

"Mhm, I told it that if it dared to show itself again, I'd turn it to ash. Maybe it was scared, so it let me go," Ning Qingxue said, still shaken.