Chapter 10: Self-Delusion "That means you deliberately hid my portrait...

That's right, what fell out of her sleeve was the portrait her mother had chosen for her yesterday.

She was so angry that she crumpled up the portrait of Xie Yunqing and stuffed it into her sleeve. When she caught a glimpse of it this morning when she was changing into men's clothes, she felt it was an eyesore and unlucky.

He didn't dare throw it away in the sect for fear of arousing his mother's suspicion, so he simply put it back into his sleeve and planned to throw it away quietly outside.

But now, how did this forgotten portrait end up right in front of its owner? What a twist of fate.

I saw Xie Yunqing bending down to pick it up.

No, he must not find out! Shen Wenji's heart hardened, and he instinctively wanted to step on it.

Xie Yunqing reacted extremely quickly, his fingertips touching the edge of the scroll before her.

The slightly cool corner of the sleeve brushed across the tip of Shen Wenji's shoe hanging in the air, and the next moment, a slender hand actually grasped her ankle tightly.

The force is not strong, but it carries shackles that cannot be broken free.

Xie Yunqing lowered his eyes, scanning the pink satin shoes and the slender ankles covered in moon-white socks. His Adam's apple rolled inadvertently, and he raised his eyebrows and chuckled, "Your shoes?"

Shen Wenji's whole body was tense, his calves trembling slightly from the panic and struggle, and he barely managed to maintain his composure by pinching his fingertips into his palms.

You really can't blame her.

There have always been few men in the Hehuan Sect, and even fewer shoes that fit her size.

She searched the entire Hehuan Sect and finally borrowed this pair of new shoes from a junior fellow apprentice, and they were this color and style... they were really a bit ostentatious.

I thought I was covered by the clothes underneath and wouldn't be seen by others, but who would have thought that my mortal enemy could see it clearly!

"Let go!" Shen Wenji's ears were burning hot, and she whispered in defense: "Is it not okay for me to like pink? Please respect my personal preferences!"

"It's not for me to see?" Xie Yunqing nodded without comment, let go and stood up.

Shen Wenji landed on the ground stiffly: "Don't be so sentimental."

"So, your action just now was to destroy the body?" Xie Yunqing suddenly leaned forward, and the shadow fell over him. A slightly cold breath surrounded him instantly, and the distance was so close that he could see his eyelashes clearly.

The bony fingers pinched the scroll, almost in front of Shen Wenji's eyes.

His eyes were deep and deep, with a scrutinizing look in them. He asked in a cold voice, "If I'm not mistaken, this is a portrait, right? Judging from the material of the paper, it seems to be the same as the Hehuan Sect's usual one."

Shen Wenji's pupils suddenly shrank, his throat tightened, and he was so shocked that he couldn't utter a word.

Xie Yunqing could actually tell that it was something from the Hehuan Sect. Would he doubt me...

With the risk of being exposed at any time, she even felt a little weaker in making excuses: "This is just for fun in my spare time... You misunderstood."

"For entertainment? Looking for the He Huan Sect's furnace for entertainment?" His thin lips suddenly curled up in a very faint arc. He seemed to be smiling, his eyes sharp as a knife. "I want to see who is so sacred that you miss him so much."

"Don't!" Amidst the voices of those who tried to stop him, Xie Yunqing, with an indescribable sense of depression, shook open the scroll with a "swish".

Looking down, the eyebrows and eyes depicted in the scroll looked more and more familiar.

Ripples appeared in his dark pupils, and the cold aura suddenly became like a spring breeze. Xie Yunqing even curled up the corners of his lips into a smile.

The man in this portrait is actually himself?

Shen Wenji wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into. She said in a mosquito-like voice, with shame and anger: "I told you not to look..."

She lowered her head and covered her face, her ears flushed red, and her lips were pursed in confusion.

For a moment, countless lame excuses rushed into her mind, almost burning her brain.

However, the expected questioning did not come.

Xie Yunqing was silent for a moment, his Adam's apple rolled slightly, revealing a subtle emotion that was hard to describe.

"you……"

Shen Wenji's heart suddenly rose to his throat, and he almost blurted out an apology.

Xie Yunqing, however, forced himself to remain calm, carefully smoothing out the wrinkles on the scroll before carefully folding it up and putting it away. With a generous tone, he casually commented, "Your painting is just average, not as good-looking as me in person."

“???”

Is this guy's face made of a city wall?!

Shen Wenji choked, and her heart finally relaxed. She was right. Xie Yunqing wouldn't think too much about it.

She spread her hands unceremoniously and said coldly, "You misunderstood. This is not my painting. Give it back to me."

"Really?" Xie Yunqing chuckled briefly, the smile in his eyes even gentler than in the painting. He locked his gaze on her, his tone amused, "So you deliberately hid my portrait."

"Narcissist, stop accusing me here." Shen Wenji gritted his teeth, pushed him away, and snorted coldly: "If you like it, take it. It's the original owner anyway."

Fearing that there would be more trouble, Shen Wenji fled and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Xie Yunqing looked in the direction where she disappeared, and slowly took out a light pink sachet from his lapel.

His rough fingertips gently stroked the delicate word "Ji" on the front of the sachet, and his eyes were deep and difficult to discern.

Runs fast.

-

Shen Wenji had just entered the Hehuan Sect and happened to meet Elder Zhang.

"Oh my little ancestor!" Elder Zhang grabbed her and stamped his feet anxiously. "Where have you been all morning? I've been looking for you so hard I almost turned the sect upside down."

She pulled at the obnoxious men's clothing on Shen Wenji, her disgust evident in her words: "What a mess you are wearing?"

"Aunt Zhang, why are you in such a hurry? Is there something in the sect that needs me?"

"Yes, yes, I almost forgot the important matter. There is a grading assessment for the Lu Ding Academy today. As the incoming sect leader, you should go and offer your condolences with the first prize."

"I see." Shen Wenji understood, "Then shall we go there now?"

Elder Zhang's eyes darkened, and he frowned and asked, "Is this what you're wearing?"

Shen Wenji looked down at his men's clothing, his eyes rolling as he came up with a plan: "Why not? Mother hasn't officially held a succession ceremony for me yet, so strictly speaking, I'm not the clan leader yet. This outfit is perfect. Not many people will recognize me, so it'll be easier to get around."

"But……"

"Besides," Shen Wenji interrupted her, lowering his voice, "I've heard a lot of rumors about our Lu Ding Courtyard outside today... I can take this opportunity to find out the character of those Lu Dings."

She listed the reasons in a clear and logical manner, put her arm around Elder Zhang's shoulders affectionately, and coaxed her softly, "Aunt Zhang, don't worry, I know what's going on."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Shen Wenji, Elder Zhang had no choice but to go along with her.

Elder Zhang stuffed an exquisitely carved wooden box into Shen Wenji's hands and instructed in a low voice: "Someone will call out the names and determine the grades later. You just need to give this to the No. 1 furnace."

Shen Wenji weighed the wooden box, feeling it was slightly heavy in her hand. She asked curiously, "What's inside? It's quite heavy, but we don't want to seem too stingy or perfunctory."

"Don't worry, this is how it's been prepared for generations. It's considered the three-piece entry-level set for our Hehuan Sect." Elder Zhang waved his hand. "You can open it and take a look."

"Three-piece set?" Shen Wenji had never heard of this term before. She opened the wooden box carefully.

First I saw an old friend, some exquisite jade stones.

Then I saw a pile of red gauze, which was thin and translucent, and was almost the same as what I saw in the secret room.

There is also a medium-thick secret book containing the familiar "Eighteen Styles of Spring Mountain".

Finally, her eyes were drawn to an object in the corner.

It was a shell slightly larger than an adult's palm, with a fan-shaped outline and a surface covered with fine lines and raised ridges. It did not look like it was artificially forged, but rather like it was natural and wild.

She asked suspiciously, "Isn't it a three-piece set? Was this shell put in by mistake?"

"Shell?" Elder Zhang looked over, his expression suddenly changing. He exclaimed, "Oh my! How did this love shell get mixed up in here? Some blind disciple must have made a mistake. I'll skin them alive!"

"It's okay." Shen Wenji didn't care at all and reached out to take it. "It's just a small pet. Just take it out..."

"Wait!" Elder Zhang exclaimed, "Don't touch this thing!"

But she was still too slow to remind him, and Shen Wenji had already held the shell in his palm.

Shen Wenji raised his eyes, looking somewhat innocently puzzled: "Hmm?"

"I think it's quite well behaved, nothing unusual." She stared at the shell that was quietly behaving itself in her palm and said with a smile, "Aunt Zhang, are you being too nervous?"

"Hiss..." Elder Zhang sucked in a breath, then said in frustration, "My little ancestor, this love clam is very cunning before it recognizes its master, and it always pretends to be obedient and clever. Put it down now! Don't let it touch you anywhere else!"

"What harm can such a small thing do? I have fought monsters hundreds of times larger than it, so why would I be afraid of it?" Shen Wenji stared at the shell in her palm, even a little eager to try it out. She wanted to know what power this little thing could have.

The Love-Channel Shell seemed to have glimpsed Shen Wenji's thoughts, and as if deliberately satisfying her, it jumped into the air and pounced straight towards her neck.

Shen Wenji's eyes flashed, and he almost instinctively pinched his fingers and waved his hands. A spiritual barrier popped out instantly, and the shell was bounced away with a "pop".

Are you kidding me? The neck is not a place you can touch casually. If it bites a blood vessel, she will die. The love shell was knocked away, but it spun in mid-air with extraordinary agility and landed precisely on her collarbone.

Shen Wenji paused in his finger-gripping gestures, his mind slightly moved: I want to see what other tricks you can come up with, little thing?

The hard outer edge of the shell was slightly raised, half of it pushing open her collar, while the other half of the thin inner shell, with soft and moist shell meat, slid deftly into her lapel.

The cold, smooth, and soft clam flesh with a strange trembling feeling suddenly rubbed against her warm skin, leaving a wet and sticky mark.

The unfamiliar touch caused Shen Wenji to frown, her hair stood on end, and she reached out to pull out the mischievous thing.

The next second, there was a pain in his collarbone, which caused waves of numbness. Shen Wenji trembled all over and almost jumped up.

The shell seemed to have a mouthpart, clinging tightly to her collarbone, greedily sucking something?!

The two petals of the shell were getting tighter and tighter, and the numbness and tingling sensations they brought became more and more intense, piercing my heart and lungs.

"Enough!" Shen Wenji really couldn't stand it anymore, so he raised his hand and grabbed the shell, pulling it with brute force, and with a "swish" sound, he finally pulled it off.

She threw the shell back into the box, not daring to touch it again, and said in a strange tone: "Aunt Zhang, what on earth is this?"

Elder Zhang hurriedly took out another specially made jade box, carefully transferred the shell into it, locked it, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

Her face was filled with embarrassment and helplessness. "Ahem...nothing, nothing, it's just...it's just a new spirit pet that the sect has cultivated to entertain us, an improved one..."

"Hiss—" Shen Wenji pulled open his collar and lowered his head to check the injury on his collarbone.

There were clear red marks on the snow-white skin, which was slightly swollen and had wet edges. The skin was not broken, but the residual numbness could not be shaken off.

"Don't worry." Elder Zhang hastened to assure her, "This love shell is just a little lively in nature. It absorbs some essence, which is harmless to the human body! The juice it secretes... well... it has some effect of nourishing the skin." The more she spoke, the lower her voice became, and her old face flushed slightly.

Shen Wenji rubbed his hot collarbone, an indescribable strange feeling lingering in his heart: "This kind of thing...is this how you usually use it?"

She couldn't think of a more euphemistic word.

"That's about right." Zhang Chang explained vaguely, "It only needs to be added to water and inhaled externally. Everyone prefers different ways of using it."

Shen Wenji seemed to understand but not quite, with doubts in his heart, but he didn't dare to ask any further questions, for fear of exposing any flaws.

Just as the grading results were about to be announced, she walked into the Luding Courtyard.

-

Xie Yunqing carefully sealed the portrait he had snatched today using magical techniques and placed it in a collection cabinet filled with rare treasures.

"Bang--"

A figure swiftly broke into the room through the window, bringing in a gust of cool breeze.

He didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, frowned, and said coldly: "Wu Feng, if you don't come through the door next time, I will melt your sword."

"Don't melt it, don't melt it!" Wu Feng quickly hid his precious sword behind him and said with a smile, "I have an emergency to report. It's urgent!"

Xie Yunqing picked up the white jade teapot on the table, tilted his wrist lightly, and the water flowed out. He said calmly: "Tell me, if you keep talking nonsense, I will throw you into the demon world as an undercover."

"I just saw your sweetheart enter the Hehuan Sect!"

Hearing the sound, Xie Yunqing's wrist trembled, and the clear tea poured out of the cup.

"Bang!" The teapot slammed heavily on the table.

Xie Yunqing raised his eyes, his gaze fixed on Wu Feng, and asked word by word, "Heart, superior?"

"Yeah, you saw him acting very strangely before. If he's not your sweetheart, what is he?"

Xie Yunqing thought he was talking nonsense again, so he calmly picked up the teacup and took a sip, then flatly denied it: "I don't have a lover, you misunderstood."

"It's the pretty boy who tried to kill us when he ran into us at the brothel earlier..."

Before he could finish his words, Xie Yunqing had already slipped away, leaving behind only a cup of steaming hot tea.

"I thought he was my sweetheart." Wu Feng was surprised. "I didn't expect that Xie Yunqing is actually a homosexual. It seems I have to be careful in the future."

The author has something to say:

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A second ago, I treasured the portrait and felt crazy and secretly happy. [Dog head holding a rose]

The next second, Xiao Xie (drinking tea calmly): Sweetheart? I don’t have one.

Wu Feng: Zundu fakedu? That's the one...eh? Where's he?! [rolling eyes][clown]

Xiao Xie has five minutes left to reach the Hehuan Sect battlefield. Let's see how our Susu will tell him a lie. [Let me see]

How could the bad guy, Love Clinging, "bite" Susu? I wonder if Xiao Xie will find out about the traces? [狗头][狗头][狗头] Hehehe~

[Lop-eared rabbit head] The next update time is Saturday at 12 o'clock. Thank you for your support.