If it weren"t for the Heaven Defying Seal, there wouldn"t be any time for An Zhe to cultivate.

Every morning, he would go to the Empyrean Terminus Palace and stand beside Mu Changyan until the day he scattered.

Every afternoon, he would rush over to the Martial Arts Academy. Although he didn"t have anything to do for now, he was the Vice Dean of the Martial Arts Academy, and Chang Huan and the Vice Dean, Huo Tang, were still recuperating.

While An Ying arranged for people to repair the collapsed library and the damaged courtyard, Sang Rou walked to An Xuan"s side with a depressed expression.

""What"s wrong?""

Anjou asked.

Sang Rou gently shook her head. ""I haven"t seen Little Ding Dong for the past two days. Ever since that day you … sigh …""

Sang Rou sighed. ""Little Ding Dong is really pitiful.""

""I may know where he is. I"ll go find him.""

Sang Rou wanted to accompany him, but after thinking about Zhuge Liuyun"s slightly terrifying yard, she still refused.

Sang Rou was a little disappointed. ""If you find little Ding Dong, tell her that no matter what she has lost, I will still be by her side.""

After a ""Mmm"", the Martial Arts Academy left alone and headed towards Zhuge Liuyun"s small courtyard.

Along the way, he met people he knew, and he continuously greeted An Zhe.

Right now, the Celestial Sect of Wonders had an extraordinary reputation. Therefore, no one would be stingy with their kind smiles towards the people from the Celestial Sect of Wonders.

An Zeng and everyone responded with smiles on their faces. However, all they could think about was whether Ding Ningdong would seal herself in at this moment.

Walking not far from the small courtyard, An Zhe could not help but think about the last time he went in, and the poison herb overturned his mind.

That time, if it wasn"t for Ding Ningdong saving him, he didn"t know what would have happened.

He was stunned for a moment, thinking that such a pure and young girl shouldn"t have such a tragic fate, so he felt even more guilty towards Ding Ningdong.

Although An Zaiyue didn"t regret killing Ding Shengxia, this matter was indeed a bit cruel to Ding Ningdong.

Especially since … the Ding family had almost been exterminated due to a conspiracy.

Now there was only her and Third Brother Ding Wanqiu left.

Just as he thought of Ding Wanqiu, An Zhe saw him at the entrance of that small courtyard.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Ding Wanqiu turned her head to take a look. When she discovered that the people who had come were arguing, Ding Wanqiu"s complexion clearly changed.

However, An Zhe could tell that there was no hostility in Ding Wanqiu"s eyes as she looked at him.

""I didn"t think you"d come.""

Ding Wanqiu used a voice that made one"s heart stifle as she said, ""Perhaps she didn"t think of it either.""

He pointed toward the yard.

An Zeng walked to Ding Wanqiu"s side, following her directions and taking a look inside.

A short moment later, An Zhe"s face turned deathly pale. In that instant, he looked as if something had struck him in the heart, and he almost stopped breathing.

In the courtyard, Ding Ningdong was sitting alone on the steps, talking to someone.

She hugged her knees and sat on the steps without looking up, as if she was talking to herself.

The three people standing in front of her had their heads lowered, expressionlessly looking at her … One of them was Ding Taichun, one was Ding Shengxia, and the other was Ding Wanqiu.

An Zhe finally understood why Ding Wanqiu"s eyes were filled with terror … No matter what, seeing himself in his sister"s house, and even seeing his dead elder brother and second brother made him feel terror.

""That is... what...""

An Zeng felt that his throat was dry, the pain was excruciating.

He did not even recognize how hoa.r.s.e his voice was when he asked these four words.

Ding Wanqiu smiled bitterly. ""I, my big brother, my second brother.""

""I can see it … I mean, what is it?""

Ding Wanqiu shook her head. ""I don"t know what it is either, but it was indeed done in a very similar manner.""

The more he looked at it, the more his heart grew cold.

It was as if he had fallen into an ice cave in an instant. The surroundings were filled with an irresistible cold, freezing cold.

Ding Ningdong did not realize that there were two people standing outside looking at her. It was as if she had entered a world that only belonged to her and everyone else had been cut off from her.

An Zaixin wanted to enter, but Ding Wanqiu stopped her. ""No one can enter. No one knows how talented she is in poisons. This courtyard has been sealed off by some sort of strong poison technique, so no one can enter.""

An Zeng stood there, staring at Ding Ningdong, who was still sitting on the steps muttering to herself. He felt his heart twitching.

""Big Brother, can you stop bullying others in the future?""

Ding Ningdong said.

The man who looked exactly like Ding Taichun smiled and nodded. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. It was as if he was replying with … .Ok, I"ll listen to you, sister.

Ding Ningdong lifted her profile picture and smiled. That smile seemed very relaxed, but it was also very sad.

An Zhan and Ding Wanqiu were watching from the outside. It was only autumn on the surface, but they felt that winter was approaching.

""That"s the Vampiric Vine.""

The voice came from behind An Zeng and Ding Wanqiu, but neither of them actually noticed it.

An Zhan and Ding Wanqiu turned their heads at the same time and discovered that the person who came was Zhuge Liuyun, who was leaning on a cane.

He didn"t know if it was because Zhuge Liuyun was too tired after battling in Empyrean Terminus Palace that day, but Zhuge Liuyun seemed to have aged a lot.

He leaned on his crutches and stood behind the two of them, looking at Ding Ningdong with eyes full of pity.

""She closed the yard.""

Zhuge Liuyun said.

Ding Wanqiu bit her lip and suddenly knelt down. ""Senior, please save her.""

Zhuge Liuyun reached out to pull Ding Wanqiu, but Ding Wanqiu did not get up.

Zhuge Liuyun said, ""She is my only disciple. Do you think I don"t want to save her?""

But now, even I can"t help it.

She had planted a dried blood vine in the yard, which was connected to her own blood vessels.

""By using this method to seal off the courtyard, if I were to forcefully break through her poison technique and enter, she would also die.""

An Xuan said, ""Senior"s medical skills are supreme. Please think of a way to save her.""

Zhuge Liuyun sighed, ""The Withering Blood Vine is poisonous to begin with. It needs to be fed with human blood to grow.""

She fed three trees all at once, and her blood was almost depleted.

The withering Blood Vine grew according to her will and actually looked human. To think that it looked no different from a real person. This is the first time I have seen such a thing in my life.

I thought I was experienced enough, and no one could match my skill in poisons.

""But she … she exceeded my imagination.""

At this point, Zhuge Liuyun was stunned. ""My G.o.d … she didn"t use her own blood to cultivate three Vampiric Vine, but four.""

He pointed with his finger, and in the yard, there was a withering Blood Vine growing, and it looked vaguely human.

Ding Wanqiu stared at the fourth withered Blood Vine for a long time, before her complexion turned even uglier.

He looked at An Zeng and said with a hoa.r.s.e voice, ""Then the fourth tree … it"s you.""

An Zeng was stunned. He couldn"t help but look at the fourth vine. After examining it closely for a while, he realized that its appearance was actually somewhat similar to his own.

Zhuge Liuyun said worriedly, ""That could be the people in the deepest part of her heart. I didn"t expect you to be there.""

Do I hate you?

But it didn"t look like it.

Or was it because it was too contradictory?

""I wanted to kill you to avenge my family, but I couldn"t make her do this kind of thing on her conscience, so she actually raised a fourth Vampiric Vine. Perhaps she didn"t realize it herself, but it was a subconscious thought.""

An Zhe only felt his heart twitch in pain. It was so painful that it could kill one"s own life.

Ding Wanqiu begged, ""Senior, is there really no way to save her?""

Zhuge Liuyun thought for a while and said, ""She has almost run out of vital energy and blood. She should last for another three days before she dies.""

These three days are especially important to her. You two stay here, I"ll think of a way.

Sigh … This pitiful child, the Heavens have treated her unfairly.

If I had noticed her earlier, and brought her out of that place that terrified her, perhaps such a thing wouldn"t have happened. ""

At this moment, in the courtyard, Ding Ningdong stood up and walked in front of the fake Ding Shengxia. Her face was pale, but she spoke seriously, ""Second brother, I know how much you hate him.""

But he wasn"t wrong, was he?

It was you who took the initiative to provoke him, and you were too selfish.

I know you are compet.i.tive, even Third Brother can"t tolerate you, how can you tolerate an outsider?

But I … But I think, I like him right? I don"t know if I like this feeling or not, but I"ve never felt this feeling before.

He was just thinking, Second Brother, can you and him not fight?

Can you two get along?

I don"t want him hurt, and I don"t want you to hurt him.

""Although you are very bad, you are still my second brother.""

The Vampiric Vine that looked exactly the same as Ding Shengxia actually nodded and opened its mouth to say something, but no sound came out of it.

However, Ding Ningdong seemed to have heard something, and became especially happy. Even her originally pale face turned a little red.

She seemed extremely happy as she walked around her second brother: ""I knew that when I was very young, you all loved me. Although you all gradually distanced yourselves from me after we grew up, you still cared about me, right?""

""Don"t be in such a hurry, I will call out father and mother in two days as well. Let"s reunite as a family and don"t be affected by the conflicts outside anymore, alright?""

She walked to the fake Ding Wanqiu"s side and lowered her head. ""Third Brother, I know that you haven"t changed at all. You still love me as much as before, right?""

I was so worried when you went to fight him that day.

I was afraid you"d be hurt, and I was afraid you"d hurt him.

I don"t know why, but I feel like he"s our family, too.

""No matter who happens, I will feel bad.""

That fake Ding Wanqiu unexpectedly raised her hand and stroked her hair, saying a few words.

Outside the courtyard, Ding Wanqiu suddenly stood up and shouted towards the inside, ""Let her go!""

""You"re not me, get out of my way!""

However, Ding Ningdong seemed like she couldn"t hear anything, as she was still immersed in her own world and couldn"t extricate herself.

She actually went to one side and crouched down. Then she cut her arm with a small knife and bled into a flowerpot.

Her arm was already covered with cuts and wounds, and even the blood that flowed out was very slow. It was obvious that there wasn"t much blood left.

However, she stubbornly squatted there and watched her blood drip down.

""Father … Mother, don"t worry. We will be reunited soon.""

When the time comes, we won"t fight, and you guys can stop hitting me and scolding me.

""Our family is happy together, never separate.""

Her blood began to drip down. After the two sprouts in the flower pot had absorbed the blood, they began to slowly grow.

Zhuge Liuyun"s face turned pale. ""If that"s the case, she probably won"t be able to hold on until tomorrow.""

Ding Wanqiu and An Zhan simultaneously said, ""Senior, I beg you to save her!""

Zhuge Liuyun turned around and said, ""Keep watch, I will think of a way!""

At this time, An Zeng and Ding Wanqiu turned around to look at Ding Ningdong. They seemed to see her glance towards the outside. Then, they raised their hands and shook them with great difficulty. Smiling, they said, ""Goodbye …"""