"Master, we were originally lowly slaves..."
"Unable to eat our fill, unable to sleep warmly... and constantly beaten and scolded within these cages..."
Qingyue looked at the woman before him, his eyes filled with gentleness, but upon closer inspection, his eye sockets were already reddened.
"It was your appearance that freed us from this hellish life."
"So, we are very grateful to you."
What... what were they saying? Bai Ran's eyelashes trembled as she stared unblinkingly at the two before her.
The unease in her heart grew stronger, and the curses from Mo Ze at the divine artifact grew fainter, eventually becoming inaudible.
"You..."
"Master, would you let me finish... please?"
After a long separation, Qing Yue and Qing Feng had so many words bottled up, wanting to tell their Master one by one.
In these past few years, who they had met, what they had experienced, down to the trivialities and worries of daily life, they wanted to slowly recount...
But... it seemed they couldn't speak anymore...
They had thought it would be a reunion after a long time, a meeting of old friends, but reality was so cruel, so cruel it made Qing Yue and Qing Feng's hearts ache.
"Master, we are very grateful to you... truly... so grateful..."
Qing Yue smiled, tears slowly streaming down his cheeks.
They, such lowly beings, were valued by their Master, who was even willing to risk her life to protect them. This was enough, they couldn't put her in a difficult position any longer...
Looking at the smiles of Qing Feng and Qing Yue, Bai Ran felt as if her heart was being squeezed by a large hand, making it impossible to breathe, and causing waves of pain.
If she still didn't understand their intentions at this point, then she would truly be hopelessly foolish.
The spiritual energy in the air began to gather. Qing Feng and Qing Yue stood before Bai Ran, their lips curved in faint smiles.
"You! You're going to self-detonate your dantian...!"
However, the moment Bai Ran took a step forward, intending to stop them, a sharp pain shot through the back of her neck.
Damn it! As her eyes closed, she saw Xiao Zi's serious gaze.
Bai Ran's body went limp, and she was caught steadily by the person behind her: "Little brat, have a sleep."
Qing Feng nodded slightly at Xiao Zi: "Thank you..."
He sighed, but his gaze towards the two held an unprecedented level of respect.
Vast spiritual energy began to gather in the two's dantian, and the air vibrated with a dangerous aura.
No one present, Jiang Ye, Jing Feng, Zhu Que, Dong Ling, Zhong Zi, or even Xiao Zi, made a move to stop them. They simply watched in silence.
The reason was simple: they were loyal to Bai Ran, and anything that posed a danger to her, they would prevent.
If these few people survived, she would inevitably be threatened by Mo Ze, injured, or even worse.
Therefore, facing Qing Feng and Qing Yue's self-sacrifice, everyone present chose to observe without intervening.
"If there is a next life, Qing Yue will still be willing to follow Master..."
Qing Yue looked at the unconscious Bai Ran, his voice choked with emotion.
Qing Feng, though silent, felt the same way in his heart.
Xiao Zi looked at them with a solemn and grave expression.
A blinding light erupted, and a massive fluctuation of spiritual energy exploded. Zhong Zi silently set up a barrier, enclosing the two within it.
Zhu Que turned her face away, clenching her teeth tightly. She could not bear to witness this...
Qing Feng, Qing Hua, Qing Xue, Qing Yue – they had been by their Master's side from the very beginning, yet they couldn't accompany her to the end...
After the immense explosion, souls drifted away with the wind, and scattered bits of burning clothing fluttered down from the sky...
Xiao Zi lowered her gaze, her brow furrowed. No one present spoke. Everyone hung their heads, clenching their fists.
Finally, Mo Ze's voice echoed from the divine artifact, breaking the silence.
"Sister, what did you say to them? Why did they both choose to commit suicide?"
Zhu Que's anger surged, and she snatched the divine artifact, igniting it with fierce flames.
The vibrant flames blazed, accompanied by the crackling sounds of being scorched. The divine artifact was destroyed, finally falling silent.
Xiao Zi picked up Bai Ran and walked slowly towards the house. If the little brat woke up, how could she explain all of this...
That they had watched Qing Yue and Qing Feng commit suicide with their own eyes, all to protect her?
The little brat would be devastated...
Xiao Zi took a deep breath, gently laid her on the bed, and covered her with the quilt.
Zhu Que hung her head, her nails digging deeply into her flesh. At the same time, Shi Tian, within the spatial realm, was also consumed by grief.
They were the ones who had accompanied their Master from the very beginning. They had witnessed firsthand how loyal Qing Feng and the others were, and they knew it clearly.
But to die so tragically now, it was difficult for anyone to accept.
Jing Feng and the others lingered for a long time, all gathered in Bai Ran's room, a terrifying silence hanging in the air.
When Bai Ran finally awoke, it was already late into the night.
On the bed, the woman slowly opened her eyes, then abruptly sat up, looking at the silent figures in the room.
"Where are they..."
Jiang Ye turned his face away, his lips pressed together, finding it hard to speak. Jing Feng also clenched his fists, unsure how to answer the question.
Everyone present still chose silence.
"I'm asking you, where are they..." Bai Ran's expression was terrible, killing intent swirling in her eyes.
Xiao Zi frowned, then forced herself forward: "Little brat..."
"They're dead, aren't they..."
Xiao Zi froze and looked up at Bai Ran. She saw her hanging her head, her body trembling slightly.
"Little brat, listen to me..."
"Enough!"
Bai Ran's shoulders shook uncontrollably, and her lips bled from biting down too hard.
She knew... she knew everything...
She knew why Qing Feng and the others had detonated their dantian, why Xiao Zi had knocked her out, why everyone had stood by and watched without intervening...
She knew... she just... found it hard to accept...
'Esteemed guest, the people in this cage are too stubborn, they won't be compliant no matter what. If you're looking to buy slaves, the ones in the next cage are very obedient...'
'I'll take those four people...'
......
'Master! We can cultivate now!'
'I've reached Qi Condensation stage one too!'
......
'I bestow upon you the surname Qing, and the names Feng, Hua, Xue, and Yue...'
......
'I swear to heaven and earth, in this life and this existence, I will follow Master Bai Ran to the death, and never betray her...'
'If I violate this oath... may heaven and earth destroy me...'
......
Large teardrops fell one by one, wetting the quilt and Bai Ran's cheeks.
They were dead... even their souls had been annihilated...
"Fools, all of you are fools..."
Bai Ran hugged her knees tightly, curling into a ball: "If you hadn't chosen to detonate your dantian, I could have saved you..."
Self-detonating the dantian, a method of inflicting a thousand wounds on oneself for eight hundred on the enemy. The self-detonator's soul and spirit are destroyed, and they do not enter reincarnation – this is a rule known to all.
Perhaps it was because the group feared that Mo Ze possessed a divine artifact capable of restraining souls that they chose such a final method of death, leaving no room for any possibility.