Chapter 12 I haven't even tried it yet...

The next day, Wu Chen bid farewell to everyone, accompanied by a listless Lu Qing.

Looking at Lu Qing's dejected appearance, Yu Jitang felt sorry for him and asked, "Are you alright?"

Lu Qing was too lazy to waste words with him. "Are you still going to come with us?"

Yu Jitang scratched his head. "I have something to do, so I'm afraid I can't come with you."

Lu Qing simply responded with an "oh" and made no other comment.

Yu Jitang suddenly felt annoyed, like he was throwing a flirtatious glance at a blind man. He glared at her, "Hey, we're friends, after all. I at least showed you some concern. But you didn't even seem reluctant to part." Very few people could receive his, the Great Divine Servant Yu's, concern. And she wasn't even grateful?

Lu Qing teased him, "I thought that someone who isn't even good-looking wasn't worthy of being your friend."

Uh, she heard that! Yu Jitang's arrogance vanished instantly, and he guiltily looked away, muttering under his breath, "You weren't completely innocent either."

Wu Chen turned around and looked at him upon hearing the voice, his expression and tone calm. "What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly."

"I won't repeat myself!" Yu Jitang gave him a fierce look, then said to Lu Qing, "When you go back to the Divine Palace with him, remember to come find me!"

Wu Chen didn't even want to say goodbye to him. Before Lu Qing could answer, he grabbed Lu Qing's hand and left without looking back.

Luo Dushou was too lazy to do any pretense and directly led his men to Tanjiazhuang to continue the search.

Jin Hua, being of the same generation as Wu Chen, couldn't help but make a show of seeing them off. Watching Wu Chen pull Lu Qing away, he stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "What exactly does he see in her?"

A newly favored maidservant whispered, "Miss Lu is innocent and pure, like a piece of unpolished jade. It's not surprising that the Witch God's servant likes her." It was just a passing fancy; it's nothing unusual.

Jin Hua shook his head. "How could such a complex person have such simple likes?"

Judging from Wu Chen's urgency in searching for Lu Qing yesterday, as if he disregarded everything else, let alone how innocent and naive this girl might be, even if she were truly a piece of raw jade, could she possibly be more important than the Fruit of Spiritual Communication?

Well, perhaps Wu Chen has unique tastes! In any case, for him, women are not as important as the Fruit of Spiritual Communication. He put the two of them out of his mind and led his men to Tan Family Village. Even if he couldn't get the Fruit of Spiritual Communication, how could he let Luo Dushou devour this unclaimed piece of fat meat in Tan Family Village all by himself?

Wu Chen and Lu Qing went to Qingling Ferry, bought a small boat, and went downstream.

Far from Qingling Ferry, even the number of merchant ships coming and going has decreased.

Wu Chen sat at the stern holding an oar, while Lu Qing lay on the bow in a daze.

She lay sprawled on the bow of the boat, leaning her head against the gunwale, staring blankly at her reflection in the water.

Green hills and white clouds, blue sky and reeds. Fragrant grasses are just sprouting, wildflowers are yet to bloom. Reality and illusion are one, seemingly real, as if within reach, but with the slightest movement of the oar, they shatter into a blur.

Just like the memory of the woman she saw.

Many of those fragmented memories were ordinary. It's hard to imagine how much pain that woman must have suffered over the years, so even these ordinary things seem incredibly joyful.

There are memories there, beautiful and joyful to the point of being unreal. Whether they truly happened, or whether she was trapped within that crimson giant tree for too long and simply conjured them up from scratch, is unknown.

The more light and pleasant those memories were, the heavier and more painful Lu Qing's heart felt.

Lu Qing stared at the water's surface until dusk, finally managing to piece together her fragmented memories. She couldn't help but sigh and silently thanked them.

That woman had suffered so much torment over the years, yet she still retained such a considerate, gentle, and delicate heart. If she were to pass on those painful memories to him, Lu Qing estimated that he would probably go crazy by now.

She seemed like a girl who had suddenly grown up overnight, and could no longer find the ease she had the day before.

As it was getting late, Wu Chen tied the small boat to a tree growing horizontally by the water. The boat then drifted aimlessly on the shore, neither too close nor too far, creating a particularly leisurely atmosphere.

The small boat rocked slightly, and Wu Chen walked from the stern to her side. "Are you hungry? I cooked some lotus seed porridge."

Lu Qing turned around and saw the bowl in his hand. The lotus seed porridge was at the perfect temperature, just right for eating. She took the bowl and slowly began to eat.

Wu Chen also served himself a bowl of lotus seed porridge, sat down beside her, and calmly began to eat.

The lotus seeds were dried, so he soaked them in water during the day until they softened, then simmered them over a low flame for a long time. Only then did they become so soft, sweet, and melt-in-your-mouth. Just like those tricky and troublesome matters, he always had enough patience to solve them slowly.

On this day, not only was Lu Qing in a daze, but he was also deep in thought, pondering what he should do next.

However, how he does it also depends on how much Lu Qing knows and her true thoughts.

After finishing her lotus seed porridge, Lu Qing stared blankly at the empty bowl for a while. She didn't speak, and Wu Chen didn't try to say anything either; only the sound of flowing water remained around them.

Lu Qing suddenly asked, "Wu Chen, who exactly am I? What is our relationship?"

Finally, she arrived. Wu Chen took the empty bowl from her hand and set it aside. "You are Lu Qing. The relationship between us is somewhat complicated and difficult to explain in a single sentence. However, I am not your enemy."

Lu Qing, too lazy to play dumb, looked directly into his eyes and continued to press, "Not an enemy? Was it not in the past, not now, or never will be?"

When a young girl gets sharp, she's really not easy to fool. Clearly, she'd seen through his "you're mine..." act.

Reflecting on his actions over the past two days, Wu Chen felt unusually embarrassed. He pondered his aunt's three questions. Unfortunately, one he couldn't answer, one he didn't need to answer, and one he couldn't answer.

He met Lu Qing's clear, almost expressive eyes, and his heart skipped a beat.

What's wrong with him? Wu Chen's thoughts suddenly took a turn, and he began to reflect on himself.

Half of the reason for Lu Qing's "goodness" was that he always acted this way; everyone in the Divine Palace knew that the Witch God's servants were considerate and thoughtful. The other half was that it was deliberate.

Love is a woman's greatest tribulation and trap.

If you don't understand a woman's weaknesses at all, all you need to do to keep her is to be gentle, considerate, and attentive to her every need. She'll rarely choose to leave if she doesn't have a better option.

Wu Chen's vague statement, "You are mine...", was not only meant to keep Lu Qing, but also to make Lu Qing devoted to him.

Yes, his motives were impure from the start. From the moment Lu Qing opened her eyes, his kindness towards her was ulterior motives. He allowed her to intrude into his world, using himself as bait to lure Lu Qing into his trap.

And now, in just a few short days, this clever little girl has jumped over his back, pulled his hand, lay down head to head with him on the mandarin duck pillow, and snatched a blanket from him. Although he was the one who started it, the intimacy they've developed is something even he finds hard to believe.

He had broken down his own delicate boundaries, allowing Lu Qing to get closer. But not only had Lu Qing entered his private sphere, but as they walked, were they about to pass each other by?!

The evasive words he should have uttered slipped out, yet he couldn't bring himself to say them; his once-firm plan began to waver. Who, then, was trapped in the gentle trap he had set?

This is definitely not his style of doing things.

Wu Chen frowned slightly, suppressing his chaotic emotions. Since he didn't want to answer Lu Qing's question, he would avoid it altogether. "If you're unsure, then observe for yourself. Time may not necessarily breed affection, but it will certainly reveal true character."

Lu Qing was no longer the ignorant girl she once was. She smiled, turned around to look at the moon's reflection in the water, and said, "You're right."

“Yesterday at the mountaintop, I saw you standing in front of that crimson giant tree,” Wu Chen changed the subject.

"Really!" Lu Qing wasn't surprised. When he reminded her yesterday, she had a feeling he should know. "What about that tree?"

“That tree was devoured by demons. But in the eyes of Yu Jitang and others, it was just burned down by a fire, and nothing was left in the end. Who is that man?” Wu Chen asked.

Lu Qing didn't care to let him know about such a threat. "He calls himself Xiu Yi, a powerful demon. He said that if he forms a contract with me, he will be at my beck and call."

"A pact?" Wu Chen suddenly thought of the scene of demons devouring the Scarlet Wood. "You agreed?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Why should I agree?" Lu Qing stretched. "He wants me to pay a price, but I don't even know if what he's giving me is what I need. Besides, I don't even know what I want, and I haven't even tried. What if I can do it myself?"

Wu Chen was quite surprised by this answer.

Lu Qing turned to look at him, "Wu Chen, I also want to cultivate. I want to try and see if there is a path for me in this world, without relying on others."

What a childish idea. Wu Chen thought to himself, but then felt that this was the answer Lu Qing should give, and a smile appeared on his lips, "Okay. Let's give it a try."

Lu Qing smiled and said, "Since you're so understanding, I'll let bygones be bygones for now."

They let him go so easily?! This was indeed a pleasant surprise. Wu Chen's smile widened. "Should I say thank you?"

"Hmph." We're just letting it go for now, not going to hold it against each other later. "Where are we going next?" Lu Qing asked.

"Xiu has suddenly appeared in Tan Family Village. I have a feeling that something is not amiss. If so many demons suddenly appear in the human world, then the world will be in great chaos. I want to go and see if I can find any clues." Wu Chen gave a high-sounding answer.

Lu Qing's eyes darted around as she glanced at him sideways, looking both cute and sly. "You liar, it seems you're not telling the truth again."

Wu Chen could no longer suppress his laughter. "No one has ever called me a liar before."

"Are they all blind? You're clearly lying to people with a straight face," Lu Qing retorted.

He'd been exposed. Wu Chen, however, wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, he flicked Lu Qing's forehead and said, "If you say I'm lying, you need evidence. Otherwise, it's slander, and I won't admit it."

"I'm the irrefutable proof, and you still won't admit it!" Lu Qing was so angry that she chased after his hand and bit it.

Wu Shen's clear laughter carried far and wide, startling the night birds on the shore.

The two chatted for a while. Wu Chen taught Lu Qing a set of introductory incantations for absorbing spiritual energy. Lu Qing practiced cross-legged for a while, but couldn't resist the gentle rocking of the small boat. She fell asleep on Wu Chen's lap with a thud.

Wu Chen chuckled and gently carried her into the cabin.

The small boat was only big enough for two people to lie side by side. Wu Chen covered her with a blanket and then lay down properly beside her. But after a while, Lu Qing turned over and hugged him. One leg pinned him down, and one arm was placed across his chest.

Wu Chen initially intended to gently remove her hand, but as he held it in his palm, he suddenly remembered what he had told her the night before, "If you hold my hand, you can't hold anyone else's hand." He sighed and let her hand rest on his heart.

Is it really true that one reaps what one sows?

A note from the author:

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