064

Upon hearing this, Jiang Huali fell into a brief silence.

She had been sitting on the floor, her upper body leaning against the bed, but now she stood up smoothly, patted the dust off her clothes, and smiled.

"Perhaps you stabbed yourself twice when you lost control."

Xuan Qing's gaze fell on her side of the neck again, where it had been re-bandaged. He could even smell a faint scent of ointment mixed with blood, and a phantom flashed through his mind.

The warm blood flowed into his mouth, satisfying his bloodlust, but a slight chill suddenly came from the back of his neck. He stepped back and was suddenly met with a pair of tearful eyes.

Xuanqing's fingers curled up involuntarily, and he awkwardly looked away.

"I'm sorry," Xuan Qing said.

"Why were you in my room last night?" Xuan Qing was not fully conscious last night, so he set up a formation in the room beforehand, preventing others from entering.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Huali was furious and said, "Since you hadn't shown up, I thought I'd come and check on you. When I knocked, you didn't respond. Just as I was about to leave, you suddenly opened the door and pulled me inside."

"..."

Jiang Huali: "So what happened to you last night?"

Xuan Qing: "I have amnesia."

The implication was that he didn't know.

Jiang Huali: "..."

Jiang Huali turned around angrily and walked towards the door, the jade pendant at her waist swaying in mid-air with her movements.

Xuanqing's gaze remained fixed on the jade pendant until the door was closed.

He lowered his head, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over a certain part of his body, and he stiffened as he recalled Jiang Huali's almost absurd and outrageous words.

Jiang Huali returned to her room and asked the waiter to bring up hot water so she could wash off the dirt.

She was covered in dust, and there was blood on her collar. She had slept by the bed all night, and her neck was extremely sore.

Jiang Huali draped her dirty clothes over the screen, hung her jade pendant aside, and then comfortably began to take a bath.

The only sound in the room was the occasional sound of water, and the air was filled with fragrance. Behind the screen, smoke swirled.

Xuan Qing appeared out of thin air in the room and walked towards the screen with pine, cypress, plum, and orchid patterns.

As his fingers touched the jade pendant hanging to the side, the pendant emitted a soft glow as spiritual energy was channeled into it.

A certain suspicion in my mind was confirmed.

Xuanqing put down the jade pendant and prepared to leave.

She turned with light steps, her gaze inadvertently falling on the screen.

A soft brocade garment suddenly slipped off the screen and fell at Xuanqing's feet.

Xuan Qing was taken aback.

It is a woman's undergarment.

It was embroidered with exquisite patterns. He was so close that he couldn't tell if it was the strong fragrance behind the screen or his chaotic thoughts, but a faint scent lingered around his nose.

Xuan Qing pursed his lips, and the next second, he disappeared from the spot.

Jiang Huali fiddled with the petals on the water's surface, completely unaware that anyone had been there.

A small garment was draped securely over the screen.

...

After showering and washing herself, Jiang Huali lay down on the bed and took a deep, comfortable breath.

After resting for an hour, Jiang Huali woke up, put on her outer robe, and left the room.

They bumped right into Xuan Qing, who was also coming out of the guest room at the same time.

The other person glanced at her, then walked past her expressionlessly.

Jiang Huali: "?"

She was a little confused and muttered to herself, "Why do this person's ears look a little red?"

Shrugging, Jiang Huali prepared to go get something to eat.

At that moment, the door to the other room suddenly opened as well.

Yu Tian walked out calmly, carrying her natal sword, Zhu Ri, on her back.

"Senior sister?" Jiang Huali called out.

Yu Tian turned to look at her and called out, "Junior Sister."

"Senior sister, you've recovered?" Jiang Huali stepped forward.

"Hmm, where is this place? And how did you find me?" Yu Tian saw Jiang Huali leaning closer and naturally reached out to pat her head.

"Ming'an Town is near Zhuxie City. Senior Sister, do you still remember this place?"

Two years ago, Yu Tian brought his sect disciples here for a visit, and the original owner of this body was among them.

The City of Evils, as its name suggests, is the territory of demons and monsters, where most of the various ghosts, monsters, and demons have their own forces entrenched.

"All evils, all evils" is a homophone for "punish evil," but it refers to the free land of evil spirits.

The forces here are complex and the place is not peaceful. Murder and robbery are commonplace. However, some cultivators also live here, mostly independent cultivators without any sect or faction.

Ming'an Town is located east of Zhuxie City. Although Zhuxie City is full of demons, it has its own way of governing.

It is said that the lord of Zhuxie City is an ancient demon from the demon realm, with profound magical power and remarkable methods.

Furthermore, due to the complex power dynamics within Zhuxie City, many precious treasures and magical artifacts appear here. Treasure pavilions are scattered throughout the city, and the largest auction house holds a monthly event, attracting countless cultivators.

Although Ming'an Town is located near Zhuxie City, it is not considered dangerous, as it is mostly inhabited by ordinary people.

Cultivators seeking treasures often choose to stay in Ming'an Town when they travel to Zhuxie City, but few people cause trouble there, for two reasons.

Firstly, it was rumored that the city lord of Zhuxie City had connections with this place and sent people to be stationed here to prevent troublemakers; secondly, most people's goal was the treasures in Zhuxie City, so they naturally wouldn't waste their energy fighting with others on the way.

Therefore, although Ming'an Town is a small town, it is quite prosperous and thriving.

Jiang Huali recounted the events that had transpired over this period to Yu Tian, ​​inevitably mentioning the fact that her cultivation had been completely destroyed.

As the two talked, they went downstairs, and Jiang Huali immediately spotted Xuan Qing sitting in the corner drinking tea.

Jiang Huali led Yu Tian over to sit down and poured a cup of tea for both of them.

They summoned the waiter and ordered several dishes.

Yu Tian had already heard about Xuan Qing's identity from her junior sister, and she nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Xuan Qing remained calm and composed, seemingly unconcerned.

Jiang Huali took a sip of tea and found it to be strangely bitter. She couldn't spit it out or swallow it, so she immediately frowned.

Just then, the waiter brought out the dishes, and Jiang Huali asked, "What kind of tea is this? It tastes far too bitter."

The waiter smiled and said, "Sir, you may not know this, but this tea is called 'Immortal's Sin.' It is said to be the favorite tea of ​​the city lord of Zhuxie City. All our inns have it, but it tastes too bitter, so we don't usually have many customers ordering it."

Jiang Huali pushed the remaining tea aside with a complicated expression, only to find that, apart from her, Yu Tian and Xuan Qing had both drunk several cups with expressionless faces.

She frowned slightly, starting to doubt: Did anyone really like to drink that?

"Please enjoy your meal, sir."

After the waiter left, Jiang Huali continued talking with Yu Tian, ​​saying what they hadn't finished.

"...That's how it happened. I was expelled from my sect and was being chased when I met him. We traveled together and found you, Senior Sister, in Golden Leaf Village."

Yu Tian's expression was icy: "This matter is strange. Although my soul lamp has been extinguished, my master has always been cautious in his actions. Why would he be in such a hurry to expel you from the sect?"

She continued, "That day, after that cultivator committed suicide, you suddenly lost consciousness. I tried to channel spiritual energy into you, but there was no response. Then, suddenly, many demons appeared. Those demons were all highly skilled. I was caught off guard and was seriously injured by their leader. After that, I was taken away."

"There should be signs of a fight at the scene, so why would you be accused of colluding with the demons?"

"When they arrived, they saw me plunge the sword into your heart, Senior Sister," Jiang Huali recalled. "But I have no recollection of it; perhaps I was being manipulated."

"How is that possible?" Yu Tian frowned deeply. "You were unconscious the whole time, and I didn't see any sect disciples arrive when I was taken away."

Jiang Huali and Yu Tian exchanged a glance, and something vaguely connected between them.

"Is it an illusion?"

Yu Tian: "Only illusions can confuse people's minds and make them see things that don't exist. It seems that those demons made a deal with someone, locking me up and taking a bowl of my blood every day."

“When we destroyed the array’s core that day, we killed a demon. He seemed to have no cultivation,” Jiang Huali said.

Yu Tian: "You killed him?"

She pondered for a moment and said, "Although he has no cultivation, his status in the Demon Realm should be quite high."

This can be seen simply from the fact that the cloaked man has many highly skilled subordinates.

Yu Tian then asked, "When you were imprisoned, didn't Liu Mulin plead for you?"

“Senior Brother Liu?...I don’t know,” Jiang Huali said.

"Perhaps there is a traitor within the sect, and there is something fishy about your being hunted down. I will set off back to the sect in a few days to investigate this matter."

Yu Tian glanced at Jiang Huali, who was enjoying her meal, and his gaze softened. He said with some concern, "It's just that you can't return to the sect for the time being. The person behind this hasn't been found yet, and you don't have any cultivation to protect you. You could easily fall into danger."

"Mmm." Jiang Huali ate a piece of braised pork and nodded in response.

Jiang Huali had no intention of returning to Lingxiao Sect in the first place. Not to mention the danger, Xuanqing would never let her go.

Although it's unclear why Xuanqing insisted on going to find the secret realm with her, it must be because she has a unique and irreplaceable purpose.

Jiang Huali had inquired along the way but hadn't heard of any secret realm appearing in the world, but Xuan Qing seemed very certain.

Yu Tian continued to instruct Jiang Huali, "How about I find you a safe place to stay for a while?"

"Hmm...hmm?" Jiang Huali looked up and quickly waved her hand in refusal, "Senior sister, I have things to do, you don't need to worry about me."

She pointed at Xuanqing: "His cultivation is not bad, he should be able to protect me without any problem."

Yu Tian was still worried. His junior sister was still as innocent and naive as ever. How could he feel at ease leaving his junior sister alone here when he had only known her for a few days?

"Before I leave, I will send you to the home of a good friend of mine so that he can take care of you," Yu Tian decided.

Jiang Huali: "..."

Why do some parents feel uneasy about their children?

Jiang Huali turned her head and saw Xuan Qing staring at her intently.

Turning his head again, Yu Tian looked at her with eyes that left no room for refusal.

Jiang Huali sighed. At worst, she could go to her senior sister's friend's house and then find a way to escape.

"Senior sister, who is your friend? Where does he live?"

Yu Tian: "The city lord of Zhuxie City resides in the Zhuxie City Lord's Mansion."

Jiang Huali: "Oh—"

etc?

who?

Jiang Huali pondered the rumors she had just heard.

The city lord of Zhuxie City seems very powerful. Can Xuanqing defeat him?

If she can't win, how can she run away?

Jiang Huali looked at Xuan Qing and found that he was still drinking the extremely bitter tea as if it were none of his business.

Noticing her gaze, Xuan Qing raised an eyebrow and looked over, his eyes indicating: What's up?

Jiang Huali: "..."