Wei Zian looked at Zhao Hong speculatively. Noticing the trail of corpses left in the other disciple's wake, Wei Zian eyed the staff in his right hand and the belt full of talismans. For all his apparent recklessness, Zhao Hong certainly came prepared. He was half-tempted to ask the boy the very same question, but decided that would be needlessly confrontational. Zhao Hong did just save his life, after all. He decided to be honest, perhaps the other disciple would be willing to help him find Ao Jiao, considering his awe-inspiring combat abilities.
"Searching for Ao Jiao. She left the ceremony a while before the attack and it's partly my fault."
Zhao Hong groaned. "By the ancestors, and I even went to the trouble of making sure you attended the ceremony, too. It's like you want to get killed or something!"
"You?" asked Wei Zian incredulously. "You're the one who told Senior Sister Yun I wasn't planning to attend? All this time I blamed Bai Ning! How did you even know about it?"
"You always stay in your quarters and get killed in the initial barrage if I don't do something to prevent it. And let me tell you, convincing you to leave your room without resorting to violence or involving Senior Sister Yun is an immense challenge. You can be incredibly stubborn when you want to be," Zhao Hong said with a sigh.
Wei Zian stared at him in confusion. The way Zhao Hong was talking, one would think this sort of thing happened regularly!
"But enough of that," said Zhao Hong cheerfully. "Let's find Ao Jiao before something devours her. You know the way?"
And so they did. They traveled through the burning grounds of the sect, leaving a trail of dead invaders behind them. Zhao Hong didn't even try to avoid the monsters, simply cutting through them like an angry immortal out for revenge. At one point they were even attacked by a horde of corpse puppets and an enemy cultivator, but Zhao Hong simply made the earth beneath their feet open up and swallow them whole. Wei Zian dutifully kept his mouth shut and never questioned Zhao Hong about his seemingly inexhaustible spiritual energy or his knowledge of advanced techniques that should be beyond his cultivation level and skill, content to benefit from Zhao Hong's abilities and talent. He would never have made it this far without Zhao Hong's help, and he was genuinely grateful for the young master's assistance. Zhao Hong could keep his secrets, whatever they might be.
They eventually found Ao Jiao barricaded in the upper floor of a small pavilion. Apparently, she had been chased there by a pack of frost wolves and then refused to leave for fear that the creatures were waiting for her to emerge. A wise decision, truly. Smarter than what Wei Zian had done, that's certain. Fortunately, there was no trace of frost wolves around the pavilion now, not that Zhao Hong would likely have had any trouble with them if they were present, so they focused on the somewhat frustrating task of convincing Ao Jiao that it was safe to unbarricade the door. Apparently, her experience with the frost wolves had deeply shaken her.
Wei Zian was certain she would blame him for causing her to leave the safety of the Grand Hall, so he was quite surprised when Ao Jiao immediately latched onto him when she finally opened the door, embracing him tightly and sobbing against his shoulder.
"I thought I was going to die!" she wailed. "There were these huge birds flinging iron feathers everywhere and the frost wolves and..."
Wei Zian's mouth opened in confusion, unsure how to handle such an emotional outburst. He shot Zhao Hong a pleading look, but the young master merely grinned at him knowingly, apparently amused by the reaction.
"Ah, the dual cultivation of youth," Zhao Hong nodded to himself knowingly. "But I'm afraid you'll have to continue your heartfelt reunion back in the protective formations."
"Yes!" Ao Jiao shouted immediately, raising her face from Wei Zian's shoulder. She completely ignored Zhao Hong's comment about dual cultivation, though Wei Zian suspected it was because she hadn't even registered that part. She was still clutching his torso with an iron grip, as if afraid he'd disappear if she released him. It was somewhat painful, but he refrained from telling her so. "The protective formations! We'll be safe there!"
Zhao Hong flinched back for a moment before catching himself. It was so quick that Ao Jiao didn't appear to notice, but Wei Zian did. So the protective formations weren't safe either? But apparently they were still safer than their current location, because Zhao Hong seemed determined to proceed.
"Excellent!" said Zhao Hong cheerily, clapping his hands in satisfaction. He took a formation talisman from his belt and handed it to Ao Jiao. "You hold on too, Wei Zian."
"What is that?" Wei Zian asked suspiciously. The talisman had none of the markings that might identify its purpose, which made Wei Zian wary of it. Using unknown spiritual items without identifying their function was a major mistake if you wanted to remain alive and healthy.
"It's a teleportation talisman," Zhao Hong said. "It's programmed to transport whoever is holding it to the protective formations. I've set it to activate after thirty breaths, so grasp it before you're left behind."
"But what about you?" Ao Jiao asked. "You need to hold on too before it activates!"
"Ah, no," Zhao Hong said, waving her concern away. "I still have unfinished business here."
"Unfinished business!?" Ao Jiao protested. "Zhao Hong, this isn't some game! These monsters will kill you!"
"I'm perfectly capable—"
Wei Zian wasn't sure what warned him, he just felt a sudden sense of impending doom and knew he had to act immediately, similar to his reaction when the frost wolf tried to ambush him earlier. Pulling himself free from Ao Jiao's grip with a sudden movement, he pushed Zhao Hong out of the path of the incoming attack. A crimson beam of energy surged through the air in front of them, passing right where Zhao Hong's head had been just moments before and striking the wall behind them. The jagged beam of red light carved deep into the wall, filling the area with a cloud of fine dust.