Smiling helplessly at the two old men's earlier banter, Aotian drew the disciples' attention one last time.
"Everyone, I know you are all very strong, but remember this: although enemies in higher realms cannot take the initiative to attack you, if you attack them first, that protection will no longer apply. In that case, you will be at a disadvantage, as you will not be able to rely on the sect's powerful spells, whether for offense or defense."
"So, if the previous situation in which senior brother Hui Lang seemingly made a mistake…" Cang Song secretly rolled his eyes upon hearing this part. "…were actually true, and that serpent were a beast with a stronger cultivation realm, merely disguised, then the advisable course would have been not to attack as senior brother Cang Song did, because that would mean losing that protection. Thus, we would be limited to our proficiency in these few techniques to face a being of a higher realm."
He explained seriously, which finally brought a bit of solemnity to the disciples' faces, who until then had been taking everything lightly.
Perhaps the opportunities and power the sect had given them had made them overly confident, especially after living for some time on a desert continent as figures at the top of the food chain.
The disciples looked at one another, their eyes losing their original lightness and playfulness.
As for Cang Song, he was already pale and ground his teeth as he glared at Hui Lang, who coughed lightly into his fist in slight guilt, then turned his back on him, placing his hands behind his back as if it had nothing to do with him.
Poor disciple Cang really wanted to strangle that damned old man.
At that point, Xiao Ling also nodded at Aotian's words and suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention.
"Junior brother Long is right." Her intense blue eyes swept over the disciples. "We have an important mission given by the elders, and we all need to remember that this is a Mahayana mansion, a small world in its own right. Perhaps this is nothing special to the elders of our sect, but remember that we are not them."
As her words fell, the disciples' eyes finally became clear, and they seemed to truly awaken to reality.
Aotian blinked, equally stunned, but quickly recovered. Taking a deep breath, he met Xiao Ling's eyes, which looked back at him firmly, and nodded in deep gratitude for her support.
As he did so, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
'So that was their real problem… I was so focused on weaving lies about the elders' origins that, in the end, I forgot that the disciples truly believed in them. It's good to trust the sect, but it's not good to be overly confident and dependent.'
The girl's words served not only to awaken the disciples, including Rihai, who also became serious, but also Aotian himself, the true leader of the sect.
He was not perfect, and even with many bodies and minds, he still had countless things to deal with and worry about. It was impossible to be fully aware of everything, and that was why the lesson of listening to others' feelings instead of merely directing without hearing was so important—a lesson he had been learning more and more in recent days.
But that was not the time to ponder. Moreover, with his many minds, he could do so while walking. Thus, taking the floor again, he addressed the disciples once more, his tone firm.
"Well, I believe everyone now has at least some understanding of the rules of this small world. So, at the very least, the risks will be greatly mitigated with your current strength, though they still exist. Therefore, be careful."
"As this world is large and we are not sure how to obtain the inheritance and control of the small world, you may choose to go in groups or individually, expanding our search range. My wife and I will go together, and if any of you wish to accompany us, there is no problem."
"Of course, if you prefer, we can all go together as well. That decision will be up to you."
He explained with a serious look, meeting each of their gazes, and finally let them decide how they wished to proceed, keeping his own group open to receive those who were less confident.
The disciples looked at one another and had a brief discussion before quickly deciding to split up. Soon after, following conversations and decisions, the groups were defined, and then they said their goodbyes before departing, each with the configuration they desired.
In the end, no one decided to accompany Aotian and Rihai, as they felt there was no need. Only Cang Song looked on with a lost puppy expression; after all, Aotian was the strongest disciple, and the safety index was higher by his side in that troublesome world.
But he eventually gave up after thinking it through. Besides possibly attracting the couple's irritation by becoming the third wheel on their —romantic date— scratch that —exploration, he also feared that Aotian might be a magnet for trouble, since in his imagination, all strong people with mysterious pasts and arrogant names usually were.
Thus, after everyone departed, only the couple remained there, on the peak of the small mountain.
At that moment, Aotian looked at his wife Rihai, who was strangely silent, one eyebrow raised.
"It seems it'll be just the two of us, then," he said, smiling faintly as he looked around at the empty surroundings and shrugged.
"Is there a problem with that?" Rihai suddenly asked, crossing her arms and looking aside indifferently.
At that very instant, upon hearing her seemingly casual tone, Aotian couldn't help but feel a bad premonition.
"None, I like it, I was just commenting," he quickly explained, tilting his head to try to see her face, which was turned away, confused and feeling that something was wrong.
"Oh… I thought you were discouraged about going alone with me, after that intense exchange of looks you had with senior sister Ling." She finally looked at him, raising an eyebrow, uninterested.
Aotian's eye began to twitch helplessly as he finally understood everything.
"Seriously, you're going to have a jealousy fit now? We're on a mission, remember?" he complained, at a loss.
"So you don't deny it," she murmured, downcast.
Aotian looked up at the sky, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him, wondering by the will of the world what he had done wrong. Still, seeing his wife remain silent, he knew he couldn't stay quiet, or it would only make the situation worse.
"Hai'er, don't be like this. You know it was just a gesture of gratitude for her supporting me in guiding the disciples better during the mission, and there was nothing romantic about it," he explained helplessly, trying to take her hand, but she hid it within her crossed arms, huffing and turning her back on him.
He then tried to hug her from behind, but she struggled and slipped out of his arms.
Scratching his head, Aotian sighed as he looked at his wife's back, while a mischievous and uncontrollable thought arose.
"I guess all I have left is to go look for Xiao Ling and see if she'll accept my hug…" he muttered a little louder, which immediately made Rihai's small white ears twitch.
The result?
Rihai turned around.
The consequence?
She stared at her husband with such an intense and furious look that it seemed she wanted to drill a hole through his head.
From her pearly teeth, clenched tightly, only two words escaped.
"You… dare?"
Aotian was not an easy opponent either, and even though he had been a bit impulsive when playing with fire earlier, he remained calm in the face of her furious gaze.
"Of course not, I was just joking! Hai'er, you are my wife, and Xiao Ling is an excellent girl in every way, but we don't have that kind of feeling for each other, and you know that. The only one in the world for me is you, okay?"
He stepped closer to her, and she immediately turned her back again, but he gently hugged her once more—something she allowed at that moment.
"Hmph!" she snorted, making no effort to hide her dissatisfaction.
Resting his face over her shoulder, he looked at the side of his wife's lowered face, thoughtful.
'What could be worrying her?' he asked himself, sighing inwardly.
Aotian actually knew that Rihai's sudden bout of jealousy hadn't come out of nowhere, and was probably caused by some other thought lingering in her little head, which ended up triggering all of this.
Women had their own language. The problem was that it was up to men to decipher it, since it was spoken in a completely alien tongue to them.
Gently kissing her soft cheek, Aotian looked at her sincerely.
"Love, what's really going on?" he asked softly.
Rihai stayed silent for a few seconds, looking down, until she finally answered his doubt.
"It's nothing…"
Aotian's mouth twitched when he heard his wife's soft voice. He already knew it wouldn't be that easy.
"Hai'er… how about we talk while walking? It's not good for us to stay here while everyone else is exploring," he tried to persuade her, speaking gently into her ear, but she remained with her arms crossed, looking down in silence.
Aotian released the hug and walked a few steps ahead, before turning to look at her.
"Then I'll go alone, if you're not coming…" he tried, raising an eyebrow, but Rihai remained motionless.
Aotian then continued down the mountain, but Rihai didn't move even a single centimeter, even when he disappeared from her sight.
Her beautiful blue eyes, however, were already starting to well up, and it was at that moment that Aotian suddenly returned, witnessing that sad look that nearly melted his heart with pity.
Approaching her, he delicately and lovingly wiped away her tears with his thumbs. Rihai didn't resist his actions, merely looking at him in silence.
"You would've stayed here without moving if I hadn't come back, wouldn't you?" he asked gently, with a hint of helplessness in his voice, meeting his wife's sad blue eyes with his deep black ones.
She didn't answer, only lowered her gaze, but that was all Aotian needed as a response.
Then, still holding her cheeks, he gently lifted her face, staring at her without blinking.
"You are my wife, I love you, and I would never truly leave you. You know that."
He spoke firmly and sincerely from the depths of his heart, causing Rihai's eyes to waver slightly, becoming gentler.
But right after that, Aotian suddenly crouched down, startling her.
"And that's why I'm going to carry you if you don't want to walk!"
His shoulder pressed against her pelvis, and his hand wrapped around her legs. Then, with a light heave, he tossed her over his shoulder and began carrying her like a sack of potatoes, making her let out a shocked yelp.
"Ah!! Aotian, put me down!!"
He finally managed to draw words from the mouth of his wide-eyed, surprised wife, which made him grin cheerfully.
"Never, you're going to live there now! Hahaha!" he laughed, starting to walk without hesitation.
"No! You're being childish!" she shouted angrily back at him, but he pretended to be deaf, still laughing merrily.
Rihai began to struggle on his shoulder, kicking her legs and lightly punching his back, but without using spiritual energy to truly hurt him, showing that her resistance wasn't real, nor that she wanted to cause him pain.
That, to Aotian, already meant he had taken the first step toward victory.
Thus, beneath Aotian's happy smile, the two began to calmly descend the mountain.
"AOOOTIAANNNN!!!"