Chapter 38 Dodder (Part Two) A cheerful atmosphere filled the house and the surrounding area…

Looking at the "root" in his hand, it was golden yellow all over, of excellent quality. Even someone as ignorant as Song Qiling could tell that this root was no ordinary product.

Ginseng is pure in heart and generous in its giving, which leaves people at a loss.

"Little ginseng, are you perhaps giving me your true form?" Song Qiling hesitated, not daring to accept it.

"It's the main body, but it's just the roots. You can use it to make soup." The ginseng spirit didn't understand human intrigue and just thought the person in front of it was too long-winded. So it simply shoved the thing into Song Qiling's hand, jumped off the falcon stool, and ran outside. "Demon hunter, you can't catch me anymore if you take my things."

Having said that, he ran off like a gust of wind, and in no time he was gone.

Song Qiling stared blankly in the direction the ginseng spirit had left, then raised her hand and scratched the back of her head.

This little demon is quite generous.

-

The post station was much more shabby than Song Qiling had imagined, with only a few empty rooms for lodging. Therefore, when Song Qiling arrived at the room with bamboo leaf cakes and ginseng, the dormitory-style room was already full.

The room was already poorly lit, and it was packed with men, so the smell wasn't pleasant. Song Qiling squinted and turned around without thinking.

"Hey, where are you going? Too crowded?" Zhou Ren nestled in the blankets, holding his feet, and laughed lewdly. "What, did that pretty boy hug your leg, moved to tears, and offer himself to you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the men burst into loud laughter in unison.

The heat wave, carrying a complex stench, rushed towards people's faces.

A cheerful atmosphere filled the house and the surrounding area.

Song Qiling's scalp was practically tingling.

"It's like walking into a den of thieves." Muttering to himself, he quickly left the noisy area as if his feet were greased, heading to the next room.

As soon as he entered, Gu Lianzhou greeted him, carrying a quilt, "Senior brother, I couldn't find you anywhere. What were you busy with?"

Seeing that there were no outsiders in the room, Song Qiling breathed a sigh of relief, put the bamboo leaf cake in her hand on the table, chose a spot by the window, and lay down fully clothed.

"I encountered a spirit skilled in disguise, which delayed me a bit," Song Qiling said casually, looking up at the cobweb-covered beam. "I beat it up and released it back into the wild."

Thinking of the ginseng she had just rescued, she muttered, "I wonder what kind of auspicious day it is today, that I've encountered two spirits in a row..."

At this point, she turned to look at her junior brother who was making the bed, sized him up, and then, under his puzzled gaze, propped herself up on the bed and sat up, her eyes gleaming.

"Good junior brother, have you felt unwell during your journey?"

Gu Lianzhou felt a chill run down his spine from her stare and shook his head truthfully, saying, "No."

He is in very good health.

"How strange." Song Qiling pressed down his hand that was making the bed, and under Gu Lianzhou's puzzled gaze, she moved forward a little and tentatively asked, "If you don't mind, could you let me smell it again?"

"Smell, smell what?" Gu Lianzhou's face flushed, and he almost bit his tongue. He hurriedly grabbed his collar and sniffed it, but then he heard his senior brother 'pfft' laugh, and he became even more uncomfortable.

Seeing his embarrassment, Song Qiling couldn't help but laugh and said, "Of course, it's because I smell the demonic aura on you."

She glanced at the empty room and explained, "It's rare that Yu Qi and Liu Dai aren't here, which makes it easier for me to do what I want. You were so weak before, either drowsy or unconscious. Although my talisman restrained you, there are still seven demonic energies, which are ultimately a threat. I'm not at ease. You... hey, why are you blushing?"

Noticing the suspicious blush on his cheeks, Song Qiling tilted her head and reached out to wipe his forehead, but Gu Lianzhou reacted as if he had been scratched by a cat, quickly dodging backward.

"Senior brother, what are you doing?"

The man's eyes darted around, clearly indicating that he had something to hide. Song Qiling frowned slightly, grabbed his collar without saying a word, and stopped him from moving. "Why are you hiding? I'm not going to eat you."

Gu Lianzhou dared not disobey his senior brother, but his heart was pounding.

Senior brother is right. It is the demonic energy in his body that is causing him to be restless and irritable, and he tries to hide whenever he sees senior brother.

This is incorrect.

But with his senior brother so close, his gaze was uncontrollably drawn to those amber-like pupils, and for a moment he even forgot to breathe.

What are you nervous about?

Forcing himself to look away, he couldn't help but be drawn to the slightly twitching nose. His senior brother leaned close to his neck and sniffed carefully, the warm breath gently brushing against his skin.

It's so itchy.

If I dodge again, my senior brother will probably get angry.

Gu Lianzhou stood frozen in place, imagining himself as a piece of meat on a chopping board, at the mercy of his senior brother.

Song Qiling's heart had already turned cold.

She sniffed him again and again, and was almost horrified to discover that of the seven demonic energies hidden in Gu Lianzhou's body, only four remained.

It's simply unbelievable.

She placed a restriction on Gu Lianzhou's body, so the evil spirits shouldn't be able to escape, but three demonic energies disappeared without a trace.

Could it be that the ban has been compromised?

Thinking this, she reached down to pull at the man's belt.

Gu Lianzhou quickly pressed down the restless hand, looked around in a panic, and seeing that no one had entered the room, he looked at his senior brother, his voice trembling slightly: "What are you doing now?"

In broad daylight, two men were touching each other inappropriately. What kind of behavior is this?

"Let me see if the restrictions on your body have loosened." Song Qiling's expression was stern, completely ignoring Gu Lianzhou's embarrassment. Her movements were swift and decisive, peeling away the man's clothes layer by layer like an onion.

His smooth skin, exposed to the cool air of early spring, sent a chill down his spine. At the man's heart, golden, net-like runes faintly shimmered.

Song Qiling stared at the runes again and again, making sure they were intact, before raising her head and asking incredulously, "Did you eat the demonic energy?"

"What?" Gu Lianzhou was completely taken aback. Seeing his senior brother's shock, he felt uncertain as well. He simply followed his words and asked tentatively, "I ate it?"

Does he eat everything without being picky about food?

Song Qiling had never seen anything so bizarre before, and her mind was in complete disarray. She stood up and paced back and forth outside the dormitory.

"Of the seven demonic energies, only four remain. In just a few days, three demonic energies have disappeared from your body. Since the restriction has not been broken, the evil spirits cannot break through and can only be digested internally."

She glanced at Gu Lianzhou, who was getting dressed, with a strange expression, and said to herself, "Either you absorbed that demonic energy, or the demonic energy within your body was killing and devouring each other."

Humans and demons are two species that cannot coexist. However, Gu Lianzhou is different from ordinary people. Not only is he born with a special physique that makes him prone to attracting demons, but he is also a vessel that carries evil spirits.

Therefore, absorbing demonic energy is not impossible.

However, this speed is a bit too fast.

If one day, all the demonic energy within him is completely absorbed...

Thinking of this, Song Qiling couldn't help but shudder, and her gaze towards Gu Lianzhou became more wary.

What exactly is her junior brother?

"Since the restriction is still in place and I am unharmed, isn't that good enough?" Gu Lianzhou didn't understand what his senior brother was worried about. "Senior brother, you seem to be too nervous."

He seems to take it all in stride...

Song Qiling's temples bulged slightly. He took a deep breath and comforted himself, thinking that fools sometimes have good luck. Perhaps someone like Gu Lianzhou was just having a stroke of good fortune.

Besides, there's no other way at the moment, so we can only take it one step at a time.

"Alright, alright, it's good that you're alright." Convincing herself this, Song Qiling felt much more at ease. "You must remember not to stray too far from me. If anything seems amiss, I can detect it in time, lest you lose your life."

Gu Lianzhou stared blankly at his senior brother, feeling as if there was something wrong with his ears.

The person who wanted to drive him away before is now keeping him by his side. Has Senior Brother been stimulated and changed his ways?

He had already agreed verbally, saying, "Of course."

“We’re only two days’ drive from Nancheng, so we need to be careful to avoid trouble.” Song Qiling lay back down, folding her hands behind her head, and glanced at Gu Lianzhou. “With your constitution that attracts evil spirits, you’re a troublemaker wherever you go. I have to keep a close eye on you for my uncle.”

The person responsible for the trouble: "..."

It may be hard to hear, but it's the truth.

Gu Lianzhou chuckled awkwardly, "With my senior brother here, I have nothing to worry about."

-

As the sun began to set, Yu Qi and Liu Dai still hadn't returned.

According to Gu Lianzhou, the two couldn't sit still once they arrived at the post station. One insisted on going into the forest to gather herbs, while the other wanted to hunt some rabbits for a treat. The two hit it off immediately, leaving Young Master Gu to watch the house while they went into the forest.

The world is already in turmoil, and Liu and Yu have only recently left that horrible place, Yin Yang Ravine. They are probably not used to the outside world, and if they encounter bandits in the mountains...

Liu Dai was easy to talk to; as a righteous disciple of Qingyunxi, he naturally wouldn't fight with others. But Yu Qi was different.

That young punk is a killing machine.

Although it was a chaotic era, the laws were strict, and murder was a crime.

Therefore, Song Qiling felt uneasy and, under the pretext of stretching her muscles, decided to go outside to look for someone.

Gu Lianzhou quickly followed, "Senior brother, I'll go with you."

He did remember her instructions.

Song Qiling glanced back at the empty bed and said, "You stay here and guard the house so that no one else can take it over."

Fearing that Gu Lianzhou would resent her for breaking her promise, Song Qiling softened her tone and kindly advised, "You are safer at the post station. I'll be right back; it won't take too long."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lianzhou had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Song Qiling was greatly relieved. She stepped out of the house, turned around and closed the door. Just as she was thinking about how to find the person, she suddenly felt a heat source rapidly approaching from behind.

A chill ran down his spine, and he quickly turned around to look back.

The earthy smell enveloped me, and my vision instantly went completely black.

A strong, iron-like arm, fearing she might escape, roughly clamped her down, and almost instantly, her feet left the ground, and the world spun around her.

Song Qiling cursed inwardly, knowing without a doubt who had kidnapped her.

It was just that he lost face in front of others, but I didn't expect him to be such a vengeful person.

It was also her own fault for being unprepared, which allowed this person to succeed.

With her lower back pressed against hard bones, blood rushed to her head, and Song Qiling felt dizzy, almost vomiting up the pancake she had just eaten.

The next instant, he fell backward onto the cold floor tiles, and the tattered sack covering him was violently ripped off.

"You brat, today I'll teach you what happens when you meddle in other people's business." Zhou Ren squatted down in front of her, took the bucket of water from his companion, and splashed it at Song Qiling.