Chapter 13 What do you think I'll do?

He could vaguely see some shadows on the screen, and realizing she was taking a bath, he hurriedly turned away, stammering, "I'm sorry... I didn't know, you..."

Seeing that she had no reaction, he felt strange. When he realized it, he didn't care about anything else. He went over the screen and saw that Jiang Zhishui was completely submerged in the water and had lost consciousness.

"Jiang Zhishui!!"

Jing Qianheng quickly pulled her out of the water. She wasn't wearing any clothes. He looked helpless, his ears burning red. He couldn't let her go, so he kept his eyes looking upwards. He grabbed a piece of clothing, pulled her out of the water, quickly wrapped her up, and carried her to the bed.

Jiang Zhishui drank a lot of water and lay in bed coughing badly. Jing Qianheng pulled the blanket over her again, stood up, looking flustered, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

She was very cold, so she curled up on her side.

The cloth on her forehead fell off, and the person sitting on the edge of the bed sighed softly.

Jiang Zhishui vaguely felt a bitter taste in her throat. She choked and coughed until she woke up.

Jing Qianheng didn't notice that she was already awake. He gently breathed on the soup spoon to warm it, then turned to feed her.

The image of Jing Qianheng gripping her neck with extreme hatred flashed through her mind from the original novel.

The exact same faces overlapped at that moment. Her eyes widened, she flung away his soup spoon, and stood up in fear. "What are you doing?"

Jing Qianheng frowned as he watched her hug the blanket and back away, saying, "What do you think I'd do if I told you to take your medicine?"

Jiang Zhishui glanced at the medicine bowl in his hand and felt dizzy. Jing Qianheng reached out to support her, but she flinched away in fright.

Jing Qianheng was stunned. Jiang Zhishui, seeing his expression, knew she had overreacted. She said awkwardly, "I...I'm fine now, thank you."

How could someone faint while taking a bath?

Um?

Jiang Zhishui pulled back the covers and saw that she was fully dressed. She looked up at Jing Qianheng, her face flushed, and said, "You... my clothes...."

Jing Qianheng slowly withdrew his hand, his brows furrowing slightly. He glanced at her and said calmly, "The innkeeper's daughter helped you change your clothes. You fainted."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhishui breathed a sigh of relief, but then she wondered how Jing Qianheng had gotten in.

She turned her eyes and looked at him suspiciously.

After thinking about it, she came to a realization.

Forget it, what's the point of worrying about whether he sees it or not? If he hadn't come looking for her, she would have drowned in the bathtub long ago. Besides, she'd already done things she shouldn't have done; it's too late to be fussy now.

Jiang Zhishui was overwhelmed with emotions and was speechless for a moment.

Jing Qianheng sat on the edge of the bed, not leaving. Jiang Zhishui clutched the blanket and whispered, "I...want to rest."

The atmosphere was incredibly awkward. She didn't know why, but being alone with Jing Qianheng made her feel terrified.

Why is he so kind as to come and take care of her?

"About yesterday..." Jing Qianheng hesitated for a moment, then said gently, "I offended you, I'm sorry."

Jing Qianheng felt that she was afraid of him because of what happened yesterday, and she was anxious but at a loss.

Jiang Zhishui found it hard to imagine that Jing Qianheng, as he was now, would become the sinister, insane, cruel, and ruthless person described by the system. He, someone who had been subjected to an even more outrageous offense, had actually apologized to her first for that trivial matter from last night.

Is he really that good at apologizing? How many times has this happened?

Jing Qianheng said in a low voice, "Are you angry?"

Jiang Zhishui was taken aback by his helpless expression, and a strange ripple stirred in her heart. She shook her head blankly.

Jing Qianheng's expression softened, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. "Senior Sister said you're afraid of me, but I don't think so. You're just..."

Liu Chuxi knew the two were at odds, but assumed it was due to Jing Qianheng's coldness. Jing Qianheng disagreed; his eyes dimmed halfway through his sentence. He silently thought the last part: You just... hate me.

Jiang Zhishui still found it strange that his attitude had softened so much all of a sudden. It turned out that the reason he had come to find her was because of what Senior Sister Liu had said.

Jing Qianheng really listened to what Senior Sister Liu said without question. Even if he felt wronged, he would probably come to her to ease the tension in order to make Liu Chuxi happy.

All her previous efforts were less effective than a single word from Senior Sister Liu.

What a blunder! I should have asked Senior Sister Liu to step in earlier, then that whole mess wouldn't have happened.

But none of that matters now. Things have come to this, and she has to rethink her future path.

——

Most of the people infected with the plague in Qiyun City have recovered, and the immortal sects have also helped clean and purify the city's environment. After staying for more than two months, it's about time to set off back.

Jiang Zhishui asked the system, "Will the illusion event in Qiyun City not happen again?"

The system says: "The first and second lives will differ because you have been reborn. Your actions will influence subsequent developments to some extent, but the basic timeline will remain unchanged."

That means it hasn't even started yet; the timing of what happened has changed.

Inside the inn, the disciples of the immortal sect were all packing their bags. Jiang Zhishui leaned against the window and watched, thinking that packing was pointless, so she might as well not waste her time.

Before long, several wealthy merchants in the city came to invite people from various sects of the immortal sects to a banquet to express their gratitude. After several attempts to decline, they could not refuse and decided to leave the next day.

The banquet was held at Zuiyun Pavilion, the largest restaurant in the city. Several nobles had not contracted the plague. They had invited a few reclusive masters in advance to isolate them in a high mountain temple outside the city, keeping them under strict control until the epidemic in the city stabilized.

The restaurant is filled with the homes of powerful and wealthy people. Those who have been infected with the plague have recently been strictly forbidden from leaving the house by the government, and their movements are restricted. They need the government's approval and permission to go out.

Some people in the immortal sects disagreed with this, but they couldn't interfere in everything.

Saving people and saving the world doesn't mean you can save everything.

Jiang Zhishui walked down the street with Lin Ye and the others. The night sky was filled with dazzling fireworks. She stopped and looked up at them. The colorful fireworks were very beautiful.

Jing Qianheng turned to look at her. The street was deserted, and the doors and windows of the houses on both sides were tightly closed.

Jiang Zhishui noticed the gaze and looked ahead. Lin Ye and Liu Chuxi were walking side by side, their figures slowly disappearing into the darkness. She then turned her gaze to Jing Qianheng.

He turned around and walked towards her.

A huge firework exploded in the night sky, dazzlingly bright, its light spreading like daytime. Jiang Zhishui raised her hand to shield her eyes, and when she lowered it, the street had transformed into a palace. She was now standing on the steps, dressed in red, with demonic runes appearing on her forehead.

The plaque in front of me reads "Luhua Palace".

A maidservant beside Jiang Zhishui said with a smile, "My lord, the person has been captured and is in the palace."

In her previous life, Jiang Zhishui entered an illusionary realm and suffered a cultivation mishap, accidentally killing a fellow disciple. She was then hunted down by the immortal sects. After falling into demonic possession, she captured and tortured mortal men for amusement, absorbing their essence to increase her cultivation.

The illusion remained unchanged this time.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, she knew the people inside wouldn't change.