Chapter 50 Fairness Although Luo Du'an agreed to let Lu Qing and the others go with the Divine Palace...

Although Luo Du'an agreed to let Lu Qing and the others stay with the disciples of the Divine Palace, he never let his guard down and kept people watching them.

Lu Qing spoke with Qi Ying for a while in the morning, and then sat in the same spot all day, the two of them whispering to each other.

Luo Du'an sent someone to investigate, but all he heard was the two people worrying about why their elders hadn't come yet; nothing else. Luo Du'an then had someone keep an eye on them while he went to do other things.

Perhaps the demons that escaped yesterday knew their power, for they didn't encounter any demons passing by that night and day. The group was able to rest properly for a while in this perilous western wilderness.

After nightfall, Luo Du'an arranged for people to continue keeping an eye on Lu Qing and the others, and then went to rest.

He had only been asleep for a short time when he was awakened by the sounds of fighting. Opening his eyes, he saw that the area was now shrouded in billowing yellow smoke, from which strange noises arose, concealing countless demons. Luo Du'an broke out in a cold sweat and quickly summoned the experts from the Flame-Slaying Platform to his side.

Before long, everyone felt dizzy and lightheaded, their vision blurred, and the voices of those around them seemed to thunder, sometimes near and sometimes far, making it impossible to hear anything clearly.

That yellow smoke is poisonous.

Luo Du'an quickly took out an antidote and swallowed it. The experts from the Zhan Yan Platform beside him followed suit. But even so, they were still no match for the poison of the yellow smoke and fell into a coma.

When they awoke again, the entire camp was in chaos. Except for the people from the Blazing Flame Platform, all the other rogue cultivators, Divine Palace disciples, Lu Qing, and Luo Sen were gone.

The footprints on the ground were crisscrossed, making it impossible to discern their direction. Moreover, it was nighttime; who would dare to recklessly chase after them?

Luo Du'an cursed angrily, "Damn it!" but he wasn't sure whether the accident was caused by humans or demons.

Actually, it was definitely done by someone. It was Lu Qing and Luo Sen who did it.

Some of the Divine Palace disciples who followed the two were still confused and had no idea what had happened. They only knew that they had been running wildly with Qi Ying for most of the night before they finally stopped.

Lu Qing and Luo Sen exchanged a glance and then burst into laughter.

Lu Qing said, "Luo Du'an probably still doesn't understand what happened."

Lawson was no longer the simple-minded man he once was. He snorted, "That guy is a two-faced scoundrel. He'd better not fall into my hands."

Lu Qing poured cold water on him, "Come on, if you really run into him, you still can't beat him. You should focus on practicing your skills. Come on, put them all down."

The disciples of the Divine Palace looked at each other, then turned to Qi Ying.

Qi Ying put down the unconscious Qi Zhi from behind her and said to everyone in an annoyed tone, "What are you all standing there for? Can't you see that they were harmed by Luo Du'an? If it weren't for Miss Qi and this young man, you would still be being held hostage."

The disciples of the Divine Palace had been puzzled by Lu Qing's words the night before. Now, they finally understood and quickly put their companions down.

Lu Qing and Luo Sen took the pulses of the poisoned people.

"The poison is potent, but it's not difficult to cure," said Lawson. "What medicines do you have on you? Take them out and let me see."

Seeing that the group was still hesitant, Lu Qing rolled her eyes at them. "If we wanted to harm you, we would have done it already. In terms of martial arts skills, we are indeed inferior to you, but we are medical cultivators. If we really wanted to kill you, we could have made you die before sunrise. Luo Du'an underestimated us and was caught off guard, which is why we escaped. If we really had any ill intentions towards you, we would have just abandoned you. Why would we have taken you with us?"

The disciples of the Divine Palace were somewhat embarrassed.

Qi Ying sighed, "Their methods were so ruthless that they wiped out everyone in the camp. If they really wanted to poison you, you wouldn't be alive today."

Everyone thought about it and agreed. The two of them hadn't moved much all day, and no one knew when they had done it. If they really were the ones who poisoned their companions, how could anyone have noticed?

The disciples of the Divine Palace took out the pills they carried.

Lu Qing and Luo Sen picked through the pills, crushed some of them, dissolved them in water, and fed them to the poisoned disciples. Sure enough, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the remaining poison in their bodies was neutralized, and they regained their strength.

The disciples of the Divine Palace thanked them one after another.

Lu Qing and Luo Sen politely returned the greetings. These disciples of the Divine Palace had suffered undeservedly because of them, and they felt somewhat guilty.

Qi Ying instructed everyone, "You all stay here and rest. If you encounter the people from Zhan Yan Tai again, even though they outnumber you, don't fight them. Just say that you were attacked by a demon beast and got separated from them. You don't even know where we are."

Everyone nodded.

Qi Ying carried Qi Zhi on her back and said to Lu Qing and the other person, "Let's go."

Lu Qing nodded, then turned to the crowd and said, "Zhan Yan Tai wants to control us. Being with you will only be a burden to you. Take care, everyone."

The disciples of the Divine Palace were surprised that she had such a demeanor at such a young age, and they straightened up and bowed to her with clasped hands.

The four set off again and found a secluded, sheltered corner.

Qi Ying puts Qi Zhi down again.

Lu Qing gazed at the unconscious Qi Zhi, her heart filled with mixed emotions. Her intuition told her that Qi Zhi's unrequited love was most likely Wu Chen. "What should we do? Although there's no antidote, she might just stay unconscious like this, but this can't go on forever."

Qi Ying was also very troubled. "Otherwise, I'll take her back and deal with her after the adults return."

Lu Qing looked at him warily. Even if the journey to the Western Wilderness went smoothly, it would still take several months. Did he intend to take the two of them along to serve this crazy girl the whole way?

“In that case, we shall part ways here.” Lu Qing said decisively. “Here, this is the antidote. One pill will relieve the symptoms, and two pills will completely cure it.”

"Then what will you do?" Qi Ying asked worriedly. "Luo Du'an probably won't give up so easily."

"It's alright. We were unprepared last time. If Luo Du'an runs into us again, he should be careful." Lu Qing said this, but in her heart she was thinking that if she couldn't find Wu Chen within three hundred steps of this place, that guy was doomed.

"Why don't you leave at dawn?" Qi Ying knew that the two of them were not as harmless as they seemed, but he was still worried about letting them leave in the middle of the night.

"No need. It's more convenient for us during the day, and even more convenient for Luo Du'an. We'll be careful ourselves." Lu Qing said and left without hesitation, taking Luo Sen with her, disappearing around the corner.

Qi Ying wasn't sure if what he was doing was right or wrong. But even if it was wrong, the person was already gone. He should deal with this big problem first. The idea of ​​drugging Qi Zhi and taking her back to the Divine Palace was unrealistic. Even if he carried her all the way back, how would he handle her eating, drinking, and relieving herself along the way? Even if he found a female disciple in the wasteland to go back with him, he couldn't just keep Qi Zhi locked up like this indefinitely.

He pondered for a moment, then put half a pill of the antidote into Qi Zhi's mouth. A short while later, Qi Zhi slowly woke up.

"Who?" Qi Zhi exclaimed in shock. After recognizing Qi Ying as the person in front of her, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, but then found herself powerless and unable to circulate her spiritual energy. "What did you do to me?"

Qi Ying sat down opposite her, looking at her earnestly. "Qi Zhi, we've been fellow disciples for over ten years. From unknown ordinary disciples to being promoted to the Master's right-hand men. You know better than anyone how the Master has treated us. The Master is exceptionally brave and valiant, benevolent and just, wise and courageous. I'm not surprised you admire him. Although we're fellow disciples, I've always considered you my own sister. So when the Master returned, I did have those thoughts. Anyway, the Master already has someone he loves, so having one more wouldn't hurt. It's common for a peerless hero like the Master to be admired by many women."

Qi Zhi's anger subsided. "And then?"

So I mustered up my courage and hinted to the adults, "Actually, Qizhi is really good."

Qi Zhi's thoughts were gripped tightly. "What did the adult say?"

"I originally thought that the magistrate was completely unaware of your feelings. But the magistrate said that it was precisely because you are a good person that he did not want to see you ruined. Since it is impossible, making you turn back as soon as possible is truly for your own good."

Qi Zhi's heart was breaking. "No, it's impossible."

“It’s true.” Qi Ying looked at her with pity. “These reactions of yours are probably the last thing the Master wanted to see. And his more than ten years of nurturing you were definitely not meant to produce a Qi Zhi who is obsessed with love and can’t distinguish right from wrong. I’ve always wanted to tell you these things, but you wouldn’t listen to anything, and you even drew your sword against me. Qi Zhi, I want to ask you, is it a crime for the Master not to have romantic feelings for you? If the Master has ever given the slightest hint or overstepped his bounds, I will stand up for you. But ask yourself honestly, has he ever done so?”

"You don't understand!" Qi Zhi burst into tears. "You don't understand what love means to a woman. For the past ten years or so, I've gone from looking up to you to gradually getting to your side. You are the only thing that keeps me going. I will never fall in love with anyone else in my life. Without you, what difference is there between me and someone who is dead?"

Qi Ying shook her head. "I truly don't understand. Over the years, the Lord has maintained one principle in managing Nukun Peak: fairness and impartiality. Regardless of the person or matter, there's only one set of rules he's established, and no one is exempt. If you're attracted to the Lord, you're allowed to continue? What about those women who've been causing trouble on Nukun Peak for months? Don't assume they're all power-hungry, frivolous, and shallow. I know a few of them; their personalities aren't so despicable. They've all secretly admired the Lord. There's even one who's been in love with him for over a decade. Once, when I accompanied the Lord to discuss matters with her master, she came in to serve tea. Just because the Lord said thank you, that girl hid in a secluded place and cried for a long time. Because she had a glimmer of hope, she didn't hesitate to kneel and beg her master, abandoning her pride to let her try Nukun Peak. But the Lord didn't agree, so she silently left."

As Qi Ying recalled the girl leaving, he solemnly kowtowed three times to the summit of Nukun Peak, his eyes filled with tears and a smile that was both sorrowful and relieved. He looked at Qi Zhi and said, "Qi Zhi, you can't demand that others follow the rules, yet you can excuse yourself and allow yourself to make mistakes in every situation."

"No, I'm different! I've been with the adults for over ten years!" Qi Zhi screamed.

"As long as you don't enter the hearts of adults, no matter where you are, you are an outsider to them!" Qi Ying roared.

"If you don't give me a chance, how can I get into the hearts of adults?"

"The master already has someone in his heart!" Qi Ying tried to calm herself down. "You think you know the master well? Is he the kind of person who flirts with everyone? If he already has someone in his heart, would he still leave room for you?"

"No. Qiying, I beg you. I'm willing to give everything for you, as long as you're willing to keep me by your side. This winter hunt is my only chance. It's fraught with danger, and you could be in peril at any moment. I'm willing to gamble my life on it. If I succeed, I'll have a sliver of hope; if I fail, my life will be for you, and I believe you'll remember me for the rest of your life."

"So even if you can't win the adult's heart, you still want to make him feel guilty?" Qi Ying looked at her incredulously.

With tears welling in her eyes and her lips trembling, Qi Zhi resolutely said, "Yes. Qi Ying, either you let me go, or I will die in front of you sooner or later."

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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:56:52 on July 4, 2020 and 10:55:21 on July 6, 2020!

Thanks to the little angels who threw landmines: Repigon, and someone who just passed by;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!