Chapter 5: My mind is filled with her.

Liu Chuxi said, "It's probably related to his personality. He doesn't like to show off?"

Jing Qianheng's foundation was unstable, and he also suffered from a strange illness. When the illness struck, his spiritual power stagnated, and his true energy was difficult to condense, making his cultivation process much more difficult than others.

Within the Purple Sun Immortal Abode, the competition and exclusion among outer disciples for the chance to become inner disciples is fierce. If Jing Qianheng stands out too much, he will inevitably incur jealousy, and might even be targeted while he is ill.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Jing Qianheng would tolerate the minor squabbles and harassment among his fellow disciples.

This time, he specially took a bottle of pills from Si Yan of Yun Cui Peak before going out, so that if anything unexpected happened, it would at least last for a while.

When Jing Qianheng heard Jiang Zhishui's name, he was about to turn away, but Liu Chuxi added: "They are waiting for me at the mountain gate."

"Them"? And who was she with?

He couldn't help but ask, and as soon as he learned it was Lin Ye, his mouth moved before his mind could even process it.

Jing Qianheng repeatedly convinced himself that he only said he would go because Liu Chuxi was also there.

But when the four of them met at the foot of the mountain, her face immediately darkened when she saw him, and she couldn't even smile anymore.

Do you really hate seeing him that much?

He says sorry very quickly, and he runs away very quickly too.

She wasn't remorseful; she was utterly disgusted and didn't even want to see him!

Jing Qianheng's mind was filled with thoughts of her, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

——

The villagers of Changshui Village have contracted a strange disease, and green vines have suddenly grown on their bodies, connecting them to their flesh and blood.

Many villagers, unable to bear the strangeness of their bodies, used knives to cut out pieces of their own flesh. However, within a day, the green vines grew back from the bloody wounds.

After the green vines devoured a human heart and a human face grew out of the chest, the villagers realized that this was not an illness, but an evil spirit eating people.

They immediately sent people to seek help from nearby sects, and the sect closest to Changshui Village was Taihua Sect.

In less than a day, Jiang Zhishui and her group arrived at Changshui Village, the entire village surrounded by dense vines. After the four entered the village, the vines crawled slowly like snakes.

It was already dark, and the streets were deserted, with scattered items from the stalls lying on the ground. The four walked hesitantly, constantly watching their surroundings.

The doors of the houses on both sides were wide open, and the windows were badly damaged. The further you went in, the stronger the pungent smell of blood became.

Lin Ye and Zhong Ziqing often corresponded. Before Zhong Ziqing set off for Changshui Village, he wrote to Lin Ye, saying that he would come to Ziyang Immortal Mansion soon after completing his mission, and asked him to tell Jiang Zhishui to wait for him and not to run around anymore.

Judging from the contents of the letter, Zhong Ziqing's tone was relaxed, and he didn't seem to care about the monsters in Changshui Village.

Lin Ye frowned and asked in surprise, "Ziqing and the others should have arrived two days before us. How did this village become like this?"

Liu Chuxi said, "The demonic aura is very strong; it's everywhere."

As soon as they finished speaking, the door of a house next to them shook slightly, and all four of them looked over at the same time.

Behind the half-open door was darkness. After a moment of silence, a face hanging on a chest suddenly peeked out. Jiang Zhishui, who was standing at the front, was frightened by the strange appearance, and Lin Ye immediately pulled her behind him to shield her.

An old woman shook her head, raised her hand and opened the door. The smooth human skin under her neck, without hair, grew out of place on her chest like a flower.

"A...guest...is here...please...come in..." The old woman stammered, covered in blood, with green vines wrapped around one of her feet, spreading down to her chest. After speaking, she swayed her head from side to side, finally managing to straighten it. When the four men saw her face, their expressions turned to horror.

Her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears were all pierced by green vines, so the sound didn't come from her mouth at all.

The four remained motionless when the face on the old woman's chest suddenly grinned and lunged at them. Lin Ye drew his sword and stabbed her, but she was completely unaware and continued forward until the sword was fully embedded. Seeing her charging towards him, Lin Ye quickly withdrew his sword and retreated.

He kicked the old woman away, and just as he was about to step forward to use his magic to get rid of the monster, Liu Chuxi quickly pulled him back. They looked up and saw countless figures standing densely on the eaves.

Those people were falling down one by one, getting closer and closer to them.

Jiang Zhishui swung her sword to counter, but her wrists were bound by vines. The green vines on these people were as nimble as snakes, quickly wrapping around them and restricting their movements as they approached Jiang Zhishui and her companions.

She reacted quickly, switching hands to wield the sword and cutting off the vines covering her body.

Lin Ye shouted, "There are too many people. Let's get out of here first, then we'll figure out a solution."

Liu Chuxi turned around to look for Jing Qianheng, but there was a huge crowd of people, so densely packed together that she couldn't find him at all. She called out anxiously, "Junior Brother Jing!"

As Jiang Zhishui struggled to cut down the vines that approached her with her sword, she ran away in a panic. As she fled, she saw Jing Qianheng standing motionless among the group of demons. Strangely, the demons did not attack him.

Jing Qianheng stood there dumbfounded as the demons passed right past him and chased after Liu Chuxi and Lin Ye.

Jiang Zhishui rushed to Jing Qianheng, grabbed his hand, and ran. The demon, who had previously been indifferent to Jing Qianheng, quickly gave chase.

Jiang Zhishui turned around and saw that most of the demons were rushing towards her.

She grabbed Jing Qianheng and ran into the woods. The two of them ran through the trees for a while before Jiang Zhishui pulled Jing Qianheng off the cliff and into the river, finally shaking off the group of monsters behind them.

After being swept away by the river for a while, Jiang Zhishui and Jing Qianheng finally emerged from the water and struggled to climb ashore.

——

Inside the cave, beside the fire, Jiang Zhishui shivered from the cold, while Jing Qianheng opposite her had water dripping from his hair and looked extremely uncomfortable.

Jiang Zhishui stole a glance at him and couldn't help but think of the time in her previous life when Jing Qianheng was bullied and fell into the river. She taught those disciples a lesson and reached out to pull him up, but he just pulled her into the river with force.

"Mind your own business."

She was furious and chased after him, demanding, "Jing Qianheng, can't you be reasonable? You can accept Senior Sister Liu helping you, but why can't you accept it when it's me?"

He shook off her hand, not wanting to say a single unnecessary word to her.

Jiang Zhishui had always lived a carefree and leisurely life, lazy but happy. Her cultivation level was neither high nor low, but she felt that it was good enough and wouldn't hinder her from exorcising demons. She had no ambitions, living a simple life, content with just two or three close friends.

Her life has always been simple: exorcising demons, cultivating, playing with her fellow disciples, and finding joy in her simple life.

When her Uncle Song An asked her to look after someone, she thought it was just a small matter and didn't take it too seriously.

However, after getting to know Jing Qianheng, her life began to become complicated.

During the time Jing Qianheng disliked her, Jiang Zhishui was completely innocent, but she was magnanimous and didn't hold a grudge. She focused on her own life and continued doing what she needed to do.

Later, on the day Jing Qianheng left Ziyang Immortal Mansion to return to Jin Kingdom, Senior Sister Liu invited her to see him off, but Jiang Zhishui didn't want to make a fool of herself and didn't go to see him one last time.

Little did I know that that farewell would be our last.

Jiang Zhishui figured she'd be scolded for meddling again for dragging Jing Qianheng away this time. She remained unusually quiet, not daring to speak, afraid he'd seize the opportunity to reprimand her.

Jiang Zhishui stirred the fire with dry branches, recalling past events. Thinking that she had avenged him for dragging her into the water in her previous life, she felt a surge of joy and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Jing Qianheng looked up at her. "What are you laughing at?"

Jiang Zhishui's lips stiffened, and she slowly looked up. She pursed her lips, shook her head, and stubbornly said, "I didn't laugh."

Jing Qianheng frowned, his mind uneasy. He was puzzled as to why those demons hadn't attacked him, and also... had Jiang Zhishui seen it too? What would she think?

Do you think there's something wrong with him?

What should we do? What should we do with her?

He was nervous and scared, afraid that she would find out his secret. His mind was in complete chaos, but she suddenly smiled.

Jing Qianheng, annoyed, glared at her and said angrily, "Do you think this situation is funny? Jiang Zhishui, is everything like a game to you?"

Jiang Zhishui lowered her head and whispered, "I'm sorry..."

I'm sorry, but saying it too much is becoming increasingly pointless.

Jing Qianheng was taken aback, his brows furrowing even more. He didn't want to lose his temper with her all the time, but he found it hard to stay calm whenever he was with her.

He rubbed his forehead, sighed softly, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly said, "I'm sorry... you saved me, I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Jiang Zhishui suddenly looked up, staring at him with a horrified expression.

Jing Qianheng's ears turned red. He looked up at her blank expression and said sternly, "But you don't have to worry about me next time. I can take care of myself."

Jiang Zhishui was speechless as she watched the boy's expression change in an instant.

The true identity of the Azure Jade Emperor was originally an outer disciple of the Purple Sun Immortal Mansion. Who would believe that if this were told?

But how did Jing Qianheng, who was physically weak and had low cultivation, become the feared Jade Emperor of the Three Realms?

Did he possess such devastating power from the very beginning? Was feigning illness merely a cover-up?

What is the purpose of entering the Purple Sun Immortal Abode...?

Jiang Zhishui knew too little about Jing Qianheng from her previous life. She thought they could get along well in this life, but their relationship turned out to be even worse than in her previous life.

However, just now, the group of demons in Changshui Village only avoided attacking Jing Qianheng. Could it be that the demons instinctively sensed that he was in danger, so they dared not make a move against him?

The two men sat around the fire, warming themselves in the silent cave.

Jiang Zhishui glanced at Jing Qianheng. His features were cold and aloof, clearly indicating that he was not someone easy to approach or defend. Hoping to mend their relationship was now unlikely, and getting close to him and staying by his side was even more difficult.

Suddenly an idea struck her, and she deliberately asked, "Qianheng, why did those vine demons avoid you the only time?"

Jing Qianheng's expression changed slightly, but he calmly replied, "I don't know."

As he answered, he looked directly at Jiang Zhishui. After listening, she raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Then I'll find Senior Brother Lin and Senior Sister Liu and ask them."

This seemingly casual statement is actually a very obvious threat.

Jing Qianheng suddenly stood up and said coldly, "Jiang Zhishui."

Jiang Zhishui looked up at him and replied calmly, "Yes, what's wrong?"

The fire crackled, and sparks drifted out, slowly rising between the two men.