"Senior, are you still alive?"
Ning Beichen stood outside the vortex, calling out to the person within.
But the person sitting in the vortex showed no reaction at all. Ning Beichen felt regret, but it also relieved him.
Ning Beichen slowly extended his hand towards the vortex, preparing to test it and see if there was any danger.
As Ning Beichen's hand touched the vortex, a mysterious force suddenly surged towards it from within, like black asphalt, rapidly coiling around Ning Beichen's fingers.
Ning Beichen was startled and tried to shake it off.
But these things were fast, and in the blink of an eye, they had wrapped around Ning Beichen's arm.
Before Ning Beichen could break free, these black things enveloped his entire body, even his head.
Ning Beichen was terrified, but he wasn't overly worried. Instead, he used the power of the Prajna Golden Body to resist their intrusion into his body.
"Sword, emerge!"
With a thought from Ning Beichen, the ancient bronze sword instantly unsheathed. As soon as the sword appeared, the black, asphalt-like substances recoiled from Ning Beichen's body.
In front of the ancient bronze sword, these black substances were like rabbits facing a tiger. It was a natural deterrence and threat; they didn't dare to linger on Ning Beichen.
"Want to leave? Not so easy!"
Ning Beichen reached out and grabbed a handful of the black substance. He saw these black materials wriggling in his hand as if alive, and their strength was considerable.
"What on earth is this thing?"
Ning Beichen watched the black substances twist in his hand, desperately trying to escape his grasp.
Ning Beichen studied them for a while but couldn't figure out what they were. He loosened his fingers, and the black substances returned to the vortex.
Ning Beichen stepped into the vortex, with the ancient bronze sword floating above his head, seemingly guarding him.
Indeed, with the ancient bronze sword, no matter where Ning Beichen went, the black substances would actively make way, daring not to approach him.
Soon, Ning Beichen successfully entered the vortex, and the person seated within it was right before his eyes.
"Senior..."
Ning Beichen called out to him a few times, but the person inside still showed no reaction, as if long dead.
"Senior, please forgive me."
Ning Beichen reached out and moved the hair from his face. He saw a woman's face beneath the hair, not a man's.
However, this person seemed to have no signs of life. Ning Beichen reached out and gently touched her face. Some dust fell from her face, as if it detached automatically.
Soon, a devastatingly beautiful face was revealed, making Ning Beichen's heart race and him feel somewhat flustered.
Beautiful, this face was too beautiful!
Beautiful to the point of suffocation, beautiful to the point of stirring the heart, beautiful enough to make one feel inferior in its presence.
Ning Beichen's breathing became heavier and deeper. He gazed at the beautiful woman before him, as if admiring a perfect work of art.
"Who is she?"
"Or rather, who was she?"
"Is she from this place?"
Countless thoughts and speculations flooded Ning Beichen's mind.
"What a pity, such beauty as yours, to die in this place."
Ning Beichen thought regretfully.
Just as Ning Beichen was about to leave, he noticed something hanging around her neck. Ning Beichen looked closely and became instantly excited.
Because he saw that hanging from her neck was a bronze thin plate, precisely what Ning Beichen had been looking for.
Excitedly, Ning Beichen immediately grabbed her necklace and pulled hard, taking the bronze plate into his hand.
However, before Ning Beichen could celebrate, a fair hand grabbed him.
Ning Beichen was startled and looked up to see the woman looking at him with a pair of cold, unfeeling eyes.
This woman was not dead at all; she was alive!
This left Ning Beichen stunned and bewildered.
"I... I'm sorry, I thought you were dead."
Ning Beichen was somewhat embarrassed, especially since he had just taken something that belonged to her.
If this woman were dead, it would have been fine; it would be considered ownerless property.
But as it turned out, she wasn't dead, and he was caught red-handed. Even with Ning Beiwang's thick skin, he felt a bit sheepish.
However, the woman said nothing, only staring at him coldly. Ning Beichen couldn't bear it any longer and obediently returned the bronze plate to her.
"Excuse me, I'm returning your item. I only took this one thing; I didn't take anything else."
Ning Beichen said, his face flushing.
The woman still showed no reaction. Ning Beichen had to put the necklace back on her himself.
"Alright, senior. I've returned your item. I should be going now. I wish you a pleasant life."
Ning Beichen wanted to slip away, not because he was embarrassed at being caught, but because he sensed that this woman was incredibly powerful and he didn't want to provoke her.
Moreover, Ning Beichen had no reason to provoke her. He had merely sensed an unusual power here and had flown over to investigate, only to discover the person in the vortex.
Originally, Ning Beichen had thought she was just a dead person, with no life signs whatsoever. Who would have expected her to be alive?
This couldn't be blamed on Ning Beichen's impulsiveness; anyone else would have done the same, or even worse.
Just as Ning Beichen was about to leave, he heard the woman's voice.
"Stop! Who are you?"
Ning Beichen dared not move, only turning his head back and saying.
"Senior, I am an explorer. I inadvertently discovered that this place was unusual, so I came to take a look and found you sitting in the middle of this vortex..."
"Actually, I called out to you many times before, but you showed no response. I thought... I thought you were dead."
Ning Beichen answered honestly.
"I didn't ask you about that. I asked who you are! And don't call me senior. I'm not even twenty years old."
The woman's voice was as pleasant as a oriole's.
"Senior... no, Miss, you said you're not even twenty years old?"
Ning Beichen's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Hmph! Why are you so long-winded? I said not even twenty, and I'm not. I'm only nineteen this year. You can call me Mai Zi."
"What's your name, and which sect do you belong to?"
This woman, no, this girl, asked.
"Mai Zi?"
Ning Beichen heard the girl's name and glanced at the linen clothes she was wearing, which seemed to fit her name.