The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

At the edge of the cliff, everything was in ruins.

Where Yi Huawei had stood, a large, charred crater had appeared, with wisps of smoke and a pungent ozone odor rising from its bottom. The rocks at the crater's edge had melted under the intense heat, turning them into a glassy appearance.

At the edge of the pit, a charred humanoid object lay silently.

It was Yi Huawei!
His entire body was charred black, like charcoal that had been burned in a steel furnace for three days and three nights; his gray linen clothes had long since turned to ashes. Large areas of his skin were carbonized and cracked, revealing equally charred, even faintly reddish, flesh and jade-colored bones beneath, as if they had been melted! His hair and eyebrows were completely gone, and his body was slightly curled up, wisps of smoke rising from it. The air was thick with the pungent smell of burnt flesh.

However, amidst this deathly silence and aura of destruction, a faint, almost imperceptible, pale golden light, like a candle flickering in the wind, shone extremely weakly on his charred chest—the location of his heart! Accompanying this faint light was an equally faint, yet exceptionally tenacious, heartbeat!

"Plop...Plop..."

Although it was slow and the intervals were long, it was still pulsating! This body, which had survived the bombardment of the Heavenly Dao Purple Lightning, still retained a sliver of life!
After an unknown amount of time, Fu Junzhuo struggled to her feet from under the tree, spitting out another mouthful of blood. The excruciating pain from her broken ribs nearly made her faint. She struggled to lift her head, looking at the charred, human-shaped crater, her eyes filled with unparalleled shock and lingering fear!
The might of Heaven! This is the true might of Heaven! That mysterious and powerful man... actually attracted divine punishment?! And he... actually survived the divine punishment?!
Fu Junzhuo staggered, enduring the excruciating pain, and slowly moved towards the edge of the pit. Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling also slowly woke up, struggled to get up, and saw the charred "corpse" at the bottom of the pit and the faint light of a heartbeat. They were so frightened that they scrambled to Fu Junzhuo's side.

"Mother...he...he..."

Kou Zhong's voice trembled as he pointed to the bottom of the pit, unable to speak.

"He...is not dead?"

Xu Ziling's eyes widened in disbelief.

Fu Junzhuo stared at the charred humanoid figure, then looked up at the sky. The terrifying black vortex, after unleashing four bolts of purple lightning, seemed to have exhausted its power, or perhaps reached the limit of some kind of "punishment," and was slowly dissipating. The leaden rain clouds closed again, but that chilling will of Heaven still seemed to be coldly watching from high above.

Take him away? Fu Junzhuo struggled violently in her heart. This man was an enemy, not a friend. His strength was terrifying enough to trigger heavenly punishment, and he even coveted the "Longevity Manual"! Leaving him here, waiting for the Yuwen Clan's reinforcements to arrive, or for him to be devoured by wild beasts, was undoubtedly the safest option.

However… someone who can withstand divine punishment and survive! The secrets he holds, his power… this might be an immense crisis, but it could also be… an unprecedented opportunity! Moreover, he did indeed frighten Yuwen Huaji away, indirectly saving them…

Fu Junzhuo's gaze swept over the two terrified, injured youths beside her. Yuwen Huaji was dead, but the Yuwen Clan's pursuit would never cease! In her current severely injured state, burdened by two boys who knew almost nothing about martial arts, how far could she escape? If she could gain even a sliver of protection from this man, even if it was merely by utilizing his pre-recovery intimidation...

The risks are enormous, but the rewards may be unimaginable!

Fu Junzhuo gritted her teeth, a gambler's determination flashing in her eyes!
"Quick! Drag him out!"

She gave the order in a hoarse voice, and then, enduring the excruciating pain, slid down to the edge of the pit first.

"Mother?!" Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were stunned.

"Stop talking nonsense! Hurry! Before the Yuwen Clan's reinforcements arrive!"

Fu Junzhuo growled and reached out to grab Yi Huawei's charred arm. The touch was scalding hot and had a strange, sticky feel, making her stomach churn.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling exchanged a glance, seeing the fear and confusion in each other's eyes. But their survival instincts, honed from years of living in the streets, told them that now was not the time to hesitate. Suppressing their fear and nausea, they jumped into the pit, each grabbing one of Yi Huawei's charred legs.

With their combined efforts, the three of them painstakingly dragged the heavy, iron-like "coke" out of the pit. The charred, cracked skin rubbed against the rough rocks and mud, making a teeth-grinding "scratching" sound and leaving streaks of dark red stains.

Fu Junzhuo quickly took off her tattered and filthy outer robe, disregarding the rules of propriety between men and women, and barely managed to wrap it around Yi Huawei's charred body, seeking only to cover herself. She glanced at the unconscious Yi Huawei, whose breathing was extremely weak, and then warily scanned the desolate surroundings and the faintly visible direction of Luoyang in the distance.

"Go! Get out of here!"

She made a decisive decision, her voice carrying an unquestionable resolve. Despite her injuries, she led the way, staggering into the dense forest below the cliff, far from the main road.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling gritted their teeth, one on each side, using every ounce of their strength to almost drag and lift the incredibly heavy, charred body, stumbling and struggling behind Fu Junzhuo. Every step was extremely difficult; the mud was slippery, thorns tore at their clothes and skin, and the cold rain washed over their wounds, the smell of burnt flesh mingling with the stench of blood.

Like a small boat tossed about in a storm, the three of them dragged a "charred carcass" that exuded an aura of destruction, and struggled to disappear into the vast rain and the ever-deepening twilight, leaving behind only the huge black crater on the edge of the cliff, Yuwen Huaji's cold corpse, and a scene of devastation, silently telling the story of the shocking event that had just occurred.

...............

Consciousness, like a stubborn rock sinking into an endless abyss, is enveloped in coldness and darkness, slowly and laboriously rising upwards. Each attempt to regain consciousness is accompanied by excruciating pain that tears at the soul and profound exhaustion.

After an unknown amount of time, Yi Huawei's eyelids finally twitched, and he managed to open them a crack.

The blinding light made him squint instantly, and it took him a moment to adjust before he could see the scene before him clearly.

What came into view was a roof rafter covered in cobwebs, dilapidated and drafty. The air was thick with the damp, musty smell, the scent of dust, and a faint, almost imperceptible, bitter aroma of herbs. Beneath him lay a hard wooden plank covered in thick, dry grass, which ached all over. He found himself wrapped in a relatively clean coarse linen garment, but the body beneath it…

Yi Huawei tried to sense himself. An unprecedented feeling of weakness overwhelmed him like a tidal wave! The once vast and boundless true essence within his dantian was now dried up like a cracked riverbed, with only a few faint, almost negligible wisps of purplish-gold energy struggling to circulate, extremely slowly. Each circulation was accompanied by excruciating pain, as if his meridians were being burned. Worse still, the omnipresent oppressive feeling of the world's rules seemed to have become even heavier and more viscous because of this confrontation with the heavenly punishment, like invisible shackles digging deep into his soul!

He twitched his fingers slightly, and this tiny movement aggravated the countless charred and cracked wounds all over his body. The excruciating pain instantly caused a fine layer of cold sweat to seep from his forehead. His skin was extensively carbonized; although it was no longer bleeding, every rub brought a burning pain, as if his entire body was being roasted over a low flame. His once indestructible, flawless body was now as fragile as a piece of cracked porcelain, ready to shatter completely at the slightest mishap.

"You...you're awake?!" A young voice, filled with surprise and deep wariness, rang out from the side.

Yi Huawei slowly turned his stiff neck, like a rusted mechanism. His gaze focused, and he saw Kou Zhong squatting not far away, holding a broken ceramic bowl. The boy's face bore the marks of smoke and fire, his clothes were tattered, but his eyes were bright, and he was staring at him with a mixture of nervousness and curiosity. "..."

Yi Huawei opened his mouth, but his throat felt dry and painful, as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper, and he couldn't make a sound.

Kou Zhong seemed to understand his condition, so he quickly put down the bowl, picked up a water bag made from a broken gourd next to him, and carefully brought it to his lips, letting a few drops of cool water drip down.

The water slid down his burning throat, bringing a slight relief. Yi Huawei swallowed with difficulty, finally managing to squeeze out a hoarse, almost inaudible voice: "...How long?"

Kou Zhong was stunned for a moment before he reacted: "Huh? Oh! You asked how long you've been lying there? A full seven days! Mother... Miss Fu said it's a miracle you survived!"

His tone was incredulous: "You have no idea how terrifying you looked back then, you were completely charred! We all thought you were dead!"

"Seven days..."

Yi Huawei silently thought to himself. It seemed that those purple lightning bolts from the Heavenly Dao were even more domineering than he had anticipated. If it weren't for the fact that his physical body, tempered to its extreme by the Emperor's Luck and the Primordial Chaos Technique, still had a solid foundation, and that he had forcibly protected his heart meridian by burning his essence and blood at the last moment, he would probably have already been reduced to ashes.

"Fu Junzhuo?"

"Miss Fu, she..."

Kou Zhong pointed to another corner of the dilapidated temple: "She's healing herself over there. She's also badly injured. For the past seven days, she's been... uh, trying to find a way to get you food."

Kou Zhong's expression was a bit strange, as if he was recalling some unpleasant scene: "It mainly involved crushing up herbs and a little liquid that could be found, and feeding it to you little by little. She said you can't move now, so this is how you're kept alive."

Yi Huawei's gaze followed the direction Kou Zhong pointed. In the shadow of the dilapidated temple and its crumbling statues, Fu Junzhuo sat cross-legged, eyes closed, her face still pale, her breathing weak but relatively steady. She had clearly heard the noise; her long eyelashes trembled slightly, but she didn't open her eyes immediately, remaining in a state of regulated breathing. She had changed into clean, coarse cloth, but Yi Huawei could sense her disordered internal energy, indicating her injuries were far from healed. These past seven days, she had had to heal her wounds and care for herself, this "charred corpse," which must have left her utterly exhausted.

Yi Huawei withdrew his gaze, his eyes devoid of any gratitude, only a cold assessment. He looked at Kou Zhong again, his eyes sharp as knives, as if they could pierce through the boy's mind: "The thing... is on you?"

Kou Zhong froze, his expression instantly hardening. His eyes flickered with wariness and struggle as he instinctively covered a bulging spot in his chest. "Wh...what is that? I don't understand what you're talking about!"

"The Secret to Longevity".

Yi Huawei's voice was calm and even, yet it carried an undeniable penetrating power, directly exposing Kou Zhong's pretense. He didn't need to bluff; although his senses were impaired, locking onto an object with faint, strange energy fluctuations, especially at such close range, wasn't too difficult.

Fu Junzhuo was still recovering from serious injuries, so she couldn't possibly carry such an important item with her at all times. The most likely scenario was that she entrusted it to these two boys she trusted for safekeeping.

Kou Zhong's face turned deathly pale instantly, and his body involuntarily shrank back. His gaze darted back and forth between Yi Huawei's charred face, which still exuded an invisible pressure, and Fu Junzhuo, who was meditating with her eyes closed in the distance. He remembered Fu Junzhuo's solemn instructions, the bloodshed this thing had brought, and how this charred man had so casually annihilated Yuwen Huaji with a single finger, and how he had triggered divine punishment! Fear, like cold vines, coiled around his heart.

Yi Huawei watched Kou Zhong's violent struggle, his eyes showing no coercion, only an all-knowing indifference. He slowly, with immense difficulty, raised a charred, cracked finger, his voice still hoarse, yet carrying a strange, almost magical quality:

"Just one look. Just one look. And I'm giving it back to you."

His tone was calm, without threats or promises, simply stating a fact. But it was precisely this absolute calm and certainty that was more oppressive than any roaring threat. It was as if when he said "take a look," he really meant it, without a second thought.

Kou Zhong's breathing became rapid, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He stared intently at Yi Huawei's unfathomable eyes, like a deep pool—although his charred face made him look like a demon, those eyes were unusually clear and cold, as if they could reflect all the hesitation and calculation in people's hearts.

Kou Zhong was torn: Should he give it to him? What if he snatched it and wouldn't return it? Should he not give it to him? This monster was severely injured, but who knew what other terrifying methods he might still have? That look in his eyes just now... it was terrifying!
Time seemed to stand still. Only Kou Zhong's heavy breathing and the occasional birdsong from outside could be heard in the dilapidated temple.

Finally, Kou Zhong gritted his teeth, a desperate expression on his face. He glanced quickly at Fu Junzhuo, who was still meditating with her eyes closed, then, as if making a huge decision, he pulled out a long, rectangular package tightly wrapped in layers of oilcloth from his robes with trembling hands. He moved extremely quickly, as if afraid of regretting it, tearing off the outermost layer of oilcloth to reveal an ancient bamboo tube inside.

The bamboo tube is dark golden in color, neither gold nor jade. It is warm to the touch with a strange coolness. Its surface is covered with dense, winding, ancient characters that look like tadpoles swimming – the legendary oracle bone script! The two ends of the bamboo tube are sealed with some kind of unknown black metal, exuding an aura of vicissitudes and weight.

Kou Zhong held the bamboo tube with both hands, as if it were a hot potato, or as if it were a sacrifice, and carefully handed it to Yi Huawei, his voice trembling with tears: "It's a promise! Just one glance! Give it back to me right away after you've looked at it!"

He stared intently into Yi Huawei's eyes, his entire body tense, ready to pounce and fight at any moment.

Yi Huawei's gaze was fixed on the bamboo tube the moment it appeared! The deep, calm in his eyes was finally shattered! It wasn't greed, nor excitement, but a kind of almost reverential focus and...fervent inquiry!

His breath seemed to catch in his throat for a moment. He didn't reach out to take it, but instead used his sharp, hawk-like eyes to scan every ancient oracle bone character on the bamboo tube, inch by inch! As if he wanted to imprint those tadpole-like patterns completely into the depths of his soul!

The bamboo tube itself was nothing special; the real mystery lay in its contents. Kou Zhong nervously swallowed, seeing that Yi Huawei was truly only "looking" and had no intention of snatching it, and considering the other's severely injured and immobile state, he grew a little bolder. He hesitated for a moment, his fingers trembling, and very slowly and laboriously unscrewed the black metal cap at one end of the bamboo tube.

A soft "click" sounded.

Kou Zhong carefully poured out a scroll from the bamboo tube. It was neither silk nor cloth, but had a soft, cool touch, a dark yellow color, and an edge with a strange metallic sheen. He took a deep breath, as if completing some sacred ritual, and with trembling hands, slowly unfurled a small portion of the scroll in front of Yi Huawei.

In an instant!
Yi Huawei's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of a pinhead!
(End of this chapter)