Chapter 26 I Still Believe in This World "Hey! Senior Brother, you..."

"Hey! Senior brother, you're back!" A disciple of the Hehuan Sect was delighted to see the red-clad youth and was about to say something, but when he saw the youth's unpleasant expression, he silently shut his mouth.

Good heavens, my senior brother looks terrible. Who has upset him again?

Jiang Zhihe naturally heard the disciple's voice as well. His expression softened slightly, and after politely greeting him, he headed straight for his residence.

His residence was located on a hilltop within the sect, covered with a large expanse of peach trees, and in the center of this hill was a simple and elegant courtyard.

He first summoned the Hongying sword from his waist, drawing it from its sheath and emanating a chilling aura. The sword sank several inches into the ground in the next instant, and the surrounding ground was instantly covered in ice.

Jiang Zhihe glanced down at the longsword on the ground and said softly, "Hongying, keep an eye on this place for me."

He then turned and went inside.

After entering the room, he first used his spiritual sense to explore the surroundings. After confirming that there was nothing around, he looked up at the empty air in front of him.

Is she still safe in the secret realm?

The air was silent for a moment, then ripples appeared in the air before us, and a slightly blurry image appeared in the sky.

"Of course! I said I would protect her!" The electronic voice rang out from the surroundings.

"You can't interfere too much right now, can you?"

Am I really that useless to you?!

Looking at the unharmed girl in the picture, Jiang Zhihe finally felt a huge weight lifted from his heart, and his words softened slightly:

"Okay, okay, you're very useful, alright?"

But he soon noticed the familiar yet unfamiliar boy in black next to the girl.

"Wait, how come he's with Xiaozhu?!"

Ah...you know, ever since that incident, the plot of this world has started to fall apart, so encountering it sooner isn't such a bad thing.

Jiang Zhihe remained silent, dissatisfied, wishing he could rush in right now and separate the two of them!

In short, I'll protect her these next two days, and you... remember to bring more magical treasures when you enter the secret realm; we're almost out!

Jiang Zhihe stared longingly at the girl in the picture. After hearing the system's voice, he pouted and said, "I know, I know. Also, Teng Shao at this time is not a good person. Remember to protect her."

You don't need to tell me.

… …

In the secret realm——

The next day, the two set off again, preparing to move to a different location.

On the way, Teng Shao walked silently ahead, while Gu Xiaozhu followed behind him.

Actually, when Gu Xiaozhu first decided to act with Teng Shao, Teng Shao became the one who scouted the surroundings and found hiding places, so the two changed from Teng Shao following Gu Xiaozhu to Gu Xiaozhu following Teng Shao.

At first, Teng Shao walked away at an incredible speed, disappearing in no time, leaving Gu Xiaozhu standing there in a daze.

She waited in the same spot for a while, but when Teng Shao didn't return, she thought she'd just randomly choose a direction, since the system could help her detect the basic situation around her.

But just as she was about to leave, Teng Shao's figure came into view.

He frowned slightly, his eyes full of doubt as he looked at Gu Xiaozhu: "Why didn't you follow?"

Gu Xiaozhu: "...Perhaps you've forgotten that I'm just a mortal with no cultivation whatsoever?"

Teng Shao: "..."

After this incident, Teng Shao had to slow down, but sometimes he still couldn't control himself and would accidentally go too far.

Each time he realized the person behind him had disappeared, he would fall silent, then resignedly turn back and find the girl who was obediently standing there waiting for him.

Fortunately, after two days of adjustment, he was finally able to control his speed, which resulted in Gu Xiaozhu being able to keep up with him.

You seem to be in a good mood today?

The boy in front suddenly spoke up.

Gu Xiaozhu was taken aback: "Really?

Teng Shao turned his head slightly and looked at her with his calm eyes: "Your eyebrows are much more relaxed than yesterday."

Gu Xiaozhu: "...?"

Observing so carefully?

Although she was indeed happy, after all, the secret realm was about to open today. When a large number of cultivators entered the secret realm, those rampant demonic cultivators would naturally restrain themselves a lot, and they would be safer.

And you might even run into acquaintances then.

The image of the boy in red appeared in her mind, and she inexplicably felt that her unease had dissipated considerably.

"You're still laughing now."

Teng Shao's voice rang out again.

Gu Xiaozhu snapped out of her thoughts: "Huh? Really?"

Teng Shao remained silent, simply watching her, even stopping in his tracks.

[Some hosts exist, some do.]

The system confirmed this.

Hehe, aren't you getting excited just thinking about Jiang Zhihe coming?

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiaozhu felt her face inexplicably hot. She suppressed her heart, which had been pounding for a moment, and forced herself to remain calm: "No... um, okay, a little bit."

"After all, your good friend is coming to find you in such a strange and dangerous place, you're bound to be happy!"

Wow, that makes sense.

However, He changed His tone: "But host, admit it, I really think you're about to fall for him."

Gu Xiaozhu: "..."

No way? That can't be right.

Keep in mind we've only known each other for a little over a month!

She looked up at Teng Shao in front of her again. He was still standing there, silent, as if waiting for her answer.

Gu Xiaozhu: "Um... I just think..."

How should she answer?

Could it be that the secret realm is about to open today, and they won't have to hide anymore?

How should she explain her source of information?

Fortunately, she soon didn't have to worry about this issue anymore.

[Host, someone's here.] the system announced.

Over here, Teng Shao was still waiting for Gu Xiaozhu's reply when suddenly, he glanced at her and the curved knife at his waist slashed through the air, shooting towards the bushes not far away!

"who!"

"Thump!"

The scimitar plunged into the ground, embedding itself deep into the earth.

Beside her, a figure in a white dress, her face ashen, gasped in shock: "Ah!"

Gu Xiaozhu understood, and her expression immediately turned strange. She tentatively stepped forward and saw a beautiful woman kneeling on the ground behind the bushes, tears streaming down her face.

It's A-Cui.

Teng Shao walked to the side, drew his scimitar, but did not put it away; instead, he held it in his hand.

His expression wasn't exactly pleasant; his brows furrowed with impatience and annoyance: "What are you doing here?"

This is so annoying, I really want to kill this person.

But when his gaze fell upon Gu Xiaozhu, and he recalled the moral compass she had displayed along the way, he reluctantly suppressed his murderous intent for the time being.

Ugh, this is such a hassle.

Ah Cui seemed to sense the killing intent emanating from Teng Shao, and trembled as she moved closer to Gu Xiaozhu. As she got closer, Gu Xiaozhu could clearly smell the floral fragrance emanating from her.

She wondered if it was just her imagination, but the fragrance of the flowers seemed a little stronger than the last time they met.

On the other side, Teng Shao was even more annoyed when he saw this scene.

Ah Cui carefully clutched Gu Xiaozhu's clothes, her voice trembling as she spoke, "I... I ran into those two immortals again today. Luckily, I escaped thanks to the protective talisman that Sister Xiaozhu gave me."

Gu Xiaozhu glanced at A Cui, who was still kneeling on the ground, clutching her skirt, and reached out her hand: "Why don't you... stand up first?"

Ah Cui glanced at her, took her hand, and stood up.

"I... I was so scared that I just kept running away, and then... and then I ended up here."

Teng Shao's tone became even more impatient: "So, you might have caused us two more problems?"

Upon hearing this, Ah Cui was startled and immediately waved her hands: "No, no! I... I shook them off! They won't know I escaped here!"

Teng Shao's hand, gripping the scimitar, was already itching to strike: "Hmph, you were just saying you were running away in a panic, and now you're so sure you've shaken them off?"

Ah Cui choked, "I...I..."

She didn't say anything, and tears started streaming down her face again.

Ah Cui was already beautiful, and now she was crying with tears streaming down her face, which even made Gu Xiaozhu feel a little sorry for her.

But just as her emotions were rising, she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye that Teng Shao had already raised his knife.

Gu Xiaozhu was startled and all pity vanished. She quickly took out a piece of candied fruit from her storage bracelet and stuffed it into A Cui's mouth. A Cui's crying stopped abruptly, and she looked at Gu Xiaozhu blankly.

Gu Xiaozhu quickly whispered, "Don't cry, Teng Shao has already raised his knife."

Upon hearing this, Ah Cui even stopped sobbing and quickly wiped away her tears.

She glanced at the murderous Teng Shao over there, then at the worried girl over here, the candied fruit in her mouth still emitting sweetness.

She chewed and swallowed the candied fruit, then put on a pitiful look and looked at Gu Xiaozhu: "Xiaozhu, I really can't live alone. Please, let me go with you."

"I swear, I really won't cause you any trouble! I'll do whatever you ask me to do!"

Gu Xiaozhu looked troubled. She turned to look at Teng Shao and found that he had even leaned against the tree with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, as if he didn't want to see him.

Gu Xiaozhu sighed: "A Cui, it's not that we don't want you to come along, it's just that it's really dangerous for you to come with us."

"To be honest, we are currently being hunted down by a group of demonic cultivators. If you follow us, you will only... die even faster."

"Furthermore, I must respect Teng Shao's wishes; this is not a decision I can make on my own."

Upon hearing this, A-Cui paused, then gritted her teeth and asked, "And what about you?"

Gu Xiaozhu was taken aback: "What?"

Ah Cui looked at her, her eyes revealing a unease and resentment she had never seen before.

"And what about you? You're just a mortal like me, right? So why is Young Master Teng willing to take you along, but not me?"

Gu Xiaozhu's troubled expression gradually disappeared, replaced by calmness: "Because he was injured, it was already difficult for him to hide with me alone, so he couldn't protect two people at the same time."

Ah Cui grabbed her hand, her eyes pleading, "Then, Sister Xiaozhu, please have mercy, leave Young Master Teng and let me stay here, okay?"

"You should still have the talisman I gave you yesterday, right? Even if you're not by Young Master Teng's side, you can still protect yourself, right?"

Gu Xiaozhu simply looked at her calmly: "Teng Shao will not agree."

Ah Cui felt somewhat uncomfortable being stared at, and even felt a little anxious.

"But I'm no worse than you!" she said, her voice breaking. "I'm prettier than you, and I can do everything you can do! But why, why is he willing to take you along, but not me?"

Gu Xiaozhu understood: "So... you were lying before?"

A Cui was stunned. Only then did she realize that she had misspoke, and a chill gradually crept up her body.

"Yes...you're right!" Her voice was somewhat sharp, and her tone even rose considerably.

She released Gu Xiaozhu's hand and instinctively hugged her arms: "I met two immortal masters. They were just like the men I had met before. As long as I seduced them and paid a little physical price, they were all blinded and agreed to all my requests."

“After all… I was a prostitute.” She looked up at Gu Xiaozhu, her eyes filled with brokenness, as if they were bottomless darkness.

But she was quickly stunned.

Because the girl's eyes were so pure, there was neither pity nor disgust for her; she simply looked at her quietly, as if she were looking at an ordinary woman.

She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she had no choice; she was already filthy and stuck in the mire, unable to escape.

But she hadn't seen that kind of look in her eyes, that kind of pure look, in a very long time.

When women see her, they feel jealousy and contempt.

When men see her, they are greedy and lustful.

Because she was a prostitute, someone despised and scorned by the world.

Ah Cui suddenly felt somewhat lost, like a child who had made a mistake and felt guilty.

Do you eat candied fruit?

The girl in front of him suddenly spoke.

She was holding a wooden box containing candied fruit coated in powdered sugar. She said, "A friend of mine told me that eating sweets can make you feel better."

A Cui was stunned.

"Why..." she began, her voice trembling.

"I treated you like that..."

Gu Xiaozhu looked at her and smiled: "But you didn't hurt me. You even asked me if I could quit."

She held the wooden box forward, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "To be honest, when you told me to quit, I wondered if you would suddenly pull out a knife and stab me. If I died, wouldn't there be an empty spot next to Teng Shao?"

A-Cui was even more confused. She asked in a daze, "Then... you still let me get close to you?"

Gu Xiaozhu looked at her, her eyes seemingly filled with the warmth of midsummer: "Although I tend to think the worst of things, I still believe that the world is not that bad."

"It turns out you didn't intend to hurt me; you were just asking me questions, or... pleading with me."

Ah Cui stared at her for a long time before finally speaking: "You believe it, but I don't."

This world... is clearly rotten to the core.

In the end, she simply concealed the glint of silver light in her hand.

Gu Xiaozhu looked at her, finally sighed, and put away the box of candied fruit in her hand: "Those two... immortals? They're dead, aren't they? Otherwise, you wouldn't be so persistent in looking for Teng Shao."

“But my relationship with Teng Shao is not what you think, and as you can see, Teng Shao doesn’t fall for your ideas.”

Seeing that A-Cui remained silent, Gu Xiaozhu continued, "You probably don't like this, do you?"

A Cui looked up abruptly, but Gu Xiaozhu continued, "If you don't like it, you don't have to do it. There's more than one way to survive."

Ah Cui clenched her fists and shouted, "You don't understand anything at all!"

"I'm hopeless... I've been hopeless for a long time."

After saying that, she turned and ran away.

Gu Xiaozhu watched her receding figure and shook her head helplessly.

At that moment, Teng Shao walked over and said sarcastically, "See? Not everyone will accept your kindness. You're just wasting your time."

Gu Xiaozhu glanced at him and said in a low voice, "It's my business to extend goodwill, and it's her business whether she accepts it or not. It doesn't matter."

After she finished speaking, she paused, her expression somewhat strange.

This sounds familiar. Have I heard something similar before?

Teng Shao curled his lip upon hearing this.

"That's incredibly stupid."