11: Chapter 11 Harmony

By now, Duanmu Hongdie had long since lost her previous assertiveness; the side effects of the hehuan grass had erupted completely.

Her eyes were hazy, her hands tearing frantically at Xiang Tian's clothes, her voice hoarse and urgent: "Stop... stop the nonsense, hurry... give it to me..."

That unbearable heat made her almost lose her reason; she only wanted to draw relief from Xiang Tian.

"You..." Just then, Xiahou Yu rushed into the cave holding Baiyu. Seeing this scene before her, she stopped abruptly, took a deep breath, and her eyes instantly turned red, tears welling up in her eyes.

She had long since decided she would marry Xiang Tian, but now... yet she also knew clearly that if she didn't help Duanmu Hongdie detoxify, Duanmu Hongdie would surely explode and die.

"Little Yu, look, Senior Sister Duanmu is in such a state..." Xiang Tian looked at Xiahou Yu, his tone apologetic.

Xiahou Yu bit her lip, holding back her tears, and turned to walk out of the cave: "I'll go outside and keep watch for you."

Just as she stepped out of the cave, a tear slid from the corner of her eye. Why? Xiang Tian was fooling around with another woman, and she had to help keep watch?

"Little Yu, I'm sorry. After I'm done, I will definitely make it up to you." Xiang Tian's voice came from inside the cave.

"Senior Sister Duanmu, take it easy... Ouch... tear lighter!" Immediately after, Xiang Tian's cry of pain and Duanmu Hongdie's panting echoed from the cave.

Xiahou Yu buried her face in Baiyu's soft fur, hugging the fox tightly, forcing herself not to cry out loud.

"Xiang Tian, hurry up, you bastard! This Senior Sister is about to explode!" The sounds from the cave became increasingly ambiguous. Xiahou Yu felt her cheeks burning, her heart filled with both anger and bitterness.

This wait lasted an entire day.

"This pair of dogs, they actually messed around for a whole day!" Outside the cave, Xiahou Yu's chest heaved violently with anger, her hands clenched into tight fists.

Not long after, Xiang Tian walked out of the cave with Duanmu Hongdie on his back. Duanmu Hongdie leaned on Xiang Tian's back, her complexion rosy and her breathing much steadier, though her eyes remained somewhat languid.

"Are you done?" Xiahou Yu asked coldly.

"Yeah, we're done." Xiang Tian set Duanmu Hongdie down, walked up to Xiahou Yu, and apologized sincerely, "Little Yu, I'm sorry. I couldn't just ignore Senior Sister Duanmu's situation."

"Since you're done, let's continue hunting Spirit Beasts. Don't waste time." Xiahou Yu snorted coldly and turned to walk away, not wanting to say another word to him.

"Why are you in such a rush? Let's clear things up first." Xiang Tian hurried forward and grabbed Xiahou Yu's wrist.

"Clear things up?" Xiahou Yu turned her head, "What do you want to say? Are you saying you've become more enduring, or that you have another woman?"

"Junior Sister Xiahou, don't be angry yet." Duanmu Hongdie walked over, "Actually, our status is the same. We are both latecomers. Junior Brother Xiang Tian's fiancée is your sister, Xiahou Yun."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly sobering up the furious Xiahou Yu. That's right! How could she have forgotten? To her sister Xiahou Yun, wasn't she also a "third party"?

"Regardless, my sister and I are blood siblings. Whoever ends up with Xiang Tian in the end is a matter for our Xiang Family and Xiahou Family." Xiahou Yu feigned calmness as she argued, trying to mask the panic in her heart.

"Before it was unspoken, maybe you could count it that way." Duanmu Hongdie shook her head, "But it's different now. Your sister Xiahou Yun has long announced in the Outer Sect that Xiang Tian is her fiancé."

She paused, looked into Xiahou Yu's eyes, and continued: "I know she did that largely to protect Xiang Tian, but it's still the truth, isn't it?"

Duanmu Hongdie's words were like a thorn, piercing Xiahou Yu's heart. Xiahou Yun had outstanding talent in the Inner Sect and held a high status; she had always been worried that her sister would make things difficult for her because of Xiang Tian.

"We are blood sisters. Surely she wouldn't kill me, would she?" Xiahou Yu said stubbornly.

"What about Xiang Tian?" Duanmu Hongdie pressed, "Your sister treats Xiang Tian so well. If she finds out that Xiang Tian betrayed her, what do you think she will do?"

These few words instantly magnified the fear in Xiahou Yu's heart infinitely. She had previously only thought about being with Xiang Tian, but had never considered Xiahou Yun's feelings.

If her sister found out the truth, she would not only be angry, but might even be mocked by people in the Outer Sect, saying she couldn't even keep an eye on her own fiancé. Thinking of this, Xiahou Yu felt a chill all over.

"Then... what should I do?" Xiahou Yu panicked. After all, she was a simple and kind girl; how could she have thought about such a complex situation?

She had originally thought that as long as she was willing, it would be fine to marry Xiang Tian, but she had neglected her sister's publicly announced commitment.

"So, since we are both 'third parties', why don't we cooperate and deal with your sister Xiahou Yun together?" Duanmu Hongdie revealed a smile, coaxing her gently.

"Cooperate? How do you want to cooperate?" Xiahou Yu immediately perked up.

"Hehe, simple." Duanmu Hongdie looked at Xiang Tian, raised her eyebrows, then turned to smile at Xiahou Yu, "The two of us will divide the work. We'll split Xiang Tian between us—one day each. This is fair and also allows us to share the risk."

Xiang Tian listened from the side, dumbfounded. This Duanmu Hongdie was really good at bewitching people; in just such a short time, she had already convinced the simple-minded Xiahou Yu.

Xiahou Yu was stunned, hesitating: "This... this is your solution?"

"Of course. This way we can bear the responsibility together. Even if your sister asks about it later, she won't just target one person." Duanmu Hongdie continued to persuade her.

Actually, she originally hadn't wanted to have any more dealings with Xiang Tian, but after these two incidents, she could feel that Xiang Tian cared about her. Moreover, Xiang Tian's strength was improving rapidly; following him might not be a bad thing.

"I suspect you're bluffing me." Xiahou Yu was still somewhat wary.

"Not at all, not at all. I just want to find an ally." Duanmu Hongdie spread her hands, "I didn't voluntarily have relations with Xiang Tian either. The first time was to heal, this time was to detoxify. It was all unavoidable."

"I... I also only did it with him because of the hehuan grass..." Xiahou Yu said softly, her internal defenses gradually softening.

"That's it, isn't it? We are both in the same boat, so we should support each other." Duanmu Hongdie stepped forward, took Xiahou Yu's hand, her tone sincere, "From now on, let's call each other sisters and deal with future events together. What do you think?"

Xiahou Yu looked into Duanmu Hongdie's sincere eyes and, thinking of her own situation, nodded: "Okay, I agree, Senior Sister Duanmu."

"Little Sister Yu." Duanmu Hongdie responded with a smile. The two looked at each other and smiled; the previous barrier seemed to vanish instantly.

Xiang Tian watched from the side, unable to laugh or cry, and could only sigh in his heart: Duanmu Hongdie's methods are truly superb.

"Ahem!" Xiang Tian coughed twice, interrupting their "sisterly affection", "Since you have no more barriers, let's hurry up and hunt Spirit Beasts. My current number of Spirit Beasts is still far from the top ten."

He had entered the Secret Realm this time not only to protect Xiahou Yu but also to get a good ranking on the hunting leaderboard; he couldn't keep delaying.

"That's right, I came in specifically to get into the top ten!" Xiahou Yu nodded immediately, tossing her previous grievances to the back of her mind.

"How is the top ten enough?" Xiang Tian reached out, taking Xiahou Yu's hand in one and Duanmu Hongdie's in the other, his smile confident, "With the three of us working together, we will sweep the top three!"

Holding a beauty in each hand, walking towards the depths of the Secret Realm—isn't this the kind of life every man dreams of?

Xiang Tian felt wonderful, but upon second thought, he had a headache. There was still a woman formed from a golden lotus in his Purple Mansion. How should he handle that? Forget it, don't think about it for now. He would hide it for as long as he could.

The three walked side by side, chatting and laughing along the way. It was quite relaxed and carefree, but they didn't encounter many Spirit Beasts, so their harvest was meager.

Two hours later, a burst of intense beast roars suddenly came from ahead.

The three looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of people on an open space ahead, besieging several Second-Rank Spirit Beasts. Leading them were none other than Zhou Ling and Chen Xian, who had fled earlier.

"It's a pity that Qin Qiong's two arms are gone; otherwise, we would have already finished off these Spirit Beasts." Zhou Ling sighed helplessly while brandishing his sword.

Killing Spirit Beasts was the slowest way to accumulate points. Their original plan was to first rob others of their Spirit Beasts and then decide the winner among themselves. But ever since Qin Qiong had his arms broken by Xiang Tian, he had completely lost his combat capability, and their plan had been completely disrupted.

Just as they finally killed the last Second-Rank Spirit Beast and were preparing to count their harvest, a group of people suddenly rushed out of the woods and surrounded them.

"Zhou Ling, Chen Xian, long time no see." The leading man was tall and sturdy, with a thick aura; he was clearly at the Peak of the Qi Condensation Realm.

Standing on his left and right were two other Cultivators, also at the Peak of the Qi Condensation Realm. The three formed a triangular formation, surrounding Zhou Ling and the others in the center.

"Ding Feng!" Zhou Ling's face instantly turned ashen, "You want to take advantage of our precarious situation?"

The strength of Ding Feng and his two companions was on par with that of Qin Qiong, Chen Xian, and Zhou Ling before. If it were before, the three of them could have joined forces to resist, but now that Qin Qiong was crippled and Chen Xian had a broken arm, they were simply no match.

"Zhou Ling, you're not stupid; you even figured that out." The person beside Ding Feng looked triumphant, his tone mocking, "Take advantage of your illness to take your life—that's what makes it interesting!"

"Du Yong, Zhang Jian, you two little scoundrels, you're just relying on Ding Feng's influence; what's there to be proud of?" Zhou Ling glared at the two, but didn't dare to make a move easily.

The situation instantly became tense.