"Are you interested in that Ruolan? I saw you staring right at her, and she's so beautiful!" Zhang Xinlan said, a hint of displeasure in her voice.
Ye Tian chuckled. "Heh, are you getting jealous? She's beautiful, sure, but compared to you, she still falls a little short. What's wrong? Don't have any confidence in yourself?"
"No, why would I be jealous? It's not like I'm your anything right now. You can be with whoever you want; it's none of my business!" Zhang Xinlan said. 'Still, hearing him call me beautiful is so sweet.'
"I seem to recall someone saying they had a marriage contract with me. Who was it that said she'd be my woman sooner or later? Thinking of backing out now? How about we get a room tonight? I can just devour you and put an end to all this worrying," Ye Tian teased.
"In your dreams! Unfortunately for you, I refuse. Not unless you have a death wish," Zhang Xinlan said. "Even though you've broken through to the Five Veins Realm, we still can't... do that. It's just as dangerous as before! My own Power Realm has increased, so the risk has increased along with it. A rising tide lifts all boats, as they say."
'Ye Tian understood her perfectly. To completely cure her hidden ailment, he had to raise his own strength until it was at least equal to her Realm. Besides, now wasn't the right time.'
"Yeah, I get it. Let's eat up. We'll head back to our rooms and get some rest soon. We'll see the results tomorrow," Ye Tian said.
After eating for a little longer, Ye Tian got them two rooms. Without another word, they both went back to rest.
Lying on his bed, Ye Tian sent his Divine Sense into his Storage Ring. The matter with Ye Bing was still unresolved. Once he entered the Imperial City Academy, it would be very difficult to get away. It was a real dilemma.
If it weren't for the Eldest Prince and his men hunting him, he would have already found a place to help Ye Bing with her Thunder Tribulation. Now, with only a day left, he truly didn't know what to do.
"Big Brother, you're here! I'm almost ready. When are you going to help me with my Thunder Tribulation? I can't wait to go adventuring out in the world with you!" Ye Bing's voice echoed.
"What did you prepare? Can you tell me?" Ye Tian asked resignedly. "This Thunder Tribulation has to be done in a deserted place. Our current location isn't suitable, but I'll figure something out as soon as I can."
Just then, Ye Bing appeared before Ye Tian. Her form was as hazy as ever; she looked like a shifting mass of mist, ephemeral and uncertain.
"You'll find out when the time comes. Preparing it consumed a great deal of my Innate Profound Ice Qi, but if it means I can be with you, Big Brother, I think it's worth it! I really hope you can hurry up! I'm getting a little impatient!" said Ye Bing.
Ye Tian's brow furrowed slightly. "Ye Bing, after you pass the Thunder Tribulation, will you only be able to appear in human form?" This was his biggest worry. 'Once I enter the Imperial City Academy, I can't possibly have Ye Bing following me around.'
"I can follow you as the Profound Ice Pearl, or I can follow you in human form," Ye Bing explained. "When it's convenient, I'll take on my human form. When it's not, I'll just revert to the Profound Ice Pearl. Are you worried I'll be a hindrance to you?"
"To be honest, your Sister Xinlan and I are planning to enter the Imperial City Academy. There's something we need there, so bringing you along might be inconvenient. But if you can revert to the Profound Ice Pearl, then there's no problem at all. In that case, how about I help you with your Thunder Tribulation tonight?" Ye Tian said.
"That's for you to arrange, Big Brother. But the Thunder Tribulation must happen somewhere remote. This is the Imperial City, so it's definitely not possible here. You'll have to choose the location carefully!" Ye Bing said.
After a moment's thought, Ye Tian said, "I understand. Don't worry, I'll take you now! Let's hope we both make it back safely. If something unexpected happens... we'll just have to accept our fate."
Ye Tian immediately withdrew his Divine Sense. He opened his door and went to Zhang Xinlan's room. "Xinlan, come out! I need to discuss something with you!"
Zhang Xinlan wasn't asleep. She was lying in bed, 'wishing someone was there to hold her. That someone, of course, was Ye Tian. But for now, it was just a fantasy. That day still felt so very far away.'
Hearing Ye Tian's voice, Zhang Xinlan immediately got up and opened the door. "What is it? You're not... thinking of doing something, are you? Now's not the time! You'll just have to hold back!"
"I can't hold back anymore! I want to do it tonight! What do you say?" Ye Tian said with a perfectly straight face.
"Tonight? Tonight's really not possible," Zhang Xinlan said, her face flushing bright red. "I... I'd like to, but it's a bad time for me. I got my period this morning! So just forget about it. Besides, your power still isn't high enough. Even if it were a good time, I wouldn't want to risk it."
This was the first time she had ever told a man about her period. Even though he was the man she loved, she was still mortified.
Ye Tian blinked, stunned for a moment, before breaking into a laugh. "You've misunderstood! That's not what I came to talk about! I want to find a place to help Ye Bing with her Thunder Tribulation tonight. In the rush to get to the Imperial City, I completely forgot about it! It'll be a huge hassle to leave once we're in the Imperial City Academy!"
Hearing this, Zhang Xinlan's face turned an even deeper shade of crimson. 'I can't believe I thought he wanted to... sleep with me tonight. I got all worked up for nothing, and now he knows I'm on my period! I could just die of embarrassment!'
"Oh, so that's what this is about!" Zhang Xinlan said, quickly composing herself. "Have you thought of a location? Time is tight, so we need to leave the Imperial City quickly. Remember, we can't fly over it!"
"I don't have a specific location in mind. We'll have to figure it out once we're outside the Imperial City. At our speed, finding a suitable mountain shouldn't be too hard. There's no time to lose, let's go! I just hope we can get back in time after helping Ye Bing with her Thunder Tribulation," Ye Tian said.
The two immediately left the inn and headed for the gates of the Imperial City. After a while, they were finally outside the walls. They continued along the main road on foot until they reached a deserted area, where they finally took to the sky.
"Hold on," Zhang Xinlan said. "Let me see if I can find a suitable spot."
'Ye Tian knew she was using her Divine Sense to scan the area. Her Divine Sense was a bit stronger than his; she could probably survey for hundreds of miles.'
After a moment, Zhang Xinlan said, "There's a valley about a hundred and fifty miles from here. It's a good spot. It's surrounded by a dense miasma, so basically no one ever goes there. We'll just need to take some Antitoxic Medicine."
"I don't need any, but you should take some," Ye Tian said. "Let's head there now. I'm afraid we'll run out of time if we delay."
And so, the two of them flew quickly toward the valley. A dangerous tribulation was about to begin.