In the basin, the large trees where the Wood Spirit Race members had fused into opened their eyes and stared at Xu Qing.
The young clansmen were no longer playing, and looked sad. This sadness spread out and enveloped the entire basin.
They didn't stop Xu Qing and allowed him to head straight for the towering tree in the center.
The temple's gate had already opened for him.
The moment Xu Qing entered the temple, his eyes immediately landed on the statue and the offerings. However, he wasn't in the mood to observe them. Following the old man's lead, he headed straight for the secret tunnel and descended down the steps.
Xu Qing could hear the old man from Panquan Road's hurried breathing echoing in the pitch-black passageway. Despite the man's best efforts, Xu Qing felt that his speed was too slow. He grabbed the old man and rushed forward with lightning speed. It was as though he was passing through the void, directly reaching the end of the steps and the altar that seemed to be hanging in the abyss.
He immediately looked around and his gaze fell upon a figure dressed in white robes, sitting cross-legged and meditating among the countless caves tens of thousands of feet ahead.
She was a very beautiful young girl. Her flawless face carried a hint of serenity and innocence. However, at this moment, her face was extremely pale and there was no movement at all.
However, the dried blood at the corners of her mouth and on her dress caused unprecedented waves in Xu Qing's mind. His expression revealed extreme complexity.
He recognized that the other party was indeed the innocent girl who appeared on Merfolk Island.
He remembered that back then, the other party had skipped happily to him and asked a question.
"Senior Brother, do you like snakes or do you like to eat snake gallbladders?"
Xu Qing remained silent. He recalled the words of the old man on the way. According to the other party, this young girl was also the white snake he had seen before… Xu Qing remembered that the last time he saw the other party was at the Seven Blood Eyes, under the restaurant.
The little white snake had flown out and coiled around his right wrist.
"Right wrist… golden thread… life thread…" Xu Qing mumbled. Looking at the lifeless girl, his heart was first touched by the other party's sacrifice for him before intense guilt rose.
This debt of gratitude was too great.
However, he didn't understand why she would do this for him even though he hadn't interacted much with her.
Every beautiful thing he had encountered in his life was real, but there was a reason behind it.
Captain Lei's kindness to him was from the flames of the cremated corpses. The other party saw a hint of warmth in the world and after his life was saved, he treated him as his son.
Grandmaster Bai was good to Xu Qing because of his persistence in the Dao of plants and his desire for knowledge. This gave him the thought of imparting his knowledge to him.
Old Master Seventh gave Xu Qing a chance because he admired his style of doing things.
However, Xu Qing didn't understand Ling'er.
He had never encountered such a person in his life.
"Why?" Xu Qing looked at the young girl and mumbled softly.
The old man from Panquan Road stood beside Xu Qing and looked at Ling'er sadly as he spoke.
"Because she likes you."
Xu Qing fell silent.
The old man sighed. The wrinkles on his face piled up, forming bitterness.
"Xu Qing, there are many things in life that don't have just one answer and one criterion. I know you don't understand but if you keep thinking that there must be a reason for all the beauty you encounter in life, then Xu Qing, your thinking has entered a dead end."
"There are actually many types of love. There are no fixed standards. Some love is devotion, some love is care, some love is admiration, some love is abuse, some love is attraction, and some love is reminiscence."
"There are all kinds of people and all kinds of things happen in this world. If a person can only accept the path they acknowledge, that is being narrow-minded. Only when you can accept other paths can you be said to have grown."
The old man whispered softly. No matter how anxious he was, he had to make everything clear. He wanted Xu Qing to understand that there was no reason for many things in this world and there wasn't a need for there to be a reason.
This concerned whether Ling'er could be saved or not from that Spirit Abyss.
When Xu Qing heard these words, the string in the deepest part of his heart shook slightly. The waves it stirred spread throughout his body and mind.
"Tell me, how do I save her?" Xu Qing took a deep breath and stared at Ling'er in the distance.
"You only have seven days!" The old man suppressed the anxiety in his heart and his gaze landed on Xu Qing.
"After Ling'er's inheritance failed, her soul fell into the Spirit Abyss. Her body would have withered and turned into a skeleton. I used my Dao of Sealing to seal her body but I can only seal it for seven days."
"You have to find Ling'er's soul in the Spirit Abyss within seven days!" The gaze of the old man landed on the abyss under the altar.
"Unless one has the Spirit Abyss Talisman, outsiders can't enter this Spirit Abyss. However, the last talisman was brought down many years ago and the other party didn't come out."
"I'm not Ling'er's true father, nor am I of the Ancient Spirit Race, so I can't enter. Only the Ancient Spirit Race and those who are entangled by life threads can enter."
"This is why I looked for you," the old man said hoarsely.
