Wen Ran realized what was happening and hurriedly calmed herself. Shen Wu was a lunatic, and if she provoked him, she might be the next to fall.
Qiu Shui suddenly exclaimed, "What is this!"
With Qiu Shui's shout, everyone finally noticed that beneath the collapse was an underground passage. Threads of golden Spiritual Power were extending from its depths to another location. This Spiritual Power was pure and abundant; even if you weren't a cultivator, you'd know it was something valuable.
Wen Ran watched for a while and uncertainly said, "Such rich Spiritual Power—could it be that a family's Spirit Vein has leaked out?"
Qiu Shui's face turned pale.
Wen Ran was startled, "I was just speaking carelessly..."
Shen Wu clapped, feeling proud, "Ranran is amazing; even careless words turn out to be correct."
Wen Ran secretly kicked Shen Wu. Even if she wasn't the smartest, she understood that they were in serious trouble now. A Spirit Vein leak was big trouble!
With Shen Wu's previous powerful strike, the barrier shattered, and this place was engulfed in darkness just like the world outside. Those who voluntarily stayed in the Pear Tree Forest now came out in pairs or threes, each with a look of confusion.
Qiu Shui grabbed Xiao Bai by the collar and asked fiercely, "Did you steal our Spirit Vein?"
She could see that the direction of the spilling Spiritual Power was towards the Hidden Abyss Valley!
Xiao Bai was so anxious that her eyes turned red again, "I didn't steal it!"
Wen Ran quickly went over to mediate, "Calm down, everyone. Let's all calm down. Miss Qiu, let's hear what Miss Xiao Bai has to say first."
Qiu Shui's fist clenched so tightly it cracked; she stared at Xiao Bai's pitiful face without softening her heart, "No crying! Spit it out honestly, now!"
Xiao Bai thought to herself, truly all women in this world are bad, only the girl she liked was the best. She wanted to softly cry a few times, but after glancing at Qiu Shui's fist, she dared not. Reluctantly, she said, "I occasionally passed by this place, found it rich in Spiritual Power, and decided to cultivate here. I don't know about any Spirit Vein, let alone stealing your Spirit Vein. I know nothing!"
This explained why a little tree demon like her could build such a large barrier. She used the Spiritual Power converging underground. With Xiao Bai's simple and unworldly mind, she only thought this place was nice and stayed. As for deeper reasons, she might never have thought about them.
Qiu Shui remained skeptical, "Do you dare to make a vow?"
Xiao Bai immediately said, "I'm willing to vow, if there's half a lie in my words, may I never grow stamens for a lifetime!"
Wen Ran patted Qiu Shui's shoulder with a complicated expression, "That's a really harsh oath."
Qiu Shui looked Xiao Bai over several more times and, confirming she didn't seem to be lying, released her grip on Xiao Bai's collar, "I need to hurry back to Hidden Abyss Valley and tell my father about this."
That was natural. A Spirit Vein is related to the rise and fall, honor and disgrace of a sect. Qiu Shui, at least, wasn't foolish; she knew that Spiritual Power theft was no ordinary matter, likely beyond what someone her age could handle, so she didn't rashly claim she would investigate personally.
Wen Ran closely examined the underground passage, slightly furrowing her brow. She felt that the tracks of Spiritual Power along the stone walls seemed... somewhat familiar?
A hand appeared in front of her eyes.
Wen Ran's train of thought was interrupted, and she asked, "What are you doing?"
Shen Wu pursed his lips, dissatisfied, "The thing I asked you to keep."
Wen Ran thought for a long time before realizing what he meant. She took out the half-bitten Qing Mei from her pocket and placed it in his palm, mumbling incomprehensibly, "How could a sour Qing Mei be on your mind for so long."
Unexpectedly, Shen Wu glanced at the Qing Mei in his hand, his eyes slowly widening.
Wen Ran noticed his seemingly surprised expression and asked, "What now?"
He looked at her, and in a ghostly voice, said, "You fell off a cliff and almost died, yet you kept my item just as it was. Ranran, you're in trouble."
Wen Ran looked puzzled, "In trouble how?"
"You truly loved me to death."
"..."
Does he have a hole in his head?
By the time they returned to Hidden Abyss Valley, the moon was already high in the sky.
As soon as Qiu Shui stepped through the manor gate, a crowd surrounded her.
Someone expressed concern, "Miss, are you alright!"
Someone else worried, "Did the thief harm you?"
Others were indignant, "Who dared to kidnap our Miss from Hidden Abyss Valley!"
Among these many voices, there was one that stood out particularly gratingly.
"I've always said, scourges live for thousands of years, she won't get into trouble so easily." Qiu Shan stood on the outskirts of the crowd, arms crossed, unabashedly scanning Qiu Shui from head to toe.
Qiu Shui glared hard. If she weren't utterly exhausted, she would have swung her heavy sword over by now.
After all, Qiu Shui and Qiu Shan, this pair of cousins, would start squabbling whenever they met, something others were used to seeing.
Ye Sui, with his elegant demeanor, was very noticeable in the crowd. He helplessly said, "Qiu Shan, while you're spewing sarcasm now, who was frantically searching for people before when hearing that Qiu Shui was kidnapped?"
Qiu Shan blushed, "I did not!"
Though his denial was thorough, his clothes and shoes were quite dirty and hadn't been changed, indicating he put considerable effort into finding someone.
Qiu Shui lifted her face and "hmph"ed, "Who cares about him looking for me."
Qiu Shan immediately retorted, "Don't overthink, I'd rather be happy you got into trouble than waste time looking for you!"
Anyone with eyes could see their words were contrary to their intentions.
Wen Ran watched with great interest from the side, silently commenting on how these two cousins truly lived up to their blood connection.
At that moment, a hearty laugh filled with vigor came through, "Hahaha, did you gather at the gate because you knew I would return today?"
Accompanying this "hahaha" laugh was a tall figure at the manor gate, clad in equally flamboyant yellow clothing.
Ye Sui was the first to approach and said, "Brother has returned."
The newcomer was indeed Hidden Abyss Valley's leader, Qiu Bujian.
Qiu Bujian had a burly stature, a beard-covered face, looked unkempt, and his exquisite attire seemed mismatched on him, making him resemble an ordinary blacksmith.
Wen Ran glanced at Qiu Shui several times, and a thought popped into her mind.
Qiu Shui's mother must have been extraordinarily beautiful to elevate Qiu Shui's looks to this level with a father like that.